The Love of a Knight

Untitled Part 2

Oliver handed the reins of his horse to the page waiting nearby and headed into the castle. He was bone tired and all he wanted was a soak in a bath and some sleep. The battle had been brutal and long and he knew there would be more. As he walked through the wooden doors courtesans approached him with each step. They were sent for when the knights returned from battle and sometimes he would take advantage of their skills. But not tonight. He brushed them off as he passed not seeing the looks of disappointment that followed him through the halls. Tonight he was tired, so tonight he would rest. He sent his page Ben to go gather some water for his bath and slowly made his way up the stone steps to his room. Most of the knights stayed in the knight's quarters at the edge of the castle walls, but because he was a guest of Lord Chambers and an honored one at that, he was given his own room within the castle.

Ben ordered the water and then made his way to Sir Oliver's room to help him remove his armor. He quickly placed the pieces in the corner to be cleaned and shined at a later time and opened the door as he heard a knock. It was the servants with the water and he pulled the brass tub to the center of the room so they could start filling it for Oliver's bath. They came one after the other and soon the tub was over half deep with hot water. Ben left a square of lye soap, a rag and a large cloth for drying next to the tub and bowing exited closing the door behind him. Oliver sighed as he stripped off his long john's and stepped into the hot water, laying his head back and closing his eyes. He found himself thinking of the mysterious woman in the woods and despite the hot water he could feel his body responding to her. She was beautiful and if he had not just come from battle he might have whisked her into the woods and sated his desires with her.

He saw her blue eyes and the way her green dress gently outlined the curves of her body. The jewels that surrounded her neck were genuine and he remembered the collar that encircled the panther's neck. Those emeralds were real. So was she rich? A widow? A courtesan of Lord Chambers that was compensated quite nicely for her favors? No, she didn't seem to be that type of woman. The courtesan's that roamed the halls of castle's he had served were coarse, weathered, and worn. She was none of those things. She was beauty and softness and light and seemed to exude a sensuous glow that was made even brighter when she smiled.

He took the soap and cloth and scrubbed the dirt and blood from his body, his hand faltering as he looked down at the scars that littered his chest. A woman like her would probably be appalled to see the toll that fighting took on a man. She seemed untouched and pure and the thought of that made his body tighten with a possessive ache. He finished washing and stood drying his body before he climbed into his bed. He tried not to think of her as he lay down, but his mind kept drifting back to her. She was an enigma and he wanted to know more. He fell asleep knowing in his mind, he would see her again.

***

Felicity entered her cottage and Alara slinked to the fireplace laying down and watching her mistress. Felicity removed her cloak and placed it on the hook by the door before she blew a kiss to Alara. She lived in a one room cottage that was perfect for her, and she stripped her clothes quickly before she threw on her nightgown and climbed into bed. Her mind kept thinking of the handsome knight she had run into in the woods. She had never been with a man before, most were scared of her powers, but she knew instinctively that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. His eyes called to her and she shifted in her bed as she remembered how he looked astride his horse. He exuded danger and power and all things that were forbidden to a woman of her history, but still she was drawn. She wanted to see him again.

"He was quite handsome, wasn't he.", she said to Alara. The panther looked at her with her big green eyes and closed them softly, agreeing with her mistress.