* * *
~Torben
“You kissed her,” Brant accused as I stood just outside of Allete’s door.
“Why is that any of your business?”
Brant’s eyes narrowed. “You will be of no use to us if you get yourself killed by that crazy arse of a king.”
His words rang true. I was playing with the sharp side of the sword and expecting not to get cut. But what else was I supposed to do? Allete could not marry Cathal, and truly, she should not have to spend any more time with him. The man was crazed. I couldn’t believe that Allete’s father hadn’t picked up on the king’s madness. Perhaps he had and was choosing to ignore it, but I hoped this wasn’t the case. I would like to think that her father would not be willing to allow her to wed a man capable of such abuse.
“What would you have me do?” I growled.
“You can save her without taking her virtue,” he snapped back.
I clenched my jaw at the insinuation of his words. “Careful, brother. You may be my second in command, but that does not give you the right to be disrespectful.”
“What about being your friend? Does that give me the right to speak up when you are making choices that will hurt your clan?”
I had to bite back my response because I knew it would have been unfair. Brant cared about me. He may have looked like a heartless warrior, but I knew differently. He was as honorable a man as they came.
“I will be honest with you, I know not what to do. She makes me feel crazy with need. The need to have her, to protect her, to hold her. Needs I’ve never felt before. The thought of his hands and mouth on her makes me rage on the inside. Truly, Brant, I was planning his murder in my mind as I watched him touch her.” I took a deep breath as the rage returned once again. “How am I supposed to let him be near her again?”
He shook his head. “I would not want to be in your shoes, but I will stand beside you no matter what. You want to become a king slayer? I will hand you the sword and watch your back while you do what needs to be done.”
My heart clenched at his words. There were few things as valuable as the trust and loyalty of the men I led. They weren’t all loyal to me, but the ones who were would not hesitate to run into battle with me, even if it was one we couldn’t possibly win. They would fight with me and die right alongside me.
“He’s going to have to die. If I take her and leave him alive, he will pursue her and probably kill her family to punish her. But if I kill him now, I could be hung for it, and then I still wouldn’t be able to take Allete as my own. Our clan would be doomed.”
Brant smiled, though his eyes didn’t speak of humor. “Oh, what joy we find in having so many choices that lead to death and destruction.”
“You are a twisted man, brother.” I laughed because if I didn’t, I would probably start blindly swinging my sword, breaking everything in sight.
I knew what he meant. We had choices. There always were choices, but that didn’t mean that the choices were necessarily easy or good. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The best possible outcome I could hope for would be to get Allete away before anyone realized that Cathal was dead. Even after that, I would have to figure out a way to deal with her father and to take out Magnus as well.
“So, did you kiss her?”
I chuckled. “I thought you knew?”
He shrugged. “You were in there a long time. If it were me, and I was alone with my woman, well…I wouldn’t have walked out with anything less than a kiss or three.”
“And that is why you have a line of females knocking down the door of your hut.”
“Do not be jealous,” Brant snorted. “The females just can’t resist me. I am quite unforgettable.”
“Anyone who looks like the arse end of a monkey is unforgettable. Don’t read too much in to their ability to remember who you are.”
“The kiss, Torben. Quit your stalling.”
“Fine,” I breathed out. “Yes, I kissed her. But I’m leaving it at that. I do not make it a habit to share what goes on behind closed doors between my woman and me.”
Brant’s stupid grin was still on his face. “Because you have had so many closed-door encounters with the fairer sex, have you?”
I waved him off. He was just trying to annoy me at that point, and I wasn’t going to walk into his traps. I was annoyed enough as it was. I could tell when I’d left the Princess’s chambers that she was going to try to push me away. She thought to end things between us before we could even get started, and that was annoying enough. I didn’t need Brant’s shite added to the mix.
The rest of the night passed quickly, too quickly. Brant and I took turns sleeping so at least we got four or five hours each. It wasn’t entirely restful, considering we’d been leaning against a wall while doing it, but it was better than nothing.
“Sirs.” Lidia came rushing around the corner and bowed her head slightly before hurrying into Allete’s room, shutting the door quickly behind her. I strained my hearing in hopes of catching some bit of conversation, but there was nothing. I wanted to know if Allete was okay, if she’d slept at all, and if she was hungry. I wanted to check the bruises on her body and make sure there weren’t any injuries that I’d missed. I wanted to brush her hair again and sit quietly in her company with no one to interrupt us. But all of that was about as likely to happen as it was for Cathal to come crawling down the corridor like the dog he was and lift his leg to piss on the wall.
“What are you smirking about?” Brant asked.
I chuckled. “You don’t want to know. I’m tired, and my mind is twisted.”
“How is that different from when you’re not tired?”
“Piss off, Brant.”
Just then the door to Allete’s chambers opened, and Lidia stepped out. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks swollen.
“Are you all right?” I asked quickly and then added, “Is Allete all right?”
Lidia nodded. “Just a bit taken aback, is all. My lady has asked that I fetch breakfast. She isn’t feeling well and wishes to cancel her engagements for the day. She asked also that you and Brant remain on guard for the entirety of the day. She said to apologize, because she knows you’re tired, but she would very much prefer you.” She paused, and then corrected herself. “She would very much prefer both of you to stay instead of rotating off duty today.”
“And if King Cathal should come to call?” Brant asked the question that had been burning a hole in my head.
“He is to be kept off her corridor for the day. Princess Allete has requested I call upon the queen after she has broken her fast.”
“Lidia.” I took a step toward the handmaiden. “Did Allete tell you what happened yesterday? With Cathal?”
Lidia’s eyes widened. It was apparent she didn’t know that I knew. “Yes,” she finally whispered.