The Mercenary's Claim Read online

  Even Kirsten, inexperienced as she was, could tell from his wooden courtesy and frozen smile that Gustav had given his terms and would accept no further negotiations. She forced herself to step forward, squeezing her mother’s hand one last time for luck, and turned to face the priest. “Father Paulus, I think we are in something of a hurry, so please don’t dally on my account. I am ready.”

  Gustav looked down at her and smiled broadly. “Fine! Let’s get on with it, Sepp. I mean, Father Paulus!”

  With the blood rushing in her ears, Kirsten could not hear the vows she spoke, much less the ones spoken by anyone else in the room, but she supposed it was Gustav she was married to when he leaned down and kissed her perfunctorily on the lips.

  “Right, then,” declared her new husband. “That’s that. Steffan, lead me back to that most useful secret tunnel and I’ll try to squeeze through it the way I squeezed in here. I’ve got a siege to break and a war to win. Good night, all. And, you, wife! Get back to bed. No wife of mine is going to go wandering around a castle at this hour. Your hands were like ice when I held them just now.”

  With that he was gone. Before Lady Helena was able to reach her, Kirsten had sunk to the floor.

  * * *

  Kirsten’s eyes fluttered open a few minutes later. “Mother? What just happened? I had the strangest dream. I dreamed there was a giant in the audience chamber and Father Paulus appeared and performed a wedding ceremony.

  Lady Helena picked up her daughter’s hand to show her the ring that had been placed on her finger. “No dream, I’m afraid.”

  “What happened? Why am I lying by the fire in the audience chamber, married to a common soldier?”

  “He’s not a common soldier and believe me when I tell you, it was not our intent when we contacted him. That giant, as you call him, was Gustav Jager. He’s got a large and very rightly feared army of mercenaries at his command, though how in heaven’s name he keeps order with that easy-going grin of his, I’ll never know. The offer we sent him, by way of Sir Steffan, made no mention of you. We offered him lands in exchange for breaking the siege.”

  “What lands did you offer? I thought Father’s holding were not very prosperous of late, what with all the fighting.”

  “You knew about that? We had hoped to keep it from you. As it turns out, it wouldn’t have mattered if we had offered him the Garden of Eden. He wasn’t interested in just land. He wanted respectability, as he put it, which to him meant not only land, but a title to go with it and a noble wife to gain him access into society.”

  Kirsten sat up, leaning on an elbow. Looking over to the table where once there might have been a plate of grapes or some sweet breads there was only a pitcher and a cup of water which she drank from gratefully. “I see. Well, it isn’t as if I didn’t know it was possible. What are we daughters for anyway, if not to be bartered off to the highest bidder? I hadn’t thought it would be done so quickly or so late at night.” The bitterness in her voice surprised even her.

  “We had no choice, Kirsten. Surely you can see that. The siege. The war. It has to end. And there was no time to find another way. We never dreamed he would dare to enter the castle and negotiate, much less want you as a wife. But there he was, popped up out of nowhere like a stage devil in a pantomime.”

  “Rather large for a demon. They’re usually short weedy little actors with raspy voices,” Kirsten commented with a smile. “This one is more like the Goliath.”

  “Well, it’s a Goliath that’s on our side, for a change. We need a friend and this one… well, I don’t know. Your father flatly refused at first and I nearly fainted. I could just see Gustav storming off in a rage, but he didn’t. He merely smiled patiently and pressed his suit. Sir Steffan was strangely supportive, and I wondered at the time. Now we know that this Gustav seems to have made a lot of friends when he was a youth. He knew Sir Steffan’s family as well as Father Paulus when he was a lad. They seem to think well of him. And you can’t deny, he is handsome. You could have done worse with some of the choices your father had been contemplating.”

  Kirsten looked at her mother and blushed hotly. “Now we’ll never know, will we? I might have fallen in love! It could have happened. Now it never will.”

  Lady Helena gave her daughter a curious stare the younger woman did not understand. “I’m glad for your sake it didn’t. Then where would we have been? And only the young say ‘never’. Those of us who have seen a bit of life know that never is a very long time. Things change. I have a feeling young Sir Steffan may be right. Things may work out for the best. Gustav may turn out to be a good man.”

  “And what makes you think such a thing? You’ve known him what, all of an hour or so?”

  “When you fainted, he came back into the room to scoop you up and place you on this rug, then drag the whole thing closer to the fire. Not many men would have bothered or even heard. They should have been too far away to hear you fall.”

  “Wonderful, a giant with better than average ears.”

  Lady Helena stood and reached down to help her daughter up. “Come on then. There’s no use waiting here any longer. The men will be out all night, getting things ready for the dawn attack.”

  “Dawn? He’s not wasting any time, is he? Well, I suppose we don’t have any time to waste.”

  “If we did, you wouldn’t be a married woman now.”

  Kirsten heard the sorrow in her mother’s voice and repented of her harsh tone earlier. “You didn’t know Vatti before you married him and look how that turned out! At least I know he’s a good fighter.” Then her spark of hope diminished again. “What if he isn’t as good as he’s supposed to be? What if he loses? I’ll be the wife of a vanquished foe.”

  “You mean the widow, more likely. I don’t think he would surrender. I get the impression he wouldn’t notice the need for it even if it were upon him.”

  Kirsten paled and her eyes grew wide. “And you and Vatti would… and all our people would… oh, Mutti, what can we do?”

  “We can pray. Then we’ll get the bandages and herbs ready to care for the wounded. And make sure you remember how to open the trap door to the secret tunnel. It won’t come to that, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready for anything. Then make sure your knife is sharp and you’ve plenty of arrows for your bow.”

  Kirsten found herself praying for the success of the man who had just forced her parents to give her away as a prize.

  Chapter Two

  Kirsten gazed nervously around the great hall but only when she thought no one was looking. The hastily decorated room glowed with as much warmth and color as her mother had been able to manage on short notice. Where usually other people of noble birth and wealthy commoners lined the tables, this night the hall was filled with rough looking men drinking ale and feasting on victuals Kirsten was sure they had to have brought themselves. There had not been half this amount of food left in the whole town before today’s battle. Now the siege was broken and for the first time in a long time, smiles and raucous laughter were the order of the day.

  “Where is Gustav now?” Lady Helena asked her. She didn’t have to keep her voice down to ensure they were not overheard, so she merely leaned in a little to get Kirsten’s attention. “I’ve lost sight of him again.”

  “He’s over there by the lord falconer and his lady. Those soldiers are going to frighten Seychat, petting her that way. Don’t they know she’s not a cat? She’s a noble bird.”

  “I knew you’d be able to find him. You haven’t taken your eyes of him since he opened the gates in triumph.”

  “When there’s a snake in the room, it’s best to know exactly where he is, don’t you think?”

  “That snake saved all our lives. And see, he’s leading them away from the falcon, with a smile and a jest, obviously.”

  Someone clanged his knife hilt on a shield and others took up the rhythm until Gustav approached Lord Ludolf and they both gave a mighty shout then raised a goblet to drink, exciting uproarious cheers from t
he crowd.

  “Where did that custom come from?” Kirsten demanded. “I’ve never seen men do that before.”

  “We’ve never celebrated the end of a siege before either. It’s just what men do. They sing songs and make up games as they drink. It gives them joy and eases the pain of battle.”

  “These men aren’t wounded.”

  “They’ve lost friends and comrades today. Of that, you can be sure. And killing takes its toll, no matter what men may say about battle being glorious. It’s good to feel alive after seeing so much… Well, anyway, it’s a custom I suppose Gustav and his men brought with them. Seems like Sir Steffan and Father Paulus understand it well enough.”

  “Wherever he goes, the din gets louder and the shoving starts anew. There’s more ale on the floor than there is in their bellies. Filthy louts, all of them.” She turned her head away in disgust.

  “Kirsten, you’re talking about the men who saved our realm from disaster. Please remember that.”

  “But who’s going to save me from disaster?” Kirsten whined.

  “What disaster is that, little one?” A jovial voice boomed behind them.

  “How did you get there?” Kirsten asked petulantly. “I thought you were talking to my father.”

  Gustav’s smile suddenly developed an edge of frost about it. “I was. Now I’m here. What disaster do you need saving from?”

  At the same moment, both mother and daughter spoke. “The lack of a dance partner,” Lady Helena declared with an attempt at a merry chuckle.

  “Wouldn’t you say that being given away in marriage to a complete stranger is a disaster?” Kirsten hissed. She turned a bitter scowl on Gustav but was stabbed with doubt a moment later. She knew her duty and insulting one’s husband wasn’t part of the responsibilities of a good wife. Glancing over at her mother’s shocked and frightened face, she drew breath to try to amend her statement, but Gustav interrupted her.

  “No dance partner? Now, that’s a disaster I’ll enjoy saving you from! And then I won’t be a complete stranger, will I?” He gave a jovial laugh, but as he took Kirsten’s hand, she noticed that he gripped her with a strength that let her know she would not be able to break free even if she tried.

  As they walked toward the area of the hall where the lute, harp, and drum were setting a fine beat, they had to pass through the tables where the soldiers were drinking. Kirsten felt their eyes upon her, but she had to admit, they respectfully made way for their leader’s lady. She found to her surprise that she rather enjoyed the sensation of being the center of attention. Smiling serenely at the crowd as she had been taught, she nodded at the first man to stand and give her a little bow. More and more of the men began to do this, so that the room was almost quiet when Gustav led Kirsten out onto the middle of the dance floor.

  They stood there for a moment, looking around at the crowd. Then Gustav faced Kirsten. She looked up into his face, feeling a certain tentative liking for the man who brought such adulation to a young woman who had thus far been relegated to a maiden’s rightful place in the background of any social gathering. His smile, however, was for his men. Beaming and nodding, his focus was over her head at the crowd, now breathless with anticipation. Kirsten realized he was building the emotion of the moment, like a master orator giving a speech. Deflated but not willing to give up her place at the center of this pantomime, Kirsten waited, somehow trusting that Gustav would let her know when it was time to move. She was not disappointed as he gave her hand a tiny squeeze before stepping off smartly in time to the music. The crowd roared its approval and Kirsten’s heart soared with the sounds.

  In his arms, she forgot all her doubts. He danced as only an extremely athletic man could, with grace and strength that made her feel like a dove on the wing. She swooped and curveted, free from restraint and care. Spreading her arms wide, she leaned back as he spun her, taking her slight weight as if it were nothing. She barely noticed as he used his free arm to gesture to the men to join them in the swirling eddy of sound and sensation.

  The floor became more crowded as more and more of the celebration moved to the dance. There was less room to move, and more often her feet were lifted from the floor as the night progressed. Slowly, as if the players hadn’t wanted anyone to notice, the beat of the songs changed, becoming faster, more driving, more intense. Closer they danced and closer he held her, less like a dove, more like a merlin on the hunt, a need growing in her, some airborne prey she could not name calling her to the chase.

  “It’s time,” he breathed huskily in her ear. Not waiting for an answer, he carried her off the crowded floor with his arms wrapped tightly around her legs, her hands on his shoulders, his face peering around her side. Another roar went up from the crowd as they ascended the staircase that flanked the great hall and led to the private apartments where the family slept.

  Breathless and overwhelmed with a fierce desire she did not understand, Kirsten allowed herself to be carried to the room next to the stairs. It was a wardrobe room where clothing was kept and repaired. There were chairs and chests, and even a low couch or two for when some of the servants needed to sleep close to the family. It was to one of these seats that Gustav now bore her, laying her down and lying on top of her, panting.

  With the music from the hall below them still crashing in her ears, Kirsten still felt like she was on the hunt. The things Gustav was doing to her, she could not comprehend. The words he was saying to her made no sense and yet conveyed a feeling more sure than a scribes’ contract. Kirsten felt as if he was playing her as the troubadour stroking the strings of his harp and yet each stroke of his hands brought not melody but altitude, soaring, skyward, set free. On a gasp, she shook, as if the merlin inside her had struck, bringing down not another bird, but her own spirit, and not falling to destruction, but rather rocketing to ecstasy and then heart-pounding oblivion.

  She came to herself when he took what was his by right, what he had earned with generous passion. Only for a moment did the pain distract her from mindless pleasure building inside her again as she saw on his face the need and drive she felt. They were one in that moment with the music and the crowd’s fierce elation, the joy in survival, the pride in victory. The sounds wrung from his throat drove her to the brink again and she cried out. He followed, straining as if his own inner hawk was plunging skyward as hers had done.

  He was too heavy when he collapsed on her, but he seemed to know it. After only a moment, he rolled off onto the floor which was covered with a carpet rather than the rushes that lined the floor of the great hall and other public places in the castle. He lay there panting while she took stock of their situation as if only just newly arriving on the scene.

  He sat up and gave her his usual jovial grin. “Well, that’s another conquest successfully carried out today. I’m on a roll, no denying.”

  She pushed the skirts of her dress down to cover herself. “Why are we in the wardrobe? What have you done?”

  “Here, I’ll help you lace your bodice so you can be decently covered on your way back to your bedroom.”

  “Back to my bedroom?” she mimicked stupidly. “Why aren’t we there now?”

  “Eager, eh? That’s a hopeful sign.”

  “What? No, not eager! Appalled!” Her breath returning to normal allowed her thoughts to gather themselves and turn on him. “Why in the name of—”

  “No swearing, now. I thought I’d married a lady. Watch your tongue. And what a tongue it is, I must say.” He had finished doing up his leggings and whatever other clothes she hadn’t dared to watch him rearrange. “I brought you here for your sake, not mine. I could have waited until the celebration was over, but then the men might have wanted the traditional presentation of the bride. I thought, things being what they are, you might not want that. We can go back and do it if you like, now that we’re uh… no longer complete strangers.”

  He gave her such a smug look, she almost struck him. “How dare you? You did that on purpose to humiliate me, did
n’t you? You arranged that whole scene, knowing it would cast some sort of spell over me and make me give in to you without a fight. Despicable.”

  The pleasure vanished from his face and for a perverse moment, she was glad to see that she had gotten through to him. “Merciful. I was trying to spare you embarrassment and fear. Most girls are terrified on their wedding nights. At least, that’s what they tell me. Steffan asked me, as a personal favor to him, to make things easy for you. That, I have done. If I’m so despicable, you won’t mind me going back to the feast. I was going to apologize for that necessity, but you’ve saved me the trouble.”

  “Oh, you have to go back to the feast, do you? You need to make sure enough food and wine and ale are consumed?” Sarcasm stung in her voice.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do need to make sure the men eat enough food and spill enough strong drink so that they don’t make themselves sick on it. I’ll do that for your parents’ sake if not for yours. They don’t deserve a bunch of drunken soldiers marauding all over the town tonight. Better to have them where we can keep an eye on them, but to do that, we’ve got to keep them entertained. My presence is needed toward that end. I know my duty.”

  This last remark coupled with his revelations quelled the anger in Kirsten’s heart but made her sound defensive, even to her own ears. “I know my duty, too. I didn’t fight you, did I? I know you have the right to do what you did. I just think it should have been done properly, in a bedroom, behind locked doors and drawn curtains.”

  Gustav’s eyes burned for a moment with the embers of the passion they had so recently shared. “I would not have forfeited that mood for all the propriety in the kingdom. You were prepared. You were ready. You were beautiful. I needed the music and the heat and your abandon. I kept them by escaping here.” The glow receded and the jovial grin appeared again. “Varin will be pacing the floor by now. I have to get back. I’d invite you to return with me, but you need your rest. It’s been a long day. You’ll help your mother return the castle to normal while I return to our stronghold one final time to bid my men farewell.”