In the Arms of a King (My Warrior Lover) Read online

  ‘You were raised there…in my fort?’

  ‘Yes, it was my fort long before it was your fort. I know every inch of that place, although it has been considerably extended and fortified since then. I would even have been sent to Rome to study, if it wasn’t for the tax decree.’

  ‘Tax decree? I don’t understand. What happened?’

  ‘Rome got a new Emperor. And to impress his people, he put on one of the most lavish gladiatorial spectacles ever held – one hundred days of entertainment to show his power and his status. Except that he couldn’t afford it, so he taxed his Empire to find the money. Our people were asked to pay heavy taxes for an extravagance we neither wanted nor needed. The Scots revolted…and that was the end of my integration with Rome. I was taken back to my people, and then sent away to a distant island for safety. I was still a child, remember. Everyone knew a battle was inevitable.’

  ‘Your people fought the Romans?’

  ‘Yes, but they were no match for the might of the Roman army. The rebellion was crushed and most of my people fled for the hills. My father was killed in the battle, and I will never forgive the Romans for that. Ever since then, I have dreamed of coming back to reclaim my homeland…and finally I am here.’

  Sabina was still trying to sort this out in her mind. Now a lot of things made sense, but there were still some questions that needed to be answered.

  ‘But…why did you pretend that you could not communicate with me? We even made love, and you did not speak a word of Latin.’

  Blaine put his arm around her. ‘I wanted to, that’s for sure. But I didn’t know if I could trust you. I didn’t want word getting back to the Romans about my presence here. If they heard of a Latin-speaking Scot, they would soon work out who I was.’

  ‘But why? Who are you?’

  Blaine hesitated. ‘I am a man with good reason to have grievances with the Romans. I have scores to settle, and I don’t want to put them on alert.’

  ‘And now you have chosen to trust me, even though I am one of the hated Romans?’

  Blaine kissed her on the cheek. ‘You are not one of them, Sabina. You are not tainted with the blood of battle. You are as innocent as anyone. You have already shown where your loyalty is. And now that you have committed yourself to me, I intend to put my trust in you.’

  ***

  When Sabina didn’t show up for breakfast, her mother wasn’t overly concerned. Her daughter was turning into a contrary young woman who was often difficult just for the sake of it. But then she herself had been no better at that age. She could recall her mother shouting at her regularly.

  ‘Portia, I don’t know what’s got into young people nowadays. You are so unco-operative. I’m sure I never gave my parents as much trouble as you do. You don’t seem to care about anyone except yourself and those awful boys who hang around the Forum…’

  And now she, Portia, was saying exactly the same things to her own daughter. She wondered if it would be like this for future generations. Maybe two thousand years from now, teenagers would still be arguing with their parents. No, surely not. People will be far more sensible by then. They would laugh if they knew how much trouble the Romans had with their kids. The only time Sabina seemed to talk to her was when she wanted to borrow money.

  Portia wasn’t particularly worried until Severus, the servant responsible for tutoring Sabina, asked to see her. He wanted to know if there was a reason why Sabina had failed to show up for her morning lessons, and whether he should expect her in the afternoon. That shook Portia a little, and she excused the domestic staff from their duties – sending them to search for Sabina instead.

  When lunchtime came around and there was still no sign of Sabina, she started to panic and went in search of her husband. Lucius was busy supervising the construction of new fortifications, and wasn’t best pleased at being disturbed. But when he heard that his daughter was missing, he called his soldiers to order and started issuing instructions. Within a few minutes, formal search parties were being sent out to cover the ground in a wide circle around the fort.

  Lucius Maximus stood and watched them leave with a heavy heart. He hoped to the Gods that Sabina would turn up and alive and well. The silly girl had probably gone off on a long walk with her friends, and would turn up laughing and apologizing. But with all those unruly savages out there, there was no telling what might happen. If she hadn’t been found by sundown, then things would be looking serious. He hoped against hope that she would return safely, whether of her own accord or under the direction of his soldiers.

  Lucius had spent his entire career serving the army in various parts of the Empire. He had done his duty for the Emperor in places as far flung as Egypt, Greece and France. He had baked in the desert, frozen in snowy wastelands and survived endless battles. With over twenty years of service under his belt, he knew he could look forward to one final soft posting back near home, and then a plot of land to retire to. He had been looking forward to that retirement for many years. But it would all be ruined if Sabina was not there to be part of it.

  Ever since she was born, Sabina had been the light of his life, eclipsing even his wife in his affections. He regretted having to spend so much time away from home, and all the days he had missed from her childhood. He had always expected to be able to make up for that in his retirement, and he was chilled to think his dreams could be destroyed.

  Lucius cursed himself for not ensuring that she was kept safely under supervision. One thing he knew. If something happened to his one and only daughter, the population of this cursed land would pay for it in spades.

  ***

  Blaine led Sabina down the mountain and through the heavily wooded valley below. Sabina was enchanted by the forest. It was all so different to the forests back in Rome – so much thicker, greener and more luxuriant. She could hear the calls of strange birds in the trees, so gentle and musical. She breathed heavily and took in the scents of the forest – so rich, heavy in scent and so intoxicating. This truly was a strange world that Blaine came from, and she was excited to explore it further.

  They walked for some time. Sabina didn’t know how long exactly. She wasn’t used to telling the time directly from the sun, and without the modern convenience of a sun dial she lost all sense of time. But she knew she was tired…exhausted, in fact. Every so often, Blaine would pick her up and carry her some of the way, allowing her to catch her breath and rest her weary feet. She was grateful of the break, but she knew she was putting Blaine under further pressure. And he had enough to worry about already.

  ‘Let me walk,’ she said. ‘I can manage.’

  ‘You’re not as used to this terrain as I am.’

  ‘You can say that again. How much further?’

  ‘Not long now. If we just keep putting one foot in front of the other, we will be there before you know it.’

  Sabina struggled to do just that, but it was hard going. They stopped for a while by a stream and rested. Sabina took her sandals off and soaked her feet in the cool, refreshing water. But when she looked at her feet, she could see blisters coming up. Before long, walking would be agony. They rested for maybe half an hour, and then it was time to move on again. The woodland thickened and the trail was barely discernible. This was a place you would only come to if you knew exactly where you were going. Sabina dreaded to think what would happen if she became separated from Blaine. She would just wander lost in the forest until she died of starvation, or was killed by some strange mountain monster. She had heard the myths and legends about the strange beasts that lurked in the woods, and she had no desire to meet one of them. Blaine, however, seemed unperturbed by the dangers, and he strode onwards through the undergrowth, only pausing to ensure that Sabina was following behind him.

  The forest grew deeper and darker, and the going got tougher with each step. Sabina was struggling to keep up. But just when she thought she couldn’t make it any further, they burst out into a clearing. Sabina blinked her eyes as they came out into the
sunshine. This was a large natural clearing that was as big as a gladiatorial arena. Just a few steps back in the woods, it had been invisible. She looked around in amazement. The clearing was grassy, with a stream running along one edge – probably the same stream that she had bathed her feet in earlier. All around the clearing, towering trees guarded the area like sentinels on duty. And right in the center of the clearing there was a village.

  Blaine turned to Sabina. ‘Welcome to Camlan,’ he said. ‘The ancient home of my people and the spiritual center of our world.’

  Sabina looked around in amazement. She could hardly believe that such a large settlement could be hidden deep in the forest like this. It seemed unreal. There was a mixture of wooden roundhouses, timber-framed cabins and large tents made from skins and leather. And all around were people – Scottish people. The majority of them were men.

  Fighting men.

  One of the men nearest to them looked up as they approached. When he saw Blaine, a big smile broke out across his face. He shouted something in Scottish and other men started turning to look. And then to Sabina’s astonishment, they started to cheer and applaud. She pulled herself closer to Blaine’s side.

  ‘Who are these people?’ she asked.

  ‘They are my people. The Picts who belong here – true Scots who are as much part of this land as the grass and the trees.’

  ‘I don’t understand…what’s all this about?’

  Blaine looked at Sabina, his expression serious.

  ‘What’s this about? It’s about reclaiming what is rightfully ours. What the Romans took from us, we want back. What you see here, Sabina, is the beginning of a revolution.’

  ***

  This was the moment that Blaine had been waiting for all these years. Throughout the days when he was exiled to the Orkney Islands for safety, he had dreamed always of the day he would come home.

  And now that day was here…and it was as good as he expected.

  Camlan was the only place in the world where he felt truly at home. And although it was not the finest village in the world, it was the place where he belonged. This was where his people lived. And here they were in spades – the men and women who had promised to await his return. The faithful who would now join with him to overthrow the enemy and return their world to its rightful order.

  As they walked towards the heart of the village, the cheering rose from the occasional shout to a crescendo of joyous exclamations. Many people shook Blaine’s hand as they passed. Some of the faces he recognized – men who had been boys when they last met, girls who had grown into attractive young women. Other faces were strange to him…much had changed since he last walked these lands. Then there was the most familiar face of all, his brother striding towards him.

  They met at the center of the clearing, and embraced heartily once more – reaffirming their kinship in front of the applauding crowd.

  ‘Welcome back, Blaine,’ Talorc said. ‘You have been sorely missed in these parts.’

  ‘Well now I’m back – and I won’t be leaving this land again. This is my home, and this is where I will stay, whatever the consequences.’

  Talorc looked at Sabina, and as his eyes took in the tunic, he became a little wary.

  ‘What’s this my brother? You have brought a Roman into our midst? An enemy into our own camp?’

  ‘She’s no enemy, Talorc. It is because of her help that I am here as a free man. She has already proved her loyalty to me beyond question. We all owe her a debt of gratitude. I will explain later, but for now, I would like our womenfolk to take good care of her. We have had a long and tiring journey, and she needs to be rested.’

  ‘As you wish, Blaine.’

  Talorc called over a woman who was standing at the front of the assembled crowd, while Blaine spoke briefly to Sabina in Latin.

  ‘Sabina…go with Agnis. You will be quite safe, and she will take care of you. She will ensure you are bathed and dressed. I have business to attend to, but I will not be far away. I will meet with you again, later. OK?’

  Sabina nodded her agreement, and the woman led her away.

  ***

  Sabina followed the woman called Agnis with some misgivings. Her thoughts had only been concerned with being near Blaine. But now she was beginning to realize the consequences of her actions. Here she was, miles away from her family and the safety of the fort – stranded in the middle of the forest with these strange and savage people. She trusted Blaine…she felt he would look after her. But the situation was still strange and scary.

  Agnis was a woman of about forty years of age. It was clear that she had once been a looker, but the ravages of time and a hard life had given her wrinkles and a deeply-lined face. She looked suspiciously at Sabina, clearly uncertain as to how a hated Roman could have won favor. She took Sabina to a roundhouse that was sparsely furnished but clean. There was a barrel of water, and Agnis gave Sabina a large square of clean linen by way of a towel. She motioned to indicate that Sabina should undress. A few moments later, Sabina was standing naked in front of the barrel, washing herself in the clear water and feeling refreshed.

  Agnis brought her clean clothes to wear. They were made from soft wool, and were surprisingly comfortable. Better still, they didn’t mark her out as a stranger, as her tunic did. She dressed quickly, the cloth uncomfortable against her skin. She wished there was a mirror so that she could see herself – the Roman woman transformed into a warrior princess.

  There was a shadow in the doorway. Sabina turned to look and saw another woman standing there. She was dressed in finer clothes than Agnis, and had the bearing of someone who is used to enjoying authority. She was younger, too – perhaps late twenties – and she was undeniably good looking, with jet black hair that flowed down to her waist, and breasts that heaved on her chest. There was a heated exchange of words between the two Pictish women, and Agnis left in a hurry. The new arrival turned to Sabina. To Sabina’s surprise, she spoke in near-perfect Latin.

  ‘So you are the witch I have heard about,’ she said. ‘The Roman infidel who has come here to betray us.’

  The woman advanced into the cabin, standing threateningly close to Sabina and staring her in the face. Sabina was taken off guard. ‘I don’t know what you mean. I have not come here to betray anyone.’

  ‘And you expect me to believe that? I am no fool. I am Eithne, and my name means something around here. You will soon discover that. I don’t know how you wheedled your way into Camlan, but I want you to know you are not welcome here. I see your game…I have met women like you before. You think you can seduce Blaine with your Mediterranean looks and your soft, unblemished skin. I bet you’ve never done a day’s work in your life – too busy being pampered by servants. But believe me, I am onto you, and I will be watching you like a hawk. I will not allow you to take away what is rightfully mine.’

  Sabina stepped back, a little shocked at the onslaught. This wasn’t the idyllic new world she had been hoping for. She had never expected to make enemies.

  ‘You’re mistaken. I didn’t intend to end up here. None of this was planned…it just kind of happened.’

  Eithne looked at Sabina with contempt. ‘Oh, really? Now let me guess. I bet it all just kind of happened when you hitched up your skirts and flashed your tits…is that right?

  ‘Eithne…that’s enough.’ Another voice now – a man’s voice barking from the doorway. Sabina turned and was relieved to see Blaine standing there, glaring angrily at Eithne.

  ‘Sabina is here at my invitation,’ he said. ‘I expect everyone here – including you, Eithne, to treat her with respect. Otherwise, you will have me to answer to. Is that clear?’

  Eithne glanced from Blaine to Sabina with fury in her eyes. All of a sudden, Sabina understood…everything began to make sense. There had once been something between Blaine and Eithne…a relationship that she still held a candle for. And learning that Blaine had brought Sabina here had dashed those hopes. Sabina had never heard the expression ‘he
ll hath no fury like a woman scorned,’ but she sure understood the principles.

  Eithne said nothing. She pushed past Blaine and stormed out into the clearing beyond. Blaine didn’t give her so much as a second glance. His attention was focused on Sabina.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘You should not have had to tolerate such nonsense. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

  ‘I’m OK. She scared me a bit, that’s all.’

  ‘You have no reason to be scared. I will ensure that you are well protected.’

  Sabina looked into Blaine’s eyes. ‘I know there was something between the two of you. I can see that is why she was so angry.’

  Blaine shook his head. ‘Not from my point of view…there never was. When we were children, she was pledged to me in marriage. And she expected that promise would be fulfilled. But I was not the one who made the pledge. Eithne is a fine woman in many ways, but I have never loved her. And I make my own decisions in life. When I marry, it will be for love, not politics.’

  ‘Then she means nothing to you?’

  ‘Nothing, I promise you. Please don’t dwell on that incident…it‘s all behind us. We have more important things to worry about.’

  But Sabina was not satisfied. ‘She said she will not allow me to take what is rightfully hers…what does that mean? And where did she learn to speak Latin?’

  Blaine stroked his chin, as if trying to work out what he should say. ‘You remember I told you that I was one of several children raised with the Romans? Eithne was another, along with Talorc. Her father was what you would call a nobleman…an important man in Camlan, but not as important as my father.’

  ‘How could your father be more important than a nobleman?’

  ‘He was the most important man there was,’ Blaine replied. ‘He was the King of the Scots.’