Our next stop was a dark, murky forest that sent chills down my spine.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the air turned thick with the scent of pine and the sharp, metallic feeling of unease.
Word had reached the vanguard: a bandit camp was nestled in the ridges nearby, and they were desperate enough to strike a royal procession.
"High alert tonight. My Liege has ordered: We do not proceed until we cleanse this forest." I heard Sir Aldwin command. He looked toward me, his face grim.
"Lady Ardelle, go find the Commander. He's at the creek clearing. We need his word on the perimeter shift."
I nodded, happy to be useful in any way and left, my mind occupied by the rustle of the leaves, and hurried toward the sound of rushing water.
I pushed through a screen of low-hanging willow branches, the words of the message already on my tongue.
"My Lord, Sir Aldwin says—"
The words died in my throat.
Lord Kaldric was not standing guard. He was at the edge of the dark water, his back to me. He had shed his tunic and his bandages, the moonlight catching the ripple of muscles and the violent traces of his scars.
He was washing the dirt of the road from his skin, the water glistening on his broad shoulders.
My face went hot, a mad flush spreading down my neck, suddenly feeling weak to my knees.
I gasped, spinning around to flee. "I... I apologize! I didn't—"
"Halt."
The command was spoken in a low tone that seemed to travel through the very ground beneath my feet. I froze, my heartbeats increasing when I could feel his exposed muscles.
"Come here, Ardelle."
I turned slowly, my eyes fixed firmly on the mossy ground. I heard the splash of water as he stepped out of the creek, hitching my breaths.
The heavy thud of his boots followed, coming closer until the scent of cold water and iron overwhelmed me.
"Look at me," he ordered.
I lifted my gaze, my breath locked in my throat, for a heartbeat, all of me ceased to function.
He stood before me, half-naked and undeniably beautiful in the light. He gestured to the pile of obsidian plates and leather straps resting on a flat stone.
"Armor me," he ordered.
I blinked, my scattered emotions returning, "My Lord... surely a squire–"
"A squire is sharpening blades," he cut me off, his silver eyes tracking my hesitation as I was focused on the trail of water starting from his chest, going down, and down.
"I want you to do it. I want you to know the weight of the steel I wear for this Crown." He held my chin when my focus strayed.
"Perhaps then you will understand why there is so little room for anything else."
My hands trembled as I wrapped the bandage first before I lifted the heavy breastplate. It was freezing and impossibly heavy, a burden of cold iron.
As I stepped behind him to tighten the leather lacings, I felt the heat radiating from his skin. My fingers brushed accidentally against the scar on his ribs, the one I had stitched' and I felt a sudden sting of protectiveness.
I intentionally brushed my knuckles on his spine and did– did he just shiver?
He frowned, looking over his shoulder with a strict look that flinched.
"S-Sorry about that, My Lord, I was checking the wound."
"It is on the side. Not in the middle." He corrected, turning forward again.
"If it was anyone else, I would have their neck in my palm." He muttered, shaking his head as my lips formed in a thin line.
I moved to the front to secure the gorget at his throat. The closeness was draining my strength. I had to stand on my tiptoes, my breathing shallow.
Suddenly, I heard a crow claw and I jumped, my heel catching on a stray root. I lurched forward, certain I was about to bruise myself against the obsidian.
Instead, Lord Kaldric's hand shot out, his arm wrapping around my waist to balance me that ended up in the collision of my bodice against his armor.
He pulled me flush against him, my chest heaving against his half-armored torso, tightening the breaths around my throat, purloining strength from my hands at the proximity.
He didn't let go. Instead, his grip became rigid.
"Aren't you a clumsy woman, Ardelle?"
"I… uh…"
The silence of the forest seemed to amplify the sound of our breathing. His silver eyes darkened, losing their icy sharpness, replaced by an immense heat beyond his control.
His free hand rose, his thumb slowly, almost unintentionally, tracing the soft line beneath my lower lip, staggering me.
My eyes lifted, seeking the reasoning only to find none, he was entirely focused on my bottom lip. The touch was rough, calloused, like he had absolutely no idea how to touch a human.
Yet it sent a jolt of sparkles through my entire being. My body reacted to the connection, breathing in sync with him though he was not in control nor did it mean anything to him.
He was simply intrigued by 'What's in her?'
For a heartbeat, for me, the world stopped. Only the weight of his hand and the fire in my gaze, swaying in a meaningless touch.
"Your beauty…" He inhaled sharply.
"What a ruse it is. Endeavours to capture me every single time yet fails." He commented, pressing this gloved thumb harder on my bottom lip, opening my mouth.
"Why do you call it a ruse, My Lord? I did not ask for this." My gaze narrowed with desperation.
"But one surely knows how to use their flairs to their advantage."
"And yet I fail in yours, no?"
A sorrowful smile touched my lips, kissing his thumb while maintaining the keen eye-contact that magnified his impulses to test me.
He put his thumb in my mouth, challenging me further, to check what else I could do and the spark began to fade.
Completely unaffected. As if he would never let my appearance shake his core.
Funny. Everyone looked at me except for my husband.
Before the disgust revives, I took a hold of his wrist, a hopelessness bubbling in me.
"My Lord–"
"Commander! The scouts have returned!"
The shout from the trail shattered the spell. I gasped, pushing back, my face burning with crimson due to the heat and shame.
Lord Kaldric's hand lingered for a fraction of a second, tracing a line down from my lip to my throat before he released me, his expression snapping back into stone.
I didn't wait. I turned and bolted through the willow branches, my heart racing so fast I could barely see the path.
"Don't stray too far, Ardelle." his voice roared behind me, no longer a sneer, but a command that echoed through the trees, making my way back to the camp.
But, the forest had turned traitor.
What had been a sanctuary of green earlier that evening was now a labyrinth of suffocating gray. The rain descended in a cold, relentless sheet, turning the forest floor into a treacherous mire.
I was lost.
I had run from the creek to escape the heat of Lord Kaldric's touch, but in my panic, I had taken a wrong turn. Now, the camp was nowhere to be found.
I crouched beneath the branches of a massive, ancient tree, my new cloak soaked through, shivering as the fabric tugged to my skin.
The world was a music of raindrops, I sat, hoping for the pain to stop and search my way back because I doubt Lord Kaldric would bother to notice my disappearance.
Plus, the scolding if he found me.
Breathing heavily, I was rubbing my hands together, focused on the resonance of the wind and rain hitting leaves until a new sound emerged: the low groan of unfamiliar men.
I pressed myself deeper into the tree, holding my breath to not get caught. Through the curtain of rain, four figures emerged, wearing the similar mask from the people of the coup.
They wore the mismatched leathers, indicating they were the bandits Sir Aldwin mentioned.
"They're camped in the East, near the stream." one hissed, sharpening a rusted blade.
Covering my mouth, I bent to crawl out of their sight as they walked past the trail.
"The King's Obsidian Pillars are exhausted. Half of the soldiers are still limping from the massacre at the Duke's hall. And I heard the commander was gravely injured."
"Our informants were right," another replied, letting out a huff of laughter.
"The coup did its job. They won't expect a second strike in this weather."
My heart plummeted, my eyes widening to realize the coup wasn't an isolated act of rebellion; it was a coordinated distraction. The information settled in my bones, scaring me to the core.
A trap designed to soften them for these wolves. If they fought tonight, he would tear himself open.
Oh Lord, what should I do now?! How do I get back to the camp?!