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Chapter 15
Maira rode back to the castle as fast as she could, trying to keep Ricker quiet, but he kept crying. As she neared the end of the forest path, she was sure she heard hoofbeats following her. Glancing over her shoulder she could see two riders in the distance. Although she couldn’t see them well, she was sure neither of them were Jacob. They wore dark cloaks and their heads were covered. As far as she knew, they could be bandits. With the boy’s crying there would be no way to even hide.
She reached back for her sword to protect the child but, to her horror, it was missing. That’s when she remembered that she had been so upset with Jacob that she left it back at his hidden camp. Well, there was no way she could retrieve it now. The sun had already set, and nightfall was upon her. The bandits were on her tail. There was nothing else she could do but to ride faster and get back to the castle before they caught up with her.
“Hold on to your doggie,” she told Ricker, speaking of the carved wolf Jacob had made for him. Her arm closed around the boy tightly and she rode as fast as she could until she exited the woods. Glancing back, she was relieved to no longer see the riders. Entering the courtyard through the front gate, she didn’t waste time trying to sneak in without being seen. Since the High Sheriff had yet to return, it didn’t really matter.
“My lady,” said Alf, rushing over to take the reins of her horse. Quickly, Maira slid off the horse with Ricker in her arms.
“If any of the guards ask where I’ve been, tell them I was taking Ricker for a ride through the fields to make him stop crying,” Maira instructed.
“Aye, my lady.” Alf took her horse to the stable while Maira hurried to the keep with Ricker in her embrace. When she entered the kitchen, she found Cleo and Tommy and the rest of the kitchen servants cleaning up the mess from the last meal.
“Lady Maira.” Cleo dried her hands on a towel and threw it down. She rushed over and took the boy from her. “We were all getting worried about you. Some of the High Sheriff’s guards were asking why you weren’t at the main meal.”
“Well, I’m back now.”
“Lady Maira, your sword is missing,” said Tommy pointing to the empty sheath on her back.
“Aye, it is,” she answered. “Cleo, can you give Ricker something to eat?”
“Of course, my lady. Did you want me to keep him in my room off the kitchen tonight? He likes to play with the kittens that sleep on my bed.”
“Thank you, I would like that,” said Maira with a quick nod of her head.
“Can I fix you something to eat? There are a few leftovers.”
“Thank you, but I’m not hungry, just tired,” said Maira, leaving the kitchen and heading straight to her chamber. When she entered the room, she lit a candle and collapsed atop the bed. Then, being able to hold back her emotions no longer, she cried. Why had she not agreed to marry Jacob? Part of her wanted to be his wife. But another part of her feared what the High Sheriff would do to her or him when he found out. Not to mention, she feared what her father and the earl would say if they found out she married an excommunicated man who had been stripped of his title and had no castle or land to his name.
Maira had always thought of herself as a warrior. She had the natural instinct to want to protect those she loved and didn’t think anything could frighten her. But today was different. Today, she felt shaken and unsure of herself and feared every little thing. It wasn’t a good feeling because it made her weak. Crying into the pillow, exhausted, Maira drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t long before she started dreaming of her late mentor, Imanie, once again.
“Maira, why on earth are you crying?” asked Imanie.
Maira dried her eyes, happy to see her mentor once again. She needed to talk to someone right now and perhaps Imanie’s wisdom could guide her.
“I’m frightened, Imanie. I’ve never felt this way before.”
The old woman cocked her head and looked at Maira with one eye closed. “This doesn’t sound like you, Maira. You were always the strongest of the cousins. I’ve never known you to cry before. Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Everything is different since I met Jacob,” she told the old woman with a sniffle.
“How so?”
“He wants to marry me, Imanie.”
“And that made you cry?”
“Nay. I was crying because I never gave him an answer. I left him so quickly that I even forgot my sword.”
“Ah,” said Imanie with a chuckle. “I see it all clearly now.”
“What do you see? Tell me.”
“Only one thing could make you drop your tough exterior and cry like a babe in the seclusion of your chamber. You are in love with the man.”
“In love?” Maira sat up. “I don’t understand. Love wouldn’t make me frightened and make me cry.”
“Any man who can break that hardened exterior of yours enough that you left your sword behind must have some tremendous power over you. I’ve never known you to accidentally forget your weapon. Your blade is the thing that means the most to you.”
