"I'm pregnant."
Will stared deep into Kate's eyes. Her expression was unreadable. "Maybe you should get going." She nodded slowly, and hurried out the door, stumbling slightly. Will made sure she was out of sight before continuing.
"You're what?"
"I'm pregnant, Will." She replied shakily, however still managing to maintain her confidence. "I did not know when to tell you."
"Why didn't you tell me? How far along are you? Does anyone else know?" he tripped over his words. Why had she not told him? He suddenly became aware that he was babbling, but so many questions flashed through his mind. She looked scared-she had no idea he'd react like this. It just wasn't him. He was strong, she'd thought he'd cope well.
"W-well."
"How far are along are you, Jocelyn??" he shouted. He had never yelled at her before. They were both taken aback.
".four months." She drew her gaze down to the floor. Suddenly, he realized how harsh he had been.
"I'm sorry, Jocelyn." he ran his had through his scruffy hair, then a grin spread across his face. "This is a happy time, isn't it? We must celebrate!" She whipped her head up and was greeted with Will's outstretched arms. He whirled her around, and they met in a warm embrace.
"We shall have to tell the others soon."
* * *
Kate ploughed through the deep, crunchy snow, the crisp air dashing her pale cheeks, her breath a cloud of delicate mist. She glimpsed over her shoulder, but Will's tent was merely a tiny green dot on the frosty outcrop. She looked forward, to the neat little huts just ahead of her. The lights from campfires and lanterns danced with the chimney's smoke, the orange sparks brightening it's indigo edge. Every curved log was glazed with ice, the reflections playing with each stars' sharp hue.
The silver moon gazed down, illuminating her fresh face. She rapped her cold fingers against the sturdy paned oak three times, the way she always used to. The door slowly creaked open, and a round, familiar face broke out in a friendly smile. Kate's eyes flickered with the red fire reflecting against her white skin, and her faint, hopeful smile spread into a full beam as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Kate! Is that you?" He stuttered, pushing her gently away, at arms length.
"Yes, of course it is!" She peered over his shoulder, "Are the others here?". He hesitated,
"Almost everyone."
"Kate!" Christiana exclaimed, pushing past a grinning Roland, and grabbing Kate's clasped hands "You're freezing! You must come inside. Sit by the fire and tell us where you've been!"
"For a year." a voice muttered in the background, but nobody heard. Christiana bustled Kate across the wide floorboards to the crackling, fizzing fire. Just as she was being pulled towards its warmth, she managed to catch a glance of Chaucer, leaning on the thick table at the back of the room, shadows casting over his solemn face.
But before she could speak to him, she was whisked away by Christiana, who sat her down on a small, hard stool next to the fire. Whilst Roland hurried off to fetch some drinks, Kate's gaze wandered to the back of the room again. Geoff's eyes locked with hers, but only for a second. His cold to her welcoming warmth. Then he got up and walked stealthily to the door, leaving the room to the bitter, black night and leaving her heart cold and empty. Kate sighed. Somehow she knew he'd react like that. It was the other Chaucer, the lonely, harsher man. She sighed.
"There you go." Roland smiled, gently forcing the water into her still frigid hands. She smiled up at him comfortably as he slowly walked over to the dying fire and stabbed it with the poker resting against the mahogany wood. Pushing her worries to the back of her mind, she paused, watching the flames flicker back to their original red.
"Wat!" She suddenly realised. "Wat! Has he come back yet?"
"Sorry, Kate. He's been gone for over two years now." Roland mumbled, his back to her. "We all hope he'll come back one day, but there's been no news."
"Anyway." Christiana interrupted, "Lets talk about something more.uplifting. No one was expecting you to return this quickly, Kate. What made you come back so early?"
"I never realised Canterbury would be so.boring. Yes, boring." She reinforced, "It was competitive too. Everyone was selling their armour at at least half the price of mine. And I missed everyone here, I thought Wat might be back, but in the corner of my mind I knew he wouldn't be. Do you know if he's won any tournaments yet?"
"Like we said: we don't know, he hasn't contacted any of us. Does anyone else know you're back?" Roland questioned.
"I've seen Will and Jocelyn, but I haven't spoken to Geoff so far." A wave of awkwardness rushed over her, and she looked towards the hut's door, then back to her friends.
"Would you like to go and see him? We don't mind, he's been lonely recently - he could do with some cheering up." An unexpected smile crept over Christiana's face.
* * *
The thin, icy air stung Kate's face as she traipsed slowly through the unforgiving snow. Stillness surrounded her, except for the tall, spindly, swaying trees. Snowflakes started to drift about her, trapping her in a sweeping spiral of white. She went to seek shelter under the shallow trees which cascaded over a pool of ice, just ahead of her.
But a figure was already there.
Finally! A new chapter! Hope you enjoyed it folks, and the next ones coming soon, just bear with us if it takes a couple of weeks. Don't forget to R+R, and thanks to all our lovely present reviewers - no, we can't imagine Wat jousting either, but there you go.
Will stared deep into Kate's eyes. Her expression was unreadable. "Maybe you should get going." She nodded slowly, and hurried out the door, stumbling slightly. Will made sure she was out of sight before continuing.
"You're what?"
"I'm pregnant, Will." She replied shakily, however still managing to maintain her confidence. "I did not know when to tell you."
"Why didn't you tell me? How far along are you? Does anyone else know?" he tripped over his words. Why had she not told him? He suddenly became aware that he was babbling, but so many questions flashed through his mind. She looked scared-she had no idea he'd react like this. It just wasn't him. He was strong, she'd thought he'd cope well.
"W-well."
"How far are along are you, Jocelyn??" he shouted. He had never yelled at her before. They were both taken aback.
".four months." She drew her gaze down to the floor. Suddenly, he realized how harsh he had been.
"I'm sorry, Jocelyn." he ran his had through his scruffy hair, then a grin spread across his face. "This is a happy time, isn't it? We must celebrate!" She whipped her head up and was greeted with Will's outstretched arms. He whirled her around, and they met in a warm embrace.
"We shall have to tell the others soon."
* * *
Kate ploughed through the deep, crunchy snow, the crisp air dashing her pale cheeks, her breath a cloud of delicate mist. She glimpsed over her shoulder, but Will's tent was merely a tiny green dot on the frosty outcrop. She looked forward, to the neat little huts just ahead of her. The lights from campfires and lanterns danced with the chimney's smoke, the orange sparks brightening it's indigo edge. Every curved log was glazed with ice, the reflections playing with each stars' sharp hue.
The silver moon gazed down, illuminating her fresh face. She rapped her cold fingers against the sturdy paned oak three times, the way she always used to. The door slowly creaked open, and a round, familiar face broke out in a friendly smile. Kate's eyes flickered with the red fire reflecting against her white skin, and her faint, hopeful smile spread into a full beam as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Kate! Is that you?" He stuttered, pushing her gently away, at arms length.
"Yes, of course it is!" She peered over his shoulder, "Are the others here?". He hesitated,
"Almost everyone."
"Kate!" Christiana exclaimed, pushing past a grinning Roland, and grabbing Kate's clasped hands "You're freezing! You must come inside. Sit by the fire and tell us where you've been!"
"For a year." a voice muttered in the background, but nobody heard. Christiana bustled Kate across the wide floorboards to the crackling, fizzing fire. Just as she was being pulled towards its warmth, she managed to catch a glance of Chaucer, leaning on the thick table at the back of the room, shadows casting over his solemn face.
But before she could speak to him, she was whisked away by Christiana, who sat her down on a small, hard stool next to the fire. Whilst Roland hurried off to fetch some drinks, Kate's gaze wandered to the back of the room again. Geoff's eyes locked with hers, but only for a second. His cold to her welcoming warmth. Then he got up and walked stealthily to the door, leaving the room to the bitter, black night and leaving her heart cold and empty. Kate sighed. Somehow she knew he'd react like that. It was the other Chaucer, the lonely, harsher man. She sighed.
"There you go." Roland smiled, gently forcing the water into her still frigid hands. She smiled up at him comfortably as he slowly walked over to the dying fire and stabbed it with the poker resting against the mahogany wood. Pushing her worries to the back of her mind, she paused, watching the flames flicker back to their original red.
"Wat!" She suddenly realised. "Wat! Has he come back yet?"
"Sorry, Kate. He's been gone for over two years now." Roland mumbled, his back to her. "We all hope he'll come back one day, but there's been no news."
"Anyway." Christiana interrupted, "Lets talk about something more.uplifting. No one was expecting you to return this quickly, Kate. What made you come back so early?"
"I never realised Canterbury would be so.boring. Yes, boring." She reinforced, "It was competitive too. Everyone was selling their armour at at least half the price of mine. And I missed everyone here, I thought Wat might be back, but in the corner of my mind I knew he wouldn't be. Do you know if he's won any tournaments yet?"
"Like we said: we don't know, he hasn't contacted any of us. Does anyone else know you're back?" Roland questioned.
"I've seen Will and Jocelyn, but I haven't spoken to Geoff so far." A wave of awkwardness rushed over her, and she looked towards the hut's door, then back to her friends.
"Would you like to go and see him? We don't mind, he's been lonely recently - he could do with some cheering up." An unexpected smile crept over Christiana's face.
* * *
The thin, icy air stung Kate's face as she traipsed slowly through the unforgiving snow. Stillness surrounded her, except for the tall, spindly, swaying trees. Snowflakes started to drift about her, trapping her in a sweeping spiral of white. She went to seek shelter under the shallow trees which cascaded over a pool of ice, just ahead of her.
But a figure was already there.
Finally! A new chapter! Hope you enjoyed it folks, and the next ones coming soon, just bear with us if it takes a couple of weeks. Don't forget to R+R, and thanks to all our lovely present reviewers - no, we can't imagine Wat jousting either, but there you go.