Mist on the Moon

"I will make you happy"

She needed to wait until late when she would be able to see Trent alone. Cara didn't know just what she would say to him. She had been thinking of the two of them all day long. At times her resolve seemed to wane, especially when she thought that she didn't want to lose him. But if he really didn't want to have her, that was something else again. She would not, could not hold him to his promise.

Was it all because of his leg? She wondered at that, for as she told him, his leg injury would not stop her from loving him. So much to think about, so long to wait. At last, the sun went down, the stars came out and with trepidation Cara prepared to make her way through the darkened halls to his room.

Trent had also done a lot of thinking about Cara. He knew what he had said turned her away from him, too soon, for he had not wanted her to leave. It was his fault, but if she had stayed maybe he could better have explained to her how he felt. As he tried to think things through, he realized that what he feared most was her pity. He could not stand for anyone to pity him, least of all his future wife. His was an injury to the leg that other knights had suffered. It was a known hazard of battle and the clash of swords. He would overcome this injury of his or not but he could not stand sympathy. He would fight it.

It was late in the evening, the time when Trent hoped Cara would come to see him. He was going to be ready. He had already practiced using a cane, one of many the doctor had procured for him to try. He had selected one of them and had been walking short distances with it. He was able to do all right with it, though of course he was slow. He planned to walk with Cara, if she came, and she would see what it meant to be with someone with an injury like his. And yet, he knew now that he did have some feeling in his leg. His hope was strong that he would one day regain full use of it. However, it was not something he could count on.

She came into the room, looking for him to be lying on the bed.

"Cara," he said, his voice coming from the side of the room barely lit by the candle.

She turned to see him standing to the side, holding a cane in his right hand.

Trent looked at her, so pretty as she viewed him standing there with the cane. "Have you been walking?" she asked.

"No, but I would like to. Would you walk with me?" Trent watched her eyes, afraid of what he might see there. The last thing he wanted was her pity.

"Of course." Cara forgot for the moment all that she had planned to say to Trent. She was glad he was standing and wanted to walk. Really, she was proud of him. She felt she knew how he must have felt on sustaining his injury. She looked at him. "Is it all right for you to be doing this now, so soon?"

"Oh, yes. I've been practicing. I'm glad you came when you did.

"Do you want me to hold on or anything?"

"No. That shouldn't be necessary. Let's go and look out over the walls and see the stars. I need to get out of here."

Cara saw that he had his shoes on and in his right hand he gripped a cane. She walked with him, feeling at first that she should hold his free hand, but as they walked side by side, she began to feel that he was doing well unaided. They passed through the large door leading outside and headed for the wall surrounding the castle and courtyard.

"Aah. It's good to breathe fresh air again," said Trent.

They walked together to the wall and Trent swept out his hand over the view of peasant and freeholder homes and lands that seemed to stretch endlessly from the castle. "All this could be yours," he said, turning to Cara with a broad smile.

Cara looked into his eyes, eyes that seemed to glow by the light of the lanterns placed far apart on the high walls. His smile held her and she could not but smile back at him. Yet she pointedly said to him, "You've told me that before, Trent."

His smile suddenly went away and bending closer to her he said, "I'm sorry, Cara. I've let my fear that I would be disabled change my entire outlook on life. Realizing that it could be a permanent injury, I scarcely considered that you would have me, that you would still want me. I didn't take into account your wishes. I was wrong, and I'm a fool if I've driven you away from me."

Cara continued to look into Trent's eyes as the words he spoke sank in. She turned away and said to him what she was going to say. "Trent, I came to see you tonight to ask you to tell Bavaria that you no longer wanted me for your wife. I wanted to be free to pursue my own life without you. I thought you didn't want me, and I didn't understand why." She spoke those words staring at the wall, looking away from Trent. She turned to face him, her eyes glistening with the emotion she felt in her heart. "Trent, if you really do want me, for always and ever, I am yours. If not, you must release me."

"I will never release you, my princess, for as long as I live. I'm afraid you are going to be stuck with me.

"Then you are stuck with me, my prince."

To the east, a full moon slowly rose above the distant trees of the forest but Cara and Trent scarcely noticed for they were locked in a tight embrace in each other's arms.

Then, he said to her. "We need to reschedule the wedding. Everything was on hold while I was recovering."

"And notify my family and others of my former kingdom so they can plan to get here in good time for the celebration."

"We will do that. I am so looking forward to when you will be mine completely. When it will be just you and me sharing our own bed."

Cara didn't at first know how to answer but quickly said, "You and me, not prince and princess then, only a man and a woman." She looked up into his eyes. "Trent, you know I have no experience. . ."

Trent looked fully at her, his eyes full of tenderness. "Cara, I promise to make you happy. Until then, let us enjoy each other's company. I have an idea. Let's go for a ride in the country. And ask Daniel and his girlfriend to accompany us. We can picnic, shoot bows and arrows, and talk about everything under the sun. Would you like to do that?"

"Oh, yes. That would be great fun. Seems already a long time since I've shot an arrow but I would love to spend time with you in the country."

So, at last together, with a royal wedding in their future we expect. I do hope Trent's injury gets better and if so maybe then everything will fall into place. Still, who knows what will happen next? Really appreciate your votes for that tells me you are enjoying the story.

(I will be on an almost two week vacation, without a laptop, so hope you come back later for more of Mist on the Moon. Will let you know when the next part is posted)