Chapter 8

Trouble instantly forgot about Dirrach and moved for Aquila. But Dirrach stepped in front of him. “Leave her, Trouble, you have hurt her enough already.”
Trouble swung the back of his hand and hit Dirrach square on the jaw. The blow was so hard that he flew to the ground several feet away. “Don't ever step in between me and my wife again or you shall not live to regret it!” Trouble roared.
The hatred and ire disappeared as Trouble turned to Aquila. Aquila tried to back up more and fell off the bed. Trouble grabbed her and pulled her up to his chest. Aquila cringed, fearful of the pain he had caused her just before he left, but betrayal was all she felt.
“Aquila, my love!” Trouble implored softly. “Please let me speak on my behalf. Yes, I am the Woman. But I would not hurt you intentionally. I know, I treated you painfully at that point, but forgive me, I beg of you, for I cannot live without you. I wish now that I had thought about what I was doing instead of the pain of the past that that man has caused me.”
“You would not hurt me intentionally? You were sent to kill me!” Aquila balled her hands into fists and began beating his chest as hard as she could manage even though she knew he could hardly feel a thing.
“Yes, I was sent to kill you. But I did not because I fell in love with you. Can you not see that everything has changed? Do you know how many times I watched you sleep and could have taken that moment plus many more opportunities to carry out the job? My life was on the line the second I fell in love with you, too. Please, do not make this harder than it has to be,” Trouble pleaded as he allowed her to beat away at him.
Aquila sniffed as she ceased her flailing and wiped the tears from her eyes. She remained stiff and said nothing.
“Face it, Trouble. This scene is what I spared you from with your mother. You will get no where with Aquila, either,” Dirrach spoke from his place on the floor.
Aquila placed her fists against his chest and pushed. “Leave me, Trouble.”
After what seemed like hours of apologizing and pleading, Trouble would not be put off. “Aquila!”
Aquila stopped instantly and looked up at him. He was no longer pleading with her. His face and voice spoke of authority and complete seriousness as he continued, “If you cannot listen to my love speaking from my heart of how sorry I am for the way I treated you at our wedding and for the betrayal you must feel at finding out who I used to be, then I am going to have to stand on the grounds of your husband and final authority. My love will never change, and until you figure this out for yourself, you will submit to me as a wife should. I will not, for now, ask you to share my bed, but unless you can promise and prove your faithfulness to that promise, you will be subject to, what may seem like, imprisonment in your own home.”
She could hardly believe the change that came over him so suddenly and images of Duard popped into her mind. But it was worse. What had she been thinking of at their wedding? How much more oppressive Trouble could be than Duard if he was in the mind to. He had a mind to, now.
“Promise me you will not run, stick to your promise, and life will be easy. Run...and your liberties will be restricted,” Trouble informed her as he released his hold on her and stood.
“I will not run...but only because I could not win if I tried,” Aquila choked out and turned away.
Her eyes closed as Trouble placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head before turning to the man still sitting on the floor a few paces off. “As for you, you can get out and never come back. Why you even bothered to return is beyond me, but know now that you are not welcome and never will be welcome.”
Dirrach stood. “I received word of the death of the Woman and came to investigate the truth of such a tale. I can see now it was someone else you most certainly executed to fabricate such a lie.”
“For your information, it was the man who was sent to kill Aquila. I found it very convenient in my retirement. I send his head to the underground with my name on it and they think I'm dead, leaving me to live my life in quiet peace with my wife and family,” Trouble explained sardonically.
Pain shot through Aquila's heart at the word, “family.” They would have no family. She would not go anywhere near Trouble's bed for as long as she lived, instead living a life of solitude in her room other than fixing meals, which she would do, but nothing special. Trouble would get nothing from her other than those meals. He could suffer from his mistakes either alone in misery or with some other woman's company. She would release him from his vow to faithfulness, for she wanted no part of him, and she wanted no reason for him to force himself on her.
Dirrach looked at Aquila sorrowfully. “I will not forget about you. You shall be free one day.” And with that, he was gone.
If only you could help me, Aquila thought despairingly.
Trouble stood there for a moment and Aquila was suddenly aware that she was open in front of him with only her undergarments on. She grabbed the blanket from the floor and wrapped them around her. “I will go to my room now.”
Aquila ignored the pain she saw shoot across Trouble's eyes at her actions and trudged out the door and up the steps to her room in the top of the tower. She knew Trouble had followed her to the stairs and could feel his eyes on her back as she tripped on the edge of the blanket all the way up the stairs.

***********

Trouble sank onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair. What was he doing? Imprisoning his own wife...it was selfish. But he would not be able to stand living life without her.
Aquila collapsed onto her mattress and sobbed. How could she have been so foolish as to believe there was a man that she could be happy with? His name should have completely given it away. He was nothing but trouble and found pleasure from bringing it to women. His mother was right in her assessment from the start.

************

Aquila tiptoed down the stairs early the next morning after carefully braiding her hair and pinning it to her head. She wanted to have breakfast ready and be back into her room before Trouble was up. Water was needed for the preparations of the meal and so she quietly slipped the bucket off the rung and slipped outside.
The sun was just beginning to rise and the wind was blowing. It would be a short and peaceful trip if all went as planned. Aquila sauntered down the path until she reached her little niche in the cave where the water trickled out of the rocks. Once the bucket was full she turned and made her way back up the mountain.
She carefully opened the door and stepped inside but stopped when she found Trouble sitting at the table. Aquila grumbled and went to the hearth where he had already started a fire.
All was quiet through the preparations and all through breakfast. Aquila even stayed to take care of the dishes but was headed back to her room when Trouble spoke. “Why must you do this to us?”
Aquila ignored him and disappeared upstairs. And so life droned on in the same manner day after day, week after week until one evening after supper when Aquila was about to go to bed. Nothing different had happened that day to warn Aquila of the change coming, so when she laid down on her bed and looked up to find Trouble standing over her, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Clutching the covers to her shoulders, Aquila stared at him wide eyed. “What do you want?”
“We have been married for four months now and you still insist on living up here. But I am not having any more of this. I do not know what you want me to do to prove my love for you or change your mind about me, but I am putting an end to living separate lives here and now. You are coming downstairs with me tonight.” He was not angry but the authority in his voice told her she had no choice but to obey.
Holding the blanket securely around her with one hand, she gripped the cross pendant in the other and stood up. Her hair fell all around her and she curled her body up underneath it, wishing she could simply disappear. Instead, she slowly preceded him down the stairs feeling even more vulnerable now then ever before. The door to his bedroom was open and it seemed like she was walking to her death with every step she took towards it. She did not dare stop or look back for fear of letting on just how much she feared him.
She took one side of the bed the closest to the door and laid in it, her back to his side of the bed. Aquila felt the bed shift as Trouble climbed into bed. Aquila closed her eyes. Could she let go of her bitterness from his treatment of her and his betrayal? She still loved him even if she did not want to admit it, but she was afraid to allow herself to be vulnerable to hurt once more.

***************

One day a few weeks later, Trouble announced that he was taking a trip into town. He did not know when he would be back but that he would be back within a week or two depending on how well his business went.
Aquila did not ask what business it was. “That is fine. I shall be quite content to enjoy my solitude, so do not hurry back.”
Trouble only winked and mounted his horse. Aquila watched his retreating back and silently wished him to never return. Two weeks passed and there was no sign of Trouble. Aquila frowned but shrugged it off.
One morning a week later, Aquila stood at the edge of the cliff and pulled her robe tighter around her for warmth. Leaning against the wind, she scanned the horizon for any sign of Trouble. He should have been back last week. Aquila frowned and shivered as the cold continued to seep through her clothing.
Turning around, she gave up for the moment. If he was not coming home at all, or if something had happened to him, standing out there watching for him was not going to bring him back.
Aquila shoved the last piece of wood into the fire and sunk down in front of it. It was the last piece of wood Trouble had chopped last year. She had not planned on him being gone so long. Now, if she took the trip down the mountain to get wood and he came back while she was gone, he would not be happy with her.
Aquila crossed her arms over her chest in frustration. “You are just a bunch of trouble.”
The next morning, Aquila found herself once more searching every side of the mountain she could see from the castle grounds. Still, there was no one or no thing to give any clue as to where he was.
From then on the sun found Aquila standing outside searching for Trouble. Every morning found her wrapped in an extra layer of clothing. The inside of the castle was now just as cold as the outside that threatened to snow at any moment.
Two months after Trouble had left, and Aquila went down to bathe. She was just about to step in when she noticed it: she had gained a few pounds around her middle. At first, she frowned and tried to think of how much she was eating. She did not remember eating any more than usual and with the exercise routine she kept, walking up and down the mountain carrying water for the day, she had never gained weight.
Suddenly it hit her and she despairingly sank into the water. She was pregnant and alone. Where was Trouble? He had no clue and she had no way of reaching him. She had brought it on herself. If she had not wished him to never return, Deus would have brought him back. But Deus had heard her desire and granted it.
Week after week, Aquila kept on wondering if he would ever return. A few times she left the castle to find game for food, but she remained within a days travel and returned every night no matter how late. Her stomach progressively grew larger and larger making it incredibly difficult to make the trip up and down the mountain. It never ceased to amaze Aquila how fast her stomach grew in two months.
It was now late January, and though she had given up hope of him returning, Aquila still greeted the sun at the edge of the cliff. It had been four months since Trouble's departure and everything told her he would not be coming back.
It had been her foolish self that had brought this on her. Now four and a half months pregnant, she would eventually have to face the decision to move into town until her baby was delivered. Living alone on the mountain was not wise with no one to deliver the baby.
That evening as she was preparing to go down to take her bath in the pool, she heard the kitchen door open. It was so faint that she almost missed it but her solitary life for the past several months had tuned her ears to complete silence and the door, even when slowly and quietly pushed, made noise that she could pick up.
Aquila almost ran for the kitchen but stopped when it was evident whoever had come in was trying to be quiet. Instead she ran to her room and grabbed her bow and arrow.
Resting an arrow on the her finger, she pulled the string back and cautiously moved towards the kitchen. Someone was opening the door from the kitchen to the hallway when she got there and she prepared to let it fly.
Dirrach stepped through the opening and instantly went still. “Aquila, it is I, Dirrach.”
Aquila lowered the bow and sighed with relief. “What are you doing here?”
“I promised you that I would not leave you here. I make promises and keep them. Where is Trouble?”
“He left a few months ago saying that he would be back in a week or two but he has not returned.”
“It would be like that fool to get you pregnant and then leave you. How far are you along?” Dirrach questioned.
“He does not know I am pregnant. I am four and a half months along.”
“Only four? You look like you're seven!”
“Well, thank you for your kind assessment,” Aquila frowned.
Dirrach shook his head. “I am sorry. That was rude of me. Please forgive my thoughtlessness.”
Aquila shrugged. “Am I really that big?”
Dirrach nodded. “Yes, but there is no time to talk of that. My men are waiting outside and I would rather not be found by Trouble.”
“Men?” Aquila sounded hesitant.
“Yes. You do not think I would come alone with the possibility of running into Trouble? I would be foolish to think I could face him now. You do not understand what he is capable of. Now hurry and get your things!'
Aquila hurried to the cook's quarters, where she had moved her belongings, and quickly packed a small bag with two of her robes and some other personal belongings. She returned to the kitchen in only ten minutes and Dirrach led her outside.
True enough, there was a band of twenty men on horses sitting outside. Dirrach motioned to one and he dismounted. “Aquila, this is Yerik. He will be your sole guardian. Yerik, help Lady Aquila onto her horse,” Dirrach instructed.
Yerik gave a curt but awkward bow and then led her to a saddled horse. Aquila tied her bag onto the saddle horn and then turned to Yerik. “How do you want to do this? I'm four months pregnant and short.”
Yerik chuckled and dropped to one knee. “Step on my knee and I will help you the rest of the way.”
Aquila obeyed and stepped up on his knee with one foot. The other one she simultaneously placed in the stirrup and grabbed a hold of the saddle horn and the back of the saddle. Unfortunately her stomach was refusing her the ability to finish the rest of the way. Yerik reached up and grabbed her around the waist. He stood and lifted her onto the saddle with a grunt. Aquila was embarrassed at the extra weight and apologized.
Yerik shrugged and mounted his horse. He nodded at Dirrach and Dirrach nodded back, then waved his hand. “Let us go, men. It will be slow going down the mountain, but once we reach the bottom, there should be no problems.”
So the journey began. Aquila could hardly believe what was happening.
As Dirrach said, the trek down the mountain was slow. Aquila was certain that, even in her pregnant state, she could have made it down and back up on foot faster than it took them to make it on the horses.
When they finally made it down the mountain, Dirrach led them off the beaten path and through the thick of the forest for a few miles until they came to the edge of the forest. “We shall set up camp here. Yerik, make sure that Lady Aquila is situated comfortably,” Dirrach ordered.
“Yes, Lord Dirrach,” Yerik replied.
“Lord Dirrach,” Aquila quickly spoke. “Might I set up camp on the outskirts of your outfit?”
“Wish granted, Yerik, see that it is done,” Dirrach conceeded.
Yerik saluted and then led Aquila towards the west a little ways. “You should be more comfortable here, Lady Aquila.”
When Yerik had dismounted and awkwardly assisted Aquila off her horse, Aquila took a quick look around and then smiled up at her guard. “Thank you, this will do nicely.”
Aquila began to clear a spot off underneath a tree for her blanket. Realizing that Yerik had not moved on yet, she looked up. “Thank you, Lord Yerik. You have been so kind, but I might ask you to do me one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Relax and go settle in for the night. I am quite used to setting up 'camp' for myself and I will not need your assistance. I feel I am intruding on your time by keeping longer than necessary,” Aquila smiled.
“Oh, no ma'am. As your guard I will be setting up camp within a few feet from you. You are not intruding on my time, I assure you,” Yerik explained.
“Oh.” Aquila was rather uncomfortable with this arrangement. Yerik was still a stranger and she did not make it a habit of sleeping near strange men.
Dirrach walked up at that moment. “Uh, Yerik, perhaps maybe I should take the first night's guard duty. Just until Lady Aquila is comfortable with your presence.”
“Yes, Lord Dirrach. I agree with your decision whole heartedly.” With a hardly satisfactory salute to Dirrach and a curt bow to Aquila, he ambled back over to the fire where the other men were coaxing into life.
“Thank you, Lord Dirrach, I was feeling quite odd trying to explain to him that I would rather he not spend his night so close. But, Lord Dirrach, I do not know tat I shall ever be comfortable sleeping in such close quarters with him. Might it be arranged this way every night?” Aquila requested.
Dirrach bowed. “I see no reason not. Rest easy tonight, Aquila.”
Aquila nodded and Dirrach moved to a tree twenty feet away. When her bed roll, that had been provided, was laid out, she let herself gently down on top of it and fell fast asleep wondering where Trouble had run off to.

**********

Aquila woke up with the sun and was surprised to find that the men had already rolled up their beds. There was one lonely cup hanging beside the fire and Yerik poured it full of coffee. He almost spilled it when she walked up. “Good morning, Lady Aquila. Would you like some coffee?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Aquila said.
Yerik handed it to her. “You are an early riser.”
“I slept late today. I am used to waking up before the sun to look for my husband,” Aquila commented.
Aquila did not miss the looks that Yerik and Dirrach exchanged. “Your husband?” Yerik raised an eyebrow. “I was under the impression that one does not look for a husband she does not care for.”
Aquila shrugged and sipped at the dark steamy liquid. “If you were pregnant and unsure of your future, you, too, would be looking for your husband.”
“Let us be glad we got there before that fool did,” Dirrach scowled. “Well, let us mount up and ride.”
Aquila looked mournfully at her cup of coffee and sighed. It would have to go or she would dump the scalding coffee down her front and regret it terribly.
Yerik took the cup and did the honors before assisting her up onto the horse again. From then on they rode hard. Just after noon, Aquila could tell Yerik was watching her closely. She knew he was concerned about her health and endurance level so she looked at him and smiled her gratitude for his sympathy.
Still, they rode on, barely stopping to grab a bite to eat. That night Aquila crawled into her bed role and wiped a tear from her eye. She truly was not used to riding horses but she did not want to tell Dirrach this. He was a determined man.
The next morning Aquila woke up to Dirrach's prodding. “Aquila, it is time to go.”
Aquila jumped, startled. “Oh!”
She rolled herself to the side and pushed up from the ground. Yerik was there with some form of food in his hand. She looked at it and then back up at him, questions in her eyes. “Do not ask. Just eat,” Yerik wrinkled his nose and ordered.
Aquila hesitantly complied. When it was through, Yerik lifted her onto her horse and away they went. “Where are you originally from, Lady Aquila?” Yerik asked once they were well on their way.
“Braedoch, from the old Romany clan,” Aquila answered.
“The Romany's, eh?” Yerik's eyebrows rose. “They were all killed, were they not?”
“Mostly. We are the last of our clan.”
“We?”
“My brothers and sisters and I,” Aquila said.
“How many are there?”
“There is nine of us total. We were banished just over two years ago from our home and now we are all over the world. Or so it seems. Really we are only spread out over a wide region, but it seems the only thing tying us together is our hearts,” Aquila explained sadly.
“Come to think of it, I think I remember hearing of some Romany's,” Yerik scratched his head for a moment, trying to recall the name. “I just did not put it all together until now. A sister of yours, named Wren?”
Aquila smiled at the mention of her closest sister. “Yes, Wren, the adventurous one. She has made quite a name for herself, I hear.”
“It is quite amazing how she can track people down like she does. How she must be able to handle herself in order to survive in a world that is predominantly man's. Incredible, I say,” Yerik shook his head.
Aquila started to think about Wren and forgot about the world around her. How many times had she wondered where Wren was? It was no different now. Aquila longed to see one of Wren's falcons soar overhead with a missive from her dear sister. She would not mind if it was Wren, herself, who soared above. Why could Deus have not given them wings?
“Lady Aquila?” Yerik interrupted her thoughts.
Aquila quickly looked over at his concerned face. “Hm?”
“Are you feeling well?”
“Yes, why do you ask?” Aquila raised her eyebrows.
“You looked a little dazed right then and I did not know if it had something to do with your pregnancy and the hard traveling,” Yerik explained.
Aquila smiled. “I am fine. I was just thinking of my sister.”
“I hope I did not bring you sadness by asking you questions about them,” Yerik said apologetically.
“No. You have done no wrong, I assure you,” Aquila assured him.
Yerik continued to make small talk and Aquila quickly warmed up to her companion. Dirrach also hung around and talked with her frequently.
One night after Dirrach had pressed them further into the night, Aquila's thoughts turned back to Trouble. Am I doing the right thing? What is he doing now? Does he know that I have left or is he still gone? Could he be dead by unforeseen circumstances and I am out here running for nothing? Is he hurt and alone somewhere? Does he still love me? Did he find some other woman who could give her love to him and did he totally take me out of the picture? Do I want out of the picture?
It did not help when Yerik reached up to help her down. In her mind she saw Trouble and remembered how Trouble's hands could go around her waist. She had to blink twice after being set on the ground to set herself straight and keep from calling him Trouble.
Aquila lay back on her bedroll that night and dreamed of the last night with Trouble. He had been gentle and loving as he always had been. The rough ground almost made her wish to be in his arms again, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. Life was different now.

Chapter 7

“What are you doing here?” Aquila did not like the way he looked at her, as if he was trying to weigh how difficult it would be to...was—was this it? Had Trouble somehow found, in one of his inspections, her cross pendant and spilled the beans as soon as he got into town? There was something about that pendant that put a death sentence on the one holding it. But for Trouble to have found it would have been practically impossible, for she kept it on her at all times...it would be inconceivable that Trouble could have found it on her without her having discovered him. But if he had, it would have certainly spread, and whoever wanted it would be looking for her.
The man came toward her and Aquila backed up until she hit the wall. “What do you want?”
He was not near as big as Trouble. In fact, she would place him smaller than any of her brothers. But men were built differently than girls and she did not put it past him, at the moment, the ability to tear her head off.
“Where is she?” the man asked.
“Who?” Aquila squeaked.
“The Woman! Where is she?”
Aquila had heard of the Woman. She was the most notorious head hunter alive. If you wanted assurance that someone would be eliminated, you called on the Woman's services. As the story goes, many have tried to eliminate her and each one who tried to eliminate her was never heard from again. There was only one job she could not take out. Both had managed to escape with their lives intact.
“I have not seen or heard from the Woman my whole life! How would I know where she is?” Aquila spat. He was not here for her.
“She was sent here to take you out one year ago today, actually. She obviously did not do it and now her client wants her dead. Where is she?”
Aquila thought hard and fast what she had been doing one year ago. She was waking up from the nap she had had after spending the whole night dragging Trouble up the mountain. She had not seen a woman since her last trip into town and would not see another woman until her following trip into town. No one had tried to kill her.
“How did you find me?” Aquila changed the subject.
“I know the town you frequent, so I waited for you to show up, then I followed you here.”
“No one told you where I was? Do you know who I am?”
“Your name is of no consequence to me, but what you have that my employer wants is. The Woman was sent to carry this duty out but unfortunately the Woman's reputation is slipping and now I have two to take—” his voice trailed off.
Aquila sighed. She could try and run for it, but she still did not stand much of a chance. She would just have to face the facts: her life was ending.
“Before I do anything, I would like to look at your work. I saw you working on it earlier and I must say, you are very good.”
“I had a better teacher.”
“It is a family trade, am I correct?” He motioned for her to lead.
Aquila ignored the question but obeyed and led him to her room. He looked over the little animal figures, weaponry, tables, and rocker before he examined the arrows on the wall with her family's names.
Aquila slowly moved around the room. She was hoping he would not see the intricately carved bow with matching arrows she was specifically moving towards. “You would not happen to know what the Woman looks like, would you?”
“No. It seems no one does.”
“Hm.” Aquila now stopped in front of her intended location and slowly moved her hands to the bow and arrows. “If I am to die anyway, can I not know my killer's identity?”
“I guess so. Salazaar. And if you think you will be able to pull a shot off with that bow, do not even try. I have got a knife ready to plunge through your heart the second you pick it up.”
Aquila's heart plummeted. He had noticed.
Aquila moved away from the bow and took one last look at the arrows hanging on the wall. Will they hear of my death? She turned around and just as soon as she did, she gasped. A tall dark figure stood in the doorway behind Salazaar.
Salazaar's brow furrowed. “What–”
He stopped mid-sentence when the shiny blade of a sword rested on his shoulder. Salazaaar slowly turned. “Who are you?”
“Word in town says you have been looking for me,” came a familiarly deep voice.
Aquila's heart skipped a beat. Trouble had come back! Why?
“You?” Salazaar stood there for a couple of minutes dumbfounded. “Are you the–”
“Yes!” Trouble cut him off. “And you have messed with the wrong woman.”
Something flashed in the dim light and Salazaar fell to the floor. Trouble stepped over him and took her small chin in his big hand.
She opened her mouth but could not find the words to speak. Finally she managed to ask, “Why did you come back?”
Trouble's free hand had now come to the back of her head and was slowly but surely unpinning her braid. “I could not get you out of my head. I had to come back,” he explained. Trouble had now accomplished the feat of unbraiding her hair and now ran his fingers through the tangled masses. “Why do you keep your hair braided and wrapped around your head?”
“Because...because when it is down it makes me look smaller than I am and I feel–I feel–”
“Vulnerable?”
Aquila winced with the word that had described her life before being banished. “Yes.”
“You do not have to any more. I am never going to let anyone hurt you ever. I am here to stay.”
“Is that a proposal?” Aquila giggled. “Because I do not do it otherwise.”
Trouble grinned. “I guess it is.”
Aquila could not believe how it had come to this. She had despised men for so long, having been ruled over for so much of her life by one domineering figure. Now she had forgotten it all for this man?
“Let us go,” Trouble was pulling her to the door.
“Trouble, not yet,” Aquila protested.
“What is there to wait for?” Trouble questioned, taking her hands in his and softly kissing them.
“Trouble, we only just became engaged. There is a dress to see to, the priest to talk to, a few friends at least, and we must have time to adjust. I must have time to adjust. This is all too soon for me, my...darling,” Aquila barely breathed the last word.
Trouble sighed. “Of course, how foolish of me. I was not thinking of you, I apologize.”
Aquila stared at him for a moment completely taken aback for a moment at how fast things had gone. He was back. She was in love with him. They were going to be married.
Aquila's stomach growled at that moment and Trouble laughed. “For a moment there I thought you had left this world but I can see you're just as much here as you ever were.”
Cheeks growing red, Aquila moved for the door. “It seems he was cooking something when I discovered him. Shall we see what he was making?”

********

It was all so right when the day came six months later that Trouble and Aquila were to exchange vows. Although both were a bit nervous, they knew it was all just perfect. Since Trouble had made no appearance in the Lucian village during his stay and Aquila kept her presence discreet, they chose to hold a small ceremony at the front of the church with only the priest, Michelle and her husband, and the proprietor of the store where Aquila took all of her business.
Aquila had successfully acquired a dress that fit the occasion but was yet simple, inexpensive, and still beautiful in Trouble's eyes. It was held by thin straps and boasted long sheer sleeves that attached to the corner of the heart-shaped bodice. As the priest droned on with the rituals, Aquila only had thoughts for the man who had his hands resting on the dropped waistline of her ivory silk dress. The skirt softly draped from side to side as it fell to the ground to create a bell shaped look that the woman who sold her on it said would give the illusion of height.
Trouble said something which brought Aquila back to the present. The priest instructed her to say something and somehow she coherently repeated it before allowing her mind to wander back to the man before her. She would never understand how she could have gotten a man so big that only one of his hands could fully encircle her waist.
The prospect of submitting to this man, who was much bigger than Duard, somehow didn't seem as daunting a prospect. Yes, Trouble could very well be more of a threat to her than Duard just by his size, but he would not even think of it.
He loves me and would not push his authority over me like Duard might. Aquila thought in relief. There was something in the back of her mind that told her over the years that she would probably wind up marrying a man just as oppressive and domineering as Duard. Relief flooded her soul as she thought of the bright future that stood in front of her.
Trouble suddenly shifted and Aquila could feel him grow tense. His hands tightened their grasp on her waist almost to the point where she could not breath and when she looked up into his face, he was looking towards the back of the cathedral. She followed his gaze and watched as a man not much smaller than Trouble, made his way down the aisle towards them.
Aquila looked from one to the other a few times before noticing the stark resemblance between the two men. The difference between the two could only have been twenty years. But Aquila was having more difficulty breathing and she tapped his arm. “Trouble!” she managed.
Suddenly his hold released and he looked down at her. “Yes?”
He had not even noticed how tight he had been holding her. “Is that your father?”
Something akin to hatred flared in his eyes as he muttered, “He is.”
Aquila was confused. How could he hate his father so? If only her father were still alive. Maybe there was just a simple misunderstanding between the two that could be worked out with time. “Is it not nice that he came for the wedding? He may be late but we should still invite him to the festivities later on.”
“No!” Trouble growled.
The priest had ended the ceremony at that point and announced them man and wife. It was the moment for the first kiss that Aquila had always imagined as the perfect moment but Trouble's contempt for the man who had just walked in changed everything. Instead of the soft, tender, and passionate moment she had dreamed of, it was hard, forced, and painful as he pulled her to him and kissed her with such force that it drove her teeth into the inside of her mouth and leaving what would no doubt turn into a bruise by the next morning. His hands tightened, squeezing the breath from her and pinning her helplessly to someone she thought she had known, as he straightened to a standing position.
Michelle watched in horror before shrieking, “Trouble!”
Suddenly Trouble dropped her, realizing what he had just done. Aquila fell to the the floor, the taste of blood on her tongue and tears stinging her eyes. Any remorse Trouble might have had was overclouded by anger for the new visitor and he disappeared out the side door as Michelle flew to Aquila's side. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Michelle asked with heavy concern, “Aquila, are you all right?”
Aquila watched as the man she assumed to be his father follow him before daring to rise. She managed to nod before rising and running out the front entrance. She picked up her skirt and ran for the mountains where her home sat. Unfortunately she had forgotten about the time of the year and was ankle deep in snow and shivering from head to toe.
Three hours later the bruised and forlorn bride was trudging up to the river that had not quite frozen over, hair disheveled, her veil having been lost an hour earlier to a low branch. There was no crossing it due to the swelling of the sides from rain and snow further north and the weather, but there was no way she would survive through the night left to the elements.
Forgetting her dress, she fell the ground in a heap and sobbed. Her wedding day had been ruined: the man she loved had turned practically savage and now she would die from her own rash actions. Why did she have such an urgent need to go home?
Only moment later, suffering from the cold, disillusionment, and weariness, she did not notice the shadow that fell over her small crumpled up figure. Instead, she passed out into a deep sleep.

***********

Aquila stretched and opened her eyes. Across from her was the small fireplace in the cook's quarters. A fire flickered and she could see her dress hanging beside it, wrinkled and slightly damp and dirty.
Suddenly she realized that she had not fallen asleep here but by the river that had blocked her path home. Aquila could feel her undergarments under the rough blanket with relief.
Aquila placed a finger to her no doubt bruised lips and winced. They were swollen, which was the only way she could feel them, but not as swollen as she first thought they would get. Her time spent face down in the snow probably helped keep it down some.
Just then the man that had disrupted their wedding appeared in her view. He was watching her curiously but otherwise unreadable. When she only looked back, he stepped forward with a cup of something hot. “Drink this.”
“What is it?” Aquila asked warily.
“Only herbal tea. It will be good for your health and also to help warm you up. You had quite a night.”
Aquila accepted the cup but cautiously investigated the contents. When she could smell the different herbs and nothing more, she took a sip and then turned to her visitor. “Who are you and where is Trouble?”
“I am Darther Woman, Trouble's father. Now where Trouble is...I have no idea. I was hoping you would be able to help me out on that,” the man replied, taking a seat on the edge of what had been Trouble's bed.
“You mean you did not follow him?” Aquila was confused.
“I did, or I tried really. But he was gone when I got outside of the church. When I returned the kind lady told me that you had run out the door and probably for home. So I followed you and found you by the river. You know, it is quite unhealthy for one to fall asleep in the snow. It is very detrimental to your life and you must promise me to never do such a thing again,” Darther reprimanded.
Just then the door to the kitchen flew open and slammed against the opposing wall. “Aquila—“
Darther stood. “Trouble, wait!”
Aquila sat up quickly but held the rough covers over her chest. Trouble stood motionless for a moment before venturing further into the room, watching Darther carefully. “What are you doing here?” Trouble questioned furiously.
“You should thank me. I rescued your bride from death's grip when you failed her as miserably as you did,” Darther spat in response.
“Thank you. Now get out!” Trouble ordered.
“Trouble! How could you treat your father so?” What Aquila really wanted to ask was how he could treat her like he did, but she would bring that up later.
“He may be my father by blood, but I refuse to call him such,” Trouble answered, his gaze never wavering from the older man.
“What happened that sent you two to such odds against each other?” Aquila questioned.
“He banished me from ever seeing my mother again and has held back every letter I tried sending her. Every effort I have made to see or contact my mother has returned fruitless because of him!” Trouble spat.
“He disgraced the family name!” Darther returned.
“What did he—“ suddenly Aquila stopped. The family name was Woman. What did Trouble do...realization dawned on her. Aquila scooted as far away from Trouble as she could on the bed and pulled the covers over her mouth and muffled her horrified scream.
“Yes, him!” Darther nodded.

Chapter 6

Aquila glanced at Trouble's door then out the open kitchen door. It was already late morning and he had not shown his face yet.
Aquila returned to the parlor and picked up her needlework. Where is he? This is not like him. If he does not show up for lunch, I am barging into his room.
Aquila shivered as a draft came through the open window. Winter is coming. I suppose it is time for a trip to get firewood. I should have already had that done.
As it was, Trouble never appeared that day or the following day either. In fact, she had just decided that he had left for good when, a week later, he came through her parlor door with an armload of wood. “Winter is coming,” he explained.
Aquila turned around in her seat. “What have you been doing?” was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
“Getting this place ready for winter.”
Aquila wondered if he planned on fighting out the winter with her. Why would he go to all this trouble to just leave? And why was she not angry at this? It had been no wonder why he had been gone for a week. It had taken him a the week to cut down a tree, cut it into firewood, and then haul it back up.
He placed the logs beside the large fireplace. Aquila watched as he poked his head up the chimney. He opened the flue and Aquila giggled when soot fell and he started coughing and sputtering. He came back out completely covered in black soot.
Trouble rubbed it from his eyes and grinned at her. “It is clean!”
This sent Aquila giggling. When she realized Trouble was watching her intently, she composed herself and looked away. Grabbing her needlework, she became her former aggravated self.
She did not know what had gotten into her. It was at this point that she desperately wished for one of her brothers or maybe Wren. She was so confused. They would no what to say to fix this whole mess.
Something moved right in front of her. Aquila looked up to find Trouble kneeling in front of her. His eyebrow rose.
“Go clean up! You are getting black soot all over my floors,” she scowled.
Aquila was relieved when he stood and did so without another word. What had she been thinking letting her guard down like that? Women laughing in front of men must have been poor behavior in society or he certainly wouldn't have looked at her like he did. The image of Trouble covered in soot returned and small giggle escaped her lips before she caught herself. Was she beginning to really enjoy his presence? She must not let on so. He was still very much a stranger and she was uncertain of her own feelings. It had to be nothing.

********

Much to Aquila's discomfort, Trouble stayed the winter. She began to wonder if he would ever leave her alone. Every day was counted as victory to Aquila, as she stemmed off all thoughts and feelings of familiarity, keeping a wall between the two of them.
Aquila's twenty-first birthday came and passed with no recognition. It was just as well. Christmas arrived and nothing was said. Even Trouble seemed unusually quiet. When Aquila woke up Christmas morning, Trouble was back to his normal cheerful and talkative mood. She just rolled her eyes and began preparations for breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, and toast.
Trouble seemed anxious and fidgety all through breakfast. Aquila's brow furrowed. He was not normally so. He generally took his time.
When Aquila had just taken her last bite, he took her by the arm. “Come on.”
Aquila frowned, but he ignored her as he led her into the main hallway of the palace. There was the faintest hint of pine in the air but Aquila shook it off.
Aquila had done all her exploring when she first arrived but now mostly kept to her room, kitchen, and the servant's parlor. Why he would think to come this way was peculiar to her.
It was a long way around but they finally landed in the foyer in front of the main ballroom. Trouble grabbed the doorknobs. “Ready?”
Ready or not, Trouble swung the big double doors open and Aquila's eyes grew big. There in the center of the royal ballroom stood an enormous pine tree. Aquila almost blew up at him. Vegetation was sparse on the mountain, except for what grew in bounty on the ledge the palace sat on, but trees were even harder to find. There were not even any trees on the ledge. It was all vines and bushes. This one she had seen just a mountain top away and enjoyed its beauty. Now it was in her home? It would die after a few days, and it would take years for its stump to regenerate.
She stood speechless for quite some time, seething in her anger, before it all came boiling to the top. “You...you...you ruined it! How could you?”
Trouble stepped back and scratched his head. “What did I do wrong?”
“You cut down the only pine tree around for miles!”
“It will grow back,” Trouble came to his defense.
“How could you be so insensitive?” Aquila was almost to hysterics. “It will not be back to its former glory for decades!”
“I am terribly sorry. I thought you might enjoy a tree to celebrate the season.”
Aquila sighed and crossed her arms. She looked it over. She had never had a tree before. Not even when she was with her brothers and sisters. Aquila had not even heard of celebrating Christmas until she had been evicted from home and family. Had Maeron purposely kept them from such things?
Aquila just shook her head. No point in dwelling on the past. “It is nice.”
Aquila turned and slowly walked out. He had tried to do something nice. He was always nice for that matter. In keeping with his normal behavior he had tried to brighten the holiday. But in so doing, he had cut down her favorite tree.
She had lived under that tree for three nights before she found Quentin. Aquila had even carved her family's initials in it.
Had he seen them? Did he know it had been her handiwork? Her family were well versed in the art of woodwork. She thought it only right that she learn how as well. So she had watched Daelia carefully, and then mimicked every move until she had mastered it.
The first night she had spent under that tree she carved, “Ai.R.”, “T.R.”, “D.R.”, “Ar.R.”, “I.R.” “W.R.”, “Z.R.”, and “S.R.” into the trunk of the tree, a heart around each one. Aquila blinked when she realized she had unconsciously moved back into the room.
Walking up to the tree she found the eight hearts she had carved. Her fingers caressed the initials of her loved ones.
“Lovely handiwork that,” Trouble interrupted her thoughts. “Whoever did that must do it for a living.”
Aquila thought about the room full of weaponry and stuff she had made the first three months she was there. She had made them out of an oak tree that had found its way to life right outside the kitchen door. But she had not been thinking straight and it was blocking her view of the ocean. So, before she took into account the scarcity of trees, she had managed to get it cut down and burned the stump. It had taken her ten days to get through the trunk of the tree.
She had not done too much crafting before the banishment but she had found it a nice source of refuge and healing as she adjusted to life without her family...life without Wren. “It is lovely work,” Aquila managed. If he was fishing for something, he was not going to get it. “What made you put it in this room?”
“It seemed like a good idea. I explored every inch of this place while you were in town a couple of weeks ago and I thought it would be a nice mix-up of our normal station in the servant's parlor to put it in here.”
The color drained from her face at the words “every inch” and it was all she could do not to pass out. He had most certainly found her room. How many things had she carved the family's coat of arms on? It was her private room she had hoped to keep from the outside world. An invasion of that room was an invasion of her private world.
Suddenly Aquila twirled around and left the room. She needed air. She had written so many journals of her inner thoughts, her feelings, her desires, her past, one could read them and know every little thing about her.
Fear that Trouble had discovered her secrets and private life seized her mind. No one could like someone who had been banished as she had. They would certainly condemn her for what they could only suppose she had done to cause such banishment. Most people who were banished as she were often shunned, disgraced, and sometimes killed. She only had one option left: flee for her life.
That is what she had to do. She could not wait around long enough to find out what he thought of her. He could very possibly kill her before she could escape.
Aquila ran to her room and started stuffing her clothes into a bag. Something moved outside her window and she stopped. It was dark out at breakfast?
A blizzard! There was no chance of escape in a blizzard. She would freeze to death if she did not slip and fall to her death.
I will just have to take my chances here. Maybe he didn't find my journal and I am just jumping to conclusions too soon, Aquila reasoned. Will he leave this Spring? Will he ever leave? Aquila thought on this for a moment before from out of nowhere this question came, Do I want him to leave?
Aquila slapped herself. She must not think such things. She would pay dearly if she let herself get attached to that man. If he had found her journals, he would never feel anything for her.
Trouble. That is exactly what he was. You will miss him when he leaves.
Aquila sunk to the bed. “I will not!”
Do you really believe that? Aquila could not think anymore. She was too exhausted to fight her own feelings.

*******

Wren Romany. That was one bounty hunter he would have liked to have met...preferably on friendly tones. Arnan Romany. He remembered him all too well. His reputation had been brought into question by the disastrous run in with that hired killer. Who the others were, he did not know. Had to be siblings, of course, but their names were only that: names. According to the journals, Aquila was a Romany as well. They were all banished about a year ago and split in different directions. It was hard, though, imagining Aquila the sister of Arnan and Wren Romany. And Arnan and Wren as siblings in and of itself was strange. Both on opposite sides of the law.
But...now someone wanted Aquila dead. Why? Something about a priceless treasure inside a red velvet pouch that was traced back to her. She was so small and harmless it seemed like such a waste of beauty and charm. How he longed to pull the pins out of her hair and wind his fingers in the thick tresses. And those eyes...eyes as dark as the midnight sky, but they could never hide her innocence.
For once he wished he had gotten more info on the girl. General policy was to know as little as possible about the job to avoid feeling any attachment for whatever reason to him or her. This time it would have been helpful to know everything about this job so he could have been prepared. He had been totally unprepared.
This job would cost him everything.

*********

When Aquila came down for breakfast the next morning, Trouble was surprisingly quiet. In fact, he was so quiet that Aquila started trying to make conversation. Aquila tried everything. The weather, what she would do when Spring came, her favorite season, what life had been like before he came, she even asked him what life was like before he was attacked. He only looked at her with an odd expression and said, “I do not talk about my past with anyone.”
Tears clouded her eyes against her will. What was wrong with him? She turned back to the stove trying to hide them from him. It was too late. He had already seen them and was instantly at her side. “Hey now, what is wrong? You have never cried in front of me.”
Aquila quickly wiped them away. “I do not know why they came. I have not cried in a year or so. I am fine, just go sit back down.”
Aquila was relieved when he did so and quickly finished breakfast. “It is not like you to be so quiet. I am not used to carrying on a one-sided conversation.
Aquila had recovered and now sat down across from Trouble. She shoved a plate full of eggs, bacon, and toast forward. Trouble accepted it only when his inspection for tears came up empty. “I was thinking.”
Aquila was not about to ask what it was. If he wanted to tell her, he would. She looked down at her plate she had unconsciously piled high with food. She was not hungry. “When–when Spring comes, I will be moving on.”
That was it. He was leaving. Aquila mentally beat her heart into submission. She would let him go and he would never know she did not want him to go.
Aquila forced herself to eat half of the food on her plate and then left the room. She would clean up later.

*******

Spring seemed to come earlier than usual the following year. One morning Aquila came down and found a letter on the table.
Miss Romany, My deepest gratitude I owe to you for saving my life. I also owe you a load of gratitude for putting up with me for so long. You are an excellent cook and make for good company. I will never forget the fearless little woman who could accomplish anything she put her mind to. But now I must bid you a fond farewell. Trouble
That was it? He could not wait to say goodbye to her face? She wanted to be mad, to say she was glad he was gone and that she really hated his guts.
Instead, tears fell down her cheeks, dropping onto the paper, smearing the ink. Aquila knew it was for the best. She could not get mixed up with a man like Trouble. Now at least her heart could heal and move on.
Aquila wiped the tears from her eyes. She had not cried since that morning Trouble was unusually quiet, and before that since the night Maeron had banished the siblings. She had built a wall around her heart like a prison, keeping her heart from escaping and protecting it from those who would willingly hurt it. Crying would get her nowhere. How could he have torn down those carefully built walls so easily?
Aquila wiped the tears from her eyes and folded the letter. Time would erase all memories and she would go on.

********

A week later, Aquila found herself on a mission to retrieve wood for her personal room that she had just decided needed something more, even though it was covered in miscellaneous decorations and whatnot. Two days it would take her to get to the Lucian Forrest and it would take her another three days to cut down a tree. Then she would have to cut all the limbs off, debark the tree, and sand it down which would take her another two or three days of intense labor.
She would sell the limbs to the village people for firewood and use that money to buy something to transport the rest of the wood up the mountain. All in all, she was probably looking at a good two weeks journey. When Leo showed up just as she was leaving, Aquila wondered if he did not have some sort of magical ability to tell when men are not around, but she shook it off and embraced her old friend.
She would need some food to start out with as well as her bow and arrow to hunt for the rest of her food. Leo was tagging along, but Aquila enjoyed the walk. It would be good to get out.
Aquila sighed as she walked on, talking to Leo about the beautiful weather they were having. She found herself bouncing from one subject to the next until she had spilled her whole life story to the poor dragon. Aquila even vaguely remembered telling him about Wren's love for fresh baked bread. Aquila could taste Wren's famous homemade bread as she spoke of it.
Then things had changed to her recent episode with Trouble. “He just had to get hurt right where he would wind up in my home. And oh, how he had to be so nice and...and then he had to go and stay so long! He interrupted my happy way of life and then just left! Without so much as a goodbye. What kind of a man would be so nice and gentlemanly, tearing down the barriers you had put up and then bam! Just up and leave like that! How could he? To think that I even let myself get attached to that tall, dark, blue-eyed, muscular...what am I doing telling such things to a dragon? Do you understand Leo? I am such a buffoon for allowing...and now I am talking around in circles. I think I will stop talking now before I make a bigger fool out of myself.”
Aquila looked at Leo who seemed to have not even heard a word she had said. “Guess I already have,” she muttered.
At long last, Aquila arrived at the Lucian Forest. It was night when she arrived so she camped under a promising tree until morning.
After waking refreshed from her long journey, she picked up her hand fashioned ax and began working at the tree. Sweat was pouring from her body an hour later. It was a beautiful day to work. The birds were singing in the trees almost in rhythm to the swing of the ax.
Still, she worked on taking five minute breaks every half hour. The lush green grass made for a perfect resting spot. She found a creek just off a ways that she could drink from and had already caught enough game to make it for the day and she would rise early the next morning to get food for that day without interrupting her time for the tree.
She had miscalculated the amount of time it would take to get the tree down but she was not too upset. She had calculated three days and it took her two.
It was the debarking and limb cutting that took her longer than expected. She opted to sell the firewood and move the wood home where she would sand it. She would rather not be out longer than she had to. Outside of her home and hideout, she now felt vulnerable and uncomfortable. She always found herself looking around, inspecting every tree and bush for someone or something.
Aquila had hoped the awkward feeling of someone watching her would go away as she moved up the mountain but it just grew worse. She just shook her head and told herself she was just being paranoid.
Aquila breathed a sigh of relief when she finally made it home. She really needed to find another source of comfort.
Aquila hummed to herself as she sanded down the wood. It occurred to her at one point that she did not know what she was humming and could not recall ever hearing it anywhere.
Aquila labored on for days sanding it down and then cutting it into blocks that she could fashion into odd trinkets and treasures. Some she cut in long lengths, others in boxes, and others in circular blobs.
One such circular chunk she picked up first and started working at it. She didn't know what she was doing but before she knew it she had the face of a man in her hands. Aquila blinked and quickly threw it against the far wall.
With an effort to forget about what she had just created, she picked up another chunk and began working away. The image of clock slowly worked itself out. Aquila was so proud at how she had fashioned the face of it that she decided to make it a rather ornate piece. Once it occurred to her that she might make a living selling things like this, but she just kept working away.
Suddenly she realized that she had been working for a full day and had not had one bite to eat. Aquila hung it up underneath the arrows of her siblings just as her stomach growled. What time was it anyway? She would return to finish the clock later.
She was halfway down the hallway when she smelled something cooking. “What did I leave on the fire?”
Aquila ran to the kitchen and, without even thinking of the possibilities, threw open the kitchen door. A man stood by the fire looking at the cauldron.
“Who are you?” Aquila asked warily.
The man looked up. “That is of no consequence to you.”