Warrior

"That is true," Dorian said. "I do however find the taller, dark-haired woman stunning. She has a grace and power in her that appeals to me. I would hope that she is the one you have spoken of, Mirabel. The pale girl seems fragile and would have a difficult time as a duchess in my court, I fear. My offer would remain regardless; the marriage would be advantageous to us all." He was sure of himself, but there was a momentary flutter of anxiety in his belly as Goren remained silent.

"That is not something you would have to convince me of; I am not opposed to such a marriage if it guarantees her future safety should I fall in the coming battles. You are a reasonable man, and I would trust you to put your whores aside once married, nor would I want to find she is treated like one of the many whores of your castle," Goren said slowly as if in warning. "She will not marry willingly though, even with my blessing. You will have to prove you are a match for her, or she will not respect you."

"I think it is a perfect match," Sieben stifled a smirk. "I will look forward to watching the courtship! Let's go down to the practise field and introduce Dorian to his betrothed," he roared with laughter, and at that point, Dorian realised that there was more to this woman than he had bargained for and considered Olga's warning again.

"Let the games begin," Dorian muttered under his breath making Sieben laugh even harder.

*****

Dorian stood leaning on the barrier and watched the contest in progress when they arrived at the practice field. The Master of Arms stood on his mark with a bow in his hand looking relaxed. On the second mark stood the woman he now knew was Goren's daughter Mirabel. He could see that the heavy travelling dress and skirts were weighing her down, but she made no excuses as she continued to meet every challenge the master offered her.

The steward came to him at a gesture, and Dorian murmured instructions in a low voice and then went back to his observations of the woman he had just pledged to marry. She had been travelling from before dawn in a cart. Fatigue must be weighing heavily on her, but still, she looked strong as she prepared for the next shot. The master gave her no concessions for being a woman, being travel weary or the daughter of one of the great heroes of the war. He treated her as he would a recruit who needed a lesson in humility, and Dorian smiled at the grace with which she took his teasing jibes.

"That's not a woman," a soldier from one of the groups that had come out from the barracks to watch the spectacle jeered. There was a murmur of assent and amusement from the rowdy group as derogatory comments were made about the woman's height and strength being distinctly unfeminine.

Dorian felt differently as evidenced by his arousal and he looked to Goren who he believed would defend his daughter, but the man stayed silent where he was with his eyes on his daughter. He saw Master Martel eye the rowdy men with a steely unpleasant look until they quieted, and Dorian knew he would have taken notice of who they were to deal with them later. He also saw Mirabel stiffen and her head drop for a moment. Then she took a shuddering breath and righted herself preparing to take the next shot. The tiny straw bird dropped from the sky with her arrow piercing it and he smiled. Another murmur spread through the group of men watching, with the rowdy group careful not to be too obvious in their derision.

"Thank you so much for indulging me, Master Martel," Mirabel said clearly with no hint of anything but gratitude to the man. "I won't take up any more of your valuable time now that my father is here."

"You are welcome to practice at any time wish, Lady Mirabel," Martel said in a soft voice. "It has been my pleasure to shoot with you and even more of a pleasure to know someone has bested Sieben. His ego was far too big for him or anyone else to live with," he chuckled.

"Thank you," she smiled and turned toward Goren. "I'll just freshen up for dinner; it's been a long day." The fatigue was evident in her voice as it floated to Dorian's ears. "Do you think someone could show me back to my room?"

"I'll walk with you," Tevin said and offered his arm to her.

Dorian watched them go and considered the young woman. She was poised and in control of her emotions despite obviously being affected by the jeering soldiers. She was not what he imagined from the descriptions he had been given of the women of the mountain villages. He imagined them to be loud and strong, even shrewish enough to have stopped the contest to berate the young soldier, but instead, she had a quiet grace and an inner strength that helped her to rise above the insults and not show how they affected her. He wished the women of his court could show so much humility and grace when insulted.

Dorian signalled to Martel and walked toward the office that the man used sliding inside to wait. His thoughts remained on Mirabel. She was a fighter of that he had no doubt. He had been told as much in not so many words by both Sieben and Goren. The fact that she had rendered the squire Tevin unconscious in their first meeting only confirmed that point. Yet in the public arena of the practice yards, she had maintained her poise and found an amenable way to end the contest rather than stay and endure the insults or create an awkward scene with an emotional outburst where her father would have had to defend her honour.

Always the strategist, Dorian paced the small office as he waited thinking about the big picture. With Goren's daughter as his wife, he would have a far better chance of galvanising the men of the mountains into action. The threat to one of their own, a true hero would have been enough but to have them fight because his daughter asked them to defend not only her father but her home in the mountains could be the exact impetus he needed to move them to act quickly if required. Vengeance was a delicious possibility as well if given enough time to plan his moves carefully.

His mind went back to Mirabel again. It would be no hardship to marry such a woman. She was strong and resilient and stirred something deep within him that he couldn't name. He would enjoy it all the more if she brought that fighting strength to the marital bed. Taming her would be pure pleasure for him, and he was confident that he was strong enough to do it. He just had to get her to agree to the union first. He had never considered marriage as a way to usurp the power of the weak and ultimately mad king, but then he had not known that Goren had a daughter. He had thought that eventually, he would marry some noblewoman from one of the other realms, possibly the east to shore up their support and allegiance to his rule. It was the intelligent thing to do, but a marriage with the Lady Mirabel held its own benefits both political and personal.

Martel came into the room and eyed the Duke reading his face as easily as he would the written word. He shook his head and went to his desk taking his seat showing that he had authority in this room even with the Duke himself. He inclined his head and stared at Dorian. He was so like his father in looks, but there was a hardness to him that had never been in there in the older man, but then the late Duke had never been under siege in his own home or stood on the front lines of a battlefield as his son had done.

"She will not come to you easily like some brainless country strumpet who is easily overwhelmed by your charm and position," he said without preamble.

"I see Sieben has spoken to you already," Dorian gave a short, humourless laugh. "Tell me your reading of her then."

"Sieben said nothing, but I can read you well, Dorian. Be warned, Goren has raised her alone. He has taught her the skills he would have taught a son, and those skills are formidable by all accounts," Martel shrugged. "I would like to see how she handles other weapons too. She is strong enough for a light sword, but Sieben says she prefers knives. I would be careful about whether she carries any on her person."

"She's magnificent, isn't she?" Sieben said entering the room without knocking. "I considered courting her myself until she bested me. Now there will always be doubt in her mind as to who is the better of us in everything we do." He sighed heavily. "It is such a shame because she also cooks like a dream. Keeps a comfortable home and has been taught the arts of healing from the wise woman of her village."

"Intelligent as well as skilled. Does she also read? Write?" Dorian pressed for more information on his future bride. The fact that she had been trained in some ways by a wise woman gave him pause, and he knew he would need to investigate that further. And why a seer had come with her as a companion?

"Better than I do," Sieben admitted and turned sullen. "If she were a man I would have to make her my friend or feel threatened by her daily. I think you have met your match in her Dorian. There is nothing you can bring to the table that she can't do herself outside of the bedchamber and even then, I am not sure she wouldn't find the way eventually. I somehow don't think bedroom romance will be alluring to her though; she treats any man who flirts with her with absolute disdain as if anyone who tells her she is attractive is lying to gain the favour of her father."

"Interesting," Dorian said considering the jeering soldiers again. "Still she was clearly upset by the jeering soldiers earlier."

"True but then you don't like it when people point out your big nose. It stings for a moment, but you accept the truth and move on. You certainly don't have time to challenge everyone who says it." Sieben grinned at his friend.

"I don't have a big nose! It's crooked because you broke it," Dorian accused.

Martel leaned back and listened, gleaning every scrap of information from the two men as they bantered and argued in the way they always had. Martel had adopted Sieben when he had shown up at the castle as a small boy determined to join the army. The Duke too had seen his potential and welcomed him into his family as a surrogate brother for Dorian after the death of his wife and second child. The Duke had no plans to marry again and nursed his heartache every day. Martel had raised the boys here in this very room letting them talk and fight and learn life's lessons together. They were as close as brothers, and Martel thought of them both as sons despite neither having his blood.

"Alright, tell me what your plans is," Martel said before an argument broke out.

"Well, all my plans have altered somewhat since this afternoon's revelations, but here is what I am thinking," Dorian began to tell the two men he trusted most in the world his thoughts on his idiot cousin King Mikhail and some of his plans for the Lady Mirabel.

*****

Dorian's thoughts continued to roll in his mind as he studied Mirabel during the feast he had prepared for the arrival of Goren and his companions. The men who had jeered her during her time on the practise field were on guard duty around the room, and he knew they suffered empty bellies as they watched the party eat. Martel could be deviously cruel when called for, and it gave him some satisfaction that there was no way anyone could mistake Mirabel for anything but a woman tonight in the dress she wore. The square neckline alone gave no doubt that her generous breasts were real. He was pleased by that more than for just the view it afforded him.

She sat quietly between her father and Tevin with Alaina next to Tevin on the other side. Alaina had a pale, fragile beauty that men openly stared at while Mirabel had a quiet elegance and exotic beauty that appealed to Dorian on many levels. Each time his eyes dropped to her breasts, he found himself shifting uncomfortably in his seat and had to pull his eyes away. His obvious desire for her surprised him because she would serve his purpose regardless of his ardour. It was rare that a woman could hold his attention. Pretty girls fell before his dark masculinity and presented no challenge to him. This woman would challenge his interest in her he knew, and he prepared himself to meet that challenge. Time was not on his side, and having decided what he must do, he waited until it seemed Mirabel prepared to leave the gathering before standing and walking to where she sat.

"Lady Mirabel," he spoke softly. "I wondered if you would walk with me. Your companion and the squire may accompany us if you would feel safer with their company." He said to ease the apprehension that showed on her face. "There are some things in the castle I would like to show you."

"Duke Dorian," she responded. "Perhaps just a short walk I am very tired from the travel today." Mirabel took his offered arm placing a hand on top of it and let him lead her from the room.

"Did you enjoy your time on the practice field this afternoon?" he asked pleasantly.

"Very much, thank you," she gave a small smile. "It is more sophisticated than our little field at home, but I enjoyed the challenge."

"I also enjoy a challenge from time to time," he said with a grin, "Perhaps we could shoot together one day?"

"I took you for a swordsman," she tilted her head.

"The sword is my preferred weapon it's true, but I like the stillness and focus of archery. It is a good skill to have. It trains the mind as well as the body to be still and patient while waiting for the right moment strike," Dorian spoke with experience.

"I hadn't thought of it in those terms, but that is true enough," she nodded as if thinking about it. Dorian guided her through the large double doors to a library, and she gasped in an awe-inspired wonder at the walls lined with shelves crowded with books.

"This is my favourite room in the castle," he said watching her carefully and delighting in the wonder on her face.

"All these books are yours? Have you read them all?" she asked in the hushed voice of the awestruck.

"I'm afraid it would take several lifetimes to complete that feat," he chuckled. "Do you enjoy reading?"

"Yes, but books are rare in the mountains," she said dropping her guard for a moment. "The tinker sometimes brings a few when he travels to us in the spring and fall." She approached a wall and ran her finger over the spines of several books.

"Do you have a preference? Historical works or the tales of the bards perhaps? There are books on medicines or types of trees and animals. I would be happy for you to use the room as you wish now that you are here," he offered.

"Could I take a book to my room or out into the sunshine to read?" she asked tentatively unsure if she would ever feel comfortable in such a grandiose room.

"If that is where you prefer to read," he nodded. "Please make yourselves at home," he said to Alaina and Tevin.

"How did you know I could read? It's not all that common among my people for a girl to read," she asked. It wasn't exactly uncommon in her village, but she knew that Odell was a rarity among the wise women in that she encouraged the village children with the aptitude to be educated regardless of the gender or ability.

"Sieben told me that you read the warrant quite easily when he showed it to you," Dorian shrugged easily as if it were an obvious conclusion.

"Tevin could you please read something lovely to Alaina? I need to speak with the Duke and will just be over here," she said anxiously pointing to a corner where the squire could see them and didn't have to follow them.

"Here," Dorian offered, "Some of the verses in this volume are quite lovely," he handed the squire a slim book from a table and turned to Mirabel sweeping his arm out indicating she should lead the way.

Once in the corner she straightened and looked at him with determined eyes, her jaw set as if about to start an argument. Dorian narrowed his eyes at her change of demeanour from the girl who had shown such joy at seeing the library. Her eyes grew darker, and he found the soft violet hues intensified. He could get lost in those eyes he admitted to himself and had to look away.

"Please don't embarrass yourself or me with overtures about beauty or lovely words from your many books of verse. My father has told me of your wish to form a strong alliance with the people of mountains through marriage to me. I understand the reasoning behind such an alliance, to be family to Goren the Axeman will give you the necessary pedigree to be able to entreaty their support for your cause. My father also says the marriage will forestall the assassins who come to kill him and the war the mad King would wage on the people of the realm."

"That is all true," he admitted. "It would be an advantageous union for us both. I can offer you the safety of the castle which your father desires. The library, the practice fields and anything else you may desire would be made available to you," he added.

"As long as we understand each other. Do not think me dim witted or overwhelmed enough to believe you have any interest in me beyond the political ramifications. Do not pretend love or desire when that is not in your heart. I know what and who I am, and while I will agree to this union because I can understand why it must be, I won't be made a fool of. Keep your affairs discrete, and I shall do the same," she said unemotionally leaving him momentarily speechless as he considered her and her words.

He realised at that moment just how sensitive she was about the fact that no one had ever pursued her or told her she was beautiful. She seemed to believe she was so undesirable that he would want a marriage in name only. That did not sit well with him at all, and she would learn differently. His desires ran deep and dark, and she suited his preferences for stronger women who could match his needs and revel in them equally. He would have a wife in the proper sense of the word. He was aroused by her exotic beauty, and he would enjoy taking her innocence and virtue in the marital bed. He would mould and craft her to be the woman he required her to be. The thought of her having affairs or sharing her affections with other men was unacceptable to him.

"There will be no affairs," he said abruptly. If Mirabel was even half the woman he expected her to be he would have no more use for Abagail. "For either of us," he added. Her eyes seemed to glitter as he spoke. "We will spend a great deal of time together tomorrow and the day after, then announce our betrothal on the third day," he went on. "That should give any nay-sayers pause to assume it is purely a political alliance. We will need to show some genuine affection for each other at the very least, so it is best we get to know each other on a personal level, but I will do as you ask and not embarrass you with grand romantic gestures."

"Thank you, I would appreciate that," she said stiffly.

"After breakfast, we will walk together again. In the sunshine, if you prefer," Dorian took Mirabel's hand in his. "Thank you for considering a union with me, I will ask you for your hand on the third day," he said lifting her hand and grazing his lips over her knuckles. He smiled as she pulled her hand from his and blushed. While glad that Goren had pre-empted the conversation, he had planned to have with her he was also put out that he hadn't been able to speak to her himself of her importance to him and his plans and see that blush more often. Still, he had time to ensure he got his fill of it.

"Would you like to select a book to take with you to your room tonight?" he offered. "Perhaps you would let me suggest one you might like?"

"Please," Mirabel said sounding breathless as if she let out the breath she had been holding since he has kissed her hand.

Dorian smiled and guided her back towards the centre of the room before selecting a book from the shelves that he had chosen earlier with a specific agenda in mind. He passed it to her and smiled gently.