Celtic Rose

by Campbell, Jill

  “Do you think it wise to have a young girl present during matters such as these?” The hood of the cloak never moved. He never took his eyes off Kallisto, not even for a second; neither did the other person on their ship. All eyes were on her. They must’ve thought she was an assassin.

  “I assure you sir, she is no younger than I, and she is quite capable to be present during such matters.” Kalan’s tone made it clear that he wouldn’t hear any more on the matter.

  “Surely the lady could remove her hood and soften the mood. I have heard that a woman’s presence can be quite calming,” the prince said, still keeping his gaze on Kallisto, but his head guard took a step forward, putting himself between them.

  The guard was a very intimidating man, with olive skin and dark hair that was long and neatly braided down his back. His arms were four times the size of Kalan’s, and his veins popped out whenever he flexed. Several scars marked his arms, matching the three on his neck. The one scar on his face trailed from the bottom of his left eye down to the corner of his mouth. Kallisto could tell he was a fighter and a dangerous one at that.

  Out of the corner of her eye Kallisto saw the hooded figure on the ship move a hand under their cloak. She was sure that one was grabbing for a weapon.

  “Sister dear, it seems as though the prince is a little anxious of your presence. Perhaps you could say something to calm him, since our father has forbidden you to remove your hood.” Kalan looked at Kallisto as he spoke, carefully making it clear that she should not take the hood off.

  “My apologies, dear prince, for the concealment, but it was one stipulation that my father refused to let pass. Surely my voice would do to calm you.” Kallisto gestured with her hand, hoping that by hearing her voice and seeing her delicate hand, the prince would be sated.

  “Indeed it does. Thank you.” The prince seemed to relax and turned toward Kalan. The hooded figure on the ship moved their hand back to their side. Everything seemed to be calmed and ready for the treaty, but before another word could be spoken, the prince’s head guard drew his sword.

  “Take the princess!” the guard yelled as he lunged forward and his soldiers followed. Kalan and the head of their guard drew their swords to fight, as did the rest of the crew.

  Kallisto watched in horror as she realized the Scottish had betrayed them. She looked for the prince, and saw that he stood in the same spot on the ramp, and was yelling at his head guard. She could barely hear him through all the fighting, but one part was very clear.

  “Stop this, Maulro! This was not what we came for!” The prince took a step forward as he spoke, but the head guard, whom he had called Maulro, just pushed him back.

  “Maybe it is not what you came for, but this is why the king sent me!” Maulro smiled and kept fighting. Kallisto noticed guards were coming up both sets of steps toward her. She had to act quickly or be taken. Panicked, Kallisto noticed one of the ropes to the sail hanging in front of her, and she jumped up on the railing and grabbed it, using it to swing down to where the prince stood. She landed behind him, and before he, Maulro, or the hooded figure could react, her sword was unsheathed at the prince’s throat, and her arm was firmly locked around his chest. If he tried to run she could easily jump on his back. As it were, she pulled him so his back was pressed against her chest. To Kallisto’s surprise, he did not resist. She puzzled over this, and wondered if he wanted the fighting to stop as much as she did.

  “Let go of him, girl, or I will run you through,” Maulro threatened. The hooded figure ran down the ramp toward her. Kallisto had to turn so that neither of them would be behind her.

  “I believe, dear sir, that I could easily cut his throat before you could even make it up the ramp.” The smile in her voice only added to the threat she posed. “Would you like to test that theory?”

  “Stop! Get your hands off him!” the hooded figure yelled. Kallisto was surprised to hear that it was a woman’s voice, but she did not loosen her hold. The prince’s hand rose toward the hooded woman as though he was trying to quiet her.

  “What do you want?” Maulro yelled.

  “I want you off my ship,” Kallisto said matter-of-factly.

  “And my charge?” asked Maulro maliciously.

  “I will release him as soon as every last one of you are off the ship,” Kallisto promised.

  “I am not leaving without my brother. You could kidnap him!” the hooded woman chimed in.

  “The only ones here with any thought of kidnapping are you and your soldiers!” Kallisto yelled in disgust. She tightened her grip on the man in her arms, but let the indignation leave her voice. “If it pleases you, you can stay on the top of the ramp and wait, but everyone else has to go. If anyone tries to make a move for us, your charge…” she said the word with malice as she glanced at Maulro, “will be dead before he hits the ground.” She pushed the blade into his neck for emphasis, drawing a minute amount of blood and causing the prince to hiss in pain.

  “Stop it! Alright we’ll go…just don’t hurt my brother.” The hooded woman threw the hood off and stepped toward Kallisto and the prince. There were sharp intakes of breath at her exotic beauty. She definitely didn’t look Scottish. Her hair was as black as Kallisto’s with bright green emeralds woven through it, but her skin was darker than any Irishman’s or Scotsman’s. It was Ramina, more feral looking than Kallisto had ever seen her, but as the princess she didn’t seem to know Kallisto at all. She seemed to just be staring at a rival princess; there was no recognition in her eyes. “Maulro, get them off this ship.” Ramina said, glaring at Kallisto. Turning to his men, Maulro shouted the order.

  “Everybody off now, and leave the girl be!” Obediently, they made their way to their ship. Ramina and Maulro went up, but stopped at the top of the ramp.

  “You would not really kill me, would you?” the prince whispered.

  “I would try very hard not to. You did not seem to want this fight any more than I did, but I would do anything to protect my family,” Kallisto said softly.

  “Would you allow me one request before I leave?” The prince’s voice was polite as he asked; Kallisto didn’t want to deny him.

  “It would depend upon the request,” she whispered back and waited.

  “Could I see your face, just so that I might know you if I see you again?”

  “My dear prince, I am afraid that is one request I cannot concede to. My father has forbidden anyone to see my face and now, it seems, that was a very wise decision. If I were to show you my face, what would stop you from taking me, if you were to see me elsewhere?”

  “I give you my word that I would never take you anywhere that you did not want to go.” He paused. “Would it help if I were to show you my face? Then you could run if you were to see me coming.” His voice was a husky whisper, tinged with the smallest of smiles. There was a buzzing sound that got louder and louder, and a rattle or tap added to it. Kallisto’s heart started pounding fast and hard. The sound was muffled in her ears, as if she could hear her blood pumping, and the scene started to blur and fade.

  Kallisto woke to the sound of “Let’s Go” by Korn. She turned it down and jumped out of the bed. It was still dark outside, which explained why the bright light didn’t shine in her eyes this time. She rushed to the bathroom, smiling. As she got ready she was thinking about the dream; she was ecstatic that Ramina had been in it, and really wanted to tell her about it. She brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair quickly, then threw her toiletries into a small bag and gathered her suitcase. She paused a moment to give Hope a goodbye kiss and was out the door.

  Ramina was already sitting on her suitcase outside her house, reading a book on her tablet. She was always ready to go before Kallisto. Kallisto had hoped she’d get to wake her up for once. She never seemed to be asleep no matter when Kallisto came by or called–she was beginning to wonder if Ramina ever slept.

  Ramina put her stuff in the back and jumped in the car–she was excited too. As Kallisto pulled out of th
e driveway, they started talking at once. They laughed and started joking around as they headed to the highway.

  Finally, they were on the road to Phoenix, singing along with their favorite songs, enjoying every minute of the freedom they felt. They took turns driving, switching every four hours so they wouldn’t get too tired. They took breaks to eat and stretch their legs when they switched, but other than that they drove straight through the day and part of the night. At the last truck stop before the last leg of driving, they saw a lot of swords and other medieval garb down one of the aisles.

  “Oh hey, I just remembered something I was going to tell you this morning,” Ramina said as they took their food to a table and sat down.

  “Yeah, there was something I wanted to tell you to, but you go ahead,” Kallisto said, becoming excited as she remembered about the dream.

  “I’ve been having the weirdest dreams ever. Last night seemed to continue and give more details than the one the night before,” Ramina said excitedly. Kallisto froze mid-bite. Her excitement was squashed and confusion replaced it–that was exactly what she was going to say. “I was on a ship, and from what I could tell I was the princess of Scotland. The other ship was an Irish ship and Kalan was the prince on that ship, which made you the hooded princess, I’m sure. Anyway, you grabbed the Scottish prince, which ended up being my brother. How weird is that? It was so weird; I screamed at you. I wanted to hurt you for grabbing him. I couldn’t believe I actually felt that way toward you, but it was like I didn’t even know you.” She finally really looked at Kallisto as she said the last and saw her furrowed brow. “What’s the matter?”

  “I had that exact same dream last night, Ramina.” Kallisto said seriously. Ramina looked at her for a bit then started laughing.

  “Oh that’s a good one, Kal. I almost thought you were really serious.” She stopped laughing as she said the last. Kallisto never changed her expression. She didn’t start laughing or even smirk. “No way, Kallisto, that’s not even possible.”

  “Apparently it is possible, because I’m serious. I shoved the sword to his throat and made him bleed a little so you’d get my point. I made you go to the top of the ramp and wait before I let him go,” Kallisto spouted. Ramina gawked at her, unable to speak. They were silent for a very long time. Ramina picked up her fork and started eating with a confused expression. Kallisto, not knowing what to say, started eating as well. They cleaned up their mess, dumped their trash, and headed for the car without a word, then drove several miles before the silence was broken. Ramina suddenly started giggling without cause. Kallisto, confused, glanced at her, but had to grin at her laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Kallisto giggled.

  “Oh nothin’…I was just thinking about us playing with swords and you swinging around on that rope like Tarzan.” Ramina laughed so hard she doubled over. Kallisto laughed along with her.

  “Yeah, that was pretty funny,” Kallisto said with a grin.

  The rest of the ride to Arizona was lighter and back to being exciting and fun. The girls put on some more music and started singing along with it, and left the freaky thoughts behind for another day. They finally arrived in Phoenix sometime after ten that night.

  The hotel they checked into was a beautiful old-looking building. The lobby looked old as well, like a movie hotel from the fifties. Their room also had classic charm. The key they received was even a skeleton key–they thought that was a nice touch. Their room was spacious, large enough for a small group to gather. The beds, both queen size, sat side by side on the right wall with a side table between them, and two matching dressers against the far wall. To the left was the opening to the kitchen, which was also large. A little further down on the left was the bathroom, which housed a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a mirrored medicine cabinet above it; there wasn’t room for much more. Kallisto walked into the kitchen to look around. The kitchen was fully equipped with dishes, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot. They had brought a few groceries so Kallisto took the time to unload them and put them away, while Ramina unpacked their suitcases. They convened at the beds and talked as they got ready for bed.

  “It’s really weird that we had the same dream,” Kallisto continued their earlier conversation.

  “Yeah–but hey, we’re always around each other and we’re really close; maybe we had the same dream because we watched some show together. Remember that show we watched a while back? That medieval show with the prince and princess; kind of a Romeo and Juliet type show?” Ramina reasoned.

  “Oh yeah! I remember that. Oh, I can’t think of the name of it right now. I’m too tired.” Kallisto said laughing.

  “Yeah, maybe we should get some sleep. It’s after midnight.” They finished getting ready for bed and hopped in.

  “I wonder if we’ll dream another dream tonight,” Kallisto said excitedly.

  “Yeah, that would be cool.” Ramina said with a giggle. “Goodnight, Kal.”

  “Night.” Kallisto shut off the lamp and rolled over. Extremely tired, they ended up falling asleep quickly.

  Chapter 2

  The distant sound of a knock pulled Kallisto from her sleep. She had slept dreamlessly all night. Jumping awake, she looked over at the clock and realized it was only seven in the morning.

  “Who on earth could that be this early?” Ramina pulled a pillow over her head.

  Kallisto took that as a sign that she was getting the door. Reluctantly, she slid out of bed, throwing her pillow at Ramina’s stomach as she walked past.

  “Oomph! Hey!” Pulling the pillow away, Ramina scowled at Kallisto as she grabbed the doorknob.

  Kallisto stuck her tongue out at Ramina and she grimaced, pulling the pillow over her face as Kallisto opened the door. Kallisto thought she’d made a huge mistake by not looking through the peephole first, because there in the hallway stood her brother, in all his glory, with two of the most handsome men she had ever seen. She tried to slam the door but to no avail; her brother just pushed it back and walked in, signaling for the angelic creatures behind him to follow. Kalan grinned hugely as Kallisto back stepped in shock.

  Kallisto and Kalan shared the same black hair color, but their eyes were very different. He was gifted with ice blue eyes that, in Kallisto’s opinion, made him very handsome. He had the strong, muscular build of a swimmer, but he’d been good at just about any sport, and ended up being crowned king in all the pageants he’d been nominated for. As if that wasn’t enough, he was also a brain.

  “Shame on you, trying to slam the door in my face! Is that any way to treat your brother?” he said with a grin as he pulled her into a bear-hug.

  Ramina jumped at the sound of his voice and fell out of bed, landing on the floor in a tangled mess of blankets, sheets and limbs. Laughing, Kalan went to the foot of Ramina’s bed and leaned over the side. “Ah, Miss Fauxton, still falling for me I see.” Kalan stepped back, just dodging the kick Ramina directed at his feet.

  “You wish, Craven!” Ramina yelled as she got up and headed for the restroom, grabbing her clothes on the way. Kalan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Ramina was wearing a red camisole and some very short shorts that all together did not leave much to the imagination. The color set off her dark hair and eyes. As she stomped past Kallisto, she grinned at her knowingly. She was a very outgoing person. The fact that there were two other fantastic looking guys in the room did not even faze her. As Kallisto looked at the other two, she noticed that only one was ogling Ramina. The other had his eyes on her, appraising what she was wearing.

  Kallisto didn’t feel self-conscious, due to the fact that she had just a little more clothes on than Ramina. She wore a long-sleeved button-up pajama shirt that was a silky leopard print, and athletic pants. They were tight, but in no way revealing. She watched the guy eying her until he looked up and they both glanced away, smiling in embarrassment. Kalan saw this and smirked.

  Kalan walked over to Kallisto and picked her up, hugging her again. “I missed ya, sis.
Why didn’t you call and tell me you were coming? I’d have been here last night.” He placed her back on the floor closer to her ogler than was necessary.

  “Yeah, that’s why we didn’t call. We never would’ve gotten to sleep then.” She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at Kalan. He shoved her slightly, but so early in the morning that was all that was needed to have her stumble into her admirer. He grabbed her quickly and sat her back up, giving her a kind grin. Kallisto’s cheeks blazed a cross between embarrassment and anger.

  “Sorry, I don’t have good balance this early in the morning,” She looked sharply at her now laughing brother. She shoved him back but, of course, he never even budged. It was like shoving a brick wall. The guy beside her chuckled.

  “It’s all right…I don’t mind having a beautiful woman shoved into me.” He grinned widely. He had gorgeous lips, and Kallisto couldn’t help but smile back. His voice took her off guard. It was very nice–not too deep, and not too high. It was just right for that wonderful face.

  Kalan finally decided to remember his manners. “Oh, yeah! This is William Blake.” He pointed to the guy who had watched Ramina. He was about the same height as Kalan with red hair. As Kallisto looked closer at him, she could see that he had the prettiest blue eyes, almost the color of the sky on a cloudy day; very light blue. He had a toned body, and his shirt hugged tightly to the muscles defined in his arms, shoulders, and chest. In all, he had quite a bit of muscle mass but he wasn’t too big; he was just right. His stomach was flat; undoubtedly he’d have a six-pack of abs underneath that shirt. His jeans were form-fitting also, but to avoid any more embarrassment, she decided not to linger at the sight. She looked back at his face. He grinned widely at her approving expression, clearly happy that she counted him as someone worth looking at.

  He came up and shook her hand. “Hello Kallisto.” There was a hint of an accent in his voice…Scottish, maybe?