Una awoke with the sunlight warmly kissing her face. She had been at the Sun Fortress for two nights now. She was neither a common prisoner, nor was she free to leave. Aidan loved her, this she was certain of, but there were rules of war. One doesn't simply kidnap a warlord's wife then let her go. Aidan assured her that no ranking members of the Osis tribe had been harmed or captured during the raid, and as such Gael was almost certainly unharmed. According to him, the raid was a cautionary measure to discourage the Osis army from invading Taurani land.
She hadn't let Aidan share a bed with her since their first intimate encounter. She was overcome with guilt, and also concerned that she would be seduced even furtherβ
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," she replied softly.
"Good morning." Aidan entered the room, carrying a basket of pastries along with a carafe of juice.
"How's my beautiful woman?"
"Don't you mean your
hostage
?" She chided back.
He paused, eyeing her with a challenging stare before sitting down next to the bed, lowering himself to her level.
"How's my beautiful hostage?" He replied.
"Fine." Una replied poutingly, though she accepted the offering and grabbed what appeared to be a jam-filled danish from the basket. She nibbled slowly at first, tasting it thoughtfully, then nodded approvingly and munched voraciously.
"Would you like to join me on a ride today?" Aidan offered as he bit a sizable piece off a croissant.
"I'm allowed to leave the castle?" She spit back with angst.
"With me you can go anywhere you want."
She looked at him playfully, pouring herself some juice.
"I suppose I'll grace you with my presence," she mustered.
***
The towering trees overhead let the sun shine through them playfully. Una could feel the light dancing on her flowing red hair as she trotted alongside Aidan. He rode his silver stallion, and she rode a lovely, though smaller, chestnut mare.
They rode for miles, enjoying the warm breeze and serene beauty of the forest. Aidan tried to make light conversation at times, but Una was lost in her thoughts. This was the first time she had been out of the castle, and it reminded her that she was missed at home.
She looked over at him at one point and caught him admiring her. The way her breasts bounced in her corset while she rode seemed to please him, but he glanced away as soon as she looked at him.
They rode to an expansive meadow. Birds chirped pleasantly, as the blue sky seemed to go on endlessly above them. At the far edge of the meadow, she could hear a stream flowing. The wind swept her hair back, and rustled Aidan's white shirtsleeves.
"Let's stop here." Aidan commanded, dismounting his horse and stepping to Una's side to help her. She clasped his hand and swung her leg over somewhat clumsily. She came down a bit too hard, grabbing Aidan to keep herself from falling. Her chest pushed into his. She looked up at him, trying not to let their intense chemistry affect her. He brushed her hair from her face, stroking her cheek, then running his finger across her open lips. She pulled away.
Hoping to distract herself from the heat she suddenly felt between her legs, she offered, "Why are we stopping?"
"I wanted to show you something."
He took her hand and walked her across the meadow to the far edge. The grass tickled her ankles as they walked, and the sound of flowing water got louder. When they got close enough, she could finally see the water.
The stream was not ordinary. The water glowed, iridescent in the sunlight. As she got closer, she saw small, colorful fish swimming in the stream; they were illuminated in bright hues, but also translucent and ghostly, blurred at the edges, as if they weren't quite within this world.
"This is the Cai river," Aidan offered softly.
She listened to his deep, soothing voice, but couldn't take her eyes off the water and the magical creatures within.