forget me knot, My Hostile Mate

Chapter Two

I was to be the sacrifice. I was to be the peacekeeper once I was married to our enemy and sent across our borders into the den of the wolves. The truth of it kept whirling round and round in my mind. The king and his small council kept talking over the details of the treaty they were going to propose tomorrow at first light. Tomorrow?

Only a few hours remained in the night and they were going to propose this marriage treaty...

"May I be excused? I have matters to see, if I am going to be married off to our enemy." I cleared my throat and adjusted my position in my seat, my gaze focused only on my father. One of those matters included destroying my most recent paramour. Sworn to secrecy, I was too weary to leave it at that. Words are only words, they are as light as air and feathers. I needed actions, clear demonstrations of loyalty and of reverence.

My father leaned back in his chair to assess me with his dark gaze, the browns and greens of his hazel eyes swirling around his pupils with emotion that I could not decipher. I did not bother to speak again as the seconds trickled by, turning into minutes. I did not fidget. I did not let any part of my body move an inch while his gaze was locked on mine. The other men in the room went quiet as this power struggle took place. However, it can not be defined as a power struggle, since my father held absolute authority over everyone present in this room.

It took more energy than I had imagined to hold fast to my own resolve, to hold myself perfectly still. My inner flame began to flicker and flutter about, almost going out when my father's mouth twitched and he smiled.

"Yes, my dear Jezebel. See to your personal matters and instruct your servants to begin packing your things, for you will be sent to the border three hours after the envoy has departed. Be well beneath the Moon," the King said, then he turned his head and dismissed my existence to continue speaking about the minute details of the treaty.

I knew that Stewart glanced in my direction, but I did not bother to meet his curious look. There was no point as I was awarded the dismissal from this council meeting. The information that I had been privy to was enough to motivate me to stand up and quietly remove myself from the table. There was no reason to stay, nor to linger on to hear what my freedom was going to provide for my people. I was to be the sacrificial lamb brought before the wolves. I would not be bleating and crying.

* * *

"Only pack the essentials, Meredith, when it comes to clothing... Scarlet, I do not need every piece of jewelry to accompany me..." my voice was soft, as I took care to not speak to my servants with the weight of stress I had begun to feel. The burden was weighing heavier and heavier as the light of the rising sun filtered through the shuttered windows.

I had written a note to William with a marked time and location for us to meet. This meeting was not what was causing my tension to build, it was the loss of the minutes and the final hours I would spend in my own chambers. In my own home. I very well knew that when I took off to the borders on the heels of the envoy and his marriage treaty proposal, it might be the last time I departed from my home. This knowledge and the acceptance of this knowledge is what caused my shoulders to stiffen and my chest to ache.

Another quarter of an hour passed when I focused on remaining calm while overseeing my servants as they packed my personal belongings. I knew that my father would plan to send my dowry in other trunks and various compartments, after the marriage treaty had been accepted by our enemy. It was when my servants no longer seemed to require my input. Only then did I stand up and stretch out my limbs. The rush of blood flow temporarily caused me to be lightheaded.

I did not announce my departure nor did I leave a note as to where I was headed to. My Maids knew that I sought solitude. They also knew not to pursue me when I disappeared, since we had established a channel of communication if my father or the small council were to summon me again. Time was precious. I did not linger in the halls as I turned this way and that, my fingertips brushing along the rough stone walls.

It was on a final descent down a spiral staircase and around the final turn, I felt the warmth of his embrace. I smelt the unique scent of sandalwood and lime, with the hint of copper. In the warmth of his arms, I finally allowed my body to relax and I exhaled. My body began to tremble as I pressed my face against his chest and wound my arms around his torso.

"You must not go... Jezebel, the enemy will see to your death and the end of your father's line. You must not go..."

"Stewart, I know." I whispered against his chest.

"I will find a way to accompany you. The King does not require my services if this war comes to an end..."

"No!" I cut him off with the wrath in my voice and a sharp nip to his collarbone. I was rewarded to hear him inhale and then pause, his silence was better than hearing him try to plan to come with me. If he did that, it would endanger both of us. I had to be pure, to be untouched when I met my future husband. I knew that this would be a falsehood, but it would be worsened if my lover, Stewart, were to be standing by my side.

"I need your loyalty, your promise of secrecy. I demand the blood oath, Stewart Greyson," I said the words aloud while also disentangling myself from my lover's embrace. Away from his warmth and away from his comfort. I was not at liberty to feel both at that point.

"Jezebel, you cannot mean..." His words faded off as his brown eyes searched mine. He must have seen my resolve, my conviction, because his argument died along with the emotion in his eyes. "What is the price you would have me pay, Princess?"

"Your tongue. I demand to be the last one to hear your voice."

"At your will, Princess." And Stewart pulled out a sharp blade from his boots. Without hesitation, he grabbed hold of his tongue and sliced it clear off. Blood spurted between us and dribbled down his chin. But his gaze stayed locked with my own. His expression did not change. He tossed his tongue onto the ground between us and kneeled down beside it. Blood is dripping down to splatter on the stones.

I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair.

"I accept your sacrifice, Stewart Greyson, and I thank you for your service to our Kingdom."

My father thought that he was sending me to save our people, to preserve his rule through this marriage treaty. Little did he know that I had my own agenda, my own plans.