Page 10 of May Queen: May Day

“Nay, don’t help her. She’s one of them,” snarled one of the men.

“Are you . . . Druids?” she asked, feeling a sharp pounding in her temples. When she reached up to touch the back of her head, she pulled her hand away to see blood.

“Who are you?” growled one of the men.

“I am Lady Flora Debenham,” she told them. “I am not here to hurt you like the rest of my party. I am here only to find a man named Oren.”

“What do you want with him?” snapped one of the men.

“He’s . . .” She stopped, not sure if it was a good idea to tell them or not. Suddenly, she found herself wondering if they could be trusted. They’d never even told her they were Druids. For all she knew, they could be bandits. But if so, they would have stolen from her by now or even killed her.

“They’re coming,” whispered someone, sending the group back into hiding, blending into the forest as if they were never there at all. Dizzy from hitting her head and losing blood, Flora pushed up to a sitting position, sure she saw at least one of them walking through a tree. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she got to her feet, almost falling over in the process.

“Wait! Come back,” she shouted. “I need to talk with you.”

The sound of the hounds from behind her made her turn around quickly. When she did, she grew dizzy and lost her balance. Surprisingly, someone was there to catch her and keep her from falling. She felt two strong arms around her, and turned to look into the eyes of an older man. He had graying hair under his hood and bright green eyes that stared right through her with the intensity of a hawk.

“Thank you,” she said. “Who are you?”

The man studied her face once more, whispering her name.

“Flora.” The man lips trembled when he said it. His name on her tongue sounded familiar, and a surge of emotion swept through her.

Shouts were heard in the distance and the man quickly released her. He looked over her head as something came crashing through the forest right toward them. She thought it was the hunting party at first, until she turned her aching head to see a wild boar charging right for her.

She screamed, and tried to run. When she did, she fell to the ground, hearing the grunting of the boar as it approached. Curved tusks and a long snout came closer and closer. Her world spun and she couldn’t focus. Neither could she get to her feet. She fell back on the ground in a prone position, covering her head with her hands, preparing for her death. Anger as well as fear coursed through her because this wasn’t the way she wanted to die.

Then she heard the squealing of the wild pig and also the sound of running feet. When she collected the courage to open her eyes, the man was gone. The pig lay on the ground next to her with a dagger embedded in its head.

“Flora! Flora, are you all right?” It was Ricard charging toward her atop his horse, followed by his brothers, squire, and some of the hunting party. They came to an abrupt stop and Ricard jumped off the horse and rushed to her side.

“It’s a boar!” Ricard grunted, getting to his knees, first to inspect the animal to make sure it was dead, and then to pull Flora into his arms. “You could have been killed. What happened?

“We’ll have boar for dinner,” she said, smiling slightly right before she passed out.

* * *

“I’m taking Flora inside,”Ricard told his squire, dismounting his horse as soon as they returned to the castle at sunset. “Ride to the village and call for the healer anon.”

“Aye, my lord,” said Nash, heading out on his horse to find the village woman name Rosemunda who always tended to their wounds.

“Flora, I’ll take care of you until the healer arrives.” Ricard had insisted that Flora ride with him on his horse back to the castle. He didn’t want her to swoon again and fall from her steed. The gash on her head was still bleeding and he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t need stitches. He reached up for her but, being the rebellious type, she pushed his hand away.

“I don’t need help. I can manage quite fine by myself, thank you.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Flora. You hit your head pretty hard today when you fell from your horse.”

“Oh, I guess so.” She held a hand to her head and moaned. Then when she started to dismount, Ricard could see she was about to lose her balance. He swept her up in his arms as she teetered, holding her protectively against his chest. Instantly, her arms went around his neck.

Ricard didn’t think being in such close contact with the girl would affect him, but it did. She smelled like sweet rosewater, and her soft hair felt like spun silk against his cheek. This is the woman who would be his wife in a week. At first, he didn’t think he’d like or want her, but now he started having second thoughts. He enjoyed the way she clung to him. It made him feel as if her bold actions were only an act after all.

“What were you thinking, going off into the woods by yourself?” he questioned her, carrying her inside the keep and to his solar. Her chamber was on the second floor, and his was closer. He didn’t want to waste time with the stairs because she was injured.

“I – I thought I saw something in the woods and was curious, so I followed it.”

“Aye, we know what you saw,” he grumbled. “I don’t like you leaving the hunting party, or my protection. That wild boar could have killed you.” He kicked open the door to his chamber and carried her inside and laid her on the bed.

“But it didn’t even hurt me. I fell from my horse and that is how I hit my head.”