Across The Ages: Book One Ch. 01 free porn video
‘You wanted to see me, Father?’ Rene asked as she respectfully inclined her head.
‘Yes, I did my daughter,’ he began. ‘I have had many days to consider the dilemma that I stand faced with…’ He paused. The look on his face told her she was not going to like his decision.
‘And?’ She prodded him, holding her head a little higher as she braced herself for his answer.
‘And I have spoken with the king of Spain. You will-‘
‘No!’ She interrupted. ‘No, please Father! Do not send me away! I have done noth-‘
‘Hold your tongue!’ He scolded, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. ‘You will not raise your voice at me, child. I will not have this preposterousness. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, Father,’ she answered quietly as she lowered her head. She appeared subdued, but there was a furious storm raging within her.
‘As I was saying,’ he continued, leaning back in his ornate chair, ‘I have arranged for you to marry the prince of Spain in three fortnights-‘
‘Three fortnights!’ She interrupted again, her eyes burning with anger. ‘But Father, please. I do not wish-‘
‘Silence!’ He shouted, rising from his throne. ‘It is decided! I will have no more of these outbursts. You will marry the prince regardless of what you wish. The desires of an eighteen year old girl have no pertinence to my political agenda.’ She dropped her gaze and her shoulders slumped.
‘I am sorry, my child,’ he soothed, walking forward to place his hands on those very shoulders. ‘I cannot afford a war with Spain. A union between our kingdoms is the only placation I can provide.’
Reaching for her chin, he tipped her face up to see her deep brown eyes. He watched helplessly as they turned to cold stones of resentment. Taking two steps back to evade his reach, she began to cry.
‘Mother would not have sent me away.’ She turned and ran from the room, startling the guards as she burst through the doors. He stood, crestfallen, wishing for guidance from his wife that would not come. Now he had lost his daughter too.
She knew she had hurt him. She was glad. He needed to remember what it felt like to be in pain. Tears streamed down her face as she ran through the stone halls. She nearly fell twice, not holding her dress high enough for the speed at which she was traveling. All thought in her head had ceased but one.
Escape. She had to escape. This could not be her life. As she loped through the never-ending passageways of the castle, fear engulfed her. She thought for a short moment of a fleeing animal when it knows it’s running for its life.
Reaching her private chamber, she hurriedly shut the door and slumped down onto the floor. She had not even noticed that her handmaiden, Brianne, was in the midst of her cleaning. The young woman looked up as her nurse, and only friend, approached her.
‘Oh, Brianne,’ she sobbed. ‘It’s hopeless. My father commands me to marry the prince of Spain. He refuses to listen to reason. I do not w-want to… I c-cannot… I…’ Her stutters quickly turned to senseless weeping and she buried her head in her hands. She could not put into words how powerless she felt in her own home. Never in her life had she felt more dejected.
‘Princess,’ consoled Brianne. ‘Surely it will all turn out for the best. His majesty only desires what is best for you.’
‘No,’ she interrupted. ‘He desires to do what is best for his beloved kingdom.’ Her voice dripped with disgust as she realized the full gravity of the situation. She had become a pawn in her father’s game of chess with the surrounding countries. Well, she may seem a mere pawn to him, but she had her mother’s spirit: the spirit of a queen.
‘Ready the horses.’ The words came out so strong and clear, they startled Brianne. As the princess rose purposefully from the floor, the handmaid became frightened.
‘But my lady, your father commands you-‘
‘I do not give a damn what my father commands. I will not live that life.’ She turned to peer out the window, catching the final glimpse of the sun as it disappeared behind the jagged horizon. ‘We are leaving, Brianne. Tonight.’
‘W-we are l-leaving?’ Brianne was fumbling with her apron as she tried to grasp the princess’s plan. ‘But Rene, where will we go?’
The princess turned back from the window, her mind stalling for a moment. It was so uncommon for Brianne to use her name. She thought it to be improper, given her stature, regardless of Rene’s preference of her to do so.
‘We will head north,’ she replied. ‘Anywhere is better than here.’ She paused, her battle plan once more unfolding in her mind. ‘Please go and tell my father you have drawn me a bath and I will not be joining him for supper. I will gather my things. Collect yours on your return if you wish to accompany me. Bring only what you can fit into a saddle bag.’ Brianne nodded at each of these orders and turned to leave. ‘Oh, and one more thing, Brianne: fetch my breeches and my bow.’
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The horses were nearly lame when they stopped to make camp. It was twilight and the stars were starting to sparkle. Rene and Brianne had traveled nearly a day and a half without rest. But now, they were in dire need of it. As Brianne tied and watered the horses, Rene reached for her bow and quiver of arrows.
‘Make a deep pit for a fire,’ she instructed. ‘I do not want us found easily. I will return with something to eat.’
‘Yes ma’am,’ Brianne nodded. ‘I will see if there are any herbs nearby for gathering.’
‘Very well, but don’t stray far from the horses. There are wolves in these woods,’ she warned. And with that she walked off, disappearing into the darkness.
Taking a deep breath of the cool mountain air calmed the young princess. She had expected much more difficulty in their getaway, but aside from a necessary derailment around one of her father’s blockades, she was pleased with their progress. And now with her bow in hand, she felt at ease.
As a child, her mother had taken her to the courtyards to teach her to shoot. Then, it had merely been for fun. Women were not allowed to compete in the archery games.
Holding a bow always reminded her of her mother. It had been nearly 10 years since she had passed. Following the queen’s untimely death, Rene shunned the sport. It was too painful for her to stir up the memories of the mother she missed so much. However, as the princess grew older, she longed to shoot again but quickly became bored with the target range. After that, she would venture out into the forest surrounding the village in search of small game. She would bring her kills back to the kitchen, where the cooks prepared them for meals. Her father never knew where all the extra meat came from, but he never once complained.
Being in the woods sometimes felt more like home to Rene than the lavish palace did. She did not have to be a princess. She did not have to dress up or be proper. She could be whoever she wanted to be, she could be herself. There was no one to tell her where she needed to go, for she could go wherever she pleased. The princess relished the freedom of the open space and the clean, fresh air.
There was a rustle on her left. Without any hesitation, she froze with her bow poised at the ready. A large hare bound from the bushes nearby. It was hit in mid-hop by an arrow, and fell dead instantly. Rene did not like to see anything or anyone suffer. She would never forget how her mother slowly became sick and the life faded from her eyes. When she began to hunt, Rene vowed she would never let an animal die a slow death. It was better to be precise and quick. As she collected the hare and cleaned her arrow, a soft mew from behind her made her smile.
‘Hello, Leon,’ she giggled as she turned around. Tracking ten feet behind her was a lynx, a long-time shadow of hers. They had been together for nearly five years. He began following
her in the woods a few months after she started hunting. Leon was very young then, his mother probably killed for her pelt. It made him quite easy for Rene to train. Camaraderie quickly developed and has deepened ever since. He must have been following her as she fled.
‘I think you are a little out of your hunting range, my friend.’ She knelt down and held out her hand. The large housecat bounded up to her, rubbing his head on her palm. He let out another mew, a little louder and looked at her expectantly.
‘Been too busy tailing me to catch your lunch, have you?’ she asked as she scratched behind Leon’s black-tipped ears. ‘Well, you’re going to have to be patient because this is all I have.’ She showed him the rabbit before she stuffed it in her rucksack. He sniffed at it, but turned away. His favorite was squirrel. Or duck if it was cooked. His domestication had made him picky.
Rene laughed again as she tossed her sack over her shoulder. Leon was already on his feet and a good five yards in front of her by the time she grabbed another arrow. This was his job. He acted as the eyes and ears of their team operation, she provided the precision kills. Together, they were a deadly combination.
They quietly made their way through the dark forest, both of them searching for any sign of life. The pads of Leon’s paws quieted his tracking and Rene did her best to be light on her feet. Copying the idea from her feline friend, Rene used deerskin to sole her boots. It provided a tremendous advantage in stealth.
Suddenly, Leon stopped. His keen ears were focusing on something that was making an awful lot of ruckus nearby. The lynx slowly turned around to mew at Rene. That was her cue as to what she was hunting. If it was a small animal, Leon would go in first to flush it out. If he looked at her to proceed ahead of him, it was more than he could handle. Good, she thought. We’ve found dinner. She clicked her tongue twice and Leon padded softly to her flank. Quiet as could be, Rene advanced on her unknown prey. In reality, she probably could have run up to the creature before it even heard her coming with all the noise it was making. She was surprised the wolves were not upon it already.
A few more steps gave Rene her first glimpse of the loud animal, a wild boar rooting around a bush. That explains the all racket, she thought with a devilish grin. She straightened her stance, readied her bow, and just as the unsuspecting swine raised its head, let the arrow fly. It let out a quick squeal, then everything went silent.
Leon bounded up to the kill, which was usually a surefire sign that it was indeed dead. He seemed so happy with the onset of a meal that he sat down on top of the hog and waited for Rene to catch up. She smiled as she saw him seated proudly atop her kill. If he were human, he’d have said he brought it down himself. Rene laughed at her joke and patted Leon’s head. He quickly jumped down and went to lie under the bush the boar had been rooting in.
Rene rolled the carcass over and tied its legs. She thanked herself for not venturing any further than this, for the hog would be a challenge to carry back to Brianne at their camp. Throwing her bow across her back, she hoisted the mammal over her shoulders and whistled to Leon. He trotted beside her, an added spring in his step knowing that he was going to have a full stomach.
Struggling a bit with the added weight, Rene’s pace was slow but steady. Despite her tall frame, she did not have much muscle power. She prayed to the heavens that she found their camp soon. For once, her prayers were answered as the small glow of a fire shone in their path.
‘Brianne, it’s me!’ Rene called ahead. The last thing she wanted to do was startle her friend while she was alone in the woods.
‘My god, Rene!’ Brianne scolded as Rene stepped into the firelight. ‘I was beginning to worry! What on earth took you so long?’
‘I was a little weighed down,’ Rene joked as she dropped the boar next to the pit. ‘And I ran into a friend of mine.’ Rene whistled to Leon again, who cautiously approached her. He had never met any other human beside herself and his head was bowed in intimidation.
‘Oh,’ Brianne gasped as the shy cat padded up to Rene. He looked at her uncertainly as Brianne knelt down and held out her hand. ‘You must be Leon,’ she said quietly, catching his attention with the sound of his name. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ The lynx continued eyeing Brianne, but did not approach her. Rene laughed at his shyness and made her way to the horses. Leon followed her every move, not straying more than a few inches from her leg. Once she retrieved a sack of salted duck from the saddlebags of her horse, Rene called to Brianne.
‘Here,’ she said, tossing the small package. ‘Offer him a piece of this.’
Brianne caught the bag of meat and sat on the ground. Leon’s nose was working overtime when he discovered who held his favorite treat. He looked at Rene as she pet him reassuringly and nodded her head in Brianne’s direction. Little by little, Leon began to make his way over towards the newcomer. He soon found himself face to face with Brianne. His eyes darted from hers to the piece of duck and back. Ever so slowly, he took the slab of poultry from her hand.
Leon took a couple steps back and glanced at Rene before devouring his prize. But after doing so, he was quick to take another. When he was offered his fifth piece of duck, there was no hesitation to be found as he gingerly took it from Brianne’s hand. She reached out to pat his head, and after a moment he arched up to meet it letting out a small mew of gratitude. Leon bounded up to Rene and rubbed against her legs as he purred. He seemed quite proud of making a new friend.
Brianne giggled as she got up and untied the boar’s legs. She made quick work of gutting the animal and making a spit to roast it over the low fire. She then skinned the hare and made an herb stew with some wild potatoes. It didn’t take long before the hog was succulent and the three of them had a large, overdue meal. Leon was not keen on the rabbit stew, but had a hearty helping of the boar.
In no time at all, they had stripped the animal of all its flesh. What was not eaten was salted and bagged. Leon curled up in Rene’s makeshift bed, having slept with her on many occasions when she simply did not feel like going back to the castle. It felt strange, and somewhat sad to know that this time she had left it forever. Brianne seemed to be coping well so far, despite her lack of riding experience. Rene tried to help her as much as she could, but as a princess, there were many things she never learned to do. Nevertheless, she was confident that together, they could make it work.
Rene stoked the fire and cuddled up to the little lion in her blankets. With her arms wrapped around Leon and her bow within reach, she quickly fell asleep beneath the glittering heavens.
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The single snap of a twig jarred Rene to consciousness. She remained perfectly still as she woke, her ears vying for the slightest sounds. Leon’s eyes flashed open and he twisted his head behind him just as Rene heard them too. Footsteps. She knew she only had seconds as she rolled for her bow and jumped to her feet. She closed her eyes and aimed for the sound of boots in the leaves. Trusting her instinct, she released her arrow and listened for it to hit its mark.
‘Bloody hell!’ a man hollered and Rene’s eyes flew open in shock. The accent was unmistakably English. And he was handsome, very handsome. He stood frozen with his hands in the air. A foot more to his right and he would have had an arrow in his neck. As he began to walk forward and lower his hands, Rene grabbed another arrow and drew back her bowstring in warning. Immediately, the man withdrew his step and raised his hands once more.
‘Who are you?’ Rene demanded, her French accent lingering in her voice. She was surprise
d she was able to recall the teachings from her mother so quickly. The queen insisted her daughter be fluent in Spanish, Italian and English.
The man seemed impressed at the quick turn of tongue and his green eyes twinkled with curiosity. His lips curved into a smirk and he lowered his hands as he answered.
‘I am Blake. May I have the pleasure of your name?’ His voice sent a shiver though Rene’s body and she momentarily lost her concentration. She could easily lose herself in his deep emerald eyes.
‘No, you may not,’ she said firmly after regaining her composure. ‘You will leave now if you value your life.’ She tried to glare at him, but it was very difficult when he was looking at her like that. He began to step forward again, and was unconcerned when Rene once again readied her weapon. ‘Stay back!’ she warned. ‘I’ll shoot!’
‘If you were going to kill me, you would have done so by now.’ He continued to walk closer and for the first time, Rene looked towards Brianne. There was another man coming up behind her ready to attack. Without hesitating, Rene sent an arrow towards the second intruder, narrowly missing his chest as he dove behind a tree.
Before she could turn around, she found herself tackled by the attractive Englishman. Blake wrenched the bow from her hand and pinned her to the ground.
‘Release me! How dare you attack us!’ she yelled. ‘You have no idea of the consequences of your actions!’ She twisted her head to look towards Brianne, she was being held by the second man but still on her feet. Her captor was darker haired than Blake, and seemed to enjoy watching his partner strain to keep the princess down. This infuriated Rene and with one more strong twist, she was facing Blake as they wrestled on the hard ground.
‘Let us go!’ she demanded once more. ‘I have gold, it is yours. Take what valuables you wish, though you will find we do not have many.’
‘We are not here to rob you, Princess,’ Blake replied, slightly laughing in Rene’s face as her mouth dropped open in shock. ‘We were hired to retrieve you. I am your new personal body guard.’ He flashed her a dazzling smile but renewed his grip as her face hardened.
‘My personal guard?’ she spat in disgust while vigorously trying to free herself. ‘I do not need protecting or retrieval! Now I command you to remove your hands from me or my father shall here of this!’ She tried yet again to wriggle her way out of his grip but it only tightened.
‘Your father was the one who hired us,’ Blake said as he held her down easily. ‘You are coming with me whether you like it or not. The level of difficulty is entirely your choice.’
With a sigh of exasperation, she lay still beneath him with her lips pursed in defeat. She knew she had no chance overthrowing him and freeing Brianne. Tears began to well in her eyes as she comprehended the conditions of her surrender. She would have to face the wrath of her father, and she would have to marry the prince of Spain. There was no escape now.
Slowly, Blake lessened his grip on Rene’s arms but looked at her expecting retaliation. When she showed no signs of it, he rolled off of her and offered her his hand to help her to her feet. She smacked it away and found herself enraged once more as yet another smile danced on his face. She now wished she had smacked more than his hand as she rose from the dirt. After brushing off her breeches, she stood with her arms crossed directing a glower at Blake. He met her gaze easily, his lips still slightly curved. Eventually, Rene looked away to Brianne who was still being held by the arm.
‘I suggest you tell your bootlicker to release my handmaid,’ Rene said sharply.
‘Bootlicker?’ the dark-haired man objected. ‘You have no right to-‘
‘By all means,’ interrupted the princess as she took a large step towards him, ‘continue to patronize me about what is and is not my right.’ When he looked to speak again she added, ‘I would hate to be given a reason to defend myself. Again.’
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