Ms Genova - Thank you muchly, your review really made me smile. : D As for the identity of her brother, I will tell you this, it will be revealed very soon. . I promise not to make you wait too much longer. . lol. I cannot wait to get to the knights myself, but feel there is just a bit more to tell before I get there. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last!
lozcollie - Thanks for the review! ; D
TwistofShadows - Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, they mean a lot. I'm sorry this update took nearly as long as the last. Hope you enjoy it!
like I'd tell you! - Thanks! I'm very happy that you love this! And thank you for the compliments. . do you really think so?
MORWEN12 - Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like this. Sorry it took so long. ;D
A/N - Sorry this chapter took so long, I really wanted to have it up sooner but had a bit of writer's block trying to get started. Then it was thanksgiving. . with turkey to cook. . and eat. .lol. Mmmm turkey. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!
For this chapter's glossary of names, just one.
Caedmon - a wise warrior
Chapter Five : The Valley
The sun was just setting as Maelgwyn crested the rise leading to the secluded valley, nestled deep in the mountains. He reigned in the black and sat for a quiet moment, staring at the beauty unfolding before him. To the east the sky was turning a dark midnight blue but to the west where the sun slowly sank behind the mountains, it was ablaze with a last burst of magnificent color. Every imaginable shade of pink, purple, red and orange boldly streaked the gradually darkening sky, and the valley itself was bathed in a soft golden glow. The greens, reds, and yellows of the late autumn foliage stretched before him invitingly and the river snaking its way across the easternmost side glittered as though covered in a thousand precious gemstones. With a sigh of contentment he raised his eyes skyward and caught sight of his hawk soaring on the evening breeze.
"I could stay here forever." He breathed softly.
There he sat for a few moments more, soaking up the peace of the ancient forest, breathing deeply of the fresh, crisp pine scent. Until a soft groan from Brenna returned his attention to the bundle in his arms.
"Where are we?" She asked, her voice hoarse and pain filled. Hugging her more closely to his body, he leaned close to her ear and replied.
"Where the Saxons cannot find us."
With a sigh of relief, Brenna closed her eyes against the light and leaned back against Maelgwyn, nestling deep into the protective haven of his arms. Placing a soft kiss on the top of her head, he touched his heels to the black's sides and continued down into the valley.
Atoll tore savagely into a chunk of venison and glared at the setting sun. Flinging the bones into the fire before him, he wiped his greasy hands on his breeches and watched as the flames angrily devoured them.
The camp was hushed and silent about him, the only sounds coming from the campfires and an occasional whimper from one of the hounds. No one wished to draw attention to himself for fear of invoking the wrath of their commander. He had sent a scout out earlier in the day to search for Brenna and the stallion, but the man had yet to return. There were many who thought he would not. If he were to return without Atoll's whore it would mean his death, and the men seriously doubted that he would find her. If the decimation of over half of their numbers was any indication, the Sarmatian knight would be long gone, and the girl with him.
Getting to his feet, Atoll strode to the edge of the encampment and beyond. Heading for the hill at the northwest edge, he climbed to the top and stood staring into the distance. Some of the men sent wary looks in his direction, but he ignored them, focusing instead on the mountains stretching into the distance. Evil black eyes burning with rage, he growled into the silence.
"I will have you back . . . no one escapes me and lives . . . no one."
When Brenna next awoke, she wished with all of her heart that she hadn't. For a few long moments all she could think of was the pain. Trying desperately to ignore it, she struggled to concentrate instead on the world outside.
Slowly but gradually, it began to work and she became aware of things one detail at a time. She could hear the distant sound of rushing water and, closer, that of a fire, the flames crackling and popping. Off to her left she could make out the soft sounds of horses munching contentedly on grain.
Covering her body was a warm fur and leather cloak, and there was something soft underneath her as well, a saddle blanket perhaps? Her feverish body felt much too warm, so she raised her good arm and shoved the cloak partway off. Breathing as deeply as her battered body would allow she gazed upwards and suddenly realized that there were no stars or moon in sight.
Raising herself slightly and very carefully, she took a better look at her surroundings and was startled to see firelight dancing on rough rock walls. Curious now, Brenna slowly and cautiously sat up and gazed about. She was in a cave, small, but with more than enough room for two people and their horses. She smiled slightly when the stallion looked up from his feed and nickered softly in her direction.
Hearing her stir, Maelgwyn turned from the packhorse, his hands full of healing supplies and a bundle of cloth. Crossing the gap between them, he knelt by her side and laid the supplies on the cave floor. Gently brushing aside the damp curls resting limply against her forehead, he carefully examined the gash near her hairline. The wound itself did not look promising, showing early signs of infection. Her fever however did seem fractionally reduced, so at least that was a small blessing. Untying a small water skin from his belt, he opened the top and held it towards Brenna. Green eyes wide she thirstily reached for it and he helped hold it to her lips for a few small sips, before taking it away and setting it on the ground.
"You must not drink too much at once. Having been without, it may make you sick."
Brenna nodded in understanding, thankful for the coolness that had already soothed her parched throat.
At her nod, he reached for the bundle of cloth, unfolding it to reveal a brown woolen tunic and a pair of leather breeches. "I'm afraid these will be quite large, but they are dry and warm. As well, I have a piece of rope that you may use for a belt."
He raised his eyes to meet hers and found them to be filled with grateful tears, which she was desperately trying to blink away. Clearing his throat, Maelgwyn's gaze dropped awkwardly from Brenna's as he unrolled the leather protecting his healing supplies, and began to sort them. He was a man not easily perturbed, but the sight of this poor creature crying over basic human kindness deeply disturbed him.
"I am sorry to cause you more pain, but I must clean and dress your wounds."
Reaching for two woolen blankets lying nearby, he continued. "I need to examine your injuries, and I cannot do so through your gown. I have these blankets with which you may cover yourself. . "
His voice trailed off as he finally raised his eyes to meet hers and found her face burning with embarrassment and her eyes wide with fear. Seeing the terror etched on her bruised, swollen face, Maelgwyn was struck anew with a wave of anger at the man who had done this. His eyes darkened to a deep thundercloud grey as they grazed over her painfully thin body. Taking in the broken arm cradled against the filthy, torn dress, the cuts, the welts, the bruises and the burns. A tremor of rage raced up his spine and his heart twisted painfully in his chest.
'How could one do such a thing? What sort of monster could treat another so cruelly?'
He felt ill as his mind ran rampant with thoughts of the horrors she must have endured at the hands of Atoll. Closing his eyes momentarily to regain his shredded composure, he reached gently for her hand, enclosing it in both of his own. Opening his eyes he met her anxious gaze as he spoke vehemently.
"You must not fear me. I would NEVER do to you what Atoll and the Saxons did. And I will die first before I will allow ANYONE to harm you in such a way EVER again. Of this I swear to you. . . You MUST trust me."
He held her gaze as her mind and heart battled one another. Finally, after what seemed an age, the tenseness left her body and she let her head fall against his chest.
"I do."
Two hours later. . .
Maelgwyn stood just outside the entrance to the cave, staring up at the full moon. He was exhausted, body, mind and soul. It had taken him well over an hour to clean, treat and dress Brenna's extensive injuries. An hour that had seemed an eternity.
He still wasn't sure whom it had hurt more, Brenna or himself. By the time he had finished his entire body had been drenched with sweat and shaking. It had nearly killed him to cause her so much added pain, even though it had been a necessary evil. As if setting her broken arm had not been bad enough, she had had not one but two infected lacerations that required cauterizing, along with several cracked and broken ribs. But through all of it she had made not a sound. He had heard grown men. . seasoned warriors, shrieking like banshees at less than what Brenna had suffered, and yet she remained silent. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and her good hand desperately clenched the blankets, but not a whimper escaped her lips. He had given a quiet prayer of thanks to God when she had finally passed out, as he laid the white hot knife against the long jagged wound on her back, and fell into blessed darkness.
Shaking his head, he rubbed a hand over his burning eyes and slumped to the ground, leaning back against the cool rock wall. The coldness soothing his aching muscles, as he gazed out across the darkened valley, streaked silver with the light of the moon.
He had thought himself hardened in the way of healing, that no injury could faze him. In his fifteen years of service he had encountered countless wounds far more severe, had seen things in battle that would send a normal man screaming into the night never to return. This was different however, Brenna was one who should never have had to experience what she did. An innocent in a world gone mad.
This night, he knew, would haunt him for the rest of his days.
Brenna suddenly found herself staring into Maelgwyn's concerned grey eyes. His words slowly cut through her panic clouded mind, calm and reassuring.
"Brenna. . Brenna wake up. It is only a dream. He cannot harm you now."
Gazing at him in confusion, her brain worked frantically, trying to piece things together. The last thing she remembered was the intense burning of the knife against her body and then, nothing. But wait, there was something else. A dream. Yes, she had been dreaming.
"It was my brother." She began, raising a shaky hand to her forehead, pushing her hair out of her flushed face. "I heard my brother, telling me that he loves me. But then he was gone and I was again witnessing the attack on my village. My parents struck down before my eyes and then. . . their murderer, Atoll, he saw me, ordered his men to capture me. . . I can still hear his hoarse, evil laughter. I tried to escape but there were too many of them, they dragged me away and. . . that night. . . Atoll. . . . he. . . . " Her voice trailed off and her eyes filled with terror as she relived in her mind the horrors of that day and so many more afterwards. A year of torture.
Great, heart wrenching sobs wracked her body as she collapsed into Maelgwyn's arms and buried her face in his chest. Releasing tears so long held back. Tears for her parents, for her friends, for all that she had lost, and all that had been done to her.
Brenna had no idea how long they sat that way. Maelgwyn holding her in his lap, gently rocking her and stroking her hair. Finally, the sobs began to subside and she raised red-rimmed eyes to his face. As she tried to get her breathing back to normal, she gazed once more upon the face of her rescuer. The face of a man, she realized suddenly, that she was already beginning to love as a brother. To depend upon. Reaching out her hand, she laid it upon his bearded cheek, feeling the roughness under her fingertips. Glancing down, she lowered her hand to the front of his tunic as she cringed slightly in embarrassment and apologized.
"I'm sorry, I've soaked your tunic through."
Following her eyes, Maelgwyn laughed gently and replied teasingly. "You have nothing to apologize for my lady, I will gladly be your handkerchief any time you so require my services." When she huffed in mock indignation and shoved him away, he turned and picked up a wooden cup, filled it from a pot on the fire and handed it to her.
"Now drink this, it will assist with the fever, and should also ease your pain. Then you must sleep, your body needs rest in order to heal."
"What is it?" Brenna asked suspiciously, wrinkling her nose at the foul smelling brew.
"A tea made from several different herbs and such. It works, trust me, I have used it myself in the past."
Still eyeing him dubiously, she held her breath and swallowed it as quickly as possible, then handed him the cup. She knew not if it was merely her imagination, but the potion seemed to begin its job almost immediately. The pounding in her head began to subside, and the pain in her body eased, her muscles loosening and relaxing. She looked up at Maelgwyn, a worried frown creasing her brow as he gently drew her into his arms and leaned back against the cave wall.
"What if I have another nightmare? What if the Saxons do find us?"
"They will not find us here. Besides no one could come within miles of this valley without Caedmon seeing them and alerting me."
Brenna gazed up at him sleepily, the tea beginning to take full effect. "Who is Caedmon?"
"You've met him, in the forest, by the pond."
"The hawk?" She questioned after a moments thought.
"Yes, now sleep." He whispered into her ear. "You've nothing to fear. I will protect you and no harm will come to you while I've breath in my body."
She snuggled deeper into his protective embrace, breathing in his scent, the scent of freedom, then smiled in contentment as he began to softly sing. It was a song from home, from childhood, a Sarmatian lullaby that her mother had sung each night, as she tucked Brenna and her brother under the furs. As she began to drift off she remembered one more thing she needed to say.
"Thank you."
"For what?" He questioned, pausing mid-song.
"For everything."
A/N - Well I hope this was worth the wait! As always, hopefully I'll get the next out quicker. . .I've given up on guarantees though. . lol. Reviews do help though! I LOVE to see and hear what everyone thinks of this so. . .please, please, please read and review!