Just a quick note on the timeline, this happens 3 days after the last chapter...

"Tell me about your family Kenna." Bash said one evening while they were sitting by the fireplace in their room.

Kenna know that this question would eventually come and though talking about her family was painful for her, she felt like she could trust him now with her heart.

"Well, I was the firstborn and as a girl, a disappointment to my father. My mother spoiled me quite a bit to make up for my father's indifference to me and we were very close. After 7 years of struggling to conceive again my mother finally became pregnant with my brother Andrew. My mother and Andrew died in labor," Kenna said, tears filling her eyes.

Bash pulled her tighter to him and she rested her head on his shoulder before continuing.

"My father took his grief out on me, I could never be good enough for him. At first it was subtle verbal abuse but after he started drinking heavily to numb his pain he started hitting me," Kenna felt Bash grow rigid underneath her. She looked up to see anger in his eyes.

She continued speaking, "Getting the position as one of Mary's ladies probably saved my life and she doesn't even know."

"You never told Mary about this?" Bash asked.

Kenna shook her head, "She knows about my mother but you're the first person I've told everything. Anyway, I guess that's why I craved affection when I arrived at court, and the King was the first to provide it. Oh, there were plenty of boys who flirted with me, but the King made grand promises and displays that swept me off my feet. I thought he loved me because I didn't know what love was. Everything my mother had taught me about gentle, patient love had been erased with my father's fists. Seeing Henry spiral downward was like reliving a nightmare."

"Oh Kenna, I'm so sorry that you've had to carry this with you for so long alone," Bash replied gently.

"It's alright, there's nothing either of us can do about the past but we can move forward. You've been my knight in shining armor and I can't thank you enough," Kenna said, wiping the tears from her eyes, "My idea of love might be a little skewed but- I, I-"

"You don't have to say it yet," Bash interrupted her.

"But I do, you might not love me yet, but I love you," Kenna finished.

She looked into his eyes for his response and saw that the anger that had filled them before at hearing about her father had now softened. She wanted to hear her words reciprocated so badly, but only if they were genuine.

Bash leaned in to kiss her and said, "Kenna, you deserve all the love in the world."

It wasn't exactly a declaration of love but it was a promise she could cling to.

He picked her up and carried her over to their bed, in between kisses he asked, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

She appreciated his sensitivity to her past experiences but she was more than ready to forget. She wanted to make sure he was truly ready to forget his past as well. "Are you? I'm not Mary and I don't want you wishing I was. I want you to see me and only me, your wife."

"I will."

What transpired that evening was nothing like she had ever experienced with Henry, who she knew now only viewed her as a trophy to add to his vast collection. Bash made her feel like the only girl in the world, a treasure. When she finally fell asleep in Bash's arms she felt safe and loved.

2 Weeks Later...

"Do we have to go back?" Kenna asked sleepily with a frown.

Their three weeks at the estate had come to an end much too soon for Bash and apparently for Kenna as well. He knew they needed to go back to court for a while, living in a construction zone didn't appeal to him and he knew it certainly wouldn't appeal to Kenna.

"Just for a few months until the work is completed here, we'll be back before you know it," Bash told her.

He felt awful taking her back into the place that had caused her so much pain, especially after she had confided in him about so much, but they had strengthened their relationship while being here and he knew she trusted him with her safety.

"As much as I hate to leave you so early, I really need to go see about when our carriage will be ready. Since we did most of our packing last night we can get an early start and arrive at court before dark," Bash continued.

"Alright," Kenna sighed, pulling him in for one last kiss before he got up.

Bash pulled on some trousers and a shirt and walked down to the stables. On the way there he thought about how this trip had been everything he had hoped for on the way here. He finally understood Kenna and Mary had barely crossed his mind since being here. He wasn't sure the exact moment he had fallen for her but he was ready to be fully devoted to his wife. To love her as she had told him she loved him.

Can you feel the love tonight? :) Hopefully this didn't feel too rushed. I was trying to progress their relationship without accelerating time too quickly. The next chapter will have Bash and Kenna returning the castle and it should be up tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read my story and an extra thank you to those who reviewed. Also, I don't think they mentioned anything about Kenna's family on the show so I took some creative liberties with her backstory. I felt like a rough childhood would help to explain her relationship with the King and spur on Bash's protective nature some more.