Winter

The minute we left John’s territory, I felt relieved, not that I didn’t appreciate everything he had done for us but the way he acts, was way too intense for me and now I could be myself again. We rode for at least a few hours in complete silence, until I was getting sick of it and the fact that my bum was aching was also not helping we really had to stop. “Niall, can we stop?” He halted his horse and turned his head towards me.

“Sure.” He gestured to the inn, that was in front of us and as we tied up our horses in the stables, I could smell the food. It smelled good. “I’m so hungry.” I mentioned whilst grabbing Nialls hand and he had to smile. “I love girls with a good appetite.” He joked and that made me giggle. “Good thing you married me then because I love food.” We walked through the door and Niall walked to the inn keeper right away because he wanted to stay here for the night and I wasn’t complaining, because we weren’t used to riding horses for hours and hours. We were used to cars but well obviously that wasn’t going to happen. “I heard Niall introduce us as lord and lady Horan and you could see the change in the inn keeper. He had a creepy smile on his face and he was suddenly much friendlier.

We walked to on of the tables, that gave the most privacy and waited for our food. I was exhausted and I didn’t really know what to talk about but this was the best way to get to know each other I guess. So what’s going to happen, if we ever get back?” I was staring outside instead of at Niall. “Well first, when you talk to me, I love it if you actually look at me.” I snapped my head back at him and saw him smiling at me. “And secondly, I don’t know what is going to happen but I do know that I want to stay with you.” That brought a smile on my face but it didn’t get rid of the worries. “What if we don’t remember this if get back, I mean we don’t know what will happen, as no one has ever travelled like this.”

“I don’t think that will happen to us, I think we will be fine. The only thing that will be tricky is that we have to explain our absence and the fact that we’re married.” He shrugged as if it was nothing. Sometimes I really wish I could think just as optimistic as he but I couldn’t and I could see a few things that could go wrong. I mean he was still famous and the amount of time we would be apart or whatever else that would come between. “Stop overthinking Winter.” He grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me towards him, just to press a kiss on my lips. It did numb my mind for a second but that didn’t hold on for long, because his gaze drifted to someone who just had entered the inn and he was thoroughly shocked. I spun around to see who had captured his eyes and that’s when my mouth dropped as well because there she stood the “real” Lady blackwood and we really looked the same except for the fact that her skin was pale, which was a normal thing for this era and the fact that she was even more slender then I was.

“My god, you look exactly like her, except the freckles and your skin colour.” Niall whispered in shock. Her eyes drifted over the crowd, but they weren’t alive, they looked dull as if all the life had sucked out of her. When she looked at us, she didn’t really register us, she walked passed us but stopped a few paces from us and when she turned we saw the same shocked that mirrored us. Her hand flew to her mouth to muffle a gasp, I could see her hands tremble as she walked to us. “James?” she hesitated, she even stretched out her hand to touch Niall’s face and it took everything in me to not stop her.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She sounded out of breath and that’s when Niall returned to the now, as he blinked a few times. “I’m not James, my name is Niall but I do know James.” She shook her head in disbelief and took a step back when her eyes fell on me. “You.” That was all she said before she blacked out. Niall caught her just in time. We could study her and saw that we actually didn’t really look alike, there were differences. Her mouth was smaller and her eyes were a different shape, she didn’t have freckles and I thought that her skin was so white because of powder but it was really her skin colour. Her hair had a different structure and I could see a lot more differences, when I suddenly remembered how to help her. I grabbed the salt from the table and waved it in front of her nose.

She opened her eyes and stared dumbfounded into Niall’s eyes, she stretched out her hand and touch his jawline and I actually felt an intruder to this intimate moment, so much that I got up and walked outside, giving them a moment, just so that Niall could explain things. The way she looked at Niall, didn’t leave any questions to how she felt about James. She loved him and definitely missed him but I didn’t miss the ring around her finger and the fact that she was already showing, she was pregnant, that was one thing I knew for sure.

I sighed and looked around and that’s when I noticed the men lurking around. They were knights but not from John’s clan. I didn’t recognize this clan and it also wasn’t Lady Blackwood’s knights, it had the same looking colours but something was off. They looked like men you didn’t want to mess with and as they approach, I could see people fleeing the scene. I got up and raised my chin a bit and when one of the knights stopped in front of me, I actually feared for my life because he really looked like he was dragged straight out of hell. “Milady, are you here alone?” I shook my head and looked through the window, were Niall was sitting with Lady Blackwood. He followed my gaze and I could swear that he mumbles something against his men.

“That’s too bad.” He tapped his forehead as a greeting and walked inside. I followed them in and walked to were Niall was sitting but when he saw me approaching his shook his head, which made me stop in my tracks. Dis he just told me to stay away? That’s when Lady Blackwood leaned in and kissed Niall and this was not an innocent kiss, she went for it and that’s all I wanted to see. I spun on my heels and ran outside to the tables, I untied my horse and drove away as if hell was on my heels, I didn’t stop until it began to rain. I had to get some shelter but there was nothing here that could provide that for me, which meant I had to go back. I just wanted to turn de horse around, when a thunder crossed the sky, freaking out my horse. I had never once in my life fallen of my horse and when he staggered I could feel myself fall and I could hear the thud but that was all before I blacked out.

I woke up to more lighting and I immediately noticed that the temperature had dropped like crazy and I was trembling all over my body. I was completely alone there was no sound except for the rain and the thunderstorm. My horse was gone and the only way out of this was by foot, this was going to be a hell. I got up from the ground, which was a task by itself, as everything around me was slippery and my leg wasn’t really cooperating but the moment I finally stood straight I almost cheered. I had to get back to that inn but I had no clue to where I was and Niall was probably too busy with Lady Blackwood, to look for me. I felt a warm tear fall down my face, as I took a few steps but I couldn’t stop now, I had to keep going.

I had just walked about a mile when I heard footsteps behind me, I couldn’t see much as it was already dark but I did feel that this was someone dangerous. I started to run but didn’t come far, when a strong hand pulled my back on my arm.

“We meet again.”

Notes