Back From Chaos (9 page)

Marja saw a look of surprise and sudden understanding cross Gaelen’s face, as if he knew what this was, had seen it before. His anger evaporated. “My lady,” he murmured, gently taking her shaking hands again, “I am no monster, to treat you thus. I could never do so. Nor am I your enemy. My intention was merely to show you a new beginning. I swore I would never harm you. Surely to force you to lie with me would do so. Wife you may be, but I swear to you that I will never force myself upon you … however much I desire you … and I do desire you.” The last was almost a caress, a soft, throaty whisper.

Marja shuddered so violently that she felt about to fall. As her fear ebbed with the understanding that he had never intended to rape her, so did her strength. Suddenly she needed to sit down. He let her go, and she sank into the empty chair.

After several moments her shaking subsided. When she once more had herself under control, Gaelen spoke again. “Lady, it distresses me to see you so. If you will permit, perhaps I may see you in private tonight, and we may make a better beginning.”

Marja sensed something had profoundly changed between them. Somehow she understood, though she could not have explained why, that he was not her enemy. The cold core that had kept her strong melted, replaced by a softer feeling that she was not sure she understood, except that it was much lighter than before. Perhaps it was hope … confusion? … desire? She could not make sense of it.

Gaelen once more reached out to lift her chin so that he looked into her eyes. “May I visit you tonight, my lady?”

Still unable to speak, Marja managed a small nod. He bent to brush his lips against her hair. When he withdrew, she felt she had lost something important but did not know what.

“
There is much that needs my attention before we leave for Bargia. I can stay no longer than a few days. But I will return tonight if I can. It may be very late, so please do not wait for me. I can see you are exhausted from the events of the last days. When I return … if you waken … perhaps … with your leave,” he seemed suddenly shy and his voice fell to a low murmur, “we may make a better beginning.”

When she gave no indication that she objected, a slightly teasing smile crept into his eyes and over his lips. “I have earned a reputation as a skilled lover. There have been no complaints.”

Marja managed a wan smile. ”What if I request more time … my lord?”

He sobered instantly. “I shall not press you, my lady. But the people will wish to see the staining on our sheets before we leave for Bargia.” He must have read the dismay in her expression because he grew thoughtful and added, “There are other ways of providing proof. I will bring the blood of a fowl to use if it should be necessary. I should very much like to have you completely willing. You have lost much. I can be patient.”

Marja’s relieved smile was more heartfelt this time. “Thank you, my lord. I shall not ask more patience of you than I need.”

Gaelen headed for the door, and as his hand fell on the latch he turned back with a conspiratorial smile. “Oh, I almost forgot. You have a visitor who is most anxious to see you.”

Before she could question him, he was gone, leaving the door open. Within moments a wonderfully familiar figure appeared in it.

~ 14 ~

REUNION

They both exclaimed at once.

“Brensa!”

“My lady!” and flew into each others arms, hugging tightly.

“
Thank Earth you are well, my lady. As soon as I heard we might come back to our positions, I tried to find out if you yet lived. I had seen the bodies …” Brensa stopped abruptly. Her hand flew over her mouth in consternation, and she drew back.

“
It is all right, Brensa. I know they are all dead.” Marja gave her another quick squeeze. “But I cannot tell you what joy it brings me to see you well. What of Nellis? How fares she, the babe, Mikost? Oh, it is good to see a familiar face. Give me all the news, quickly. They have told me almost nothing.” The questions tumbled out in rapid succession.

Within moments, servants appeared with a copper tub, buckets of hot water, scented soap and oils, and cloths for drying. Gaelen had been true to his word. As soon as the door closed again, Marja let Brensa help her out of her gown.

“
I will tell you all I know, my lady, but you must have your bath as we speak or it will grow cold. Let me help you. It will be as it was before.”

Marja listened as Brensa began her tale. “Nellis escaped outside the wall with me. She breathed in some smoke and coughed a lot, but recovered and seems fine … the babe too. We thought it might come early, but then the pains stopped, and all is well now. Mikost had a burning beam fall on his arm. It is badly burned, but as long as it heals clean he should recover … though his arm may never move so well again. Until it heals he can do little work. But he lives and they are well.”

By now Marja had sunk into the deliciously warm water. Brensa poured some over her hair and began to lather in the scented soap with practiced fingers. Through it all, she kept up her stream of chatter. So Marja just listened, enjoying the cadences of her familiar voice and taking in the news as it poured out. There would be time for questions later. She smiled to herself. Brensa had always been a talkative girl who knew all the latest gossip. If she just let her go on, most of what she wished to hear would come of its own accord.

~ 15 ~

BRENSA’S TALE

As Brensa spoke, she relived the horror of those spans in her mind: the women’s headlong flight over the wall, Nellis’ terror at not knowing where Mikost was.

“We hid among the trees and watched the black smoke pouring over the wall. We could hear women and children screaming … horses, too, my lady. That is a terrible sound. We could hear soldiers shouting orders, too, and were glad to be over the wall.”

They watched as more and more people climbed the wall, grasping tree branches to hold as they jumped, or found crevices to squeeze through, faces glazed with fear. With a stroke of pure luck, they had spotted Mikost jump from the wall and roll to the ground, clutching his arm.

“Nellis screamed and rushed to him, not thinking of the danger it put us all in if we were seen. We dragged him back into the cover of the trees, away from the noise and smoke. His arm was badly burned, my lady, and he was in a lot of pain. Nellis coughed for a long time and began to have birth pains again.”

Eventually, both the coughing and pains subsided, to everyone’s great relief. For a long while they huddled there, afraid to show themselves. Slowly, the noise grew less and the smoke ebbed. They were hungry and cold as night set in. By morning they knew they must chance returning. Nellis needed food. They stole back, keeping under cover. When they reached the point where they could see the wall, they met two women who told them about Gaelen’s offer of amnesty.

“
Mikost asked us, ‘Do you believe this may be trusted? It could be a trap to get us inside.’

“
When we heard everyone could return to their homes we did not believe it at first. So we hid a while longer inside the edge of the forest. But there was nothing to eat in the woods. Nellis was faint with hunger, and Mikost was still bleeding through the shirt he had wrapped around his burn. He needed to have his arm properly bandaged.”

Realizing they had no choice, they ventured back inside. Terrible destruction greeted their eyes. The houses and shops almost all showed fire damage. Dead bodies lay piled in the central square, perhaps because that was the only safe place to burn them. Two huge pyres sent up columns of choking black smoke. The stench of burning flesh nearly felled them.

Brensa’s voice caught with suppressed horror. “So many bodies, my lady.”

On the other side of the square, the invaders had made a separate pyre for their own fallen. She had turned away in horror, unable to watch.

Soldiers accosted them as soon as they were spotted. Mikost tried to keep Nellis behind him, but the men, acting very stern and official, commanded she show herself. They took in her advanced pregnancy and demanded to know who they all were and what they were doing.

After Mikost explained their need for food and care, the soldiers advised them that if they wished to return they must first swear allegiance to Lord Gaelen.

‘
Swear allegiance and you are free to go about your lives,’ they told us. ‘Refuse and you will be taken to a holding camp outside the walls.’

“
They also wanted to know if we had taken anything.” The amnesty included all those who returned stolen property immediately.

Brensa’s voice shook as she continued her tale. “We had nothing. We fled with just our lives!”

Mikost had not trusted the soldiers at first, but Nellis needed food. So, when he saw so many familiar people walking freely about, he told the women they really had no choice. They agreed to swear allegiance. There seemed no harm in it for now.

When they had sworn their oaths, the soldiers pointed them in the direction of a large tent, where they were told they would find a meal and could have Mikost’s arm looked at. While Brensa walked to the tent she looked around.

“
I saw so many people returning to their shops. Some were already trying to repair damage from the fires. They were fixing broken doors and covering up the windows. People looked afraid. They kept their heads down and did not speak to each other, but the soldiers left them alone as long as they just acted normal.”

Brensa poured fresh water over Marja’s hair as the account spilled out and began to rub a small amount of oil, scented with lavender, into it, running her fingers through it to remove some of the tangles. Then, as Marja soaked in the warm water, Brensa proceeded to carefully comb out the knots. Suddenly, she burst into tears. “Oh, my lady! I thought never to see you again.”

Marja reached a hand up to her, saying, “Hush, Brensa. You have been very brave and you bring me much good news. We are safe together for now. The worst is over, I am certain.”

Brensa continued to sob quietly as she finished combing. By the time Marja was ready to dry off, Brensa’s tears had also dried, and she resumed her tale.

“
When we got to the tent, Nellis was almost fainting, and we had to hold her up. Mikost called for help, and someone, an older woman I think, found us a spot where Nellis could sit down on a mat. Then she showed me where to get three bowls of stew and a jug of water. She told Mikost to wait with Nellis and went to find someone to dress his arm. By the time I got back with the stew, he was already being tended.”

Brensa recalled the crowded tent. People milled about, elbow to elbow, some looking lost, others with bowls and cups in their hands. The table with the food and water stood at the far end, and she had to jostle her way through the crowd. She had never seen so many people in such a small space before and feared she would not be able to find Nellis and Mikost again. When she finally reached the food table, it took some persuasion before the servers agreed to give her enough for three. They had not believed her at first, and she had begun to weep. Since she did not know how she could carry three bowls, as well as a jug of water and cups, they found a large crock and put a goodly amount in it. She tied the cups and spoons in her apron and hugged the bowl and jug close under each arm as she wormed her way back to the others.

“
I was so relieved to find them again, my lady!” By the time she reached them, Nellis was shaking so badly Brensa had to hold the cup for her and to feed her the first several bites. By then Mikost’s arm had been bandaged, and he fed himself. Brensa ate what was left. Mikost had learned that the burn on his arm was very bad, and that it was likely the scarring would cause permanent stiffness. But he was grateful that as long as it healed clean, he would not lose it.

“
Someone in the tent had found a cup of watered wine and brought it to Nellis. It revived her quite a bit. They said there was not much wine or ale, so Mikost and I had to make do with water.”

While Brensa and Nellis rested, Mikost left to find out what they should do and where they could go. The news he brought back was both good and bad. The rooms that Mikost and Nellis had shared had no roof. They had been burned. But, since both Nellis and Brensa had worked at the castle as ladies to Marja, they could return there and would be put up in temporary quarters. They might have to share a room with other women, but at least they would be safe and dry. Soldiers at the castle would ask them what their duties had been and find something for them to do until permanent positions could be found. But it meant that Nellis and Mikost could not be together, a worry when she was so near her time.

As Mikost would not be allowed past the castle gate, he and Nellis clung to each other for long moments, until Brensa convinced him that she would look after Nellis. Mikost made Brensa swear, over and over, that at the first sign of danger she would get Nellis out.

“
I swore to him I would look after her, else I think he might never have left.”

Finally, Nellis had bid Mikost a tearful farewell. Nellis made him swear, in his turn, that he would take care of his arm. He reassured her that he would find shelter and promised to come back the next midday to check on them. When she looked back as they entered the castle, Brensa saw Mikost still watching them.

Once inside the castle, more soldiers directed Brensa and Nellis to a line of citizens waiting to speak with yet another soldier, seated at a small table at the far end of the great hall. She watched the line snake forward. After they spoke with this guard, he would send some people further into the castle. Soldiers escorted others out again, and she heard them direct these people elsewhere.