IX:
Fear
Looking at him in shock, Christine quickly took his hand and let him lead her through the corridor. She could see through the windows the chaos outside, the fire building in the town square and the group of men formed at the gates, preparing for battle. Women and children ran through the streets frantically and Christine felt her body shudder.
"What is happening, Erik?" she asked, managing to pull her eyes away from the fearsome disaster outside.
"It looks like your husband's enemies have come back for some revenge," Erik said over his shoulder as he led her down a dark, secluded stairway.
Finally reaching the bottom floor where the kitchens and storerooms were, Erik looked around quickly for any sign of anyone and hastily pulled out a dagger and gave it to Christine.
"Take this," he said, gently placing the knife in her hand.
She looked up at him in apprehension. "What are you doing?"
Erik sighed. "There is a secret passageway just down there. You will find it from the crack in the stone. When you see it, put this dagger in it and it will open. You'll be safe there. No one knows about it but me and the knights."
"But what about you? Where are you going?"
"I have to protect the fort. I can't let whoever's at the gates come and harm this keep."
She tugged on his sleeve desperately. "You can't leave…"
"I must," he breathed out.
"But what if…?"
"I'm a strong man. I'll survive. Lord knows I've suffered far worse. Just promise me, Christine. Promise me you will stay here and not leave until I come for you myself."
"I don't feel safe without you." She whispered.
He kissed her hand. "I know, my dear. I know. But I must do my duty and I must protect you. I could never bare it if I did not."
Still hesitant to let him leave, Christine kept the tears in her eyes from falling and tried to muster something to say. She was so afraid something would happen, so afraid of being without you."
"Erik," she murmured, "if anything should happen…"
He stopped her with a warm, strong kiss that took her breath away.
"Nothing. Nothing will ever prevent me from coming for you."
Finally giving her one more passionate kiss, he quickly embraced her and then headed off, leaving her alone.
Despondent and utterly scared, Christine had to summon all the courage she possessed to take a deep breath and do his bidding. Walking down to the dark and labyrinthine corridor Christine strained her eyes in the dark to find the crack Erik had told her to look for. Finally seeing it a way's down she stuck the dagger fully in the small crack and waited. As if magic, and just as Erik had told her, the wall moved away as if a door and revealed a dark room. Christine tentatively looked around the room and the corridor before she finally took a step in and let the door shut behind her.
()()()()()()()()()()()()
Erik strapped his weapons and his chain mail armor tightly as he ran through the castle and headed toward the outside where the peasants and knights were in frenzy. Rushing down the steps, he could see Halebran and Rhodrick and the others already armored and preparing for battle. The bowmen on top of the wall were supplying themselves with arrows and shouting to each other as they took turns firing down at the encroaching enemy soldiers. Erik put on his helmet and hurried over to his brother knights through the chaos, having to push frantic women and children aside so he could get to his men and figure out their strategy. They all sighed with relief when they saw him.
"Erik!" Rhodrick exclaimed upon seeing him. "Where you been, man? We've got a bloody battle on our hands."
Erik ignored answering about where he had been and switched subjects. "What's happening? Rebels?"
Halebran shook his head. "More soldiers from Baron Cromwell's keep. They are still convinced they came to capture Geoffrey's keep and take leadership here."
"Why did they attack now?"
"They heard we were back and they didn't want to fight unless there was a chance they could get some real bloodshed. They love to battle and conquer strong armies, not weak ones."
"And Geoffrey? What is he doing?"
The knights grew silent a moment and shared shameful glances before Halebran answered for them.
"Lord Geoffrey…He has decided to take refuge away from the fighting…in his chambers."
Erik could barely contain his fury at the statement. The coward! The bloody fool actually meant to hide from his enemies like a whipped dog and leave the fighting to solely his knights and vassals? What kind of man couldn't even protect his own land?
"Well, we will just have to do without him. We fought more formidable enemies without his leadership before. We can survive a couple of bloodthirsty fools now," Erik assured his knights.
They all nodded staunchly, knowing all too well that they had in fact defeated far more nefarious foes.
Erik strapped his helmet on and whipped out his sword.
"Well, I don't know about you boys, but we've gone too long without a good fight. Let's give these bastards some hell."
The men shouted in agreement and prepared themselves as the drawbridge came down and they planned to go out and fight the enemy head on.
()()()()()()()()()()()()
Christine shivered in the darkness as she went over the time in her head. It had seemed like hours since Erik left her in this chamber to go fight the enemies. But then she had no idea whether or not it had been hours or minutes. It was pitch black in the tiny room and she couldn't hear a word from the outside world for any idea of what was happening with the battle. She prayed Erik was still alive and that God wouldn't punish him for their encounter a little while earlier. She knew it was technically wrong and that she had sinned and should feel guilty, but God help her she didn't. It had not really been lovemaking in the sense that it had not been intercourse, but it had been more pleasurable and amazing than "lovemaking" she had had with Geoffrey. She had never experienced such intense feelings, such a rush of her senses and her body. It had literally convulsed with pleasure. The way he had touched her and kissed her and whispered that erotic praise in her ear, it had driven her crazy. Geoffrey had never done any of that. It had been cold, business-like, rough. There was no caressing, no touching and no praise. Geoffrey's taking of her body had not compared at all to Erik's embrace. She just hoped she would be able to experience more of those caresses.
Suddenly hearing the wall break apart and seeing the tiniest shred of light appear, Christine's heart leapt in joy and she rose immediately when Erik emerged in the walkway. Bloodied, battered and bruised from the battle, he actually looked weak standing there holding a small torch.
"Erik!" Christine exclaimed as she lunged for him and embraced him.
He hissed in pain and pulled her back. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I'm a little hurt I'm afraid. The battle was not an easy one."
"How long was it?"
"About four hours. We just fought off the last of them?"
"Was anyone killed?"
"Unfortunately, some of the serfs and townspeople."
Christine crossed herself and said a quick prayer. "God grant them peace."
"Don't worry. We avenged their deaths."
He winced as he lied down to sit against a rock. He held his side tenderly and groaned as he struggled to find a comfortable position.
Christine sat down next to him and looked over him, worried still that he had been severely wounded.
"You are not hurt too bad, are you?"
He chuckled darkly, but it seemed to hurt him. "I've fared worse."
Christine looked at his bloody tunic. "Do you want me to look at it, the wound?"
Erik looked at her intently for a minute and then slowly nodded.
Heeding his approval, Christine bent down and gingerly removed his tunic and underclothes until his chest and abdomen were bare. Christine had never seen his body before and was awed by it, even though it bloodied and bruised. He had a powerful, masculine build with a hard, flat stomach and broad shoulders and strong arms and a narrow waist. She felt her cheeks flush with heat and felt embarrassed for being affected like this when she should have been tending to his wounds.
She splayed her fingers lightly over his gash on his stomach but he hissed again in pain and Christine reeled back in fear she had hurt him.
"Did I hurt you?" she cried.
"I'll be alright. Go ahead. Pay no attention to my whining."
Reluctantly, Christine went back to his cut and lightly measured with her fingers the length and depth of it.
"It doesn't seem to be that deep. I think it will heal easily."
Erik's breathing slowed and she watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. She looked up and saw him looking at her. He no longer looked like he was in pain. His eyes were hungry and heated.
"I like your touch on me," he whispered.
She responded by whispering her fingers against the flesh that wasn't wounded. His body tightened immediately.
"I want you, Erik," she whispered in the low light of the hidden room.
His face was dark with passion and desire but he remained still. "I want you too, Christine, but our first time won't be here in the dark."
She leaned closer to him to affect his senses. "Then where will it be?"
He looked over her face. "How did you imagine your first time to be?"
Taken back by the question, Christine reeled back a little and looked seriously at him. She had not expected that question; nor had she thought about that fantasy for a long time.
"Well, I guess I always imagined it in my wedding bed on white sheets. I imagined it at night with the moon outside and a fire in the hearth. I imagined it to safe in my room where no one could interrupt us."
"Then that's where our first time will be."
She smiled in appreciation and kept herself from crying all over the place.
"But when?" she laughed impatiently.
"When the time is right."
"But I'm ready now."
He looked at her and smiled sadly. "No. You won't be really ready until we're completely safe and away from everyone. Then you'll be ready."
Christine sighed frustrated and turned away from him.
"When Geoffrey leaves," she whispered. "When he leaves promise me we'll be together."
Erik smiled and nodded. "Yes. When Geoffrey leaves we'll make love."
