Medieval Master Warlords (26 page)

“Because I have asked you not to punish those at Alnwick,” she moved towards him, pressing her sweet body against his hard, cold mail.  He put his arms around her as she spoke. “Please, Jax. There is no need to do this. I beg you.”

“Do not beg me,” he rumbled weakly. “I do not like it when you beg me.”

“Then do not make me beg.” She put a hand up to his face, touching his cheek with her warm, soft palm. “I have grown to love you, Jax. There; now I’ve said it. I have missed you horribly. Please let us ride from this place and never look back.”

He looked as if he was about to have some manner of emotional breakdown. “You
love
me?”

“I do. Now, will you please leave Alnwick alone and take me away from here?”

His mouth worked as if attempting to find the correct words. He could not believe what he had heard. He never thought to hear those words from her, or anyone, as long as he lived.

“My sweetest little love,” the dual-colored eyes were moist with emotion. “Know that I have loved you since nearly the moment we met. I cannot remember when I have not loved you.”

She forgot all about Denedor, Alnwick, her father, and the situation at hand for the moment.  The look in his two-colored eyes erased everything from her mind but the joy of his words. Enveloped in his powerful embrace, she had never felt more fulfilled nor cherish. She smiled broadly and he returned the gesture. Like two giddy children, they grinned at each other, a stolen moment just for the two of them.

“Can we go, then?” she asked softly. “Please, Jax. I just want to go with you and leave this place.”

His smile faded; as much as he wanted to relent, he knew that he could not. But he could not tell her that; at least, not at the moment.  He gently turned her towards his charger.

“Let us return to the rear of my army,” he said. “They are setting up an encampment. We can speak more of things there.”

She was preparing to mount when, suddenly, there were sounds of a battle off to their left. They both turned in time to see Denedor and Atreus locked in mortal combat; when Atreus’ attention had been momentarily diverted, Denedor had unsheathed his broadsword and brought it about. Kellington gasped as Atreus and Denedor lost themselves to the violence of a battle. With the power and skill they were exhibiting, it was sure to be a deadly one.

“Jax,” she touched his arm insistently. “Stop them.”

Jax didn’t say anything for a moment; he was more interested in watching the scene unfold. Atreus was a strong warrior, but Denedor was almost overpowering him. It was impressive to watch. Seeing that Jax had not yet moved to do her bidding, Kellington abruptly rushed forward.

“Stop it,” she demanded. “Stop it, I say!”

Jax came up behind her quickly, quietly, and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from charging any closer. “Kelli,” he rumbled. “Leave them be.  Some things must be settled at the point of a sword.”

She was quickly growing horrified. “Denedor!” she gasped. “Stop it this instant!”

Denedor took his eyes off of Atreus long enough to look at her, nearly getting his head cut off in the process. With blinding speed, he ducked the blade, swung beneath it, and came up behind Atreus. His broadsword went against the man’s neck and all action immediately ceased.

Atreus knew he was in a bad way. With cold steel against his neck there was nothing more he could do. He held up his hands, letting his broadsword fall to the soft green earth, to signal surrender.

“Be quick about it,” he told Denedor.

“Nay!” Kellington cried. “Denedor, do not kill him. Please!”

By this time, Jax had unsheathed his own sword and was stalking Denedor. Denedor saw Jax moving toward him and he pressed the blade more firmly against Atreus’ neck.

“Not another step, de Velt,” he commanded in a tone that Kellington had never heard from him. “Any closer and I will kill him.”

Jax slowed but did not halt. “He is a warrior in my stable,” his voice was deadly cold. “He knows that death is eventually expected. Do what you must with him and then prepare yourself to face my wrath.”

“Nay!” Kellington shrieked, rushing to put herself in the very dangerous position between Jax and Denedor. She held up her hands to Jax to stop his forward progression. “You will not harm him, Jax.  Put your sword away and let us leave for your camp. Please.”

It was obvious that Jax was torn. He reached out to gently grasp her hand, trying to pull her out of the way.

“Come away from there, love,” he said. “Let the men do as they must.”

But she wouldn’t move. “I will not let you kill him,” she was suddenly furious, turning to Denedor as he pressed the blade against Atreus’ neck. “Denedor, release him.  There will not be any blood shed this day if I can help it.  Please do as I ask.”

Denedor’s pale blue eyes moved between Kellington and Jax. “I will release him on one condition,” he said. “That you remain here, with me, and de Velt’s army departs. Those are the terms.”

Jax had come to a halt but he still held on to Kellington. With her gaze on Denedor, Kellington gently pulled her wrist from Jax’s grasp and moved towards Denedor and Atreus.  She stood directly in front of Atreus, her gaze on the blond knight who held the man at bay, and put her hands onto the steel against Atreus’ neck. The implication was obvious. She pulled it away, weakly at first, her tug gradually growing stronger until Denedor relented and let her pull it away completely. 

When Atreus was no longer under threat of having his throat slit, he swiftly pulled himself free and dashed several feet away.   Kellington gave a good shove and pushed Denedor back a few steps so that there was space between him and the two mercenary knights. But still, she did not remove her hand from the blade. Her golden brown eyes were fixed on the man she had come to know over the past couple of days.  She felt sorry for him, but not sorry enough to accept his terms.

“I cannot stay with you,” she said quietly. “Please understand that it is my wish to marry Jax.  He is the man I love. You are a good man, Denedor.  A worthy woman will come your way and you will know happiness again someday. But I am not that lady; I belong to someone else.  Can you not understand that?”

He just stared at her. Then, he slowly lowered the blade and reached out to grasp her hand. Fearful that he would not let her go should he get a hold of her, she moved out of arm’s length, watching his face ripple with disappointment.

“Is there nothing I can say to convince you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “You must let me go with Jax,” she said. “Not only because I want to, but because Alnwick will be spared if I do.”

“We do not fear de Velt’s army.”

“But I do not want any battles on my account. My life is not worth the hundreds that will die.”

“Kelli,” Keats, who had been standing back for much of the exchange, moved forward, his aged face lined with sorrow. “You do not know what you are saying. If you go with de Velt, your life is at an end.”

Surprisingly, she smiled at her father. “I know you were only doing what you felt best when you took me from Pelinom,” she said. “But you must let me make my own choices in life, father. Only then will I be happy. This is my choice. Please respect that, for better or for worse.”

Keats looked as if he was going to become physically ill; with all the tussling over the past several minutes, he could see the inevitable was about to happen and there was nothing he could do about it. Finally, after weeks of sorrow and pain and struggle, he surrendered to the unavoidable. His daughter was to marry a murderer. With a disgusted shake of his head, he turned away from her.

“If that is your choice, then know that you no longer exist to me,” he muttered. “I no longer have a daughter. ‘Twould have been better had you never been born.”

Kellington’s smile faded as she watched him walk away. Then the tears came, filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. Her father did not understand what was in her heart and for that, she was deeply sorry.

“Please do not say that,” she begged softly.

He didn’t turn around. “I am done with you. Go away and leave me.”

She watched as he continued walking, her heart breaking into a million pieces. “Father,” she called out after him. “I love you.”

Keats didn’t reply; he just kept walking. Kellington stifled a sob in the back of her hand, knowing it would be futile to beg or pursue him. He was in his own world of hurt and would have to deal with it, for she would not go back on her choice.  Perhaps someday he would understand.

Denedor was still looking at her. Kellington cast the man a sidelong glance as if to apologize for his troubles, knowing that anything she said to him would seem trite or inadequate at this point. She opted to say nothing and turned away, walking past Atreus and Jax and going to wait by the chargers. In silence, she hung her head and wept.

Jax still stood with his sword in his hand, watching her as she stood by the horses and wiped at her face.  Atreus was already moving to join her, wanting to be away from the volatile situation. Turning back to Denedor, Jax cast the man a long, enduring look before sheathing his sword and silently making his way back to Kellington and the charger. There was nothing more to say and everyone was well aware. The case had been heard, tried, weighed and measured. The verdict had been rendered.

It was done.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The fires from the army filled the midday air with a haze of smoke.   Two miles from Alnwick, Jax’s army had set up their encampment and a litter of tents spotted the large green meadow they had chosen for their site.   Several fat pigs, stolen from local farmers, were on spits and the smell of roasting pork lingered on the breeze.

Kellington sat beneath a tree with a half loaf of bread, a bladder of wine and a hunk of tart, white cheese. Jax had spread a blanket for her and she lounged comfortably in the shade, watching the activity of the distant camp.  Tor and a few soldiers had pitched Jax’s tent nearby, something he rarely used but a shelter they traveled with nonetheless.  Now that the lady was with them, Jax had ordered them to provide her with all suitable comforts they possessed.

Jax was milling around the camp, attended by Atreus and Tor. She could hear his big, booming voice in the distance. Every once in a while she would catch a glimpse of him as he wandered in and out of the trees and men.  She had watched him for a full hour as he had positioned two enormous siege engines in the middle of the field, great catapults on wheels that hurled rocks and other projectiles in the heat of battle.  His men were also moving in and out of the nearby forest, cutting down trees and towing the logs out into the field where another group set to work on them.  They were building something, though she did not know what that was.   It was curious and interesting to watch.

As she finished the last of her wine, Jax finally emerged from a distant cluster of trees and began to make his way towards her.   She watched him approach, the way his powerful body moved.  It was enough to set her heart fluttering with excitement and not fear as others felt when they saw him.  As he drew close, he removed his helm and his shoulder-length hair spilled forth.  The sunlight glistened off the black strands as he ducked beneath her tree and set his helm on the ground.

“Well,” he said casually, taking the bladder from her to see if there was any left. “Feeling better?”

She nodded, chewing on a piece of cheese. “Much better. When are we leaving?”

Disappointed there was nothing left in the bladder, he tossed it aside and lowered his big body next to her. “Leaving to where?”

“Home, I would guess.”

He lifted a dark eyebrow at her as he took the cheese out of her hand and put it in his mouth. “Do we have to speak of that now? Can we just not talk between us of inconsequential things?”

She smirked, scooting over so that she was sitting in the curve of his reclined torso. “Very well. What inconsequential things would you speak of?”

He smiled up at her, tucking a bit of stray hair behind her ear. “We can speak of when we intend to be married.”

“All right,” she agreed with a sharp nod. “When is that?”

The hand that was smoothing her hair moved to the back of her neck and pulled her down to his seeking mouth.  His lips slanted over hers, his first taste of her in days. She was better than he had remembered and he tasted deeply, plunging his tongue into her sweet mouth and suckling furiously. Kellington toppled over, ending up lying on her back as he covered her with his enormous warmth.  In the leisure hours of midday, they reacquainted themselves with each other.

“This was all I could think of the entire time we were apart,” he said, his mouth on her neck. “I’ve dreamed of this for days.”

Her fingers were in his hair as his mouth worked her flesh. “As have I,” she murmured. “I truly did not know if I would ever experience this again.”

His head came up, the two-colored gaze intense as he looked at her. “Those who have tried to separate us have either been eliminated or defeated,” he said. “Never worry about you and I being apart. We will never be separated again.”

She looked like an angel with her braids spread out against the coarse blanket. “What about Amadeo? If what I was told is true, he will…”

Jax put his hand over her mouth, silencing her. “You needn’t worry about him. He is no longer an issue.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly, but she had an idea. “How did you find me?”

He pondered just how much to tell her, opting for all of it. If she was going to be a part of his world, then she would have to understand that treachery did indeed exist.  She would need to be on her guard.

“Atreus and Tor returned to Pelinom and were told that you had left with your father,” he said. “The truth of it was that Amadeo had ordered your father to remove you, threatening to kill you if you stayed.  So your father had no choice to take you from Pelinom.”

She nodded. “I know,” she murmured, touching his face. “He did not tell me the truth, however. He led me to believe that we were taking a trip to Berwick. I only knew the truth once we arrived at Alnwick.”

Jax stroked her face, feeling her skin against his calloused palm. “Amadeo’s threats were a convenient excuse for your father,” he replied. “The man does not want you to marry me, that is for certain. I am not sure I entirely blame him.”

She smiled ironically at him. “Now you speak the truth of it.” Her smiled faded as she thought on her father, of his last words to her. “Perhaps given time he will understand.”

Jax watched her carefully, trying to gauge how much sorrow she felt over the rift he had caused. He wondered if it would cause her to resent him someday.

“Perhaps,” he agreed with her, not knowing what else to say.  “In any case, we are together now and that is all that matters.   The town of Alnwick is back over the rise as, I suspect, are a church and a priest. I will send Atreus into town to scout it out and make the arrangements.”

She nodded, gazing up at him as the branches from the tree created a backdrop for his handsome face. Now that the euphoria of their reunion was wearing off, there were many thoughts on her mind; their marriage, their future.  Many things were now becoming reality.

“Where will we live?” she asked.

He shrugged, brushing off a leaf that had fallen into her hair. “Wherever you wish.”

“I’ve only ever lived at Pelinom.”

“Is that where you want to live?”

She nodded. “It is my home.”

“Then it shall be mine also.”

“Jax?”

“What, love?”

“Will you … do you plan to stay home with me?”

He grinned. “Stay home and do what?”

She pursed her lips with irritation that he found something humorous in her question.

“Be lord of the castle,” she stated the obvious. “Pelinom is a wealthy, busy place. You would have plenty to do.”

He frowned at her. “You run the place. I would only be in the way.”

“Then you will not stay with me?”

He leaned down, nuzzling her cheek. “I will stay with you,” he said. “But if I were to give up my pursuits and stay with you all of the time, I suspect we would have a dozen children in as many years.”

She blushed to the roots of her hair.  “But what if it is my wish?”

“To have a dozen children? I think I can arrange that.”

“Nay,” she slapped him playfully on his shoulder. “To stay with me and be a gentleman knight.  You can administer your empire from your seat of Pelinom.”

He lifted an eyebrow at her. “I told you that I am an ambitious man, Kelli. I have no intention of changing my plans.  And you told me that you would not try to change me.”

She made a face at him. “Do you memorize everything I say?”

He suddenly sat up and pulled her up with him. “I memorize everything everyone says. Since I was a small child, I can recall the very last detail of conversations I had weeks or months or years ago. It is a strange gift I have.”

“Then you are telling me, in essence, that I can never take back anything I ever say to you?”

“Never. I will remember it.”

He had her on her feet and gripped her hand. “Where are we going?” she asked curiously.

He was pulling her towards his pitched tent several feet away. “I’d nearly forgotten; I have gifts for you.”

She eyed him warily but he raised his eyebrows at her as if to calm her fears. “No worries,” he told her as he pulled back the tent flap. “I did not steal them. I purchased them, just as you asked me to.”

It was her turn to lift an eyebrow at him as she entered the dark tent. “Really?” she asked skeptically. “And just what did you purchase for me?”

He rummaged around in the saddlebags that were propped against the wall.  It was dark and he was having trouble finding what he was looking for.  But he finally came across it and pulled forth the silk purse that Lady Anne had given him, stuffed to the seams with goods.  He extended it to Kellington.

She looked at him long and hard before accepting the purse.  Carefully, she pulled back the ties; the gorgeous emerald and silver ring was the first thing she saw. With a gasp of delight, she pulled it out and inspected it in the weak light.

“Oh… Jax,” she breathed. “It’s lovely. Absolutely lovely.”

He grinned, pleased at her reaction. “Do you like it?”

She nodded eagerly. “I love it.”

He took it from her and gently took her left hand, sliding the ring onto her third finger.  It fit snuggly.

“It will make a fine wedding ring,” he said, then gestured to the bag again. “See what else I have brought you.”

Kellington did.  She dumped the bag on the rug that covered part of the ground beneath her feet and picked through a sapphire necklace, several brooches, more rings and two sets of earrings.  All of them were very nice quality and very expensive. 

“Where did you get these?” she asked as she held up one of the earrings, made from a large yellow stone. “They are magnificent.”

He watched her face as she inspected the earring. “I purchased them from a woman,” he said honestly. “I bought almost everything she had.”

He braced himself, waiting for her to ask more questions, but she was apparently satisfied with his answer and left it at that. He almost sighed with relief.  But he suddenly remembered the perfume and pulled that out of his saddlebags as well, handing them to her shoulder.

Kellington saw the phials clutched in his big hand and she put the jewelry down, carefully taking the glass tubes from him.  She set the gently on the ground and picked up the first one, pulling out the stopper and smelling lilies. 

“Oh,” she gasped and inhaled again, more deeply. “This is wonderful.  Jax, where did you get this marvelous perfume?”

“From the same lady,” he was congratulating himself at again being truthful with her. “The other two are rose and lilac.”

Kellington was poisoned by selection; she loved everything and wanted to wear it all.  But she settled on the lilac because Jax liked it the best and she dabbed it on her neck and wrists.   The jewelry was another matter; she had him put the sapphire necklace on her and she pinned what appeared to be a matching brooch on her shoulder.  She was so involved in deciding what next to put on that she was startled when Jax suddenly put his face into her neck, inhaling the lilac scent deeply.

“Sweet,” he murmured, kissing her skin after he smelled it. “Like you. Are you pleased?”

She nodded happily. “I am, thank you.  You are most generous, my lord.”

“My lord, is it?” he growled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. “You only address me formally when you want something. What more do you want?”

Her giggles turned to gasps as his mouth began to move against her neck. “There is nothing more I could possibly want,” she put her hand on his head, entwining her fingers in his long hair as he kissed her shoulder. “I have everything I have ever longed for.”

Jax could not think of a witty reply; he was too involved in the tender delicacies of her flesh.  He finally had her in his arms, no interruptions, no distractions.  He had been waiting for this moment for years, or at least it seemed like it.  He could not remember when he had not desperately wanted this woman.

He pulled her down onto the rough rug that covered the floor of his tent.  His mouth moved from her neck to her lips, kissing her so deeply that she was in danger of fainting.   He held her tightly in his massive arms, overwhelming her with his presence, gorging himself on her.  The more he tasted, the more he wanted.

For Kellington, it was a new and overpowering experience.  He was so big, so powerful, that she could do nothing more than allow him to work his magic on her.  She had no idea how to respond, only what her instincts told her.  They told her to hold him close, to kiss him just as strongly as he was kissing her.   When his hand moved to her breasts and fondled her through the fabric, she encouraged him.  When he tried to pull the neckline of her gown away but was thwarted by the fastens, she sat up and moved her hair aside so he could unfasten the bodice.

Her blue garment fell away as Jax grabbed hold and pulled.  He realized as he did so that his hands were quivering with excitement.   His hungry gaze fell on her beautiful breasts, remembering them from that day in the vault when he had demanded she disrobe for him.  He remembered everything from that day, the sweet curves of her tender flesh, the gentle flare of her hips and the swell of her buttocks.   At the time, he had only felt the heat of lust.  Now, with emotions involved, he felt so much desire and joy that it was making him mad.   As he pulled the dress away from her legs, he also tore off his mail coat and ripped free his tunic.  His movements were harsh and eager.  As his breeches came off in the dimness of the tent, he descended on her once again with his enormous body.