Chapter 19 ~ Lukas Von Bayern

 

I decided that it was time to let my wife out of the castle. I would make her think that I trusted her, when in fact, I still did not. I searched for and found my wife in the sewing room. She was making herself a new dress. This one was light blue with silver thread. It would look perfect on her.

“Wife,” I called out to her.

She looked up at me, surprised to see me but hiding it well. “Yes, my lord husband?”

“We’re going for a ride. Come with me.”

“Yes, my lord husband.” She set her things aside and gave me a strange look. She trusted me as little as I trusted her.

I had the servants pack a lunch for Sofie and me to take along with us. Soon, it would be autumn, and the colder months would come.

I brought her to the courtyard where a fine pair of horses were waiting for us.

“You’re allowing me to ride my own horse? I assumed that you would want to travel in our usual manner,” she stated.

I had to think about that for a moment, but then I remembered how I had brought my prize home. Sofie had been spread over my lap. She really was a lovely prize. She was beautiful when she smiled, and when she cried out in pain, and when she tried to vex me.

I gave her a strict look to let her know that she couldn’t best me.

“I want to test your skill. I’m puzzled why you ran off on foot when you could have taken a horse.”

She turned away from me and allowed Marcus the stable boy to help her up on the horse. He said something to her. I wondered what. Maybe I should have him followed.

I got up on my horse and charged out of the gate. Sofie was able to keep stride with me, not riding ahead of me or behind me. She was a good rider.

“Why didn’t you take a horse when you left?” I asked her when the horses slowed down to a trot in the woods.

“Because I feared that the boy from Tirol would be blamed for helping me escape. He’s already suffered enough,” she replied.

“I understand. You are very loyal to him.”

“He was loyal to me. Even now he asked if I was fairing well,” she told me.

“What did you answer?” I asked her.

“I told him that I was. I told him not to worry about me.” Was she truly fine? Had she lied to the boy?

“He has a talent for horses.” I stated, not wanting her to know that I was worried about her and that I had been since she had tried to run away from me.

“Yes, he does. I hope you’ll be able to overlook his origins and his loyalty to Prince Frederick and advance his position in the castle.”

“I may,” I told her, not wanting to commit to anything. “Let’s eat over there. I’m getting hungry.”

“Men are always hungry,” she teased me. It pleased me that we were getting along. I didn’t want her to burst out into tears when she looked at me.

We sat down on a fallen log and ate together. We talked about matters at court and matters that needed to be taken care of around the castle.

Sofie was very clear that she wanted the chapel to be well-maintained. There were vines growing up on one of the crosses. It was the one closest to her family grave. She offered to remove the weeds herself.

“No, I’ll see that it’s done.” I promised her.

“Thank you.” She was quiet for some time after talking about the graves. I wondered if she would worry over my grave like that as well.

“Your hair is a pretty silver,” I told her as I admired it.

“My father said that was because my nanny bathed me in the pond beside the silver mine when I was but a babe.” She smiled at me. “But it is said that my mother also had this color.”

“I saw your mother once when I was a child. She did indeed. My father told me that the Prince of Werdenfels was a lucky man because he got to sit on top of the world with his pretty lady wife and collect money from people who only wanted to pass through his land. It was a lazy way to make a living.”

“But we don’t have the right land for growing crops. We needed the money to survive and to feed our people. The visitors also needed something to eat and drink before they made their way down the mountain. We offered them a service. I have personally waited on tables. My father wanted me to know how to do every task that needed to be done at the castle. I was born the lady of the castle. I was in charge of so much.”

I nodded at her. She hadn’t had it easy. No child should grow up without a mother.

“Did you play with other children?” I asked her.

“Yes, I played with the children traveling through my country.”

I wanted to ask her if she also played with boys, but I knew that she must have. It was normal for children to play together. “What did you play?”

“Catch,” she said, leaping off of the log. Sofie squealed and ran away from me. She could hardly run because she was laughing.

Immediately, I jumped up and followed her. She jumped behind a tall, thin fir tree and placed her hands on the dark reddish-brown bark as she giggled.

I jumped to the left and then to the right, and she moved away each time, trying to get away from me. She had never looked more beautiful. It was fun playing with my wife.

I leaped forward, and she screamed and took off running again, darting through the trees. I pursued her as if we were children. What I planned to do with her when I had her was nothing for children’s play however.

She ran out into a bright meadow. I jumped forward and wrapped my arms around her. I turned us as we fell so I would land on the ground.

Once I was down, I rolled her onto her back. “I caught you. Now I want my prize.”

“Your prize? And what might that be?” she asked with a smile on her face.

“You,” I replied before I kissed her. My hips pushed forward and down on her. I wanted more. I wanted all of her. She returned my kisses with eager kisses of her own. I felt her hands opening my sword belt. I sat back on my knees so I could open it myself and speed things up. “Raise up your skirts, wife and show me your charms.”

She obeyed immediately. “Yes, my lord husband,” she said when her thighs and womanhood were bare.

She was beautiful to behold when she wasn’t covered up. The sunlight reflected on her pale thighs and in her silver hidden hair. I opened my breeches and thrust into her hard, furiously fucking her as she panted and ripped at my clothing.

I took her fast and hard, and I came within her, feeling powerful. I knew that I had just given her a child. She would in turn give me an heir, and we would truly be connected to one another forever.

I laid down beside her and covered her up so no one could see her nakedness. Only God and I were allowed to do that.

I held her in my arms. It was a shame that she hadn’t reached her pleasure, especially this time. I knew that this union today would bring forth a child.

“I need to head south tomorrow,” I told her.

“Where are you going?” she asked me.

“I’m having some problems in Tirol. The new lords fight amongst themselves about who should be their lord in my absence. When I come back, I want to hear that you’re expecting my child.” I ran my fingertip over her swollen lips.

“And if I’m not?” She had a scared look in her eye.

“Then I’ll lock you in our room and make love to you until you are with child.” I rolled on top of her and kissed her until she giggled again. Her laughter was the sweetest sound imaginable.

“I know your belly will swell with our children many times.”

“What if I only give you daughters? What if I die and can never give you a son?” She had a terrible look of worry on her face.

“I would never allow you to die. You know that.”

She nodded at me. I could see in her eye that she wanted to talk about the possibilities, but she thought better of it.

“My mother died giving birth to me. Frederick’s father had four wives. All died in the birthing bed.”

“That means nothing. You are strong. You’ll survive. I’ll be there to watch over you,” I promised her.

“My lord, you mustn’t.” She looked fear-stricken.

“This is my realm. I do whatever I wish. Besides, I’ve seen you scream in pain before. It will be a new experience for me not to be the cause of it.”

“You would be the cause of it. A woman can’t get herself with child on her own,” she scolded me.

I threw my head back and laughed. “You’re right, wife. You are so right.”