The Heiress of Baylin

Once I stepped into the wide hallway, I spotted Brandon on one knee, bowing. When I looked over, there was the king in an impressive cloak of brown with white fur along the trim. He had on a thick golden thread around his neck and a crown on top of his head. He was an older man with dark hair that contained many traces of gray in it. He was bulky in stature, a figure of power. His guards surrounded him in a semi circle. I automatically descended into a curtsy, lowering my head respectfully.

“Your majesty,” I addressed.

“Forgive me for my early arrival. I didn’t believe it when they told me,” he spoke as if mostly to himself. “I had to see you for myself.” His voice sounded very dark and heavy, the weight of worry in his tone. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, your majesty,” I reassured, maintaining my lowered position.

“I trust that your journey here was comfortable and that you have been well looked after?” He inquired.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You may stand,” he allowed. I ascended back to a standing position while he glazed over me admiringly. “I was told that you had been kept in a tower but you do not look it. You are a figure of beauty.” That was because I had just spent hours being groomed, I wanted to assert but did not. Instead, a simple, “thank you,” was enough to suffice.

“Behold,” the king’s booming voice loudly announced to his circle of guards, “the last woman of Baylin!” A roaring cheer erupted right then and an aura of hope radiated from the men.

“God bless you, Mary!” The voices of the guards channeled through the hallway.

The king then gestured for everyone to settle down while approaching me and linking his arm through mine to pull me somewhere. Up close, he smelled like old shoes.

“Walk with me,” he ordered even though I already was. He guided me through the luxurious, marble hallway with his guards and Brandon following closely behind us. We walked through an opening to a charming, outdoor garden. Like the other, it was still mainly unmaintained but quaint nevertheless. He proceeded to take me along on a stroll. I enjoyed being outside and able to see the setting sun shining, feel its warm kisses soak my skin.

“Oh, Mary,” he sighed sadly. “I have lost so much. My wife, the queen… She was a wonderful woman.”

“Yes, she was,” I conferred, recalling stories of her charity and goodness.

“We were not fortunate enough to have sons but we had five beautiful daughters. I’ve lost them all. This plague… I cannot figure out what I have done to cause God so much anger and animosity towards me. Can you think of why?”

“No, your majesty. I cannot.”

“You… You are special. You are our last survivor. What is your secret? Why did you live while all the others perished?” he was beginning to interrogate me, a hint of hostility developing in his tone.

“I don’t know,” I whimpered, apprehensive.

“Well,” he explained, “this kingdom needs an heiress and, in case you haven’t already gathered, that responsibility has now been bestowed upon you.”

While listening to the king’s words, I could not help but wonder why we still had a kingdom. With our world crumbling under the threat of extinction, everyone still seemed to remain loyal to their country’s ties, to the Baylin flag. I supposed that I was one of them since I still cared for the wellbeing of Baylin but I still found it curious nevertheless.

“I wish for nothing but to bring forth my loving queen and my daughters back from the grave. Since that is impossible, I have been advised to remarry since I still must produce an heir.”

I didn’t want to marry the king. I had predicted in my head that I might be asked to do so but my skin crawled at the thought as I gazed to him now. The king was not very attractive by any means. He eyed me admiringly, stopped us on the path. He lowered himself to one knee in front of me and was about to pull an object from his pocket. Oh, no, I thought with horror. He was about to propose and I knew that if he did, I would not be authorized to deny him. I bit my lip, tension and awkwardness flooding through me. I was far too young for him. Just before the king could pull out a ring, my internal prayers were answered. A boy suddenly shouted to him from within the crowd of guards who were watching. He was a welcomed intrusion to my great relief.

“Your majesty!” he called.

“What?!” the king demanded angrily.

“Estria has heard the rumors of Mary’s existence. They are thought to be forming an army against us,” he explained. “They’re heading for us. They want her.”

Our world consisted of two kingdoms separated by sea, Baylin and Estria. The two kingdoms had long been in dispute with one another, never truly getting along. We were not at war but we were not at peace either. We simply refused to associate with one another. Now that the plague had hit both nations with a vengeance, I was the only hope for survival. I imagined that there would be battle between Baylin and Estria over which nation’s lineage would be sustained. I swallowed nervously at the boy’s words.

The Estrian army was not thought to arrive for another week or so since it would take their fleet time to sail across the ocean to reach our shores. The king thought to encourage moral by holding a pre-battle banquette. In a grand dining area within the castle was an elongated rectangular table where the king sat at the head. William and I were both on either side of him and Brandon also sat beside me as my official protector. Stationed along the rest of the table was a room full of privileged nobles and soldiers all dressed with jewelry and golden thread across frilled collared shirts. Candlelight shined from all across the long table and a grand fireplace illuminated the dark room. The servants brought in an abundance of food that they served for dinner. I was excited to eat something other than porridge.

It was easy to see that the men had been long deprived of female company. I kept feeling their eyes on me like hawks. They were almost like sailors who had long been isolated at sea. They no longer seemed to know how to behave around a woman. I could tell they were uncomfortable because they remained mostly silent, afraid to speak in my presence. The king had to break the awkward barrier.

“So, Mary, they tell me that when you were found, you were dressed in the style of a man,” the king joked. He spoke while chewing food in his mouth. Apparently his manners were no longer kingly as the anxiety of anticipated battle overcame him. Still, he displayed an act of good cheer in an effort to create a sense of ease amongst his men.

“Yes, your majesty,” I swallowed my bite before speaking. He let out a booming laughter that shook the room, crumbs of food sputtered from his mouth. Gross…

“Look at this precious gem,” the king called to everyone sitting along the table, gesturing to me with a turkey thigh in hand. He didn’t have to because they already were. “Can you imagine this pretty, young lady as a man?” The others broke into laughter at the absurdity of the suggestion. I kept my focus down at my plate of food, blushing from the attention.

“I need not fathom it, your majesty,” William chimed in with a sense of feigned humor in his tone.

“We are certainly fortunate to have her, are we not, gentlemen?” the king boasted.

“God bless you, Mary!” the men chanted as an automatic response.

The king stabbed into the turkey thigh with his teeth, taking a massive bite before putting the remnants of it back to his plate. He then took his greasy hand and placed it provocatively on top of my upper thigh under the table. I lost my appetite right then.

“So, Mary, do you possess any special talents? Music perhaps?” he asked me and I could tell that he was hoping that I could create a diversion.

“No, your majesty,” I answered, horrified by the idea of performing.

“You are too modest. It has been far too long since we have heard the singing voice of a woman. I pray you delight us with a song.” It was an order.

“No, please I beg of you,” I beseeched. I did not want to be the center of attention. I was already uncomfortable with the eyes on me but my palms began to perspire at the thought of actually singing for all to hear.

“I insist,” the king pushed.

I sighed heavily and reluctantly stood from my seat. I swallowed a lump in my throat before beginning. I sang a tune common to my people, the ballad of Baylin. I chose to sing this because it was a romantic sounding hymn with a lot of soft notes, not too high-pitched. When the tune came to a conclusion, the room of men applauded.

“Beautiful,” complimented the king. I was about to retake my seat when he held up his hand in protest. Clearly, he wasn’t ready for my performance to finish just yet. He ordered one of his musicians to accompany me with his lute and had me sing the ballad a second time and then a third. The tune as well as the increase in ale seemed to produce a calming effect as the men began to relax.

The dinner continued into the night and I continued to sing for the king and his men until my voice grew hoarse from the strain. They laughed and joked amongst each other for a while before breaking into the ballroom where musicians took over for me, playing joyful tunes on violins. The men mostly drank and played gambling games. As the only available woman, I was asked to dance on more than a few occasions. The dances were classic ones with choreography known by anyone who grew up in Baylin. Throughout the course of the evening, I danced with almost all of the men at least once and with the king twice. When I lost my breath, I excused myself to rest.

I noticed that Brandon did not engage in the activity. He stood idly by, watching with a solemn expression. He would not even touch the ale that was being passed around by the servants. When I finished catching my breath, I flocked to his side.

“Brandon, are you not merry?”

“No, my lady,” he stated simply.

“Why not?” I wondered.

“It is my duty to protect you and if I am intoxicated I cannot do so.”

“You should take a break. Have fun,” I advised.

“Not at your expense,” he asserted.

“Do you not desire to dance with me?” a flirtatious tone unintentionally passed my lips. I supposed I was feeling the affects of the wine that I had been served. Brandon’s eyes examined me intently.

“Quite the contrary, it would give me immense pleasure to dance with you.” I felt my heart quicken at his words. “And –” he was about to continue before being interrupted as we were approached by the king.

“Mary, it would delight me if you would join me for a third dance,” the king cut in. There was no denying the king. I gazed at Brandon regretfully, about to take my leave with towards the dance floor with him. I think the king might have noticed my reluctance to obey and the subtle exchange between Brandon and I because he suddenly stopped and took a moment to scrutinize him with suspicion. Daggers seemed to flare in the king’s eyes. Brandon kept his head lowered, eyes to the floor respectfully.

“You have only one official protector?” the king questioned me, not taking his eyes off a nervous Brandon, his rival.

“I believe so,” I answered. I kept my voice as nonchalant as possible to recover from my mistake and to prevent arousing more suspicion over my feelings for Mr. Bennett.

“I think it best that I assign additional guards to you,” the king said to me after a long moment of consideration, “for your own protection of course.” The hidden meaning behind his words seemed to imply “for your own protection against Brandon Bennett.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” I said, pretending to sound pleased. I recognized that I would be placing Brandon in jeopardy if anyone suspected my feelings for him. Unfortunately, my feelings were difficult to disguise. I would need to be more careful about my body language in the time to come.

“Good,” the king dropped while turning to face me. “Now, let us dance!” I obliged and the king whirled me into a dance along an empty space across the ballroom floor. The crowd of dinner guests cheered while watching our performance. The violins picked up into an increasingly joyful tempo as we moved in synchrony with the beat. Before recent events, I never could have fathomed ever having the opportunity to dance with the royal king of Baylin. Now that I was here, I regretted that I took the act for granted. As the only woman, of course the king would want to dance with me. There were no other options. Therefore, dancing with him now felt as unremarkable as the royal treatment I had received. I would have preferred to dance with the man I admired, the one watching idly in the corner, distinguished as the most handsome of them all; Mr. Brandon Bennett.

At the end of the night, many men could be found collapsed across turned over tables and along the floor, drunken to a major extent. I chuckled to myself at the sight of William flat on his face from having been too merry. He was such a solemn man so it had been comical to see him under the influence of ale. The servant boys had to clean up the many empty dishes, glasses and half-eaten leftovers sprawled across the floor. The sight was disastrous. I was glad that I was not required to clean it.

“Take me to my chamber,” the king slurred as a servant linked his arm through his to guide him. While the king was leaving, my eyes circled the room for Brandon but I could not find him anywhere.

“Time for you to go to your chamber as well, my lady,” Thomas appeared out of seemingly nowhere, linking an arm through mine. “Let’s get you to bed,” He said with a wide smile, walking me out of the ballroom and through the marble hallway. I was glad to see him. My eyes were gaining weight and were too heavy to keep open for much longer.

“Where were you? I did not see you during the party?” I slurred partially from exhaustion from so much exercise and partially from the wine.

“Brandon fetched me. I was in the servers’ quarters, relaxing with a good book,” he explained with humor in his tone.

“Brandon fetched you?” I surfaced for clarification. Thomas eyed me with a smirk sprawled across his face. “What?” I wondered.

“Yes, Brandon fetched me,” he repeated amusingly. “He told me that you were looking tired and that I should take you to your chambers before any of the drunken gentlemen would think to take advantage of you. I must say, there’s no denying that he cares for you a great deal.”

“It is just his duty,” I corrected.

“No, it’s not just because of his job. I’ve seen the look in that man’s eyes when he speaks of you. He cares.”

I blushed, happy to hear it but also concerned for his safety.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” I pleaded to Thomas.

“I won’t,” he promised and I believed his word to be sincere.

“Where is he now?” I wondered.

“In his chambers. He has to sleep too. Don’t worry, other guards are taking over his shift and they will be guarding your room while you sleep tonight.”

I wasn’t worried about my own safety as much as I just wanted to be in his company but Thomas was already on Brandon’s tail for displaying signs of affection towards me. I did not want to let on that I also felt something for him in return. Reciprocating his affections would only lead him to danger. I glowered, feeling a wave of sadness as I thought about this. Brandon and I could never be together. He was just a guard and I was now considered the equivalent to a royal princess. To love me would also mean to risk certain death since my hand was a controversial prize amongst the men throughout the kingdom.

My mind was in such a haze of deep contemplation that I did not even notice when we had made it up the stairs to where my chambers were located. Two guards were standing outside the door just as Thomas had said. I was guided into my room – an extravagant room with a wide, inviting bed encompassed by white curtains draped around it.

“This was once the queen’s private bed chamber,” Thomas informed me while relieving me from my dress and untying my corset. I wasn’t surprised since I was already dressed in the queen’s gown. Why wouldn’t I sleep in her bed as well? Thomas slid a white night gown over my head and I then climbed onto the large, soft mattress, sliding beneath the silky blanket. Compared to the tower accommodations, I felt like I was slipping into slumber on a cloud.

During the following few days, I spent my time either in the queen’s comfortable bed, walking through one of numerous gardens, sipping tea by a cozy fire, or reading one of many book selections in the royal library. I tried every method of distracting myself from the upcoming battle while everyone else was busy engaging in preparation for the conflict. A jousting tournament was held in the courtyard, mainly to enhance excitement in the men for battle.

Brandon along with four other new guards followed consistently by my side. I was under their constant watch. Since the assigning of these new guards, Brandon’s barrier was stronger than ever. He would not talk to me no matter how often I tried to coax him into speaking. The other guards were equally as rigid. The king had frightened them from associating with me. This annoyed me to a great extent and so I stopped trying entirely. I learned how to ignore their presence, carrying on with my activities as if the guards weren’t lurking over my shoulder every minute of the day. I was not entirely isolated conversationally since Thomas was quickly growing into a great companion, speaking with me as if he were one of my female friends. Unlike the others, he was no threat to the king. Together, we often gossiped about the other servants, dropping their names and telling scandalous stories of them that may or may not have been true. He also told me stories of the princesses. I could tell that he missed them because there was a spark in his eyes whenever he mentioned their names. I found the contact with Thomas to be comforting, his stories kept my mind occupied.

The king had me join him nightly for dinner, which caused an uneasy feeling within the pit of my stomach. Every night I feared that he would propose marriage. Every time he stood up from the table or reached into his pocket, I thought, “Oh, no, not now. Please, God, not now…” Thankfully I was blessed that the king’s thoughts were too consumed with the upcoming arrival of the Estrian army.

He pressed me to sing for him regularly before parting to conduct meetings with his royal council. He was often desperate for me to distract him, consumed with stress. His eyes grew heavier with each approaching day before the Estrians would arrive. I wondered what he might have me do next to distract him further.

William approached me in my chambers one evening while Thomas was brushing my hair, preparing me for bed.

“The king requests your presence in his bed,” he informed me. I knew what this implied and my feelings absolutely prohibited it.

“No,” I quickly replied as a knee-jerk reaction.

“You will do as you are told,” William ordered, speaking as if he were my father and I was his misbehaving toddler.

“No,” I repeated. He grabbed my arm, pulling me forcefully into the hallway. I dragged my feet but I was not strong enough to resist him. Normally, it would have been out of the question for a woman to deny the king’s wishes but I was growing increasingly fed up of obeying. I hated William for what he was forcing me to do now. That’s when the thought struck me like lightening. I recalled what Thomas had spoken to me, that I possessed more power than I thought. Thinking quickly, I pulled out a dagger with my free hand from the belt of one of the guards and held the pointed edge to my throat. “If I am dead, Baylin will lose its last woman,” I threatened.

“You’re bluffing,” William accused.

I glided the blade across my skin, creating a tiny scratch along my neck. I managed to cause enough damage to draw a significant amount of blood but it looked worse than it actually was. It stung like the scratch from a cat but was not much more painful than that. Still, the act was enough to scare William decently well.

He quickly released me, taking my threat seriously now. He probably feared the very real possibility of losing his head over my demise.

“Woman,” he spoke angrily, “drop the knife! Are you mad?!”

“I may have lost my titles but as you can attest, my lord, I still maintain control over the kingdom with my life.”

“Alright,” he gave up. “I’ll go inform the king of your refusal. Just drop the knife. Please, for God’s sake, woman!”

I obliged, lowering the dagger from my throat before Brandon speedily snatched the tool from my grip. The quick contact was enough to start my heart for half a second.

“The king will not be happy,” William warned.

“It is more important that I be kept happy now,” I argued stubbornly, realizing my own strength in the situation.

“Foolish, ungrateful, selfish girl!” he snapped. Behind the anger, I could tell he was worried.

“I also want to be involved in discussions during council meetings,” I demanded.

“You’re pushing it,” he accused.

“I don’t need a knife. I can find another way to harm myself. My fingernail, for instance…” I held my finger to the bloody scratch on my throat, threatening to widen the wound.

“Stop! Fine, I’ll arrange it so that you can be involved in council meetings. Just please don’t harm yourself. You’re going to make me faint…”

I lowered my hand back to my side, feeling pleased with myself. Thomas pressed a wet cloth to my neck to clean the blood and I flinched at the touch. It stung.

William glared at me icily, angry that he had to deliver the bad news to the king that I would not be accompanying him in his bed. I flashed a smug smile, feeling confident now. Thomas had been right. I really did possess influence. William then stormed out of my chambers and I overheard as he spoke to Brandon under a hushed but not silent tone.

“Mr. Bennett,” he said worriedly to him, “I fear that we have bigger problems than the Estrian army. We have, in our possession, a woman who can’t be controlled, a frightening thing to behold.”

“Indeed,” agreed Brandon though he shot me a glance from the opened door that seemed to entail he was not unimpressed.

My threats against my own life turned out successful in helping me gain control over the castle. The king was angered by my refusal to visit his chambers and he would not join me for dinner the following night. However, there was nothing he could do about it. My life was literally the rock holding the establishment of the kingdom together. Without me, Baylin would surely fall into the pit of extinction and become as desperate as Estria.

“You’re playing with fire,” William warned me. “You don’t want to be on bad terms with the king.” But I did not take these threats seriously at all. As far as I was slowly starting to become concerned, I held power over the king. I was the monarchy.

I boldly entered into the conference room where the next council meeting was being held. It was a room with a long table like where the dinner party was held during my first night in the castle. A large fireplace warmed and lit it. A group of around ten noble men sat along the side, leaving the head of the table empty for the king. William was stationed next to this important seat. The men were silent as they watched me glide into the room. I was feeling confident – too confident. That is when I made the extraordinarily bold maneuver of taking the king’s seat at the head of the table. During prior times this would have been a treasonable offense but what could they do to me now? After all, they couldn’t kill me without killing off humanity. They glared at me as if I were a toddler throwing a tantrum or a child overstepping her bounds. I was making a stance and they knew it.

“Get up,” snapped William furiously through gritted teeth. The other men also ordered me sharply to move, hoping to regain control over my rebellion.

“No,” I stated stubbornly.

“For God’s sake, get up and move to a different seat before the king arrives,” another man with red hair barked.

“Why should I?” I challenged.

“She’s an obstinate, foolish girl. William, you must make her move,” the red headed man criticized. William appeared lost for words. “This is getting out of hand. First she denied the king’s bed, now this. He won’t be happy.”

“Don’t speak about me as if I am not present in the room,” I snapped.

“Now she’s demanding orders,” another man chimed in.

“This is not how women are supposed to act,” the red haired man shouted at me. “I weep that you are the last specimen of femininity.”

“I’m not an ordinary woman. I’m the only woman and I demand respect. I defeated the plague.”

“You deserve to be punished. I swear, if you were my daughter, I’d crush that thick head of yours into the wall,” William asserted.

“Well I’m not your daughter, am I? Your daughter is gone and I’m what’s left.” I could see in his pained expression that my words stung. I felt no remorse over this.

“What is the meaning of this?” the king demanded furiously as he entered the room, glaring towards me icily. His face flushed bright red with anger. “Are you completely out of your senses? Get out of my seat!”

“No,” I replied again, smug.

“Than you require discipline.”

He grabbed my arm right then and yanked me from his chair, flinging me across the floor. My head hit the wall. It was not overly painful but it was enough to shake me. I had not previously realized that the king was capable of such hostility. I now determined too late that William was probably right when he warned me against being on the king’s bad side. The king grabbed my arm firmly again, enraged. He pulled me up to my feet and then dragged me out of the room into the hallway where my guards were waiting for me. I was powerless to resist since the king was much bigger and stronger than I. Fear raced through my veins.

“Now you listen here, woman. You may be an heiress but this is my kingdom and you will be humble and obey.” He dropped me against the hard, marble floor. I felt small, belittled. My rising confidence was completely shattered in this instant. To top it off, the king then lowered himself so that his ominous gaze was level with my apprehensive one. “You are nothing but a foolish child and you do not possess power over me. I am your king, answerable to no one but God! Do you understand? You are a member of the fairer sex and will not rise above what is natural. A true man will not be dominated by that of a frail woman.”

He began unbuckling his belt as if he were about to defile me in the worst manner possible. My body was trembling with fright. My eyes glanced pleadingly to Brandon for help though I knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t act against the kings wishes, no one could.

“Stop!” I urged. “Please, I beseech you. Your majesty, I’m sorry for my behavior. Don’t do this.”

He glared at me icily for a moment, pausing before he could pull down his trousers and take my maidenhead right then and there in the hallway for others to witness.

“Please,” I continued while he was still paused, “what would the queen say if she was around to witness what you were about to do? Set a good example. Don’t do this to a lady. This is the sort of act only tyrant kings perform.”

Something in my words hit home as the king realized the vile act he was about to commit. He buckled his belt and tucked his shirt back into his trousers. He scowled at me before turning and storming back into the conference room. The door slammed loudly behind him.

I decided from that point never to try and pull another stunt like that again. My head and arms were aching from where he’d hurt me. My knees were red from where I collided with the floor.

I could hear the king’s voice trail on the other side of the door as he shouted to his council members, “I swear, we should just pawn that girl off to the Estrians! She’s an obstinate pain in my ass!”

I swallowed nervously and glared down at the floor in stunned silence. I saw faintly through my peripheral view as one of my guards took a seat on the floor by my side. He wrapped an arm around me comfortingly. I could not see passed my blurry vision as my eyes swelled with tears but I recognized Brandon’s familiar scent. My heart suddenly felt warmer with him by my side. I felt safer in his embrace, more secure.

“It’s okay,” he spoke soothingly. “You just wounded the king’s pride. He will forgive you.”

“I hope so…”

“He will. He has to forgive you. He has no other choice. But please, don’t try to push your luck with him again.”

My heart filled with joy now that Brandon was speaking to me again. That alone was enough to make me feel better. He placed a thumb to my cheek, wiping away a trail from an escaped tear.

“Thank you,” I whispered to him softly.

He wrapped his warm hand around mine and placed his other hand around my waist to gently lift me to my feet. Once I was standing, he released me from his comforting hold. I felt as though a piece of me parted with the separation.

“You’re growing very bold, Mary,” Thomas accused while brushing my hair to prep me for bed that night. “It is not lady-like.”

“You’re the one who told me I had power. You put the idea in my head,” I accused.

“You do have power. You just shouldn’t be that obvious about it. You need to be more subtle, tactful,” he explained to me quietly. I considered Brandon and how I could possibly manipulate the king into allowing me to marry him instead. Thomas took notice of my reverie.

“You love him don’t you?” he suddenly asked.

“Who?” I asked, surprised by his inquiry.

“Brandon of course,” he answered. Thankfully Brandon couldn’t hear this conversation since he was guarding me from the other side of my chamber doors. Thomas and I were alone in the room. After spending time with him throughout the last week, I quickly came to know him as a trustworthy friend. I gazed once at my reflection in the mirror and then down at my hands that were placed on my lap. I could feel the blood burning in my cheeks.

“Is it obvious?” I wondered.

“A little. I mean, only to me. I think most of the men around here don’t notice subtle cues quite like I do.”

“Oh,” was all I knew what to say.

“He loves you too you know,” he informed me. A small tear escaped my eye when he said this. I felt flattered and sad at the same time.

“It doesn’t matter whether he does or not,” I said glumly. “Everyone seems to have an agenda of who they think I should marry. I can’t be selfish. For me, love is irrelevant.”

Thomas placed the hair brush on top of the dresser when he finished then gently nudged me out of my seat to guide me to my bed.

“Is it…?”

“What do you mean?” I wondered hopefully.

“Never mind. Mary, you have a good head on your shoulders. Let’s pray to God that Baylin defeats Estria so that you can marry one of your own fellow country men.”

It was too difficult to imagine caring for anybody to the same extent that I cared for Brandon. Even though I’d only known him a short amount of time, something about Mr. Bennett drew me in like a moth to a flame. I shook my head, trying to rid of these thoughts so that they wouldn’t hurt.

“Good night, my lady” Thomas said as he pulled the blanket over me and then exited my chamber.

“Good night,” I said back to him.

I was sitting in a small parlor, sipping a hot cup of tea by a warm fire while Thomas sat on the chair next to mine with a book. The guards were outside the door again. That’s when William entered the room to deliver the news.

“My lady, I have come to inform you that the Estrian army will be arriving by tomorrow.”

“So soon?” I asked, taken off guard. For some reason, I thought we had more time.

“Yes,” he said. “I must also stress the vitality of the situation, Princess Mary. It is imperative that you do whatever you can to… distract the enemy. Do you understand?”

I gasped. He was asking me to be a whore.

“What?! No of course not! I will not be used as a pawn for this.”

“You will do what you are told,” William threatened. I looked to Thomas who raised his eyebrows at me.

“Subtle,” he mouthed to me with a wink. It was an exchange that escaped William’s notice. I nodded, realizing I needed to play along. My power would come to greater use if my manipulations went undetected.

“Yes, my lord,” I submitted to William.

“Good,” he confirmed, pleased with himself that he had me back under his ’control.’

“Thomas,” William then turned to face him, “I trust that you and the other servants will double your efforts in preparing her for tomorrow. Dress her and trim her, understand? Make sure she is desirous on the battle field.”

“Understood,” Thomas replied.

In the night I was stirred by the faint glow of candlelight shining across my eyelids. I groaned, lifting my blanket over my eyes so I could return to sleep.

“Mary,” a familiar, angelic voice whispered.

I lowered the blanket and my eyes fluttered open to the sight of Brandon in the low, flaming light. A dazzling smile lifted his face. For a second, I thought I was dreaming. He was too beautiful to be real.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. I just wanted an opportunity to see you before tomorrow.” It was surprising to hear him speak like this since he had, up until this point, been trying so hard to remain distant with me. I did not, however, waste my thoughts deliberating this for too long. I glanced around, wondering how he’d managed to do this without getting caught.

“The other guards…” I wondered, my voice hoarse from sleepiness.

“Two of them are out and I bribed the other two by promising them a portion of my pay.”

“Why?” I wondered even though I already had a strong inclination.

“Because, as unprofessional as it sounds and as hard as I try to fight it, I think that I’m falling for you, Mary.” He took a seat on the edge of my bed, breathing nervously. His face looked so troubled in the dim light of the candle that was in his grip. “You’ve been under my protection every single day since we left the tower. The thought of you leaving my sight is, for whatever reason, too painful to bear.”

My heart picked up in pace, thundering in my chest. My skin crawled with a tingling sensation. I was glad that the candle was turned away from me in that moment because my face very likely displayed a goofy expression. I was breathless. When I couldn’t respond, he continued.

“I hear whispers every single day. More than half of the men around here absolutely adore you. You must realize how beloved you are. Not a moment goes by when I don’t hear of you in a positive light in some way, shape or form. It’s not solely because you’re the only woman either. There’s something else… You hold yourself with such dignity…” he was lost in thought. “And,” he added, peering at me from a side-glance, “although no one will admit it in public, you’ve managed to impress quite a few with the manner in which you stood up to the king.”

“Really?” I wondered, sitting up in my bed to level with him. It surprised me that anyone found my actions impressive. After all, it was frowned upon for a woman to behave the way I did.

“Yes,” he laughed, adjusting on the bed to face me. I looked down and fumbled with the blanket, blushing in response to the movement. “Mary, I have witnessed many deaths from men who have tried to get to you. Yet, I can’t seem to stay away from you anymore.”

My cheeks burned even more after that comment. I gazed up towards him from under my lashes.

“I know that I take great risk in confessing feelings for you. Believe me, I tried to talk myself out of coming to you in the night like this. But here I am anyway on pain of death. All for you…”

I rubbed my hand soothingly across his back, the action sparking a feeling of electricity through my veins. He looked to me with soft, contented eyes. Although I hadn’t uttered more than a word, we both knew it was evident that I returned his feelings. I could feel the affection lifting in my expression as I looked to him. With my free hand, I took the candle from his hands and placed it on my bedside table so that I could embrace him with an amorous hug.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered seductively into his ear. He smiled largely before leaning back to press his lips to mine. I clutched my arms around his neck and moved my mouth with his feverishly. The kiss was long, passionate. I had grown so used to his mental barrier in the last week that I was half expecting him to rebuff. When he did not, this excited me even more. A rush of heat sparked across my skin. The barrier was demolished and for this one amazing night, we were free to release ourselves on one another.