Captivity

Her pulse was faint as he held her against his chest, whispering in her ear. They rode quickly, doing their best not to stop. They cut through the woods and through the rivers; anything to make the trip shorter.
At the end, he carried Alana through the doors, shouting for Margaret. He took her to his room, laying her on the bed and Margaret shuffled in with two young maids behind her. She shooed him out of the room, giving her the time to work.
Kai paced in front of the fireplace of the library, throwing back a drink as he tried to calm his nerves. It’d been hours and still no word. He circled the room, looking at all the books that seemed in much better shape now that they weren’t covered in dust. The room seemed larger now, somehow brighter even in the dark. He remembered yelling at her for finding the painting of his lost wife. Regret flickered through him, knowing he had to right to act like that towards her. She had no idea what had happened in his past.
A soft knock rapped on the door. He paused, staring as one of the young girls stepped in. “Yes?” he asked, watching her wipe her hands on her apron.
“She’s in bad shape, m’ lord, but she will be fine. She’s resting,” she said calmly.
He exhaled heavily, “Thank you, Jane.” He said, rubbing his hands over his tired face. The girl left the room, closing the door behind her as he sat in the large leather chair, resting his elbows on his knees.
Another few hours passed and Margaret had come into the library. “She’s awake, sire,” she said, folding her hands in front of her.
“Bring her here, please.” He said, not bothering to look at the old woman. She nodded her head and left the room.
Bare feet padded on the floor as the door slowly creaked open. He turned, seeing her tired figure in the firelight. She walked with a little limp like she was hurt but she made her way to him, stopping beside the fireplace. The light played on her hair, creating a hint of a halo. His eyes widened as his blood burned hot, seeing the scrapes and bruises all over her. A purple ring stained her neck, her jaw was swollen on one side; cuts peppered her arms and feet. Various lines of stitches scattered over her skin. Her blond hair covered one side of her face, trying to hide the bruise that spread over one eye down her cheek.
“Alana,” he stood, gently taking her hands, leading her to sit with him. She winced, curling into the chair beside him.
Her throat was sore when she woke up to see Margaret taking her pulse. Everything hurt. Her memory rushed back but the only unclear part was how she’d gotten here. How did Kai find get her out without her husband stopping him? She had to see him. Margaret ushered her to the library. Kai couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She sat beside him, noticing how he tried not to hurt her. She hoped she wasn’t dreaming.
“You won’t have to worry about him anymore,” he whispered, taking her under his arm. She looked up at him questioningly.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Her voice was raspy, barely coherent.
“He’s dead.” Kai said. He thought back to the night before; waking the sad excuse of a man from his sleep to torture him. He’d nearly beat him to death with his bare hands. He’d sliced at him with his sword but that wasn’t enough satisfaction for Kai. He tied the man down beaten and bloody and lit the room on fire to hear him beg and scream for his life. Kai’s men took the liberty of lighting the main level up in flames while he looked for Alana. He’d gotten his revenge and saved her life.
Alana gaped at him, unable to find the right words after hearing his story. “He’s really…He’s dead?” she repeated. “I’m free of him.” She declared. He poured her a glass of water, hearing her clear her throat.
“Aye, lass, he won’t hurt you anymore. Nothing will.” He said. “I promise.” She rested her hand on his, sipping her water.
The next few days were spent helping her recover. Her bruises looked worse with each day. Her stitches itched incessantly. Her voice was coming back quickly and Kai spent every possible second by her side. They sat in the courtyard while his men trained. He read stories to her that she’d picked from the library. She leaned against the tree looking up at the sky as he read, completely relaxed. He closed the book, holding the page and looked over at her.
“I need to tell you something,” he said. She searched his face, sensing something was wrong. “There’s a piece of my past I haven’t told you about,” he started slowly.
She sat up, giving him her full attention. “What is it, Kai?” she asked softly. Alana pushed her curls behind her ear as the wind picked up, flowing through the trees.
“You know I disappeared from here, I left this place for four years and didn’t look back.” He said. She nodded, watching his blue eyes turn darker with his memory. “The reason I left was because of my wife.” He looked away from her, watching his men.
Alana’s lips parted, “You’re married?” she asked, her voice cracked, feeling the air pushed out of her.
His eyes widened, seeing her hurt expression. “No, Alana. I was married. She was killed during an invasion.”
She thought back to the day in the library when He’d been so upset. “The woman in the painting?” she asked, seeing him nod. He apologized for it, immediately being forgiven. “She was beautiful.” She said softly, seeing his eyes turn back to her.
A soft smile played on his lips, “She was, yes.” He said. “The library was her favorite place, too.” Kai ran his hand over his dark hair. Alana looked at her lap uncomfortably. He took her hand. “She would’ve liked that someone is appreciating it as much as she did. Trust me, Alana.”
Her eyes met his, “Thank you for telling me,” she said, lying back in the grass. She winced as her bruised spine met the ground, feeling his eyes lingering on her. “What made you want to come back after so long?” she asked, breathing in the fresh air.
He contemplated her question, thinking of all the things he’d seen; wars he’d fought in and people and places. Through all of it, the intentional mission was taken care of. “It was time. There was no reason for me to not to come back. I did what I set out to.” He shrugged.
“Which was?” she probed.
“Revenge,” he said coolly. She went still, knowing how serious he was. If he’d killed her husband for her, why wouldn’t he do the same for his wife? Her stomach fluttered. She closed her eyes, staying quiet as she reminded herself for the hundredth time that she was safe. He pulled her up, standing against him. He leaned down, ready to kiss her.
“Well aren’t you a sight,” Kenneth swaggered over from the yard, he looked in worse shape than she was. His jaw was swollen, his lip was busted, his crooked nose was bruised; eyes were black and blue. Kai went rigid, his fingers flexed against her sides, trying to control his anger. The pulse at his throat ticked. Alana fell silent; a flicker of fear swam through her. Kai pushed her behind him, facing his brother. “I take it Lamont wasn’t too happy,” his eyes mocked her as he tried to get a glimpse of her.
“I warned you, Kenneth. You’re no longer welcome here.” He seethed. He clenched his fist taking a step forward. Alana’s heart nearly stopped, knowing he was losing his control.
“I was on my way; I just needed to see that the rumors were true, that you did in fact bring your whore back here.” Kenneth tilted his head with his cold blue eyes staring straight through them. “Trust me, brother. She’s a waste of your time and energy.” He sneered. “Not nearly as good as she looks.”
Kai knocked Kenneth to the ground with a hard thud. She jumped back, watching Kai beating his brother with his large fists. She heard the sound of his jaw break, making her cringe as she turned away. He yelled at Kenneth between blows, something incoherent. When Kai stood again, Kenneth laid there motionless. Blood covered his hands and spattered his face. She’d never seen him like this. He kicked his limp brother in the ribs a few times before turning back to her. “Go inside, Alana, I’ll take care of this.” He ordered.