by Hannah West
As Sarina finished the final touches of her wedding gown she sat back in her chair and stared out the window. Her wedding was on the morrow, Guy still rotted in her dungeons, and Lord Adrian hadn't come to see her. He remained distant; only saying a few words in greeting as they passed in the great hall.
She was worried that he had heard something about Guy from the servants. She hadn't been training either, seeing him at the time was just too much.
There was a light knock on the solar door and she called for whoever it was to come in. To her surprise it was Alrek, the Nordic Viking her future husband had brought with him.
"Do you have a moment, my lady?" he asked as he closed the door and came in.
She waved him in, "You are already in here." She gave him a smile and he smiled back.
"I know he has not been to see you and I would have come sooner, but he forbid it. I saw you growing saddened and thought to cheer you up." He sat in the chair next to hers and grinned. "You see he is a private kind of man, his emotions well hidden. But," he leaned in as if to tell her a secret, "he is nervous!"
As if he completed a great task he sat back again with a wide fool's grin.
"Nervous? She asked a little stunned. "Whatever for?"
"The wedding, a marriage, you could have a thousand choices. Battle is all he knows and he is trying, but I feared that you should know. Mayhap you can help him along a little. I have known him for half of my life and I can tell you he worries about what comes after the vows. He knows what to do, but has yet to do it, if you catch my meaning."
"My lord," she gasped turning red with embarrassment.
"I thought it best you knew just incase," he said with a shrug. His face grew serious then and he tilted his face to get a better look at her. "He trusts you, that is rare for him, but he cares to now. Be careful not to lose either, I'm afraid that he might do something he might regret."
Now she was confused, he had lost her. "What do you mean?"
He sighed, looking pained. "Adrian, while a great warrior he has been on the field too long. A score of years, the length of your life, he has fought bloody battles and wars. I noticed as did the king a year back that Adrian had started to crumble, to change. The king gave him this gift to make him more stable. He had become ruthless, more so then he had ever been, but careless as well. He had given up on living in a way, you see."
Sarina listened in stone silence as tears pricked her eyes.
"He struggled with leaving war behind, making connections with people and he would have dark moods for long periods of time. The king and I thought he needed a purpose again, she the king picked you for the tales he has heard of you. You do not judge and you have an open heart, Adrian is doing better, but he will still need both. I came to ask of you, my lady, to save my friend once more."
He rose out of the chair and got on his knees before her, looking into her misty eyes. "Save him as only a woman can save a man. Give him want he need, even if it is not what he wants. Can you do that?"
She bobbed her head. "I can. He is a hard man to know, your friend is. He has only started to share with me, but I have seen such as you speak. I can only hope what I can give is enough. Now rise, my lord. There is no need to beg for what I give freely."
He rose to his superior height and sat down in the chair once more looking vastly relieved. His angled face and white blonde hair gave him the appearance of a vengeful angel, much the opposite of Lord Adrian.
"Can you tell him I want to see him? I cannot seem to get him to stop for me," she said with a sigh.
"That is because if he listened to you, he wouldn't be able to just stop for you, my lady. The man is besotted, even if he does not know it yet. You could not find a better man for a husband. He is loyal to the death, my lady, and he would do anything for those he cares about. Good evening to you, Lady Sarina. I shall send him if I can find him."
He ducked out of the door and went in search of his boorish friend. He was sure now that Adrian was beyond the brink of darkness that had had him this last year, and Lady Sarina would keep him far from it.
Chapter Thirteen
In the dark depths of Kildenry Castle Guy deFlair planned on his revenge. The bitch had tricked him again out of getting what was his! Well he would have her and the castle; all he needed to do was kill the bastard that claimed to be her new betrothed. All he needed to do was get out and make off with her before the wedding. And he only had one night left.
He laughed to himself as he finished his plan. A sickening grin spread across his thin face.
Sarina woke up as a chill skittered down her spine. She wasn't alone in her room and she knew it wasn't someone she wanted in there. Pretending sleep she slowly moved her hand under her pillow and grabbed her dirk.
The mattress dipped under the weight of the new person and she found herself flipped over with a hand over her mouth.
"Do not move, mon cher. Do not scream either or I will slit your pretty white throat," Guy sneered. "It was only to easy to bribe your guard after he was drunk and find my way up here. Not paying the guards as much as you used to hmm?"
Sarina blew out an enraged breath trying to curse him. She still had a hold on her knife and he hadn't seen it yet, she still had a chance.
Guy's hot, moist breath touched her throat and she wanted to gag.
"I shall take what is mine and then you'll be forced to marry me. Won't your warrior like that?" he laughed softly. "He will pay for beating me and defending you against the man you truly belong too."
Sarina moved her head fast and bit down on the tender flesh near her mouth. She tasted blood. He cursed in French and slapped her hard across the face.
She bit back a cry.
"You're a nasty little man. I don't know what my father saw in you, but you are a pig!" she spat.
He balled up a fist.
Sarina was maddened to the point of murder, her blood boiling with outrage. So much so she was shaking with it. Tomorrow was her wedding and she would not take another bruised from the pathetic man. As he moved in for the hit she pulled the knife out with a mighty swing at the same time she screamed with all her might like a warrior in battle. The knife bit into skin and clashed with bone and the Frenchman howled in agony.
Without waiting she twisted away from him felling over the edge of the bed in her shift. Blood splattered across her chest and she held the knife defensively, close the her body. As he made a move toward her she struck out again and again until he fell back, trying to cover his face with his hands. Out of her mind with anger she fell upon him with the knife stabbing him wherever she could. Guy cried out in pain, his words and protests turning into gurgles. It seemed like hours later that strong arms pulled her off the man and pried the knife from her finger.
"He's gone, lass. Stop," a deep voice commanded gently.
Sarina froze and looked at Guy's lifeless body spread over her bed, blood soaking the fine mattress. suddenly sick to her stomach she pushed away from the wall of a man who held her falling next to the bed, puking until there was nothing left in her.
Strong arms collected her again, pulling her into the safety of his arms.
"I killed him," she mumbled. "I murdered him..."
She had killed a man, she had committed one of the worst sins.
"Nay," said the deep voice. "You were protecting yourself from him."
"H-he tried t-to....to rape me again," she rasped and tears broke out. Rolling down her face in giant drops, they traced tracks to her night gown. She turned in those arms and clung to Lord Adrian's chest, pressing her face as close as she could as if to try and hide from the world. Those strong arms gently rubbed her back with strong soothing fingers and silently removed her from the room.
She didn't know where she was being taken and she didn't care, couldn't care for at the time she went numb. Her body went limp in Adrian's arms.
"Wake up, lass," Adrian said as he gently shook her shoulder.
He had taken her to his rooms, laid h
er upon his bed and under his furs as he watched over her the rest of the night. She had slept deeply and dreamless last night. He was worried she may have gone into shock.
She had killed the bastard as he deserved, but she didn't deserve the nightmare he knew would come with it. He had the same nightmare after his first kill. She would have trouble over coming it, but he would be there for her. For anything she needed.
"Sarina," he said soft next to her ear. He brushed his fingers softly over her forehead as he swept away her hair.
She mumbled in her sleep and turned toward where he sat on the bed's edge. Slowly her smoky eyes opened and when she saw him her eyes glazed over with tears. As she cried out her heart again he held her in his arms, tightening them as he realized she trusted him to be the one to hold her.
He was not good at comforting; he was bloody clueless as to what he could do! But he would try. For her, always for her.
"Sssh, there be no need of tears, lass. He does not deserve your tears. Dry those beautiful eyes, today be your wedding day," he said softly, his chin pressed to her forehead.
"How could you still want to marry me? I murdered a man!" she cried with pain etched in her voice.
"He was going to rape you and who knows what else he would have done. He sowed his oats, and he got what was coming to him, sweet." He sat her on the bed and looked into her red-rimmed eyes. "You were brave and did as any warrior would have. Now, lass, lets get you off so we can have a wedding, for I very much wish to wed you."
The last thing she felt like she needed to do was get up, all she wanted was to go back to sleep in his arms, feel safe and warm. In his arms nothing else seemed to matter.
"For after this day, no man will have his arms around you but me; that is a promise, lass."
She could only dream that would be so.
Chapter fourteen
The wedding was long, filled with silence that mirrored the gloom of the rainy day that hit Castle Kildenry. Most of the villagers turned out to give their well wishes, but Sarina passed everything in a blur until a giant of a man followed Lord Alrek into the chapel. Sarina looked at the man's chiseled chin with high cheek bones and a board forehead. He had a slight spray of silver at the temples and dark eyes that could capture the soul. And a thick scar marked the edge of his jaw giving him a dangerous air.
There was something about the man that striked her in an unsettling way. A warm feeling fluttered in her stomach, the first real feeling she had had all morning. She felt a nagging at the back of her mind but she pushed it off. He must be another of Lord Adrian’s men. He had enough of them crawling over the castle, out of the seven hundred men he had brought with him, and only two hundred would be leaving with Alrek in a week’s time. They had already eaten through had her ladder.
What surprised her most was that the dark brooding man with the striking face came and kneeled in the place where Adrian should have been.
"What do you think you are doing," she whispered to the man, "Where is my lord?"
The man looked over at her and into her eyes. He winced and looked away. "I am here, my lady."
Sarina swooned and one of his large hands had stabilized her. His brow creased with worry.
"Are you unwell?" His brow creased. His face looked beautiful up close.
"Nay," she breathed and took a deep breath and she swallowed. "Nay, I just did not think it was you, my Lord Adrian. You are without your beard." She felt silly for pointing it out. He had to know his face was shaven.
He paused for a moment considering what to say and whispered back, "Do you like it?"
"Your face?"
He nodded tightly. Worried about her thoughts.
She smiled and took his hand in-between their knelt bodies. "Very much so. You are dashing, my lord and look years younger than you did."
His hand tightened around hers and the ceremony began. It was long filled with stints of Latin and English. The cold was seeping into both of their bones through the stone floor and after all was done Adrian rose with a grimace and a small groan of pain. Sarina rose with a silent wince. But it was the kiss, however slight that made up for the pain.
Both stood stock still after the priest announced the husband and wife, telling them to proceed with the kiss to finalize the marriage. Taking courage in hand Sarina took a step closer to him and whispered for him to bend down for he was too tall for her to reach. When he hesitated she reached up an arm and pulled him down to her level.
"Be not a feared and have courage, warrior," she whispered to him. Their lips barely a hair apart. He searched her face for a moment, emotions racing in his eyes. She could see fear, curiosity, hope, but it was the desire that kicked her blood into a fast pace. It was desire that darkened his eyes to almost black as their breath mingled and with a soft growl he tilted her head back with the grip he had on her neck. His lips soft at the same time hard crushed down upon hers with a force she quickly matched.
It was long moments later after the cheers had turned to embarrassed coughs that he released her and she stumbled a little to the left, dazed and seeing lights. Adrian, himself, was a little dazed and breathless. He had not known what it was going to be like, but that was surely not what he had in mind!
Imagine what the night held in store for them both as they would travel blindly together to find the pleasures of the flesh. A blush crept into his cheeks and without his beard his new wife could see it. He turned away from her and pulled her along after him from the chapel to the great hall where a feast was beginning. Were they would celebrate all day long and long into the night The people and his men alike would find peace together and dine together. With this marriage there would be a great known peace again for these lands. He would see to it.
In her current state Sarina wasn't sure it was a good idea to let her anywhere near her husband. She had drank a few to many cups of wine, was feeling warm to her toes and was hungry.
Hungry for him that was. She giggled at the thought.
As she sang a merry song and danced with several tall warriors she suddenly found herself up in a strong pair of arms and a darkly handsome face close to her. Finding her husband all the more attractive with his strength she rewarded him with a kiss that sent his men into hoots and cheers.
He raised a brow at her and looked over his shoulder to his men as he headed for the stairs. "I believe it is time that my wife and I find our bed, as should you men. Good evening."
"It's time for the bedding!" a man bellowed and a group of men and women started to follow their lord and lady.
His lovely Sarina stiffened in his arms at the word 'bedding'.
He turned to growl at them all. "This is a private matter." Everyone who had started to follow froze in place. Nodding to his satisfaction he headed to his room. He would not take her back to hers even though the servants had cleaned it of the blood.
Nay, he wanted her in his room, in his arms, and now in his bed.
Adrian swallowed thickly. After a long life of not knowing any other touch then his, he would feel hers and her soft body. Never in his life had he felt the need to know what to do, but he felt that way now. He may not know how to please her body, but he would learn.
Sarina hiccupped and gave a small giggle as he sat her down to open the portal to his chamber. She hadn't been in here since he was injured, but as she peeked around the room as she went in she knew it to be a man's room. Furs covered the four poster bed and the floor in front of the fire, his sword propped against the bed and little else besides a chest with his belongings. She liked the warm, simple feel of the room.
Placing herself on the edge of the bed she grinned at him when she saw he waited by the door watching her.
"Nervous?" she asked, tracing a pattern on the coverlet.
He swallowed and nodded ever so slightly. Nervous? He was a bloody wreck!
"Well you could start by coming over to the bed, husband. Then you may proceed to doing with husbands do," she said helpfully with a smile.
> Slowly he came over to the bed like a prisoner goes to the gallows, his steps slow and dragging.
She patted the bed next to her, inviting him over.
"Lass, you looked beautiful today," he said roughly as he sat next to her, their knees touching.
She took one of his large scarred hands in hers. "Thank you, husband." She giggled, "I like calling you that." She looked up at him with wide eyes, searching eyes. "May I call you by your birth name in private? I preferred to be called Sari, myself."
He cracked a small smile and his face transformed from handsome to beautiful. "You may, Sari, my lovely little wife."
She leaned on him. "Do you think we shall have a marriage like my parents when I was little? They were always happy together, even when they were fighting." She looked at him with soft eyes. "I do care for you, Adrian and I find myself growing even more so as time passes."
Hearing her use his name made his heart beat fast.
"It could be, lass."
I think I may yet love her, he thought.
Gently he laid her back on the bed and gently kissed her lips. "I have a confession, my Sarina."
She looked at him with eyes wide in wonder. "What?"
"I have never afore done this. You make me undone, my lady, but I know not how to please you," he said softly.
She framed his face with her hands. "Try, my brave warrior, and it shall be enough for me."
With those words he blew out all candles but one and began to undress.
Chapter Fifteen
Sarina woke with a pounding head, but a lax body trapped by warm walls of muscled man at her back. She stretched a little and gave out a small sound of pleasure. The memory of the night was fuzzy but her body felt wonderful.
Lips kissed her temple. "Good morning, my lady wife."
"Hmmm. Good morning, husband," she yawned widely.
He had been reserved at first, but now he snuggled in next to her. Having a wife was the best idea men had ever come up with, he thought as his wife wiggled her bottom against him. He had never been used to physical touch, but this was...pleasing. Pleasant.