The Barbarian's Lady

Part 5

The castle's gates were still opened and the rising sun was beginning to peek up over the hills by the time an exhausted Delilah and equally exhausted Lancelot trotted through the iron gates. As soon as she had passed through, however, the tell tale groan of the iron doors slammed shut, sealing them and all who resided within the castle's walls inside.

Delilah took note of the group forming at the castle's entrance and inwardly rolled her eyes at the angry look upon her father's face. She slid from Lancelot and passed him onto a stable boy, who roped the tired horse and coaxed him away with an apple.

Knowing she couldn't just stand there out in the open, Delilah walked forward to the group containing her father, General Gaul, much to her mortification, a few of her father's guards and her maid, Lily, who seemed ever distraught.

Lily, always a bit melodramatic, let out a sob and rushed forward into Delilah's embrace. The maid's words were hardly understandable as she moaned about finding Delilah missing and then very put out at what Delilah was wearing in public in the dead of night. Lily removed her own shawl to place it over her stubborn mistress. Delilah smiled down at Lily and patted the maids hands in a soothing gesture.

"I am fine, Lily. Truly I am." Delilah's heart warmed at the maids concern and she felt her cheeks flush at the reason for her disappearance.

Her father cleared his throat, "What did think you were doing? For goodness sake, Delilah, you could have been killed by wolves or worse."

Before Delilah could reassure her father, Lily gasped in fright and pulled out of her mistresses hug, pointing at Lily's neck, "My lady, you've been bitten. A bruise!"

Her father's face went from ashen white to seething red in an instant as he took in her bruised neck. General Gaul's face pinched into a sneer before quickly turning to anger as he took Delilah's neck in. Delilah had to fight the revulsion she felt at the man's lecherous gaze.

Her father's bellow could probably be heard by the gods themselves, "BY THE GODS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NECK!"

Delilah looked about and felt immediately embarrassed as a few stable hands, servants and guards atop the castle walls all stared down at them in a mixture of amusement, shock and pity.

"Papa, perhaps this would be best discussed elsewhere?" Delilah shot her father a pleading look before pointedly gazed about at the crowd listening to their tiny group.

Her father took one scathing look around and everyone scattered before he finally nodded and led the group to his solar deep within the castle. The room was warm and her father settled into a large chair by the hearth before motioning to herself, Lily and General Gaul to be seated. General Gaul chose to lean against the hearth and Lily escorted Delilah to a soft cushioned chair that had belonged to Delilah's mother. Delilah was trapped. She sat across from her father and in direct view of General Gaul's snake eyes.

Delilah wrung her hands as she spoke, pulling her maids shawl tighter around her shoulders, "Papa, I'm not comfortable with General Gaul being present."

Her father grunted back at her and turned to General Gaul who nodded to him in understanding.

His voice, while perhaps pleasing to some, grated Delilah's nerves and reminded her of a scaly serpent. "While I understand, Lady Delilah, I beg you to let me stay so that I may gather the details necessary to hunt down the monster who hurt you this night."

"He stays, Delilah. Now, tell us what happened. Were you attacked by bandits?" Her father, always blunt couldn't stop his hands from shaking at the thought of his daughter being attacked.

When she had raced off on that confounded horse, Gregory had thought she simply rode out to clear her head and she would be back soon. Minutes turned to hours and scouts had been sent out to find his wayward daughter. When she was spotted returning back to the castle, Gregory's head and heart ached in happiness.

Delilah's bottom lip trembled, not from upset, but from desire as she remembered the feeling of the barbarian's lips at her neck and the heat of his body against hers. They wouldn't understand. They would think her vile for such feelings.

"I stopped before the cliff village of Skiff. I let Lancelot rest and walked along the cliffs edge. The barbarian, from the woods, the largest one, was there. I threw rocks at him, but he grabbed me and bit my neck." Lily gasped in fright and took Delilah's hands in comfort for her mistress. If only Lily knew how much her mistress truly enjoyed the barbarians attentions.

Her father's face, still red, perhaps from the heat of the hearth, Delilah hoped. General Gaul's hands were clenched and his eyes held the tell tale signs of anger. Delilah trembled and she knew her father thought it was in fear, but all she felt was the desire the barbarian had instilled in her. His lips, while rough, had unleashed a desire within her to feel his beard scruffed face further on her skin.

Her father growled low and stood, walking towards his desk of papers and maps. Slamming his hands on the table, Lord Gregory pushed all that it was in his path off the smooth surface causing Delilah and Lily to jump in fright.

After a few moments of silence, Delilah stood, "Papa, I'm sorry I left. I wasn't thinking..."

When her words trailed off her father let out a sarcastic snort, "No, you bloody well weren't, were you? Do you ever think before you act, Delilah? You've been accosted by those animals!"

Delilah felt the tears begin to fall at her father's admonishment. Never before had she seen him this angry. Moments pass as father and daughter stared at one another. Both equally ashamed.

"May I offer a suggestion?" General Gaul spoke up from the hearth and all eyes turned to him. Delilah felt herself go cold and shivered at what his suggestion might be.

General Gaul gave a short bow to her father, "My suit still stands, High Lord. This changes nothing of my feelings for your daughter. You must realize, she needs protection now more then ever. The barbarians are known for their... obsessive tastes."

Delilah gasped and rushed to her father, clutching his arm pleadingly, "No Papa. Please. I have no wish to marry the General. You know this! Please, I beg you!"

Lord Gregory stared down at his daughter, but his eyes caught sight of the bruised mark on her neck and his rage intensified once more. Shaking off his pleading daughters arm, Lord Gregory extended his hand to General Gaul. Delilah cried out as they clasped hands in agreement and she ran from the room crying, her maid following swiftly behind her.

Lord Gregory sighed and collapsed once more into his chair by the hearth, "She will come around, Gaul. She has been through much this night. Give her time."

General Gaul nodded and gifted his future father-in-law a smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Of course, High Lord. I think we have all had enough excitement for tonight. I will speak with Delilah tomorrow and share with her my feelings."

General Gaul bowed and exited the room, leaving the tired, elderly High Lord Gregory to think on what had transpired this night.