“This? What is this supposed to mean, Peter? Or should I say, Your Highness?”
“That is exactly what I mean!” He took her by the shoulders, ignoring her when she tried to shove him off. “Katy, I never wanted to be crown prince! And I really don’t want to be king!” He dropped his arms and let out a gusty breath as he turned to look back in the direction they’d traveled from. They were only at the foot of the mountain, but Downing already seemed a world away. “I am tiptoed around and whispered about and entreated by the oiliest of politicians day and night.” He looked back at her, not a hint of a smile or jest on his face. “And since the moment I arrived in the royal city, I have missed you every waking moment.”
She glared at him, but he continued.
“You always saw me for who I am. You knew me and cared for me before I was…this.” He held his arms out and grimaced down at his body.
Katy did her best to keep her eyes on his face. It would not do to become distracted now.
“And I’ve never had a second where I didn’t regret leaving you behind. So please,” he stared down at her, his eyes like the clouds that couldn’t rain, “I don’t need another courtier. I don’t need another servant or royal visitor. I just need you.”
Katy chewed her lip and tapped her foot in an attempt to steady her voice before speaking. But when she did, it still warbled. “So…I can only guess that your uncle has no children.”
Peter shook his head.
“And since your father died, you were the next in line.”
“That’s right.”
Katy took another steadying breath. She knew better than to ask, but she had to. “I suppose then that Lady…Sarah, is it?”
“Saraid.”
Katy nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “I suppose she’s your prime choice for princess then.”
Peter shrugged and went to sit on a nearby boulder. Katy followed him, making sure to sit so their legs and shoulders didn’t touch.
“She’s got all the right qualifications. Noble bloodlines on both sides. Raised by the best of tutors and governesses.” He gave a little distant smile. “I think she actually likes me, too. Not like some of the other girls in court.” He shuddered a little.
She’d known it was coming as soon as Benjamin had mentioned the other woman’s name, and yet, something inside Katy broke as he spoke the words.
Stupid girl!
She couldn’t recall ever giving herself permission to dream of him. But she had all the same. Years of daydreaming of a life with him, back before she’d believed him to be dead, and even more recent dreams, those that had drummed their way to the surface of her consciousness since he’d returned, came crashing down. What had she been thinking? Of course she couldn’t marry Peter. When he’d been only a knight, perhaps the dream hadn’t seemed so far-fetched. But the prince?
“Ho, now. What’s this?”
Katy looked up as he reached down and wiped a single tear as it rolled down her cheek.
“Look at me.” He gently took her face in his hands. Katy wanted so much to flee, to tell him that they would be better off apart, but the soft light in his eyes as they reflected the moonlight held her in place just as tightly as any rope or binding might have.
“Just because I have a crown doesn’t mean anything has changed between us.”
“How could it not?” she whispered, her voice cracking against her will.
“You will always be my little Katy.” He tweaked her nose and gave her the uneven grin she remembered so well. “And I don’t intend to ever let you out of my sight again. You’re apparently too good at attracting danger for me to do otherwise.”
Oh, if only he would stop! Katy wasn’t sure her heart could take any more. She tried to put on a teasing smile. “I’m not sure your Lady Saraid will approve of that.”
“Don’t worry about Saraid. She’s going to love you. You two will be the best of friends.” He leaned back and gave her another easy grin. “She’s the only girl of your age at the castle that I’ve found to be intelligent enough for decent conversation. You’ve never had a good female friend before.”
“I had you.”
He quirked an eyebrow but let the jab pass as he glanced around. “Well, it’s getting late. And I hadn’t planned on discussing my current title so near the forest, so we should probably draw this conversation to a close.” He stood and reached down to help Katy as well.
“Are we in danger?” Katy asked, glancing around. The wild feeling had subsided a little, but Katy could still feel its tinge in the air when she really focused.
“I don’t think so.” And yet he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as they walked to rejoin the others. “But I’ve learned that the forest has ears, and for the sake of everyone here, it would be best not to speak on the subject until we’re far from the forest and behind safe walls again.”
Katy nodded and went to lie on her sleeping mat, no longer in the mood for fireside talk. Most of the other knights were still on their logs, talking in hushed tones, but she could feel their eyes on her as they paused in their speech. How naive they must have thought her, waltzing around, treating their prince as though he were still fourteen and she even younger.
She rolled over, tears threatening to spill again, when Peter called out to her once more.
“Yes?” she whispered, not turning to face him.
“I mean it when I say I’ve missed you more than you can know.”
13
Watching
“What about you, my lady?”
Katy cringed. Was Benjamin really asking her another question? Again? Was the young man capable of anything other than prying?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.” She didn’t look back at him anymore, but she still tried to keep her voice polite, for the sake of the other knights if for nothing else. Their ride was long enough with him asking everyone about every detail of their life without her being rude as well.
“I asked how many beaus you’ve had. A pretty lady such as yourself has surely had many a suitor.”
Katy shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I didn’t live in the city, and I rarely spent time with anyone but my benefactor.”
“Of course, I forgot.” He paused. “What about love interests. Surely you’ve a few of them. Men you admire at least.”
“Do you have any manners at all, boy?” Sir Tomas asked, scowling. But Katy didn’t miss Peter’s little smile as he raised an eyebrow at her.
She huffed and tossed her hair. “As with everything, it is difficult to have any sort of connection with a man when you see none.” There. Let Peter make what he wanted of that. “What about yourself?” she asked, desperate not to be the subject of any more of his questions.
The other men groaned, but as Benjamin began to regale them with tales of his romantic adventures, her mind wandered.
What was she doing here? Peter was obviously content with marrying this Lady Saraid. Katy’s powers were growing worse. She could feel them pricking in her fingertips once again even though it had only been a matter of days since her last release in the field. These men, brave as they were, were in more danger from her than from whatever lived in the forest. She was sure of that. But what could she do?
Tell him, a frustrating little voice in her head whispered. Tell him what you did in the field. He’ll have no choice but to let you go for the safety of his men. Why had she let him talk her into this at all?
“You’re going to love it!”
Katy looked up to see Peter beaming back at her. The way his eyes lit up like stars when he was excited made her heart ache. She had loved that smile when they were children. It was fun. And safe.
“There are all sorts of gardens and courtyards with fountains and places where you can go to think alone. I’ll have dresses made up for you so you have some proper attire for once.”
“Because you know so much about ladies’ fashion.” She smiled.
“Watch yourself.” He lean
ed back in his saddle. “I can now match my clothes all by myself, thank you.”
Katy burst out laughing when behind him, Sir Tomas rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“But really,” Peter said, “you’re going to finally have a home.” His smile fell a little. “It’s all my father and I ever wanted for you.”
Katy tried to look away, but the earnestness in his face was so sweet it made her heart ache.
Peter faced forward once more as the road thinned. “Besides,” he added, “I plan to keep you nearby until the day we die.” He nodded, more to himself, it seemed, than to her. “We have a lot of adventuring to catch up on.”
“Are you sure Lady Saraid will be pleased with such?” Katy asked in a low voice.
His forehead puckered. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Try to stay in the center, my lady.”
Katy gave a start and looked around to see Sir Dom nodding at the trail.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She guided her horse back to the middle of the track and tried to keep herself focused enough to remain there. But after three days of riding, she felt numb. Her backside was numb from sitting on the horse for hours and hours. Her hands were numb from the chill of the surprisingly cool winds that blew over the mountain paths, even during the summer.
Her heart was numb as it tormented her with dreams of what could have been and the knowledge of what would never be.
“What is it?” Peter called up to Sir Carey, who had taken the lead that morning when the winds had changed. “Why did we stop?”
Sir Carey didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he twisted in the saddle to look toward the forest on their right. The forest had crept closer to the road with each mile they traveled, though Katy wasn’t sure if this was the way it always looked, or if the woods were up to their old tricks again, growing right beneath their noses.
“Storm’s coming,” Sir Carey finally called back in a low voice, his eyes still scanning the trail.
“This isn’t a good place to get caught in a storm.” Sir Antony looked at Peter, and Peter shook his head.
“No. Lead the way, Carey. Let’s find a cave or something we can shelter in until after the storm.” He turned to Katy. “I know you’re tired, but we’re going to need to go a little faster until we find somewhere safer. Are you able to do that?”
Katy gave him a droll smile. “As if I have any other choice.”
“That’s my girl. Very well, Carey. Let’s go.”
Katy’s body lost some of its numbness as they hastened their pace, but it was only replaced with sore aches from bouncing along the rough mountain trail. She didn’t have to endure its jarring long, however, for as soon as they rounded a curve, they all came to a halt.
“What is it?” Benjamin called from the back. “Why are we stopping?”’
As much as Benjamin could get on her last nerve, Katy couldn’t help but wonder the same thing. Then she looked up.
The way Sir Carey had described the storm made it seem like they had hours before it hit. But there above the forest churned the darkest mass of towering clouds like Katy had never seen.
Before anyone had a chance to respond, a flash of light exploded just to their right. Katy’s ears rang as she tried to get her horse back under control. It reared, and she barely managed to hang on. Blinding rain began to pelt them, so hard it hurt her skin as though pebbles were being hurled from the sky instead of water. Peter and the others were saying something, but she couldn’t hear them. She could only see them all reaching out, trying to grab her horse’s reins.
Just as she thought they might succeed, another flash of light exploded above. Her horse stopped rearing and bolted between Sir Briant and Sir Tomas’s mounts, straight into the forest.
The rain didn’t pound as hard beneath the shelter of the foliage, but in exchange for comfort, Katy began to lose the light. The sky above her darkened from a gray blue to a deep purple. The foliage around her thickened, and her horse was forced to slow. Just as she thought she might regain control, however, a third lightning bolt struck nearby. This time, Katy was thrown from her horse.
* * *
“Hello?” Katy shouted into the storm as her horse fled, but the winds caught her words and blew them away. She staggered to her feet and slowly set off in the direction she thought she’d come from. The forest floor had turned to mud thicker than tree sap, however, and her new boots sank so deeply that she had to yank her foot up each time she took a step. All sorts of unfamiliar smells assaulted her.
It felt familiar in a terrifying way, though she couldn’t say exactly why.
After what felt like miles of treading through the sludge that was the forest floor beneath a nearly black sky, Katy tripped on a fallen branch. She grazed her head on a rock and landed on her hands so hard her wrists hurt. With a sharp cry, she finally stopped fighting and allowed the rain to pelt her where she lay on the ground.
“Is this it then?” she cried out hoarsely to the sky. “Is this how you’re protecting them from me? Why not have just let me leave in the first place? Why bring him back at all?”
“Here.”
Katy shrieked as a hooded figure appeared beside her. She scrambled to stand, but it was impossible to do more than sit, as her right boot had become lodged beneath the branch that had tripped her.
The figure jumped back and held its hands up. Then, slowly, it reached up and removed the hood.
A thick mop of black hair sat above the palest face Katy had ever seen. Across his forehead was a band of blue swirls, like wind or waves, that had been painted there. Green eyes, nearly metallic, watched her curiously, and to her shock, she realized they were familiar. Just as the wild feeling on the wind had been.
He bent slowly and held his hand out.
Katy flinched.
The stranger smiled and put his finger to his lips. As he did, the rain ceased. Katy felt her jaw fall open as she looked around and realized, however, that it continued to fall everywhere else. Only the spot where she sat was untouched.
“Please don’t be afraid.” His voice was soft. “I only want to help.”
Katy studied his green eyes warily. They were wide and open, making him look younger than she’d first thought. Twenty and seven, perhaps? Certainly no older than thirty. He wasn’t as tall as Peter, but his shoulders were far wider, and at least in the shadows of the clouds, his body had the more practiced stance of a man in his late twenties. He wore no weapons that she could see, only a dark cloak.
“Truly,” he said in that same soft voice. “I only wish to help you find your way back.” He chuckled, a regretful sound. “I’m afraid my brother was a bit ambitious with this storm.” He paused. “I apologize if it frightened you.”
“Who...” Katy struggled to find her voice, surprised she could hear herself over the sound of the rain that still poured down around them. “Who are you? And your brother?”
He averted his eyes. Katy recognized the gesture. It was one of shame, one she’d often used as a child when a new family in town would learn about her questionable past.
“Call me Aedan. And my brother’s name is Tearlach.”
Katy blinked the water out of her eyes as it dripped from her hair onto her face as she tried to decide what to do. She was rather sure she was going in the wrong direction, and for whatever reason, this man could make the rain stop. But who was he? And what did he want?
And why was he so familiar?
“Have we met before?” she asked.
A small sad smile came to his thin lips. “You remember.”
She shook her head. “Not where or when. Just you.”
He looked as though he were about to speak again, but something stopped him. Instead, he closed his eyes and tilted his head. Just as he opened them again, Katy thought she might have seen just the slightest hint of a glimmer in their green depths. But that was impossible, wasn’t it?
Who is this man?
“Please,” he whispered, “I only want to hel
p you. But my brother will be displeased when he finds that I’m not taking you back home with us.”
Katy’s heart briefly stopped. “Taking me home with you?”
“I am taking you back to your friends,” he said firmly. “Tearlach will get over it.” He straightened and reached down to help her. Turning, he pointed to the right of the direction in which Katy had been running. “Your friends are this way. Unless...you want to come with me?”
In a daze, Katy shook her head. “No. No thank you. Let’s find my friends.”
He smiled and nodded before pulling her to her feet. “Can you walk?”
Katy tested her ankle. It was weak, but she was able to put her weight on it enough to walk. Though this man seemed kind enough, the last thing she wanted to do was lean against him as they made their way through the forest. Not that he was reprehensible in any way. On the contrary, with his thick jaw and muscled neck, he was quite handsome. Katy felt her stomach flutter as he let go of her hand. Thankfully, his hands were covered with long gloves, however, and she was required to touch none of his skin.
He might be a handsome stranger, but he was still a stranger.
“We did meet a long time ago,” he said in that same gentle voice. “And I wanted to invite you to stay with me, but that man...”
“Sir Christopher?”
“Yes! That one! Anyway, he thought I was trying to hurt you. But I swear!” He held up his hands, his eyes wide, “I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted...” He stopped walking and looked down. “I just wanted you to know you weren’t the only one...like you, I mean.” He placed a finger on his temple and gave a frustrated laugh. “I’m not explaining this very well.”
“Did you...” Katy tried to gather her reeling thoughts. “What do you mean like me? And why now, if you’ve apparently been watching me for so long?”
The Autumn Fairy (The Autumn Fairy Trilogy Book 1) Page 8