The Viking's Chosen by Quinn Loftis (18)

It was late when a knock on my chamber door woke me from a light slumber which I had not fallen into easily. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sat up, attempting to tame the hair that had escaped my braid.

“Come in,” I called, not wanting to climb out of bed. I suspected the identity of my visitor, and I knew Torben’s man would not allow entrance to anyone who would do me harm.

The door made a creaking noise as Lizzy pushed it open. It was a small thing, something that went unnoticed during daylight hours, but now seemed to echo throughout the castle, causing me to irrationally wonder if it would wake the entire house.

My sister stuck her head in. Her face was lit by the glow of a lantern as she held it out so she could see into the dark room. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I need to speak with you.”

I motioned her to come in and grabbed the dressing robe that Lidia had laid on the end of my bed. Once I’d slipped it on, I pointed at the chair. “Have a seat, Lizzy, you look dead on your feet. What have you been doing? We haven’t seen hide nor hair of you in a couple of days.”

“I am sorry that I had to leave after what happened to you,” she said. “Dayna stopped me on my way in and gave me a good scolding for not being around.”

I smiled. “She is overly protective.”

“And rightly so. I should have been here for you. I just don’t understand how that man could do such awful things to his future wife? He has no shame. No sense of honor.”

“No, he does not. He is a vile man ruled by his wants and desires and the pursuit of power. Father was not aware of his true nature when he promised me to the monster.”

Lizzy’s eyes widened. “Is he aware now?”

I nodded and explained that Dayna had told our mother and father. When I was finished, relief flooded my sister’s face.

“What is he going to do?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. Dayna and Thomas want to assassinate him,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Good,” my sister spat. “It’s what he deserves.”

This took me aback. It would be something I would expect from Dayna, but not Lizzy.

“Father has not spoken of violence. Since when were you so comfortable with the taking of a man’s life, sister?” I asked as I watched her face carefully.

She shrugged. “Any assault on a royal family member, especially the eldest princess, would be grounds for a hanging. Why should it be any different with Cathal?”

“Because he is a king. His death would bring terrible consequences.” I knew she had not come only to speak about Cathal. I could tell that something else was agitating her, but she was stalling. For some reason, she was avoiding the topic.

“Where have you been, Lizzy?” I asked again. “Have you been tending the sick?”

After several minutes, she shook her head. “No,” she said softly.

“Are you going to voluntarily tell me where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?”

She took a deep breath and then looked up from where she’d been staring at her fidgeting hands. “I’ve met someone.”

This was a declaration I had not expected. I kept my face relaxed as I spoke. “And I assume this is someone that we do not know, otherwise you wouldn’t need to sneak around.”

She nodded.

“Where did you meet him?”

“While walking out around the castle grounds.”

Okay, so Lizzy was going to make getting this information as difficult as getting Thomas to behave like a grown man.

“Who is he?” I asked.

“He is from Cathal’s court,” Lizzy admitted

I wasn’t sure what I should say to that. I had imagined Cathal’s men as nameless, faceless monsters, following the example of their vile leader. But it wasn’t fair to judge an entire kingdom because of its king’s actions. Still, the news was unsettling.

“What do you know about him? What is his name? How long have you been seeing him?” A barrage of questions flew from my mouth. I tried to keep an accusatory tone from my voice but feared that I was unsuccessful.

“I met him in the tavern one day when I’d gone in to get lunch with Mrs. Topper. I’d been gathering herbs, hoping to find something that would help her cough. He was sitting at a table alone. He looked so troubled, I couldn’t ignore him. After Mrs. Topper left, I admit that I lingered in the common room.” She paused, and her eyes seemed to become unfocused. “He caught me staring at him and came over and said hello. We sat and talked for an hour, and I agreed to meet again the next day.”

“And how long ago was this?”

“Almost three weeks,” she answered.

“With no chaperone?” I tried not to sound upset, but I clearly was. A single maiden alone with a man was not proper, and I didn’t want anyone gossiping about my sister. It wouldn’t matter if Lizzy had not done anything inappropriate with the man; the implication of what could happen would be enough for people to condemn her. “Did you consider what could happen? You, of all of us, are the one with good sense, Lizzy. Why would you behave in such a manner?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed and leaned back in the chair. Her hair was windblown and dark circles adorned her eyes. “Something about him just makes me forget my surroundings. I get caught up in our time together. He hasn’t been forward with me, and he’s never acted like anything but a gentleman.”

“He should have asked to speak with Father and to have a chaperone. That is what a gentleman who cares about a woman’s virtue does to protect her,” I pointed out. I could tell she was disappointed in herself, and I hated to see her hurting.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter now,” she said. “There’s something more important I need to tell you. It’s urgent.”

“What?” I asked, now truly perplexed.

“Something is going to happen, but I can’t tell you about it yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Butterflies were forming in my stomach.

“If I wait to tell you until the last moment, then you can honestly say you knew nothing about it. You won’t be able to be accused.”

“Okay, now you’re beginning to scare me, Liz. What is going on?” There was a prickling sensation running down my spine, and a voice in my mind yelling, ‘Danger!’

“I truly can’t tell you now.”

“What does it involve? Is it dangerous?” There I went with the bombardment of questions again. But I had this desperate need to know that she would be safe.

“It is dangerous, yes, very dangerous. But—” She held up her hand before I could interrupt. “It is also going to solve a lot of our problems, especially for you.” She reached over and grabbed my hand, clutching at it like a lifeline. “Everything is going to be okay, Allete. Please trust me, okay?”

I wanted to trust her. I wanted to believe that what she was saying was absolute truth, and all of our problems would go away. I didn’t want to be stuck with Cathal. I didn’t want to move away. I didn’t want to be away from Torben. I scoffed at myself. Even if I could be near Torben, I could never marry him.

“It is not you that I don’t trust, Lizzy. It’s this man you’ve met. He’s an unknown factor. How do we know he is being truthful? Whatever he’s told you could be a lie.”

“He is telling the truth. I know it,” she said. The certainty in her voice was a little shocking. She truly believed this man would help us. I had no idea how.

“Then please tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t.” She shook her head violently. “It would be too dangerous for you. I’m asking you, sister to sister, please trust me.”

There was nothing I could do in that moment. I could see in her eyes that she felt she was doing the right thing, not just for me, but for our entire kingdom. Perhaps a couple of days’ consideration would help me decide on how to move forward with the additional information.

“I know you are tired, and I do apologize for interrupting your sleep,” she said as she stood and headed toward the door. “I love you, Allete, and it pains me to see you endure so much agony because of a sense of duty.”

She was gone before I could respond to her words. I knew that she loved me. It wasn’t something we just went around saying all the time, but I knew it. Lizzy wasn’t emotional, and she was rarely affectionate, which made her words tonight even more poignant.

I lay back in my bed and pulled the covers up around me. Sleep would be difficult to come by after what my sister had told me. But I guessed I was more tired than I’d realized, because I managed to drift off after only a few minutes.

My dreams were filled with a hideous monster wearing a bloody crown. Wolves carrying sharp swords and biting axes chased the monster. Suddenly, another monster, stronger and more terrible than the first, appeared. This one wore a black sheep’s skin over his body and a boar’s head on his skull like a helmet. He was quiet as he hunted, ignoring the other monster and the chasing wolves. His narrowed eyes were cunning but also crazed, like a starved beast given a banquet of meat. He was too wary to eat, though his hunger gnawed at him. The chaos suddenly stopped as a glowing light appeared in the middle of the battlefield. At first, it was just a small ball of illumination, but then it began to grow, larger and larger, until finally it was blinding. Then a woman appeared, standing alone. The wolves were bowing to the woman. Both monsters simply watched her, salivating as they stared at her. Then they looked at each other and each had venom in their eyes. Suddenly, with a mighty roar, they lunged at one another, fangs bared and slavering. I didn’t see what happened next. The dream winked out, and I was simply sleeping.

Even in my sleep, with the dream gone, I still wondered at the second monster that slunk around the battlefield. I understood the monster with the crown, of course. That part of the dream was all too clear. But the second monster and the army of wolves was a mystery to me. Why were the wolves chasing Cathal? Whether correct or not, I saw myself as the woman, the light around me representing my healing ability. Both monsters terrified me. The second monster, however, seemed even more terrifying because I didn’t know his identity. Just before I felt myself beginning to wake from the restless sleep, I heard a woman’s voice inside my head.

“I will be coming soon. It is time we talked. It is time you know what fate holds in store for you.”

“Who are you,” I asked the voice.

“I am the Oracle.”

“This is the third day she’s not left her room,” Brant said, as if I was unaware.

I nodded.

“Cathal isn’t going to put up with it again today. Yesterday, he was even more aggressive. If Allete’s father hadn’t stepped in and told Cathal that his counsel was needed, who knows what might have happened?”

“I agree, he is going to be angry. I know that he will have a temper tantrum right here in this corridor. And I know there is nothing I can do so stop him.”

“You could suggest to her that she simply take a walk around the garden,” Brant said. “Perhaps he would be appeased.”

“I don’t want her around him. Better I face his wrath than Allete.” The idea of him anywhere near my princess produced a kind of rage in me that I had never known was possible. I was not about to suggest she spend any time with him, no matter how brief.

As if on cue, Cathal rounded the corner.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear,” Brant muttered under his breath.

I didn’t bother to acknowledge the king. I simply stared straight ahead like a silent sentry. There was no point in me wasting my breath. Cathal would do enough talking for the both of us.

“I have left her alone for two days. I am not leaving here without seeing my bride.” His voice was surprisingly calm, but his clenched fists and stiff shoulders spoke volumes about what he was feeling on the inside. Cathal was livid.

“I will check with the princess,” I told him and knocked gently on the door. Her voice called out for me to enter, and I pushed the door open, slid inside, and closed it behind me in a nearly seamless motion.

“How are you today, princess?” I asked as I looked her over, trying to determine how she was feeling simply by observing her body language. She seemed resigned, and it troubled me.

“I am fine, Torben. Thank you for being so diligent in your job. I know you must be tired.”

My lips lifted only a fraction. “I’ve gone longer without rest and spent time in far worse conditions than a palace corridor.”

Allete sighed and turned to fully face me. She wore a simple blue dress that was alluring and concealing at the same time. She was beautiful, even as worried and tired as she looked. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“I suppose Cathal is waiting on me? Is that why you’ve come in?” Her voice held a weariness to it that made me want to fix anything and everything in the world just to see her smile for a moment.

“I came to see you because the corridor is dull and cold. You, lovely Allete, are the opposite. You are bright and shining, with a warmth that fills any room. You are my sun.” I do not know at what point in my life of raiding and plundering that I suddenly became a master of words, but there it was. If Brant had heard me, he would have laughed until his huge body laid sprawled on the floor, belly up, twitching like a spider that was taking its last breath.

Her eyes were wide, and her mouth had dropped open. Her chest was rising and lowering a bit faster and she was wiping her palms on her dress. I’d made her uncomfortable. I’d shaken the ground beneath her feet, and she didn’t know quite how to handle it.

“But, yes you are correct, the other reason I came was because Cathal is demanding to see his bride.” I felt my own heartbeat increase, loathing the idea that Cathal believed Allete to be his.

“I’ve allowed myself two days,” she began, choosing not to acknowledge my poetic words. “I will not get away with another.” She took a deep breath and then several steps toward the door. She stopped and looked at me. “You will be with me?”

“I will. Whether the heavens collapse and the mountains descend into the depths. Whether the gods curse all humans and wipe us out. Whether the great abyss and Hades himself takes over the world of the living. For as long as you want me, I won’t leave you.” She couldn’t possibly know all the ways I meant those words. She couldn’t know that I’d just chosen her as my mate, the woman I would build a life with. She couldn’t know that the words I’d spoken were the very same words used in the ceremony of joining a man and woman in my clan.