Hello. It is I, Tatiana, back with another installment of the saga that is Sweet Revenge. Wow, that sounded kind of dramatic! Sorry, I like to play around with silly stuff like that. Anyway! Taaadaaaa! It's Chapter 20, at your service!

Sweet Revenge

By Tatiana

Chapter 20: Ulterior Motive

The next morning Kate was curled on the ground, clutching her thin blanket about her. She let out a sleepy sigh as she slipped out of slumber and rolled over onto her side in an attempt to drift back in. But alas, sleep escaped her. Blinking, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. The faintly glowing coals of a nearby fire let off a tiny, almost invisible, column of smoke into the air. Soft snoring reached her ears. A few of Adhemar's soldiers slept around the same fire as she had.

With a sigh, Kate rose to her feet. She reached her arms heavenwards, stretching, and let out a large yawn at the same time. Glancing quickly about, Kate noticed that the rest of the camp was still asleep except for a watchman positioned near the road. The encampment was silent except for the occasional snore emitted by a slumbering soldier.

Kate looked over the sleeping forms with a slight smile. After Germaine had introduced them to her the day before, they had become hospitable, some even friendly. Last night she sat around the fire with nearly a dozen of them, listening and at times participating, in their conversations. It had made her sad at first, reminding her of William, Chaucer, Roland, and Wat. But it was not nearly as fun as the times she had when she was with Will and the boys. But at least the companionship had made the evening more bearable. It was the most enjoyment she'd had in a while.

Adhemar's soldiers were good men, though a little misguided at times. Kate couldn't help but remember what Chaucer had said at the World Tournament about Adhemar and Free Companies. The herald had spoken of their pillaging and murdering in the towns they came across while at war. It made Kate cringe to think these men were capable of such horrors. But it could be said that they were merely following orders, the orders of their general, Count Adhemar. It didn't sit well with Kate either that Adhemar would, condone such behavior, but expect, even demand it of his men.

Could that man be the same who had offered her a truce merely a day ago? The same man who had jested with her last afternoon? Kate was torn between hating Count Adhemar and actually sympathizing with him. She let out a long sigh. He had to go and complicate things by showing a human side. Why couldn't he have just gone on being cruel and heartless so she could have gone on hating him? That thought startled her. Did that mean that she actually was beginning to like him? The temperature of Hell must have dropped a few degrees with that realization.

A loud snort brought Kate out of the deep ponderings of her mind. She turned her head in the direction of the sound. The culprit stood nearly fifteen yards away, tied to a metal post, which had been anchored securely into the ground. He tossed his enormous ebony head and pranced in place. Kate began to slowly walk towards Adhemar's new stallion, adopting an unimpressed expression. She stopped when she was a few feet away. The animal was impressive and intimidating, but she'd dealt with horses of all sizes and dispositions as a fairess.

" Trying to show off are you?" Kate asked the beast, who was eyeing her in an equally unimpressed manner. " Well, it takes a little more that a pretty head and strong body to impress me, lad."

The stallion snorted again in what sounded like a dismissal. He lowered his head to the ground and nibbled carelessly at the sweet, green grass that grew there. Kate smiled at the stallion, shaking her head.

" You don't need me to tell you that you're beautiful," she laughed affectionately. " You already know you are." The black turned his head to regard her once more. Kate teased. " Don't try to deny it. Modesty doesn't suit you." The horse let out a sigh of boredom and turned his head away from her once more.

" It seems my stallion has taken a liking to you," a deep voice commented from behind her.

Kate didn't bother turning around, she knew who it was. " If that is what you call a liking, I'd hate to know what he'd be like if he hated me." Her cheeks reddened at being caught talking to the animal. How long had he been standing there?

Kate heard Adhemar's deep chuckle as he stepped up to stand beside her. The rich sound sent a shiver down her spine. She was extremely aware of his nearness; his upper arm was almost brushing her shoulder. The stallion raised his head, his ears pricking back and forth.

" He certainly knows who his master is," Kate said quietly, sending a quick glance at Adhemar who stood to her left.

" He senses it, but he does not know yet." Adhemar replied. The horse sniffed at Adhemar then exhaled a long breath and turned its attention back to the grass at the base of the post once more. " He sees me as a challenge, as an opponent. Only through experience will he learn to trust me and the commands I give. Eventually he will come to understand that we are on the same side, he and I."

Kate turned her eyes to the black stallion once more. She wanted to ask as Adhemar just which side that was, but thought better of it. If he was willing to honor the truce, than so was she.

" Shall we be underway soon?" she asked politely, changing the subject and shifting her weight onto one foot, putting a little more distance between their bodies.

" No." was his reply.

" No?" Kate repeated, glancing sharply up at him. Her voice contained a hint of surprise.

" No," he nodded in confirmation. With that said, he spun on his heel and walked back towards were his men were beginning to rise from their crude beds. " Attention!" he shouted. All eyes focused on Adhemar. " Do not think that I have not noticed your efforts over this past week. The pace I have set has been hard and tiring. Yet I have not heard one complaint or grumble. This pleases me greatly. Therefore I have decided that today will be a day of rest. There is a town about a half-mile up the road where you may spend the day if you wish. We will continue our journey tomorrow morn. That is all."

With that, Adhemar strode through the camp to where Germaine was pulling equipment from one of the wagons, leaving Kate and the rest of the men staring after him. A cheer rose up, as his words soaked into the half-asleep brains of the soldiers. Their weariness all but disappeared as they scrambled about to gather their personal items in a hurry to begin the walk to town. As they filed past Kate, many of them sent a smile her way and tilted their heads towards her. They sensed, even if she didn't, that it was partly because of her that Count Adhemar was in such a pleasurable mood. He had never granted them leave in the middle of a mission before, and was likely never to again. They intended to make the most of this strange occurrence.

* * * * *

It was not long after Adhemar's announcement that the encampment was deserted. The only three people remaining were Adhemar, Germaine, and Kate. Adhemar had gone to Germaine after he granted the men a day's leave and informed him that the two of them would be working with his new stallion that morning. Germaine had immediately set to work unloading the equipment from one of the wagons, gathering tack and other things that they would need.

Adhemar worked with the stallion for hours, putting the animal through its paces over and over, and testing its abilities. When he finally deemed it time to quit, both the stallion and its master were covered with sweat and breathing heavily. Adhemar, looking quite satisfied with their progress, pulled the spirited beast to a halt in front of his herald. Germaine was staring off into the distance, as though he were in deep thought.

" What are you thinking Germaine?" Adhemar asked. The stallion beneath him breathed a shuddering sigh of relief as Adhemar relaxed his seat in the saddle.

The herald glanced up. " He's a magnificent animal, perhaps even more so than your last."

Adhemar nodded in agreement. " That he is, but that isn't what I meant." Germaine looked confused. " You were not thinking that before I came over. What was on your mind while I was riding?"

" Nothing of consequence," the herald shrugged dismissively, averting his eyes.

" Humor me," Adhemar suggested. He wiped his sweat-covered forehead with the back of his sleeve.

Germaine's brow furrowed as he allowed a moment of silence to pass before answering.

" You didn't grant the soldiers a day's leave just so you could work with your new stallion," Germaine said slowly, as if he were still pondering the notion.

" You're right. That is not the reason why I granted the men leave." Adhemar replied frankly. In a one fluid motion, he swung his right leg over the saddle and dismounted.

" What is the reason then?" the herald questioned.

" I have devised a plan in which I shall pay Kate back for what she has done to me," Adhemar answered flatly, his voice containing no emotion. He gave the stallion's glossy neck a firm pat of pleased praise.

" I was under the impression that the two of you had a truce," Germaine's tone was filled with confusion.

Adhemar's lips curved into a secretive smile. " We do."

Germaine's eyes narrowed in wary suspicion. What was his friend up to?

* * * * *

I know. This chapter was even shorter than the last one, but don't worry, the next chapter will make up for it. Are you intrigued? I hope so! Otherwise my efforts to make this chapter a cliffhanger were wasted! Oh, sorry it took me so long to update. I'm at college now and have found that time to write and do stuff (other than go to class and do homework) is very rare. I'll do my best to keep updating as fast as I can. ^_^

Thanks for the reviews! Love 'em! Oh, I also went back and corrected a few things that some of you mentioned were incorrect, like how Kate is actually Scottish, not Irish. Thanks so much for the tip! I really appreciate it! Thanks again! Bye!