Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Aela’s POV

Up and down.

Up and down.

Forward tilt and backward strain.

Up and down.

My body shifts and rocks to the constant movement. My head pounds, and my joints and muscles protest the incessant swaying. My stomach growls lowly, and I can not decipher if I want to hurl from the tossing sea or eat a horse.

I open my eyes, and my blurred vision clears in the dim lit room. I am in the cabin of a ship. A bookshelf is secured on the other side with restraints on all sides. It's filled with books and stuffed loose paper. The table between me and the shelf has charts and maps with clamps around the edge of the table. We must be in stormy weather for all the extra precautions.

I shift my body and groan in pain. When I notice, I am cuffed by my wrists and ankles to the foot of the bed. I lean back into the soft cushion of the bed. It’s so soft and warm even in a dark and cold room. I close my eyes to concentrate on how I could have arrived at this position. Nothing comes to mind, and I breathe slowly to hide my panic. I'm trying to meditate through my terror.

A shuffle at the door makes me apprehensive. My captor must be on the other side of the door, and he’s not in a hurry, so he must have the door locked. The door opens, and no light emits from the opening. A figure steps into the cabin and shuts the door behind him. Even with the lack of light, I recognize the gait and movement. I sniff deeply to see if my sense is still strong enough to catch that familiarity of home, but I don’t smell anything but saltwater.

“Dungan.” I say softly with my voice cracking from lack of use.

He walks to the bed and then gets on his knees while his body hovers over me. His hands stretch out to mine and pull them together. He lays his head on my chest while holding my hands tightly. “Forgive me. I failed you.”

“How?” I whisper to keep from the parched throat to be painful to speak with him. My tongue feels rough like sandpaper.

“I couldn’t protect you.” He whispers so desperate and regretful. I pull my hands through his hair to stroke him to calm him down along with myself. For a moment, I feel the bliss of being with him again and then like flood waters breaking a dam all the memories of the battle and my plunge into the ocean come back to me.

I swallow hard with the little bit of saliva in my mouth, “You saved me.”

He gets up and grabs a flask from the table. He comes back and helps me sit up enough to sip on the cool water. He strokes me softly, and it feels so good on my sore muscles. I moan softly, and he keeps letting his touch move to all the places on my body. After a few minutes, I moved to stroke his face, but the shackles restrained me from reaching him. With a teasing jest, I inquire, “So, am I your prisoner?”

“No.” He states so shortly I’m instantly recognized he’s annoyed, and then he stands up and walks away from me, trying to hide his emotions to me. He turns to the table and looks like he’s calculating his position on the charts. I stare at him now concerned he’s avoiding me.

“How long?” I ask, and I don’t even expect him to answer, so I’m shocked when he gives a short response of over a month. I pressed my lips into a straight line and stared up at the ceiling and wondered if Redland lost Nevar or how many battles occurred while I was healing behind enemy lines.

His voice interrupts my thought process, but it's hollow and disconnected from any emotion, “Princess Aela died and was lost to the tide. General Andrew confirmed her death. Bellar reclaimed Gillian the following day and is now stationed and controlling the pass all the way to Dobson. General Andrew ran back to the capital, scared, and didn’t try to retake territory. Prince Lucas has asked for my presence to talk about a ceasefire for the benefit of the continent. We are on our way to Andover now.”

“No one knows I’m here?” I say, keeping my panic from seeping through my voice. I try to sit up, but my body is stiff. My discomfort obviously bothers him because he moves quickly and helps me sit up in his arms. His hands stroke my arms and sides, bringing relief to the muscles again. He moves behind me and places me in his lap.

He whispers in my ear so intimately I relax against his chest. “I haven’t told anyone you’ve been in my custody. Not even my men.”

I gasp at the knowledge of being in his custody or being in his possession. But then, if he told his men, he would have to guard me. He has me shackled and a lock on the door. He must have been worried about me waking up and hurting myself or others in confusion. I instantly remember the spell and worry about if it’s still got a hold on me. “There was a spell on me. I couldn’t use my wolf abilities, and it made me have no control over my actions.”

“It wasn’t a casted spell. You broke the curse with a death. Sadly, you aren’t healing as fast as once were. I hoped it was because you were battered heavily when I found you. You never woke up. I was so scared I lost you.” He wraps his arms around my waist, and I can feel his nervousness about how I would respond to the news. I move my hands over his and realize I wasn’t the one who died for the curse. He said a death destroyed the curse. There is only one way someone could have died to destroy that monster I was forced to become.

“I was pregnant?” My voice croaks. He holds me as I’m holding on to the ravishing emotions. He kisses my cheek and neck while I cry. I bite back the tears and then shake off the sadness. I don’t have any real reason to mourn what I couldn’t save. “So, now what?”

“Not sure entirely. I know you are not going back to Redland ever again. If you have to be my prisoner, then I will hide you away and ensure you can’t escape.” I chuckled and nuzzled into him. If being his prisoner means I can have control of my own actions, then I will glad stay and not escape. He laughs at my defeat and kisses my head.

A large rattling vibrates through the wall, and I’m instantly worried. “We are weighing anchor. The storms delayed us a bit, and I’m already a day late from my meeting with Prince Lucas.”

I turn my cheek into him and kiss his lips, “Go. I’ll be here.”

He kisses me with the passion I remember from the cabin so many years ago. He moves out from under me and helps me settle myself again. He doesn’t remove the cuffs, but he does bring the water closer to me. He strokes my face and kisses my lips again. We hear a pounding on the door, and he growls lowly before returning to the table.

“Dungan?” I am scared he may not want me to talk anymore. He looks up at me. “My grandfather regretted not listening to you. He said you would make a fine king and mate. He told me you always had a good heart, even with your shadow.”

“You went to Toloda?” He says with his eyes furrow.

I nod and smile sleepily, “He spoke to me and then seemed to relax and faded away.”

“He faded?” He looks down at his desk with a mix of emotions I couldn’t understand. “Did he tell you a*********s? He was always wise with the parables. He was a good leader and someone I tried to mimic and fail most times. Thank you for helping him find his peace. He is one who doesn’t deserve an eternity in that torment.”

He grabs some paperwork and straightens it out. He walks over to me while the men are hammering on his door again. He kisses my forehead, and he orders me to sleep with a devilish smirk.