Lady Knight Read online

  Lady Knight

  Marisa Chenery

  Edited by Marisa Chenery

  Cover design by Yellow Prelude Design

  Copyright 2017 Marisa Chenery. Published by Marisa Chenery. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-98865-917-6

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Saxon Lady Ariel of Elmstead disguises herself as a boy and leads her father’s men to fight the Norman invaders. Her goal is to find the knight who left her with child the year before. Knowing nothing about him, not even his name, she hopes to meet him on the battlefield, which is all that is left to her.

  During the battle of Hastings, Broc St. Ceneri takes a young Saxon boy as his hostage, and offers to train him as a knight. Granted Elmstead as his own, he intends to search for the woman he had met there and was not able to forget.

  With Broc unable to see through her disguise, Ariel must decide whether to risk all by revealing her secret, or say nothing and lose the man who owns her heart.

  Prologue

  The sun shone brightly as Ariel walked through the meadow. The heat of the day made her regret wearing her wool homespun gown. When she worked in the fields with the villagers, she could not bring herself to wear ones of better quality.

  As thane of Elmstead, her father had taken great pride in administering to the villagers and serfs under him. All that had changed. Since her mother’s death two years before, Swein had withdrawn from much in his life.

  At ten and eight, Ariel tried to take her father’s place. He still held the moots when disputes could not be settled among the villagers, but all else, he let her handle.

  Ariel did not mind, for she had found herself more than capable of performing the job. The only thing she regretted—her father had pushed her out of his life and had practically built a wall around himself.

  She pushed the thoughts of her father out of her mind. Today was too beautiful to spoil with such depressing thoughts. There was not a cloud in the sky. The blueness of it almost took her breath away. She looked across the meadow at the myriad of brightly-colored flowers that were just as spectacular as the breathtaking sight above.

  A flash of light caught her attention. A Norman knight slowly walked his horse out of the forest that bordered the meadow. She knew him to be a Norman by the distinctive nasal piece attached to his helmet. She had only seen one other, just before her mother had died, who had been passing through. Her parents had offered him their hospitality for the night.

  Ariel had been fascinated by his broadsword and shield, so different from that of her father’s. He fought with a battle axe and a round shield that carried no emblem.

  This Norman appeared to be very much like the other. He wore the same type of helmet and chain mail. His broadsword hung from a belt strapped around his waist. His shield was over his saddle within easy reach. It bore an emblem, but his was different. It had a completely white background with a gold unicorn on its hind legs in the center. It almost seemed to paw the air as its ruby-colored eye glared back at Ariel.

  She looked at the knight’s face as he raised his arm and removed his helmet. Ariel’s jaw dropped. His apparel might be the same, but his looks did not compare.

  His dark blond hair was long and caught back by a leather thong so it fell to his shoulders in a tail. The other Norman had shaved the back of his head. His eyes were what intrigued her most. At first glance, they appeared to be a pale green, but at closer inspection, she realized they were actually gold. The corners of them crinkled when he smiled.

  “I hope you found what you are looking for.”

  Ariel felt heat rise to her face. She normally could talk to any person she encountered, but this knight left her speechless.

  “You probably only speak English, do you not?”

  Ariel continued to look at him. He thought she was one of the villagers. The rough homespun gown did nothing to make him think otherwise. Far be it for her to change his opinion. She did not want to reveal herself. If she did, courtesy would dictate she offer him her hospitality. She did not want anyone outside the village to see what her father had become.

  “Come. I would enjoy your company, even if you do not understand me. I am sure we will get our ideas across somehow.”

  He reached for her. She should not take it, but for once she wanted to do something just for her. Knowing what he offered, and thinking she could reveal herself if needs be, she placed her hand in his so he could pull her up to sit in front of him.

  He held her around her waist with one arm as he turned his horse and walked back into the forest. They did not go far, for just passed the tree line a small pond sat in the center of a clearing. Surrounded by thick trees, it made a perfectly secluded spot.

  Ariel looked closer at the knight’s face and fought the urge to swallow. His perfectly sculptured square jaw had a slight cleft in the center. With his sharp cheekbones, they made him the picture of pure male essence. There was slightly darker stubble on his chin and cheeks. On some men it would have made them look shabby, but it only enhanced the male beauty of the knight. There was something about him that called to her, to the lonely part of her. She felt alone, even though her father was still there physically.

  He chuckled at her close scrutiny and lowered Ariel to the ground. As she took a step back, he dismounted and then tied the reins around the nearest tree. Without turning, he unbuckled his chain mail, slipped it over his head, and hung it with his sword belt over his saddle.

  Ariel briefly wondered how far she should let this go. He reached for her and slowly pulled her toward him. The first sensation that hit her was the all-engulfing warmth that radiated from him. She had had no idea men could be so warm. She had not been this close to her father since she was a very little girl.

  As he lowered his mouth toward her, Ariel jerked her thoughts back to the knight. He lightly brushed her lips with his. She caught his scent, a combination of horse, sweat, and something that was all his own.

  His lips were soft and warm, which surprised Ariel. She had expected she would not like kissing a man. She had been wrong. He increased the pressure as she tentatively slid her arms up and then locked them around the back of his neck.

  He gently licked her bottom lip. Ariel could not stop the surprised gasp that left her. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth and gently swept inside. It was all she could do to stay afloat.

  Something unknown and totally new built in the pit of her stomach. Ariel should put a stop to this now, but the feelings sweeping through her took all her reasoning away. All that mattered was making the pressure grow.

  The ground rose to meet her as the knight gently lowered her to it. The weight of him felt right. With hands like magic, he stroked them down her body. Ariel arched into him as he clamped down on her breast through her gown. The heat of his mouth grew more intense as he suckled her through the coarse wool.

  Ariel clawed his back as she tried to pull him closer, seeking something she did not understand. She ba
rely noticed her legs had been bared to the air. One of his fingers found her hot, slick opening and gently probed, checking her readiness.

  She automatically tried to clamp her legs together. He once more took her mouth until she relaxed. He pushed against her inner thighs and opened them farther.

  With his fingers, he searched once again until he found a spot that increased her pleasure. He rubbed it back and forth. Ariel could not stop the moan that escaped her. He rose and pulled at the fastenings of his trews. The hot, hard length of his shaft gently probed the entrance to her body.

  The feel of him sent Ariel over the edge. She raised her hips to give him better access. He slowly pushed the head of his hard length into her slick opening. The feeling of being stretched soon gave way to pain.

  At the piece of skin that barred him from sheathing himself fully, the knight pulled back and then surged through it with a single stroke. Ariel cried out, and he gently kissed her until the whole length of his shaft filled her. The pain faded as he suckled at her breast. The sensations she had felt before returned. She rocked her hips into his, and the sensation increased. It was unlike anything she had felt before. With their bodies joined, she felt closer to the knight. It was a closeness she realized had been missing from her life.

  The knight moved within her, sliding his length in and out. His pace increased, and something steadily built inside her. Matching his strokes, she tightened around his member. She let herself go and moaned as a sensation of unbelievable pleasure swept through her as her body clamped down around his hard shaft, milking him. He pumped into her once, twice, then filled her with his seed.

  Ariel held him close as the knight collapsed on top her, panting. Once his breathing returned to normal, he kissed her sweetly before he straightened his clothes. She pulled down the skirt of her gown, once more feeling modest. The knight smiled. He stood and stared down at her, as if he wanted to memorize everything about her. He pulled a ring off his finger and then placed it on her palm.

  “A gift for you in exchange for the gift you gave me. I will not soon forget our time spent together. If this was another time and place, I do not think I would be able to leave.”

  Without another word, he donned his mail and then strapped his sword around his hips. Once mounted upon his horse, he gave Ariel one last smile before he turned and disappeared into the forest.

  Ariel sat on the ground and watched the sun sparkle like diamonds off the water in the pond. She looked at the ring she held. Depicted on the gold band was the same unicorn that had been painted on the knight’s shield. A single ruby eye flashed as the sun caught it. She suddenly realized what she had done. She had given herself to a man she did not know. A man she would most likely never see again. Numb, her world come crashing down around her.

  Chapter One

  Elmstead, England

  January 1066

  Swein of Elmstead sat in his hall, watching his daughter stitching near the fire. Ariel was not the same girl she had been seven months ago.

  It had taken two months for the changes to break through the fog he had been living in for the past couple of years. He had not known how much he had come to depend on his daughter.

  She had kept Elmstead together during his neglect. Ariel had taken care of the villagers, even worked alongside them in the fields. What he found was the greatest blow was finding out his master of arms, Osbern, had been train her how to fight with a battle axe.

  He had begun teaching her shortly after her mother’s death, and had continued to do so for the last two years. Osbern had been quick to inform him that Ariel had been afraid if the fryd was called to battle, she would have to lead Elmstead’s men. She had feared her father would not be capable to do it. Osbern had even said Ariel was as skilled, if not better than, any lad her age, which Swein found shocking. Now all had changed.

  Swein dropped his gaze to Ariel’s stomach. She was in the last stages of pregnancy. Once her morning retching had become obvious, she had been forced to reveal her condition.

  He had watched her mother go through the same sickness in her early stages of pregnancy with Ariel. It was then he took back control of Elmstead. She had gladly handed everything to him. She had been happy and relieved to have her father back, but one thing had not changed—her training with weapons continued.

  Even though pregnant, Ariel trained every day for hours at a time. The training had even taken on a new twist. She had asked Osbern to teach her how to use a broadsword.

  How Ariel had found out Osbern was the only one proficient enough to teach her, Swein could only guess. Osbern had once been connected to the royal court where most of the Normans in England could be found. He had learned from one of them the art of using a sword. Saxons fought with the battle axe, leaving the swords to the Normans.

  In the end, Ariel’s request had been granted. Osbern had managed to find a sword for her, and training had begun the next day. There was a strength to her body that had not been there seven months before.

  Ariel looked up from her stitching and gave him a slight smile. “What do you think, Father? Will this do?” She held up the small baby shift she had been working on.

  “I am sure it will do just fine.” Ariel resumed her stitching. He still found it painful to look at her.

  She was so much like her mother. Blonde hair so light that when in the bright sunlight, it almost appeared to be white. Blue eyes that matched the color of the sky at its bluest. All were the same, even to the full, red lips. In the last two years, as Ariel had grown into a woman, the resemblance had become stronger.

  There were a lot of unanswered questions hanging between them. They never spoke about the father of her child, and he would not push her. She would let him know when she was ready.

  Ariel put down her stitching before she stifled a yawn with her hand. “If you do not mind, Father, I am off to bed. I just do not seem to have the same energy as before.”

  “You will once the child is born. You should slow down, take care of yourself. Maybe the training sessions should stop until after the birth.”

  “Nay, I need them right now. Do not ask me to explain, for I cannot. It is just something I have to do.”

  Swein rose and helped Ariel to her feet. “It is your choice. I want you to know I will be here for you.”

  “I know. Try to understand. You cannot help me with this.” Ariel placed her hand on her stomach. “This is my responsibility. This child is mine to take care of, and I will not fall apart because of it.”

  With a kiss on her father’s cheek, Ariel bid him goodnight and left him alone.

  * * * *

  The bright sunlight coming from the single window high in the wall helped to dispel the gloom inside the hall. Two female serfs quietly cleared away the remains of the morning meal. The shaft of light split as each woman crossed its beam.

  Now that her father had once more resumed his duties, Ariel spent more time running the hall. She made sure the rushes were changed on a regular basis and chose the meals that would be served each day. In a way, she was relieved to have just that to worry about. She had another, larger, responsibility to see about in a few months.

  She tried to think of the unknown knight every day, and not from any lovesick emotion, either. She just did not want to forget what he looked like when she faced him again, and they would meet again.

  The ring he had given her hung from a gold chain that she wore around her neck, hidden beneath her clothes. She had not been able to show it to her father. What would he think? She did not even know the knight’s name. All Ariel had was the engraved emblem on the ring. Swein would think her a fool.

  His gold eyes were the other thing Ariel would not forget. No matter how long it took, she would remember the look in them as he had bid her goodbye. He had thought her a good bit of fun and nothing more. At least that was what she thought she had seen. Once they crossed paths again, she would recognize him. She could still see the bemused look on his face. She had been nothing
but sport to him. She would change that when she faced him once more.

  Her temper rose the more she thought of the knight. Ariel surveyed the hall. It had been built by her grandfather, the first thane of Elmstead. The sturdy timber hall had adequate space to hold a large gathering if the need arose. The tables and benches not needed on an everyday basis were stacked in one corner.

  The family sleeping quarters were at the back of the hall, separated by a partition. There were three chambers in total. The larger one was her father’s, which he had shared with her mother when she had been alive. The other two were relatively the same in size. One had been set aside as a guest chamber, and Ariel claimed the other as her own. From the outside, the hall looked like the villagers’ huts, except for being much larger in size.

  Ariel found her thoughts interrupted as a man opened the hall door and entered with a gust of cold winter air. She recognized him as one of the Earl of Essex’s men. The earl was her father’s liege lord.

  He stepped farther into the hall and then came to stand before Ariel. “I bring a message to Swein, Thane of Elmstead. It is of grave importance.”

  From his appearance he looked to have been on the road for some time. Ariel signaled one of the serfs to bring the man some ale. “My father will be here shortly. Please sit and refresh yourself while you wait. He is in the village.”

  Her father would undoubtedly be there any minute. When a stranger arrived at the hall, the villagers took note and usually informed Swein. Any news from the outside world was held in high regard.

  The door once more opened, and her father entered the hall. Spotting the messenger, he crossed the distance to the man. “You carry a message for me?”

  “Aye, my lord.” The messenger reached into a pouch that hung from his belt and then passed a piece of rolled parchment to Swein.