“At least you managed to get him to show up,” her father spat out in a sharp hiss as he paced before her. “Still could smell the booze on him when I walked past. I thought you were going to take care of that?”<br/><br/>“He is a grown man and the prince of our kingdom. There is only so much that I can do when it comes to him…” she lied, but there was no way her father would know just how more like friends they were than subject and lord.<br/><br/>“Fine fine. But what of the other plan? The one about securing our family a place in history,” there was an urgency in his voice that made Ausan sick to her stomach.<br/><br/>“That plan is not going to work. For several reasons, one being I don’t care for him in such a fashion we are comrades and brothers in arms nothing more. Another being there is no indication that he thinks of me as anything else either and lastly, he has himself, someone, he is interested in,” the last reason cut deep to the core. Though from years of hiding her feelings from the man before her, he would never know.<br/><br/>“What do you mean?! You were supposed to get close to him and offer yourself to him. Securing us a spot within the royal family due to the heir you would conceive. It has nothing to do with how you feel about him, he is a man, and all men want just one thing.”<br/><br/>“Not when it comes to me, father.” Tone exasperated as this was a conversation they often had, which he never did seem to get. “Men see me more as another man than a woman with whom to couple with and father any children with. I am what you have made me and to demand that I-“<br/><br/>The backhand was quick, he always had a fast hand when it came corrections. The blood that welled in her mouth was swallowed, her jaw set in a thin line, Ausan fixated her gaze straight ahead.<br/><br/>“You are only worth anything to me if you can marry or bed well enough to give me a proper male heir. Without that, you are still a worthless tool that I cannot begin to get rid of because, for whatever reason, the Gods have cursed me to have you and ONLY YOU!”<br/><br/>The last bit shouted into her face with enough passion that a bit of his spittle hit her in the face. Past experience with the man, taught her to keep entirely still and now wipe away anything. Instead, she just kept her face forward and did not even blink as he continued his rant.<br/><br/>“You will go out as ordered and ensure that our family is noted for having saved the day! Understand?”<br/><br/>“Yes, M'lord.”<br/><br/>“Good.”<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: black;background:black;"/></div><br/><br/>Fiona was the last name she had wanted to hear that day and all she wanted was to hit something to make herself feel better. The woman was, detestable, the snarky comments thrown at Ausan when Barth was not around. The way she flaunted the fact that she had him and Ausan did not was like a constant slap in the face. How the bitch ever figured out the feelings Ausan had for Barth, the woman could not begin to guess, but the fact that Fiona knew at all was enough to piss the warrior off to no end. As they approached the people of the plains, she sighed at the comments thrown at the people from one of the King’s men and instantly wished she could punch him right in the mouth.<br/><br/>The tense situation kicked it up a notch a mother screamed and tried to catch a child who ran straight for Ausan. If ever she felt like a giant before, it was more so now as the petite child basically skipped up to her and offered her a braided piece of ribbon. Within the palm of her hand, the delicate bit of material felt so out of place. The hand that generally held a sword or was clenched in a fist, it looked like as if at any moment it would be destroyed.<br/><br/>“Wnaethoch chi wneud hyn?” the language felt foreign to her tongue, the lessons from her youth rusty from lack of use but still there when she needed it.<br/><br/>“YDW! Dysgodd fy mam i mi!” the child answered with excitement and pointed toward the frantic woman in the crowd behind her.<br/><br/>“Pam rhoi i mi?” she asked the girl.<br/><br/>“Edrych fel roedd angen ffrind.” The response as straightforward and innocent as she could hope and it caused Ausan to feel a swell of emotions in which she struggled to keep in check. Not another word was said as she knelt down and held her hand out to the child.<br/><br/>“Yr wyf yn Ausan ac yn sicr yr wyf am ichi fel ffrind.” A smile beamed on her face as the girl took her hand and then threw her arms around her neck. In one smooth motion, Ausan stood to her feet with the child held by one arm.<br/><br/>“Barth, I have made a friend. How are you doing with your talk?” the grin on her face could not be helped as she smugly thought how Fiona would not have been helpful right now. Too busy trying to suck Barth’s cock or whatever it was that a whore like her did.