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Chapter Sixty-Two
Last Updated:
2022-07-04 15:13:58
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The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Three
Beyla was astonished to find she was seething rather than frightened when hands were laid on her high-born, soon to be royal, personage. The horse she had rather liked was sent on its way with a whack to the rump, though she was relieved to find no caves were in sight. “You are making a grave mistake,” she declared, refusing to play the victim from the outset. While she had never had any desire to be a warrior woman, Beyla felt she owed it to her family to return to them unscathed. If that meant presenting a bold front then she would do her best to promote and sustain that impression. “This one should fetch a king’s ransom. What d’you reckon, Sammy?” her captor said, forcing open her mouth and inspecting her teeth for some reason known only to himself. He was old – at least fifty – and his bald pate was covered in several bumps which complemented the pockmarks on his ruddy cheeks. “I think we should keep her as a skivvy, Tom,” his companion remarked with a leer. Though younger, b
Last Updated : 2022-07-04The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Four
Miriam was having a spiritual – hopefully more than imaginary – conversation with her late sister. Daphne was contributing in a halting way, which led her to believe that she really had passed. You never could tell with her sister.Ketil had agreed with her it might be some sort of ploy but was duty bound to meet King Harald.Her sister seemed to imply Hubert could be trusted, even though he had his own agenda. That was certainly enlightening.Something she had always wondered about was certainly hinted at. Daphne had started to resent her younger sister. While it might have been King Gregory’s idea to deprive her of the gowns and jewels, the Princess Royal had certainly flaunted them. It was a matter he seemed to have forgotten all about the day he came and told her about the Masked King’s intended courtship of her. Another lie; even if it had been forced upon him, she could never allow herself to forgive her father for that.And Sigurd. Out of the blue came a confession which warmed
Last Updated : 2022-07-05The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Five
Beyla was unsure why his father had kept her away from her betrothed, only that he had. Was there a problem regarding their impending matrimony? She really hoped not. Philip was someone she found easy to talk to and, like her, he was only a pawn in the politics of others.Wedding him would be no hardship. She began to wonder if King Hubert believed she was no longer pure. Submitting to a physical examination would be humiliating, especially since there was really no need.An unexpected ally came in the form of her mother. Miriam could be fierce when something was important to her.“Can Beyla not swear on the Holy Bible, Your Majesty?”“Is she a baptised Christian?”“No, but the opportunity never arose.”In the end, Mistress Ford was agreed upon. The years had been kind to the older woman she remembered only vaguely from her time at the palace. Beyla forbore to protest, and Miriam realised she had come round to the idea of this marriage.King Hubert cleared his throat while they waited
Last Updated : 2022-07-05The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Six
Njord saw the commotion from aboard ship. It wasn’t what he had been expecting and yet those dreams recently had shown him a figure with two opposing faces. With his father off the scene that could only mean it was someone he had yet to meet.Hearing the cries and screams, seeing the plume of smoke rising into the air – just one – he called his friends to arms.Everything was organised quickly and soon they were scaling the cliffs some distance away prepared to check things out before rushing in blindly. Who knew, maybe the Vercians celebrated their nuptials in this way, but he very much doubted it.He thought about Tyr then, who was often predicting his early demise. They had joked about it often, he and the other Norsemen, young and older alike. But what if the soothsayer had been right? There would be no male heir to Eggsor – he had vowed never to take up that mantle – and he would have lost a close friend and cousin.Beyla would be devastated. Princess Amber now, he corrected hims
Last Updated : 2022-07-06The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Seven
Beyla looked up at Kaan, wondering what his motive was in all this. She had grown up with the notion that men from the east were not to be trusted.“You say that my father may be alive, but how can this be? I saw him fall with my own eyes.”“I have sources at the palace, pretty one,” he told her.“Why did you go along with it and bring me here?”“For your own safety.”She smiled, causing him to look at her quizzically. “Seldom have I known a man to answer a direct question without fudging the answer. So, thank you for that.”He gave her a small bow. “We are not all demons,” he said.“I trusted him,” she raged.“Philip was a strange one. That is why I told my men to hang fire and suggested they wait for my signal to sail. In some ways, I wish I had been wrong, Princess.”“Don’t call me that. I’m just Beyla, the Jarl’s daughter, from Eggsor.”“I’m afraid not, Princess. The marriage ceremony was completed, remember?”“You won’t take me back, will you?”“Never,” he vowed. “I’m not even in
Last Updated : 2022-07-06The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Eight
Orm to the rescue. At least that was how it felt. With Sigurd not exactly incarcerated but still unable to walk about freely, it fell to him to cheer up Ketil. The latter loathed his own enforced inaction and was itching for news of his daughter.The only news which filtered through concerned the demise of King Harald.Why couldn’t he have passed away sooner?Miriam crossed herself. These days, she had plenty of sin for which to atone, but didn’t feel inclined to visit the priest. What could he possibly know of her life? Where had he been when her own father bartered her to a foreign mercenary, albeit one who was no stranger to Vercia.How awkward would it have seemed if they had been unable to communicate from the outset?She was experiencing something similar now. Yet in some ways it was enough to hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, as she lay beside him during the night.The very real worries for Tyr and Beyla never went away. But here, with his arms around her, she felt a measu
Last Updated : 2022-07-19The Bartered Princess Chapter Sixty-Nine
Beyla had nothing to wear other than the clothes provided for her by the woman she viewed as her jailer. Day after day she was locked in her room with nothing to read and a lack of anything to occupy her hands. There wasn’t even a view other than miles of empty sand stretching to the far horizon.The city was the gateway to Araby. Known as Damask it had its fair share of roses, cultivated with care by a figure down below. Because of the all-covering hooded garment it was difficult to tell if the person were male or female. She sniffed the aroma of the latest vased flowers. They were replenished each day, but failed to lift her spirits if that had been the intention of the provider.She suspected it was Kaan, though she hadn’t seen him since the day before yesterday.That had been an enlightening encounter. King Harald was dead, she had learned, while she herself was now a widow. It scarcely seemed real.“Have you changed your mind about the importance of a treaty?” she dared to ask.H
Last Updated : 2022-07-20The Bartered Princess Chapter Seventy
Njord and Tyr spotted the caves at the same time. They approached with caution, two young men trained in a fighting culture. The berserkers weren’t far behind. He felt a kind of pride in being their unacknowledged leader, though he supposed the Icelander would have something to say about that.“Still here then,” he commented, as he had done countless times since they’d set off on this mission so close to both their hearts.As usual Tyr chose to ignore his levity. The two of them were firm friends and a bit of ribbing wasn’t about to change that.In the past his cousin might have asked if he wished him gone so he could stake a claim to be Jarl. Not any more. He knew Njord wasn’t interested. There hadn’t been any talk of Beyla until now.Njord had come clean about his intentions and, given the circumstances, Tyr had not voiced any objections.“You love her,” he stated. “I never knew.”And that was that.They didn’t find her in the caves, just signs that someone had been held there and r
Last Updated : 2022-07-21
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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
