A Warrior's Promise (21 page)

“Stubborn,” he mumbled, he and Donald moving along after having finished an uneventful chat with the older man. Whether he had nothing to share or had remained silent out of fear, he traded nothing more than mundane chatter.

Donald smiled. “Idris had said it would be his daughter's obstinate nature that would help free him.”

“He knows her well,” Bryce said.

“And loves her dearly.”

“From hearing Charlotte speak of him, I have no doubt that there is a strong bond between father and daughter.”

“One that will send her to him in spite of the danger,” Donald said.

That was what Bryce was afraid of. He knew from their recent conversation that trying to convince her to return home with him had been a futile effort. She would do as she pleased. How would he ever get her to listen to reason?

He cast an anxious glance around for Charlotte. With the size of the village, she should have easily been recognizable, along with her dog. Where had she disappeared to?

Chapter 25

B
ryce spotted her. She was flying through the air, limbs splaying, and landed with a hard bounce on the ground. She scrambled quickly to her feet as Odin hurried over to stand protectively in front of her, snarling and barking.

Bryce couldn't believe the size of the lad who suddenly came into view. He was a big one, more in width than height and no more than perhaps three-and-ten years. He was laughing, which did not bode well for him at all, not in front of Charlotte.

“Sit and wait here,” Bryce ordered Donald, who sat with relief on an old tree stump.

“The big lad may have brawn, but she'll outwit him,” Donald said, his eyes having followed Bryce's.

“Not before suffering for it,” Bryce grumbled.

“She does what she must; do not deny her that,” Donald cautioned.

“I'll not see her suffer,” Bryce said, and turned away.

“He's as stubborn as she is,” Donald grumbled though Bryce didn't hear.

Bryce couldn't believe that she ran with her head down, straight for the large lad. Odin ran alongside her, barking encouragement. He wanted to throttle both of them. Before he could reach her, she smashed her head right into the large lad's stomach and sent him reeling backward, to land with a solid thwack on his back. She had her booted foot firm to his throat before he could move, and Odin added to the capture by growling in his ear.

“It was a simple question. Now answer it, and I won't crush the breath from you,” she threatened.

He capitulated fast enough. “No soldiers or strangers have passed this way. We are a small village with no want of quarrel.”

“I don't believe you,” she said, pressing her foot a bit harder to his throat.

He went to grab at her ankle, and Odin nipped at his hand. He immediately yanked it away.

“We have seen no one,” he choked, and Charlotte eased the force of her foot. “But we have heard things.”

Bryce wanted to rush to her side, grab her by the back of her shirt, and tell her if she ever did anything so foolish again, he would lock her away where she'd be safe. He shook his head. She'd never speak to him again if he did anything so foolish.

He took control of his anger as he stopped not far from them. She had things well in hand, and it would do no good to interfere. It would do him well to support her actions just as Odin had done, even though he much preferred to throttle her. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that what he truly preferred to do was hold her close and keep her safe. That wasn't likely now and he sensed there would be future moments like these, and damned if that didn't alarm him.

Charlotte removed her foot and held her hand out to the large lad. Her keen instincts never failed to impress him. She always seemed to know the appropriate action to take in most situations even if it did frighten the hell out of him.

“Charles,” she said, as the big lad took her hand.

“Edward,” the lad said, and stood.

“I look for my da,” Charlotte said.

“Why didn't you say so from the start?” Edward said.

“You never gave me a chance.”

“For a skinny thing, you fight well and fear little.”

“The only thing I fear is not finding my da,” she said.

Seeing that the two were now agreeable, Bryce walked away. Odin must have thought the same, for he followed Bryce and seated himself next to Donald.

After only a few moments, Bryce watched a crowd begin to gather around the pair, and concern once again had him making his way over to Charlotte. The people seemed agitated and with Charlotte in the middle of it all, he didn't want things getting out of hand.

“So it is true?” a man asked anxiously of Bryce as he approached. “The soldiers are forcing men and lads into the king's service?”

Bryce answered honestly. “I'm afraid so.”

“What are we to do?” a woman asked, teary-eyed, as she hugged a puny lad of no more than ten years to her, as if her loving grip could save him.

“Maybe the soldiers will not bother with us,” one man said.

Donald had hobbled over to join them. “I would not count on that. The king prepares for battle and spreads his soldiers like a plague over the land, claiming all in its path.”

“Is there nothing we can do?” another asked.

Edward spoke up. “We can go join those who fight for the true king, as I've been saying we should. There is little here for us, and the women and young ones will have even less if the men and lads are taken away.”

“This is our home,” one woman said through tears.

“Once the true king claims the throne, we can return to it,” Edward said.

“And what if he doesn't?” someone shouted. “What if King Kenneth defeats him?”

“We have not seen or heard from this supposed true king,” said another. “Where is he? Why doesn't he make himself known and help his people?”

“Is he a coward?” yelled another.

“Fools,” Charlotte spat. “You would have the true king make himself known and risk losing all? He knows what is right, what he must do. Like King Kenneth, he gathers men, but not by force. Those who serve him do so willingly. He is a good man and will make a good king.”

“You have met him?” someone shouted.

“My da has,” Charlotte said. “He told me that he was a good man. A truthful and caring man who would do whatever was necessary for his people even if his people thought less of him for it. Never, never though, will he give up. He will sit the throne and keep his people safe.”

She once again impressed him, talking with such confidence of a man she had never met, though the fact that her da had could prove a problem. Few knew the true king's identity and for a good reason—to protect him.

“Our food runs low, and the land has not been good to us,” a woman said, cradling a babe while a young lad clung to her leg and another older lad, his eyes filled with fear, stood beside her. “I fear my young ones will go hungry, and now I fear my oldest will be taken from me. I will go wherever I need to keep them fed and safe.”

“There is food aplenty there and shelter and many to welcome you,” Bryce said. “I know, I fight for the true king.”

Edward stepped forward, looking around, then reached out his hand to a short, round woman, who pushed her way through the crowd. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “My mum and I will go. I will fight for the true king.”

Bryce placed a hand on the lad's thick shoulder. “He would welcome you, though you will be made to learn the ways of a warrior before you join the battle.”

Others spoke up, some in agreement and others disagreeing. But it wasn't long before they all came to an understanding. They would go and take residence with the true king's followers. And those who could would fight beside him.

Bryce spoke with the men, explaining where they were to go and areas to avoid. It was decided that there was no time to waste. They would leave as soon as they all could get their belongings together. As usual, Charlotte thought as he did and was already having Edward help her retrieve the carrier from the woods where they had left it. She had asked Edward, as Bryce himself had planned to do, if he would look after Donald and see that he arrived safely.

By the time Bryce finished with the men, Edward's mother had Donald cozy on the carrier, with several bundles piled around him. Charlotte was saying her farewell when Bryce approached.

“You will stay well,” she ordered. “My da will want to see you again.”

Misty-eyed, Donald nodded. “You'll find him. He has no doubt you will, don't you have any doubt.”

Charlotte leaned down and gave the old man a hug. “I will see you again.”

“I hold you to that,” he said, and waved her away.

When she turned and saw Bryce, she stared for a moment, her eyes filled with sorrow and unshed tears. She needed to be in his arms, where he could comfort her. He fought the urge to reach out and snatch her up, to let her release her sorrow and tears against his chest. But he couldn't, her disguise needed to be maintained for her own protection.

“Look after the stubborn lad,” Donald said, and held his hand out to Bryce.

Bryce took firm hold. “Take care, Donald, and I will see you soon.”

Donald gave his hand a yank to pull him closer, and Bryce leaned down.

“Let her do what she must, or she will never forgive you.”

Could that be so?
he thought, walking away. She was so intent on finding her da that at times she didn't see reason. He was used to commanding and taking orders, having had to do both over the years, along with his brothers. However, Charlotte wasn't, and Donald could very well be right. If he didn't let her have her way, she could possibly be stubbornly unforgiving.

His thoughts were interrupted by a couple of men with questions, which he took time to answer, but he was impatient to get to Charlotte. She had hurried off, Odin following her, and he knew she went to seek solitude so that she might shed her tears in private.

That she would be crying was bad enough, but that she should be crying alone broke his heart. His arms should be around her, comforting her, easing her worries, letting her know he was there for her and hopefully always would be.

In their short time together, he was already thinking of
always.
He could promise her nothing, and yet he was thinking of
forever
with her. He must be in love, for his thoughts were not those of a sane man.

He was relieved when he bid the last man farewell and hurried away from the chaotic village and into the woods. It was easier following Odin's tracks than hers, his steps heavy where hers were light and sometimes barely detectable.

They had wandered farther than he had expected, though he understood why when he found them. Odin was busy drinking from a rippling stream, and Charlotte was busy trying to scrub the caked mud from her hair.

She turned in a flash when Odin looked up. Her freshly washed face dripped with water, and her eyes ran with tears. He spread his arms out to her as he walked toward her, and she bounced up, ran, and flung herself into them. He no sooner had her snug in his arms than he scooped her up and walked to sit near the stream, resting her comfortably in his lap. Odin sat beside them, giving Charlotte's hand a comforting lick.

“My da is hurting this very moment, and there is nothing I can do for him,” she said between sobs, her face pressed against his chest and her hands gripping his shirt.

“You are doing something; you search for him, and he knows it,” Bryce said, his heart aching with every tear she spilled.

“I should have found him by now.”

“You will find him,” he insisted. “At least you know that he does not doubt you will come for him. You have heard this from someone who shared captivity with your da. You know that while he may be injured, he still does well. You know he waits for you and will wait as long as necessary with the same determination to survive as your determination to find him.”

Her sobs grew weak, and though she lifted teary eyes to him, she no longer shed tears.

“Seeing Donald—” She shook her head, unable to finish.

Bryce finished for her. “Donald reminded you of your da, and it made you worry and miss him all the more.”

She nodded, a couple of tears trickling from her eyes and her teeth biting at her lower lip, no doubt to stop it from trembling.

“I promise you we'll find your da,” Bryce said with such a strong conviction that it brought a smile to Charlotte's face.

“You have been kind and good to me,” she said softly. “I am very glad we have fallen in love.”

Her boldness never stopped surprising him. He had yet to tell her that he loved her; still, she was so sure of his love. It did not bother her in the least that he had not spoken the words, but it bothered him. He should tell her and be done with it.

There was no difficulty in speaking the truth, yet he found it difficult to admit his love. There was so much standing in their way, and he worried—even though he wanted forever with her, would he have it?

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I may not hear it from you, but I see it in your eyes. It shines bold and bright, fills me with warmth, and settles comfortably around me. “I am happy that you love me so very much.”

How did she do that? How did she articulate what he felt?

She felt the same.

The thought struck him like a punch to the face. His love for Charlotte completely amazed him. Love completely astonished him. And to realize that she felt the same insanely wonderful thing for him made him love her all the more.

He needed her to know that she was right in what she saw, and so he showed her the only way he presently could—he kissed her. It was sweet and innocent. Light and soft. He did not want to make demands of her. He simply wanted to confirm what they both knew, that they were in love.

It didn't take long for the kiss to turn passionate and their bodies to flicker with desire. Neither dared let their hands roam. They simply fed on the kiss, or the kiss fed them; whatever way it was, it didn't end until their hunger was somewhat appeased.

Their lips parted reluctantly, Charlotte tucking her head beneath his chin to rest her cheek on his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head, her hair still damp. And there they remained while their labored breathing slowed and their desire for each other dissipated, much too gradually.

Bryce knew they should get moving, but he didn't want to let go of her, didn't want this moment with her to end.

“We should leave,” she said, though she sounded not at all enthused.

“Yes, we should,” he agreed.

“I don't want to.”

“Neither do I,” he admitted.

She eased herself out of his arms, and he unwillingly let her go.

She stood looking down at him. “We must make our way to Glen Loran.”