Spirit Warrior - The Keeper Of The Northern Gate

The Keeper of the Future - II

After the ride with my betrothed, I've been allowed to roam around the massive castle with the company of three guards. I've been exploring the upper floors for a few days now and I'm getting bored by the similarity of the rooms and the people.

It's been a few days since I've seen my betrothed. Even though I haven't seen him he's been leaving me gifts. One, I'm wearing, a blood red dress with a heavy fur collar. It's warm and I have no need to bring my cloak with me when I have this on.

Every time I find a new gift lying on my freshly made bed I feel butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. He's been very creative with little letters that have made me smile even though I do not understand it. I've tried to read them many times, but none makes any sense. Neither reading nor writing has been my strong side.

Yet again I wonder what my betrothed will get out of wedding me. My father was never interested in raising smart children. He's always been old-fashioned. He thinks that a woman's first and foremost priority is, to look beautiful.

Though, he did insist on me learning to dance, sing and play a few instruments. I remember the long night where my father would have me entertain his dinner guests from foreign countries. I remember their awestruck expression at the way I would move around the floor gracefully dancing my well-known steps.

As I walk down yet another hallway I feel a blush rise to my cheeks. Have my betrothed managed to claw his way into my conscious and stay there? I've been having a hard time trying to get him off my mind, but at the same time, I've found myself smiling at the same thoughts that I've tried to remove. I need to watch my heart, it's the only thing I have that can always be mine.

I pass the kitchen as I walk through the servant's quarters. I push past the heavy door leading out the main corridor I reached yesterday. I can hear my guards closer behind me. I've come to realize they're all very quiet. At first, I was furious that he put grown-up men, probably warriors, to watch after me. But after watching their training from a corridor window yesterday I can see that their training isn't exactly easy, so watching me must be like a holiday.

When I reach a pair of massive Beachwood doors I try to open one of them so that I can look in but I can't rock it out of place.

"My lady?" a questioning voice asks behind me. With a little yelp, I turn to look at my guards with surprise. It's the first time one them have talked to me, I thought they thought of me as a pestilence. They probably do, but I feel a little better now that one has spoken to me.

"Yes?" I ask with an equal questioning voice.

"Let us," they walk past me gently pushing me out of harm's way as they let me in. Before the door closes behind me I realize that none of my guards have flowed with me through the door.

"Don't worry my lady we will not need to protect you in the great hall," one of the guards explains before they let the door close behind me. I turn to face the massive hall. It's filled with long tables which probably serves as a dining hall for the many occupants of the castle.

But now it's only occupied by two people. One of them I know. I quickly spot my husband's huge form way back in the great hall. I gasp when he turn and look directly at me with his dark brown eyes. He stretches one hand out and signals for me to come closer.

The other man looks like a noble, maybe even a jarl. He has grey hair and a grey well-trimmed beard. When I reach my betrothed he wraps me in one strong arm and I immediately feel safe.

"My King, I must urge you to step in quickly before the word spreads, Maynard may tell others of his ideas and you wouldn't want to have a riot on your hand now that the country is prospering under your rule," the jarl tries to reason with my betrothed but by the look on his face there with be no reasoning with him.

"Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a doe?" he answers cryptically. While looking at the jarl with an equal cryptically look. As the jarl decides to take his leave my betrothed pulls me closer to his side as he looks suspiciously at the jarl as he leaves the great hall still holding his head high.

He unwraps me from under his arm and takes a look at me "You're wearing my dress," he says smiling proudly. I look down at the blood red dress he's given me only days before. The dark color of the fabric really makes my ivory skin stand out, as well as my golden locks which flow freely down my waist.

"Your dress?" I ask as grasp his upper arm giving it a teasing squeeze.

"I would indeed love to see you fit into this dress," I say with laughter in my voice. My comment makes an even bigger smile break out on his face.

"I have to admit it does indeed look much better on you though," He says smiling as he draws me closer. I lay an arm around me and pull me to his side. I feel a blush rise to my cheeks and I veil my eyes to the floor.

"Those rosy cheeks suit you," he leans in and takes a whiff of my hair and grows with approval.

"But you will need to toughen up, if a simple compliment embarrasses you I wonder if you'll take permanent color on our wedding night," My heart starts to hammer in my chest like a wild horse when he mentions the wedding night. That's the thing that's been haunting my thought more than my betrothed has.

I've heard from many women at the castle back home that the wedding night is always the worst. I feel myself stiffen up unwillingly but my worries cloud my common sense. All of a sudden I don't feel like standing so close to him anymore.

I gently snake myself out of his grasp and takes a few steps away from him but closer to one of the two thrones placed on the plateau we're standing on.

"What did you think about my letters to you?" he asks looking very much like a child for just a second before he returns to his aura of arrogance. I just look down and shrug.

"You didn't like them?" he looks chest fallen and looks down at his feet for a little while before he pulls himself together and straightens his back. I can see him building his wall back up once again. What he wrote in those letters must have been personal since he wanted me to read them so bad.

"I don't read very well," I say in a small voice looking down at my feet. I can feel his eyes boring holes in the side of my head.

I hear his footsteps coming up behind me when I see his arms coming towards me from behind, I let out a whimper and flinch back colliding with his rock hard chest. Then I see the arms I thought would strike me curl around my body in a comforting embrace.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I can feel his breath fanning over cheek when he speaks.

"My father told me not to, he said that women from your country are well educated either in reading and writing," I answer feeling myself shrink in his arms.

"To be educated isn't just reading and writing, it's playing, painting, and a skill I know you have... sympatric and emphatic. In the few days you've roamed my castle both nobles, warriors and servants alike talk of you as likable and respectful to all. To me that's education," he says turning me in his arms.

I look up into his eyes and I feel myself melt into his arms. If it weren't for his arms around me, I would have fallen to my knees long ago.

His eyes flicker to my lips and then back to my eyes before he leans in and closes the distance between us and just as our lips are about to meet the heavy doors open once again. At the sound of voice talking and footsteps on the gray stone floor, I wake from my amazed state and untangle myself from him.

Even with my back turned I can hear him growl lowly.