The Heiress of Baylin

“How did you know this was my plan?” I wondered as we sat over the Estrian king’s lifeless body.

“I didn’t fully,” explained Brandon. “I knew he had taken you into his chambers to fondle you so I desired to kill him. The fact that you beat me to it was helpful. Although, your subtle nod outside the chambers did give me a good inclination. It wasn’t difficult to guess your intentions.”

“He was a wild man, insane. I believe we put him out of his misery,” I noted, considering his delusional state of mind.

“Where is our daughter? Where is Jane?” Brandon asked me in haste. I could tell he had been eager to ask me about her all day. His eyes were heavy with the stress of grief. “They tell me she is dead but I do not believe it.”

“She is fine,” I reassured him.

“Oh, thank God! I knew it,” he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “But how did you…?” his voice trailed off.

“I had Thomas take her to safety before the battle,” I answered his unspoken question.

“Thomas? Are you sure that was a good idea?”

“Yes, no one will take notice of him. If anyone can care for her and keep her calm, he can.”

“Oh, Mary, you never fail to impress me with your wit!” he complimented.

“I was just doing what was best for her,” I answered with a shrug. Brandon cupped my face in his hands and eagerly pulled me to him, kissing me. I locked my lips with his. We kissed until it was time to stop for a breath.

“I missed you,” he said when his lips parted from mine.

“I missed you too,” I replied. “I was so worried!”

“So was I!”

There was a knock at the door right then as we jumped in response. Brandon shot up from the bed to his feet.

“Wait there,” he warned me, holding a hand out for me to stay put. He pulled out a dagger from his belt and held it out while he crept to the door to open it. It was William.

“Hello, I just came to see his majesty, I – wait, what are you doing here?” he looked to Brandon and then his eyes turned to me. It had been a long time since I had seen him. He looked almost ghostly now, his hair white with the stress that he had endured since my last visit in the castle. “Where’s his majesty?”

Brandon stepped to one side so that William could see. He had been blocking the view of the dead king with his stance. We watched to see how he’d react. Thankfully, William appeared relieved.

“This is good in God’s eyes,” William murmured almost to himself.

“I’m glad you agree,” Brandon said, returning his dagger back into his belt. William walked towards the body to touch it. He seemed to be checking to see if the king was really dead. When the body didn’t flinch at the contact, he smiled.

“Even some of his most loyal followers have been whispering that he was a mad man. They have been following him, mostly out of fear. That’s how he ran his kingdom,” he explained to us. “His death has now set them free of his tyrant reign.”

“It has set us all free,” I cut in.

“Yes,” he agreed.

We suddenly heard an explosion coming from outside and darted to the window to see that something was used to force open the castle gates. Gunpowder? I had heard of the invention but never witnessed it being put to use until now.

“It’s the rebels,” Brandon said, relieved. “They’re coming to retake the castle.”

If the Baylin rebels were retaking the castle, that must have meant that they had won the battle, I thought to myself happily. We watched as they stampeded into the castle’s interior, pitchforks and torches in hand as well as swords, striking down any Estrian in their path.

“This is good indeed,” William murmured. “Baylin is back.”

I continued to hold my gaze through the window, watching as a group tied a lasso to the top of the fox statue and pulled it down until it shattered into pieces across the ground below. As they made their way with ferocity, winning back their land, I noticed a white flag rise in surrender. We had won. I cupped a hand to my mouth, happy to witness it. The three of us cheered, sharing in the bliss of the victory. That’s when I considered Edward and wondered if he’d be freed. Brandon noticed my silent contemplation.

“What is it?” he questioned me.

“Edward is in the tower,” I mentioned.

“Oh? You take an interest in that gentleman’s concerns?” he seemed to be wondering why I cared.

“He is in there for you. He was going to face execution for claiming to be you,” I informed him. Brandon’s eyes widened, stunned and confused by my words.

“Why would he do that? Why would he care about my life?” he asked me.

“Because he cares about my happiness,” I answered. “You make me happy.”

“He is foolish,” Brandon said, thinking out loud.

“He is brave,” I corrected. Brandon snarled in response to my words.

William was listening to our conversation. He exchanged a glance between Brandon and I, cocking one eyebrow.

“It seems to me that you two have some issues to work through. I will leave you.”

“Wait, William,” I protested. “What about Edward, the man in the tower? Can you get him out?”

“Don’t worry about your friend in the tower,” he answered me. “Any rebel prisoners will more than likely be released now. As long as he is Baylinian, he’ll be fine.”

I nodded thankfully. I considered how immensely lucky Edward was to have narrowly escaped a brutal execution. Now he would be free.

“Do you love him?” Brandon questioned me.

“Not as much as I love you,” I explained. The corner of his lip twitched slightly. I think that he was disappointed by my answer, hoping that I would have denied any feelings for Edward. Instead, I let out that there were some feelings for Edward. Brandon sighed heavily but then nodded as if he had suspected all along.

“You can’t really expect to have her all to yourself, Brandon,” William cut in. “I mean, if the roles were reversed, you’d be examining all of your alternatives too.”

“I would not and I don’t want to share her…”

“No,” I asserted, stepping closer towards Brandon. I placed my hand softly to his cheek. “You don’t have to share me. It is only you. It has always been you.” He placed a hand over mine on his cheek, holding me there.

“Mary, I love you,” he whispered softly to me.

“I love you too. I promise.”

“Well isn’t that sweet?” William commented. “You are the luckiest man in the world, Brandon.”

“I know I am,” he recognized this as he pulled me into his arms for a kiss.

In all of my existence I never could have fathomed being here, leading an entire army of Baylin soldiers as we escorted the Estrians back to their ships along the coast. Dawn was breaking over the horizon and I was dressed in a suit of armor that was designed to fit a petite-sized man. I rode a great, white horse not sidesaddle but with one leg on each side, equal to a man. I had earned the respect, praised for defeating the Estrian king. Brandon was on a horse, walking beside me with Edward on my other side after he had just been freed from the tower.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Edward said to me.

“Of course,” I replied.

“You are an amazing woman, Mary… If only I had been fortunate enough to have met you before you set your eyes on Brandon.” Brandon’s icy glare flickered to Edward upon him saying this. Edward knew he was listening but enjoyed provoking him.

“Enough. We should not discuss such matters,” I barked, putting an end to the fire before it could be fueled any further.

We arrived to the sandy beach where the great ships were docked. I sat tall and proud on my horse as I observed the men dressed in red and black board, walking in a long streaming line to the entrance of their ships. After a while, the fleet set sail and I watched as all the Estrians faded from sight. I turned to face my people who seemed to be waiting for me to deliver a victory speech.

“Good, loyal people of Baylin,” I started, rising my voice for all to hear. “May we rejoice in our victory today for we have defeated a great enemy. The king of Estria thought he could deceive us. He murdered our late king and took over our great kingdom.” I took a breath before continuing my post battle speech, “He thought he could play games and make jokes, tease us, belittle us… But he greatly underestimated the Baylinian spirit and that, men, turned out to be his downfall. I am your queen, not theirs. May you all celebrate the great work that we have accomplished here,” I finalized. “We have done Baylin proud.”

The soldiers erupted in a roaring cheer.

“Long live Queen Mary! God bless you!” They all chanted loudly. “Mary of Baylin!” and I felt so glad to hear my old name shouted again. It was my golden name.

“I’m worried about Jane,” I expressed my concern to Brandon as we headed back to the castle with the fleet.

“We’ll find her,” he promised me.

“I want to go find her now.”

“Alright, dear.”

We pulled our horses, veering away from our fleet.

“Your majesty, where are you heading?” they asked me. I stopped my horse to turn back and answer them.

“My husband and I must go find the princess,” I explained to my people.

“The princess is alive?” they rejoiced.

“Yes,” I confirmed loudly. “Good people of Baylin, your princess is alive!”

They cheered with relieved excitement. Edward cantered his horse towards me, stopping to a halt by my side. The others continued riding on toward the direction of the castle.

“Mary, will I ever see you again?”

Brandon glared at him, his eyes like daggers toward Edward. The corner of Edward’s lower lip upturned into a smirk. He enjoyed enticing Brandon for a fight.

“I’m not sure but I must find my daughter. She is my first priority,” I explained.

“Of course,” his voice dropped with acceptance.

“Come,” Brandon beckoned me. It was difficult to gaze at Edward’s handsome face without saying a proper goodbye.

“Hold on. I would like a moment alone with Edward,” I told Brandon who then reluctantly rode his horse a few strides away to give us some space. Angst was written all over his facial expression as he allowed us to talk. I wished he had more trust in me.

“I know you must go with him,” Edward said to me. “But you must know that I love you and I will be waiting for you in the castle. If he ever displeases you – ”

“I understand,” I cut him off. “Edward, I care for you too. But I am Brandon’s wife. I will always be his. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” he said glumly. “He is a lucky bastard to have possessed you. I hope he knows that.”

“He does,” I assured.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I finalized. Edward nodded in conclusion before taking my hand to kiss it softly. He held it and wouldn’t let go right away when I tried to pull it away. “What?” I asked him with confusion.

“I’m not giving up that easily,” he said to me in a low whisper, “You’ll see. Someday you’ll be mine. I’ll find you.” I could sense that nothing I could say would ever deter him. Time would have to be his answer. I nodded once before he finally released his hold over my hand. “Perhaps, you should consider occupying the castle. It would be easier living than being in a house in the country,” he added.

“Thank you but I must respectfully decline. My husband and I much prefer the quiet country life. We will find Jane and retire to raise her amongst ourselves.”

I returned to Brandon’s side. Although the castle would be extravagant and grant us with easy living, we were eager to return to our life of peace, alone with our daughter in the country. Finding her was of utmost importance.

“As you wish,” Edward called to me, grinning almost sadly at us both. “You two make a beautiful pair,” he added respectfully for Brandon’s benefit.

“Thank you, Edward,” Brandon said to him curtly. The two men exchanged an uncomfortable glare with one another. I had to break the tension lingering in the air.

“Tell the people of Baylin that they are free to inhabit the castle at their leisure,” I ordered Edward, interrupting their silent glares.

“I will,” he said before returning to ride with the fleet. “I’m still not giving up!” he called after me while riding off. Brandon looked to me then, contemplating.

“What does he mean when he says he’s not giving up?”

“Nothing,” I dropped. “Please, let us go find our daughter. If we go back to where the cottage is, I can point us in the direction of where Thomas took off with her,” I explained.

Brandon nodded, kicking his horse to lunge into forward gallop. I followed after him, keeping my horse at equal stride with his. Rightfully so, I worried about what we might see from the result of the battle once we made it home. I had a strong feeling our old home would be unrecognizable.

We were on the horses for a long time before we finally came across the friar’s old church. It was destroyed, the windows shattered. When we walked to where our cottage was, we found that it had been demolished. Smoke diffused from the sight of where a large clump of ashes replaced our beloved home. Brandon’s hard work and manual labor, our once peaceful life was left as shattered remnants. A tear ran down my cheek.

“It’s okay, my love,” Brandon assured me, “I will build us a new home.”

Trees were torn down all around and not a living soul could be found. Dead bodies from the battle took up the majority of the forest floor, which was covered in red snow. I spotted Henry’s body as one of them. A gasp escaped my mouth at the sight. We felt the need to dismount and grant the rebel leader a proper burial. It seemed only right.

“Their deaths were not in vein,” Brandon said as we stood mourning over Henry’s frozen form. “Thank you for your sacrifice. Because of you, Baylin is a proud kingdom once again.” I wrapped my arms around Brandon, hugging him as we said a short prayer to commemorate the dead. Brandon then piled snow over Henry’s body to bury him. Sadly, there were too many bodies to bury them all. After our short service, we took to our horses again.

“Where did Thomas take her?” Brandon asked me once we were ready to continue our journey. I pointed in the direction of where he had taken off. We were riding for what felt like ages. Eventually we came to an area with very thick snow, which tired the horses more quickly. We decided then that we needed to stop.

We took refuge for the night in an abandoned Estrian tent deep within the woods. There wasn’t much inside except for a simple blanket. Brandon and I had to embrace each other to stay warm. He wrapped me tightly in his large coat and my face was pressed firmly against his chest. It was a rough night with the howling of coyotes able to be heard from a distance. The horses also made noise as they unearthed the snow with their hooves to expose the grass from underneath. Then there was the sound of my own teeth chattering uncomfortably. Instead of thinking about my own discomfort, however, my thoughts flickered worriedly to Jane. I could tell that Brandon worried for her too.

“It was risky leaving Jane with Thomas. He wouldn’t be strong enough to defend her if anyone tried to take her from him,” he spoke his concern out loud.

“I trust Thomas to know what to do,” I told him. “I’m just worried because she’s not in my sight and I don’t know where he took her.”

“You trust too easily.”

“No, I trust my instincts. So far they’ve been right. My instinct told me to marry you,” I explained.

“But you fell for me too fast, before you could assess all of your options,” he argued. During a brief moment of silence, I could tell Brandon’s thoughts were miles away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. “Tell me what is really on your mind.”

“Edward deserves his ass beaten,” Brandon admitted.

“I already told you that you have nothing to worry about. I choose you.”

“If you were not already married to me, would you have picked him?”

“Maybe,” I confessed, perturbed. “But my feelings are very strong for you. From the first moment I met you I fell instantly in love. No one could compare.”

“You fell for him too,” he pointed out, sadness lingering in his tone. He inched his body slightly apart from mine and I maneuvered my body back to his, annoyed that he was distancing himself from me again.

“Stop this! I’m really growing tired of having to reassure you constantly,” I snapped with irritation. “Can you please just trust me? I’m always going to have men interested in me. This is the nature of the situation. You need to learn how to shut your eyes and endure. Have faith that I won’t betray you.”

Brandon surprised me right then by holding my face between his cool palms. He tilted my head so that my eyes were directly facing his. He looked enamored.

“I am in love with you. I can’t share you, Mary,” he told me earnestly. “I’ve seen how all the men have stared at you for months on end and it drives me to madness! How can I ever know if I have secured you?”

I decided during this time to confess what had happened with Edward. Brandon needed to learn how to trust me and I realized that I needed to start being more honest. I wasn’t sure that I could continue to gaze into his eyes while he remained secluded from the truth.

“I have a confession to make. I kissed Edward.” This seemed to hit Brandon like a pile of bricks. He gaped at me, stunned by my betrayal. He stood up from our resting position, his face burning red. “But you should know that I only did it because I was grateful to him for saving your life. He was about to have himself executed in your place,” I said, hoping that my explanation would ease the intensity of the situation.

“You kissed him?!”

“Yes, I’m sorry…”

“How could you do it?” he questioned.

“I already told you, he was about to die for you.”

“Not for me. He was probably putting on a front to get to you.”

“Well, I only kissed him because I wanted you.”

“Are you certain?” he asked, his face cooling slightly from the rage.

“Yes. You’ll never have to share me. You are the love of my life. We have a beautiful daughter together. I wouldn’t compromise that. I promise. I kissed him once but it will never happen again.”

He saw the truth within my eyes as I said this and I knew that this time his apprehension was finally eased. He returned to his resting position and wrapped me in his warm embrace once again.

“I’m glad we can be honest with each other,” I murmured under my breath with relief. Brandon had handled the news more calmly than I had anticipated.

“Never kiss anyone besides me ever again,” he whispered. His lips caressed the tip of my ear and I could feel his breath hot against it, sparking excitement through my veins.

“I won’t,” I promised, knowing in my heart that Brandon was the only man for me. It was then, after a tense conversation, when we embraced each other passionately. It was as though we were renewing our sense of longing for one another as husband and wife.

“Jane,” I worried under my breath. “My baby…”

“We will find her,” Brandon promised me the next morning when we began our journey once more. We did not have to ride long this time. After venturing a short distance further from our campsite, a welcoming, familiar voice spotted us and shouted my name.

“Mary!” called Thomas. He was standing in the midst of a small group consisting of men and boys from within the trees. Brandon and I stopped our horses beside them. I recognized the little boys and their fathers from those who lived at the rebel camp outside our old cottage. They held bows and arrows so I guessed that they were out hunting stags.

“Thomas!” I called back to him, dismounting to give him a hug.

“You’ve changed your hair. It’s darker! I like it,” he exclaimed.

“Where is Jane?” I asked, ignoring his comment. He simply smiled at me reassuringly.

“She is very well,” the men answered for him. I was somewhat perturbed that they all knew of her whereabouts. I had hoped that Thomas would have been able to keep her secret from everyone. Maybe Edward and Brandon were correct in wondering if I had been mistaken by trusting Thomas with her. Perhaps he wasn’t as concealable as I’d previously thought.

“They found out. There was nothing I could do,” Thomas answered with a shrug.

“She looked too young to be born of any other woman from the time of the plague,” a man explained on Thomas’s behalf.

I looked to the surrounding men. Brandon dismounted, joining me by my side. One man who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped towards me with a gentle smile sprawled across his face. He was bulky in build, a figure of fatherly strength.

“It’s okay,” he assured us. “We’ve been keeping her safe. She has quickly become a valued member of our family.”

“I must see her. Take me to her,” I demanded.

“Of course,” they obliged, leading us a short distance through the woods until we came across a cabin. Brandon and I ran inside as concerned parents and immediately spotted a crib by a warm fireplace. A man sat beside the crib, rocking it gently. He stepped away when he saw us. I gathered that he had been watching after her while the others were out hunting. I peered into the crib and felt relief wash over me as I saw her gazing up at me.

Jane looked so beautiful with her golden hair in a bundle of curls. She smiled to me happily and when she did this, I could see the full evidence of Brandon’s facial expression in hers. I picked her up and held her in my arms. Brandon wrapped his arms around us both. Thomas followed us inside, smiling warmly at the image of our happy family.

“She’s going to live a happy life isn’t she?” I asked Brandon.

“It appears that she already does,” he replied, taking in the sight of the group of fathers as everyone filtered inside through the cabin doors. The boys flocked to us so that they too could see her. Even the children seemed to be protective over her. It was evident that she was adored.

“She has all these men who are willing to do her bidding. It seems that she is loved wherever she goes,” I reasoned.

“We would gladly do anything for the princess,” the fatherly leader cut in to affirm. “She is our future.”

“She is truly blessed,” Brandon said.

The group was kind, allowing us to stay with them in their warm cabin while we rested. We would venture with our daughter to search for our new home tomorrow but for today, at least, we could relax. Brandon and I huddled close, holding Jane proudly in our arms. We watched the little boys play wrestle with one another along the floor in front of the fireplace. I chuckled to myself at the sight of it. It seemed that they were practicing for a time much later in their lives.

“What is so funny?” Brandon asked curiously.

“I’m just laughing at the thought of how much competition Jane will have when she comes of age,” I explained lightly. He chuckled in response to my spoken thought.

“Yeah, she will,” he agreed with a smile. I looked down to see Jane eyeing our smiling faces. She giggled at us – a happy, little child.

“But for now, she is ours,” I said softly.

“Yes,” Brandon agreed.

I considered that Brandon and I were young enough that we would still be able to produce many more daughters. We looked to each other with contentment. Together, Brandon and I were constructing the dawn of a new era. Our children would be the future. I decided that I would make it my personal goal to raise Jane and my future children with strong, moral values. It was a responsibility that I would not take lightly.

“I love our family. Always,” Brandon said to me in a soft whisper and I knew in that moment that the future generation of Baylin would be brighter than ever.

End.