The Chosen One Ch. 07

The previous curator opened the large wooden door and stepped inside. As Laura entered, her eyes widened and she gasped in shock at the large collection of books. The giddy woman stepped quickly to the red ropes that kept the visitors at bay and moved her head slowly back and forth trying to take it all in at once. "How – how old are these?"

Kristine unlocked one of the ropes and allowed her friend to get closer. "Very old my dear, so if you want to read one, please put on a pair of these cotton gloves kept in this drawer." She stepped out of the way and smiled at Laura's obvious amazement.

Kevin's soul mate moved slowly along the bookcase. When she came to a ladder, she looked up and noticed that it was on rollers connected to a track at the top. Gently, she pushed the ladder and smiled when it moved along the various books. She turned and grinned at Kristine and giggled like a school girl. "I may never leave!"

"There's something else in this room that might catch your attention as well." Kristine walked to the far wall and held her hand up to a large painting.

Laura's breath caught in her throat as she gazed up at a painting of a man and young woman. The man was well dressed in a black tailcoat and trousers with a grey vest and a floppy red bow tie. He was a spitting image of her lover, Kevin. His large hand looked powerful as it rested on a young boy's shoulder.

She moved her eyes to the woman; her flowing red dress was stunning against her white skin. She had long blonde hair, which she wore to one side, and even though the painting was hundreds of years old, Laura could still see that her bright blue eyes gazed down as if looking at her. "Is this – um – Balda..."

"Baldomr, Baldomr Purgstall, and his wife, Nevanka. Their son's name was Marco. This is the reason some people look at Kevin funny."

Laura couldn't get over the fact that as she moved from side to side, the eyes of Nevanka seemed to follow her. "She's so beautiful." She looked closer at the painting and saw that she wore an equally bright red choker with a large cameo dangling from it. "He must have fallen in love with her at first sight."

She quickly turned to Kristine who was still gazing at the painting. "Is he – I mean was he a werewolf too?"

Kristine laughed to herself and she looked back at Laura. "You know something, I just realized after all the years I've spent here, and now I figure out that Baldomr was a werewolf!" Kristine grabbed her friend's hand and led her out into the hallway. "Come on, I'll show you the master bedroom.

The two women stopped at the end of the hall. Kristine indicated to Laura that it was okay to open the large wooden door. As it slowly opened, the grand canopy bed that occupied the center of the room astounded Laura. "Oh my God," she whispered as she looked at the massive bed.

On each corner were ornately carved posts that rose up, effortlessly supporting the brilliant white canopy above it. As she stood next to the bed, she saw that it was so large that the top of the mattress came up to her slender hip. She reached out gently, placed her delicate hand on top of it, and pushed down.

As the down-feather mattress gave way to the pressure, Laura moaned deep in her throat. "Oh please tell me we get this room."

Kristine couldn't help but laugh at her. "Just be sure not to break it, and I can tell you from experience, you'll sleep like a baby on that mattress."

Laura carefully climbed onto the bed and then spread herself out on the soft comforter to top. As the mattress gave way to her form, she sunk in slightly as it contoured around her small frame. "Oh my God, Kristine. We are so taking this home with us."

**********

Kevin finished off the wine and set the empty bottle on the table. He was about to get up and get another bottle to share with Kristine whenever she got done with her impromptu tour with Laura, but stopped as a problem came to mind.

Adam saw the worried look on his friend's face. "Hey, stupid, I thought we agreed to stop thinking about the damn clues and enjoy ourselves."

"I am such an idiot!"

Adam laughed as he too finished his wine. "Okay, I'm tempted to agree with you, Kev."

"I've got the chaplain from the base coming up tomorrow. What the hell am I going to do about rings? Oh shit, I can't do this without wedding rings!" Kevin jumped up and began pacing around the room.

"Jesus, calm down, Kevin! People have been doing this around here for years. I'm sure Kristine knows where to go. When she comes down, I'll pull her aside and ask her."

Suddenly, Kristine came around the corner and entered the study. "Ask me what?"

She moved toward Adam and kissed him softly. She could taste the expensive wine on his lips. "You got into the wine stores? Honey, that stuff is very expensive and you shouldn't take any of it."

Kevin moved over to the pair of them and looked a Kristine with a smile. "As a matter of fact, the Lord of the Castle got into it and I must say it is extremely good."

Kristine shot him a glaring look. "And the Lord of the Castle needs to be drinking the house wine and not the other stuff. I'll go out tomorrow and pick up some beer or something. Now, what was it that you two needed to ask me?"

Kevin looked around quickly and then back to Kristine. "Where's Laura?"

"She's pregnant, remember? She went to the potty, Mister Nosey."

Kevin began revealing his plan on what he wanted to do tomorrow. As he went on, he could see Kristine's face go from one of joy to one of impending doom. He tried to keep his voice down as she began pacing back and forth around the room, her eyes darting quickly as the to-do list grew in her mind.

She moved quickly toward him and grabbed his shirt roughly. "Are you nuts? I have nothing to wear! Look at my hair, it's horrid, Kevin! What about Laura? You want her to get married in jeans? Have you lost your fucking mind?" Kristine's tone told him everything there was to know about her mood.

Kevin looked down in despair. He knew she was right. Laura had been hoping above all else to get married, and now he was going to make light of it by having a ceremony in just the clothes they had brought with them. "You're right, Kristine. I didn't think it through. I just thought it would be special to her to get married in the castle."

She let him go and was about to continue to chastise him further when Laura rushed in and slammed her body into his. Her excitement about what she had seen in the castle so far had now reached epic proportions. "Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, you have to see the upstairs bedroom! We have a..."

"Laura..."

"We have a big fluffy bed and there are paintings in the hallway..."

"I know there are..."

"There's a really big library with all sorts of..."

"Honey..."

"Oh, Kevin, I love it here! I love, love, love it!"

Kevin gently pushed her back, holding her at arm's length and stared at her joyous face. She was like a small child discovering Christmas for the first time. Her eyes were bright as stars, and Kevin felt himself falling into their loving warmth.

He knew he couldn't break her heart with a thrown together wedding and was about to tell her his plan when Kristine stopped him. "Okay, Kevin, I'll figure it out, but only because I love you two."

Laura turned to her friend with a puzzled look. "Figure what out?"

Kristine knew she couldn't spoil the surprise, so she told Laura what she wanted to hear. "How to get Baldomr's bed back to the states."

**********

Kevin slowly opened his eyes as the pain in his head increased with the bright rays of light streaming through the window. He looked to his side and found his lover gone. Gingerly, he slid out of bed and put his pants on. The hung-over SEAL went to the window and pulled the large curtain open further. He grimaced in pain as the world came into view. "That was a dumb idea!"

Shutting the curtain quickly, he moved to the side of the bed and strapped the Eagle to his right thigh. Once it was secured in place, he went to the bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. When he reached the stairs, he looked down the hall and saw that the door to Adam and Kristine's room was still closed.

Kevin staggered down the stairs and as he reached the bottom, the strong smell of coffee hit his senses making him move faster towards the smell. He sniffed the air, followed his nose and found Kristine and Laura in the kitchen. He knew they were getting ready for a day of exploring.

He walked in and kissed his lover on the head, then went to the counter to get some coffee. "How are you girls this morning?"

Kristine took a sip of her own hot liquid then placed it on the thick table. "We're doing great. How's your head this morning?"

"Now I know why you told me not to drink the expensive stuff. Stuff has a hell of a kick the next day." Kevin poured his coffee and went to sit with the women.

Laura leaned over and gave Kevin a soft kiss as he sat next to her. "Kristine is going to show me the entire upstairs today. I'm so excited about going on a treasure hunt. Maybe later you can show me the caves; I'd feel better if it was you with me down there."

"You're going to get all the exploring done in a few days and then you'll be bored for the rest of the vacation."

"Speaking of vacation, why don't you put that gun away? No one is going to find us here."

Kevin watched her expression and knew the large Eagle made her nervous. "I'll meet you half way. I'll leave it in the lower study, okay?"

Kristine picked up her coffee and stood up. "Come on Laura, let's get started before I change my mind, and go arouse my husband instead."

The two women moved to the door way and Laura turned to blow her lover a kiss. She had a large smile like a child going on an Easter egg hunt. He couldn't help but laugh at her eagerness. "Hey, Kristine, do you have a moment please?"

The previous curator indicated for Laura to head up the stairs as she moved back to her friend. "If you're worried about her safety, Kevin, don't. I'll make sure she doesn't hurt herself or break anything."

"I need a favor."

Kristine put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. "I already have to get her ready for a surprise wedding. You're pushing your limit on favors young man."

Kevin lowered his head as he realized she was right. He contemplated the idea of just letting it go because he didn't want to upset her during the vacation. "I'm sorry, Kristine. I won't bother you with it."

"You might as well ask. The most I can say is no."

Kevin raised his head and smiled sheepishly at her. "Is there anywhere in town that sells wedding rings?

Kristine took a step closer to Kevin. "As far as I know, the nearest place to get those is in Postojna. I doubt you'll have time to get there and back before the chaplain gets here."

Kevin rubbed his head. "This is starting to look more and more like a train wreck than a wedding."

Kristine patted him on the shoulder and tried to calm his fears. "It never fails, Kevin. When things look the worst, it always seems to work out in the end."

Thanks to all those fans out there that are making it so much fun to write. Chapter 8 will be out shortly, and please don't forget to vote and comment.