Chapter Twenty-Five
Night descended, leaving Ariel cold and stiff. Theodoric had tied her to a tree that was not even close to the fire. Her lightweight cloak did not offer much in the way of warmth, especially on a frosty night such as that. She shivered uncontrollably.
Shifting around, she tried to find a more comfortable position, which was impossible given the circumstances. Her hands were numb, and her breasts ached with too much milk. Another reason she needed to return to her daughter. Ariel could just picture Brianna screaming with hunger. That thought alone made her feel all the more anxious to be with her.
Her movements drew Theodoric’s attention. He stepped from the fire and came to her. He smiled. There was no warmth in it. Ariel silently wished him to hell.
“How is my lady holding out? Cold? Good, we would not like you to forget your place, now would we?”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Theodoric chuckled, but no mirth was in the sound. “You have not figured it out yet? It is quite simply really. I dislike being denied the pleasure of seeing Broc suffer. He gave Alwen a grievous insult by annulling their marriage.”
“You know Broc will come for me.” At least Ariel hoped that was true, but the fading light made her doubt Broc would be able to find her.
“He will not find you. The forest at night can be your enemy, or in my case, a friend. Broc does not know these woods very well. He will become lost very easily, and by morning we will be gone.”
“What are going to do with me?”
“I have not decided yet. For now, I will keep you with me. Having you separated from your new daughter should cause Broc some upset.”
Ariel’s blood turned to ice. He knew too much about her family. She had to wonder how long he had been watching them. If he did not succeed, would he go after her children next? She shivered just thinking of what could happen to those two innocents.
Theodoric laughed, making him sound deranged. Ariel cringed at the sound, which caused him to laugh all the louder. She could still hear him laughing even after he returned to the fire.
* * * *
Torches held high, Broc, Swein, and Ranulf slowly walked through the thick forest. It was decidedly getting harder to see. Broc, who led the small group, lost the trail on a number of occasions. Once that happened, they would have to backtrack until they picked it up again, which caused unwanted delays. It did nothing to calm his already strained nerves.
The deeper they penetrated the forest, the more of a struggle it became to walk. Branches seemed to claw at their clothes and hair. Fallen tree limbs, or whole trees, had to be stepped or climbed over. In the dark, Broc would sometimes miss seeing them, causing him trip or come up short in surprise.
After losing the trail for what seemed like the hundredth time, Broc took his frustration out on the trees surrounding him. He savagely swung his sword, causing leaves and bark to fly into the air. Swein stepped forward, catching Broc’s arm in a grip he could not easily ignore.
“Enough, Broc. I think it is time to call it quits for the night. It is too dark to see clearly. We can return on the morrow.”
Broc pulled his arm out of Swein’s grasp and shook his head. “Nay, Ariel will be out of reach by then. I will continue on. If you and Ranulf wish to return to the hall, you may go, but I am staying.”
Swein looked at Ranulf, who gave a quick nod. “We will stay with you. It would not sit well with me to leave Ariel unfound throughout the night.”
Broc sheathed his sword, lifted his torch above his head, and went in search of Ariel’s trail once again. The faint markings were their only link to where she could possibly be. As luck would have it, they had not strayed too far off the trail. After picking it up once more, they continued with their quest.
A short time later, Ranulf stopped in midstride and sniffed the air. He gave a shout to draw their attention. “Wait, I think I hear something. I think I smell smoke.”
Swein and Broc rushed back to the spot where Ranulf stood motionless, listening intently.
Smiling, Swein whispered. “Voices, coming from over there.” He pointed to a spot in front of them.
Broc agreed. “Aye. How far in that direction, we will have to see. I suggest we split up. Try to form a circle around whoever they are. I think we are only dealing with one man.”
Swein looked at Broc, searching his face. “I have a feeling you know who it is.”
“Aye. Who else has been a bane of my existence for the last little while? Theodoric. This is something that slimy bug would do. It reeks of his scheming.”
“You are probably right. He tried this once before. The man likes to hide in the shadows.”
“Not this day. His petty grudges end here and now. He is not going to get away with this, not this time.”
Swein nodded. “Theodoric has to pay the price for his underhanded ways. Once we have him surrounded, he should be easy to subdue. If he fights us, I will take great pleasure in forcing him to comply with our wishes.”
They stealthily walked across the forest floor. Their footsteps were muffled by the cover of fallen leaves. Just before they reached the small clearing, Broc spied the flames of a fire flickering between the trees. He motioned to the others to circle the camp as he inched forward to take a closer look at what awaited them.
Broc smiled. He had been correct in his thinking. Theodoric sat on a log before a small fire, acting as if he had nothing to fear. The man was overconfident. Quickly scanning the area, he found no other men lurking about. The only other person in the clearing was Ariel, bound to a tree off to his right. That sight gave Broc enough reason to exact some form of retribution from Theodoric’s hide. She appeared to be unharmed, but the sight of her tied like an animal made him see red. He would have to make sure to pay Theodoric back in kind.
Broc prayed the other two men had had enough time to move into position, then he rushed the camp. He let loose with an earsplitting war cry as he went after Theodoric. Swein and Ranulf came crashing through the woods a few seconds later from opposite sides of the camp. There was nowhere Theodoric could run. He was theirs.
* * * *
The cold and lack of food made her sleepy. She closed her eyes, no longer fighting the drowsiness. Ariel figured no harm would be done if she let her body rest for a little while. There was not much else she could do to better her situation, being bound to a tree as she was.
In a blink of an eye, all hell broke loose. One moment all was peaceful, and the next, the night was filled with battle cries and men crashing through the trees. Before Ariel could rouse herself completely, her ropes had been cut from her chest. With a dagger at her throat, Theodoric held her before him as a shield.
Seeing the face of her beloved, Ariel felt confident enough to smile at Broc. Theodoric’s plans would be foiled now. She would be saved. Her husband had come to free her.
Snarling, Broc stalked Theodoric into the middle of the small camp. Swein and Ranulf took up positions around the other man and closed in on him. There was no other route he could use to escape. He was boxed in, and well he knew it.
Broc took a menacing step toward him. That action only caused Theodoric to press the blade closer against Ariel’s neck. Broc froze.
“Release Ariel. You are outnumbered. Neither one of us will allow you to take her. It is over. Give me the dagger and no harm will befall you.”
“I think not, Norman.” Theodoric snarled at Broc. “Who is to say I will not slit your wife’s pretty throat.”
“If you do, I will personally make sure you take your last breath shortly thereafter. Enough of this. Let Ariel go. Do not make this any harder than it has to be.”
Theodoric tried to bolt. He dragged Ariel with him between Ranulf and Swein. The dagger shook in his hand, and was liable to hit the vulnerable vein in her neck. A desperate man was known to do just about anything to escape what fate had dealt him.
Ariel saw the frustration on Broc’s face as Theodoric pulled her away. Broc would not take the chance of any harm befalling her. If she wanted to get out of this mess, she would have to help herself. Now was not the time, though. Theodoric was too agitated, and he would be unpredictable.
Once more Ariel found herself dragged through the dark forest. This time he blundered his way past the trees. After the small clearing disappeared, and she could no longer see Broc, she heard him cry her name in anguish. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Would the fates not let them ever be together? Was it their destiny to always find each other and then be cruelly torn apart again?
The dagger bit sharply into her neck as Theodoric stumbled over an exposed tree root. Ariel hissed in pain. The blade never wavered from her skin.
Knowing Broc, her father, and Ranulf were responsible for the sounds echoing through the trees, Ariel tried another tactic. If she could manage to make Theodoric talk to her, maybe he would become distracted enough for Broc to make a move. She cleared her throat and then made her first attempt to draw Theodoric out.
“You know Broc will never let you get away. You are only delaying the inevitable.”
Theodoric remained stoically silent. Ariel was not even sure he had heard her. She would have to think of something to say that he could not ignore. Something that would incite him to anger. She would be taking a big chance. Instead of voicing his ire, he could very well lash out at her, but that was the chance she would have to take. She was not going to allow him to have control over her life again. He could very well make it a living hell.
“Give up, Theodoric. Broc is the much better man. Do you actually think you can get away from him so easily?”
His grip on her arm tightened, causing Ariel to wince in pain. The dagger pressed closer still, but he did not stop their ever-forward movement.
“You think that bastard of a Norman is better than me? If it was not for his kind coming to our shores, I would still hold sway over you. They took everything away that once belonged to me.”
Theodoric pulled her close to his face and laughed. “Do you not understand? Your sojourn as a serf was revenge for my daughter. This time, I do this for me as well. These greedy, grasping Normans think we Saxons will just blindly allow them to run our lives without a fight. Well, I intend to make one particular Norman feel my sting. Broc St. Ceneri will rue the day he had the presumption to take one of my holdings as his.”
Ariel, in a small way, could sympathize with Theodoric. His loss of status was much greater than what she and her father had had taken from them, but that did not give Theodoric the right to disrupt her life. Broc might be a Norman, the enemy, but she still loved him despite that fact.
“Your plan has failed. You have been found out. Broc will find you.”
Theodoric increased his pace. “I am afraid you are wrong. This situation has definitely turned for the better—for me.”
Looking in the direction Theodoric headed, Ariel’s hopes of rescue sank. Somehow, he had managed to bring them to the other side of the forest. The trees were already thinning.
After bursting through the tree line, Theodoric whistled a signal. In response, Godwin and Hugh stepped into the open. Ariel groaned to herself. Her two nemeses would have to be there.
“Get the horses. We have to leave—now.”
Never one to question his lord’s commands, Hugh went to do as he had been bidden. The few minutes it took to collect the mounts had Theodoric constantly looking at the edge of the forest. He moved restlessly from one foot to the other. Broc and the others could not be too far behind.
Hugh led three horses to where Theodoric stood, waiting. Godwin mounted one and Hugh another. Theodoric grabbed the reins of his own steed. He released Ariel’s arm and dropped the dagger from her neck. With a shove, he tried to force her to mount the horse. She fought him. She could not allow him to leave with her in tow.
An instant later, Broc, Ranulf, and her father crashed out of the forest. Theodoric once more pulled Ariel in front of him and then placed the dagger at her throat.
Theodoric signaled to his two henchmen and sent Hugh and Godwin to rid him of his assailants. Once Broc and Ranulf pulled their swords out of their scabbards, Hugh and Godwin turned their mounts and beat a hasty retreat. Theodoric hurled insults at their backs.
Now that his guards had deserted him, Theodoric faced the three enraged men alone. He was cornered, and well he knew it. His desperation showed plainly on his face, but he was not ready to admit defeat. As Broc took a step closer, Theodoric moved the dagger threateningly against Ariel’s throat. Having taken all she could of being used as a pawn in someone else’s attempt to regain control, she decided this would end there and now.
She used a trick Osbern had taught her long ago. She relaxed, which forced Theodoric to hold her full weight. The unexpected move caused him to stumble and shift the dagger from her neck as he reached to catch her in both arms. With the blade removed, Ariel twisted in his hold and kicked out, hitting him between the legs. He cupped his manhood, groaned in pain, and slowly slid to the ground.
Ranulf pounced on him. Swein removed Ariel’s bindings and then gave them to Ranulf. With more force than was necessary, he wrenched Theodoric’s hands behind his back. The cord that had bound now bound Theodoric.
Ariel rubbed the numbness from her hands, crossed the short distance that separated them, and threw herself into Broc’s welcoming embrace. The tension she had felt while being Theodoric’s captive slowly drained out of her.
Broc crushed Ariel to him. That had been too close a call. He squeezed her, and she grunted in pain. He held her away from his chest and ran his gaze over her.
“What is wrong? Where did he hurt you?”
“I am fine.” Broc paid her no heed and moved his hands over her, trying to locate the source of pain. “I am fine. Really. Theodoric did not harm me. I have been gone too long from our daughter. I will find relief once she has had a good nursing.”
Broc looked at Ariel’s breasts. Two wet spots darkened the material of her tunic. “Then we had best get you to the hall with all due haste. One of the women from the village who has a child of her own agreed to feed Brianna, but I am sure our daughter will be happy to relieve you of some of your milk.” He looked at the others. “Ranulf, Swein, can you manage to bring our prisoner back on your own?”
Swein nodded. “Aye, go ahead. Theodoric will give us no more problems. Go tend to my granddaughter, Ariel. We will be along shortly.”
Needing no more encouragement, Broc clasped Ariel’s hand in his and started the arduous journey to the hall.
* * * *
Once more in the comfortable surroundings of the main hall, Ariel woke up Brianna and then put her daughter to her breast. As Brianna took her fill, the pressure dissipated. She could not hold back her sigh of relief.
With the pain alleviated, Ariel set about satisfying her baser needs. Lily, overjoyed to see Ariel not the worse for wear from her ordeal, took it upon herself to take care of her. Once she decided Ariel had had enough to eat and drink, Lily prepared a bath in Broc’s chamber for her.
After sinking into the warm water, the remaining stiffness left her body. Luxuriating in the warmth after being in the cold for so long, she sank even farther down into the water and rested her head on the rim of the tub. A moment later, Broc stepped into the chamber.
He removed his sword, rolled up his sleeves, and came to the tub. He fished the washcloth out of the water and then proceeded to soap Ariel’s body. Once he reached more intimate spots, she laughingly swatted Broc’s hand away.
“Control yourself, my lord. There will be time enough later to indulge in that particular pleasure. Tell me, what has become of our guest?”
Broc dropped the cloth, went to stand at Ariel’s back, and massaged the tense muscles on the tops of her shoulders and neck. “Theodoric will have to be taken to London. William will take great pleasure in meting out his justice on that man. William has developed an extreme dislike for him.”
“So, where did you put him?”
“He is in one of the empty huts in the village. The men demanded Theodoric be placed under their care until he goes to the king. If I recall correctly, your friend the blacksmith took the first watch.”
Ariel giggled. “By the time Theodoric leaves he will only be too happy to face William. The villagers will not go easy on him. Their dislike for Theodoric is a match for William’s own.”
“I quite agree. If my Lady Knight would permit, I am going to take you out of that bath and show you how much I love you.”
Broc bent, scooped Ariel out of the tub, and still dripping wet, placed her onto the bed. She gloried in the feel of his weight on top of her as her husband joined her on the mattress. Allowing the pleasure only Broc could give her wash over her senses, she held him close. Nothing would separate them again. Tonight would mark the beginning of a new life together.
The last coherent thought she had before succumbing to their lovemaking was how much her life had changed since first meeting this Norman knight. Some of the changes were for the better, and some were definitely for the worse. If by some fate Ariel had the ability to go back to that spring day, she would not change what had happened. With the future so bright before them, she only hoped life would provide more adventures for a knight and his Lady Knight. What else could she ask for?
The End