War Prize (A Roman Britain story)

Chapter Eleven

Kailen shook his head. “No, not over a woman. It’s a matter of honour and common fucking decency to your hosts. So are we of the same understanding or do I have to wet my blade with your blood?”

Aiden held his hands up in a placating gesture. “We are of the same understanding, Kailen, do not fret. She isn’t my type anyway. Far too skinny, I prefer my women with curves I can lose myself in. Now, if you’ll excuse me, sleep is calling my name.” With one fluid motion, Aiden was up and heading in the opposite direction that Aurelia and Bran went, clapping his men on the back in comradery as he passed them.

“I do not trust him,” Vaughan whispered to Kailen, taking Aurelia’s place and throwing his cup away with a sneer. “He has no honour to speak of. None of them have honour.”

“You and I are of the same mind,” Kailen replied. “But I cannot break the guest rule without good reason. He has not overstepped his bounds other than words that can be revoked.”

“A shame.” Vaughan snorted. “I would have liked to see you beat him within an inch of his life.”

Kailen smiled a small smile. “We have the whole night yet, we could get lucky before they leave.”

After a moment, the smile faded and the air grew serious once again. “I don’t want him anywhere near Aurelia.”

Vaughan nodded. “As good as done. Bran won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Even so,” Kailen said. “We don’t take any chances. Not with her.”

~

Aurelia woke sometime in the early hours of the morning, when the first pale fingers of dawn filtered through the darkness. A very fine mist had settled on the ground, making everything hazy and dreamlike.

Aurelia turned over on her side, dragging the blanket closer around her for extra warmth. Blinking rapidly, she squinted into the darkness to see the hunched silhouette of Bran with his blankets around his shoulders, head dipped to his chest in slumber. Aurelia couldn’t help but smile sleepily at the sight. He had been guarding her all night, and must have dropped off to sleep not long ago.

Now that she was awake, maybe she could wake him up and trade places with her in the blankets and get some decent sleep before the camp breaks-

There was a sound to her left and her head turned to its source, eyes scanning the darkness. It could have been an animal foraging in the thick grass, or the horses being restless and pawing at the ground but she had grown used to the sounds of the night in this new country and she knew it wasn’t any of that. She could have sworn it sounded like booted feet shuffling towards her.

There, the movement sounded again. She spotted a darker shadow in the darkness but she could still track it as it got closer to her. Her throat closed in panic. Aiden.  It had to be Aiden. Not wanting to alert him that she was awake, she carefully crawled out from under the blankets on her belly, and made slow progress towards Bran.