If She Chooses...

With all the festivities happening, Prince Joesph found a moment to slip away to his office. He sat at his desk. There was a candle burning brightly as he wrote. Once he finished writing, he folded the paper, melted some wax, and then added his seal.

He blew on it and smiled. There was a young boy who stood by the door, “Come Randolph.”

The young man hurried to the desk. Prince Joseph stood and handed him the letter, “I need you to ride into Wessex and deliver this to the King.”

“What should I say, Lord?”

“You should say that King Henry and Prince Joseph send their best regards.”

The young man nodded and started to leave but the Prince stopped him.

“Oh, please do it discretely.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He watched the young man hurry out. He smiled. Princess Agnes wasn’t as fair as Princess Winfred but she was of English blood and her father commanded a formidable army.

*****

The men stood talking when suddenly, King Henry saw Lord Francois Delacroix enter with a few of his men. He smiled, “Ah, the French are here.”

King Oswald looked at the men as they approached wearing their fancy attire. He stopped and bowed, “Your Majesties.”

“Lord Delacroix, I wasn’t aware we had business.”

“Oh, no. I am here simply because I heard you had the company of the Portuguese writer, Joaquin Moriera.”

Joaquin smiled, “Lord Delacroix, I am flattered.”

They shook hands, “I have read a number of your works. You visited Frankia. I remember the meeting you had with my parents. You traveled with your beautiful family.”

“That was some time ago.”

“Yes. I believe your son was only eight or nine years old.”

Joaquin nodded, “Yes. Then it has been some time, this is Samba.”

He looked into Samba’s eyes. “Wow, you are a strong young man now!”

Samba smiled, “I am. I’ll soon be joining my uncle’s court in Lisbon.”

“As you should. And how is your lovely wife?” he asked as he redirected his attention to Lord Joaquin.

“With child and doing well. She stayed in Portugal.”

“Congratulations. And your lovely daughter?”

Prince Liam's jaws clenched when he heard him ask for Yande. Joaquin pointed to where she stood speaking with Princess Winfred.

“That is her. My. She is a beautiful woman now. I am sure she is already promised to another.”

Joaquin chuckled, “Many have inquired, but she has not accepted any offers.”

“I’d love to throw my name—”

“Lord Joaquin, I have spoken with Yande. I have asked to court her while she is here.”

Lord Jaoquin nodded.

Lord Delacroix eyed Prince Liam, “And you are?”

“Prince Liam of Northumbria.”

“Well, Prince Liam, a woman can be courted by more than one suiter.”

“_If _she chooses.”

He nodded, “_If _she chooses. I suppose I will go and introduce myself and see if she chooses.”

Prince Oswald saw his brother’s neck get red, “Brother, come walk with me.”

“I do not wish to walk, Oswald.”

Prince Oswald took his arm and pulled him away. King Oswald smiled at Lord Joaquin, “My son is fond of your daughter. I would love to have her in the royal family.”

He smiled, “Thank you King Oswald that means a great deal. My daughter is very important to me.”

****8

Standing away from the crowd, Prince Oswald stared at his brother who paced.

“Why did you drag me away?” asked Prince Liam in aggravation.

“Because. You needed to cool your head.”

“My head does not need cooling. I only wish to knock that fancy pants-wearing fool to the floor.”

Oswald chuckled, “There’s no need to be upset. I’m sure if the Lady Yande is interested in you—”

“Of course, she’s interested in me.”

Prince Oswald nodded, “So then, you are over Lady Darleen.”

He scoffed, “You are a riot, brother. As you can see,” he responded as they looked at Darleen holding onto Samba’s arm, “she has already moved on.”

He sighed, “Indeed. She has.”

He watched as his brother walked off. He had done about as much as he could to help Darleen and Liam get together for the sake of fulfilling his promise to Queen Godgifu. He shook his head. He already had his beautiful wife and a child on the way.

His mind flashed to Abigale. He was young. He did have good intentions toward her. He had no idea that his heart would open completely to Winfred.

****

He was older by ten years. He was handsome in every way. His skin had a dark tint, his eyes were a beautiful dark brown. His lashes could have been the envy of most women. After he introduced himself, he reminded her of their first meeting years ago. He had his eyes on her then but she was far too young.

As they danced, he spoke to her in French. He was impressed with her ability to hold a conversation in his native tongue. “You would love Paris. I have a beautiful chateau there. There is plenty of land. I remembered how you loved to play in the garden with my sister.”

She smiled, “You have an excellent memory.”

“The remarkable things. I tend to remember.”

The music stopped. Prince Liam walked up. Lord Delacroix nodded, “Prince, you’re still here.”

“I am a guest,” he replied smugly.

One of Delacorix's men approached, “Sir, we must be on our way.”

He sighed, “Yes, I forgot we have business in the morning, but,” he said as he reached for Yande’s hand, “I shall return tomorrow evening. Perhaps we can go for a carriage ride?"

“She already had plans to go riding with me. We’ll be in Northumbria.”

“Well, then, I will see you another time.” He kissed the top of her hand, “Until then, keep your thoughts free from worry and on the possibilities of wonderful things to come.”

She smiled, “Safe travels, Lord Delacroix.”

“Call me Francios.”

“Francois.”

He left with his men. Liam stared at her, “I wasn’t aware you were into such lofty men.”

She chuckled, “Lofty?”

“Yes. Lofty.”

“Aren’t we all a tad bit lofty?”

His eyebrows lifted, “He’s by far the loftiest of all.”

She chucked, “Why do you seem vexed? I only have eyes for one man here.”

He blushed, “Will you accompany me for a walk?”

****

It was quiet. They stood on a balcony. He stared into her eyes, “It seems I have waited my whole life for this moment.”

“You are too kind.”

“I swear kind and gentle to you our entire lives.”

“And you are certain that you want me as your wife?”

He made a face, “Of course. I have dreamed about you for months.”

Yande chuckled, “How can that be? You have never met me.”

He thought about the woman who told him about the vision. He laughed uneasily and looked around, “This will sound mad. And I know it is far from reality.”

Yande watched him closely.

“I met a woman. She had to be drunk, out of her mind, or both. It didn’t make sense but she seemed to believe what she was saying. So, I entertained her. Then that night, I saw your face as clear as day.” He waited for a reaction.

She nodded, “Interesting.”

“Yes. It was. And It all seemed mad at the time. Yet, here you are. I do not know how to explain it. What do you think?”

She took a deep breath, “There are many fascinating things that have occurred throughout history and many times...the scholars attempt to make sense of such events. When an explanation cannot be found, it is considered a miracle.”

He nodded as she spoke.

“There are people who have certain capabilities that are beyond human understanding.”

He tilted his head and then chuckled, “You mean like...what? Seers and witches?”

She didn’t respond.

“Surely you don’t believe in those things?”

“I know enough to know that most things are possible.”

“Except that. Those things aren’t real. They can’t be.”

She smiled, “Are you sure that you want to court me, Prince Liam?”

“Court you? No.”

She gulped.

“I plan to ask your father for your hand tomorrow. Would you agree?” he asked as he stepped closer. He looked down into her eyes.

“Yes. I would.”

Slowly the distance between them closed and his lips pressed to her soft lips. Her mind flashed with a series of visions. Her eyes watered. He looked down into her eyes and used his thumb to wipe her tears, “I’ve never brought a woman to tears with a kiss," he said softly.

She chuckled, “I am happy.”

“And so am I.”

****

The guests were gone. King Oswald was already in bed. His wife wore a loose sheer gown. Her hair cascaded down her back. “Did you see how smitten Liam was with the Lady Yande?” she asked.

He nodded, “I already told Lord Joaquin that we’d be happy to have her.”

“A child with African blood in our kingdom.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time.”

She nodded as she slipped into bed and climbed aboard, “um,” she hummed in delight.

He pulled her close. They kissed sweetly for several moments. Then suddenly, he was on top driving his might deep within her.

They melted in each other’s arms with deep groans and soft pants.

******

Nervously, he laid on his back. His size was impressive. Darleen grinned, “You are truly blessed, Samba.”

He cleared his throat, “I’ve never—”

She placed her finger over his lips and devoured his long thick rod into her center. His mouth formed the letter O. She worked her hips magnificently, “You don’t have to know much. I know enough for the both of us.”

He moaned and winced as she placed him under her spell. His cock felt so good. Her eyes rolled and then closed.

He reached for her full breasts. He was in heaven. It was far better being inside a woman than stroking himself with his hand. She was moist and warm and tight.

She saw the look on his face, “You mustn’t release inside of me. Let me know when you are—”

Suddenly, he grunted and grabbed her hips. He didn’t mean to but it was so good, he had to hold on tightly. He filled her center and finished with a peaceful hum.

She hurried off of him and found a rag. She nearly wiped her lips off below. Samaba sat up in a panic, “My apologies.”

She huffed, “It should be fine. And if not, I’m sure you could ask my uncle for my hand.”

“What about your father?”

She sighed, “No one knows what happened to him. He left one day to do business for the king and he never returned. Some say it’s possible that he was killed en route to York. Perhaps it was those north men They are a terror you know."

Samba nodded, “You mean the men from Norway and such?”

“Yes. Those men. They are built like monsters and kill indiscriminately. How do you know of them? Have they been to Portugal?”

“No, but my father is a traveler and we have often traveled with him. I do remember us meeting a group of North men long ago. They seemed rather normal to me. They did have some odd practices. My father is fascinated with other cultures. It’s how he met my mother.”

Darleen smiled and went back to the bed, she leaned over and kissed Samba’s mouth, “I wish I could sleep here tonight. You must not speak of what we did to anyone. Not even your sister.”

He nodded, “I will not tell a soul.”

“Tomorrow, you and I could ride out to Merica and speak with King Charles. I’m sure he’d love to meet you and your father.”

“Yes. I’ll speak with my father in the morning.”

*****

Kattergat

Ida held her head over a bucket. It was the third time that day she was ill. Freya handed her a wet towel, “So, does Sven know?”

Ida chuckled, “I didn’t know until a few days ago. I wish to sail to England. I must find him and my brother.”

“It’s is dangerous. And you are with child.”

“Yes, but I must let my brother know what has happened.”

She nodded, “Any news of his wife or Sven’s wife?”

“None.”

As they were talking, Freya’s oldest son Soren entered, “Mother, there is someone here looking for Lady Ida.”

Ida’s eyebrows lifted, “A woman searching for me?”

“She is a seer. Astrid.”

Ida hurried to the main hall and saw Astrid standing with two men. Ida stopped in front of her, “Astrid.”

She nodded with respect, “Lady Ida. I came because my spirit was troubled.”

“Troubled. I noticed you left without a word and our home was attacked.”

“This is why I came. I saw a vision of a terrible wreckage. A ship that Lady Yana and Revna were on headed to Poland.”

Ida gulped, “Are you saying?”

Astrid nodded, “The crew had to have perished. I do want you to know that I told Lady Revna to warn you and the others that chaos was coming. I had no idea they would flee without telling you.”

Freya touched Ida’s shoulder, “This is terrible.”

“It is.”

A man was spying in the background. They heard a noise. They looked. They saw a man take off out of the hall. They ran toward the door. Before they could exit. Magnis walked in with the man bleeding from his mouth and his hand was broken. “I have been watching this one. He is untrustworthy. I saw him speaking to a man in the woods. They had a banner that was just like the one of the men who attacked us.”

“Please. Let me go. I swear. I mean no harm.”

Emma entered holding her baby, “What is happening?”

Freya turned to her, “This man here is part of the bastards who attacked Lord Siguard's lands.”

“It wasn’t me. I promise it wasn’t and if you kill me...you’ll never find out what he intends to do.”

Ida sighed. She walked over to the man. Magnis had a good grip on him. She slapped his face so hard that one of his rotten teeth broke. The man spat out blood, mucus, and his tooth. “Lady Ida. Please.”

She turned away, “Remove him from my sight. I will deal with him in the morning.”

Magnis nodded. Soren eagerly joined him in taking the prisoner to a different location.

Astrid saw the pale look on Ida’s face. You will need some herbal tea to settle your belly. Ida smiled and her hand rested on her belly. She wasn’t showing but she knew there was life inside her and it gave her unspeakable joy.

“I want to sail to England.”

Astrid nodded, “Your journey will be blessed.”

Ida nodded.

“But as the young man said, there is still danger we all must face before we leave.”

"We?"

"I wish to travel with you."

Ida nodded, "As you wish," she said and then looked at Freya, “How many men are here?” asked Ida.

“Maybe a dozen or so.”

Ida nodded, “We can close off the entrance and have several take turns watching at the gates. They should be able to see ships coming from afar. Some of the women and younger men can look out in the forest.

Freya nodded, “Yes. Let’s get to work.”

*****

The night was perfect. She had not stopped smiling. She sat by the window holding a conversation with her great-grandmother as if she was sitting beside her, “I saw our children. Twin boys.”

“There is more to your future.”

“More.” She knew it. But before she could think about it further, she heard a tap at her door before it creaked open and he slipped inside.

“Prince Liam.

His feet carried him to where she stood looking out the window. She looked into his blue eyes, “We shouldn’t be here like this.”

“I know but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“You know we cannot.”

“Yes. But there are other ways I can please you without taking your virtue.”

“I am intrigued.”

He smiled. His hands caressed her as his mouth pressed to hers and their tongues danced. His hand slipped under her gown, he found her button and made tiny circles slowly as they kissed. Soon her body was on fire and she wanted him to take her, but he refused, “There will be plenty of time for that after we are married.’

Her face had pure ecstasy as he played. Her legs tensed and she grabbed his hand. It was covered in her nectar. He smiled, “I live to please you always.”

Her hand touched his face, “Always?”

He chuckled, “Well, I’ll do my best to keep you satisfied. I should leave and let you rest.” He kissed the top of her head, “Until morning.”

She watched him leave. Her body was still floating from the orgasm she experienced. She smiled.