20. Something disgraceful.

Barak couldn't help but think that she did need some training though, on how to bridle that cursing tongue of hers. A few whacks from his palm to her naked derrière should do the trick.

"Let me go!" she ordered. How could she have no fear in her eyes at all? This crazy little thing was driving him crazy!

"I told you what you needed to know, you can pass the message to your prince if you wish, but just let me go! This instant."

Golden eyes stared directly into dark green ones. Oh she was a lovely creature.

"He'll receive the message. But I do not believe he'd be in the position to reject the proposal either. It is a political move, and if he rejects it, it would seem like a rejection of more years of peace and friendship. It might even result to a war. So your princess's only option is to come clean to her father about her lover. If she can, she should even convince her lover to go and ask for her hand."

"That is not going to happen!"

"Well then, I guess if there is no other reason, maybe a disgraceful one, why the princess can't wed prince Barak, then your princess should be ready to ride to the home of the barbarians as the wife of prince Barak by next month. And as for you, yes, my little spitfire, you have given me an enough amount of information. But no, I am not letting you go until tomorrow morning."

"Why, you—"

"Curse me one more time, and I will show you what the word barbaric really means." He warned as he finally moved away from her side and her tempting face. He could hear her muttering some words nonstop. Insults, he knew, but just pretended he didn't hear.

"Start making yourself comfortable on the bed. If you still want that bath, it's all yours."

"You are insufferable!" she just couldn't hold herself. But that did not count as an insult, so he just shrugged.

He should let her go. He knew he should. But just a bit longer. Her presence was good. He was torturing himself by keeping her, but he couldn't help such torture. He wanted it.

…

Neriah laid on the ground near the hearth watching the fire move back and forth. He had told her that he'd be no gentleman so he wasn't going to leave the room for her. Neither was he going to leave the bed. He said he was going to keep an eye on her through the night. The wretched man!

She had decided to lay on the ground instead, with no blanket, or pillow. She laid on the hard wooden cold floor. At least the fire from the hearth was still burning, and since she wasn't really sleeping, she had made it her duty to toss wood into it every now and then. Keeping the fire lit.

She laid there for long minutes in silence thinking, his words made sense. He was right. Prince Barak rejecting the proposal would probably be a stupid political move on his part. It could lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble. She wasn't thinking previously, but his words had reached her thick skull and he was right.

She'd run away then! She'd run away with Lyle. Oh but Aria said it would be an equally poor decision.

Oh poor Aria! She'd be restless now that this madman had decided to keep her with him. She had told Aria that if she didn't return back before the break of dawn, then she should tell her father that she had been kidnapped by the barbarians.

Oh, now that she was thinking of the order she had given to poor Aria, Neriah could only wonder why her head was filled with only poor decisions! If Aria told her father that she had been kidnapped, it'd be a disaster!

She had to get out of here! But that wicked man had the keys. And she also had to figure out a way to not marry prince Barak, and marry Lyle instead.

What else could she do??

'Well then, I guess if there's no other reason, maybe a disgraceful one, why the princess can't wed prince Barak,' the words that man had said to her suddenly replayed in her head.

Green eyes dilated in agreement. He was right! By the goddess, he was so right! Something disgraceful! What could possibly count as disgraceful that the wedding would be called off?

Maybe she could possibly act like she's been stricken with some kind of sickness. Maybe a mental illness! Oh but that probably won't work, this man has seen her, what if he sees and recognizes her later and tells his prince that she's perfectly fine? That won't work.

What if she pretended to be afflicted with some kind of physical disease? She studied herbs, so she knew a lot of poisonous plants that wouldn't kill her, but it would do damage to her skin!

Oh, but her father would find the antidotes! Oh, curses!

What could she probably do that would taint her? Something that can't be rectified. An act so vile that would make her dishonorable. That even her father would find it hard to forgive her for? Something neither her father nor the prince Barak would be able to look over.

What dishonorable thing can a young maiden bring to her family and entire nation? What? What? Wha—

And it struck her! Something dishonorable, something no one would be able to look over. Something she knew even her father would find it hard to forgive. Something that couldn't be rectified or undone once it had been done!

Losing her chastity. And worse, to no prince! She suddenly sat up straight, looking directly at the man who laid with his eyes closed on the bed.

To a nameless knight! Nothing was more disgraceful!

Oh but of all the madness a man could perform in a lifetime, what in the world was she considering? Was she really thinking of giving herself to a barbarian? Willingly! She hated him. He was unreasonable, proud, and full of himself. She hated barbarians in general, but this particular barbarian had won himself a medal of loath and irritation from her.

Was she that desperate? Was she that desperate that she'd willingly give her virginity to this man who knew how to mock a woman so well?

Yes… Oh, yes, oh yes she was desperate. She didn't want to marry that useless prince. She wanted her Lyle. Her handsome elf prince. She wanted nothing and no one else. And she knew nothing else was going to work.

She'd tried talking to her father to not give her away, that had failed woefully. She'd snuck in here to meet the prince so she could reason with him, but look how that idea turned out. She ended up being stuck with this stubborn mountain goat! And the idea of coming clean and telling the truth about her lover that this goat suggested was not going to work either. She knew it. That won't work.

Her only option now was to do something unthinkable. Something disgraceful. Giving her virginity up to a stranger when she was to be married to another, she thought, counted as very, very disgraceful.

And by all the goodness on earth, he wasn't even a bad looking stranger if she were being honest! It wouldn't be so bad! She lied when she told him he wasn't fair to look upon.

But she'd be damned for death before she'd admit it to his face that he was the most ruggedly beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Even more beautiful than her Lyle.

But his ego was already as high as a mountain peak. She didn't want it to reach the skies.

But wait, how was she going to tell her father about everything? How was she to break the news to him? Oh, she could say she was raped. That would do the trick. She'd go crying to her father and when he asked her to show whom had wronged her, she'd bring her father to this perfect stranger.

Yes! It was a winning situation for her. Her angry father would kill this bastard for touching his daughter and better, he'd not want to give his daughter to anyone from such a tribe! In fact she knew her father could wage a war against the entire Trago nation for something like that.

And after that, her Lyle would step into the story and graciously offer to marry her.

She was sure Lyle would still love her even after she lost her chastity to another man. She'd explain everything to him. She knew he loved her very much. So he'd still take her. So she didn't even have to think too much about Lyle. He wasn't a problem, he'd promise to love her for eternity, no matter what.

'Oh poor stranger, you'll have to take the fall for me. I need to use you to get what I want. Even if you would lose your life.' Neriah thought to herself. She was going to make him regret not letting her go when she had asked him to.

But the problem now was he already promised her that he wouldn't touch her, and so far he had proven to be a man of his word. He didn't touch her.

If she were to go to him now, would he agree to her demand? Would he touch her? What if he did not agree to touch her? What then? She heard of the act of seduction, but she wasn't sure she really knew what to do.

No, she was certain, she couldn't seduce the man. How was she going to even start? She'd never practiced seducing anyone before. Was she supposed to start now? With this man? Definitely not. He'd only make her look stupid and snigger at her.

Oh! What was she supposed to do?

But it seemed like the universe was on her side, for in the darkness, from the shadows of the drapes of the bed, he spoke…

"You can't sleep?" He asked. And she nodded.

He was suddenly rising from the bed, strolling toward her. And her heart slowly began to increase its pace.

"Because of the hard wooden floors?" He asked again, and he had reached her, bringing himself down on one knee before her. Bright golden eyes that reflected the flames stared down at her, promising so much, and yet giving nothing. He still kept his hands to himself.

"Or you can't seem to shake off the feeling of my hands on your flesh?"

Maybe that was there too. Madly enough, maybe she really was thinking of how he touched her, kissed her. Maybe that was why she could easily come to such a crazy conclusion of giving herself to him. Maybe, maybe not. She wasn't sure. But she was going to do this. For Lyle.

Or so she wanted to make herself believe.

"Maybe. Maybe that's just it." and she reached up to him and her lips melted over his own.