Dalliance

Chapter Forty Nine

"Do you not see the way the looks to you?" Holly asked as she turned quick, her hair whipping to one side, followed by her dress. Dawson scoffed in confusion.

"Darling-"

"No. I have sat here for the last month...watching her give you long glances and conjuring excuses to be beside you."

"It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I am the King?" Dawson moved slowly towards her, placing his hand on her cheek. "I may rule every speck of dirt on the surface, be bowed to by every villager; no matter male or female-" He dropped to his knees while taking her hand. "But I will always be a slave at your feet-begging for your love."

A smile came over her lips.

"You do not have to be so poetic about it."

"Yes, I do...it seems to be the only way you see it true..."

Before she could speak, he rose to stand and swept her in his arms. Laying her gently on the bed, he moved his lips to hers. He took her chin softly and forced her eyes to look into his.

"There will never be any other being in this world-or any other, that will conflict my love for you. Holly, I have loved you from the minute I first saw you...And I will love you until my last breath. So if you ever believe I will forget that vow I made or become enamored with another, remember that it began with you, and it WILL end with you as well."

Tears filled her eyes. Wrapping her fingers in his hair, she pulled him down towards her and their lips touched. Loving kisses distracted the duo as he slid his fingers up her dress, pulling it to her waist. Feeling this, she became in control and gently took a kiss from him before removing his pants. With her teeth caging her bottom lip, she found herself seconds away from satisfaction before the door came open and a guard stood with a blush over his face.

"Forgive me...Miss Vera has returned from her ride...quite disheveled."

Within seconds, Holly was thrown to the side and Dawson moved to his feet to follow the guard. Glaring at her husband, she fixed her dress and followed soon after to hear a sobbing that echoed through the hall.

"I just-" Vera cried in Dawson's arms as she was seated on the floor. Her hair was a mess with pieces of foliage placed behind her ear and towards the bottom along with dirt stains on her dress and cheek. Raising her gaze to Holly, a red mark on her cheek was visible and another near her chin as Dawson analyzed her with gentle motions.

"What happened?' Holly asked, somewhat cold, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I stopped near the lake to allow the horse to rest...I had been riding him all morning." Her gaze shot to the side to look to Dawson, before returning to Holly. "I had felt something odd about being there. It was midday and no one else had been around. I had then placed my foot in the strap to lift myself and was pulled to my back." She began to cry again.

"It is alright...you do not need to worry about telling us now-"

"We need to know what happened."

"Holly-"

"No...she is right..." Wiping her cheeks, she looked back to Holly-alternating her gaze between her and Dawson until the story was complete; "A man hovered over me, he wore a pin on his shirt...a flower of some kind-I think. He was quite strong and larger than me...he had short sandy hair and...a wrapped finger. I remember that...he kept hitting it while trying to keep me still."

"Did he do anything to you?"

She kept her gaze to the ground in pain. Slowly bringing her gaze back up, tears were show in her eyes as she nodded. "He took my virtue." She spoke in a weak voice.