LOGINShare
Chapter Seven
Last Updated:
2022-05-08 16:44:29
Lady JasHi there. Please feel free to leave a comment. It would mean a lot.
Related chapters
The Bartered Princess Chapter Eight
Miriam was panting as well as soaking wet when she reached the hut. It was a haven, though not, she suspected, for long. She searched frantically for something to wear before subsiding in a kind of daze. More than likely, in this mood, Ketil would only rip it off.Why was he being like this with her? Belatedly, she realised he had been naked. She must have been in a kind of brain fog when she entered the water. That had soon woken her up.Common sense prevailed. She needed to dry herself, perhaps on an old chemise, and maybe wear the peach dress which was currently lying on the floor. It could well be covered in insects by now.On hearing the creak of the door, she snatched it to her for the minimum of covering, only to see Magnus.“Are you all right, lass?” he asked, adopting the local vernacular.She managed a nod before she found her voice. “I fear I have killed a robin unknowingly,” she said. “All this bad luck.”“Speaking of which,” he began, and sighed. “I am the bearer of furth
Last Updated : 2022-05-09The Bartered Princess Chapter Nine
The table in one of the lesser Halls was already set for supper. Shocked gasps greeted their entrance. Miriam held her head high, her carriage royal as she made her way to the seats reserved for the guards and their wives or women.“Touting for business?” Daphne hissed, her voice carrying a long way.“I leave that to you, dear sister,” Miriam replied, placing a napkin on her lap.“We are here to negotiate,” Ketil said, helping himself from a platter of cold meats.“Seeing as you have my choker now, Daphne, I feel it only right you return those jewels which were – no, are – mine.”“What is she talking about, Dee?” Lady Rutherford asked.“I know not. Something trumped up between the pair of them, no doubt.”Miriam waited to be served with wild mushroom soup, before continuing, “And I will have my gowns.”“What need have you of those now?”The scorn almost had him reaching for his dagger.“They are hers by right.”“You cannot deny it, my lady,” Magnus said. He had arrived early, and no S
Last Updated : 2022-05-09The Bartered Princess Chapter Ten
Ketil could hear the others going about their morning tasks – the clink of weapons, the filling of the cauldron with water – and still he made no move to stir. The smell from the cooking fire was both comforting and tempting, though not as wholly satisfying as the woman sleeping beside him. Miriam. He wanted to be there when she woke, not to taunt her or force his attentions on her, but to reassure her in case she felt shame for behaving the way she did, something which had not been wholly her fault given his encouragement. He did not regret a single thing about last night. She had been so receptive, so responsive and not, he judged, from either fear or compulsion. Was she really so set against the idea of him finding her a noble husband? If Jenna was unable to vocalise her feelings – and Orm had hinted she may not be wholly dumb given their nightly activities – Miriam was a whole other matter. The breathy gasps had been followed by shrieks which turned to screams as she jerked and
Last Updated : 2022-05-10The Bartered Princess Chapter Eleven
Miriam screamed when she saw the armed intruder. Unbelievably, King Gregory himself was not far behind. She was only thankful she had snuck out for a quick wash after Ketil had gone. It would not do for her sovereign lord to suspect what had happened to his youngest daughter last night. As if he cared. Of one thing she was certain: Prince Renaud would not have measured up. Ketil had certainly stretched her, even after she relaxed and began to enjoy her first time. The kissing had been her favourite part. This man was no groper. She felt like she had been worshipped – everywhere. Why she had ever feared him was a mystery. Maybe it was because of his overt masculinity. She had a bad feeling now. Why was her father just standing there, his mouth opening and closing? There had been a horrible smell emanating from the direction of the palace and the village was strangely quiet. Were they keeping indoors, just as birds stopped singing when there was a sparrowhawk about? Miriam sank into
Last Updated : 2022-05-11The Bartered Princess Chapter Twelve
Miriam would never forget the look on her father’s face, the agony he endured before his head lolled forward and his crown slipped. “Training?” she queried, beginning to quiver. “As a sex slave,” Renaud told her, roughly fondling her backside. Why couldn’t she learn to keep her mouth shut? “Do I get a choice of instructor?” she queried, and was unprepared for the reply. “No, but it’s someone you know very well,” the Masked King sneered. Miriam wondered how he knew, seeing as he had only been in the territory for a very short time. Or had he? Maybe he’d camped a few leagues distant and had been plotting this for weeks? The same applied to Renaud. Had someone betrayed her? She wouldn’t put it past Daphne, or maybe even the late King Gregory. Numbness was all she could summon when she thought of her father and the horrible way he’d died. Perhaps she was still in shock. She ought to be upset, enraged, and worried about her own circumstances, too, but it felt like all those emotions
Last Updated : 2022-05-12The Bartered Princess Chapter Thirteen
“Greetings, my beauty,” the Masked King said. “I do hope you won’t be a disappointment.” His receding chin was clean shaven, the blade of a nose overshadowing nearly every other feature. The knowing eyes belonged on a much younger man. They were a cloudy shade between blue and grey and held her rooted to the spot. “I saw her first,” Sigurd said, grinning now. The Lizard ignored him. “Maybe I will observe your first session. Take her to the room with mirrors. This man is going to train you in what is required of a slave. Remind me of your name. Miriam, wasn't it?” “Mimi,” she supplied, and was gratified to see Sigurd’s eyes widen, though he did not correct her. “Excellent.” He treated her to a long, appraising look. “That gown is far too maidenly, would you not agree?” “Want me to rip it from her body?” “Careful, Norseman. This piece of merchandise is precious to me. No, take her to the eunuch. Tell him a choice of three. He will understand. Go, now. I am impatient for the show
Last Updated : 2022-05-13The Bartered Princess Chapter Fourteen
The room was square in shape with mirrors on the ceiling and at various points on the wall. There was even one beneath her feet. At least, it would have been had she not stepped over it.“Is this what you do to supplement a mercenary’s meagre income in a time of peace?” she asked, in case anyone was listening.“What do you think?”If she was honest with herself, she couldn’t see him in such a role at all and yet, here he was. Here they were.“So what happens now?”“I further your education,” he told her, peeling himself away from the back wall and advancing towards her like a predator.“Did you volunteer, or did he insist?”“Be quiet, Mimi, and get down on your knees.” That was when he took out his cock. “Open your mouth, wide.”She tried to remember her first time. Sanctioned by King Gregory and done to save her sister. Some of the women had gossiped about this sort of thing, comparing experiences with lovers, husbands and demanding palace guards. Maybe she should touch him first, as
Last Updated : 2022-05-14The Bartered Princess Chapter Fifteen
Ketil was on the move again, having seen how the land lay. The fighting force he and his little band had recruited some time ago had been called to arms and were waiting to do battle with this hostile invading force. He stopped off at his hut – the only one left standing – before leaving, packing not only what he needed but what he felt he must have. Miriam’s hairbrush meant a lot, as did the furs, stained with her maiden blood. Ketil touched them to his lips once before stowing them in his bundle. He could not blame Magnus, Sigurd and Orm for getting captured. None of them had expected trouble on this scale. His hand, which was sorting through what remained of his weapons, stilled. Thieves were ever opportunistic, and he hoped they were using them for good rather than just profit. The busted lock would have to stay as it was for the time being. The thought of Miriam in the invaders’ hands led him to clench his fists. She did not deserve any of this. “You are my heart’s blood, my
Last Updated : 2022-05-15
Latest chapter
The Bartered Princess Chapter Eighty-Two
So this was how her last night with Ketil was going to be spent, with them both miserable and not even a loving kiss to temper her heartache. There was no going back now. In true Norse fashion she really had burned her boats. Miriam turned over, hugging the pillow. Once she had taken such a thing for granted. Yet the time spent without one had been so much more – enlightening. “Please say you will come for a visit when the snows melt.” “No.” It was an unfamiliar growl. “Ketil, this is hard enough without you behaving like this.” “Did your vows mean so little, Miriam?” That stung. “You know how to wound.” She wiped away a stray tear, determined to show no weakness. Her resolve was already crumbling, but he wasn’t to know that. “Go to sleep,” he said. “You will need all your strength tomorrow.” Something in his voice set her wondering. Miriam supposed she was merely clutching at straws. “You do not command me,” she told him, her eyes wide open. Moving onto her back in a huff
The Bartered Princess Chapter Eighty-One
It was the hardest conversation yet but somehow she came through it, feeling virtuous and heartsick at the same time.“You know I am right, Ketil,” she said. “I was born to do this.”She could tell he didn’t like it.“Why now, Miriam?” he ground out. “Do you tire of me and wish for another? That noble husband I once promised to help you find.”“No, my love. There has only ever been you and I wish for no other. But King Hubert is losing public opinion. The people want a Feltspar. I owe it to Queen Eleanor.”“Well, that’s something at least,” he grumbled. “No debt of gratitude is owed to King Gregory, by any of us.”“I have to set right some of the wrongs he did. For her sake.”“You may think that, but I’m not so sure the King would welcome interference.”“He has already stated his approval.”“You sounded him out first? Miriam, sometimes I could strangle you.”“I – I didn’t want you to change my mind for me before I told him of my proposal,” she faltered, hating the fact that the old st
The Bartered Princess Chapter Eighty
The fight was already under way when the two of them emerged into the light. Something was off about her husband’s stance and yet he was more than holding his own against a man who had spent his life pampered and indulged. It almost seemed as if Ketil were toying with him. That couldn’t be right. This was important.“Aunt Astrid’s brilliant, isn’t she? Better than half the men.”Trust Tyr to decipher what she could not. And where then was he, the love of her life? Not with Ragnar, who was giving a slow handclap. The gloves were new and she guessed he was becoming self-conscious about his deformity these days.Miriam held up her hand and asked for them to cease their duel.“There is no need now Tyr is free.”Expecting her cousin to back her, she was surprised to hear him say, “This matter needs to be put before the court.”She supposed it was only right that justice be served.“Will this take long? If a jury is to be sought then it could take weeks and we need to set sail for home befo
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Nine
It was so much colder down in the dungeon. Miriam was concentrating so hard on not falling off the steps – the rope handrails had long since rotted away – that some of the fear for her first-born went unexamined. She longed for Ketil to scoop her up in his arms and carry her, even though she knew it would not be seemly. Even in the royal court long ago he had afforded her the dignity of walking.What had Mistress Ford said? Things were not as black as she had foreseen. Then why had Beyla experienced false pain? They had always been a close family. Her own legs were trembling and one look at her husband’s set face had shown her he was not himself.“What’s happening? I got here as soon as I could.”Sigurd. Just hearing his voice brought her a measure of relief. They had shared so much that was bad in the past. Surely she could come through this, as well?“It’s the King,” Njord told him. “It appears he has gone mad.”Thank God for that sensible, calm and competent young man. Whatever his
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Eight
When they reached the palace as quickly as it was possible to do, Beyla feared that Njord would tell her to go to her room and bar herself in, admitting no-one. Instead he sought out her father with her in tow only for them to receive the worst kind of news. It seemed her brother was missing.The last possible sighting appeared to have been of him heading towards the edge of the cliff.“Tyr wouldn’t jump,” she said. “Not even if a thousand Celias changed their mind about marrying him.”“It was her family who objected to the match,” the Jarl corrected. “I thought all such prejudice was over and done with. Apparently not.”“Can you be certain it was him? I mean, Tyr’s a skilful climber. He might just have wanted some breathing space.”“That’s just it, Njord. One moment he was there, a speck on the horizon, the next he had vanished. I – I fear the worst.”Impulsively, Beyla hugged her mother. “If anything had happened to him, we would know.” She put a hand to her chest. “In here.”The ha
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Seven
The day started out poorly and soon deteriorated with one exception. Miriam had begun to pack her things together but the idea was unappealing somehow. She felt restless and desired to be outdoors. Something was telling her there was a price still to be paid. Happiness was always costly in one way or another.Reassuring herself that Ketil was still on the mend brought its own unlooked for rewards and she lost herself in the bliss of their lovemaking for a while. Even so, she was on high alert like a mother hen for her chicks when the fox came to the henhouse. The notion that it was already here, once lodged in her head, would not go away.Was Beyla still under threat? Surely not Tyr? Could there be trouble back home in Eggsor? Magnus would have sent word if so and she didn’t mean the new King of Svedland.Considering Celia, who was seldom far from her thoughts if truth be known, Miriam realised how little she knew about her future daughter-in-law. Her first-born son loved her wholehea
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Six
Two whole days had passed and she was eager to be going home. Her mother had grilled her thoroughly about her ordeal and Beyla had been keen to emphasise that perhaps Kaan hadn’t done too much wrong. That had led Aunt Astrid to let out an oath and pretend to look out of the window slit.“I don’t have a silly crush on him,” she said. “He’s not my type.”That was when she realised there was someone behind her and she whirled, only to find herself wrapped in her father’s welcome embrace.“Our child has become a woman without us noticing, Miriam.”“You, maybe. I knew a while ago,” her lady mother retorted.As usual, she didn’t understand the wordless look which passed between them and heated those plumper than ever cheeks. Would she gain weight when she reached that ripe old age? Hopefully not. Njord would have nothing to do with her then. He might even fall out of love with her.She was seeing him later by the stables, though no-one knew. How they felt about each other was scarcely a sec
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Five
When Miriam sought an audience with the King, Ruth was already prostrated before him. She didn’t have to cudgel her brains too hard to work out the reason why. Her own mission was on similar lines, but she wasn’t about to cut in given the impressive nature of this heartfelt plea.She felt pleased, too, that Jenna had sought to inform her in advance of her fellow housekeeper’s plan, even if Ketil had grumbled about the intrusion into their personal time.King Hubert’s face was impassive, though she thought she saw a softening as he looked down at the housekeeper. Her hard work was a byword, she had never given a moment’s trouble and it wasn’t as if her husband’s fatal attack on the Prince was unprovoked.“Get up, Mistress Olafsson,” he said, after a time. “I am sure those flagstones are cold and uncomfortable.”“I care naught for that, Your Majesty,” she replied.“Then I fear I must make it a command,” he told her, beckoning to Miriam with a crook of his fingers.For some reason she th
The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy-Four
It was Kaan who stood there, an imposing figure in his long robe. The fact that his curved scimitar was exposed was not lost on either Beyla or her tormentor.“What is the meaning of this intrusion?”The bluster cut no ice with the Emperor of the Desert.“This farce has gone far enough,” he said.Beyla’s head was whirling. Had he sold her, or not?“Please, help me,” she begged, just to be on the safe side.“Has he hurt you, little one?”“No, but he was going to make me do humiliating things,” she said, trying her best to cover her body.If only she had more than one pair of hands!“Come here, Beyla. The sale’s off,” he said to the bewildered would-be purchaser.“By whose authority?”When he gave his full name and title the man in question beat a hasty retreat.“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she dared, backing away.Just then, there was a commotion further down the passage. When the door burst open to reveal a stocky man with ice-blue eyes, Beyla believed she was dreaming.“What’s
