Married To The Enemy by Rachel Burns

Chapter 1 ~ Sofie Von Werdenfels

 

“Father? What kind of man is he?”

“The kind with an army,” my father answered me. His eyes darted over to my brother. Both hated taking a break from the fighting. They were anxious to get back to battle.

They would rather raise their swords to fight for my honor than raise their cups to celebrate a wedding, even mine. But this had to be seen to before before they could return to their waiting men.

The wedding was necessary because my father needed more men to fight off the Lions. The Lion wanted my father’s land. That was why we were at war. My wedding had to potential to end the war.

Because we only had a small realm, our neighbors saw us as weak and felt that they could march in and take what was ours. The Lion was the prince who felt entitled to ours lands. He wanted not only our lands, but he wanted me as well.

He planned to march into our land kill my father and brother, and then marry me so my people would accept him as their ruler. Our lands would be added to his already vast lands, and he would become an even greater prince.

My family’s holdings were by no means large. I had been born a princess, but our castle was small, matching our land holdings. Nevertheless, we were well-placed in the mountain. Our realm was between two other realms, the Lions to the north and the Eagles to the south. We were the wolves.

We had the best trading route over the Alps. We also had silver and coal mines. In the past, both the realm to the north and the one to the south had tried to overtake us.

Today, I was going to marry the Prince of Tirol. He was the prince to the south. Our countries could form an alliance to fight off the Lion Prince to the north, who had declared war on us.

The women at my court whispered that The Lion would hurt me and force a child upon me if he could get his hands on me. My father and brother had to go to war to protect me. They fought bravely, but so many men were already lost to the Lion. We needed more men.

That was why my father agreed to marry me to the young prince in the next realm. He was going to give my father the men he needed to not only fight the Lion but to overtake the Lion’s lands. My brother would rule the Lion’s land, and my father, the Wolf, would control everything as far as a horse could take you in one day, and much further. We would have peace.

My father was going to be a wealthy man and control a vast amount of land. My brother would rule after him, making our family the most important one in the area. There would be no more fighting about border lines once our combined families controlled everything. This marriage made sense for everyone.

I was going to marry a neighbor and do my part.

Still, my heart was racing with fear. I was going to marry a man I’d seen several times in my life, but we had never spoken to one another. Nothing more than asking if his cup needed to be refilled while he visited us in the mountain to discuss trade. I had never been to his castle before today. This was going to be my home, and I would be his queen and give him heirs, but he was a stranger to me. His people were strangers to me.

There was a knock at the door, and a woman entered the room. She smiled at me. “The priest is ready, my lady.” She bowed to us before after she spoke to us. The court here was more formal and much larger than ours in the mountain.

I was ready to be wed. My silver blonde hair was braided and pulled tightly back so my ears were covered. I wore my mother’s jewelry. The reddest rubies adorned my neck, ears and wrists. My dress was silver and stitched with reds threads to match my mother’s jewels. I wished that she had survived my birth. I could use a mother’s advice.

My father, who was the most eager for this wedding, quickly took hold of my arm and brought me out. He led me to the chapel with his head held high. He was getting exactly what he wanted, and he was proud to have a daughter to bargain with.

“Make him happy. Make him very happy, and he will make you happy in return.” My father gave my hand a loving squeeze. He was grinning with pride as we stepped into the large stone chapel, which had room for Prince Frederick’s court and mine to be in attendance. Towards the front by the priest, there stood the young prince. He was only two years older than I was. I feared that such a young man couldn’t control his men.

My father released me, and the young prince bowed his head before we turned to the priest.

The ceremony that made me one with the prince was long. I said yes where I was supposed to, and then the ceremony was over. The priest kissed the prince, giving him permission to kiss me. The prince gave me a peck on the cheek.

We turned back to the priest, but Prince Frederick stepped to the side. I now stood in front of the priest alone.

The ceremony for my crowning started, officially changing me from Princess Sofie Von Werdenfels to Princess Sofie Von Tirol, the lady wife of the Eagle Prince. It was another long ceremony.

I felt overwhelmed and even dizzy as I stood alone in front of the priest. This was too much for one day, but both ceremonies had to be done quickly. Werdenfels was unprotected while I wed. The Lion could use this chance to destroy my home while we were away. He had the cold heart to do such an unfair and cruel act.

When the crowning ceremony was over, Prince Frederick stepped back to my side and took hold of my hand, and then he turned to his men, calling for the celebration to start.

I spent the day at his side. I belonged to him now. He said nothing to me and spoke with my father and brother about the glories that the war would bring them. They were very excited to fight. Their eyes glowed with passion as they already congratulated each other for the victories that they would soon gain on the battlefield.

The night wore on, and I became very sleepy. My husband looked at me and took my hand. “My bride needs to be brought to bed,” he called out loudly, making everyone cheer and laugh.

He led me up to his chamber and most of the guests followed us up. My father and brother were not in the jovial crowd. Talking of war was more important to them.

After the priest blessed the bed, the prince ushered me into his bedchamber and closed the door so we were alone with our servants. I went to mine maid and took hold of her by the hands. We disappeared behind a screen so she could assist me out of my clothing and help me into my sleeping frock.

“All will go well. They leave tomorrow. You only have to survive tonight,” my servant, Greta, whispered in my ear.

Survive. That word sent a shiver down my spine. She scurried out of the room, leaving me alone with my husband and his servant. My husband was calling for more wine.

“My prince, don’t you think you drank enough wine?” He had celebrated all afternoon and evening.

He smiled at me. “The wine is for you. You should have drunk some downstairs, but you neither ate nor drank today.”

I was surprised that he had noticed.

“You’re scared. I understand that, but I’m going to war tomorrow. After years of dreaming about glory on the battlefield, I’m being given the chance to prove myself.” His eyes were lighted up with excitement for the battle. My brother had been the same way, eager to practice all that he learned throughout a lifetime of training with the sword. In the meantime, he took war very seriously.

I nodded at my lord husband. I was tired of hearing talk about war. I longed for peace.

He stepped closer to me and laid his hands on my arms. “Will you miss me when I’m gone?”

“Very much so,” I lied to him. “I’ll pray every day for your safe and swift return.” I would pray for him, but my heart wouldn’t be in my words. I didn’t know him well enough to mean the words that would be repeated every day in the chapel.

“I don’t want it to be over too quickly. I need time so I’ll have stories to tell our grandchildren.” He was so certain of their victory.

I feared that the Lion was doing the same thing as my father was. He could marry a woman and gain her father’s men. Like us, he too could use this break in the fights to gain more men. Their wounded were healing exactly as ours were.

I smiled at him, worried that he was too eager to face war. I saw war from a woman’s prospective. I had seen the women who were informed that their husbands had fallen. I watched them fight to face a reality in which they would never see their men return.

Another chill went through my body. If anything happened to my prince, I wouldn’t mourn him. He would remain a stranger to me. I wouldn’t look at the gate and wish that he’d ride through it. I would only worry about myself.

I felt pity for him and for his soul. It was a sad thing not to have anyone left to cry for you once you were gone.

He handed me a glass filled with wine. I took it and thanked him. I sipped at it as he told me about what he planned to achieve during the war.

He moved around the room as he spoke. He was filled with the vigor of youth as he leapt forward, pretending to have a sword in his hand and running a man through.

Then he turned his attention back to me. I had only managed to empty half of the contents of my glass. “And when I return home, you’ll have a baby in your arms, my son and heir.” A smile grew across his face.

Frederick took my wine glass and set it on the table. He took my hand and brought me to the bed so I was standing besides it.

He knelt down by my feet and placed his hands on my ankles. Slowly, his hands moved up my legs, lifting my shift with it.

A shudder went through my body. I was scared beyond words. Scared into stillness, so I quietly stood still while he raised the hem up to my waist. I could feel his eyes on me.

“Lie down on the bed,” he told me.

“Yes, my lord.” I sat down, glad for the coverage of my bent body.

“Lie down. On your back,” he added to encourage me.

I wanted to twist to the side because the bed wasn’t long enough for me to lie down this way, but he shook his head and placed his hands on my shoulders, guiding me down.

“You’re a pretty girl,” he told me with a smile on his face, but he wasn’t looking at my face.

I didn’t know how to reply to that, so I said nothing. At the moment, merely breathing was proving extremely difficult for me.

His hands stroked up and down my legs. He smiled at me every now and then. “I’m going to make you very proud of me. I’ll kill many lions for you. I might kill the Prince of the Lions himself and then lay him at your feet.”

I shook my head.

He grinned. “Women are so weakhearted. I won’t bring any blood into the castle. I’ll lay him outside of the gate for you instead.”

He grabbed onto my legs and pulled me closer to him. He poked me with something, hurting me when he did that.

“It’s okay. You can hold onto me. The bed is a woman’s battlefield. They suffer in their homes. That’s what my nanny once told me.”

I reached out and clung to him. He was right I was fighting a battle not to cry out. I was trying to be brave. I dug the tips of my fingers into his skin careful not to scratch my lord. It was better that way. I was panting, but I was able to take the pain this way.

He leaned down over me and kissed me. “I’ll be as brave as you are,” he promised me.

“I’ll be brave,” I told him, hoping that I could keep my word.

“Hold onto me tightly.” His body began to move, going faster and faster. It was as if he wanted to pull away from me, but then he pushed back into me.

I had no idea what was going on. My sheltered life didn’t give me the knowledge that I needed for this moment.

He kept at his game of pushing and pulling for a long time. Then he stopped and squeezed me tightly. His body was shaking, and his head rested between my still covered breasts. Then he lifted his head up and smiled at me. I had made him happy as my father wanted me to.

“How was I?” he asked me.

“I don’t know,” I told him, not understanding what he wanted from me.

“Are you hurt?” he asked me.

Again I didn’t know how to answer him. He recognized the confusion on my face. “I hope you aren’t. I plan to make love to you all night and again before breaking our fast. I won’t be able to lay with you again until after the fighting is over. I could be gone a long time.”

He rolled away from me, and my hands went to my gut. I was glad that I hadn’t eaten or drank much throughout the day.

My lord husband got up and went to the water basin. He washed and dried himself while I watched him surprised that he would be so free with me in the room.

“Can you wash yourself?” he asked me, looking over his shoulder.

“Yes, my lord.” I rose to my feet, feeling dizzy. There was a stickiness between my legs. I looked down and saw blood. “Did you stab me?” I asked him with accusation in my voice.

“Yes, I guess I did. Every man has a sword that he carries with him at all times.” He winked at me.

“I don’t understand a word you say.” I was so dizzy that I reached for the bedpost so I wouldn’t faint.

He leapt over to me and grabbed me under my arm before I could fall. “Sofie, lie down. You need a moment.” He gently laid me back down on the bed and kissed my cheek.

I was surprised when he laid down beside me and continued to talk to me. I got the feeling that he needed to talk excessively because he was worried about going to war. He was trying to hide his worry behind words of excitement. It helped me to believe that he wasn’t as naive as I thought he was about war.

When he laid his hand alongside my face and turned me so I was looking at him, I knew that the mood had changed. He kissed my lips tenderly. “I will think about you often,” he promised me.

“I’ll think about you constantly,” I promised him. I’d spent the last few months worrying about my father and brother who went off to war to protect our lands and my honor. It was a promise I meant to keep. It would be impossible to think of anything else.

He smiled at me, liking my words. He tugged my shift up over my breasts and stared down at them. “You’re prettier than everyone said,” he told me, looking up at my face.

“Who said that?” I asked him.

“Everyone. Your men brag about the beauty of their fair lady. Most men do, but with you, it’s true. That’s why the Lion wanted you. But I got you. You’re my wife.”

I nodded at him. His words were meant as a compliment, but they only threw salt into my wounds. This war was my fault. Because of me, the Lion scratched at our door. He knew that my people would only accept him if I were at his side.

My husband leaned down and kissed my lips. There was true passion in his kiss, and it took my breath away. His body pressed down on mine as his hips rocked against my body. His hands stroked over my body touching me everywhere and not stopping. At first, it made me feel nervous, but then I realized that it was his right as my husband. I was his.

Remembering what my father said about making the young prince happy, I bravely returned his kisses. That pleased him very much. He parted my legs. His eyes were looking down at me. I copied him and also looked between my legs. I saw that he was formed much differently than I was. I must be looking at what people called his manhood.

He took hold of it and rubbed it against me. It felt strong and hard as he rubbed it along my parted legs. Then he pushed it back inside of me. I was slowly beginning to understand what was going on. The thing inside of me was what would give me a baby to present him with. This was the reason that no man had been allowed to be alone with me or touch me in all these years. Only a husband could touch a woman this way. He seemed to like it very much.

I reached up to him and dared to touch him by laying my hands on his shoulders.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Be bold. Show me that you like it.” As he spoke, his body worked into mine. The pain was almost completely gone. I was still tender, but the feeling was a fine one. I liked it.

I wanted to take hold of him and pulled him further into me. I wanted him to be as close to me as possible, pressing into my core, but he moved closer only to move back.

I clung to him, wanting him to stay near me and grind himself into me where I needed him to be, at the top of my slit.

He moved faster, hitting that spot more often. “That’s so much better,” I sighed, making him grin from ear to ear.

“I think we’ll get along just fine,” he told me. “Maybe I’ll visit you between battles.”

“I’d like that,” I told him honestly. I never wanted him to leave, not the castle, nor his bedchambers, nor my body. We needed to stay this close to one another.

Suddenly, his body moved even faster. His body made a noise as it smacked against mine. It was suddenly so difficult to breathe, worse than when my corset was too tight. I wrapped my legs around him, linking my ankles, hoping that he would help me fight for my life. The rest of the world melted away and became unimportant. Being this close to him was the only thing that mattered.

“I love you, Sofie. Say that you love me too.”

“I do, I truly do, my lord.”

“Call me Frederick when we’re alone. Only you may.” He moved even faster.

I had to close my eyes as tightly as I could to withstand this new sensation. Then he roared out and stopped moving. He held me firmly so I couldn’t move. Tiny thrusts followed then.

“I gave you my seed again. You have what your body needs to make us a child. I’ll give you very many children,” he promised me.

“I’ll give you the heir you want,” I promised him.

~

We spent the night laughing and talking. He did most of the talking, and I listened to him. “My father lost his four wives to the birthing bed,” Frederick told me. “I was the only child that survived. I want you to go into seclusion immediately if you think you might be with child.” He stared at me, wanting me to answer that I would obey him.

“Of course, Frederick. I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”

“I want you to be careful all the time. There is so much at stake. If you don’t give me an heir, my lands will fall to my cousins. They are fighting on the Lion’s side. I fear that they might want to assassinate me on the battlefield for their own gain,” he confessed.

“Have you told my father of your fears?” I asked him, feeling more worried about him than before.

“Yes, he knows. He’s promised to protect me as if I were his own son. I guess I am now. Our child will be his grandson.”

I smiled at him. We both glanced down at my belly as if we were willing a child to grow there.

He made love to me a couple more times. We slept when exhaustion took us, but when I woke, I was always in his arms.

I got the feeling that we would have a special kind of love. The kind that the singers wrote songs about so they could tell our stories to people in other kingdoms that the singers traveled to. I’d like a singer to write a song about us.

Frederick taught me many things about making love and putting a baby in me. He didn’t have to lie on top of me. I got to be on top of him and control the movement for a while too, but then he grabbed hold of my hips and drove himself up into me, making me moan out his name.

He also took me another way. It was the way animals made love he told me.

I wished we’d had more time to make a baby before he had to leave. I would pray day and night that my belly would swell with his son.