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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Bartered Princess: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

82 Kabanata

Chapter Twenty-One

Alerted by a sudden noise to his left, he realised he’d ventured forth without a weapon. Not good. No doubt Magnus would rib him about it later. He seemed to be the one poking fun these days. Unless it was the man himself making a point.Ketil heard a sigh, followed by the sound of something being plucked from the earth. A toadstool would be his guess. So it must be a woman, but he didn’t detect Miriam’s signature rosewater scent. She must have bathed in it so often it lingered and usually alerted him to her proximity.Rising from the grass, he remained concealed behind the bole of the oak tree itself just in case his instincts were as awry as his memory – how could he have forgotten to bring a blade? Whoever it was began to hum a lullaby he seemed to recognise from his time at the palace. That ruled Daphne out. She had a deep voice and he could not really imagine her even holding a baby, let alone singing to it.Astrid had not been there while he was fulfilling his guard duties, so t

Chapter Twenty-Two

The army amassed by Ketil, though not vast, was at least skilled judging by the practice sessions. She was no expert, of course, but Daphne said the men seemed more than competent. Quite how she knew that was open to question, but it was what Miriam wanted to hear, so she gave little thought to how easily the mercenaries had been overcome when taken by surprise. Their leader had seemed to be able to come and go as he pleased, though even he had been careless enough to leave himself unprotected a time or two.She had some thinking to do regarding the Norseman. Had she given herself to him initially to avoid being sent away? It was hard to say. Normally, she was not that bold or cynical, but circumstances dictated everyone’s behaviour, didn’t they? Daphne was a prime example of that, though still impossible to fathom. Irrespective of that, Miriam felt bound to him now. Yet, if it came to a choice between him and her people she did not know how she would make it. The kingdom needed a man

Chapter Twenty-Three

The waiting was the worst part. At least, she thought it was initially. Countless women must have stayed behind wondering if their husbands, brothers and sons – in some cases, their fathers – would return unscathed from a battle. Miriam had never experienced such a thing and it was setting her teeth on edge. No, her sister was doing that all by herself.For some reason she had suggested a dancing competition. Sassa was willing but not Ruth.“Let us show Jenna how it’s done. How else will she persuade someone of higher rank to wed her?”Tactful, as usual, that was Daphne.“They are very happy together. And Orm is not related to Ketil and Magnus. Can you not see they love each other?”“What a naïve girl you are, sister dear. Why don’t you wear the green costume, if Ruth isn’t participating? It matches your eyes.”In order to keep the peace, Miriam went along with it, though it was a pain to be wrapped up in the many separate veils. She quite liked the one covering her face. Sassa had to

Chapter Twenty-Four

The element of surprise had not been enough. Hand-to-hand combat soon showed Ketil how inexperienced his new recruits were, but they lacked nothing in valiance and soon secured vital areas before he and Sigurd made their way to the Great Hall. The Masked King was not seated on the throne. In fact, he was nowhere to be found in this particular wing. They caught up with him in the mirrored room, a bejewelled lovely on his lap while yet another was chained to the wall naked and awaiting whatever punishment The Lizard chose to bestow. Sigurd wasted no time in knocking him out with one blow from his mailed fist. The courtesan seemed to be drugged, and barely reacted, but the other woman began to scream. “Be quiet,” Ketil urged, going up to her and freeing her from her bonds with the key he’d located around her tormentor’s waist. She promptly fainted, and he realised he should have removed his helm. Even Miriam seemed wary of it. There was little to be done after that. The dungeons were

Chapter Twenty-Five

Miriam found she needed to swat away troublesome flies more often than wandering hands. She had been dismayed when they were forced to get into a small riverboat. This would eat up the distance quicker than anyone following them. She glared at each man in turn, mentally comparing them to Ketil and deciding they didn’t measure up.Beards didn’t make the man; the man wore the beard. These were straggly and not particularly clean. The same applied to their clothing, patched and torn in places. Their black eyes showed only avarice or lust, while she was hoping for surprise followed by concern at the advent of strangers.She nudged her sister. “Which one is yours, do you think?”Daphne was in another of her huffs and refused to speak.Miriam had tried to leave signs along the way, breaking off twigs where possible and even dropping a diaphanous veil. Her hairpins she assumed she might need for protection. But here on the water, it was harder. Maybe another veil? Modesty would not help her

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ketil became concerned that the trail had gone cold until he spotted the sign. The twig was only small, covered in thorns, and from a gooseberry bush but he found it significant. In truth, he and Sigurd had not tracked anyone for a while and certainly not with as vested an interest as this. “We will get them back, Sig,” he said, with more confidence than he felt. “And what if Asti finds her own trouble along the way?” “All the more reason to hurry.” The ground was soft in places, swamp-like, and he guessed they must be close to a main tributary of the river, perhaps one which led to the sea. Having spent a lot of time on land recently, he was having to re-acquire old skills while appeasing his morose companion. Being in charge wasn’t always easy, but he wouldn’t have it any other way, especially where she was concerned. A soft breeze caressed his scarred cheek, reminding him of Miriam as did the soft scents from honeysuckle and lovage. She’d picked some of the latter when Queen El

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A cart was waiting for them on the other bank of the river. The woman driver was a veritable termagant, middle-aged, wearing a long dress and ordering their two captors about to the disgust of Cedric, in particular.“When I was plying my trade as a sailor there was a reason it was considered unlucky to have a female aboard,” he remarked to his mate, “and we ended up with three of them. Now this.” He spat over the side.“I don’t need to cast a die to forecast you’ll be seeing the ship of the desert very soon,” the hag said as they concealed the boat as best they could.“That is where I come in, “Sayed said.Miriam wondered what they were talking about.“Which one is the Princess?”“I am,” Daphne said.“Not as beautiful as I had been led to believe.”“That’s because you’re looking at the wrong one,” Cedric pointed out. “We brought her since she was available, nothing more.”“And this half-drowned creature?”“Another bonus, you might say. She spent some time in the harem if you know what

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“This is getting us nowhere,” Ketil said, hunkering down to check yet another false sign. “Any ideas? Because I’m fresh out of them.” Sigurd thought for a moment. “Why did Asti follow them?” “You know why. She’s fiercely loyal, and Miriam was kind to her.” “Aside from that?” It was Ketil’s turn to think it through. “Astrid thought she could take them on, the men.” “And she did not give up, even when they took to the river.” “Our sister is a good swimmer. Sorry,” he said, holding up a hand. “I may be tired, but that is no excuse.” “You owe me one.” Sigurd grinned, to show there were no hard feelings. “More than that,” he acknowledged. “You did your best to look after Miriam when I could not. Why did you stay and pretend you wanted to take their coin?” “We needed a man on the inside. And I wanted to help Magnus and Orm.” He had been staring out across the water but now he looked down. “I should have thanked Jenna for doing what I could not.” “You had your hands full,” he pointe

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“If it please my lord, my sister is ill,” she blurted, without raising her head.“Silence!” the guard roared.“She will be punished, Your Highness,” Sayed said, saving his own skin.“My men have gone without women for long days and nights. Perhaps she can entertain them.”“No! If it please you, my lord, I will see to their easement.”Miriam had to blink back tears. Astrid didn’t have to do that – unless it was as much for Ketil as it was for her?“I will do it,” said a muffled voice from the corner. “After all, it is my duty.”“You may rise,” the Emir said. His hand strayed to the curved scimitar in the hand of his bodyguard. Was he going to give the order for a beheading? If so, who? All three of them had spoken out of turn.“Please, do not punish others for my error,” she begged.“Look at me, girl.”Miriam forced herself to meet his gaze. His eyes were blue, like the ocean beyond the far mountains. She used to ride there from the age of eleven until she was deprived of that pleasure

Chapter Thirty

They had been rowing through the night, knowing that there was less chance of being spotted that way. The two men didn’t concern them overmuch but the safety of the women was paramount.“We’re going to need to check Astrid’s impulsive behaviour in future,” Ketil said.“Leave that to me.” Sigurd sounded less than pleased.“Sig, it’s not her fault – what happened.”“She has the instincts of a warrior,” he grumbled.“Maybe it brought her through everything,” Ketil mused.“I’m going to beat her senseless.”“No, you’re not. You wouldn’t.”“Haakon would.”“Let’s not talk about him,” he growled.The sun was starting to peek through the clouds now and he thought about food for the first time in a while. Eels, maybe, or trout.“What will you do when we find them?” It was a valid question to which he had no answer. “You and the Princess, I mean.”“Which one?” he asked, playing for time.“Ketil.”He supposed he deserved that.“Never let her out of my sight again.”“What if she doesn’t want that?

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