The Nun and King

Chapter 15

The men give a yip of glee as they see me join the ranks of those dancing. Claire's hand is still in mine before she turns to me, letting it drop to my side. Putting her hands on her small waist, she hikes up her dress to her shin and she begins bouncing up and down, shuffling her feet to the beat before rotating in a circle.

Grinning, I join in the jig that everyone and their pig knows and Paevia. We clap, we laugh, and we even sing the songs we all know while listen in on the ones we don't. Claire makes her way towards me and rests her hand on my shoulder while reaching for my wrist. "Let me show you something. Follow my lead," she says, directing me to grip her waist. Looking down, I give her a nod and we dance as one. The other women have found partners and now teach the same movements to them. The music has slowed down a few beats but remains a fast enough tempo to not be considered intimate.

Wanting to learn, the rest of the men partner up save for those making music and I laugh as I watch Gale and Sven struggle—each stepping on the other's feet.

"Where'd you learn this?" I ask as I spin Claire around swiftly.

"Sometimes when Father Anthony would travel to another monastery for business, we were left to our own devices. I guess this is the result," she says over the claps as the song ends. Another tune begins to play, this one fast and lively. The heat of the night has taken its toll on me and I decide not to ignore the rest my body asks for.

"I'm pretty hot, I think I'm going to sit down for a while," I tell Claire. She offers me a small wave and heads over to the women. They have now formed a large circle that skips clockwise while someone takes a turn in the middle moving to the beat of the music. Some of the men join in while others take a break as well, fanning their faces as sweat pours from their temples.

I notice that in the midst of things, I failed to realize that Rory and Beth Ann are no longer in our presence. I turn in the direction of his tent and notice there is a soft light coming from within. Shaking my head, I turn my focus back to the others and try not to dwell what might be occurring between the two. I suppose it's not any of my business.

The song ends and more take a break, leaving only a few others still dancing, Claire being one of them. As she bounds and leaps around swaying her hips—her bare feet digging into the earth—I try not to stare at the movement of her cleavage but at the end of the day I'm a man after all. I try not to be too noticeable, switching my gaze from her to the others, but they always find their way back to her small shapely form. When there is a disturbance forming in my trousers my face falls and I do my best to adjust myself. Someone snickers to my right and my head jerks towards them, finding Warren grinning slyly at me.

"You dog," he says, laughing again.

Frowning, I push his arm with my free hand but he hardly budges. "What do you expect? You've got beautiful women swinging themselves around all over the place..." I trail off.

Warren tilts back his head and lets out a belt of laughter. "I'm only busting your balls, Tommy," he says, causing me to smirk. "All is well with you and Rory?"

Nodding my head, I turn away from him and look back at Claire who has since stopped dancing and now chats away with her friends. Since Warren had taken a breaks it only leaves a few left playing. "Aye. I think we've both come to a better understanding of each other tonight. Kind of relieving actually," I say with a small exhale. It's nice to know that he understands how I finally feel on the subject of my coronation and all that follows.

"Did you give him your blessing about him and Beth Ann then?" he asks, looking behind him at their tent.

Letting out a huff, I give my head a shake. "I'm not really sure?" I state though it comes out as more of a question. "We never really talked specifics, but it was decided that our guests are adults who can make up their own minds. I just hate that it makes me look like an ass to the men. What kind of leader am I if my own brother can't even obey me?" I ask.