A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed or reviewed. As I said at the end of the last chapter, I've never written a thing in my life before, so this is completely new to me and all comments are welcome, so long as the feedback is honest and the criticism is constructive.
I'll be spending a couple of chapters explaining how all of the main characters have gotten to where they are at the moment and the relationships between them, so please bear with me and we'll get in to the main plot line soon.
She remembered how Montgomery had come to find her,and held her tightly to his chest as she cried, before eventually leading her back to the village and into his home. She had been there ever since, living with Montgomery, his son Robert, and Robert's wife Sarah. He's treated her like his own daughter and she's appreciated it, she really has, but it's just not the same.
She had nightmares for months after she lost her parents, she can still see the raiders coming up behind them even now, weapons drawn, and her parents not having a clue what was about to happen, so intent on making sure the children got away safely before readying themselves to leave too.
Alexis' mother Martha had offered to let her come stay with her family but Katherine had declined, she had wanted to stay close to the Montgomery's so she could train with weapons, but she kept that to herself.
She had pestered Montgomery constantly to teach her how to use a sword, or a bow, but he had always refused. That is up until she turned 13. He had come through the door on her birthday carrying a wooden practice sword and handed it to her. "If you are so determined to fight, you should at least learn to do it properly" he had said, then took her out back of the guardhouse and shown her how to hold and use the sword properly.
It had been a lot of swinging it at fresh air to begin with, then at a practice dummy. He had her doing exercises and grunt work at the various stores and farms around the village to build her strength, encouraging her to run every day. She had progressed quickly onto weighted practice swords such as the guardsmen themselves used, then a steel short sword. She sparred with one of the guardsmen, Javier, with weapons and without. The sparring with practice knives for close up work was the hardest, she hated knives but her speed and agility made her proficient with it in next to no time. Now there wasn't a guard who could best her with sword or knife in the whole village.
She had learned the bow, Montgomery explaining to her that there is a good advantage in using the bow on a foe man from distance instead of waiting for him to get close so you can swing a lump of metal at him. "Hit him with an arrow to the heart and you won't need to hit him with your sword, or hit him in the leg and his movement is impaired when in close combat with him" he had said, "Use his weakness against him so he can't use your's against you."
Now there was only one person better than her with a bow in the village, the woodsman, Richard, Alexis' older brother and Martha's son. He's 3 years older and a few inches taller than Katherine but after she had surpassed her teachers with the bow he had offered to teach her what he knew. They had gone to the woods surrounding his family home and he had taught her patience, and how to find exactly the right time to release her arrow, he had taught her how to be stealthy in the forest. She could move around without making a sound and leaving no tracks for anyone but an expert to follow. He had taught her to track, he had taught her to hunt,he had taught her how to pluck a goose and fletch her own arrows, he had taught her to be a better person, he had taught her to love.
Over the years that they had been hunting and practicing together out in the woods, sometimes for days at a time, they had grown closer. At first she thought he was an arrogant ass, the first few times they had entered the woods he had shown her what to look for on the ground when tracking and then he would go ahead of her and tell her to track him down using the skills he had shown her. The only problem was he went ahead to a point she couldn't see him, then climbed a tree and dropped down behind her when she passed whispering "You're dead" into her ear as he sneaked up on her and held his knife into her ribs, hilt first. She's lost count of how many times he's 'killed' her now.
She eventually knew to check everywhere, above her in the trees, in the underbrush around her feet, she used all of her senses of sight, smell and hearing. She got to be able to 'feel' when he was around her and had on more than a few occasions turned the tables on him and 'killed' him.
They had become good friends over time, bonding over Alexis and the thrill of the hunt. Things had changed between them 8 months ago when they had been out on a week long hunt. Katherine knew they were heading towards something more, they had been for years now, but one night in the middle of a storm Katherine had gone to a nearby river to bathe when a log had come flowing down the river behind her, sped on by the faster than normal waters. It had hit her with a glancing blow on the leg but it was enough to pull her underwater and her lungs had filled with water when she gasped for air before being pulled under again.
She had called for Richard in panic, as she was pulled underwater for a third time, he had come running and without thinking twice threw himself into the water and pulled her out. She was unconscious when they got to shore so he had given her mouth to mouth and tried pumping the water from her lungs. It wasn't until she had coughed up the water from her lungs and she was breathing properly that he realized she was completely naked.
Richard felt the colour rise up his neck and cheeks, as he quickly turned around stammering "I'm sorry, I should have covered you, all I could think about was getting you out of the water and… you weren't breathing." He quickly located her clothes and handed them to her blindly, his hand brushing cool, wet skin, when she stepped closer. "Hey, it's OK. It's my own fault for being stupid enough to try and bathe in the middle of a storm" she breathed into his ear from behind, her hand coming up to rub his arm gently. "I could use a blanket to warm me up though." "I had a fire lit at the camp, ready for you coming on, lets' head back" he replied.
As they set out for the camp, side by side, Katherine slipped her small hand into his and marveled at how well her fingers fit between his larger ones. He glanced down at her and she smiled softly at the look of wonder on his face. Back at camp, they sat right next to each other and talked quietly into the night. When it came time to sleep she turned to him and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, lingering a little longer than he thought she would, "Good night Richard" she said. "Good night Katie."
From that night they had gotten closer, they spent more and more time together, training, walking, laughing, joking and then 3 months ago they had made love for the first time. They had been out on another hunting trip and decided to bathe together in a nearby stream, they had seen each other naked numerous times, but this time it was different. They both knew there was no stopping this time. They had made love the first time in the stream, her legs wrapped around his waist, as she bit into his neck to keep from crying out. They had 2 more rounds that night by the camp fire, underneath the canopy of the trees, before passing out in each others arms, spent and satiated. Kate had found it a little sore when walking the next day, but she had walked with a grin on her face.
As she tired from her practice and her exercise, she saw Richard walking towards her, his bow slung at his back and a long hunting knife at his belt. She put up her sword and walked towards him with a smile on her face, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately when she reached his side. "Hey, when did you get back?" she asked. "About an hour or so ago, I just dropped my catch off at Mervin's butcher shop and the rest went to Jenny over at The Old Haunt."
"Good haul then?" she asks. "Pretty good, yeah. 4 rabbits, 2 duck, and I managed to get a deer in the woods just out back of the cottage. I was surprised it came so close, I usually have to go looking for them. Alexis is in the village too dropping off the latest batch of herbs that Lanie asked for. We're going to meet up over at The Haunt for some of Jenny's famous broth and a drink before we head back out to the cottage if you're interested in joining us?" "Mmm, sounds good. I've missed you, and it'll be good to see Alexis again. I haven't seen either of you in weeks."
"It's settled then, you want to get cleaned up before we head over or do you want to use the bathhouse at The Haunt?" "The Haunt sounds good, the water is warmer there anyway." "Let's head over then, I'm starving. Just so you know, I missed you too. It's not the same out there without my partner with me, it gets lonely and cold and night." He says as he kisses her softly on the lips before slipping an arm around her waist and they head across the square to The Old Haunt.