Fealty

He looked away. "I can't answer you, Baroness. And I'm not going to stop trying to escape, however futile it may be."

"I know." When he looked up, she held out another piece of meat for him. He leaned forward and took it gently between his lips. "And I'm not going relax the safeguards I've set on you. Hopefully... hopefully soon you will be able to answer me."

The grin came back, like the sun shining on water. "What I'm going to do now is forget about this mess for a while, and enjoy a meal with an old friend. Care to join me?"

After a moment he nodded, "But you'd better not hog the turnips."

The next time he asked for a drink, he was vaguely disappointed when she gave it to him from the tankard.

The next several days were spent in thought. Not, this time, of escape, but of the future. He had, he realized, accepted Baron Balmont's death as inevitable. There was nothing he could do, with the whole might of the Westerlands, and the first mage to go to battle in three generations, arrayed against him.

At first he worried over his honor. There was no question of if he wanted to be free to offer his fealty to Myrtle. His fealty and, he knew, a great deal more. More which he fully expected she would accept. It wasn't like she'd been at all shy in her affections over the past several weeks.

The mind boggled at putting Myrtle, Baroness Fireridge and "shy" in the same sentence.

But could he offer that fealty, in all honor, when she had prevented him from defending Baron Balmont, ripped him away from his duty?

On the third day he realized he was being ridiculous. He would have no such doubts if he were taken captive in battle, so why was he tormenting himself with them now?

Then, he began to plan.

When Pawl mentioned in passing that the Baroness had returned, five days after her departure. Eryk knew what he would do. He stuck his hand directly through the door, and caught a glimpse of Pawl's smile before his eyes rolled back in his head.

He was a bit surprised to wake up in the chair rather then the bed. But Pawl clearly hadn't shorted on the rope. Myrtle sat across from him, holding a goblet of something that smelled like sweet wine. He'd seen dead men that looked healthier. Whatever magic she had used to reach Balmont Keep, dry their wells and return in under a week hadn't been without cost.

"Tell me."

Myrtle smiled. It was a bitter thing. "It's done. Balmont was killed when the walls were breached. I am hailed as hero by my fellow lords for ending the siege so quickly and offered Balmont's lands in addition to my own." She drank from the goblet and set it aside, "I told them to go to hell and left them to squabble over the scraps."

Eryk couldn't help grinning at her obvious distaste. Maybe there was more than one reason mages didn't go to war.

She licked her lips, then spread her hands on the table between them. "I assume you wouldn't have sent for me unless you had an answer?" Her eyes skittered about the room, looking everywhere but at him.

"Yes, Baroness. I will offer you my fealty. If-" her eyes snapped to him but the spreading grin froze at his pause, "if you swear that you will never again use magery on me unless I ask you too."

Myrtle didn't hesitate even a moment, "Never. My magic will never touch you again unless you wish it too."

Now it was his turn to grin and leaned back against the chair, "Then will you please untie these damned ropes?"

She laughed and moved to stand behind him, using her belt knife to cut through the knots rather than picking them out. A waste of good rope, but he wasn't complaining.

He stood, shaking out his arms. For the first time since he arrived here, he was able to look down on her. He's forgotten how small she was, barely reaching his chin.

She looked up at him but before she could say anything, he sank a hand into her thick hair and yanked her head back. She stumbled against him and his other hand caught her wrists easily. "Eryk! What are you--" He silenced her with a deep kiss.

"I will give you my fealty, Baroness, but before I give you power over me again," he released her hair, and let his free hand grab a breast that had dangled just out of his reach for far to long, "I am going to repay you for some of the torment you put me through these past weeks.

"As I believe you once said to me, Myrtle, if you want me to stop, say so now. Otherwise, I will do with you what I choose."

She gave a breathless laugh, "I should have known better than to let my guard down before you were fully mine."

"I am yours." He picked her up and tossed her on the bed. Before she could move he climbed on top of her, pinning her with his weight and hands both. "But you are also mine." He leaned forward and kissed her. "Yes or no, beloved."

She laughed again, reaching to pull him down for a long kiss. "You need to ask?"