|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 3, 2010 9:34:24 GMT -5
(OOC: This thread is picking up Dougal and Katrina from the Yule Ball thread. Anyone may join in on this thread at any time.)
(OOC: opening setting: Katrina has been injured and she and Dougal are still at the ball at this point...)
“I will be okay.”
Katrina wiped away Dougal's tears and he gave her a half smile, thinking about how ironic it was that only a few moments ago he had been wiping Katrina's tears away. She was a tough one, even in her moments of self-doubt. It was no wonder that he found himself loving her. The doctor began his first stitch, and Katrina gasped in pain, causing Dougal's guts to tighten up into a knot.
“I love you, Dougal. Don’t leave me. Don’t cry. I need you to help me get past this.”
It was hard to not cry. Just the way Katrina was wiping away his tears, looking at him with such love filled eyes made him feel teary, and the fact that there was a large amount of pain and uncertainty in those same eyes made things worse. Dougal took a deep breath to try and steady himself. He could, if he wanted to, shut down and compartmentalize the parts of him that were causing him so much grief, but that would leave him looking hard and uncaring, not what Katrina needed to see. So, instead, he just tried to stem the tide of tears.
"I love you too, Katrina. I'll do whatever you need me to do."
He meant it, too. He was willing to do whatever Katrina asked him to do if it would help her to get through the present moment and the future troubles that she was likely to face. And there would be problems. It would take a while before Katrina was allowed back on active duty, and probably even more time before she was actually ready for it. Dougal planned to be there for her all the way.
“My head hurts. What happened anyway? Why is everything fuzzy?"
Katrina seemed to be getting weaker, sleepier. As far as Dougal could tell, the doctor hadn't given Katrina anything that could cause her to slip into unconsciousness, which meant that she was going to sleep on account of blood lost or because of the strain put on her by the events of the last few minutes. Either way, he figured that it was probably a good idea to keep Katrina conscious for as long as possible. The needle seemed to be doing a pretty good job of keeping her awake, but Dougal knew that just talking to her would help keep her from falling unconscious.
"Some fool kid fell from the roof and you tried to catch him. You both hit the floor, and you hit your head pretty bad."
He didn't mention that she had stopped breathing for a few moments or that he had initially thought that she was going to die. That wasn't going to help at all.
“The boy… is he okay? Why is Rick here?…can’t remember what happened.”
Katrina was slipping further away, and so Dougal gave her hand a sharp squeeze, hoping to wake her up a little bit.
"I think he's okay. He got back up, but I wasn't paying much attention to him."
Dougal forced a slight smile to try and brighten Katrina's spirits. It was true, though. He'd barely given the boy a thought, focusing solely on Katrina. He thought that he'd seen the standing, or at least sitting, up when he'd begun to carry Katrina out of the ball, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure.
“Don’t leave me, Dougal. Don’t…Turn out the bees…they are too noisy… make them go away…uh oh! I think I am going to be sick…no, guess not.”
Katrina was slipping into unconsciousness, despite Dougal's best efforts, and he had begun to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Perhaps, if she was unconscious, she would not experience the sudden moment of anxiety that she had just felt. Then, out of the blue, Katrina smiled up at him and exclaimed,
“You kissed me!”
Dougal laughed briefly, smiling once more. Katrina seemed to be more awake than previously, and his kiss had obviously made an impression.
"I did, didn't I?" Dougal laughed with just a tinge of hysteria as he remembered it, and also to make sure that Katrina didn't take his next words the wrong way. "I hope it was better than our first one."
He gave her hand and extra squeeze and smiled down at her with a lopsided grin that seemed out of place on such a huge, scarred man. It was good to have someone who loved you.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 5, 2010 13:00:40 GMT -5
Katrina laughed at Dougal’s comment and immediately wished she hadn’t as the doctor jabbed her yet again. Her eyes echoed the pain, but she kept her smile. “Oh I don’t know…” She told Dougal, “The first one wasn’t so bad, apart from the end of it, that is.” She grinned at him and rubbed her cheek where he had punched her the first time they had kissed. Actually she had kissed him and he was the one that had been plunged back into his memories, thinking she was his lost love, the one who had betrayed him, and he had gone into a rage and started punching her. Only the fact that Henry and his second-in-command were there and had pulled him off had prevented him from killing her.
Katrina’s smile faded as she recalled that day they had sailed for Gallica. Now she understood completely how he had felt, and why he thought it was too dangerous for them to have a relationship. “I understand now…” she said somberly as the doctor tied off the last few stitches. She was faced with the same dilemma as she had forced him into. “Don’t agree though…” her voice trailed off as the buzzing in her ears increased.
Her head throbbed and things got fuzzy again and she struggled to work through the thoughts coherently. “What am I going to do if I go berserk every time I get sliced in the stomach?” She asked him worriedly. Then a silly thought popped into her head, “I supposed I could put plate steel over my abdomen,” she snorted, “prevent it from getting cut.” She laughed and her head exploded in pain, she clutched at it, pulling her hand out of Dougal’s to try to ease the pain, but it didn’t help. She moaned as the buzzing got louder. She felt the doctor applying a bandage to her stomach, rolling her back and forth so he could wrap it all around her torso.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I sat up?” She asked him, but when she tried to sit, a wave of nausea hit her and she fought down the bile so she wouldn’t throw up. She lay back weakly and her head thumped in rhythm to her heart. “Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea… I am so sleepy…” She closed her eyes. Now that the stitching was over and her stomach had settled down to a dull throbbing pain, she just wanted to curl up in Dougal’s arms and go to sleep.
Suddenly panic seized her. What if he regretted kissing her and left while she was asleep? She forced her eyes open and to focus on his face. With a tremendous effort she got his face into focus and studied it. She detected worry, concern for her on the surface, and under it his love for her that made her want to lie there and stare into his eyes all night. But under that, was there still a hint of doubt? Did he wish he hadn’t encouraged her? Would he leave her again?
She grabbed for his arm with both her hands, pushing the doctor’s hands away from her head. She looked into his eyes and reached up to stroke his cheek again. “Don’t ever be sorry you kissed me.” She whispered. “The only way you can really hurt me is to push me away again.”
After a moment her befuddled mind switched gears again, “Maybe we can work through our issues together?” She smiled crookedly up at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears again, and reflecting the panic she felt.
Then she clutched at Dougal to raise her head slightly off the bed while the doctor bandaged it up after a none too gentle probing that left it throbbing worse than ever. She tried to keep a balance between giving the doc enough room and sitting up so far it made her sick. He finally finished and let her lay back again. She closed her eyes again and tried to fight back the nausea only to have the Doctor pull each eyelid open one at a time and look at her pupils. The doc’s face was all fuzzy again. “Are you about through?” She asked him crossly, tired of being poked, stuck and prodded. “I really want to sleep.” She shot Dougal a “help me please?” look, hoping he would take the hint and get the doctor out of there. She closed her eyes again, her thoughts drifting incoherently for a bit until the throbbing in her stomach and the throbbing in her head brought her back to reality. “Why do I hurt so badly?” she murmured, not remembering what happened. Why did her head hurt so badly? The buzzing filled her ears and she drifted like a leaf on the wind…
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 7, 2010 22:09:06 GMT -5
Katrina laughed at Dougal's comment and, although she almost immediately winced and stopped laughing, Dougal shared in her laughter. He felt extremely guilty for what had happened but, having brought up, it would be impolite not to laugh at Katrina's joke. Besides, he wanted to boost her spirits, and looking miserable wouldn't do that. Besides, he needed a laugh himself after the excitement of the last half hour or so. He just hoped that nothing else had gone wrong.
“I understand now…Don’t agree though…”
Dougal gave Katrina a half smile. He was glad that she now understood why he had initially lashed out at her and had then pushed her away, but he was even more glad that she had decided not to accept it. Hopefully understanding Dougal's motivations and feelings on the voyage would hopefully lessen any hurt that she still felt, and it built a stronger connection between himself and Katrina. They were connected just as much by similar experiences as by love, something that would help keep their relationship going, even in the toughest of times.
“What am I going to do if I go berserk every time I get sliced in the stomach? I supposed I could put plate steel over my abdomen, prevent it from getting cut.”
For some reason, Dougal found this hilarious and he began a huge belly laugh, no doubt disturbing the doctor on more than one level. He tried to comment on Katrina's idea, but every time he began to form a word, another fit of laughter would seize him and he would begin again. Despite this racket, Katrina began to drift off to sleep, and so Dougal was surprised when she suddenly grabbed his arm with both hands, pushing the doctor away as she did so. Dougal jumped visibly, and wondered for a second if Katrina was going berserk again.
“Don’t ever be sorry you kissed me. The only way you can really hurt me is to push me away again.”
Dougal relaxed. Katrina was just worried about him leaving her, a very valid concern considering his history so far. He gently placed a hand over Katrina's and lowered it from his face, before leaning down and kissing her gently on the forehead. He felt as though he was lost for words, and he'd never been really good at making long speeches during occasions such as this but, somehow, he found some words.
"I know, and I'll be here for you when you wake up."
Katrina either didn't hear him or the meaning of what he was saying was lost on her as she drifted closer to unconsciousness. She seemed panic stricken, and Dougal wondered what he could say to calm her down. Again, he drew a blank and decided to act rather than think, just like he had always done. He forced a smile that he knew would look genuine and squeezed Katrina's hand slightly.
"Sure, that sounds good."
It seemed to calm Katrina down, and she motioned for Dougal to help her sit up. He carefully lifted her body up, making sure that he didn't set off the nausea that he'd seen in her face a few minutes before, and watching to make sure that the doctor was doing his job properly. Katrina had been hurt enough tonight. The doctor finished up and began his final round of checks, but Katrina was tired of being probed. Dougal took the hint and led the doctor outside. He thanked the doctor briefly, and then headed back inside to find Katrina asleep, or else well on her way. With a slight sigh, Dougal shift his chair into a more comfortable position and sat down, facing Katrina. It was going to be a long night.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 9, 2010 14:12:23 GMT -5
(OOC: I am going to assume that soon thereafter, the Doctor sent back a stretcher and they moved Katrina to the hospital and she slept through it. So now she is being woken up every hour during the night to keep her from slipping into coma from the head injury. )
Katrina was prodded awake again by a nurse, she groaned and pushed at the nurse’s hands, wanting to sleep still. The throbbing in her head was killing her. She rolled over on her side, or tried to and felt the stitches pulling across her stomach and a biting pain deep in her abdomen. The pain jolted her awake.
She looked around, everything was different now and she couldn’t place her surroundings. The nurse pushed her back against the pillow. “Where am I?” Katrina asked.
“The Araluen Hospital, My Lady,” answered the nurse. “How do you feel?”
Katrina looked at her in irritation, “My head is throbbing and my guts are burning, how do you think I feel?”
The nurse laughed, “Much better than you were last night, I think. At least now you are making sense when you answer. Do you remember your name?” The nurse was looking at her eyes and waving her finger in front of Katrina’s face. Katrina followed the finger for a moment and then flicked her eyes back to the nurse.
“Of Course,” Katrina answered, but didn’t feel like telling the nurse her name. She thought back through the night and remembered getting woken up several times, but couldn’t remember much besides being jounced in a wagon and Dougal’s constant presence. “Dougal? Where is Dougal?” She raised her throbbing head up and looked around widely in panic. Had he left her after all? Had is doubts gotten the better of him and he left before she woke up? She couldn’t see him anywhere so she tried to sit up.
Pain seared through her belly, and she gasped, clutching at it, but she noticed the nausea had gone away. She sat up, swinging her bare legs out from under the covers and turned to look toward the head of the bed and saw Dougal leaning back in a chair, his eyes closed. She sighed with relief. He was still here. He looked like he might be just starting to wake up.
He was still here, so last night wasn’t a dream. She looked at him and smiled happily and then her eyes scanned the hospital room. It was a fairly large room with 8 beds in it. 6 of them were occupied. Her eyes fell to the bed next to her and she saw Henry starting at her, his face pinched and gray, but his eyes were sparkling. In the background, behind the buzzing in her ears she heard the nurse tell her to lie back down, but she ignored the woman.
“Henry!” She exclaimed, rather too loud for the hushed atmosphere. She reached out and gripped his hand. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said weakly, not sounding fine at all. “But apparently I can’t leave you alone for two minutes.” He grinned at her, eyeing the bandage around her head. “What happened to you?”
Katrina pouted, reluctant to tell him a boy fell from the sky on her. “I went to a ball.” She said sourly. She really hadn’t wanted to go at all. She hated all those fancy court appearances, but being the daughter of a Duke, she had been forced to endure them her entire life.
Henry laughed and then winced in pain and Katrina gingerly slid off the bed and to her knees on the floor next to his bed. She glanced at Dougal, a worried look on her face, and then turned back to Henry as he composed himself. His grip on her hand was so weak. “Are you okay?” She asked him, brushing the hair back from his forehead, noting his temperature was still high.
He smiled at her, “Don’t make me laugh again, it hurts.”
Katrina smiled, “I know the feeling.” She looked at Dougal, a smirk on her face. “Apparently I busted my stitches open last night.”
“Stitches?” Henry asked in concern, looking at her head. “What stitches?”
Katrina moved her arm that had been clutching at her stomach. She realized that her armor and outer clothing had been removed and she was wearing only a chemise. She looked embarrassed and pulled a blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her, glancing with a red face at Dougal.
“Do you remember the battle back in La Rivage when the city guard tried to detain us?” Katrina asked Henry and he nodded. “I got sliced in the stomach by one of them and I—.“ She struggled for a moment, not wanting to talk about loosing control. “I went—a little crazy.”
“I know.” Henry stroked her finger that was holding his hand. “I wasn’t able to help you.”
Katrina shook her head, “it wasn’t your fault.” She told him, squeezing his hand. “Anyway, last night at the ball some kid was climbing the rafters and fell on me.” She said, glossing over the issue of her going berserk. She didn’t want to talk about it, and Henry didn’t need to worry about her. “Somehow it broke open the stomach wound that wasn’t healing quite right anyway. So here I am, all because I went to a ball.”
Henry smiled, he knew how much she hated social functions. “Sleepy.” He said and closed his eyes. Katrina nodded at him and squeezed his hand again. “Rest, Henry, and get better.” She kissed The back of his hand, glad he had made it through the night, but still very worried about him. He looked so weak and pale and his breath was rattling and rasping in his throat.
She stood up clutching her stomach in pain, noting that the bandage was leaking through a bit. The nurse softly scolded her to get back into bed, but she looked around for the doctor. He was no where in sight. When she turned her head, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she swayed and nearly fell.
“Well, maybe I will lie down for a bit longer.” She said, the nausea back again. “I want to ask the doctor how Henry is now. He doesn’t look good.” She told the nurse as she sat back down on the bed.
“I will go fetch him if you lie back down and be a good girl.” The nurse said and Katrina glared at her, but complied. She really didn’t feel up to wandering around the hospital searching for the doctor, or arguing with the nurse.
When the nurse left, she searched Dougal’s face, wondering what he was thinking this morning. She reached for his hand and brought it up to rub her cheek against his rather rough palm. She loved the feel of his battle calluses on her face. She moved slightly and kissed the heel of his hand sensuously and her heart rate quickened.
She smiled at him and said softly, “I love you, Dougal.” She knew Henry might hear, but she would deal with that later. Chances are Henry was asleep anyway, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to touch him and wanted him to hold her.
After a few moments she looked at his face in detail. He looked tired and was still in his costume. She was being selfish keeping him here. “You should get some rest. You look awful, Old Man.” She said affectionately. She grinned at him, but her head throbbed again and she was feeling weak and tired. “I think maybe I will just take a little nap. My head still hurts.”
She probably shouldn’t have gotten out of bed quite yet, but she wasn’t used to lying around. She hadn’t been like this in a very long time, not since… she steered away from the thought. She didn’t want to think about MacBeane and the first time she went berserk and especially not the second time. She wasn’t ready to face that problem yet. She closed her eyes and tried to will out the bad memories and focused on the memory of Dougal holding her last night in the Royal Garden, gently rocking her until she was able to pull herself together again.
She felt like a ship tossed around in an angry sea and Dougal was her anchor, the link to her keeping her sanity. Without him last night, she wondered if she would have lost it completely again. She didn’t want to think about it right now. She thought about his arms around her and the steady beating of his heart under her ear. Slowly she drifted back to sleep again.
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 11, 2010 2:07:31 GMT -5
There was a knock at the door and Dougal looked from Katrina. The doctor had just left, so who could it be? The person knocked again, sounding frantic. With a sigh, Dougal stood up and, having straightened out some of his aching muscles told the person to come in. The door opened and Greer practically ran into the room. His features were controlled, but Dougal could see a certain amount of panic and fear in his eyes. Forgetting Katrina for a moment, Dougal straightened himself up and become not a concerned lover but a soldier, battle hardened and ready for anything. "What's happened?" "They've kidnapped the King." Dougal stared at Greer for a couple of seconds slack-jawed. Someone had just kidnapped the King in the middle of the most secure area in all of Araluen and, what's more, Dougal had not been there to prevent it from happening. Greer's grim smile told Dougal that he wasn't the only one blaming themselves. He sat back down in his chair and sighed heavily. "How'd they do it?" "They managed to separate the princess from the rest of the crowd and hold her hostage." "And no one did anything about that?" "The only person they told was a Ranger's apprentice, and she was told to separate Duncan from the crowd or else the princess would die." "What about his guards?" "Shot at near point blank range." Dougal shook his head in a slightly admiring fashion. Whoever had kidnapped Duncan, they were well organised and well trained. If they'd kidnapped but a minor noble, or a major one that Dougal disliked, then he'd have no problem feeling more than passing admiration for them. As it was, he found it hard to respect anyone who kidnapped King Duncan, no matter how well organised they were. "Do you have any leads?" Greer nodded. "Some. It's not much to go on, though." He hesitated, and then, "We really need you on this one, sir." There it was. Dougal's responsibilities, one of the reasons why he had initially turned Katrina down. He was now torn two ways. One half of him wanted to stay with Katrina, and the other half wanted to perform his duty as Captain of the SWC. The question was, though, could he still do his job properly now that he and Katrina were an item? Would he be able to focus his full attention on the job at hand? He suddenly realised that his eyes had strayed over to Katrina while he had been thinking this, and knew the answer to the question. Dipping his head slightly, and sighing before looking back up at Greer, Dougal gave his answer. "I'm sorry, Fred, but you're going to have to take the lead on this one." For the first time in his life, Lieutenant Frederick Greer looked at his commanding officer with utter disbelief being the sole expression on his face. Dougal, THE Dougal, was shirking his responsibilities for a woman. It seemed impossible. And yet, at the same time, Greer could understand what Dougal was going through. If his wife had been badly injured and was somewhat mentally unstable, he'd have a hard time taking the lead on something this big. Besides, Dougal deserved a break. "I understand, Dougal." It was the first time that either of them had used each other's first names in a long time and, for a second, they smiled at each other at the irony of it all. Then, with a more enthusiastic than normal salute, Greer left, wondering about how to tell everyone else the news. ~*~*~*~*~ “Where...Araluen...My Lady...feel?..."What was that? Dougal could hear snatches of conversation from a couple of different people, and he began to wonder what was going on. Was it something to do with the king? No, he had been kidnapped and Greer was handling that. Something seemed familiar about one of the voices, only he couldn't place it. “...head...and my guts...feel...better than you were last night... I think...making sense...remember your name?”Whose guts felt better? And who were they asking to remember their name? Were they talking to him? Had someone given him a whack over the head? No, wait, Katrina had been cut across the stomach, and she'd hit her head. Was the person talking to her? Wait, he wasn't awake, wasn't able to protect them if they accidentally triggered her memory. “Dougal? Where is Dougal?”Katrina was starting to panic, to flip out. Dougal struggled to open his eyes and reassure her that he hadn't left her, but it was so difficult. What was wrong with him? He struggled to sit his body upright and to open his eyes, finally managing to do so just as he heard Katrina yell “Henry!”. He looked over, to see Henry's handsome face, ashen as it was, smiling at Katrina. At first, Dougal experienced some jealousy, and then some fear that maybe Katrina was having second thoughts, but then he dismissed those thoughts. Katrina wasn't like that and, when Henry knew, he wouldn't be either. When Katrina slid off her bed, Dougal felt some initial concern for her welfare, but knew that he could do nothing to stop Katrina from talking to her man-at-arms. After all, how many times had Dougal pulled a stunt like this to check on the welfare of his men? He smiled reassuringly to Katrina as she looked back at him worriedly, but he stayed where he was. He'd give Katrina and Henry a little space. Wait...Dougal noticed that Katrina was wearing only a chemise, and it seemed to cling to her body a bit. He smiled slightly, admiring what he could see of Katrina's body, while waiting for her to realise what she was wearing. Without warning, memories started to play in Dougal's mind. Rhianwen wearing much the same chemise as Katrina was. Rhianwen laughing at a joke that Dougal had made while they were cuddling in bed. Rhianwen spitting in his face as he sat bound to a chair. Each memory hit him with almost as much force as an actual blow, and the shock registered on his face. Luckily, Katrina had been facing Henry and hadn't seen the look on Dougal's face. He was quick to return to his previous look, but there was still a fair amount of pain in his mind as he reflect on some of his best and worst memories. Henry slept and Katrina clutched her stomach in pain. Dougal noted that the bandage was leaking and moved to help her into bed, but was just a fraction of a second too late. Katrina had already gotten back into bed and was giving the nurse orders. He smiled, in spite of the memories that had just been brought back up, and let Katrina take his hand when she sought it out. Why was he so tired? Maybe it was just the strain of the last day or so, or maybe it was all the punishment that he'd put his body through over the years coming back to bite him. Either way, Katrina's rubbing of his hand against her cheek soothed him and helped him to forget about Rhianwen. “I love you, Dougal.”Placing his hand on Katrina's cheek and rubbing her cheekbone with a thumb, Dougal smiled down at her, looking a little bit tired, despite his best attempts to appear fresh. "And I you, Katrina. And I you." Henry was in the bed next to Katrina's, and Dougal was somewhat worried about what Katrina's man-at-arms might hear, but he couldn't help himself. He was, above all else, completely in love with Katrina. It wasn't like it had been when he was in love with Rhianwen. Then, he had been totally smitten with her, incapable of seeing her flaws or seeing what she was really after. It was different with Katrina. He could see her flaws and he loved her for them. “You should get some rest. You look awful, Old Man.”He briefly considered arguing with Katrina, but realised that he needed to have a change of clothes and a shave at least. He could always grab a blanket to use as a pillow so that he didn't have to leave Katrina alone. While he did trust her, he still felt uneasy leaving her here alone with Henry. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that Katrina would stick by him, he was still afraid that she might decide that he was too old or too ugly and go for Henry. Still, he smiled lightly at Katrina's nickname for him and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back, My Lady. Hopefully before your mother turns up." Dougal gave Katrina a rather exaggerated bow, calculated to make her laugh, and left the hospital. It was a good twenty minute walk to his barracks, and he felt as though he could use the fresh air. It might help relax him and prevent any more memories of Rhianwen surfacing for the time being.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 12, 2010 19:59:25 GMT -5
The mist swirled around Katrina as Rob drove the stolen battle horse up the mountain and into Macindaw pass. He flinched away from every touch she inadvertently made as they rode double on the winded horse. His words were getting more hateful as they got closer and closer to Scotti lands.
They reached the pass and he turned the horse to look behind him. Katrina saw Sir Kenyon and a small party of men in pursuit. It was finally sinking in that Robin, the love of her life, was a traitor. No, she corrected herself, he was a spy. He wasn’t Robin Fitzgerald, he was Robin MacConnell, a Scotti warrior sent to Norgate to send information back to his homeland.
It took a while longer for her to realize that he did not love her and never had loved her. In fact, he actually loathed the sight of her and the feel of her hands on his flesh. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she rubbed her belly. At least she had his child. At least she would have that much when he left her behind. That should be soon, since they were at the top of the pass now, and he was slowing the horse.
He jumped down and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her off the tall stallion and dragged her face downward over to a boulder. “The baby! Stop, Rob! Please stop! You are going to hurt the baby.”
“You won’t have to worry about that much longer.” He snarled as he shoved her up with her back against a large boulder. She struggled with him to break free, but couldn’t bring herself to seriously hurt him in order to do so. He got a rope looped around her wrist and threw the rope around the boulder, pulling it tight as he tied the other end around her other wrist.
Katrina wondered what he meant by that, was he going to kill her? She couldn’t bring herself to believe that he would. She watched him, tears streaming down her face, as he whistled and several Scotti emerged from the rocks. He gave some orders and the men hid in the rocks again. Katrina could see Kenyon and the others riding into a trap. She screamed to warn them, but her screams only made Kenyon spur his horse faster. The knight disappeared behind a dip in the trail and Rob strode over to her and struck her hard across the face with his fist. Her ears rang and she saw stars dancing around the edges of her vision as she looked up into his handsome face and saw the hatred in his eyes.
He pulled out a long knife and grabbed the front of her tunic, leaning in close he said savagely, “No Araluen whore is going to bear my child.” He pulled up her tunic and she watched in disbelief as the knife started cutting into her abdomen.
“Nnnnoooooo!” She screamed and she kept screaming and screaming, the mist swirling around her, a fire in her guts. Arms were pushing at her, restraining her and she kept screaming…_
Katrina woke to the sound of her own screaming and felt her mother’s arms around her trying to comfort her. “Shhh baby, it is only a bad dream.” Her mother soothed her, stroking her hair. “It’s over now… shhhh.” Katrina stopped screaming and then noticed that the nurse was standing back with fresh bandages, a bruise forming on her cheek. “Oh! No! No, I didn’t, did I?” Katrina shook her head, gently trying to push her mother aside. She’d done it. She’d lost it again and this time had struck the nurse.
The nurse patted her on the shoulder, “It’s alright, there. Happens all the time,” the nurse sat back down on the stool on that side. “I should have awakened you before I tried to change your bandages.” She moved the covers back.
Katrina looked around in panic and saw Henry watching her, trying to rise, but she didn’t see Dougal. He must still be gone. Apparently she hadn’t been asleep very long. She motioned Henry back, not wanting him to risk himself. She gripped the edges of the bed and nodded to the nurse. “I am sorry, so sorry I hit you.” She looked down at her stomach as the nurse started to undo the old bandage. Katrina gripped the bed harder and willed herself to stay in the present.
Katrina’s mother smoothed her hair out of her face and started in on a barrage of questions, blocking her view of what the nurse was doing. Katrina tried to concentrate on what her mother was saying and ignore the nurse, determined not to loose control again…She felt the knife slicing…she squeezed her eyes shut and listened to her mother’s voice…
“The whole city is looking for him… chaos in the streets” … the burning and pain in her stomach… “It made it nearly impossible to get here sooner.” Katrina couldn’t make sense of what her mother was talking about.
“Chaos in the streets?” Katrina asked her, turning to look at her mother and seeing her father hovering behind her, his eyes on her wound. “Why?”
“The king, Dear.” Her mother said in exasperation. “Surely you have heard?” Katrina shook her head, wondering what on earth her mother was talking about. “Why, he was kidnapped, Katrina, from the ball. Right after that boy fell from the rafters.”
Katrina stared at her mother in amazement and then saw the look of agreement on her father’s face. “The king was kidnapped? King Duncan?” She asked. She couldn’t believe it. Why hadn’t Dougal told her? Is that where he was? She looked to Henry and he was watching her intently. She started to get up. “I need to help!” She said, pushing the nurse away gently.
“There are others taking care of that, Kitten.” Her father said, pushing her back down. “You won’t be any help in your current state. Lie back down.” He said gently but firmly.
“That is an order.” Said the authoritative voice of Sir Kenyon and Henry saluted him from the bed, starting to rise himself. Kenyon motioned him back, “That goes for you too, Henry.” Ken ordered. “Neither of you are to leave this hospital until I give the word. The whole country is probably looking for the king by now. There isn’t any more that you can do.”
Katrina lay back and let the nurse finish, her mind now fully on the present as the last of the bandaging was completed. She looked at Henry. He had known. How had he known? He stared back at her and she saw everything in his eyes. He knew everything. She looked apologetically at him and he shook his head minutely and smiled at her, an accepting look on his face in spite of the hint of pain in his eyes. She would have to talk to him after everyone left.
Kenyon gave them both the basic details of the kidnapping and Katrina stared at him in disbelief. “How on earth did they pull it off?” She could see by the look on his face that Ken was blaming himself, and regretted her question. “I am sorry Ken, I didn’t mean to imply--”
“Nonsense, there are a great many of us blaming ourselves right now. Not the least of which are Halt and Crowley. I swear they have pulled every available ranger to help deal with the crisis.” Kenyon gave them both a look. “I mean it though; you are both on medical restrictions until further notice, and Katrina?” Katrina looked at him with dread, knowing what was coming. “You are on restrictions until we can figure out what is going on with you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Katrina’s mother asked him. “What is wrong with her?”
“I will leave that up to her to tell you or not, as she sees fit.” Kenyon bowed to the Duke and Duchess, “By your leave, Your Graces,” he said, gave a stern look to Katrina and Henry and then left as abruptly as he had arrived.
Katrina’s mother turned to her, “What is he talking about?”
Katrina sighed. “He is talking about trying to figure out how to keep me from going berserk, like I just did when you arrived.” She said and glanced to her father. A look of understanding spread across his face, but her mother looked confused. “I will tell you about it later, Mother. I am tired now and my head is killing me.” She feigned sleepiness and her father took the hint.
After some goodbyes and well wishes, they finally left. She turned on her side and looked at Henry. He was looking better. The color was back in his lips and he seemed to be breathing normally. “Are you going to be ok?” she asked him and he looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. She had seen a look flicker across his face though before he answered her.
“I will be fine, Kat” He smiled sadly at her and rolled carefully over so he was facing her.
“You know.” She whispered, searching his face.
“About Duncan? Yeah I overheard the staff talking.” He answered but Katrina shook her head and he looked over her head, to the door beyond, then back to her face. “I know.” He sighed. “I heard you and Dougal right before you went to sleep.”
A tear slid out of the corner of Katrina’s eye. “I am so sorry I have hurt you again, Henry. I never meant to.” She wiped at her tears, wondering why he was even talking to her right now. “I – I can’t help it though. I can’t change the way I feel.”
Henry made a shushing sound, “Shhhh, it is ok, Katrina. I knew it was going to happen between the two of you. That is why I pushed you away when he left. Henry reached out for her hand and she tentatively gave it to him. “You never lied to me about how you felt except that one time when you said it was over between you and him.” He searched her face now and squeezed her hand gently. “Even though you believed what you said at the time, I knew it wasn’t true.”
“Oh, Henry, I am sorry. I have made such a mess of things.” Katrina pulled her hand away and rubbed at her face. She had no idea what to say to Henry.
“It is okay, Katrina. I see that now. I do love you, but it is not the same as what you have with Dougal.” Henry sat up on one elbow so he could see her better. “I had a near hero worship of you that was more infatuation than real love. At least at first. I thought I was in love with you, but I realized on the voyage back that I was in love with the idea of you.”
Katrina looked at him in confusion. “I don’t understand what that means.”
Henry lay back again, already spent. He was so weak from his injuries and inactivity. “I am in love with the idea of raising a family with you, even though I knew it could never be. On the way back from Gallica, though, I realized that my love for you is as a friend, not a lover. If I really had wanted you in that way, I would have fought for you. I wouldn’t have let you even get close to him.” He saw the look of confusion on her face turning to disbelief.
“Do you remember on the way out there you said to me that you didn’t think you could give me what I wanted?” He asked her and Katrina nodded. “Well, you can. Because all I want from you is the promise that you will be my best friend and that you will let yourself be happy with Dougal and stop worrying about my feelings.”
Katrina studied his face for a moment before answering. Was he just saying that to make her feel better? The look on his face said he was telling the truth. She wasn’t herself right now though, and certainly didn’t trust her own judgment after recent events. She shook her head, “I can’t promise that, I am sorry.”
Henry looked at her in surprise and then in exasperation. “I mean it Katrina, I don’t love you in the way I thought I did. I had a crush on you, nothing more. I am over it now.”
Katrina shook her head, “I meant I can’t promise that I won’t worry about your feelings. Part of being someone’s best friend includes worrying about their well-being.” She smiled tentatively at him. “Besides, I had already made up my mind to be happy with Dougal, if he will let me.” She smiled broadly, “But I would be honored to be your friend, Henry, though Lord knows I don’t deserve it.” She reached her hand back out to him and searched his face again.
Henry clasped it for a moment and smiled back at her. Then he looked over her head again toward the doorway across the room. He thought he had heard someone moving there. He had a suspicion he knew who it was. He looked back to Katrina, “I just hope Dougal will forgive me for being an ass. I want you to be happy with him, Katrina, and I know that means he and I will need to get along with each other. Besides, he has kind of grown on me over the last few hours.” He smiled sheepishly and let her hand drop.
Katrina sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know how you can think any of this is your fault. I was the ass if anyone was.” She said and then rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. “I just make a mess of everything when it comes to love and friendship.” She said softly, thinking back on the last several months and then her thoughts strayed back to five years ago. “I have caused all three of us so much pain… Do you think it is possible that we could all actually end up happy?” She asked Henry.
Henry nodded, “I do. I think we have already started.” He replied softly. “Now shut up for a while, Sir. I need my sleep you know.” He grinned at her.
Katrina turned her head and smiled back at him. “Yes you do. You definitely need your beauty rest.” She joked, grateful for him lightening the mood. She watched as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep. She went back to staring at the ceiling while she waited for Dougal to return.
Doubts assailed her. What if he had been called away to hunt for the king? This was the kind of job she thought his unit would be called upon for, from what little she knew of his real work, which wasn’t much more than speculation.
What if he had regretted saying he loved her? She had seen the pain of memories in his eyes earlier, though she hadn’t mentioned it. Was he having doubts about his ability to control himself? Was he worried about freaking out and attacking her and of getting consumed by those memories? She was going to have to be careful in her interactions with him for a very long time. Now that she had her own trigger, she understood that the slightest wrong touch could set him off. She sighed. It was going to be a long road to their happiness, she figured. But it was worth it. If that kiss in the garden was any indication, it would all be more than worth it in the end.
She looked around again, not really sleepy, and more than a little worried that Dougal wasn’t coming back. She nipped at her lower lip in worry, the doubts about her own condition and about what Dougal was thinking right now assailing her. She wished he would come back. She felt like a part of her deep inside was missing. She looked toward the door…
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 22, 2010 4:07:37 GMT -5
Dougal always walked when he was starting to troubled. He let his feet take him wherever they wanted while he thought about whatever his problem was. Now was such a time. His relationship with Katrina was going to be a complex one, not that he would regret it for even a second, but there were several issues that needed to be dealt with. First and foremost in Dougal's mind was both his and Katrina's states of mind. Neither of them were completely stable, and both could quite easily hurt each other physically. There was also the chance that they might hurt each other mentally without even meaning to. A careless comment, a misinterpreted sentence, anything that might cause the other to feel unwanted or that they were about to loose the other. It would be quite a while before they could fully function on their own without worrying excessively about the other.
The second problem on his mind was that of Katrina's parents. He'd heard a lot about Katrina's father from other soldiers and also from Katrina. Sir David probably wouldn't present too much of a problem to Dougal and Katrina's relationship. He might take a little while to accept it, but he would probably get over his initial worries once he saw how happy Katrina was. Katrina's mother, on the other hand, was going to be a different story. He hadn't really heard much about her from Katrina, just the odd complaint or two about her mother's ideas for her but, even if he hadn't, Dougal would still have picked her as the main obstacle. He knew that she was the old school type, who thought that you were dirt if you didn't have any noble blood in you, and Dougal's parentage would place him right below dirt. However, he was sure that Katrina's headstrongness, Sir David's love for his daughter and his own skills at subterfuge would get them around any impediments that might be placed in their way.
The third and final problem that Dougal pondered was that of his own future. He had just set aside the command of Araluen's most secret and highly trained military unit and, even though it was temporary, he knew that he couldn't stay in command much longer. He was getting too old for the job, slowing down too much. Besides, he had never really been all that good at paperwork, and that was becoming more important all the time. And, if he was really honest with himself, he wouldn't be able to do his job properly now. If there was a war and Katrina was put in danger, he would use the SWC to pull her out of the fire, so to speak. That wasn't what the SWC had been created for.
His thoughts were interrupted by four grinning men carrying an assortment of knives and clubs. His body tensed instinctively, ready to fight off the men.
"Well, now, a little lost are we..."
The speaker didn't have time to finish his sentence. Dougal needed to blow off some steam, and this was the best way of doing it.
He launched himself at the speaker and drove a fist into the burly man's solar plexus in a move similar to the one that he had used on Katrina on the ship. He then performed a side kick to the stomach of the man immediately to his right, before dancing away in the same direction. A knife sliced through the spot where he had just been, and Dougal clasped his hands, stepped to his left, completed his turn and smacked the third man on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. The fourth man hesitated, shocked at seeing his three friend's taken out in only a couple of seconds. However, he regain his courage as the second man slowly stood back up.
Dougal was merciless. He charged the fourth man, grabbing the club as it came down and then grasping the man's left wrist. Then, still moving forward, he crushed the unfortunate robber's nose with his forehead. A knife sliced away a few hairs at the back of his head, and so Dougal turned and tackled the man. They went down together, but only Dougal stood back up, leaving the knife in the second man's body. A broad, feral smile crept across his face as he moved over to the fourth man and knocked him out with a swift jab to the jaw.
That was much, much better.
The rest of the trip back to the barracks was more pleasant and Dougal forgot for a time all his worries and problems. He walked into the barracks with just a hint of a smile on his face, something that instigated a number of catcalls from his men. He just smiled and shook his head at them, which lead to more catcalls. Normally he would have been a little be sensitive to them, but he was feeling mellow enough to let it slide. Besides, while the exact details of their catcalls weren't correct, his men did have a good idea of what was going on between himself and Katrina.
Unfortunately, Dougal's good mood was spoiled when he was spotted by two knights as he left his chambers, changed with a spare set of clothes and a kukri on his belt. He knew as soon as they came on an intercept course for him that he was about to get grilled over his decision to turn command of the SWC over to Greer. He changed course to meet with the knights and, after some brief pleasantries, made his way to the castle, escorted by the knights.
They rapidly made their way to the castle, and then took back routes and shouldered through crowds of diplomats, soldiers and servants until their reached the princess' private chambers. She was, in theory, taking a break from the serious business of running the kingdom while also searching for her father. In practice, she was glaring at Dougal, with Sir Horace standing off to one side, hand casually on the hilt of his sword. Apparently they knew of Dougal's reputation.
Cassandra turned to face Dougal, her face stern and devoid of all emotion. That was bad. It meant that she was going to give him a reprimand and, given the situation, relieve him of his command permanently. He bowed, as low as he was required to and not a millimetre more. He would not grovel, he would not plead. He would receive his fate with dignity and honour.
"Your Highness
"Captain."
There were a few moments of uncomfortable, unbearable silence, and then the princess asked Dougal a question that cause a complete mental blank.
"Why?"
"I beg your pardon, ma'am?"
"Why. Why did you turn command of your unit over to your Lieutenant instead of taking control of the situation yourself."
"Because I wouldn't be able to do my job properly, ma'am."
Cassandra smiled slightly.
"Because of Sir Katrina?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The smile broadened into a smirk. Dougal could see where this conversation was leading, and he really didn't want to participate in it.
"I understand."
"Yes, ma'am."
Dougal's response was automatic and, despite his best efforts, sounded a little irked. The smile on Cassandra's face was replaced with a curious look.
"What was that all about, Captain."
"Ma'am?"
"You sounded...put out."
"I'm fine, ma'am."
"If you say so."
Cassandra paused, looked at Dougal critically for a few more seconds, and then made up her mind as to what she was going to do with him. He was, by all accounts, one of the most loyal members of the Araluen army, but apparently had had some issues with woman that he seemed to have overcome just recently. Besides, in her experience, people like Dougal didn't give themselves leave when a potentially dangerous situation arose. Instead, they embraced it. For Dougal not to be out looking for her father meant that he must truly believe that it would be better for him to remain in Araluen.
"Lieutenant Greer will remain in command of the Special Warfare Corps until my father return sot Araluen. At that time, your position as the head of the Corps will be reviewed. Until that time arrives, you are on leave."
Dougal nodded, keeping the relief off his face. So, he wasn't going to loose command of his men just yet.
"Thank you, ma'am."
He bowed and and left the room, making his way back down and out of the castle. How long had he been away from Katrina? One hour? Two? She must be wondering if he would be coming back. He didn't waste any time and hurried back to the hospital, via his barracks, where he had a set of clothes rolled up inside of a bedroll. He doubted that the hospital was going to let him use one of their beds if he wanted to spend the night.
Finally reaching the hospital, he was confronted by a nurse, who demanded that he hand over his kukri. He did so hurriedly, wanting to get back to Katrina before she started to panic or one of the nurses had to change her dressing. Besides, he wasn't entirely comfortable about the fact that Henry was in the bed next to her. While he doubted that anything would happen, Henry didn't seem like the type to take such a rejection lying down and probably had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Moving into the ward where Katrina was, Dougal noted that Henry was asleep, which was good, and that Katrina was looking very relieved to see him. Quickly moving over to her bed, he kissed her forehead and sat back on his chair.
"Sorry it took me so long, I had to go and explain my absence to the Princess."
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 24, 2010 23:38:19 GMT -5
Katrina stayed awake, bored with lying in bed and anxious that Dougal was still gone. Many thoughts raced through her head about what was keeping him. She worried at the blankets and tossed and turned, not able to get comfortable.
Suddenly she heard a nurse stop someone to turn in their weapon and she turned her head to the door just in time to see Dougal stride briskly through it. The look of anxiety on her face instantly turned to relief and then a smile spread across her face, lighting up her eyes just from the mere sight of him.
Katrina loved the way his lips felt on her forehead and she reached for his hand after he sat down. He was cleaner now, and smelled wonderful and Katrina realized she probably looked terrible. Then she wondered when she had started to care about what she looked like when he was around. She’d never set much store in her appearance before.
"Sorry it took me so long, I had to go and explain my absence to the Princess."
His explanation jarred her out of her reverie and she looked at him worriedly. “I just found out about the King. My parents and Kenyon were here. They left a little while ago. So what is the word? How is the Princess holding up?” She was almost afraid to ask the question burning in her mind, but she plunged on, watching his eyes. “So, are you going to have to go help search for him?” She hugged his hand to her chest with her hand, not wanting to let him go, but knowing she would have to.
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 25, 2010 4:12:27 GMT -5
“I just found out about the King. My parents and Kenyon were here. They left a little while ago. So what is the word? How is the Princess holding up?”
So, Katrina knew. Well, that was only to be expected. After all, there was no way that something this big would go unnoticed by Katrina. Still, he'd hoped for a little bit more time, so that Katrina would be less worried about him leaving her. And, of course, he would ahve been able to put off explaining that he'd officially been put on leave. It did hurt to know that he'd been put on leave pending an investigation that he knew would end with his removal from the SWC. Still, maybe that was for the best.
"The princess seems to be holding up pretty well. She's showing a brave face, and I don't think that she'll end up in hysterics, even if the worst does happen."
Katrina pulled his hand into her chest, and Dougal knew what was coming next. He could see the question in Katrina's eyes even before she asked it. He hesitated for a second, trying to find the right words, some way of saying that he wouldn't be going, without also revealing what his current status was, but he simply couldn't think of anything but the truth. For some reason, he had found it all but impossible to twist the truth when speaking to Katrina. Not for the first time he marvelled at the changes taking place within him. He was become far less hard and brutal, more like how he had been before Rhian...Stop it! Just stop it! Don't think about her. A touch of sadness reached Dougal's face and, though he tried to hide it, a little bit of shame showed too.
"I've...I've been put on leave until the King returns."
He smiled, and tried to put on a brave face, but even Katrina's tight grip on his hand couldn't prevent him from feeling upset. Using up what little emotional reserves he had left, Dougal squeezed her hand tightly and smiled at her genuinely, not with one of his very convincing fake smiles.
"I guess that I'll be spending a lot more time with you now."
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 26, 2010 12:59:37 GMT -5
Katrina watched him closely as he hesitated before answering her question. She saw the sadness, followed quickly by shame flit across his features before he could hide it, and then told her he had been relieved of command.
She knew instantly what he was going through and gave his hand a tight squeeze in sympathy, looking at him gravely. Swiftly the implications of that little statement flew through Katrina's mind and she knew in an instant that there had been a monumental shift in Dougal's thinking. He had put her before his command.
She thought about that for a moment, not saying anything to him, but trying to see the emotions behind his bravado. Part of her leapt with joy that she now knew for certain that he cared for her. He would never have put her needs ahead of his job otherwise. He was too much of a soldier and had lived that life too long to go against the behavior ingrained in him for nearly all his life for it to be anything less than love.
Yet equally strong she felt guilty that she was the cause of his current status and she felt a deep sadness at his loss. She had to make sure they gave him his command back. He would be lost and bereft without it and eventually would come to resent her more than likely.
She wasn't sure of the exact details, but she vaguely remembered hearing Greer's voice back in the castle right after the doctor left. She searched her memory, but her thoughts were still fuzzy and much of that night after Tam fell on here was nothing more than a haze of pain and fear.
Slowly she pieced together what must have happened. If Greer had come to speak to Dougal right after the King had been kidnapped, and Dougal had stayed with Katrina that whole night, which he had, then Dougal must have given Greer orders to head up the search for the King. Now the Princess was admonishing him for choosing his personal life over his professional one.
Katrina reached up with her other hand and cupped his jaw and cheek in her hand. She wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? She found herself happy that he could stay with her, yet guilty at his sadness and sad for him.
"I am sorry, Dougal, but I would be lying if I said that part of me isn't happy too. I am happy that we will have some time together that we desperately need, but I know how much your command means to you and I feel it is my fault for you being relieved of command. Can you forgive me?" She asked him, rubbing his cheek with her thumb, the other hand still clutching tightly to his. She brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles tenderly, still searching his eyes. He looked to be on the verge of breaking down and her heart ached for him.
"Maybe the King will reinstate you, once he knows the whole situation - once he knows how- how messed up I am and that you were keeping me from injuring innocents." She said haltingly, trying to cheer him up.
She smiled tentatively at him, "Whatever happens, My Love, we will work through it together, right?" Then she quoted his words of the night in the royal garden, "Everything will be all right, Dougal. You will see."
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 28, 2010 5:42:19 GMT -5
Dougal was grateful for the squeeze Katrina gave his hand. It reassured him and gave him strength. While he wouldn't have blamed her for being extremely and obviously happy at the fact that he was staying, he knew that it would probably have hurt him some to know that Katrina wasn't feeling much sympathy for his loss, as mundane as it might seen. However, the searching look that Katrina gave him, coupled with the long moment of silence caused his some concern. What was she thinking? Was she thinking that he was unstable and that she needed to respond in the "right" way to avoid him breaking down, or was she thinking that his current predicament was her fault in some way.
For a few long, awkward moments he and Katrina tried to read each other's emotions, neither quite getting it right. Finally, Katrina reached up and cupped Dougal's jaw in her hand. Relieved that the tension had been broken, he smiled slightly and clasped Katrina's hand to his face, bowing his head slightly. It was comforting to have her touching him and to know that she was there to help him deal with his personal problems. Unconsciously, he slouched in the chair, bending over towards Katrina more. Her hand was so warm on his face, her fingers soothing as they stroked his cheek. How long had it been since he'd been able to show emotion of this kind? And how long had it been since he'd had anyone who had cared about him this much? A tear started to well up in his eye, but he suppressed it as Katrina began to speak.
He was fine until Katrina mentioned that she felt as though she was partly at fault. Every fibre of his being screamed out against that statement. It was not her fault that the bastard Scotti spy had used her and then thrown her away like an old rag. It wasn't her fault that some idiot kid had been up in the rafters, and it definitely wasn't her fault that he had decided to stay with her rather than go looking for the king. Why should she blame herself for everything? It just wasn't right.
Removing Katrina's hand from his face, he brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles, mirroring her own actions.
"There's nothing to forgive, Katrina. You've done nothing wrong."
"Maybe the King will reinstate you, once he knows the whole situation - once he knows how- how messed up I am and that you were keeping me from injuring innocents."
Dougal smiled sadly and shook his head. He knew exactly what the king would do, because he had specifically asked the king to relieve him of command if his personal life interfered with his professional life ever again. Besides, he was essentially damaged property, having twice failed the crown. He would doubtless be left with his commission, but his duties would be relegated to paperwork or training new recruits or something deemed "safe".
"Not after last time. I've broken protocol once too often, and I have to accept the consequences. Besides," he smiled, "I wouldn't change my mind, even if I was given the chance to."
"Whatever happens, My Love, we will work through it together, right?"
Dougal smiled back, and began to stroke Katrina's cheek, feeling more relaxed each time his calloused fingers rubbed up against her smooth skin. In time it would toughen up, he knew, but even then he knew that he would feel relaxed and relieved when he stroked it.
"Yeah, we'll work through whatever comes our way."
"Everything will be all right, Dougal. You will see."
He laughed as Katrina quoted him, and bent down to give her a brief kiss on the lips that turned out to be longer than he had anticipated. When he finally came back up, he gave Katrina's hand a squeeze and smiled at her as brightly as he could manage.
"I'm sure it will Kat, I'm sure it will."
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 29, 2010 16:06:02 GMT -5
Katrina felt terrible for him, knowing how much he lived for the army. What was he going to do? Yet still he said he wouldn't have it any other way. Her heart leapt at those words. She gave him a brief, warm smile, but quickly her features went back to worry.
Then he laughed as she threw his words to her back at him, trying to cheer him up. It worked and she was delighted when he leaned in close, chuckling to give her a quick kiss. Her lips met his and her heart leapt as it did every time he touched her or she looked at him. She reached up with her head to keep him engaged in the kiss when he first started to pull away and she felt him respond passionately. Their kiss lasted a long time and when they came up for air, he said in a husky voice,
"I'm sure it will Kat, I'm sure it will."
She smiled at him broadly and disengaged one hand so she could stroke his face again. "I missed you Old Man," she said softly, changing the subject. "It seemed like you were gone forever!" She slipped her hand slowly around his neck and gently pulled him back over her until she could kiss him again, knowing she had to be careful not to trigger a memory of his lost love from all those years ago.
She kissed him passionately this time, a long, slow kiss. Her breathing came faster and she heard his heart beating faster.
"Katrina Elaine de Montgomery!" A somewhat shrill voice rang out and it was like throwing a bucket of cold water over her head as Katrina realized her mother was standing at the end of the bed watching her kissing Dougal. Nearly every face in the hospital ward turned to look at the Duchess de Montgomery. "Just what do you think you are doing with that- with that- that- that commoner!"
Katrina felt a wrenching in her heart as she jumped at the sound of her mother's voice and she abruptly stopped kissing Dougal, dropping her hand from around his neck so he could move, but she rubbed her fingers over his cheek and jaw and the curve of his lips before releasing him completely. She stared into his eyes for a moment, making her mother wait as she willed for him to have courage. Most men shrank in fear from her mother, she hoped Dougal would not give in to her.
Then she turned to her mother and quietly said, "I am kissing the man I love, Mother."
The Duchess walked around the end of the bed and loomed over them both, studying Dougal as if her were a beetle on the windowsill in the summertime. "So, now you are a-. You-. I thought you loved him!" she pointed to Henry who had woken up and was looking at Katrina with concern and at her mother with a touch of anger in his eyes.
Katrina glanced up to see if Dougal was reacting the same way. This is going to get ugly. She thought and tried to figure otu a way to head off the confrontation she knew was coming. She answered calmly, not rising to the bait to argue with her mother as they always did. She was too tired to fight her right now. "Henry is my best friend, Mother, and Captain Dougal is the man I--" she hesittated, wanting to say he was the man she was going to marry, but they had not talked about that and she'd never had any intention of getting married. She had not wanted to since Rob. Now she was discovering that the desire was seeping back into her soul. She pushed it aside to deal with later. "I love." she finally finished and looked lovingly into Dougal's eyes.
Then she turned back to her mother, inching herself up on the pillows to counter her mother's looming prescense. "If you love me, Mother, and you want me to be happy, then you will accept Dougal for who he is and treat him with the respect he has earned as the love of my heart!" She maintained a good grip on Dougal's hand and squeezed it in silent communication.
Her mother stood there and looked at all three of them in turn then turned to Dougal, trying to intimidate him. "You may be able to fool my daughter into thinking you love her, but I see right through you. Don't be thinking that you are going to marry her or get one gold coin from this family. You had best just pack your things and be on your way before you hurt her any further. If you don't, I an make your life very miserable." She promised, pointing one finger at him.
Katrina rolled her eyes, "Mother!" She said crossly and tried to get up, feeling the skin pulling at the stitches in her stomach again. She gently pressed her hand to her stomach and tried to roll her feet out of the bed and maintain her grip on Dougal's hand. She noticed Henry looking at her in concern and then he glanced at her mother and the anger flitted across his face again. He tried to deflect the situation by saying, "Your Grace, perhaps this conversation should wait until Katrina is a bit stronger."
"Nonsense! I am having this conversation with this so called love of hers," Katrina's mother retorted. "Lie back down Katrina, and stay out of this."
Katrina growled at her mother, "Mother I think you had better leave. I don't think I want to be near you right now." The Duchess ignored her and Katrina started to pull the covers off her legs so she could get to her feet and get in her Mother's face. She felt a twinge down deep in her abdomen as she moved and winced in pain, but her eyes were glittering with anger. She looked quickly around, wondering where her father was. Her mother must have ditched him and circled back to talk to Katrina alone. Well, he would know where to look for his wife, so he should be showing up shortly too. 'Fine,' thought Katrina, 'let's just get it all out in the open right now.'
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 29, 2010 18:48:22 GMT -5
Katrina drew Dougal down into another kiss and he let her take the lead. It was a long, passionate kiss, and Dougal felt his arms encircle Katrina and draw her in closer to him. He could feel her warmth radiating through his clothes, her body pressed up against his, and his heart began to beat faster of its own accord. The kiss became more and more passionate and then, without warning, it was interrupted by a rather loud and and indignant voice.
"Katrina Elaine de Montgomery! Just what do you think you are doing with that- with that- that- that commoner!"
It wasn't only Katrina who jumped at the sound of her mother's voice. Dougal jerked away from Katrina, as far as she would allow him, purely out of instinct. His brain was telling him that he had been caught and that he needed to run or fight. He barely even felt Katrina's hand running down his face, although he saw her silent request in her eyes. There would be no flight, and any fighting would have to be verbal. Squeezing Katrina's hand, Dougal form his face into an unbreakable mask, not showing any emotion.
The Duchess de Montgomery was a rather unusual woman. Despite being far short than Dougal and less than half his weight, she nevertheless exuded an air of menace towards Dougal. She was, he decided, rather like a mother bear protecting her cubs. If her were honest, Katrina's mother did intimidate him somewhat. Then again, he had been known to stare down minor kings, even the extremely proud ones.
As with every situation, though, there was a funny side to the confrontation that was taking place. It was mostly in the form of Katrina's mother trying to make head or tail of the complex relationship that Katrina had with Henry and himself. To an outsider, it was doubtlessly a highly complex and convoluted situation. Even Dougal wasn't entirely sure of the whole situation, not knowing if Henry knew about his and Katrina's relationship or how he would feel when he did. The humour of the situation keep Dougal's face blank and free from any emotion that the Duchess could capitalise one.
"Henry is my best friend, Mother, and Captain Dougal is the man I--I love."
Dougal glanced over at Henry to see how he reacted, but could only make out a combination of concern and anger that did not seem directed at him. He turned his eyes back to Katrina in time to give her a reassuring smile and to squeeze her hand reassuringly. One thing did nag him, though. Why had Katrina hesitated? What had she been about to say? It obviously wasn't something against Dougal, but what could it have been? He felt Katrina squeeze his hand and he smiled his thanks, still puzzling about what Katrina had been about to say.
Without warning, the Duchess began her attack on Dougal and he blanked his face once more, keeping the anger that was starting to build up hidden. Did this woman have no idea what he and Katrina meant to each other? Did she have any idea as to how hard it had been for Dougal to admit that he loved Katrina? He did have another mental laugh when she promised to make his life miserable. The Duchess had no idea how to do that.
Still trying to hold in his anger, Dougal let Katrina and then Henry try to diffuse the situation, but the Duchess was too stubborn. He was sure that she wanted his balls on a silver platter as the old army saying went. However, when Katrina tried to get up to chase away her mother and was unable to due to her pain, Dougal decided that it was time for him to speak. He gently made sure that Katrina was back in a comfortable position, and then he straightened up and stared directly into the eyes of her mother, careful to keep his anger in check and the mask in place.
"I'm not going to leave Katrina. I love her and, unlike many male members of the nobility, I'm not after her body or the family fortune. I love her for who she is."
Contempt for the Duchess flashed across Dougal's face, and then he laughed humourlessly as he continued.
"While I'm sure that you would try to make my life as miserable as possible, nothing that you try is going to be effective."
He smiled, almost challengingly humourlessly, but with just a hint of a challenge, and folded his arms.
"Do your worse, My Lady, and you will find that I will not leave Katrina. Try and pay me off and I will pity your lack of understanding. Send knights to challenge me to a duel and I will send them back to you defeated and bloody."
Perhaps he had gone too far and overstepped his bounds, but he no longer cared about that. He had practically been booted out of the army, his whole personality was changing and the only person who he could count on was lying in a bed with a wound that could easily trigger bad memories. He was not going to let anyone take her away from him, even if it meant directly challenging one of the most powerful women in Araluen.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Jan 30, 2010 21:47:21 GMT -5
Katrina resisted Dougal for a moment as he gently made her lie back again. She was worried that her mother might set him off and she glanced at Henry, knowing that he was in no better shape than she to stop Dougal if he wasn’t able to hold in his anger. She could tell he was growing angrier as her mother spoke, just by the tension being telegraphed through his hand that she refused to let go of.
"I'm not going to leave Katrina. I love her and, unlike many male members of the nobility, I'm not after her body or the family fortune. I love her for who she is."
Katrina looked up at Dougal proudly and squeezed his hand again, her eyes shining with love and pride. Her mother, on the other hand, looked at him in disbelief that he, a common soldier, would speak to her in such a manner.
Katrina watched her mother become speechless as Dougal continued to rebuke her, and then gasped and looked at Dougal as he finished up with a promise that he would not leave her and nothing her mother could do would change that. She leaned up on her elbow and brought the back of his hand to her cheek as she looked up at him. His loyalty touched her to the core because she knew he wasn’t just saying the words. She rubbed her cheek against his hand in thanks.
Katrina’s mother wasn’t sure how to take his words and Katrina found that very interesting. Only her father had ever been able to render her speechless. And as if on cue, her father strolled into the room and came up behind his wife and quickly assessed the situation, his eyes lingering on Katrina’s face where she was pressing Dougal’s hand to it.
He saw the look of indignation on his wife’s face and had just heard the tail end of Dougal’s retort and though he wasn’t exactly sure what had transpired, he knew his wife well enough to know what the gist of the confrontation was about.
“Oriana, see to our daughter.” He ordered her, directing her around to the other side of the bed by the elbow. He hooked out a stool with his toe and plumped his wife down on it forcefully. The Duchess was still glaring at Dougal, trying to come up with a response. She was so used to people cowing before her, that she had no idea how to proceed.
Duke David turned his attention then to Dougal, looking pointedly between him, Henry and Katrina in silence for a moment.
“Father-“ Katrina started but stopped abruptly when he looked at her sharply and held up his hand. She looked anxiously, wondering what he was going to do.
David had seen the look in Katrina’s eyes as she had looked at Dougal, so he had no doubt of her feelings toward him, however, he wasn’t so sure of Dougal’s motives. He had spoken adamantly, but that didn’t mean he was telling the truth. David’s eyes swept the room and several of the tenants of the ward that had been openly listening turned their heads. He motioned to Dougal to follow him, “A word with you, Captain, if you don’t mind.” He turned and walked back out the door, assuming Dougal would follow. Before he reached the door, he said, “Katrina, let go of his hand, it will be fine. I promise.”
Katrina clutched at Dougal for a moment as she watched her father leave. Then she released his hand and gave him a worried look, but didn’t say anything to him. She knew Dougal would hold his anger in check and that her father would treat him with respect just because he was a soldier. But she wished they wouldn’t be talking about her where she couldn’t hear them. She looked at Henry and he shrugged and lay back again, looking at her mother warily and with a hint of anger.
Katrina turned to her mother and said, “I love him, Mother, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with him, with or without your blessing. I would hope that it would be enough for you that I will be happy with him and get over this class thing.”
Duchess Oriana stared gravely at her daughter. “I don’t understand what you see in him, he seems so crude. At least your Henry there is a good-looking young man.” She said, “even though a commoner too. He I might be able to understand, but this other man, who is he?”
Katrina sighed and proceeded to tell her mother about Dougal, her eyes glowing as she talked about him and all the things they had in common, and how they understood each other.
Henry lay there and listened to her, slowly the ache in his heart for her eased as he realized she truly did love Dougal and Henry's longing for her in that respect was replaced with a close friendship and desire to protect her.
Meanwhile, her father stepped outside the ward and took a few steps so they could have some privacy he turned and faced Dougal, not quite able to look him in the eye, but nearly so. Katrina definitely got her height from him.
“As I understand it, you just declared to my wife that you love my daughter and intend to stay with her. You claim you want nothing of the family name, lands or titles, but how am I to know that what you say is really your intent?” He asked Dougal with his arms crossed, studying the reaction of the man who was only about 10 years or so younger than him. “You are nearly old enough to be her father. What would you think if it was your daughter and I was courting her?”
He studied him for a moment and then looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up into Dougal’s eyes. “I want Katrina to be happy. She has not been happy for a very long time. I can see in her face that you make her that way. I would not force her into a loveless marriage just to ally the family such as my parents did me and her mother. But I need some kind of assurance that you are not just using her as a means to an end.”
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Jan 31, 2010 1:34:53 GMT -5
Dougal was grateful for Katrina's firm grip on his hand and the reassuring squeezes that she kept on giving him as he talked. It had the effect of keeping him calmer, while also stopping him from using that arm to create gesture to go along with his words. Knowing his present state of mind, any gestures that he made would be able to be interpreted as threatening. After all, Katrina's mother would probably be looking for any excuse to cause trouble for Dougal, and he'd already given her enough ammunition. He was actually regretting giving her so much ammunition, but Katrina's mother just seemed to rub him the wrong way. That could potentially make life very difficult if he ended up marrying Katrina.
On the other hand, he did seem to have stumped the Duchess. He smiled down at Katrina and scratched Katrina's face with the knuckle of his index finger. For a smile like that, he would be willing to say what he had just said to her mother to the king, perhaps even making it more emphatic and more challenging. In fact, if it wasn't for the arrival of Katrina's father, Dougal would have been content to stand there, gently rubbing Katrina's face and staring down into her loving eyes. He found it hard not to jerk away from Katrina, stand at attention and exclaim "Sir!". Instead, he straightened up and saluted the Duke with a rather sedate "Sir.".
It was not Dougal to whom the Duke spoke first, but to his wife. Even though he should have felt relieved at not being ordered out of the room, he felt apprehensive. Had he been left to last, to be yelled at once everyone was settled and sorted out? The moment of silence while the Duke looked between Dougal, Katrina and Henry was the worst. The Duke was the sort of person who Dougal had trouble reading, and the Duke cutting off Katrina abruptly didn't help. How bad a mood was the Duke in, and what was he most likely to do? Would he order Dougal to never lay eyes on Katrina again because of what he had just said to the Duchess, or would he begin to publicly interrogate him?
“A word with you, Captain, if you don’t mind.”
Well, that solved that problem. The Duke wanted to have a private chat with Dougal, and he definitely wouldn't be taking no for an answer. Dougal twisted his hand around so that he was gripping Katrina's and gave it a squeeze, along with a reassuring smile. He ebnt down and whispered in her ear,
"Don't worry, I'll be back."
Then, straightening himself up, he strode out after the Duke, his head held high and a blank expression that was just tinged with determination. Whatever he had to do in order to convince the Duke that he had only pure intentions towards Katrina, he would do, even if it meant revealing parts of himself that very few, if any other than Katrina, knew about him. The story would be modified slightly, of course, in order to fit in with the official version of events, but Dougal would not modify it beyond that. He doubted that his lying would give the Duke a good first impression.
“As I understand it, you just declared to my wife that you love my daughter and intend to stay with her. You claim you want nothing of the family name, lands or titles, but how am I to know that what you say is really your intent? You are nearly old enough to be her father. What would you think if it was your daughter and I was courting her?”
The smart alec inside of Dougal wanted to make the comment that he was actually old enough to be Katrina's father, but he wisely kept that particular comment to himself. However, that comment was not the reason why he snorted briefly with laughter as soon as the Duke had asked the second question, even though the snort of laughter did sound a bit surprised and all but hid a jerk of surprise.
"I wouldn't have any problem, my lord. If I had a daughter and a Duke was courting her, I'd believe him. After all, why else would a Duke court a commoner?"
Dougal sobered and continued in a more serious manner.
"To be honest, though, I would probably sound you out and make sure that you weren't just trying to sleep with my daughter. But, then again, I'm rather suspicious of the nobility in general."
He shrugged and smiled a half smile in an almost self-deprecating manner. He would let the Duke make what he would of that last comment.
“I want Katrina to be happy. She has not been happy for a very long time. I can see in her face that you make her that way. I would not force her into a loveless marriage just to ally the family such as my parents did me and her mother. But I need some kind of assurance that you are not just using her as a means to an end.”
Dougal nodded understandingly.
"I'm not sure how much proof you require that I really am in love with Katrina, but I was put on leave by Princess Cassandra pending an investigation due to the fact that I handed control of my men over to my second in command so I could be with Katrina."
Shame from having admitted his present circumstances threatened to show, and so Dougal paused for a second, took a deep breath, and then continued.
"In the twenty two years that I have been in the army, sir, I have never abandoned my post. The army means everything to me and there is only one reason why I would risk my career and, potentially, my reputation and life."
He looked the Duke directly in the eyes, and waited for him to make up his mind about Dougal. Hopefully he'd been able to persuade the Duke that he was in love with Katrina, but he was worried that the Duke might not consider Dougal a suitable suitor due to the fact that he had been suspended from duty. Although he did not realise it, Dougal was holding his breath and allowing some of his anxiety to leek through the mask he had on his face.
|
|