Granada

Chapter 19

"Good morning, my lord. My lady. My lady?"

"Good morning" Rowena smiled.

"What... what is she doing here?" one of the generals asked.

"This is no place for a woman, my lord" another added.

"There are other women at camp" Rowena said.

"Yes, but they are cooks, nurses, whor... Aplogies, my lady. What I meant is that they aren't princesses."

"My wife is here to show support and advise me. Advise us" Rúben said.

"A woman?" the general who the day before had asked her to go fetch more winde snorted.

"Yes, a woman. One who knows that attacking from the north would be like sending our men to their deaths because they could very easily be trapped by the enemy. This little drawing here means there is a hill, you know?" she said, pointing at the map. "And if the enemy were to divide their army..."

"I know what it means, my lady" the general said.

"Good, good. Just in case you needed a little reminder" Rowena smiled.

"So" Rúben said, trying to hide his own smile. "Any news from our scouts?"

"Nothing yet, my lord. The enemy hasn't moved."

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"He hates you."

"Who?"

"General Felix" Rúben chuckled. "He could be your father, and you, a woman, called him out in front of the best military men in the country."

"Oh well" Rowena shrugged.

"I loved it, tho" he said, grabbing her by the waist. "How do you know so much about war and strategy?"

"When I was a kid I fell in love with anything viking and read all the books they had about them at the palace. The Queen even got me some unique ones for my birthdays. I read about their history, their traditions, their gods... but also about the way they fought and how my ancestors tried to defend themselves from them."

"You are so weird sometimes" Rúben laughed. "But I love it. I love that brain of yours."

"Thank you" Rowena smiled, her cheeks definitely turning bright red. He had never complimented her like that, saying that he loved something about her that wasn't physical. "Should we go have something to eat?"

"Not yet" he said, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. At first it was a gentle kiss, but it quickly became something more passionate. He was kissing her as if he needed her to breathe.

"Rúben" Rowena whispered as he moved from her lips to his neck. "Someone may come in."

"They all are busy eating and drinking" he said against her skin.

"But this isn't the tent for this. What if a servant comes to clean or something?"

"They won't. And I am the prince. I say what tent is for what" he said as he met her eyes, the way he looked at her making the heat from her cheeks spread all over her body.

"You are crazy, my prince" she chuckled.

"Crazy for you, yes" he smirked, lifting her and sitting her on the table, some of the maps they were checking minutes ago falling to the floor.

"Rúben..."

"What" he said while kissing her jaw, one of his hands moving under her skirt.

"You..." Rowena started, her words stopped by a gasp when his fingers touched her.