by T. J. Quinn
“But Lord Bryce will come back,” she said, in a weak voice.
“Yes… but we’ll be here to stop him,” he assured her.
“You won’t be here forever,” she pointed out, with a sad tone.
“No, it’s true, but perhaps we can convince your father to name an heir able to defend the village alongside with him,” he said, with a smile.
“He has refused to do that so far,” she said, shaking her head.
“Well, it’s time he faces reality. He has to make a decision,” Cuyler said, in a firm tone. “That’s the only way he’ll keep Lord Bryce and others like him away from your people.”
She nodded. “We should go downstairs and see what’s going on.”
“The guards must have seen the smoke. I’m sure your father has sent someone to investigate,” Cuyler said.
She nodded and waited while, they shifted back to their usual selves and put on their clothes. This time they left the tower with her, going down through the trap door. But she didn’t go downstairs with them. Instead, she waved them goodbye and went towards the family hallway.
There was a huge commotion in the main room. The man Lord Arryn had sent to investigate the smoke had returned, and he was telling them what he had found.
"Yes, milord, I'm sure. Both catapults were completely burned. I was only able to tell those ashes were from the catapults thanks to the way the ashes were piled up because there was nothing left, not even the metal parts,” the man was explaining.
“What could have caused this?” Lord Arryn asked, astounded.
“No idea, milord. But whatever it was, it scared Lord Bryce’s army. There was no one left. I even went to where they had camped last night, and other than the ashes of their fires, there was no one around.”
“Whatever caused the catapults to burn that way must have scared them away, but if you didn’t see any dead man, he'll be back,” Lord Arryn concluded.
“Yes, most probably, but it won’t be today,” Sir Henry concluded.
"Order everyone to return to their homes. We'll keep some men on the three roads that give access to the village so that we can know when they return,” Lord Arryn ordered.
The man nodded and walked away.
"Milord, you know you have to put an end to this man's ambition,” Father Francis said, in a soft tone. "If they had been able to reach the village Lord Bryce's men would have slaughtered us,” he added, twisting his hands nervously.
“And how do you suggest I do that?” Lord Arryn shouted.
"Accept your nephew, James as your heir. After all, he is your younger brother's son,” one of the other men replied, in the priest's place.
"Please, Marcus, he's nothing but a buffoon. He would lose his place in the first battle,” Lord Arryn snarled.
“Then, chose Rufus, your other nephew, you can’t say he’s a buffoon,” Father Francis intervened.
“No, he’s a mercenary. He would probably sell this place to the highest bidder,” Lord Arryn replied.
"I've heard he's looking to buy a place for himself. People say he has made a fortune and now wants to settle down,” Sir Marcus informed.
This time, Lord Arryn couldn’t find words to refute the other man’s words.
“Just think of it. That would kill Bryce’s ambitions, and Rufus’ presence here would keep him and others like him away,” Sir Marcus insisted.
Lord Arryn remained silent for a few moments and Cuyler could see how much the man hated the idea. He wanted a son, not a nephew to take his place, and the idea of accepting a nephew bothered him more than anything.
“I’ll think about it,” he promised and walked away.
Slowly, the room emptied, and the servants went back to their regular activities, though the rumors on what might have happened to the enemy’s army were the conversation topic all over the village.
Lord Arryn left the barricades on, just in case Lord Bryce decided to return all of the sudden.
Though he has waited to see Kaylein at the lunch table, she wasn’t anywhere to be seen, what frustrated him more than he thought possible. He wanted to see her, have her near him.
After lunch, Cuyler decided it was time to have a serious talk with Lord Arryn about the subject that affected him and his men, so he asked him for an audience. The man agreed, looking puzzled, but Cuyler waited until they were alone to discuss what his proposition.
"As I told you when we first arrived here, I intended to make business with you and your people,” he said, looking for the right words.
“Yes, it’s true, though I can’t think of something we have that might interest you,” Lord Arryn said, leaning back in his big chair, in the middle of the main room.
“You see, from where I come from, there are a lot more men than women. So, we have been forced to look for women in other countries,” he started explaining. “We were told we could find women we need in this part of the world, so we’ve sailed here, looking for them.”
An instant frown showed on Lord Arryn’s forehead. “I don’t sell my servants. Training new ones would be too annoying and expensive.”
“I would pay you whatever you asked me. All I need are twenty women,” Cuyler insisted, but Lord Arryn shook his head.
“I can take you to a slave’s market, not far from here, when things here calm down, but I’m afraid I won’t sell you any of my women,” the man replied.
“Why not?” Cuyler persisted.
“Separating them from their families always causes too much of a fuss and I really have no intention of going through all that trouble.”
“It would be just twenty women, and we could compensate their families, to make their loss a bit more bearable,” he suggested.
“It’s not worth the pain, believe me.” The man shook his hand, dismissing it.
“With the money I’m willing to pay, you would be able to hire more soldiers and postpone a decision you don’t want to make,” Cuyler said in an alluring tone.
This seemed to sink deep into the man, and he didn’t reject the idea immediately.
“Just think about it for a few days. We can discuss it then,” Cuyler said, getting up.
Lord Arryn nodded, and Cuyler left the main room to meet his men.
“Well, did you talk to him?” Igor asked him, as soon as he approached them.
“Yes, but this will be harder than we expected. He doesn’t seem anxious to sell his women, even if he could use the gold he would get for them,” Cuyler warned them.
“What will we do if he refuses to sell them to us?” Haskell asked clearly worried.
“Then we’ll have to take them by force. We’re not leaving this place without what we came for,” the king assured them. “I gave him a few days to think about it. He might surprise us.”
His men nodded.
“Let’s hope so,” Igor said.
“Use this time to let your soulmates know you. Find opportunities to be with them, let the magic that unites you do its job, so we won’t have a hard time with them when we have to take them away,” he suggested to his men.
“Yes, that’s a good idea.” Haskell nodded.
“As for those who haven’t found their soulmates, keep looking and try to find the best candidates for us to take back with us,” he ordered before he dismissed them.
“What would make a good candidate, my king?” one of them asked, puzzled.
“One with no family would be perfect, but I’m not sure we’ll find any like that, so just let your instinct choose them.”
His men nodded, and they walked away. Cuyler remained in the castle.
It was time for him to go looking for his own soulmate.
Chapter Eleven
Although he wandered around the castle the whole afternoon, he didn’t see her, even once. For a moment, he considered going upstairs, to the family area, but he knew that would be a mistake that might put him and his men out of the village, precipitating the events. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
&nbs
p; Instead, he decided to go down to the river and wait to see if she would go there for her bath that night.
This time, he wasn’t disappointed. When the sun started to go down in the horizon, she appeared, carrying the things for her bath. He allowed her to walk by him and gave her time to get in the water before he walked there.
He knew it wasn't fair, but he wanted her in a place she couldn't escape that easily from him. He was starting to think that would be the only way he would have her by his side for more than a few minutes.
As he imagined, he found her swimming in the clear waters of the river. The shadows of the dying day didn’t allow him to see much of her, but he didn’t mind. Right now, all he wanted was to talk to her.
“Good evening, lady Kaylein,” he greeted, taking a seat on a rock in the river bank.
She let out a small cry and immediately sank her body in the water.
“What are you doing here?” she snarled at him, clearly upset with his presence.
He didn’t pay any attention to that. “I have been looking for you the whole afternoon. Where have you been hiding?” he asked instead.
She snorted. “My father doesn’t allow us to leave our rooms ever since you and your men arrived,” she confessed.
“Why?” he asked, puzzled.
“You’ll have to ask him that,” she said, huffing. “Now would you please leave? I want to finish bathing, and the water is too cold.”
“I’m sure you can take it,” he said with a wicked smile. “This seems to be the only place I can talk to you.”
"Of course not. We had the other night, while we walked through the woods,” she protested.
“Not enough,” he replied.
“You can’t stay here,” she insisted. “I can’t stay here. If I’m not back soon, my mother will find out I’m not in my room.”
“Then, agree to meet me later,” he proposed, pleased his plan had worked.
“Very well, we can meet in the woods or on the top of the northern tower,” she suggested.
“The northern tower would be perfect,” he agreed. “Right after dinner.”
“Agreed…” she frowned remembering the last time they had met on the roof of the tower. “Just use the trap door. Climbing it is too dangerous, you could get hurt,” she added, worried.
He looked at her, with an intrigued expression on his face. “Would you care if I did?”
She blushed. “I would care for anyone… just don’t do it,” she grumbled.
He nodded, with a wide smile. “I’ll see you there.” He got up. “If you don’t show up, I’ll go looking for you,” he warned her.
“I always keep my word. If I’m unable to go for reasons beyond my will, I’ll let you know,” she warned him.
"I'll see you then." Nodding, he left her and walked to where he had left his own clothes for his bath.
Though he would love to take his bath with her, he didn’t want to push her too fast. For what he had seen, nudity was a taboo, and he was sure sex was a bigger one. They would have time to get to that part.
He took his bath quickly, and soon he was walking back to the castle. Things were quiet, especially after the frenetic night they’d. He wished he had scared Lord Bryce away once and for all, but he knew that wasn’t very probable. The man was determined to get the village, and he wouldn’t be scared away that easily.
If he returned while they were still there, he might have to take more extreme measures, though he would prefer not to, he simply couldn't stay still, with his arms, crossed, while they destroyed the lives of the people his válkana cared for.
Dinner was a bit somber that night, and everybody seemed in a hurry as if they had another place they needed to be. That pleased Cuyler, since he too had somewhere else, he would rather be.
When he was about to escape from the main room, Lord Arryn called him.
"I would like to have a word with you, Sir Cuyler if you have a moment."
Cuyler took a deep breath, but he knew he couldn't ignore the man. "Yes, certainly."
Lord Arryn took him to a small room, next to the main room, where he had a few chairs a desk and a small library.
He invited him to take a seat in front of the desk, while he sat behind it.
“What can I do for you?” he asked the man.
"After the strange events that seemed to have scared Lord Bryce away, there have been the weirdest rumors,” he said, resting his elbows on the desk and crossing his fingers. "One of my men that had traveled to the nearest village a few days ago has just arrived and informed me he had seen the man's army retreating as if demons were chasing them,” Lord Arryn told him, in a speculative tone. "His story made me think of you, and I wondered if you or your men had anything to do with this,” he added.
Cuyler considered his options. He could insist that he had nothing to do with it, but if Lord Bryce returned he would want to bargain his help for what he wanted.
“Let’s say I couldn’t allow them to cause unnecessary harm, especially with those catapults,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “Back home, we are warriors, but we only fight alongside with the victims,” he explained. “As you can imagine, after knowing what was going on, we couldn’t stand by with our arms crossed,” he added.
“But I’m sure you don’t fight for free,” the other man concluded.
“Not usually, no. But this time, it was our choice to fight. You didn’t ask us,” he replied.
Lord Arryn sighed. "I won't ask you for more details and all I can say is thank you, in my name and the name of all my people."
"There's nothing to thank. We just did what we had to." He got up, smiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk with one of my men."
“Of course. Have a good night, Sir Cuyler.”
Cuyler left the room and quickly headed to the tower’s roof, hoping she was still there waiting for him.
She was. Sighing relieved, he walked to where she was sitting and took a seat next to her.
"I'm sorry I'm late, but your father wanted to talk to me,” he explained, inhaling her sweet scent, allowing it to rush through his body, in gentle waves of pleasure.
“It’s alright,” she dismissed his delay. The truth was she had thought he had lost interest in her and wouldn’t come. She still couldn’t believe how that simple idea had made her feel as if she had a tight iron fist around her heart. “Does he suspect anything?” she asked him.
“Yes, he knows we had something to do with Lord Bryce’s retreat,” he explained to her what the older man had told him.
“Well, this will become a legend, believe me. People will embellish in a thousand ways and in a few years, no one will recognize the real facts,” she said, amused.
“Yes, I’m sure of it,” he chuckled.
“So, what did you want to talk to me so much you felt the need to threaten me?” she asked him after a few moments of silence.
This time he laughed out loud. “I’m not sure I’m able to threaten you. Let’s say I persuaded you to join me.”
She huffed. “Yes, sure. Whatever makes you feel happier,” she said, smiling. “You have me here, so ask all you want.”
He smiled. “Why don’t you start by telling me a bit more about yourself?”
"Alright… I'm my father's the fifth daughter and surely his last disappointment. He has been craving for a son since he married my mother, but so far, she has only been able to give him daughters." She started, in a sad tone. "This is one of the reasons Lord Bryce covets these lands because he knows my father doesn't have an heir. So he thinks he has a chance of getting them for himself."
“Why haven’t your father asked for your king’s support in this? Wouldn’t he be able to stop Lord Bryce?” he asked, curious.
“Probably, but he has more important problems trying to keep this kingdom united. Greed for power is one of the man’s worst defects, and I’m afraid the king has surrounded himself with a particularly greedy group,” she explained. “Life in court ca
n be very dangerous and certainly isn’t something I would like to experience,” she added, shuddering. “My older sister is one of the queen’s court ladies, and in her letters to mother, she always complains she has to measure each word she allows to come out of her mouth.”
“Oh… that doesn’t sound very pleasant… and yes, I can understand why you wouldn’t like that,” he said, with an amused smile.
She laughed out loud, and the sound of her laughter pleased him as few things did. "I never know when to stay quiet,” she admitted. "And hypocrisy is something that doesn't go along with my personality."
“How many of you are married?” he asked, curious.
“Just two, the older ones. My father hasn’t been able to find suitable husbands for the twins that precede me. They want them to live close enough so that they can visit each other as much as possible.”
“Twins? What’s that?” he asked, unsure of the meaning of the word.
"You know when two babies are born from the same pregnancy. They are identical twins, and even I have trouble knowing which one is which, since they usually dress alike and act alike,” she explained.
Cuyler was surprised. In his species, there were no twins. He had seen it in other species, but they usually had multiple births, and their reproductive systems were completely different from the drogons'.
“I see.”
“They have lived their whole life together and can’t fathom the idea of being separated,” she added.
“Do they look like you?” he asked, curious.
"No, not at all. According to my father, I'm the living image of his mother that died long before I was born. All of my sisters have black hair and green eyes."
“I knew you were unique,” he said, with a naughty grin.
She giggled. “So unique my father hasn’t even bothered to try and find me a husband,” she said with a scowl.
“Do you want him to?” he asked, suddenly upset with that possibility.
“No, I don’t. Here I barely have any freedom at all. As a married woman, I’ll be subdued to my husband, and that’s a terrible idea, especially if I’m not allowed to choose him,” she said in a quiet tone.