***
Elisabeth woke the next morning to feel Broderick kissing her wounded shoulder with scalding kisses; his large hand has slipped under her arm, kneading her tender breast. The sunrise still hours away, desire lanced through her as his touch set her on fire once again.
She could feel his hard cock pressing against her backside, the feeling made her feel even hotter as he rolled his hips once again so she could feel his desire.
Smiling to herself, she pressed her ass into his hard erection, enticing him take her once again, “Fuck me Broderick, one last time my love, I need you in me.” She begged, unashamed of her need for him. She would be without this man for many weeks to come; she needed him now more than ever.
She felt Broderick roll them around the bed, placing her directly above him. With no candles or glowing fire, she couldn’t see his face; only feel his hands and giant cock between her legs. In one gentle motion, Broderick brought her down upon his velvet cock; gasping as he buried himself to the hilt she leaned her head back and moaned in building pleasure as he guided her hips.
She knew her time with him this morning was limited, once again soaking up every touch, every kiss, every caress-she memorized it. For she knew there would be long winter nights to come without him. He made love to her tenderly, slowly; his words were filled with love. Together they climaxed as one, intimate and drenched in passion. The world around them stopped as they came in each other’s arms. Dizzy and exhausted, Elisabeth collapsed into Broderick’s steady arms, trying to catch her breath.
“I need to get dressed and pack Elisabeth, I am to leave in the next hour. Come with me back to our room my love, see me off?” He requested lightly as he stroked her naked back.
Sighing deeply in sadness, she whispered “Of course Broderick.”
Together they gathered their belongings from the study and slowly walked in the dark castle back to their tower bedroom holding hands. The castle was eerily silent as they crossed the vast keep; a few torches illuminated their path. No one was yet awake; the crackling hearths were the only sound.
An hour later, exiting their room together, Elisabeth clung to Broderick’s hand for strength. She had helped him pack and sharpened his blade while he changed. She was doing everything possible to keep her mind busy. The reality of him leaving was too depressing.
Saying goodbye would be hard for her. So much was left in the balance with him leaving. They had yet to find the person responsible for poisoning her, let alone figure out how Kincaid had such vital information of what happened within these walls. The responsibility of planning their attack fell upon her and Kendrix, along with trying to keep safe while Broderick was away. If Kincaid had a spy, it would only be a matter of time before he was informed that Laird MacMillan went to Inverness to meet with King Richard. She had a very ominous feeling that something would happen while her husband was away. She wanted to stomp her foot and demand he take her with him, but she refused to act like a brat and argue with him before his departure. She would heed his decision, and stay behind with Kendrix.
She knew the King of England wouldn’t harm Broderick, he was correct in that the Richard needed him. Broderick held the vast majority of land in the Highlands; his army was large and formidable. Broderick’s allies were many, fierce, and something even the King of England would not want to lose, or go against.
She also knew that King Richard owed her a rather large favor, a favor she had earned years ago. She was sworn to keep the secret, last night she wanted nothing more than to tell Broderick. Instead, she had written a letter to King Richard, gently reminding him of her outstanding favor she had yet to use. The King of England owed her, and Richard was family, a well-kept secret, known only by the Drummond family. She did not feel right keeping that information from her loving husband; however she made an oath to their liege, King Richard. She could not break that vow without dire consequences. She knew, that if Broderick’s meeting with King Richard took a turn for the worse, he could hand him the letter and Richard would be honor bound to agree to her choice of a husband.
Keeping her relationship to the King of England secret all these years was for her safety, if King Richard died, he wanted a legitimate heir hidden away to ascend the throne. Duncan and Elisabeth were those heirs, with Duncan gone; Elisabeth was the sole heir to the King’s crown should he die.
She was far more than just The Warrior Queen of Scotland; she was the hidden heir to the throne of England. She was King Richard’s cousin, his only family, a secret that could get her killed if the wrong person knew. A secret her husband didn’t even know, and with her parents and brother dead, only the King of England and she knew the truth. She was confident that her cousin favored Broderick, she also knew King Richard cared for her in his own way. Although he had moments of insanity, she prayed that he remembered who they were and what they meant to him. Surely he would be pleased with her choice?
Walking out into the bailey the morning sun had just crested the ice-covered horizon of the Highlands. Taking her final chance to speak to him alone, she squeezed his hand and stopped at the bottom of the castle stairs and looked up into his calm face. Clearing her throat, she pulled the letter from her fur and handed it to him, praying he would understand.
“What is this Elisabeth?” Broderick asked, a questioning look upon his face as he gently took the letter from her hands.
“If your meeting with the King Richard becomes unfavorable, please deliver this letter into his hands only, tis meant for his eyes only.”
Cocking his head, he stared at her. She could see him trying to process the different reasons why her letter to the King of England would change their future, and why he couldn’t read it.
“I cannae explain to you the reasoning why without breaking a promise to the King of England, I beg you to understand the importance of my promise and honor. I pray that King Richard will entrust that information with you when you meet with him. Only he can tell you, I am bound my oath to remain silent. Please understand if I was able to tell you, I would.”
Tucking the letter into his leather pouch, he held her trembling hands and looked into her eyes, “I honor your promise to the king my love, if need be, I will deliver the note with my own hands to him. Elisabeth, nothing will keep me away from you. I will return to you my love, come, my men wait and dawn is fast upon us.”
Nodding, not trusting herself to talk any longer, she turned and walked with her husband to the stables where his men awaited their Laird.
Twenty warriors were preparing their mounts in the early brisk morning, Kendrix was helping them get ready as Broderick and Elisabeth entered the stables. Kendrix had doubled his brother’s guards after a lengthy discussion; neither she nor Kendrix believed ten warriors would be enough. Broderick agreed to take twenty after seeing how adamant they were on the issue. Elisabeth was pleased when her husband easily agreed to take more guards. She knew Douglas warriors could very well be waiting on their path to Inverness. Although the MacMillan warriors were trained and ready, having more men travel with her husband gave her peace of mind.
Squeezing Broderick’s hand one last time she let go, watching him check his saddle upon his large stallion. Around her the men talked to each other but she only had eyes for her husband. She watched him slowly transform from her husband into a warrior before her eyes. It didn’t take long before the group was ready to depart, standing off to the side Elisabeth saw Broderick walk away from the group, directly to her. Tears welled in her eyes as she stood in the large stable; clenching her jaw she watched Broderick’s face soften as he approached her. Seeing her upset bothered him, she knew that, yet she couldn’t contain her emotions. She did not give a damn if his men saw her cry; she refused to dampen her love for this man in public. Warrior or not, she was a woman in love, she had every right to be emotional with his departure.
“Oh Elisabeth, please dinnae cry lass.” He whispered as he pulled her close into a warm hug.
“I’ll miss you terribl
y, please return with all do haste my love.”
“Nothing shall delay my return Lis. I must go, I love you.”
“And I love you Broderick,” reaching up, she kissed him softly, uncaring of who saw. Those moments she kissed him with every bit of emotion she had. In this volatile world, one could never be sure of living until the next day. Dread surrounded her.
Slowly pulling away, Broderick kissed her forehead one last time before turning to mount his stallion. Hugging herself, Elisabeth walked over to Kendrix and followed the warriors out of the stable. Ahead of them, the groaning of the massive drawbridge could be heard.
Rare sunshine lit up the bailey as sun peeked over the mountains, Elisabeth watched as the warriors began to exit the castle; Broderick was the last one to leave. Looking back over his shoulder, he saluted his brother and her one last time as he crossed the drawbridge.
Elisabeth waved to her beloved husband as she watched him disappear into the white forest. Once the warriors could no longer be seen, Kendrix ordered the drawbridge closed. Securing the castle closed once again. With tears flowing down her cheeks she reached up to brush them away, turning to look at Kendrix beside her.
“Come Sister, let’s find little Isobel and break our fast, I think you could use some of Old Rhona’s tea.”
Nodding, she walked beside Kendrix back to the castle in search of Isobel, and a warm meal. She felt empty, the thought of the following weeks without Broderick made her feel depressed and hollow. She could tell Kendrix was upset with his brother leaving without him; this would be the first time since they were young boys they would be separated from each other.
Walking through the large doors of the castle, Elisabeth’s attention immediately was captured as she heard Siobhan yelling. Looking up, she stopped inside the door as she saw Siobhan raise her hand in anger at Isobel, “You little bitch! You tore my gown!”
Before Kendrix could react, Elisabeth drew her dagger out of her belt and threw it at Siobhan, catching her long sleeve, sending her flying back against the wall, her raised arm pinned against the wooden doorframe.
Siobhan’s jaw dropped as she turned her head to see Elisabeth and Kendrix rushing towards her.
“How dare you raise your hand to my daughter Siobhan, she is but a child!” Kendrix yelled at Siobhan, his anger was palpable.
“I…I…I wasn’t going to hit her!” She swore, trying to dislodge the dagger holding her sleeve. She nervously eyed Kendrix as he stormed towards her.
Elisabeth rushed over to Isobel and swept her up into her arms and cradled the child’s head in the crook of her neck as she spoke quietly into her ear, calming the child’s fear. Shielding Isobel’s eyes from her father and Siobhan, Elisabeth watched as Kendrix pulled the dagger easily out of the stone and held it to Siobhan’s face, “If I ever see you raise a hand to my daughter I will kill you myself Siobhan, understood?” His tone was menacing and cold, his threat was very real, all of them understood that. People from the castle had appeared at the sound of the commotion, all eyes were upon them. Elisabeth stood back and allowed Kendrix handle the situation at hand; it was his daughter after all.
“Understood.” Siobhan said with anger before she spun on her heel and ran from the keep.
Kendrix spun around and looked at his daughter who was nestled snugly in her arms. Seeing the anger in Kendrix’s eyes, she quickly attempted to divert his attention, “Let us go find some food Kendrix, surely we all still need to break our fast.” She offered, trying to get him to calm down.
With Siobhan gone, Elisabeth turned towards the kitchen still carrying little Isobel in her arms; Kendrix simply nodded and followed them. Walking down into the kitchens Elisabeth allowed this to distract her from thinking of Broderick, “Shall we see if Rhona has some cakes for us Isobel? Maybe she’ll let us break our fast on those instead of warm porridge,” she teased the child, trying to see a smile from her sad little face.
“Oh that would be nice Aunt Elisabeth; Rhona’s cakes are the best!”
From behind them, they heard Kendrix’s deep voice, “Aye, Rhona’s cake are the best my child, she made them for me when I was your age too, let’s see if the old lady has them baked yet, shall we?” In those few words his anger dissipated.
The afternoon had gone exceptionally fast for Elisabeth, after breakfast she drilled with the warriors, practiced bow with Isobel and then held a group class for her ever-growing crowd of castle children. She allowed the busy day to keep her mind off Broderick as he traveled south.
Finding a moment of peace, Elisabeth snuck away to her solar to rest before the busy evening approached. Tonight she would meet with Kendrix and start planning their attack on the Douglas clan; she knew future days and evenings would be spent much like today. She knew the way to survive would be to stay busy, and so far she had done just that.
The next week followed the same pattern; she would practice with Kendrix and the warriors early in the morning, teach bow lessons immediately afterward and then see to the castle the rest of the day. Her evenings were filled with dinners with Isobel, Kendrix and Rhona, followed by planning late into the evenings with Kendrix.
She had become so busy; she had little time to dwell on Broderick’s absence during the daylight hours. Her heart ached for him, yet her busy schedule demanded her full attention. Only late at night when she curled up in their bed did she let her guard down, she had cried herself to sleep every night the first week he was gone. She eventually let the hounds sleep upon the bed; she found it hard to sleep without Broderick’s large presence beside her.
Lying alone in bed at night, she thought over the past days. Isobel was fast becoming a sensation with her bow; Elisabeth was pleasantly surprised how skilled the child was for only five years old. All of her students were excelling under her tutelage. She had found it heartwarming to see all of their little faces daily; they brought her much needed happiness. The castle was running smoothly, Kendrix stepped in to handle things that Broderick would normally see to, leaving her to handle the daily goings on of castle life.
She and Kendrix had started to make great strides on their plans for attacking the Douglas lands, together with the maps and knowledge they both possessed the two had started building a campaign that would not fail. She knew Broderick would be very pleased with how things were coming along. Kendrix’s strategies and expertise were impressive, he reminding her so much of Duncan. She was very thankful for Kendrix being left behind; she now understood why Broderick had been so adamant about leaving him behind. Kendrix had embraced her as his sister the moment Broderick chose to make her his wife. He was loyal and light hearted, he was always close by if she needed something or had a question. Isobel and Kendrix had kept her busy and entertained throughout the week, something she was very thankful for. She didn’t feel alone.
It had been a week since he left; she knew he had to be arriving at Inverness, the thought made her stomach roll. She prayed King Richard would be in the right state of mind, although she was his cousin, she knew best of any that Richard was prone to fits of rage, bordering on insanity at times.
Chapter 14
The journey to Inverness was brutal, the weather had only worsened the farther south Broderick and his men traveled, something Broderick had never seen before. Treacherous roads and bitter cold slowed them around every turn. It took Broderick eight days to reach the King’s castle nestled above the loch in Inverness, arriving in the middle of the night; Broderick and his men were given immediate access to the castle.
Stabling their horses, the warriors were shown to their quarters by the King’s staff, as Broderick was taken into the castle, he was promptly shown to a well-appointed room. Dead tired from the journey, his meeting with King Richard would wait until the morning; no one would dare wake the illustrious leader at this hour of night.
Absolutely exhausted and frozen solid from exposure he undressed. Crawling into the soft bed, he fell asleep almost instantly; the warmth of the roaring fire lulled him into th
e dream world where he dreamt of his beautiful wife.
Broderick woke to the sound of knocking on his door soon after sunrise. “King Richard shall see you within the next hour downstairs in the hall, do not be late Laird MacMillan.” The male voice called beyond the thick wooden door.
Gruffly answering back, “Aye, I’ll be there.” He swung his sore legs out of bed; he had an angry king to win over. It had been at least a year since his last meeting with King Richard, much had changed since then, praying the King still took favor with him he let out a deep breath and sat up. Standing up, he stretched his muscles and rubbed the sleep from his weary eyes. He was incredibly hungry, crossing the room he poured fresh water into the basin and splashed his face, “Wake up old boy, we’ve got a king to win over.” He muttered to his self, trying to shake off the exhaustion from riding so far in such horrid weather. Dressing and arming himself as usual, he descended the long stone stairs toward King Richard’s large hall. Entering the quiet hall, he saw his liege, sitting at the end of the long table before the vast hearth that anchored the far wall. Completely alone, waiting for him.
Bowing to his liege, he crossed the room and waited for Richard to speak.
“Laird MacMillan, we meet again, please, sit.” King Richard beckoned, motioning for Broderick to sit to his right. Richard was dressed in immaculate attire befitting a royal, as he always was. Only a few years older than Broderick, the smaller man commanded attention. The early morning sun crested the hills, sending dazzling light into the beautifully appointed hall of the royal castle. Taking a seat as instructed, Broderick tucked in and replied, “My King, I’m glad to see you are well during this bitter winter.”
“I am told you did not bring Elisabeth as I instructed, would you care to explain why you disobeyed my orders Broderick?” Richard sneered, his attitude severely changing as he got to the heart of the matter.
“She was not fit for travel my liege,” he answered, determine to keep his composure. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke the Richards’s notorious temper.
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