Page 25 of Knight of Chaos
They stopped for no one, and Ingrid’s heart went out to those who appeared frightened and bewildered about what they should do next. She wanted to halt her horse and help these poor souls, but Theobald and his men gave her no such opportunity. Their mission was clear. Get to the castle. Protect the Empress. Anything else was of little consequence, no matter how much the villagers’ situation broke Ingrid’s heart. She would have thought she was made of sterner stuff considering the lives she took whilst upon the battlefield. But suffering inflicted on children and the elderly was a different matter. Mayhap she would be able to help them in some other capacity once inside the protective walls of the castle.
Burning embers floated in the air like dangerous fireflies. On more than one occasion, Ingrid swatted the hot specks away from her face and exposed skin. But soon, their fast pace had them leaving the fires behind. They reached the castle without incident, the barbican gate opening as though by magic when Theobald hailed the guards above. The intimidating portcullis, with its wooden spikes to kill any enemy, fell back into place once they were through the barrier to the outside world. Theobald was expected, this much was clear, proving to Ingrid the Empress held her knight in the highest regard. She trusted him to obey her orders and keep her safe. But where would this leave Ingrid?
Uncertain what her future might now hold, Ingrid led her horse into the bailey still surrounded with her trusty knights. She looked over to Oswin who rode to her right, surprised when she found him gazing upon her.
“You are worried,” he murmured. Turning his head forward, he appeared as though he was embarrassed to be caught staring in her direction.
“I did not say I was worried.” Her head lifted as she tried to rouse her courage for whatever she was about to face.
Oswin reached over and patted her hand before straightening upright in his saddle. “You did not need to speak the words, Ingrid. I can see your emotions written all over your face.”
She gasped. “You can?”
“Do not worry,” he chuckled with a wink. “Your secret is safe with me.
Easygoing Oswin. Leave it to this knight to put her fears to rest with but a few simple words. She wanted to say something to let him know she appreciated his kindness, but they came to a halt before she could voice anything. Theobald dismounted first, immediately coming over to her. He raised his hands to assist her from the saddle. The moment she rested her hands upon his shoulders, a zing of emotions caused her heart to lurch inside her chest. He lowered her slowly down his body, the simple gesture only serving to heighten her emotions as she felt every glorious inch of him. Good heavens! What this man did to her senses.
Their horses were taken away to the stables, yet he still held her close. He inspected her as if for injuries and instead chuckled.
“What amuses you so?” she asked, curious what could be so humorous about the situation they had just fled.
He took off one of this leather gloves. His finger slowly ran down her cheek before showing her the dirty mark it left behind. “I am afraid, Ingrid, we are covered with soot and ash…”
“…and in need of a bath, I suppose,” she finished for him with a devious smile. Her eyes roamed over his visage taking in his own disheveled appearance after their flight to the castle. Her teasing caused his laugh to boom over the noise in the courtyard and she realized her words could be misconstrued to imply that they should bathe together. Heaven forbid! She was bold but not that bold… yet!
She fingered his shoulder length hair, twirling one of the dark tresses with her fingertips. Licking her dry lips, his eyes became wide at her action. He leaned forward to kiss her. She closed her eyes in anticipation, for she craved his lips upon her own.
“Sir Theobald!” a voice called out breaking their shared moment together. A low groan rumbled in his chest before they broke apart. An emissary for the Empress stood at the steps to the keep. “Our Empress requests your presence in the great hall.”
“We are coming,” he answered before tucking Ingrid’s hand in the crook of his arm.
Terrified of meeting the Empress looking like she just crawled out of a hearth, she pulled Theobald’s arm bringing them to a standstill. “I cannot meet the Empress appearing like this, Theo,” she said in alarm.
“You have no need to fear, Ingrid. If you but look closely, everyone around you is unfortunately in the same predicament. Now come along. ’Tis best not to keep Empress Matilda waiting.”
She glanced over her shoulder to Richard, Oswin, Blake and Kingsley. No help was forthcoming from them. A last silent pleading to Reynard only rewarded her with a bright smile. His teeth looking snow white in a face covered in black soot. Dear Lord! If she appeared just as filthy, she would surely pass out from complete humiliation!
Chapter Seventeen
Theobald entered thekeep of the royal castle. His stride was confident, knowing he was about to meet with the Empress. A brief glance down at Ingrid confirmed she was terrified. Mayhap the best recourse was to attempt to keep her out of view. But he would not assume such a course without first asking Ingrid if that was what she desired, too.
He bent forward to whisper in her ear. “Would you prefer to stay hidden behind the rest of the men? I cannot promise our Empress will not notice you anyway, for she is very astute, but ’tis worth a try if you are not comfortable in her presence.” Relief appeared to flood her visage.
“Aye!” she murmured raising tormented eyes to his. “I do not wish to give her such a bad first impression.”
A chuckle rumbled inside his chest. He squeezed her hand to give her the comfort she stood in need of. “Nothing could be farther from the truth, my dear. You are as suitable to be one of the Empress’s guards as any man here standing. You have proved yourself on the battlefield. Do not forget your own worth.”
Her eyes glistened with gratitude. “Aye… the fighting I can handle and is not my concern.”
His brow rose. “Then what is causing your obvious distress?”
Ingrid sighed, then squared her shoulders back. “Fitting in at court.”
He nodded, understanding how ill at ease she might feel in such an unfamiliar environment. He took her elbow before turning to the men who had been following directly behind him. “Keep her behind you and out of direct sight of our Empress. Reynard, up front with me.”
The men made a path for Ingrid, Oswin in particular seemed entirely too pleased if the smirk on his face was any indication of how he felt about the situation. Theobald had no time to reconsider his request nor to chastise the man. In his heart, he knew Oswin had good intentions toward Ingrid just as he, himself, did. She was as safe as she could be with any of the knights who now provided a protective shield in front of the lady. But he doubted Ingrid would be out of sight for long. Her red hair was still just as much a problem as when he himself first espied the woman, even though her tresses were covered in ash and soot. The color was still a beacon, drawing attention to her. And once anyone with half a brain in their head took the time to look closely at her, they would be sure to notice the lady’s gender.
They entered the great hall without ceremony for what was there to celebrate with the city ablaze all around them? There were few people in the room—merely the Empress, three lady attendants who stood behind her, and a few guards. Normally, there would be any number of people paying court to the Empress, but on this day, they were nowhere to be found. Theobald and Reynard were waved forward. They dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
