Savage Marriage

Chapter Twenty Seven

By morning the men went to work on their plan. Kincaid had ordered Joanna and Aílis to stay in their chambers with the children. Cathleen's nurse maid had arrived to help aid Cathleen. Joanna and Aílis had convinced Cathleen's nurse maid to join them, and Aílis had taken it upon herself to teach the maid how to clean Cathleen's bandages. Joanna explained they would be smuggled out in a wagon with the rest of them on horse back. The maid's job was to watch the children and make sure they stayed quiet. "You must promise me you will tell no one of this," Joanna stated.

"I promise my lady," the maid responded.

"You are not allowed to bring anyone with you," Aílis said. "The more people the more baggage. We do not need more trouble to get out."

"Yes my lady," she said.

"We will give you a list of supplies to gather with the wagon," Joanna said. "It is critical you gather each item. All of them are required to ensure Cathleen's recovery."

"Yes my lady," she said.

Kincaid and Barclay rode through the streets of the village surrounding the palace. People stared at them or begged for food. The sight of these people was gruesome and heart wrenching. Kincaid wanted to help these people. He wished he could aid them, but it was more important at the moment to get his family and friends out of this place. Barclay and Kincaid observed the route and routine of the guards patrolling the castle and the grounds. They rode along the wall surrounding the market keeping the villagers and farmers out or in the small area. "The patrols are weak," Barclay said.

"It's because they are all stationed on the wall surrounding the castle. Rena has made sure no one will enter or leave with out her command," Kincaid said.

"This is a corrupt land," Barclay said. He took a deep breath of the damp and dirty smelling air. Kincaid could tell he missed the fresh air of the highlands.

"But where there is a corrupt land there is corrupt guards," Kincaid concluded.

~

Joanna had sent the nurse maid out to fetch everything. It was the maid's job to acquire the wagon since they couldn't leave their chambers without suspicion. It had been sometime since the maid was sent out. Joanna paced nervously. She knew it would take sometime, but the items required were few and in plenty. "You must remember Joanna that the maid must be careful," Aílis told her. "I know. It concerns me how long it's taking her," Joanna said. Aílis continued to watch Joanna pace like a trapped animal. The room had become awfully cramped once stayed in all day. Aílis looked to the door of her chambers. Marian, Cathleen, and Carney lay behind the door upon the bed sleeping. They had taken liberty to hide them away incase someone were to visit and become a bit too friendly with the ladies.

The door was locked so the children were safe. "Joanna, why don't you go for a walk? You've been trapped in here for far too long," Aílis offered. "I couldn't. I do not want to leave you and the children," Joanna argued.

"Nonsense. Go walk about and feel the breeze. Kincaid and Barclay will be gone for sometime, so there is no reason to be stuck in here until they return," Aílis said.

"But the children...," Joanna began.

"Will be fine under my care," Aílis interrupted. "Just go out fetch us some food at least. I'm sick of stale bread."

Joanna laughed. Her friend had a point. She finely agreed and left. Joanna walked out into the hall and began to venture around her old home. Nothing has changed from when she had left. It was surprising. Joanna might have guessed that Rena would have changed the entire castle to please herself. Joanna wondered through her memories. She wondered through the corridor where she played as a small child. She came to a small door in the wood of a wall. If you opened the small door you would find a little bunker with abandoned children's toys. This was the place she use to hide away with Rena when they stole sweets from the kitchen. She smiled at the sweet but distant memory. She continued on her way until she came to an empty courtyard. It had been abandoned some time. In the flower beds weeds had started to grow and the flowers had no color. Dirt and grass poked up between the stone tiles on the ground, and the fountain had looked long dried up. She walked among the old courtyard feeling the depression of the dying beauty of her land. Joanna came to the fountain and ran a finer along its edge. She remembers when she was quiet small that her mother would sit upon it's edge tying flowers into little tiaras for Rena and Joanna.

It was a memory Joanna treasured, and one that was years away in her past. She walked near the fountain and stared at it. She was jerked out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked. "Oh! Your highness," she said curtsying. "Please Joanna. I am and always will be Andrew to you," he said. Joanna stood up straight. Andrew stared at her for sometime. "You are still as beautiful as ever," he murmured. Joanna felt uneasy in his presence. She gave a nervous smile. Joanna stared at him. She suddenly noticed his eyes turn red, and tears glisten in his eyes. Suddenly Andrew fell to his knees before her. She heard his sobs. "Oh Joanna forgive me! Forgive me!" he bawled. "Forgive me for not fighting for you! Forgive me for not bringing you home!" He suddenly grabbed the hem of her dress and buried his face into it. Joanna didn't know what to do. "Andrew please," Joanna pleaded. She didn't want this scene to continue. "You only did what you were capable of," she said. He suddenly stopped. He released the hem of her dress and looked up at her, "I am to blame for the hell you live in." "Please hear me when I say this. I will not hide the truth from you. I have fallen in love with Sir Kincaid," she admitted. He looked at her strange.

Andrew stood up quickly. "That cannot be," he said. "Do you realize what he is Joanna?" She knew she could never explain to him that everything they've been told was wrong. Andrew began to speak, "That man is a brute. A savage. He's a de..."

"He is a man. A man who is human like us," she interrupted. "He feels, yearns, needs, wants. He is not different than us. You take him as a demon sent from hell, but he is nothing of the sort."

"Do you not understand the pain his people have cause? The men and children they've slaughtered? The women they've raped and enslaved?" he retorted.

"And do our warriors not do the same? I do not ask you to understand. I ask you to treat him as human. He is my husband and the father of my child," she said.

Andrew took a step back. He inspected her from head to toe with his eyes. "He's filled you with his seed?" he asked disgusted. She gave a nod. "That is what a husband does to his wife," she said. His face became dark. He suddenly began to pace. His face was full of anger and he mumbled. "Andrew please try to stay calm," Joanna said. He suddenly lost it, "YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE!"

"Your child should be mine! Your love should be mine!" he yelled.

"Please Andrew!" Joanna pleaded.

"Because of your father our lives were ruined! We could never love one another because of this savage!" he argued.

"Andrew you are thinking irrationally. The love we had for one another was one of children," she said.

Andrew stared at her with disbelief. He suddenly stride forward and came very close to her. Joanna could smell stale sweat and wine perfumed on him. "I know you still love me. One way or another I will make you, your child, and your heart mine," he threatened. Joanna was afraid. "I will kill the savage that filled you with his seed," he swore. With the flutter of his regal robe he was gone. Joanna stood breathless. Andrew was still in love with her. It wasn't love. Not anymore. It had become an obsession.

~
Please forgive me for the eternity long update. More updates to come. message me with ideas or questions.