Page 20 of The Robber Knight's Love
Strange.
He frowned. Why had the girl played any rolein his dreams? The girl he had robbed only today? Normally, onlyhis torturous days in the dungeon plagued him. Nevertheless, hecould have sworn that for a minute he saw her face floating abovehis. Why was that? Well, she had been a pain in the ass. Maybe, hethought with a wry smile, enough of one to be lumped in with hisother nightmares.
Shaking his head, he berated himself. Theseuseless meanderings got him nowhere. The girl was long gone and hewas awake now. His only aim was to get out of this place, quickly,and if possible, alive.
Reuben took the last step to the window andhis eyes widened. Before him lay the most beautiful view he hadever seen. A narrow, fast-flowing river, winding its path betweengentle wooded slopes. They formed a valley, the same valley he hadridden through earlier. The house he was in had to stand on a tallhill, maybe a mountain even, right in the middle of the valley.
Reuben's eyes traveled downwards and saw one,no, two great walls surrounding the house, with towers here andthere, atop which fluttered banners showing a white flower on ablue background. There was also a gatehouse with a portcullis withguards on duty. Servants were hurrying about and men in armor weregathering in the courtyard in front of the house.
No, not “house.”
Reuben raised his hand and slowly caressedthe thick stone wall beside the window. Not a house—a castle.Thecastle. Reuben's heartbeatquickened. The castle where the lord of these lands lived. The manwho was responsible for exacting justice on people like thieves,murderers, and, oh yes, robber knights.
He had to get out of here or he was a deadman.
*~*~**~*~*
Ayla was collecting all she needed from thekitchen and the store room. Both Burchard and her maid, Dilli,insisted on following her around, trying to dissuade her all thewhile.
“Milady, it is simply not proper,” Burchardrepeated his main argument for the twenty-seventh time.
“Would it be more proper for me to let himdie?” she asked, taking a few medicinal plants from the cupboardand stuffing them into her bag.
“No, but...”
“And do you know anyone else with any medicalexperience around here but me?”
“Medical experience? You watched an old nunmixing brews while you were tutored at the convent! That's nomedical experience.”
“It's better than what you have. Or did you,by any chance, spend three years of your youth at a convent,disguised as a girl?”
Burchard turned fiery red and growled:“No!”
Despite her distress, Ayla allowed herself asmall smile. “Good. I would have been shocked by your morality,otherwise. Honestly, Burchard, Sister Priscilla taught me one ortwo things. I have to try and help him. No one else can.”
“It's still not proper,” Burchard murmured.“To treat his wounds you will have to see him without his... It'snot proper.”
Beside him, Dilli, too shy to say a word,nodded vigorously, her brown curls bobbing up and down.
“Don't be silly, Burchard.” She sighed andlooked around at all the plants to choose from. “Dilli, I'm goingto need a little bit more time to get everything together. Whydon't you see how he is?”
The young girl pondered this for a fewmoments. “Err... because he is a half-naked stranger?” shesuggested.
“Dilli?”
“Yes, Milady?”
“That was a rhetorical question. Go and seehow he is.”
The girl curtsied. “Yes, Milady.” She hurriedoff, out of the kitchen and down the stone corridor towards theroom where they had brought the injured young man.
*~*~**~*~*
Reuben had not taken two steps towards thedoor when something occurred to him. If he were in the custody ofthe lord of these lands and all his crimes were known, they wouldhave locked that door. So perhaps there was still hope. But if theydid not know who he was, why take his armor and sword? It was veryconfusing.
Well, he wouldn't find out anything by justsitting around and waiting for the answers to come to him. Heopened the door and cursed, as he felt more blood flowing from thewounds on his back.
He would have to do something about that,before the loss of blood rendered him unconscious. What the helldid these people who had taken him think anyway, just leaving threearrows in his body? Damnable insolence!
