After the dramatic incident in the foyer, Kenna and Bash left the castle and walked through the palace garden, following the perimeter of the forest. It was twilight. They walked for a long time, speaking only sometimes. Kenna didn't know how long they walked for, it could have been minutes or hours, when suddenly Bash stopped walking and Kenna nearly crashed into him.
Kenna looked at him. Bash was breathing light, his face a definition of awe; green eyes lit up by the moon peering through the trees of the forest, touching the inky sky with imponderable brilliance. The grass beneath their feet was wet. Tiny specks of rain fell from the clouds. They were cold against Kenna's skin, but felt sweet as they dripped down her neck.
Kenna looked at Bash and saw him shiver slightly.
"Thank you," said Kenna.
At the sound of her soft voice, Bash met her gaze, his expression confused.
"For everything you've done for me," Kenna clarified.
"I haven't done anything –"
"You have," said Kenna aggressively, "you've been kind to me…you defended me today…"
"Of course I defended you," said Bash, "you're my wife."
Kenna's lips curled into a small smile. "That's a load of bullocks, you know. I've seen many married couples around court – most husbands treat their wives in horrid ways…they don't defend them, they shame them, they are verbally and physical abusive…their wives are below stinking pigs in the hierarchy of their minds." Kenna took a deep breath, "you know," she started, "before I married you, I thought you'd be the same." Bash raised an eyebrow and Kenna hastened on, "it's just that you were the King's notorious bastard…people whispered about you all the time…they still do."
"And why do they say?" asked Bash, genuinely curious. They was no anger in his voice, but rather a simple light-heartedness, as though all the rumours about him could be shoved to hell.
"That you are brave, fearless and often cruel…that you only survive in the forest when others don't because your soul is as dark as the forest itself."
Bash didn't say anything to the announcement. He knew the rumours. It was nothing new, but there was something in the way Kenna said it…something different in her voice…it gave him the feeling that she didn't believe the famous rumours and Bash felt a candle of hope burn inside of him.
"I thought you'd be another Henry," he heard Kenna say eventually.
Bash turned his head and looked at her. "That's not the type of man I am," he replied.
Kenna heard a pinch of hurt in his voice. Automatically, her hand came up as though it had a mind of its own, and reached out to caress Bash's cheek, following the path down his jawline, and feeling the roughness of his stubble graze her fingertips.
"I know," whispered Kenna. "I see that now."
Their eyes clashed for a moment – brown against blue – and Kenna was swimming in the intensity of his gaze, and it was all too much. She dropped her hand away and took a step back, embarrassed
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you didn't have to come for me today," said Kenna, "just because you feel obligated to…just because I'm your wife –"
"I didn't feel obligated to," Bash interrupted. "I wanted to. It may come to a surprise to you, but I actually care about you Kenna. I want you to be here. I want you to feel safe in our chambers…in court, and even though we don't love each other, I want you to be happy."
He took a step closer to her again. Kenna shivered. She wasn't sure if it was from the soft rain or his overwhelming proximity.
"I think I could be happy," said Kenna, tilting her head to look up at him. "I'm happy now."
Bash reached out a hand and tucked a loose strand of Kenna's ear around her ear. His touch was so gentle, so unfamiliar that Kenna didn't know how to respond.
"I'm glad," she heard Bash say.
They were so close to one another that Kenna thought he was going to kiss her. Part of her wanted him to, but another part wanted to run in the opposite direction.
"It's drizzling," said Kenna, looking away
Her voice broke the spell.
"Yes," replied Bash, taking a step back and tilting his head to look at the sky. "Yes it is."
Under the gentle specks of rain, they watched the moon rise above the treetops and for a long time they were silent.
The next day, there was more unfairness at court – Penelope ordered Kenna to give up her wedding ring, and as Kenna handed it over, she felt like she had lost a part of her hand. Even when Catherine gave her another one – one of more opulence – it didn't feel the same. The day continued with its dramatic. Queen Catherine offered Kenna a deal – one in which she could gain wealth, land, status and the chance to get her ring back, and as Kenna accepted the offer, she realised that this was the first time she had done something not just for herself, or Scotland, but for a man.
For Bash.
She was going to get her wedding ring back, no matter what.
And so she did.
