Bryan awoke to the sound of Katrina’s light breathing and Arthur making little noises from his bed. His furs were nice to sleep on when he was outside, but in his house, he preferred the feather bed he had made for himself. Standing up, stretching the tight muscles in his back, he walked over to the little one and gave him a smile, “So, what this morning? You decided to let us sleep in by not waking everyone up with your scream, huh?

When Arthur made a face, he chuckled picking him up, “Don’t get all mad and start screaming now. It was nice of you to not wake everyone up with your cries.”

Changing the cloth covering him first, Bryan kept up a steady chatter to keep the baby quiet before he fed him. Once the baby was changed, he sat on the chair feeding him from the bladder. He watched Arthur for a few minutes, as he hungrily sucked down his milk as if he hadn’t been fed in days, not just a few hours.

“You act as if you haven’t eaten in days, little one. It has not been that long, I promise you.” Bryan knew that it was common for most babies to wake up several times throughout the night and was pleasantly surprised that Arthur woke up just once to feed.

A sound from the room caused Bryan to look up to see Katrina standing just outside the doorway, her hand on the wall as if she didn’t quite trust herself to walk on her own. When he started to stand, she shook her head. “No. Take care of him, I’m okay.”

Katrina took a few more steps keeping a hold on the wall. Bryan noticed a light sheen of sweat on her as she took a break, her breath coming in hard little pants. When Arthur was done eating, he laid him on the fur in the middle of the floor before walking to Katrina.

Katrina’s eyes were half closed, her shoulders sagged. If Bryan had to guess, it was simply her stubborn will that kept her standing, more so than the wall she was leaning on. Before she could utter a protest, he bent down and picked her up in his arms, causing a small shriek to come from her. Bryan carried her the few steps to one of the chairs at the table and carefully placed her on it.

When he put her down, he noticed the blush on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

Bryan smiled, her tone had a bit of a pout. “You’ve been in bed for days, and the only thing I’ve been able to get into you has been broth. It’ll be a day or two before you’re ready for solid foods. Your body is a little weak from fighting the fever and not having any sustenance.”

He watched as she frowned at the information, all the while looking around. The wolves were still out, and he didn’t really expect them back until later today. They were never gone too long, but most of the time when they went hunting he could expect them to be gone for at least two days.

His sister had told him that his house needed more color, saying it looked like a man lived here with no intention of taking a wife. Bryan had never considered taking a wife. Instead, he would visit a widow in his town who took care of his needs. He now found himself wondering what Katrina thought of his home. Was she comfortable here? Did she just see it as a man’s home?

“Are you hungry?” Bryan asked after she seemed to come to whatever conclusion she had been mulling over.

“Yes, please,” Katrina replied before giving her attention back to him. “I need to get back on my way to Camelot. His parents must be really anxious. Could I impose upon you to take me there or help me get a ride?” I will make sure you’re paid for your troubles.”

As he heated up the broth for her on the fire, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Bryan knew she was not being honest about something. Had she kidnapped the baby for a ransom? Was she selling him to someone else? He couldn’t come up with a reason why a newborn baby wouldn’t be traveling with his mother, or with his wet nurse. Katrina was obviously none of these.

“You will need to regain most of your strength before you travel anywhere. In a few days, I can travel with you to town and put you on a carriage to Camelot,” Bryan said as he made up her bowl.

She didn’t say anything as he walked over to her with her food, she just watched the baby on the floor. She was exhausted from her small walk, and she was frustrated with his answers, but for him, it was interesting to watch her think about all possibilities.

After he fed her a few bites, she finally asked him the question he could see brewing. “When’s the next time you expect a carriage to stop by. Maybe I could arrange something…”

Bryan shook his head, “It will be a long while. It’s winter, and my home isn’t near the main road. There are one or two that still come up here, but I don’t know when.”

Her shoulders slumped and when he went to feed her another bite she shook her head. “You need to eat Katrina. Your body is hungry, even if you are too busy pouting to want anything.”

“I’m not pouting,” she said, glaring at him.

When he chuckled, and raised an eyebrow, she huffed and dutifully opened her mouth for the next bite. He got her to eat a little more before he caught her eyes trying to close. Putting down the spoon, he stood up and scooped her out of the chair to carry her back to the bed.

“You do not need to carry me,” she said, as she looked up at him.

“True, but I fear you’ll fall asleep before you get to my bed.”

A blush spread on her cheeks, and he watched her face as she tried to look anywhere but at him. He bit his cheek to keep from smiling about her obvious discomfort, either at needing his help or the fact that she was sleeping in his bed. The rules of court were simple, and he knew that if she were caught in his bed, innocent or not, the rumors about that situation would ruin her.

Outside the confines of the castle, they were not as strict, but the fact that she was in his shirt and his bed would be damning, and she would be ruined. Bryan had seen her naked, and that was compromising no matter where they lived. “The baby will be taking another nap soon. Would you like me to put him in bed with you for a bit?”

“I would like that,” she whispered, as he put her down. He tucked her in, propping up the pillow, so she could sit up while holding the baby.

When he got Arthur from the floor, he smiled. “You make sure you behave. I don’t think she’s up for one of your fits just yet.”

The face Arthur gave him almost made him smile. If he didn’t know any better, the little lad understood what he said and didn’t appreciate it. When he walked into the room, he stopped to admire the beauty in his bed. Her brown hair had blond highlights. He liked it down and framing her face. He had an image of her in his bed, a soft blush on her cheeks, as she welcomed him with an inviting smile.

Arthur made a sound bringing him back to the present, causing him to shake his head. Having thoughts about a woman, who might have kidnapped the baby, in his arms was not the best thing for him to be lusting over.

“Here you go,” he said, as he gently placed the baby into her open arms. She smiled down at the baby, her face relaxing.

Arthur gave Katrina one of his rare smiles that lit up his face. “You are good with babies. Do you have any?”

“No lass, I’ve never had one of my own. He’s a good lad, who only fusses when he is wet or hungry. The milking bag was something I’d only seen used for animals before,” Bryan said.

Katrina smiled down at the baby in her lap. “I’ve actually never seen one before, until they gave him to me and loaded us up in the carriage.”

“Who loaded you into the carriage?” Bryan said leaning forward, curious if she was finally going to reveal more about herself.

Katrina opened her mouth before closing it again. After a moment of silence, she looked up at him. “Arthur’s father put me in the carriage. Since my lady went into labor early the wet nurse wasn’t traveling with us. We were lucky one of the groomsmen had used something similar and had modified it for the baby.”

Bryan nodded. She was lying to him. He wasn’t sure why, but as long as she was, he would need to be careful. “I’ll check on you both in a little bit.”

Katrina let out a slow breath, as he walked out of the room. She knew she’d almost slipped and said something she shouldn’t. She had to keep him safe. Katrina smiled down at the baby. When they put him in her arms the first time, she could barely stand the idea of holding him. But when she was running from those men in the woods, she would have given her life to save him.

She should fear Bryan. He was a giant of a man, and she was defenseless against him. But he had taken care of her, and Arthur. He hadn’t pushed, even though Katrina was positive he knew she was lying to him. She was a horrible liar. The Queen had often said she brought her with her, because she needed one person who would tell her the truth. “Your mother used to like laughing at me when I was a kid. Said we could never get away with anything, because everyone knew when I was lying.”

Arthur watched her intently, and she felt guilty for her thoughts on the ride to Merlin’s. “I made a promise to keep you safe and I will. Your parents must be really worried about you.”

The Queen was her friend, and she had been so excited when she told her she thought she was pregnant. It was a hard pregnancy, made harder by Morgana who had been the only dark spot in her friend’s life. Katrina sent up a small prayer to the gods that she would get Arthur to his mother soon.

Arthur yawned, blinking his eyes slowly, and she smiled as she laid the baby next to her, mimicking his yawn with one of her own. As she closed her eyes, she put her hand on his belly hoping soon she could go home.