Winter

John had been in meetings all day, about the next possible step and Niall was with him the entire day, just like James so there was not much to do for me except to see the guards and ask them about what was going to happen now. I wondered through the castle, to see if there was something I hadn’t see yet and I landed in the kitchen were they were preparing food and it smelled amazing.

I couldn’t help but walk in and the activities stopped immediately and they actually looked angry that I had disturbed them. “I’m sorry but it all just smelled so good.” I felt the blush on my face and after I had given them the compliment they actually smiled and one of the little girl pulled me further into the kitchen.

“Do you want some?” The little girl asked and I nodded, I mean how could I say no to a sweet kid like her. She placed a bowl in front of me and I was happy to see that it was soup and she also gave me some bread. They continued their conversations as I sat there and it was interesting to hear what they were talking about and it even made me think of “Downtown Abbey” They were indeed gossiping about their lord and the many women he is sleeping with and they apparently thought I was already gone because they even talked about Niall and me, which surprised me little because they were really nice about us.

The moment I pushed my chair back, they seemed shocked to see I was still here but I just smiled. “It’s was lovely, thank you.” I placed the bowl back on the counter top and made my exit, when John’s butler stopped me. “Milady about what you heard.” I stopped him right there because he really didn’t have to worry about it. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hear a thing.” I winked at him before walking back upstairs.

I walked into the courtyard and wasn’t surprised to find Elaine talking to Aidan and when they saw me coming they both showed their respects and Elaine walked to me, apparently on a mission. “Milady, we have been looking for you.” I pulled up one brow because I had been in the castle the whole time. “I was in the kitchen.” She nodded but pulled me with her back to the castle and it even made me worry about the reason I was needed. “Elaine, would you please tell what’s wrong?” She shrugged. “I don’t know miss but John wanted you in his office.” It didn’t shake my worry this only intensified it and I wasn’t happy about it. We stopped in front a enormous door, which seemed really heavy as the guards had to open them. The only thing I could think about was about the fact that they should get a smaller door, it’s not like John is so big he need to have a door like this.

“There she is, Winter would you be so kind to join us?” John asked as soon as I was in his vision. I quickly took a seat next to Niall, who immediately grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly. “Is something wrong John?” I asked him straight away. He didn’t expect me to be so blunt but I never liked to beat around the bushes. “Right, so Niall here told me you know how to fight?” I had never been so shocked to hear something but this made me almost pop my eyes out of their sockets. I looked at Niall in horror, why did he think I could fight? What was he thinking!

“I, well, I know how to hold a sword but that’s about it.” I told him and I was really hoping he would drop the subject but he wasn’t. “Good that’s a start because we want you to fight along us.” This was really the shock of the century, I was just a woman with no fighting skills what so ever and now he wanted me to join the fight, this was beyond weird.

“Thank you for the honour but I really can’t do that, I’m a woman.” I know I must’ve set back feminism back a few years but hello I wasn’t going to fight a war, I mean I wasn’t even trained and those swords are really heavy.

“Oh, I know you’re a woman, believe me I know.” This made Niall narrow his eyes at John but I really didn’t have time for their battering. “Then why do you want me to join the fight?” I asked him because he really needed to explain this to me. “Because we are running short on men, as the killed of half my men already and I know with weather m it will take them at least two weeks to get to the castle and I need every men and woman, who is fit enough to help me defend our home.” God if he said it like that I couldn’t decline, could I now.”

“Alright but I need training because otherwise I will be dead in no time.” I was calm on the surface when I said that but inside there was a storm raging and I also know it would show on my face in no time, I had to get out of here. “You will start training tomorrow with Aidan.” I nodded and then quickly excused myself.

I bolted up to my room and checked the mirror and there they were my famous red spots. These only appeared when I was really stressed out and now I was, as I was facing a war that I never thought I would fight in. That was not my only concern because it also gave me less time to look for the “Lady Blackwood” of this era.

There was a small knock on my door, to my annoyance they didn’t wait for me to tell them to come in and I wasn’t surprised to see Niall walking in the room. He kneeled down in front of me and rested his hand gently on the side of my face. “I won’t let anything happen to you Winter, please don’t worry about this.” How could he ask this of me, I mean we are stranded in a different era and now we don’t even have time to fix this because we will be to busy to do anything else.

“I miss home.” I mumbled trough my tears and he nodded, his eyes turned sad and that’s when it hit me, I wasn’t the only one who was forced to stop searching. “I do to but this way we will be together and we will find her, I can promise you this.” He tried to reassure me but I just couldn’t get my head around all of this.

“Please let it go for now.” He caressed my cheek and that made me look him in the eyes, in his eyes was a longing and I couldn’t help but stretch out my hand to pull him up. He stood up and lifted my in his arms and he carried me back to his room, where a fire was already burning. He put me down in front of the bed and started undressing me. I had goose bumps over my whole body and as he got rid of my clothes he kissed my shoulder and gently pushed me on the bed.

His clothes followed soon after and the way we were making love, was as if we were drowning. I felt every little touch, every move he made and he intensified it by making sure our eyes kept locked on each other. Never had I experienced something like this but I wouldn’t trade it for anything, the way he made me feel his love for me, was beyond anything I’ve ever known and the way he moved in me, was indescribable. He made me forget about the world and I know he felt the exact same and when we came, we came together and it was sweet, pure and full of love. He moved us and I could feel his breathing slow down and within seconds he had fallen asleep.

Notes