AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So why did ye bring me here?” she suddenly asked, looking up at him. If he stared at those brown eyes any longer, he would be lost in them, but he did not wish to look away. Her hold on him was too strong.
“To rescue ye,” he answered truthfully.
“And how did ye ken I needed rescuing? Has Eric done this to another woman before me? Does he have such a reputation?”
“Eric’s only reputation is that of a coward, and I do nae ken if he has ever done this to another woman, but if he has, I hope the man dies a slow, painful death,” Christian said angrily, “I knew that ye needed rescuing the moment I saw ye. It was in yer eyes.”
“I simply wished to run away into the forest,” she told him. “Away from Eric and the castle, but instead, I bumped into ye.”
“Ye would have died in the castle,” he reasoned. “It was dark, cold, and ye were barely dressed in anything to keep ye warm. Ye had nay food and water, and there were wild animals in the forest against which ye had no means to protect yerself. Ye ken as well as I that ye would have never survived in a castle. The moment ye would have gotten lost, ye would have died of thirst and starvation if ye were nae brutally eaten by that point already.”
“It would have been better than being with Eric,” she said, a lone tear escaping her eye. Christian immediately put down the glass he had in his hand and got up to move toward her. He saw the fear in her eyes at his approach, but she did not move away. He sat down on his knees in front of her, his head almost reaching hers even then since he was much taller, and tenderly brushed away the tear. She continued to stare at him but did not shirk away.
“I do nae want ye to cry, Keira. Never again.”
“I do nae want to cry either. He has done enough damage to me for it to last a lifetime,” she said.
“It will heal,” Christian replied.
“That will take time.”
“Ye will nae be broken forever, princess. I promise ye,” he assured her. He would be there for her throughout the journey, for he was a patient man and truly wanted to be there for her. He wanted to stand beside her as she once again learned to stand on her own feet.
“Why, Christian?” she whispered, a million questions swimming in her teary gaze. “Why are ye doing all of this for me? Why are ye letting everyone think ye are a kidnapper by bringing me here? I am not yer problem. Ye did nae send me home even after yer council members suggested it. Why are ye doing this all?”
“Do ye think I am a kidnapper?”
“I do nae. I am thankful to ye for bringing me here,” she told him, and his heart burst with joy. He realized that the only opinion that mattered to him was her opinion.
“Then I do nae care what anyone else thinks or how Eric is going to react. I ken I am capable enough to deal with him. All I care about is ye and yer safety,” he assured her, holding both her hands in his. Her hands were limp, but he noticed she did not pull away from his touch. It felt as if some part of her was finally beginning to trust him, and this morsel of hope was enough.
“Me and my safety? The safety of a woman ye do nae even ken?”
“Keira, when I saw ye in that battlefield looking broken and vulnerable and searchin’ for escape, I knew I needed to somehow help ye, and the only way I could have done that was by bringing ye here,” he whispered.
“What did ye want to help me? Nay one else in the entire battlefield cared.”
“I wish I had an answer for that, but I do nae. All I knew was that ye needed help, and I was there. I could see the fear in yer eyes and I knew I needed to do somethin. I cannot see injustice being done to someone right before my eyes, Keira. And as I stared at ye, I knew ye had been wronged one way or the other,” he explained, hoping for her to understand.
“And ye decided to bring me here without once thinking about the consequences of such a decision,” she whispered back.
“I am a man of reason, Keira. I always consider consequences. The life I have lived has taught me to do so, but I saw ye, all reason fled my mind, and I simply wanted to save ye from the hell breaking loose all around us.”
“Ye did save me that night, Christian. Or else I am sure I would have been dead by now,” she whispered, more tears running down her cheeks, “but I cannae trust ye so soon.”
“Ye do nae have to trust me so soon, Keira. I am not asking ye to give yerself to me or even believe me. I am only asking ye to try and get better for yerself. Ye have been through so much in the past few months, and I simply want yer heart to heal, and once ye feel better, maybe then ye can trust me.”
He was a patient man, and he was ready to prove it through his actions.
“Are ye sure?” she asked.
“I am.”
“Thank ye, Christian. I ken this is something I should have said to ye a long time ago, but I was too afraid and too distrustful of everyone and everythin here,” she told him.
“Ye never have to thank me.”
“I still did,” she smiled.
