Lost Princess (24 page)

Max urged me towards the guards until one of them stopped us. “Excuse me, who are you?” one man asked.

“I am Princess Katrina,” I said as archly as possible. I had no idea what to do and hoped Max did.

Max said in a low voice that held some concern, “She wants to talk to the men on the other side. She thinks she can order them away.”

“You’re…” the guard stammered. “But I thought you’d married the Regent!”

“I did, and that’s why I think I can tell them to leave and they will,” I said, feeling my way along.

“It’s far too dangerous, highness,” he said. “I can’t allow it,” his voice was firm.

I doubted I’d change his mind, but I thought I’d give it a shot.“Am I not your Princess? How dare you tell me what I can and can’t do!”

“I’m sorry, Princess, but it’s too dangerous,” he said again, coming towards me to take my arm.Max moved with blinding speed, his sword clearing the scabbard and flashing in a deadly arc towards the guards. And as if it was some kind of signal, the group of men on Max’s side of the bridge came running across while archers shot across the bridge over our heads to keep more soldiers from coming easily. Max had pushed me behind him, but another guard had hold of my arm and was trying to drag me away. I pulled my knife, and it seemed to almost lead my hand to bury itself in the man’s side where his armor met and there was a gap. I pulled it out and the man let go of my arm to try to pull his sword. I stabbed at him again, pressing myself against him and sliding the knife in on the other side where the gap lay. This time he stumbled away from me, and the knife almost seemed to stick to my hand instead of staying in the man’s side.

Men were yelling all around us as Max’s men engaged the guards. I felt another set of hands on me and turned, my bloody knife flashing.

A hand came and grabbed my wrist. “If you don’t mind, my lady, I’d rather you didn’t stab me,” I heard Devlin say. He shoved me towards another man who turned and led me back away from the King’s forces. I struggled to get away.

“Please, I want to help—where’s Max?” I said, half out of my mind with the noise and blood all around me. I vaguely recognized the man holding me, but couldn’t seem to stop fighting him.  He and another man pulled me back through the fighting men until we were relatively safe, near the back of the forces, where they were tending the wounded. The two men with me were talking amongst themselves, but caught me when I tried to go back.

I was so sure that Max would die because I’d forced him to come and try to rescue me. I just couldn’t let that happen. 

No matter what I said, how I pleaded, neither man would even consider letting me go back. “My lady, the Regent would be furious.”

The other man added, “He was adamant that you be protected.”

I wanted to scream at them he wouldn’t be furious if he was dead, but finally said in a voice so deadly sounding, I could barely believe it was mine, “If he dies, and you two held me here, you will sorely regret not listening to me.” I could see by their eyes they believed me, but they feared Max more and still kept me there.

There was a change in the fighting now. The fighting had all been along the bridge and the immediate area where some had crossed the river to help their comrades. Most of the bloodshed seemed to be on the King’s side of the river where there were many more armored knights than Max’s men. But then there was more confusion as an attack was launched on the enemies’ flank, and many of the King’s soldiers turned to face this new development. The attack was swiftly met, but then more confusion and more shifting among the King’s forces as another attack seemed to happen somewhere else.

Horribly anxious and wanting to help somehow, I aided those who were bandaging the wounded. I didn’t know much about such things, but it didn’t really seem to matter. Most of the men just seemed to need someone there as much as they needed actual skill. I fetched water and tore bandages and thanked God every time I saw a man that it wasn’t Max or Devlin.

And then it was over.There was a blast of trumpets and the men in the King’s army began to retreat. Unfortunately, with fighting on three sides and the tents in the middle, there wasn’t a lot they could do. Finally they all concentrated on one of the three areas and broke through there, those still physically able streaming through, leaving all of their belongings behind. Since we were up a hill a bit, we could see fairly well, and I wondered where in all that mess was King Walter.

Max and his men didn’t allow the army to retreat but followed them a ways, whittling down their numbers still more. They eventually turned and headed back, putting the wounded out of their misery on the way, going through the tents to make sure they’d missed no one and taking whatever valuables were to be found.It was beginning to get dark now, and it was easier to watch the river and defend the bridge, should the King choose to attack again, so the army came back across to where they had their tents. Their mood was jubilant, and part of me wanted to scream at them that some of their number had died and would never return. But another part of me understood. Hadn’t I been the first to shed blood? And hadn’t this all been my fault?

I was sitting down, my back against a barrel of drinkable water. The two guards Devlin had given me to had not taken their eyes off me for a minute, and were even now watching me from two different directions, had I thought to escape.

I had waited so long for Max I was starting to get scared that perhaps he was one of the dead that littered the ground across the bridge. I wasn’t letting the fear of that take hold of me, but it was a near thing. So when I heard his voice asking one of my guards where I was, I began to shake with relief. I rose to my feet, and he came over to me. He’d taken off his heavy stolen armor and had washed enough that he was mostly blood-free. He hadn’t escaped without injury, however, and had bruises, some cuts and other marks on him that I could see, and he was favoring one leg a bit. He came to stand in front of me, and I nearly jumped to wrap my arms around him. He hugged me close to him, and we simply stood that way for a time.

Finally I asked, “Devlin?”

“He is well,” Max said, his voice a little hoarse. “He rode after the King’s men with a few others to make sure they don’t circle back.”

“I’m so sorry, Max. As much as I tried to stop this…“Max pulled back from me, turning and pulling me along behind him. The guards fell into step behind us until we reached a tent that must belong to Max. If it didn’t, he seemed to be about to commandeer it. He pushed me inside, turning and instructing the guards to get three others and take turns making sure I stayed safe. I stood in the dark tent and hugged my arms to my chest, chilly and nervous. Max came in and lit a lamp that gave the tent some meager light.

“Katrina, are you chilled?” he asked, finding a blanket and wrapping it around me.

I tried to apologize again. “Max, please. This is all my fault.”

Max looked at me, his face falling into severe lines. “You were born into this problem, it is not of your making. Although some of the timing was, I admit, yours.” I swallowed, and he sighed. “Katrina, why? The men we captured said you came to them of your own free will. That you’d left me because I’d been cruel.”

I clutched the blanket closer around me. “I thought maybe, if I talked to them, they’d stop.”

Max said, some angry growl in his voice, “Do you think I don’t know them well enough to know that wouldn’t ever work? With the information I have on what they do and how they do it, did it never occur to you that I’d know something of their character as well?”

No, that hadn’t ever occurred to me. Not once. I’d simply thought I had to fix it and had run off to do it. I shook my head, feeling stupid.

Max took my shoulders and gave me a hard shake. “Don’t you ever run off again! Twice now I’ve had to come after you, and you must know by now I’ll always come after you while there’s breath in my body. And I will find you.”  He shook me again as if he couldn’t help it. “I’d thought that I’d frightened you enough the first time to get such an idea out of your head. But you repay my trust in you by leaving me to run to my enemy.”

I looked at the ground. When I spoke, my voice was small. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Another shake. “Did you not consider that I might feel that way as well? I had to chase my wife about the countryside, knowing that she was running towards two of the most coldly ambitious people there are. Your father abandoned his entire life to get you away from them. Yet given the opportunity you ran right back into their arms!” With each sentence, Max seemed to get angrier.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. He was completely right.  After several silent minutes, I asked in a quiet voice, “Max, have you ever done something that was so bad you couldn’t even apologize for it? Made a mistake so large that there was no defense? You’re right. I didn’t think and I caused all those deaths.” I stopped because my throat closed, and I couldn’t go on.

Max sighed and sat down wearily on the cot. “Katrina, I’ve faced death more times than I can count, but I’ve never been afraid. Yet when I awoke and realized what you’d done, I was terrified. Don’t do that to me again.”

I knelt in front of him, and he let me close enough so I could wrap my arms around him. “Forgive me. I don’t deserve it, but forgive me anyway,” I said into his lap where I’d laid my head.

He ran his hand through my hair. “You’re forgiven,” he said quietly.

My head came up. I’d never thought I’d actually be forgiven. Not this night anyway, and if he did forgive me after a time, I’d thought it would happen without him ever admitting it.

He seemed to read this in my face. “I’m nearly ready to drop,” he admitted. “I’ve barely slept since you left.” He set me away enough so he could rise and throw enough blankets on the floor for us to be warm. He lay down and pulled one blanket over him. He gave me an expectant look, and I blew out the lamp and lay at his side, my clothes still full of dried blood. I finally pulled the pants off so I could sleep, and cuddled into my husband’s side. He’d fallen asleep almost before I’d reached the make-shift bed. I sighed and let my eyes close.

Epilog

Max was making me crazy. I hadn’t had one problem with the entire pregnancy, had felt wonderful, in fact. Callista was pregnant as well, but she’d had months of vomiting which had given way to stomach pains so severe she could barely eat. She’d delivered last week, and although I’d thought I’d deliver first, I was still waddling around.

I’d been having pains all morning, so I figured the day was finally here. But once I told Max, I’d had to deal with his worry that I’d die as his other two wives had. He’d already brought the best midwife in the land to come and attend me, as well as a physician. The two of them argued more than they did anything else, but Max wanted to be as prepared as he could be.

The midwife wanted me to walk, so Max was helping me walk around the castle. I was secretly enjoying having him around. He’d been gone for months and months with only occasional visits back as he dealt with the King and his soldiers. Eventually the two had reached an agreement—an agreement that heavily favored Max.

According to the agreement, Max’s land was now independent. Because of the distance from the capital city, some of the locals had begun calling Max’s territory Farland, and the name seemed to have stuck. Farland had gained territory in the battle, and now was approximately 2/3 of the original territory of the King. The King had also given Max money to help pay for some of the damages during the war. I knew through Max that had he wished it, he could have taken it all. But my husband was satisfied with what he had, and he’d told me that if someday he became bored, then he could always take it then.

As we walked I kept telling him I was going to be fine, but I could see that he was nearly convinced that he’d lose both the child and me today. As the pains increased, I began to worry the same thing. And I admit there was a point during which I begged him to find me Precipice, so I could kill myself.

About my strange knife: Max has found some information on it. It originated in some country neither of us had ever heard of. Maybe it was too far away, or maybe it had been overturned in some battle and forgotten. The story went that the knife was crafted by a man who wanted revenge more than his own life. Somehow he’d put a piece of himself into the knife, and the day after the knife was forged, the man who’d created it was found dead. The knife had been used by those who desired revenge, and was said to be nearly unstoppable. I wasn’t so sure about that, but I did wear Precipice in the little holder Max had gotten for me. I didn’t have much reason to use it these days, but I’ll always remember that when I’d needed it, Precipice had been there.

But back to the baby. After a long and ugly labor (at least to me it was ugly), I had Max’s little daughter in my arms. I’d worried he’d be angry it wasn’t a son, but about thirty seconds after he’d held the little baby, he’d been won over. He assured me over and over that he had no problems with having a daughter, and although it doesn’t sound so good right now, I know that soon we’ll be back to trying to have that heir.

Resting with the baby by my side, Max came in and lay down next to me, carefully taking me in his arms. “I understand now,” he said quietly.

“Understand what?” I asked, sighing against him.

“How your father could leave everything he had to take you. To protect you from growing up with those two royals.” I was often amused that while Max had more land and far more power than the “King,” he still called himself a Regent, and refused to consider himself royalty.

“Even though I was just a girl?” I said, teasing a little.

“Not just a girl,” he disagreed. “You were his daughter, and he loved you as I do.”

I turned slowly and looked at him. He’d never said that to me before. “You love me?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I’d have told you sooner, but I was worried you’d die during the birth, and I couldn’t imagine life without you, love or not. Somehow it would have been even worse losing you had I admitted how I felt.” He shrugged, looking a little sheepish.