By Order of the King

owled through his gritted

o, my lord?' Fiona asked. Her tr

of the stairs, but she had stood back a

he asked her calmly as he started to walk towards

a had learned to recognize over the yea

owed him i

has the right to choose. This was the king's order when I had first submitted my request to the king's sc

on her forehead. All this stress and anxiety about marryin

th pursed lips. "There's

nd closed her eyes. "Oh, no

prospective grooms t

tep closer to him. "What do you mean

other young man I can invite to the castle. In the last three

d. One year more, and no one will want her for a wife. No one will want to marry an old maid and become a laughingstock in his family and social environment. Alas! She will stay here forever. I won't take

d rolling do

f further. He held her hands in his for a moment and gently grabbed her shoulders. Fiona looked up and looked deep in

e was fifteen. She loved him from the first time she saw him i

Little Fiona had watched the whole transactio

nd strong boy, and he had managed to scar her hear

ever stopped beating in the same way at his sight, no matter how many years had passed, no matter if his bla

aware that she was no longer thirteen years old. She knew it; she saw in her mirror every day t

when she was thirteen. She never stopped adoring him, even though he had hurt her many

table by the fireplace. He to

showing her the bottle. Fiona

of the drink into hi

Skye outdid herself in the ingenuity of insults." he said and clenched

im. "I agree, it was worse than ever. There were se

is hand on her cheek, cuppi

o be. You only spoke when Lennox addressed you and you didn't in

r skin burn under Malcolm's hand and wished to

ned his back on her, walkin

ish her as she dese

trode u

me punish her. I also want h

s he continued to look o

sn't matter which of the two will punish her. I will

ce the last time the king's emissary came with t

is gaze was intense on her. The muscles in

uted by the king? Do you w

took a step back, and her eyes widened. Was

. She crossed the three paces that separated them and threw herself

like other times when Fiona

ke other times when Fiona d

d with joy. Her body relaxed from the tension she felt,

ranted a hearing with him. The issue with the burden that loaded us must