Maiden of the Forest

Chapter 32 - Proper Communication

Kit set Ella down on the sand just as Peter rushed over to them, his chest heaving, sweat gracing his brow. His eyes were full of relief as well as frustration. "Your Majesties," he gasped as other soldiers clamored around them, "Where on earth did you run off to? And why are your clothes missing?"

Kit saw the narrowing suspicion in his eyes and hastily waved his hands. "This isn't what it looks like, Peter! We were ambushed."

"Ambushed?!" Peter cried, his eyes frantically searching the area.

"Some men stumbled upon and captured us but after negotiating they let us go," Kit explained.

"Do you want me to pursue them, Sire?"

"No," Kit replied firmly. "Let them go."

"But Sire!"

"Peter," Ella said gently, "let them go."

Kit looked over at Ella. This was the first time she gave Peter an order. It was given in perfect mildness but it was an order nonetheless. Peter stared at Ella concernedly but sighed. "As you wish." He then turned a stern eye on Kit. "What were you thinking running off without a guard, Sire? Alistair warned me that you liked to get into trouble but I didn't expect to find any here so soon! He's going to have my head! The first time I have to act as Captain of the Guard outside of the palace and you're kidnapped!"

"Peter, relax," Kit said while trying not to show the humor he felt over the man's antics. "We're fine. I've played plenty of times on those rocks as a boy and have never encountered running into strangers."

"That does not excuse the fact that it happened, Sire," Peter reminded. "I understand that you and the Lady Ella would like to have some privacy but you have to keep in mind who you are!"

"I know perfectly well who I am, Peter," Kit snapped, becoming slightly annoyed that he was being reprimanded by a man two years his senior.

Ella placed a comforting hand on Kit's shoulder, calming him. He glanced at her and noticed that she held a small sympathetic smile. "Peter, we appreciate your concern over our wellbeing. It is good to know that you care about us so deeply. We are unharmed, the men are gone and will no longer be a threat, and I think it is high time we retire back to the castle to prepare for dinner. I'm sure all of us are hungry."

Leave it to Ella to calm the atmosphere so quickly. Agreeing to her proposal, the large party started heading back up the beach towards the cottage. Ella kept her hand in Kit's, her small thumb running across his skin back and forth. He knew she could still feel how tense he was but he wasn't upset with Peter. No, like Ella he appreciated the man's efficiency. He was upset with himself.

It was his idea to lead Ella to the rocks. It was his idea to spend time looking at the pools. If he hadn't led her so far away from the cottage and the watchful eyes of the guard, they never would have found trouble. He had placed her in a dangerous situation and there was no one to blame but himself. He was in a foul mood indeed when he kissed Ella goodbye to get ready for the evening. He roughly removed his thin shirt and threw it on the bed while his servants watched in slight concern. Kit ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sire?" Thomas, his personal manservant while at the Seaside Cottage, hesitantly stepped forward. He'd known Kit since he was a small boy and though he was eighteen years older, the relationship Kit had with him was the same as Henry and Lance.

Phillip, the other manservant, was less known to Kit, the man having started working at the cottage only five years ago. He was around seventeen years old and appeared a little more wary of the king than Thomas, sensing His Majesty was upset but not knowing how he should go about serving him while in a foul mood.