Chapter 41: A Bed Of Roses (unedited)

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The man spun tales for the unsuspecting man who opened up his land for us. I almost believed him as he begged the man to let his darling wife have a glass of water, maybe something to eat and a place to lay her head for the night. He said we had been walking all day when in truth we had not walked more than three hours before the farmhouse appeared ahead of us.

"I'll do all the talking," Karl commanded as we got closer.

Perhaps I was still irritated with him that I did not like that he made himself the decider of all things. It was one of the things that I had dreaded about marriage and this man was not even my husband.

"Let's not forget the order of things. You may be a man but I am the daughter of Lord. You do as I say."

"Of course, my lady."Karl smirked wildly and broke into laughter. Although he didn't call me stupid or dumb, his sense of disrespect lay in his laughter. He no more respected me than the other men part of Hermann's army. He just didn't say it out loud.

I crossed my arms against my chest and ignored him. Perhaps I deserved it. I didn't care class and if I was being honest with myself, I knew that my anger towards him was because he was like a drug which had seemed into my veins and I only prayed that I remembered who I was before he got to my soul.

So when he started begging to stay for just one night for his poor dear wife, I rolled my eyes behind him knowing that he didn't mean a single word and I was just a pawn in his ruse.

"Oh it is freezing outside! Come in," the man peeked his head outside and Karl stepped back.

His hands reached behind him and found me, keeping me close to him and out of the man's sight. "Her clothes were ruined when the boat sank."

"Of course," the man said understandingly. He ripped the coat off his back and passed it to Karl who then handed it to me.

We glanced at each other for a moment. For a woman he defiled, I almost said that he cared. At least enough not to ruin me. Although, parading like a married couple would be the talk of town if anyone I knew saw us.

I remembered this area. There was a town not to far away and Vaalsberg as he mentioned was no more than 20 to 35 miles away. All this fighting close to the one of the king's homes would eventually get his attention. I hoped it did and soon.

"Come in," he said. He lead us into his dinning area. "You are so very lucky to not have to run into the prince's armies. There has been some fighting close to us in the recent days."

Karl and I glanced at each other. Wilhelm must have been looking for him. I wondered why Hermann would care at all to look for one of his soldiers. My mind said that Karl was also a soldier that he entrusted to murder the king's general.

I shivered at the thought.

The man was looking at me then and quickly dropped his eyes. "I'm so very sorry. I did not mean to terrify your wife."

I had forgotten what our society was like. A woman was merely a man's property and identified as such. That's what I had feared the most all of my life until I found a man whom I had bested for most of his life so he had no choice than to recognise me as an equal.

"It's alright, my dear," Karl uttered, playing to the man's words. "I was certain that I saw the king's men as we walked over here."

"Yes, they have been patrolling the area and assured us that they would keep the invasion at bay."

"Do they come by often?"

"Not since they arrived. We see riders every once in a while. Oh! I have forgotten myself, I am Father Visser." He said extending his hand to Karl. "My wife and children have gone to bed. You were quite lucky that I was still reading when I heard your knock. Why don't you sit down and I'll go see if I can find you something to eat."

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