Princess of Silence, page 12
part #1 of When Kings Collide Series
Unable to fully catch his breath and unsure now that he could even ride, Cuthbert lowered himself back to the ground. Around him, men were running in every direction, some still under the impression this was a celebration, others falling face first on the ground as arrows struck them in the back. The scene near the copse of trees was chaotic, as well, the officers there fighting to discuss a strategy while arrows picked them off one by one.
Cuthbert ducked his head and charged back in that direction, but he only made it a few steps before a pain even more severe than the last radiated out from just above his ear. His thoughts became jumbled as he fell to the ground, bringing his knees up to his chest, the agony blinding him. He thought he heard the voice of his friend and fellow officer, Simon Troughly, shouting his name, but he couldn’t be sure. The stench of piss was overwhelming, as Cuthbert lie in his own filth, muttering, “At least King Philip will not have the pleasure of killing me himself.”
Chapter 14
Katherine was still leaning on the door sobbing when she heard the key turn in the lock. She barely had time to pull herself up, swiping at her tears, before Agatha threw the door open and rushed into the room. Ignoring her tears, the woman looked down her nose at the princess and said, “Well, now, the king has requested your presence. We are to go at once. Come along.”
Glancing around the room, Katherine wondered if she should take her most precious belongings with her. Surely if they were fleeing to Gradenia right now, Agatha would give her a moment to pack her things. Perhaps Philip only meant to inform her of the situation presently, and they would depart after she had a chance to return to her room for her trunks. It didn’t matter now--Agatha was already down the hall a few paces, looking irritated that she was lagging behind. Katherine followed along, reluctantly, closing the door behind her.
A few moments later, they arrived at King Philip’s bedchambers. Still confused, Katherine watched as Agatha pulled a skeleton key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. The lady raised an eyebrow and waited for the princess to enter, which she did, hesitantly.
The room was immaculately clean. Katherine was shocked to see that the king seemed to want everything just so. She hadn’t gotten the impression from him that he would be so particular. The bed curtains, the duvet, the pillowcases, all of the linens in the room were a thick red velvety material. Even the curtains that hung over the window were a matching shade of scarlet, their thick cords a yellow-gold. The dark mahogany furniture included a four-poster bed that shone as if it were polished at least once a day.
Katherine looked around the room, wondering where Philip might be. Agatha didn’t seem to think it odd that they had entered the king’s bedchambers, even in his absence, so Katherine followed behind, not sure what to make of the situation.
Agatha crossed over to the bed and pulled the blanket and sheets down on the far side with a quick ripping motion. Confused, Katherine paused, wondering if Agatha were about to take a rest. What else could the lady possibly be doing?
With a frown, Agatha shoved a fist against a hip. “Well, come here!” Katherine took a step forward but paused when Agatha insisted, “Close the door behind you!” Swallowing a lump in her throat, Katherine turned to close the door but paused a moment to peer out into the hallway, thinking perhaps Philip was on his way. She didn’t see him; whether that was for the better or not remained to be seen as her new lady was every bit as frightening as the king could be. Feeling obligated to do precisely what Agatha commanded, she quietly shut the door and then crossed the room to join her overbearing lady-in-waiting.
Not a word crossed her lips as Agatha promptly spun Katherine around and started unlacing her dress. The princess’s confusion rose to a new level as Agatha continued to remove article after article of her clothing. When Katherine was down to her undergarments, the lady drew in a deep breath and lifted Katherine’s chin so that she was looking her in the eye. “Now, I know you have no mother.” The triteness of the remark had Katherine’s eyes bulging. Agatha did not apologize. “Perhaps you have had some advice from your older sister, though I doubt it.” She added the last part under her breath. “Let me lend you some council. First of all, he’s your, uh, husband.” Katherine almost shook her head, knowing that wasn’t quite accurate, but it seemed pointless to argue with the king on that matter, particularly since he wasn’t present. “You must be obedient in every way. Secondly, it has been suggested that bracing oneself may help, though I do not recommend it. In my personal experience, that seems to cause more pain, especially when one is, shall we say... inexperienced?”
Lost, Katherine nodded because she wasn’t sure what else to do. Agatha continued with her undressing, her fingers flying over Katherine’s underclothing and pulling them off so quickly, it seemed as if she had practiced. As she concluded her work, she continued. “Which brings me to my final point.”
Standing in the king’s bedchamber, completely nude in the presence of a stranger, Katherine was both embarrassed and terrified. She was very much aware of her arms and could not decide if she should use them to cover herself or hold them to her sides. The result was a strange pantomime of limb shifting that made her feel even more humiliated than before. Agatha didn’t seem to notice. “Some mothers attempt to comfort their daughters by telling them stories of how lovely and beautiful this moment will be. Let me be honest with you, Princess. It is going to hurt like hell.”
With that, Agatha grabbed Katherine by the shoulders, pulled up the bed sheets, and shoved her in, pulling them back around her shoulders and tucking her beneath the king’s bedding. Katherine stared up at her, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. While she still wasn’t exactly certain what the situation was, she couldn’t imagine whatever the king intended to do would be comfortable after that last remark.
Agatha picked Katherine’s clothing up off of the floor, put out the small lantern next to the bed that had provided the only illumination, and draped her gown and other clothing over the back of a chair across the room. As she headed toward the door, the staunch old woman remarked, “The king will be in shortly.” Agatha disappeared into the hallway, the sound of that devastating key in the lock echoing around the now silent room.
Katherine wasn’t sure which was more petrifying—the idea that she was locked in the king’s bedchambers nude or that she wouldn’t be able to escape in time to help Matthew. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breath was coming in raspy gasps. There had to be something she could do.
Eyeing her clothing across the room, Katherine considered what might happen if she rose and attempted to dress herself. The gown she’d been wearing was complicated, and she was sure she’d never get her stay back on by herself. Would she need it? What if Philip came in and saw her standing there undressed? Even though she had known for the last several years that she was to marry him and that meant she would be asked to perform wifely duties, the fact that she was not yet his wife and she had grown to despise him over the last two weeks had her wondering what might become of her if he managed to have his way with her before King Caleb and the Arterians arrived. The cannon fire sounded closer to the castle than before. Was it possible Matthew’s brother might actually save her from her own betrothed?
A key in the door, a twisting of the knob, and in walked King Philip. Katherine froze, not sure how she was to behave or what was about to happen to her but wishing to be anywhere else in the world but here.
He had been drinking. She could tell by his clumsy gait. He didn’t appear to be drunk exactly, but Katherine almost wished she’d had a few drinks herself. It might make this situation more comfortable—or give her the gumption to try to flee.
Philip back tracked a few steps and barred the door before he kicked off his boots. The weight of him on the other side of the bed made the situation too real. Katherine’s hands began to shake.
Plopping his second boot onto the ground, Philip squinted into the darkness over his shoulder. “If it isn’t my little lady. Just where I’ve been dreaming of seeing you for weeks.” With a deep growl of a laugh, he stood and slid his tunic off over his head, leaving him bare chested. In the dim light seeping in through the thick curtains, it was difficult to see him at all, but the outline of his well-formed, muscular chest reminded her he was far stronger than she was. Katherine took a deep breath and attempted to admire his physique, an attempt to calm her rushing heart, but thoughts of the evil Philip had done made it difficult to focus on anything other than the fact that she loathed him.
The king slowly made his way around the end of the bed and up the side toward where she lay. Katherine didn’t move, her hands clasped tightly around the top of the sheets where she held them tucked beneath her chin. The sound of his belt jingling as he unhooked his trousers and dropped them to the floor was unmistakable, even though Katherine realized her eyes were shut tight. Peering at him through a slit, she saw he still wore his undergarments but doubted they’d be on for long. The bed shifted under his weight, and Katherine closed her eyes again as King Philip stretched his lengthy body out on top of her.
Still not moving, except to grasp the blankets even tighter, she inhaled the scent of sour wine. Philip dragged himself closer to her, nestling his nose against her ear, nipping at it gently with his teeth. Katherine did her best not to turn away from her would-be husband, but terror pulsated through her body with the force of the cannon fire in the distance.
In a raspy whisper, Philip’s warm breath caressed her face. “Don’t be frightened.” His lips were warm and slightly wet, and Katherine tried to remember what Agatha had said about bracing herself as he trailed them down her neck. “I promise not to hurt you,” more kisses, harder kisses, “the first time.”
His left hand entangled in her hair, and Katherine felt a sting as he pulled her head toward him. The long, flat surface of his tongue stroked her neck as he rearranged himself on top of her so that he could better access her body. Licks turned to nibbles turned to harder bites as he made his way down her neck to her shoulder, his hand still holding her head in place, though he’d slipped his palm around so that his thumb rubbed against her bottom lip. Katherine considered what might happen if she gave him a taste of his own medicine and chomped into the digit—hard.
Releasing her hair, Philip withdrew his hand and grabbed hold of the blankets Katherine was gripping so tightly she was certain her knuckles were white. She was no match for his strength, and he yanked them away from her with little effort. Defeated, Katherine tried to steady her breathing, tried to think of something else... anything else.
Philip continued to kiss his way down her throat, but now that her breasts were exposed, his thoughts lie elsewhere. The thought of his eyes wandering over her body made Katherine nauseous. In the back of her head, she could hear her sister, Eleanora’s voice, “He is your husband, Katherine. All women have a duty to please their man in the bedroom, even royalty,” and while she knew she and Philip were not yet wed, she assumed what he was about to do to her would make them man and wife, at least in his mind. Telling herself she had a duty to perform, Katherine opened her eyes and fully looked at Philip for the first time since he’d climbed atop her.
He was a handsome man, she’d never argued that he wasn’t. The way he was gazing at her breasts, biting his bottom lip as his hand stroked her arm, wandering closer to her sensitive mounds, created a sensation Katherine couldn’t ever remember feeling before. Somewhere, deep within her, a tingling began to arise. She had no idea what it was, but she wasn’t quite as terrified as she had been a few moments before.
Despite the biting a few moments ago, when Philip slid his hand across her breast, he was far more gentle than she would’ve ever thought possible. He took his time, running his fingertips over her flesh as Katherine continued to explore this new feeling she hadn’t encountered before. When his thumb pressed against her hardened peek, her lips parted, and her breath stilted.
“You like that?” he asked, that cocky tone to his voice she loathed reminding her who it was on top of her. “It’s all right to enjoy yourself, Princess. In fact, I’m looking forward to hearing all the sounds you make when I press myself inside of you.”
He lowered his head, and Katherine drew in a deep breath, anticipating his teeth on her sensitive flesh, but instead, his lips landed between her breasts. He was teasing her—or trying to anyway—she assumed as he licked and sucked between her mounds, continuing to run his fingers across her but not his mouth—not yet.
Philip continued to push the blanket out of the way, his hand sliding further down, rounding the curve of her hip, his lips trailing lower as well. Katherine was torn between the loathing she felt for the man who’d kidnapped Matthew and killed his wife and the burning she was beginning to feel inside of her. As Philip’s hands lingered lower on her body, her emotions continued to twist until she had no idea what she should think, much less how she should behave.
Philip’s fingers brushed along the crease in her hip, moving toward her thigh, when there was a knock on the door. The king froze, a loud sigh escaping his lips. The pounding repeated, louder the second time, and it became evident whoever was at the door wasn’t going away.
Turning his head toward the entryway, Philip shrieked, “What is it?”
“Your Majesty, I must talk to you. Immediately.” It was Charles’s voice, Katherine was certain, and while she could’ve potentially been on the verge of giving into her soon-to-be-husband’s insistence that he would pleasure her, whether she wanted it or not, relief washed over the princess. Whatever Charles wanted, it couldn’t be good news for Philip.
Philip was reluctant to acknowledge the summons. “Can it wait ten bloody minutes?” he spat back. Katherine imagined Charles was probably one of the few people who actually knew what the king was up to, and if he was interrupting, the situation must be dire. Cannon fire outside punctuated the thought.
“No, Sir,” Charles responded, his voice conveying he meant it.
Philip glanced down at her, and Katherine considered pulling the sheets up over herself even before he dismounted, but she was still frozen. Shaking his head, Philip swung off of her, straightening his hair as he went to the door.
Before he threw it open, Katherine pulled the blankets up to her chin again, praying Charles wouldn’t come in and see her in such a compromising position. The idea of anyone else seeing her here, naked, in the king’s bed, was humiliating.
Philip was clearly thinking of other things as he stuck his head out into the hall. “What in the world could possibly make you interrupt me right now?” he demanded.
“May I speak with you in the hallway?” Charles asked, desperation evident in his voice.
Despite the fact that he wasn’t dressed, Philip disappeared into the hall, leaving a trail of obscenities behind him. Katherine heard him exclaim, “What? What is it?”
Though his voice was quieter, Katherine felt a shudder as she heard Charles’s reply. “The Arterians have broken through at Skull Creek. They are over the outer wall of the castle, moving through the village. That cannon fire you hear is their shell, knocking our fortifications to pieces. They will be inside the interior wall, inside the castle, probably within the hour.”
Katherine’s heart pounded. She closed her eyes and prayed that Matthew had gotten away. If the next words out of Philip’s mouth involved the captive king, she’d be forced to interfere—somehow.
A banging on the wall near the door let Katherine know Philip was outraged. The obscenities flew again. “How the hell did this happen? We did so well today!”
“I don’t know. Word from the villagers only arrived a few moments ago. None of the commanders even sent notification that we were under attack.”
“Where’s Cuthbert?” Philip demanded, another slam to the wall.
Charles didn’t bother to respond to the question, and Katherine imagined that was because he didn’t know the answer. Instead, he said, “Sir, we need to get you and the… queen out of here, as quickly as possible.”
The queen—that was her, wasn’t it? Holding her breath, she waited for Philip to agree. “Where is the Gradenian Cavalry?” His question took her by surprise. Was he still intending to fight?
“We have not seen or heard from them, Sir.” Charles’s voice grew more insistent. “We can take you out the northern tunnel. The King’s Guard is equipped and should be able to provide you with safe passage to the Gradenian border. Hopefully, by then, the cavalry will have advanced far enough to meet you.”
“I need to assess the situation for myself.” Philip’s voice took on a tone Katherine recognized. He was back in control of himself, but clearly incapable of making rational decisions. “I won’t go running off to Gradenia until I see exactly what we’re up against.”
Charles’s next answer bordered on pleading. “Your Majesty, there isn’t enough time. Think of your mother, your wife.”
“I want to see it for myself!” Philip spat loudly enough to cause Katherine to jump. “Have the guards assist my mother to safety. Send another group to acquire Matthew and bring him down as well. I want him loaded with the utmost care. The last thing we need is to lose him now. I will go up to the observation deck and survey the situation from there. If I determine we need to leave, I’ll collect Katherine, and we’ll make our way out through the northern tunnel.”
