The Arranged Marriage (21 page)

“
Do you ever regret going
to the Foreign Lands?” She asked, unaware he had asked himself that
question many times in the past. He had never been able to find the
answer.

“I don’t think we should regret things
in life my lady seeing as we make our choices from our feelings at
the time,” He looked at her. “If we went back to where our regrets
lie, with everything the same, no vision of the future, it is very
probable that we would choose the same thing again and again, so
what is the point on regretting it. It makes us who we
are.”

She couldn’t help but notice the tinge
of bitterness in his tone as he kept his eyes forward.

“If I had a vision of the future and I
went back in time, I would certainly try to talk my father out of
marrying Yena,” She changed her tone to try and lighten the air.
“Or at least have had her thrown into the lagoon.”

He laughed in spite of his
demeanour.

“You really dislike her don’t
you?”

She sighed.

“I really do.”

He laughed again as a slight smile
played on her lips, creating havoc on his senses.

“There’s The Loyal,” He heard her say.
“Race you.”

She geared her horse into a faster
pace but as soon as she challenged him she knew she would lose. Her
mare was nothing in comparison to Ison’s battle horse; but to watch
the ease appear in him as he raced passed her with a gentle slap to
her rear, made her feel like she had won a part of
something.

They arrived at The Loyal slightly out
of breath as they had raced at full speed. Rohesia felt her legs go
numb as she pulled her mare to a stop. She feared it would take a
while for her to get down without falling on shaky legs, forcing
her to admit she was very out of practice for rides such as this.
She hovered on the horse for a while, hoping Ison would motion
forward so she could get off without an audience when she felt flat
on her face.

He didn’t go anywhere. It only took
him a moment to realise why she was hesitating on her on her horse.
He shook his head at her stubbornness.

“Come Rohesia, I am your husband now,”
He lectured as he effortlessly lifted her off her ride. She
expected him to ground her suddenly but he did no such thing, he
held her in his arms.

“Isn’t there a tradition where the
husband must carry his wife to their married bed?” He asked her
mischievously.

“Well, seeing as I have taken a
hundred steps as a wedded woman before now I don’t think it truly
applies here do you?”

“I do actually, for we are to apply
every tradition we can possibly manage during the course of our
marriage. I will see to it personally.”

She smiled to hide the pang she felt
of not having the full cycle of their wedding moon. To be in his
arms for that long would have been wonderful.

Ison carried her through the doors of
the entrance to The Loyal until he finally obeyed her request of
putting her down. He held her steady until she found her balance
before noticing a large fire had been lit.

“I see they made the place comfortable
when they dropped off our baggage.” He advised.

“They’re just old romantics,” She
looked at him with a laughing smile. “They only want to ensure you
secure an heir on our wedding moon, do not fret.”

That was the second time in their
brief relationship that the subject of children had been passed in
conversation. Again they both froze at the notion of her possibly
being with child right now. Rohesia suddenly thought of her mother
and father trying for an age for a second child but to no prevail,
and felt a shiver down her spine. She hoped, in the future, that
she would have the opportunity of carrying Ison’s child. It was a
maternal feeling in her that had become so strong of late,
surprising even herself.

“There is something I would like to
show you,” She announced eagerly to break the silence. “But I would
ask that you wait here for a while so I can get it ready; pour some
wine whilst I am gone.”

She turned and glided out of the room
whilst he stared after her. Their child, he thought to himself,
could be inside his wife right now. She could be having their babe
and she loved him. He was finding it increasingly difficult to keep
away the fear of losing it all, the happiness threatening to
consume him. She was his, all his, and she loved him; the bastard
child of a king.

Ison had poured the wine and nearly
drank half of his own by the time she returned. She had a smile on
her face that was betraying the cool demeanour she was trying to
convey. He could feel her excitement halfway across the
room.

“Where are we going?” He asked her
teasingly as she took his hand in her own.

“Sssh, just follow me and close your
eyes when I tell you to, I shall guide you.”

They made their way to the furthest
part of the castle where a large door was hidden back into another
corridor. She led him through it, and he allowed her to guide him
down the stone stairs, making their way deeper
underground.

It was unlike the castle of Ecripian
he noticed, due to its blackened, more roughened stone, but he
liked it; the sense of nostalgia behind the walls.

Rohesia waited until they had neared
the bottom of the stairs before stopping him and covering his eyes
with her hands. She had to stand high on her tip-toe to reach
him.

“Close your eyes, we’re nearly there
my lord,” She whispered.

The smell of the lagoon and burning
candles hit him as soon as they stepped into an open space. She
removed her hands and Ison opened his eyes. The sight that met him,
literally took his breath away.

“What is this place Rohesia?” He
asked, amazed, as he took in the view of the underground cavern. It
had been lit with what appeared to be a hundred candles,
understanding what she had disappeared off to do
earlier.

“It was known as the bathing cave to
the people who resided here during the war.” She told him, her
pleasure evident at his reaction. “They tunnelled through the stone
so the water of the lagoon could run into here. It would save them
from being vulnerable outside, and give them some
privacy.”

He took in the view as the chiselled
stone had made way for a small waterfall from the side of the cave.
A weaved channel acted as a stream into the large pool of water
that was positioned before them.

“I thought you might like to bathe,”
She whispered quietly and he couldn’t help but smile at the hidden
meaning in her statement.

“Come to think of it,” He said
nonchalantly. “I do feel like I could do with a bathe after that
horse ride, don’t you?”

He looked over at her, and she could
only bring herself to nod in acceptance. She felt like giggling
hysterically.

“I can leave you in peace if you
prefer my lord?” She teased, but within moments he was upon her,
removing her clothing.

“I think that we should make another
tradition,” He said, as she felt her gown being pulled to the
floor.

“And what is that?” She asked
breathlessly, standing naked before him.

“That we take every opportunity from
this moment forth to have our baths together, to save on water of
course.”

She laughed as he removed his own
clothing, not satisfied until they were both undressed.

“Our tubs will not hold us both my
lord, making it a very uncomfortable tradition.”

“Then I will make an order upon our
return for bigger tubs, and then you will have no excuse to hide
your wet, luxurious body away from me.”

Rohesia moaned as he pulled her to
him, the feel of his naked flesh against hers causing the familiar
burning sensations to build.

“Let’s get in the water,” He ordered
as the huskiness in his voice betrayed his efforts for control. “I
want to take you when you’re wet all over.”

She obeyed his order as they both
eased themselves into the deep pool. They dipped under the water
quickly to wet their faces before joining together. Ison pushed her
hair back from her face before gently pushing her to the edge of
the small ravine.

“Who knows about this place?” He
murmured in between their kisses, easing himself in between her
legs. “Only me and my father, I begged him not to tell anyone. I
just wanted it as my own.”

“Good,” He breathed as his lips left
hers to kiss her neck. He pushed himself deep inside of her. “I
want it to be our place.”

She felt the pressure in between her
legs and the relief of having him inside of her once again. Her
body always seemed to feel empty without him, and with the control
of the water pressing against them, forcing Ison into a slow
motion, it was almost too glorious to bear.

She let out a moan that echoed against
the walls as he cupped her wet face in his hands. His lips kissed
and sucked at her mouth, whilst his gentle thrusts drove them both
insane from the urgency that they couldn’t fulfil. The slow build
up was frustrating, almost annoying at first, but as soon as it
started to escalate, the intensity of the slower feeling made them
both shout out as the pleasure overtook them. Rohesia held on to
Ison for dear life as he finished pushing into her, riding the wave
of the aftermath.

“Wow,” She breathed as he brushed the
wet hair from her face. “That was, special.”

He laughed and kissed her brow before
moving to the side of her. He leaned his back up against the pool
as the water lapped around them.

“How is it this never overflows?” He
asked inquisitively, marvelled at the set-up.

“There has been a small tunnel dug out
of the pool that was made big enough so the speed of the water
escaping it, matched the speed of the water coming in. That way it
would fill up and empty at the same time, ensuring that it would
always feed back into the lagoon.”

“Clever,” He advised at the beauty of
the place. “And it’s very calming down here.” He gave her a cheeky
grin and ducked quickly as she playfully tapped his
head.

“So tell me,” She asked, sidling
closer to him. “Why are rumoured as a Blood hunter?”

“You think this is the right
time?”

“I think it is my lord, do
tell.”

He laid his head back as if keeping
control on the thoughts that were forcing him to
reminisce.

“After I fought in the Foreign Lands,
I managed to get in with the Bounty Hunters and work my way to the
top, as leader. One man didn’t like it and went off on his own,
obviously thinking it fun to be my competition.”

“In bounty hunting?” She
enquired.

“Yes,” He glanced at her as he spoke.
“We would hunt outlaws for money and bring them to whatever justice
sought them, the law or vengeance. It normally depended on who was
paying the most,” He said with a sheepish smile. “Anyway, this
other man started to become greedy and seemed to take losing very
badly, so he ended up doing what every bad loser does and cheated,”
She looked at him confused so he explained further. “There was an
unwritten law with the bounty hunters I rode with, that no woman or
child would be harmed with what we did. Their safety was to come
first when hunting down our target. We were not savages.” He looked
at Rohesia as if to emphasise his point.

“But this other man took it upon
himself to go against the law?” She guessed.

“He did, but he was wise. He always
took it upon himself to attack the villages in my colours,
spreading the rumour of the Bloodhunter. It didn’t take long to
catch on.”

“Why didn’t you tell people? Explain
about him?”

“Because people choose what they want
to believe and need proof for what they don’t; I had
none.”

“So why not try to catch him in the
act? Find proof?”

“It did me a favour Rohesia, people
fearing me. They would still contact us for bounty because no one
dared to confront me with the rumours, and people figured that in
some cases I was the lesser of two evils, so my work never
suffered.”

“No but you did, your reputation. You
have carried a label for an age that is not applicable to you and
you let people judge you on that, doesn’t that bother
you?”

“You saw past it,” He whispered
quietly, not liking where his feelings were headed. It was too
uncertain a ground with those sparkling eyes of hers looking up at
him.

“I didn’t at first.” She said,
disgusted with herself. “I was as stupid and judgemental as the
others when I ran away from our marriage. I will be forever
thankful that you decided to journey to The Loyal that
eve.”

“I would have found you eventually.”
He replied confidently. She splashed water in his face.

“So what happened to this mystery man?
Did you know his name? Did he stop?”

“My, you are an inquisitive little
thing aren’t you?”

“It goes with the job of being a wife,
are you going to humour me or not?”

Ison sighed.

“Very well, he disappeared into thin
air when it was heard he had inherited a Baronage in the Foreign
Lands and he decided to retire under a different name and a new
reputation. His blood money apparently bought more land. Since
then, I haven’t seen him.”