F4: The Guildsman

Odine began by giving Kyelle a tour of the houses, including a small school room and the large practise field where girls trained with a range of weapons and at athletic events. It occurred to Kyelle that there were very few men or boys in the village and certainly none in the prime of their lives. She found out through broken and evasive conversations with Odine and her friends that very few male children were born to the Guardians. That alone was the reason that they allowed the two towns to be established on their island and why the language of the west was spoken so well by most of the women there.

Kyelle also found that Connor was a favourite of Odine, who enjoyed his company whenever he came into the forest which was not often until lately. Enjoying all that she was learning about the people without realising the twists and turns they were taking Kyelle found herself before two huge covered cages.

"Kyelle!" Hametus screeched in panic, "Let me out, don't they understand who I am?"

"Who are you to these people?" Kyelle asked.

"I am the future King!" his eyes were bugging out and he spluttered his words incredulously.

"Not to these people you aren't. They don't care about your armies or your conquests in the west. Here right now they are the Kings and future Queens, and you are just a man who if you play your cards right might be chosen as a mate for one of these beautiful women," with the bars between them Kyelle felt brave enough to speak her mind. "You have no armies here to bully these people into acknowledging your father's throne. Your winning personality and charm don't seem to be winning them over yet either," she smirked.

"He will come for us," the first Queen said with fire in her eyes as she glared at Kyelle.

"Perhaps he will, but then he has three other wives and two other sons," she shrugged, "Will he want to anger the people of the east while he is still putting down rebellions in the west? It would be a difficult decision where to place his armies I expect. If I were you, I would learn to bow to the queen of this village and hope that you have not already offended her beyond what is wise."

The first Queen paled, and Hametus had begun to screech at her again about who he was and that all should fall before him because it was his right as the future King of the known world. Kyelle turned and walked away without a backward glance at the two Royals and their men. Once out of sight she collapsed against the wall of a building, dropping her head in her hands and cried. She allowed Odine to guide her back to the small round house, and she lay down on the bed and gave vent to her rolling emotions.

"Please tell me you won't send me back there with them, I couldn't bear it again," she said between sobs.

* * * *

Kyelle had been in the village for several days and was giving a fair amount of freedom despite being viewed by many with suspicion. Tired of her gown she had asked during the second day if she could wear one of the dresses of the warrior women. Odine had laughed merrily at the idea but given Kyelle one of the sort toga's to try on.

The toga style dress was of course made for a much taller well-built woman; Kyelle was more than a little disappointed when it hung well past her knees and gaped widely at the breast. She had gone after that to the women who fashioned the garments and spent a day with them learning their skills and altering the material to her own body shape and size.

The women impressed by Kyelle's eagerness to learn had helped her to fashion a pair of the soft moccasin style boots for her feet, as well. She had begun to pull her long curling hair from her face and braid it into a long rope that hung over her should and the only adornment she wore from her life as a queen of the west was the amulet Connor had given her.

Enjoying her time with the garment makers Kyelle began to spend days with a number of different groups of women learning about the foods of the forest and the utensils they used. What she enjoyed most though was learning the martial arts they used in defence of their island. Unlike the legends that had grown around them, they were a peace loving people, but the first explorers had taught them a valuable lesson it was one they never forgot.

During this time, the First Queen and her son had endured imprisonment. Unable to bring themselves to acknowledge the guardians as the true rulers of this island they languished in their cages. Their men, on the other hand, seeing the shift in power as the days passed were freed at various times, to perform tasks for the village and flirt with the women.

More than a week since their first arrival Connor walked into the village with on of the women. He was taken to the big house immediately. Kyelle was torn between wanting to run away and hide from him and being curious as to his appearance here. In the end, she followed the women into the big house and stood dwarfed by the women around her and hidden within plain sight.

She could see Connor scan the crowd as if searching for someone, his eyes brightened as he looked at Odine and Kyelle felt what little hope that he had come for her fade, still she stood and watched the proceedings unable to take her eyes from him. She could not hear what was said but knew that the news what good by the obvious delight of the listeners. After a time, the small group at the centre of the room made their way out of the big house and toward the cages. Carried along with the mob as they followed Oshin and Connor to their prisoners, Kyelle followed trying to get close enough to hear what was being said.

"This man has come to return you to your homeland," Oshin said loudly over the murmuring in the small crowd that had gathered.

"Finally someone with some sense," the First Queen spoke first.

"You will pay dearly for your treason," Hametus snarled at Oshin.

"I do not think so," Oshin said calmly. "Your father is dead, power has returned to the rightful rulers of the realms of the west and your own kingdom has been left bereft of coin or treasure. You have no power in this world or your own anymore. I believe you will become nothing more than a pitiful creature begging your neighbours for the good will your father squandered in his own thirst for power."

"Liar! Our allies would never let that happen; you have no idea whom you are dealing with you stupid bitch!" Hametus voice had become a screech again as he stood at the gate entrance and hurled abuse through the bars at a placid Oshin.

Connor stepped forward a letter sealed with wax in his hand. He passed it through the bars to the first queen and stepped back. She took note of the seal and broke it scanning the letter and falling heavily to her knees in shock. Hametus snatched it up from her fingers and read it slowly.

"It is lies mother, all lies!" His voice remained high and pitched. As if a wall came up the first queens demeanour changed to one of resignation and politeness. She stood and straightened her back take a deep breath.

"Thank you for bringing the news, when will we be leaving," she asked in an unemotional voice. The prince turned and began to hurl his abuse at her then incredulous that she would believe the words of the letter. Turning as if in a trance her arm flared out, and she slapped her sons face hard. "Did you not look at the seal? The seal of your father's ring could not be duplicated so accurately, and he never took it from his hand. He is dead, and we must now return and rebuild our kingdom." The prince stared at his mother in shocked silence not comprehending her words.

"We will leave once it is safe to do so," he looked meaningfully at the young prince who still stared at his mother in disbelief of her capitulation to the news he knew to be a lie.

"He will behave, I would like to leave as soon as you are able to negotiate our freedom, please," She said demurely, the contrite tone of her voice surprising everyone who had spoken with her in the preceding days when she had been demanding and acidic to all. "Will Queen Kyelle be returning with us?" she asked.

Connors eyes scanned the crowd once more, but he could not see Kyelle amongst the group. He had thought she would be eager to leave the rustic life of the village and return to the comforts of the township. "She will be given the choice to return with you or to her homeland now that she is a widow and no longer forced to remain in the north. You will find all of the kings loyal men followed him into the ground or fled the realm. It will be a very different world you return to, and I believe it will be quite a dangerous for some time to come."

Kyelle was shocked by the news and the scene she had witnessed. She was even more shocked by the news that she would be able to return home to her family and friends. Frowning she realised that regardless of how it came about, or how much her family loved and wanted her home, she would be viewed as the widow of their biggest enemy. She imagined that returning home would be far preferable to the ordeal she would be made to suffer at the heir to the throne of the North's hands. She looked at Hametus and shivered before turning from the crowd and quietly walking away.

She wandered to the edge of the village beyond Odine's house and climbed the tree she had sought solace in more than once during the time she had been here. She sat with her back against the trunk and her legs stretched out along a sturdy branch and thought about what it was she wanted to do now that she was widowed. With no money to speak of her choices were limited but she lifted the amulet that hung around her neck and considered the other jewels hidden in her clothes back in the township. Perhaps she could sell them to become independent for a while until she found a place to call home.

* * * *

After dealing with all of the business of this trip into guardian territory, and searching the village unsuccessfully for Kyelle, Connor reluctantly followed Odine back to her home. He had been looking for her since his arrival; he had thought she would be happy to see him after spending so long here without the creature comforts available in the township. Yet she had been nowhere that he could see. He had initially worried that he had offended the proud warrior women, and they had taken her elsewhere but, after speaking with Odine and finding that she had been treated as an honoured guest, he relaxed a little. He wanted to see for himself though that she was healthy and happy or at least not unhappy.

Odine had purposefully walked to the tree she sat in after checking inside her house for her with Connor. He followed her, and she spoke loudly enough for Kyelle, who sat perched above their heads to hear. Connor had seen a village young girl sitting in the tree, but had not recognised her as he peered into the forest, trying to spy the long golden hair of Kyelle amongst the shadows.

"We talked of you, the little princess and I," Odine smiled, "I asked her to give you to me. She said you were not hers to give that you rejected her advances and treat her as a child." She said with the subtly of a sledgehammer making both Connor and Kyelle, who had tried to hide in the foliage surrounding her.

"That is not the truth of the matter, but she is right I am not hers, she needs someone who can give her the life she deserves not a man like me," he said.

"So I can have you then?" Odine pressed.

"No," he said shortly. "It is best we know each other as we do. I could not live here and be happy, nor would you be happy living in my world."

"Then I give you to her; she is happy in your world," Odine said simply and without rancour.

"It is complicated, she deserves more than I could give her," he said still looking around as if realising she must be close by.

"You are a stupid man," she shook her head, "You do not see what is before your eyes." She stepped back from the trunk and stared at him. "She offers you great love and you wold throw it away so she could be mistreated by another such king and his son? Are you so cruel you would doom her to a life of slavery just so she could wear trinkets and baubles?"

"It's not like that," Connor said startled by Odine's words.

"You are a stupid man," she said again shaking her head, "Do you really not know how unhappy and frightened she is of that life you say she deserves. I have asked mother to let her stay here if she wants, so you can go with the other two, I will take her back to town if she wants to go."

"This is not her world, she could not be happy here. Hers is a life of wealth and privilege. Just tell me where she is so I can tell her that she can go home now," frustration crept into his voice.

"She knows that, she was in the big house and at the cages today, right there in front of your eyes. You are blind as well as stupid," she looked up. "Come down and tell him he is stupid Kya."

Connor was speechless as within seconds Kyelle stood in front of him in the toga of the village women; her long flowing golden locks braided tightly and hanging over her shoulder.

"You are a very stupid man," Kyelle said and walked into Odine's house leaving him staring after her.

"She does not need palaces and riches to be happy, she is happy here. You do not want to make her happy yourself so leave her here where she will not have to worry about being given to a man who will make her unhappy, like that silly boy in the cage," Odine said simply. "I will let you say goodbye." She walked back into the village leaving Connor staring after her.

Confused by Kyelle's appearance as much as by Odine's strangely accented version of his language he walked into the house to speak with Kyelle. His mind raced to reassure himself that what he was doing was the best for her. He would return her to her father's castle and life could go on for her. The idea of her being given in marriage to another equally odious noble had never occurred to him before. He turned to look at her as she sat on the edge of a thin mattress.

"I didn't recognise you," he said softly.

"I don't think you ever truly saw me. I was never the princess of your imaginings who needed the dresses and jewels to be happy. I would have been happy to stay with my father when the king left him with nothing but a broken throne and a broken body. Just because I knew he loved me." She looked up at Connor, "I can't go back now. To the people I will always be the widow of their enemy, a queen of the north. It will be hard enough for my family without being tainted by that. No good family will want me associated with them, there is nothing for me there."

"But your father would..." Connor began protest.

"Of course he would welcome me with open arms; he loves me and I him. I would not burden him with the unrest that would accompany my return," she smiled sadly.

"The king is dead, but you could still live as a queen in the north," Connor said not realising that the prince had made his intentions where she was concerned clear to her.

"Hametus believes I have wronged him on more than one occasion. Mine would be a miserable existence in the north. I have nowhere to go, and the guardians have made me very welcome here," she looked up at him, "Accepted me even in their village life, I have learned a lot about their culture, I am happy enough."

Connor watched her saying nothing as he thought about what she said. He wanted to argue with her, but he found it hard to come up with a reasonable option for her other than this place.

"What will you do now that this is over?" she asked softly. "You are famous in the west despite your protestations. "I think the bards ballad is what finally pushed the King to put such a high bounty on your head."

"I think you are overstating it. There is a large difference between a drunken of soldiers story and the ballad of a bard," he laughed self-deprecatingly.

"I particularly like the one where you singlehandedly brought down a dozen trebuchet's before the castle walls fell, and you raced back to join in the fighting almost winning the day for my realm," she grinned knowing the truth of his deeds. "The bounty was real though and your likeness has been spread all over the western realm on notices. You could choose any realm and you would be greeted as a hero, except possibly the north."

"I will do what I always do I guess, travel and help rebuild where I can," he said slowly processing what she had said. "I may return home for a small time just to remind myself where I came from."

"That sounds fun travelling and seeing the world," she said wistfully.

For the first time since the last big battle, he considered a life with the woman before him. Had the won the day in that realm he would have given up his vagabond existence and stayed there, with her. Formally asking for her hand and in his mind living happily ever after in the seaside palace. Now she had next to nothing, and she was happy enough and he was saddened that she would settle for this existence. The silence lengthened as he imagined what it might be like to return to his own homeland with her by her side, and he crossed the room to where she sat pulling her up into his arms and kissing her.

He felt her yield under his kiss his arms wrapping around her to hold her against his body until she broke the kiss and stared up at him moving to step out of the circle of his arms. She seemed confused, and his eyes travelled down over her body as he finally let himself believe they could be together in another life in another place.

As his eyes travelled over her he could see both her breasts rise and fall unfettered beneath the thin material of the guardian toga, her pointed nipples seemed to beg his attention. He smiled down at her and murmured, "I was a very stupid man." He slipped his arms around her and pulled her back against him kissing her deeply, "I should never have denied how I felt when you came to me in the township."

He let his fingers caress her neck and shoulder pushing the thin fabric of the toga from it to reveal her breasts. He continued to kiss her as his hands lightly trailed over her breasts and down over her body loosening the rope belt and allowing the dress to pool at her feet. He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his boots while still kissing her, his eyes watching her face as he dropped his pants and lay her down on the bed.

Pulling her close, he found her lips again, and Kyelle practically purred at the sensations he gave her. She wanted to feel his touch all over her body. She felt so hot that she could have been melting beneath his hands. As if reading her mind, his hands began to work their way down her body caressing and tickling her as he went. He looked up at her and saw that she was glassy eyed and breathless and smiled knowingly. That smile just did her in; she could think of nothing else but how much she had wanted this moment and the sensations that he was bringing to her.

He pulled back his head and looked down at her his eyes raking up and down her body as she lay beside him. She self-consciously squirmed as he did this wondering how he saw her through his dark eyes when she lay completely naked before him.

"Wow," Connor breathed. Her breasts were firm, and her body was perfect. She had a small patch of hair on her pussy matching the gold of the hair on her head, and her legs seemed to stretch out forever beneath his hands.

"Don't stop," she begged. "I need this, need you, so much."

He slipped his arm around her and brought her face level with his then took her lips in a sweet sensuous kiss, one like she had never experienced before with any man, not that there had been any besides the king. He slid his hands down to her most vulnerable place and gently inserted his finger into her. She released a hoarse cry as she pushed her lower body into his hand, and she collapsed against him, relishing the unbelievable sensations he gave her as he stroked against her clit and the front wall of her cunt. The fat king of the north had never made her feel anything but uncomfortable.