by Leilani Love
Katrina felt a moment of reprieve until she saw the first arrow fly past her head. She stayed low as she tried to weave between trees, when she felt something slice her arm. Katrina bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain and hoped that they didn’t get any closer.
There was nowhere to hide, and Katrina heard the baby begin to cry in her arms. She wished she could comfort him, but her focus had to be on getting them out of there. When she noticed a large hill ahead she found herself hoping they could just get there.
Without any warning, the horse stumbled, and she felt him pitch forward. Her instinct to protect the baby kicked in and she let go of the reins as they were sent flying over the horse’s head. Landing hard on her side, she felt the wind being knocked out of her. There were several arrows sticking out of the poor horse and he let out a soft whine.
Stunned, it took her several minutes to raise her body so sore it protested as she tried to stand. She looked down at the bag she was carrying. Not sure what else to do, she opened it up and slid the baby on top of the bladder of the milk. Arthur was just small enough to fit. The bag should help keep out some of the cold as she carried him in the woods.
“Shhh, my little prince. You just have to be brave a little longer.” With that she flipped the top of the bag back over to cover him from the elements and put the strap of the bag over her head. This would at least free up both of her hands and make it easier to run. She felt a twinge of guilt for carrying the future prince this way but knew that her first obligation was to protect him and that would be easier with the use of her hands.
The hill was still ahead of her, which meant the possibility of a cave and Katrina ran toward it. The horses coming up behind her made the ground shake, and she fought the urge to look back, knowing it would just slow her down. Weaving around trees she stumbled, her soft leather boots offering no protection from the snow.
Coming up on both sides, the horses started to surround her, and Katrina felt a deep fear of what was to come. Almost tripping over a big branch, she grabbed onto it hoping if she could at least fight them off then maybe, just maybe, the gods would answer her prayers.
She heard chuckling as the men got off the horses. She noticed all of them had those black markings on their chests and faces. Despite the cold, not one wore a shirt and they all seemed unfazed by the frigid air as they started to close in around her. Swinging the stick around she yelled, “Stay back!”
The chuckling got louder, and she heard one speak in a language she’d never heard before. Based on their faces she could tell that whatever it was they were saying, she would not like it. “I am one of the Queen’s ladies. Attacking me is an assault on the Queen…”
The laughter grew and one of the men stepped closer to her. He was a giant of a man, and when Katrina swung the stick in her hand and it hit him, she regretted it instantly. The look of pure anger and hatred in his eyes made her legs quiver. Katrina felt herself shrink as she realized she hadn’t hurt him at all but instead made him even angrier.
As he raised his arm to hit her the sound of growling filled the air. She turned just in time to see a big white wolf land on his back. As the men changed their focus from her to the wolves, Katrina did the only thing she could think of, she picked up her skirt and ran.
Without knowing what direction to go, she kept heading toward the hill. She was cold and exhausted and could still hear the men yelling behind her, along with the sound of at least two wolves.
The hill didn’t seem to get any closer as she ran. As it got colder and colder, Katrina felt herself stumbling. Each step took more and more energy until she finally fell. The baby’s cries had turned into soft whimpers and Katrina held him close as she gave in to the desire to lie down for a moment. As her eyes started to close she wasn’t sure if she saw a large white figure approaching or if her mind was just playing tricks on her.
Chapter 3
Most of the men had taken off in a run after the wolves started attacking. There were four in the pack, total. The two brothers Bryan rescued as pups and their mates. Snow, the biggest and the alpha of the group, had attacked the man who was about to strike the woman. After that, the other three attacked. Most the men who resembled demons with their markings took off.
Bryan took note of which way the woman ran before he used his bow to shoot one of the men who’d tried to follow her. Once the arrow flew, several of the men who weren’t already fleeing, turned toward him, swords raised. Several of them were far enough away that he was able to take aim and shoot some arrows at them. Bryan dropped his bow and pulled the sword from its sheath just in time to block the first blow. Face to face with his attacker, the only things between them were two swords pressing against each other. The man’s eyes were dark, and Bryan noticed the black markings all over his face were in an odd pattern. Demon was the first thought that crossed Bryan’s mind.
Bryan was tall, but this man was taller. Bigger did not mean smarter. He knew he couldn’t overpower him, so he pushed forward, hard. When he felt the guy push back, he moved quickly to the left, taking a step that caused the demon man to fall, and giving him time to slice his sword and stab him in back.
As he ducked into position to defend the next attack, he saw one of the female wolves, Minx, jump up and attack a man. A glance around showed him that almost all the men had fled, and Snow was no longer there. Neither was the giant man he’d attacked earlier.
Bryan picked up the bow as he jogged to where he had last seen the woman. From the tracks he saw, the woman had gone one way, while the man who had been holding her went another. Snow had followed the woman. Bryan knew his wolf wouldn’t hurt her, but he wanted to make sure he got to her before the cold did. The woman already appeared exhausted and her dress and cloak would not protect her from the elements.
The three wolves walked with him, as he followed the pack alpha and the trail of the female who had run away. With the snow still falling, both their trails were practically gone, but the wolves next to him let him know which way to go. Bryan started to wonder if they’d wandered too far, when the sound of a baby crying caught his attention. Did the woman have a baby with her?
When he finally found Snow, he was lying tucked against the woman on the ground. Bryan hurried over and saw that the woman had a bag nestled against her and that the crying sound was coming from within. As he picked her up, pulling her against him, he noticed how cold she was and realized that Snow’s heat had probably kept her from freezing to death.
Before standing, he adjusted the bag so that when he picked her up, it would stay nestled against her, giving both her and the baby some warmth. He needed to get them both to shelter as quickly as he could. Bryan sent up a prayer as he hastily walked back the way they’d come. The woman and baby in his arms barely weighed a thing, and when the baby started to quiet down, he felt himself hurrying faster. “Come on, little one, just a bit longer.”
Once he got to the horses, he carefully mounted his, pulling his packhorse closer. He had gone hunting and had extra furs. He picked the thickest one he could find and tucked it around the woman. As he looked down at her for the first time, he noticed how pale her skin was. Her blond hair, clinging to the side of her face, was wet from the snow. She was so small in his arms. He wanted to check on the infant, but with the weather as it was, he decided their best option was to get him back to his cabin fast and get them both warm.
He rode as quickly as he could. Bryan’s home was about half a day’s ride from Camelot or any other major village. Bryan chose it because he loved the quiet. He was more comfortable here in the woods. Normally, riding alone brought him peace, but as he began to worry about the two in his arms he wished his home was closer. When the baby quit fussing, he started to worry. Bryan found himself hoping that the baby was just tired from crying and had fallen asleep.
When Bryan saw his stone cabin appear he whispered, “Just a bit farther.” Since he had gone to check on his traps and knew he would be gone for a long period of time, he
had killed the fire.
The horse had barely come to a stop when Bryan hopped off, kicking open the door so he could get them inside. Entering his room, he set them both on his bed, choosing to light the fire before checking on them.
He opened the bag, surprised at how small the baby was. Not sure if it was a girl or boy, all he knew was that the baby couldn’t be more than a few days old. The leather of the bag should have kept out most of the wind, but he wondered what had possessed the woman to take the baby out in this weather. He was a little cold but not nearly as cold as the woman on the bed. Her body heat and bag had shielded the baby from the harshest part of the winter weather.
The woman’s dress was wet, and he quickly removed her soft leather boots before attempting the gown that clung to her. Bryan turned her to her side to untie the laces on the back. Finding the strings wet and knotted, he grabbed the knife from his belt and cut them, loosening the dress enough to pull it up and over her head. Removing the rest of her soaked clothes, he tucked her into the bed putting extra furs over her to try and help warm her.
The fire was not intense enough to warm up the room, let alone his nearly frozen guests, so Bryan did the only thing he could think of and stripped out of his clothes. As he crawled under the blankets, he pulled the woman close and put the baby on his chest. Her body was ice-cold, and based on how little her chest moved, she was barely breathing.
The woman was tiny, her hips and flat stomach were not that of a woman who had just given birth to this baby. Bryan couldn’t help but wonder who she was and how it was she came to be carrying a new baby in a bag. He also wondered about the painted-men who had attacked them. Would they be coming back to get her and the babe?
The infant warmed up the fastest and fell asleep on his chest. Bryan was careful, having had some experience with newborn babies. He moved the child to the other side of the female who was still icy cold, her lips blue. He worried what would happen if he didn’t warm her up soon.
Bryan pulled the woman closer to him, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back. At first, she was so still he worried he was too late and sent up a prayer. When she started to shake a bit in his arms, he said a small prayer of thanks.
As he held her close, he brushed her wet hair back from her face. She was tiny compared to him; her features were delicate. He picked up her hand and rubbed it with one of his. Her soft hands told him she was a lady, which raised more questions about who she and the baby that she had carried with her were.
Bryan fell asleep holding the mystery woman in his arms, waking up when the baby started to fuss next to them. Not sure how long he had been sleeping, Bryan got up, picking up the baby. As the child let out a cry, he searched the room for the bag that he’d been in, with the hopes of finding the babies supplies. Finding both a changing cloth and a bladder of milk, he carried them into the living room.
It had been a long time since he had changed a baby; he hoped he hadn’t forgotten. The wolves got up from where they were laying to check out the small human making so much noise. Picking up the shirt, he tried to figure out how the ties were set up before removing the cloth. The baby pulled up his legs and let out a loud cry, his fists flailing in protest.
“Shh, little one. I’m just trying to remember how to put this thing back on you.”
The baby continued to cry, his face going red in protest. “Aww little laddie, we will get you all dry and fed,” Bryan said, as he quickly removed one cloth napkin out from under him to put on a clean one. His first attempt failed miserably, but the second one stayed on well enough.
When the little lad started sucking on his hand and whimpering, Bryan realized he needed to find a way to feed him. Bryan held the baby as he examined the bladder of milk. He had seen something like it once before and remembered that a father had made a similar bag to use to feed the animals when their mothers were not able to produce enough milk.
“Here you go little laddie, it’s all right.” After several attempts, the baby finally latched on and started sucking on the corner of the bag. He sighed in relief. The male wolves lay back down as the two females lay next to him still curious about the little human. Minx, Snow’s female, had given birth a year ago, but the pup did not survive. She put her paw on his lap, her motherly instincts kicking in.
“Minx if you want a pup of your own, you need to bother Snow. This one is not for you.” She huffed before standing up and licking his face. When he laughed, she finally left his side to go lie with Snow.
Once the little lad was fed, Bryan noticed he had fallen back to sleep. Not sure what to do with him now, he put the baby on his bed in order to free his arms to make a makeshift bed of furs. He wanted to make sure the baby stayed warm, and the bedroom was the easiest room to do that. Setting up a pile of furs in the corner of the floor, Bryan moved the baby to the new, makeshift bed.
Bryan went to the bed to check on the sleeping woman. Her lips were no longer blue, instead a film of sweat had appeared on her forehead. Bryan reached out touching her head. She was burning up. Fevers were tricky. As a lad, his mother had taught him that it was best to keep a feverish person wrapped up in blankets and bathe them often.
His sister had just had a baby and would not be visiting until the weather cleared. He would have liked her help with the baby and caring for the woman, but he knew she already had enough on her hands. Plus, Thomas was very protective. He would never let his wife leave the house in the snow just after having their baby.
“I need you to get better quickly, lassie. I’m sure the little lad would much prefer you to take care of him than me. Plus, I don’t believe he’s yours, and his mum and pa are probably worried about him,” Bryan said, as he gently pushed her hair back from her face.
The lad raised a lot of questions. He didn’t appear big enough to be taken from his mother and the woman before him, with her small waist and flat stomach, couldn’t have given birth. How did she end up with him? Were there more people that needed help right now who were attacked by those marked up men? Did she kidnap him? So many questions, none of which would be answered until she woke up.
Chapter 4
Katrina felt smothered and so hot. She tried to kick off the blankets that were on her and growled in frustration when they seemed to magically reappear. Hearing an unfamiliar male voice telling her that she needed to stay covered, made her kick her legs again, determined to kick off the blankets.
“What a stubborn little lass you are,” she heard with a small chuckle.
She wanted to open her eyes and see who this voice belonged to but couldn’t seem to work up enough energy. As she started to fall back to sleep, she wondered where she was and had a nagging feeling she was forgetting something.
They were chasing her. Men with markings were chasing her, as she held her bag tightly to her. The baby was crying, and she had to get away. No matter which way she ran, they seemed to find her. She let out a scream when she tripped. When she fell, it felt like they’d covered her with nets pinning her to the ground.
Katrina’s eyes flew open, and she screamed again seeing a pair of dark brown eyes above her. The sound of a baby crying made her panic more. Trying to stand, she felt him pushing her down. “What have you done with him? Where is Arthur?”
She felt him put something cool on her forehead, as he made a soothing noise that confused her. “Shh, the lad is just fine. You just woke him up.”
She tried to get up again, as the panicky feeling clawed at her. As he pushed her back, she felt him put something heavy on her chest, and he continued to wipe her forehead with something wet and cool. She wanted to protest but couldn’t seem to gain the strength to move or fight him. Her eyes closed, and she gave in to the need to let sleep overtake her.
As soon as she fell back asleep, Bryan went to the baby to pick him up. When she screamed, Minx had gotten up and run in to the room, going to the crying baby. Minx nudged him and stayed with the baby, calming him down while Bryan talked to the woman who had apparen
tly been having a nightmare. She had been having several over the last few days, causing him to learn a few things. First, whoever she was to the baby, she believed she was in charge of protecting him. He still hadn’t learned her name, but at least he could stop calling the baby lad and instead call him Arthur.
When he was sure she had fallen back to sleep, Bryan took the baby into the front room. “Arthur,” Bryan said, watching as the baby tried to suck on his fist, letting him know he was hungry again. “A strong name for a strong, little lad. Let’s get you fed, so that you can grow into it.”
Bryan had gotten into a routine with the baby and the woman. The baby was simple; he wanted to be fed and cleaned, and when he wasn’t sleeping, which was often, he wanted a bit of attention. Minx often checked in on him, and little Arthur seemed to enjoy it. The woman, he tried to bathe in warm water in an attempt to get her temperature down, saying a silent prayer that her fever would break soon. He kept her warm and sat with her sometimes at night when the house was quiet, and he wondered about her. Sometimes, when she awoke from a nightmare, she would look at him, her eyes glazed, screaming about Merlin, or the painted men. He had met the wizard twice before, and he wondered how it was that this woman had come to know him.
Other times, her eyes focused on him. Those times she let things slip. He tried to ask her what her name was, but she never answered him.
When Arthur was fed and changed, Bryan smiled at how easy it had become to change the baby’s clothes since the first time. Bryan was impressed with himself.
A yawn escaped him, and he lay on the pile of furs. He had created himself a makeshift bed since the woman had taken up residence in his. He felt protective of her and chose to sleep on the floor next to the bed. This kept him in position to watch over her and the baby. So far, there had been no signs of the men who had been chasing her. The wolves had gone out regularly. Bryan knew that the wolves would most likely keep anything from getting too close to the home. If they managed to get past the wolves, they would be in trouble.