Chapter 28
"We actually did it!" Relieved, Kenna sat down on the ground. Climbing through the ravine had used up all her energy. Her clothes were torn and she was dirty. But she didn't care. She was glad to have mastered the ravine. But when her eyes fell on her son, her good mood faded. Tears were in his eyes while he was staring into the deep.
"What happened? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" Kenna looked at him with concern. But other than a few scratches and lots of dirt she couldn't discover any wounds.
Bash pointed down into the deep. "There! Can you see it? He lost his wooden horse." He got up and beat the dirt from his pants. "I'll get it!"
"Bash, don't!" Kenna was immediately on her feet and grabbed his arm. "You cannot go down there again. It's too dangerous!"
"I cannot leave his toy down there!" Bash retorted.
Kenna turned to her son. "Daniel, darling, can you understand that it is too dangerous for Bash to climb down to get your horse? He could fall and break his neck." She ignored that Bash rolled his eyes at her. But at least he didn't say anything.
Daniel nodded hesitantly.
"Brave boy!" She stroked him gently over his head. "Bash can carve you a new wooden horse. I'm sure he would like to do it for you." She looked up at him for help.
"Of course. As soon as we're back at home, I'll carve a new horse for you." He smiled and wiped the tears from the boy's cheek. "And now stop crying! Look! There is a real horse waiting for us."
Daniel got big eyes when he saw the black stallion in the distance.
"Thank you!" Kenna whispered to Bash.
He nodded slightly.
Daniel's mourning over his loss was immediately gone when they got closer to the horse. "He's got a name?" he asked curiously.
Bash nodded. "His name is Warrior." He went to the horse and patted his neck. "You've done well. I'm sure it wasn't easy to wait that long."
Kenna stroked the stallion's mane. "Warrior is a beautiful name." she said. "Is he new to the Royal Stables? As far as I can remember, you had another horse in former times."
Bash nodded. "He was a birthday present from Mary." When he saw that Kenna turned away, he cupped her chin and turned her face up to his. „Hey! No need to be jealous. It's just a horse and no wedding ring."
"You and Mary... did you contemplate the possibility of marriage?" Kenna asked bluntly. She didn't want to be jealous, but the thought that Bash and Mary were once a pair of lovers made her feel sick to her stomach.
"No, never. After Francis' death, she suffered from severe depression. She asked me to stay because she had no one else and she only trusted me. You can call it a "partnership of convenience"."
"And you had sex!" The words were spoken before Kenna could stop them. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make it sound like an accusation."
"Yes, we had sex." Bash replied quietly. "But even that was more physically than emotionally." He frowned. "What about you? Did you have any serious relationships during the three-year period?"
Kenna quickly looked at Daniel. "Not in front of the boy!" she said in a low voice.
Bash grinned slightly. "I think that he is more interested in my horse than for the affairs of his parents."
Kenna took a deep breath. "No." she replied then. "There were no serious relationships. I had a son. I had the solely responsibility for him. I simply couldn't do it."
Bash raised his eyebrow. "You didn't have sex... at all?" he asked baffled.
"No."
"I'm impressed."
Kenna looked at him annoyed. "This is not funny! The fact that my son looked just like his father, didn't make it easier for me to forget my feelings for you!"
He stepped forward and looked deep into her eyes. „I'm sorry! I didn't take it as a joke. I know what happened to you is mainly my fault. And If I could undo everything what I had said to you, I would do it. But I can't. When I think back, I believe that I was already under Delphine's control, that I didn't realize how much you needed me. Instead, I made allegations against you and forced you to leave." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I found out the next day that you had left. But I was still so full of anger, that I didn't contemplate to search for you. And there was Delphine..." He stopped and looked at her thoughtfully.
"What did she do?"
Bash went through his hair and sighed deeply. "I have no idea. I only know, that she had total control over me. She tried to convince me, that I belonged to her. She had alleged visions of our future, our children. And even though I did everything she asked for, I wasn't happy. A fundamental piece of me was missing. And even though I didn't know what it was at the time, it left a void."
"Delphine asked for the annulment of our marriage?"
Bash nodded. "Yes, she forced me. She was afraid that your influence on me would be be too excessive eventually. I didn't understand it at the time, but I think she was the only one who knew that you were pregnant with my child, not Renaude's."
Kenna nodded. „Yes, I'm sure she knew. That was the reason why she wanted me to leave. What happend to her?"
„Mary and Francis found out about her witchcraft and the dark magic she had perfomed on me. She was accused of heresy and was later drowned in the river."
Kenna took a deep breath. "Did you love her?"
He shook his head. "At the time, I was convinced about it, but it was only her binding ritual that made me believe it." He reached for Kenna's hand and placed it on his chest. "My heart has always been yours!"
"I know that now." Kenna said softly. She leaned forward and kissed his lips.
"Don't we ride?"
Bash broke the kiss and looked at his son, smiling. „Yes, of course. Are you ready?" Bash untied Warrior from the branch.
Daniel squeaked with pleasure, as Bash picked him up and put him into the saddle. Then he mounted behind his son and reached for Kenna's hand to help her into the saddle as well.
"Come on, Warrior!" Bash urged the horse. „Bring us back to the Castle!"