Chapter 9

In the morning when Kristabell and Rowan woke it was difficult to motivate themselves to get up and do what needed to be done in preparation for the next day's departure. They had spent most of the night making out like a couple of horny teenagers, which was an odd and frustrating first night for two people who were planning on spending the rest of there lives together, but it was, simultaneously, a strangely sweet night. They had decided, in the end, that it probably was prudent if Kristabell didn't get pregnant, at least not right away, and she knew that if they waited, even just a few days, the risk wouldn't be so high. So they would wait.

Kristabell sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “We ought to get up. Everyone will wonder where we are and, if your men are here at the castle, won't they be waiting to hear from you?”

“They can wait five more minutes,” Rowan said pulling her back under the warm blankets with him and burying his face against her chest.

Kristabell wrapped her arms around him. “Now I'll never make it out of this bed.”

He propped himself up on one elbow and said, all the while kissing her cheeks, throat and forehead. “We have to get up though. We have to leave tomorrow.” He kissed her mouth, held her for a moment in a tight embrace then got, very abruptly, out of bed. “There. It's done,” he said pulling on some fresh clothes. “You wait here. I'll go get you some clothes from your room.”

“Thank you. Nothing says 'I didn't spend the night in my own bed,' like sneaking through the castle in yesterday evening's party dress.”

Rowan headed for the door grinning. Kristabell heard him cross the outer chamber and unlock the door to the hall. He didn't get far. She could hear him cursing obscenities at Fenna who was laughing hysterically at him. Fenna followed Rowan back to the bedroom with a tray of food in her hands. Scones, butter, hard boiled eggs, fruit and hot milk.

“She was right outside the door. I almost tripped on her,” Rowan scowled.

“Mum sent me when neither of you showed up for breakfast,” Fenna said grinning as she placed the tray on the table by the hearth. She passed Kristabell the red wool dress and linen shift that had been draped over her arm.

“Thank you,” she said with a sheepish smile, pulling the shift over her head then slipping her arms into the sleeves and doing up the buttons that ran the length of the dress. She looked at Fenna who suddenly shrieked and wrapped her arms around Kristabell.

“I knew we were supposed to be sisters!” Fenna blurted out.

Rowan was still scowling at Fenna but he motioned for her to pull up a chair and sit with them while they ate. For all that Rowan and Fenna could be very argumentative, Kristabell knew that of all his younger siblings, Fenna was his favourite. “So I take it everyone knows?”

“Pretty much,” she nodded. “Nessa saw you leave together last night, and when you weren't in your bed this morning,” she glanced at Kristabell. “Well, where else could you be?” She went on, “Leif's cutting you a little slack. He's down at the stables right now making sure the horses will be ready and Mum is packing provisions. Dad is in the armoury with one of your lieutenants. Oh, and a regiment showed up about a half an hour ago. They're down at the gate house. Brian is with them. He's waiting to speak to you but under the circumstances,” she grinned and started to giggle, “They're being very patient.”

Rowan shook his head still scowling. “Can you send a message down to Leif? Have him make sure there's a horse for Kristabell. Ask Nessa if she'll loan us Strawberry.”

“You're taking her with you? Are you sure that's safe?”

“It'll be fine. She'll be with Leif and I in addition to ten or so of my men. We won't take the main road. We need to speak to the fairies about opening doorways to other worlds and how Kristabell came here. I don't think that either one of us will be able to rest easy,” he looked at Kristabell, “until we know that she's safe and that it won't happen again. We also want to see if they can send a message to her parents.”

Fenna nodded understanding and sighed, “You're right. I don't like it . . . but you're right.”

“I know that I don't have to say this to you but, don't mention our reason for going to the Fay. I have an official reason that I can feed to the men and I think that I could trust Brian or Thaylum with this, but you know how twitchy some people can get about the Fay. It is better if they think that I'm bringing Kristabell with me for my own selfish pig headed reasons.” He'd directed what he'd said at Fenna, but he turned to Kristabell and asked, “Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“There is a chance that I'll have to leave you with the Fay. If I do, you'll be safe there. Is that alright?”

She nodded again. Suddenly everything seemed uncertain and while she knew that this had to be done she wished, she would always wish, that there was no war, and that there was no other world. That it was just her, and just Rowan, and he could see this in her face and he knelt down in front of her and put his hands on either side of her face in a way that she would come to associate only with him. “My love,” he whispered and kissed her.

Fenna rose to leave but she paused by the bedroom door and looked Rowan in the eye. “I'll kill you if you don't bring her back here safe.” She was serious. Then she turned and walked out the door.

Kristabell was relieved in a sense that Rowan had taken her seriously and shared her concern that she might have some kind of mishap and leave the world that they were in but god . . . she wished things could be simple. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder and he put his arms around her then exclaimed, “Your hair is a mess! Here swivel around.”

She turned on her chair and Rowan reached out grabbing a brush and comb off of his dresser and, pulling over his chair, began working industriously at removing the tangles from Kristabell's hair.

She was just a little surprised, “Gosh. You don't pull nearly so much as my Mum used to.”

“I have five younger siblings. You have no idea how many times my mother would say 'Rowan! Leif! Brush your sisters' hair for me while I change the baby,' and Leif and I would fight over who got to brush Fenna's hair because Nessa's took forever. But Leif did himself in. According to the girls he's far gentler than me. I always got impatient and started to yank on the tangles so there came a point when Nessa would only let Leif brush her hair. Not even Mum could come near her with a comb. I never figured I'd ever want to do this for a girl of my own volition but right now . . . it seems such a small thing, but at least I can get the tangles out of your hair.”

They sat like that for a few quiet minutes, Rowan absorbed in his task, working his way slowly up from the ends with the comb then switching to the brush, making long soothing strokes. “This is probably just my male pride talking, but I'm sure everyone out there thinks that everything that normally would have happened last night, happened last night. Can we just let them keep thinking that? I feel like you're my wife in word if not quite deed.”

Kristabell laughed, “Sure. It's simpler that way, and we'll figure things out before anyone knows any different.” She turned around and kissed his sheepish cheek.

“I have to go,” he said, putting the brush and comb back on the dresser then pulling Kristabell to her feet kissing her and holding her tight. “I'll see you at dinner.” He let his fingers linger on hers until the last possible moment then walked out of the room.

*

The rest of the day passed in a disoriented blur of activity as they prepared to leave. Kristabell went up to her room and looked through her things. There wasn't much, or at least there wasn't much that she could take with her. The room was decorated with all of the pretty things that Rowan had given to her over the weeks. The barley wreath, dried flowers, a bird’s nest that she had put the painted egg into, a heart shaped rock. She put her hair brush and comb into her shoulder bag. She left her Ipod and wallet in for some reason but took her sketch pad and pencil crayons out. She picked up the little carved wooden bird with its berry stained wings and placed it carefully in an inside pouch along with the heart shaped rock. She took the pair of jeans she had been wearing the day she'd arrived, folded them small, then tucked them into the bag. There was a hidden pouch in one of the seams and she opened the Velcro and undid the zipper and carefully placed the necklace that Bronwen had given her inside. She looked through the trunk and wardrobe but most of the clothing there was summer clothing and the weather was changing rapidly. She went to find Fenna.

On her way through the castle as she searched for her sister she chanced upon Rowan's father. He was much like Nessa. Tall, sarcastic, red haired, but he had a sweet streak and when he saw Kristabell he rumpled her hair and smiled. “Fenna's looking for you,” he told her. “She's in the front hall.” Then he patted her head again and wandered off. She found Fenna who took her hand right away and said, “Come.” She hauled Kristabell off to one of the attics. It was a strange reliving of her first day there, only this time she was leaving not arriving and she could understand everything that Fenna was saying. “We need to find you some good riding clothes and a few nice outfits that are passable for the King's Castle. Is the dress you were wearing last night clean?”

“Yes, it's on my bed.”

“Good. I'll make sure it's packed. I'll be able to send a trunk to the castle in a couple of days with an armed merchant who's stopping here, so you don't need to worry about having everything ready tonight. We just need to find something for you to bring as a change of clothes.” Fenna began opening trunks. “My mother keeps everything. It's finding it that that can be tricky. I had a very good riding outfit and I only wore it for about six months before I outgrew it. Ah! Here it is.”

It consisted of sturdy grey wool leggings, a deep plum coloured tunic, and a dark brown fitted leather vest. Fenna opened it so that she could see the loose silk lining. “In case of arrows.” Fenna told her then pulled a pair of riding boots out of the trunk. “Here try these on. If they don't fit you we'll have to keep searching.”

Kristabell tried the boots on. They were too big. Fenna looked thoughtful for a moment then went to the other end of the attic and began opening trunks down there. “Here,” she called out. “These ones used to be Rowan's when he was about twelve. Gareth has huge feet so he never wore them, and they were too big on Dunstan last winter but he's grown so much over the summer that I doubt he'll fit them either. If these don't fit we can try the boots that Gareth wore last year.” But the boots fit. Just right.

They closed up the trunks and made sure that everything was neat and tidy as they left the attic then went down to Kristabell's room. “I guess this isn't going to be your room any more,” Fenna sighed as Kristabell tried everything on.

“I had just gotten used to thinking of it as my room. That's the funny thing about changes. They're never all good or all bad, are they? You're my best friend Fenna. I've never had a friend like you. I'm going to miss you.” They hugged each other and cried and once they had pulled themselves together Fenna passed Kristabell one more dress to try on. “Here. Last one. It should fit but I would be appalled with myself if I sent you off with something that wasn't perfectly appropriate.”

That was the moment that it truly dawned on Kristabell that after they talked to the Fairies, assuming that she wasn't left there on her own, she was going to the King's castle as the wife of the Captain of the King's army, and suddenly she felt very overwhelmed, very nervous, and very small. This place had come to feel like home and now she was leaving and she didn't know when she would be back.

*

Dinner was . . . tense. That would be the only word that Kristabell could have applied to it. Nessa had come hustling up to her with a bundle of indigo cotton just as she had found her way to Rowan's rooms to give her hair a brush and make sure her face was clean. “My darling brother,” Kristabell could tell by the way Nessa had said the word Darling that she was not entirely pleased with Rowan. “Bought this fabric last week because he claims, and I suppose he is right,” she rolled her eyes, “That it matches your eyes.” Kristabell remembered being at the market with Rowan when they'd seen it at the cloth vendor. It was imported and had been costly but he'd said, “I would love to see you in a dress made of this,” as he'd fingered the soft gauzy cotton.

And now Nessa was standing in front of her, perturbed. “So he brings me the bolt of fabric this morning asking me if I can make you a dress from it and I say, 'Of course' and then he says it, 'In time for dinner?' and I say, 'In time for dinner!?' And he says 'Please tell me you can do it. I'm so tired of seeing her in Fenna's hand-me-downs.' And then . . . he gives me puppy dog eyes.” She said the words 'Puppy dog eyes,' as if they were a contemptible offence. “The aunts and I have been sewing for seven hours straight.” she said blackly. “And I still need to finish the cuffs. Hurry up! Strip so I can finish this.”

Kristabell hurriedly unbuttoned the dress she was wearing and pulled the indigo cotton over her head. The bodice was all pin tucks and the gracefully scooping neckline and voluminous hem were trimmed with a fine strip of silk ribbon a shade lighter than the cotton. Nessa began snugging up the laces at the back as Kristabell smoothed and arranged the skirt. Lots and lots of fabric had gone into this dress. “Rowan is just lucky that there are a few competent seamstresses in this house. I must say it did turn out rather nicely. The aunts insisted on a lace up back. Buttons would have been so elegant but they wouldn't stop carrying on about how this way at least you can still wear it in three months when your belly starts to swell.”

Kristabell blushed rather furiously and passed the dress back to Nessa, carefully avoiding being scratched on the pinned sleeves. By the time Rowan showed up no more than twenty minutes later Nessa had the cuffs stitched, the ribbon trim applied, and was tying the ribbons at the back for her. Rowan was in uniform now. It was obviously a uniform. Red tunic, close fitting brown pants, brown leather vest, boots and,— this was the first time Kristabell had seen him carry a weapon inside— sword belt and sword. There was a sigil on one arm and badge of gold that must have been his rank on the left breast. His hair was tied back. He walked differently in the uniform, but he looked at Kristabell in the dress and then said to Nessa, “You are the most wonderful sister in the world.” He had a giant smile on his face.

Nessa's answer was caustic, “No I am not the most wonderful sister in the world. Seven hours with the Aunts to get this done Rowan. You owe me, and I swear that if you don't get her pregnant in the next month I will string you up by the testicles because I wanted to put buttons on the back but the aunts insisted on laces with all those fussy little loops and more pin tucks! I'm going to the kitchen to soak my stiff fingers in hot water and chamomile so that at least I can feed myself at dinner!” And she stormed out.

Rowan scratched his forehead smiling sheepishly at a flushed and embarrassed Kristabell. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to inflict Nessa the Dragon Woman on you. I only wanted you to have a new dress tonight, and whatever she meant about buttons versus laces went right over my head. Did that make sense to you?”

“Laces are um . . . adjustable. Apparently she had to listen to the aunts discuss our reproductive future at length.”

Rowan winced, “That would get her ire up like a swarm of angry hornets right now.”

“Why?”

“Oh, she's angry with Leif. Normally a day of sewing wouldn't do much more than leave her slightly peevish but . . .”

“She and Leif are, sort of involved aren't they?” Kristabell had caught them kissing in the back of the stables one day when she had been out in search of Rowan.

“'Sort of involved' would be a fairly accurate description of their relationship. They're lovers. They have had a long standing agreement that when the war is over they will make it official, but Leif feels that it would be irresponsible to start a family right now. The thing is that Nessa's been waiting for four years. She wanted to join the army. She's as good an archer as I am and not bad with a sword, but Leif begged her not to. I guess she gave him an ultimatum last night. Call her his Wife and have a family with her or she's joining the army. Leif blames me.”

“Is that why he always seems so annoyed with me too?”

“Yes.”

“I just hope that no one is going to bring up you getting me pregnant at the dinner table. People don't discuss these things in the same way where I'm from.” Kristabell blushed again.

“I think that I can fairly safely promise you that no one will.” He smiled. “Dinner can be, how shall I put it . . . less informal, when men from the King's Army are here, especially the older Lieutenants. If it were just Thaylum things would be much as they usually are but with Brian and Eric here too . . .” he shook his head. “I've also warned them that you can be very shy and I've threatened various suspect family members with horrors untold if they do anything to embarrass you.”

Kristabell walked up to Rowan put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “You're very sweet you know.”

He laughed, “Let's go to dinner. I'm hungry.”

He took her hand and they walked through the halls to dinner. Kristabell stopped briefly to look herself over in the large mirror in the front hall as they passed. The dress was lovely. Not too fine for every day but fine enough for guests. And the colour . . . The full tiered skirt . . . The softness of it . . . It was nice to have a dress that was only hers. Kristabell loved it.

Rowan let go of her hand and slipped his hand around her waist as they walked into the dinning hall and Kristabell understood then why he'd wanted her to have a new dress. There were candles lit down the full length of the table and every candle in every candelabra on all of the sideboards around the room were lit as well as the oil lamps suspended from the ceiling. There was food running the length of the table. Pies, stews, vegetables, braided bread, deserts, and wine in glasses on a sideboard. The room had been decorated with garlands of holly and ivy. Kristabell remembered, belatedly, what Fenna had told her about it being customary to celebrate a union after the fact with a feast. Most of the household was there. Aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Fenna was wearing a tidy new red tunic with deep burgundy slacks. She looked very elegant. People were milling about enjoying the wine, talking and, obviously, waiting for Rowan to appear with Kristabell. When their presence was noted by the occupants of the room wine glasses went up and a cheer went round. Kristabell felt herself shrink and she literally tried to hide behind Rowan who held her in place with his hand. It reminded her of the day she'd arrived and he'd had to pull her out from behind a tree. “I knew you would try to do that,” he whispered in her ear and she couldn't help smiling.

After that there were no speeches or toasts to be endured and the meal proceeded without incident. Kristabell wondered if there would have been toasts and speeches if she had been a normal girl from their world instead of the mysterious stranger she was, with no family of her own, a strange way of speaking, and no history. Rowan introduced her to the soldiers who were under his command. They were, like Rowan, dressed in uniform, as was Leif, who was even more distant than normal that night. She was used to seeing soldiers at the castle as there had been a steady stream of them coming and going to report to Rowan ever since her arrival, but they had never stopped to look at her. Now the men present looked at Kristabell with some curiosity. Fenna had told her at one point that Rowan was considered at court to be a very good catch. She supposed they must be curious about what sort of girl he had chosen in the end. She spent most of the meal with a shy smile on her face, not speaking, holding onto Rowan's hand under the table, but the atmosphere was subdued. Even though an effort was being made to have a merry evening, no one could fully push aside the knowledge that an army was being built somewhere north of them to keep a war, that everyone was weary of, going. Fenna was down because Kristabell was leaving, Nessa wasn't her usual self and Leif was sitting at the other end of the table. Every time Kristabell caught either Bronwen or Gwydion's eye they either gave her a loaded complicated look, or they turned away.

After the meal was over the men, and Nessa, sat at one end of the table discussing war, and the women, and Dunstan, gathered around the hearth sitting in the comfortable rockers and settees (no couches in this world). It wasn't romantic, but it was inevitable. Fenna had taken out an embroidery project. It was soft ultra fine undyed linen and she sat making neat little stitches that became ivy leaves and vines as Kristabell watched. She tilted her head and leaned it on Fenna's shoulder feeling sleepy in the warmth of the fire. “When I'm done the embroidery, I'll give it to one of the aunts or to Nessa, and they will cut out the pattern and make a baby dress from it,” Fenna whispered.

Kristabell fingered the soft fabric as the needle flashed up then down then back up again pulling the smooth embroidery silk with it. “When I come home will you teach me how to do this?” she asked in a low voice.

“Of course,” Fenna's reply was soft and sweet as she tipped her own head so that it was resting against Kristabell's.

After a time one of the older knights left the group of men and approached her. He had been introduced to her earlier. His name was Brian. She stood as he approached. He was tall, as so many people in this world seemed to be, with grey hair, slate coloured eyes, and many scars. He held out his hand to her and she gave him hers. He took it and bowed over it before releasing it. He smiled at her and she smiled back. “You have the same gentle smile that Queen Sulamith did. It is no wonder Rowan picked you.”

Kristabell blushed and he chuckled. “Rowan warned us that you were shy. I do not mean to embarrass you, although we made rather relentless fun of your poor husband today.”

“How did he take it?” She asked smiling.

“With grace and good humour and only a little irritation,” he paused. “It's what makes the men of the King's army so devoted to him. They would follow him anywhere. He's also better with a sword than anyone I've ever seen. He's liked and respected.”

“He seems so young to me,” Kristabell sighed, feeling overwhelmed.

“Don't ever assume that your husband isn't up to the task. He might be young but he's the most competent man in the army.”

Kristabell nodded.

*

It was late, or perhaps it wasn't so much late, as that Kristabell was tired and wanted to be in a quiet room alone, or, not alone, but alone with Rowan. Strange to be alone with someone, she thought to herself groggily. But there was something she wanted on this last night here. Something she wanted to hear, and that meant that she would have to ask Leif to play. She knew that he would, but in the five weeks that she had been there she had made no headway in understanding the big man. She had often gotten the impression that he resented her, and after what Rowan had told her just before dinner she suspected that her impression was correct. She had messed with the status quo of his world. She walked up behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder. When he turned he seemed surprised to see that it was her. He stood and towered over her. “Leif, I was wondering . . . I mean . . . if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you to play your harp . . . and if you would rather not I would . . .”

He cut her off and asked more gently than she expected, “What would you like me to play?”

“The lullaby you played the first night that I was here?”

“It would honour me to play that for you.”

“Thank you,” Kristabell whispered and he nodded.

She slipped into the empty seat that had appeared next to Rowan and listened to the sad, slow, sweet, melody, and as Leif played, Kristabell couldn't keep the tears off her face. The song reminded her of her parents and all that was happening to her now, that they were missing.

*

As she lay down next to Rowan that night she whispered, “What will tomorrow bring?”

He pulled her closer to him. “I don't know, but as long as I wake up next to you it will be alright.” He kissed her then sighed, “I hate the conflict between desire, responsibility, and duty. I wish that we could have some time together and have everything be simple but . . . that's not going to happen.” He kissed her again. “We have a long day tomorrow. We need to sleep.”

“Goodnight my love,” he whispered.

“Goodnight . . . My love,” she whispered back, and nestled more deeply into his arms as he pulled her in, and they went to sleep.