To Capture a Captain's Heart (closed)

"I'm sorry, milady, but I cannot listen this time."

"Your lady? Hah!" Olaf scoffed, regaining courage now that he knew Christopher wasn't just a ghost. "Didn't she tell you? She's my wife now."

"She will be a widow when we leave this place."

"Did she mention the lovely time we had not even a half-hour ago?" Olaf grinned darkly, and Christopher snarled viciously in a way Kayla had never seen.

Olaf lunged at them both, throwing Kayla aside to clash with Christopher, but he was surprised to see the Captain hold his own well.
 
Kayla gasped as Olaf flung her aside, her body crashing to the hard floor as the two men fought for her. She had never heard Christopher snarl so darkly before. He had always been so reserved and kind but now he was a fighter. She needed to part them men before he was hurt, she thought to herself as she pulled herself from the ground and struggled to squeeze between the both of them.
 
Olaf snatched her arm and she felt her wrist on the verge of breaking, and everything went silent as he dropped his sword and pulled his knife, gouging it deep into Kayla's belly. Christopher was frozen in shock and Olaf leaned in to whisper to Kayla, "You just forfeited the lives of everyone you love, my dear wife."
 
The bones in her delicate wrist screamed in pain as Olaf snatched her arm, jerking her away from Christopher. Everything seemed to slow down as his sword clattered to the ground and suddenly his knife was pulled free. The sharp silver blade plunged deep into her belly, the searing hot pain making her gasp before her free hand moved to grip the handle, closing over his hand.

Her dark eyes looked into his as he leaned forward and whispered against her ear, telling her that everyone she loved was as good as dead now. Her lips went dry, blood seeping over her fingers as she dared to look down at the blade that was now inside her body. She had a hard time processing what was happening, the blood rushing loudly in her ears.

“Olaf…” She said softly, her voice trembling as she felt weak. “When the Captain kills you…Norway will be mine.”
 
"Kayla..." Christopher whispered, in more pain than he could imagine.

"Insolent woman!" He snapped and ripped the blade from her belly, but then Kayla saw Christopher as if in-slow motion, drawing his sword back to finish the Norwegian King. Olaf turned, lunging forward and bringing the knife down into Christopher's right shoulder between the beginning of his arm and neck, but Christopher didn't hesitate. His blade cleaved a downward path through the air and into Olaf's own shoulder before he drew back again and, with a fencer's lunge, stuck the blade straight through Olaf's throat and out the back of his neck. Olaf remained on his feet for several seconds, life draining away as he glared his last at Christopher before crumbling.

Time returned to normal as Christopher fell back against the wall, panting heavily and ripping the blade from his shoulder with a cry of intense pain. But he forgot it quickly, looking to Kayla. "Milady..." He whispered.
 
Kayla had collapsed to the floor, staring up at the ceiling of her childhood room. Who would have thought that her life would end there. The blood pooled between her fingers, spilling over her gown as she heard Christopher call to her in a soft voice. She frowned, her eyes turning towards him as he knelt beside her.

“I thought…I thought dying would be more painful.” She murmured, reaching up her injured hand to touch his cheek gently. “But I’m glad you’re here, Captain.”
 
"No... no, milady, you aren't dying," he came to her side and sat her up slowly, wrapping his arms around her. "You can't..." He whispered. "You have to stay, give me the chance to make you happy... not this..." Holding back tears, he shook his head. "No... you... you'll be just fine, milady. I swear it." He wrapped his arms beneath her despite his destroyed shoulder, and lifted her up as he stood. Slowly but surely, he carried her out of the room and down the hall, through the great hall and out the doors of the Keep.

"Lady Julia!" He called as loudly as he could while Kayla's world began to darken around her. "Someone! I need a healer!"
 
Kayla rested her head against Christopher’s shoulder, her entire world swimming towards darkness as he carried her out of the room and down the hall, through the great hall and outside. Her entire body was starting to ache, throbbing as the man that she loved tried to save her. She was so tired though…

“I’m sorry, Christopher.” She murmured weakly, tears in her eyes as she looked into his grief stricken features. “I’m so tired.”

She gasped as he started to run, calling for a healer. “I love you, my Captain. Please remember that always.”

With those words, Kayla slipped into darkness, never knowing if she would reawaken again.
 
After a long period of darkness with the occasional voice in the recesses in her mind, Kayla felt a gentle rumbling against her side and along her unhurt arm, and heard a sound like... purring? As light came to her eyes, she found her twin's dear pet Ballas laying beside her, waiting for her to wake.
 
Kayla woke to a world of pain. Both arms ached fiercely, her splinted wrist throbbing. Yet, not even the wound to her back or her belly hurt as much as the damage that had been done between her thighs. Kayla let out a soft moan as she came back to the land of the living, glancing to the side to see Ballas looking at her with those soulful eyes. It was almost like he knew what had happened.

“Papa…” She murmured weakly as she heard the clanging of medicine jars in the room, someone instantly stopping what they were doing to rush back to her side.
 
Vincenzo knelt at her side immediately, laying a hand on her cheek with a loving smile. "Kayla, my little love," he spoke softly. "I was beginning to think you'd never wake, dearest." Ballas rose to get out of the way, but he remained close.
 
Kayla let out a sigh as Vincenzo’s loving face came into view, his hand resting against her cheek. Then he spoke, making her tremble as tears came to her eyes. As fast as she could, she wrapped her arms around his neck, biting back the cry of pain that wanted to escape as she held him tight.

“Is everyone…?” She murmured, her voice trembling as she waited for the answer that very well might shatter her world.
 
Carefully, Vincenzo laid her broken wrist back at her side and held her closer as he kissed her forehead. He rested her body against him, supporting her back so not to stretch it. "Everyone is alive and healing. But Sarah has Brogan we believe. The entire family is here now." He then added with a smile, "Including your handsome Captain. He was awake watching over you for days, he's finally sleeping now."
 
The moment that Vincenzo mentioned the Captain, Kayla’s eyes turned sad. She couldn’t even look into her step-father’s eyes any longer as she rested her weary head against his shoulder. She was ashamed of what had happened to her while she had been with Olaf and while she had been married at the time of her defilement, she didn’t think that there was anyone in the world that could possibly want her any longer.

“He didn’t have to stay.” She said softly, sniffling back the wave of tears that fell as she thought about on what Olaf had done. “I mean…I’m sure that he knows I can’t marry him now.”

She didn’t know what had been discovered or told about her condition, but she was sure that Vincenzo knew the extend of her injuries. It broke her heart into pieces.
 
"And why is it you think that, Kayla?" Vincenzo asked as he brushed her pretty hair back. "Because of Olaf? Christopher thinks you won't want him any more because he thinks he failed you and the family when you were nearly killed. I've never seen a man so infuriated with himself."
 
Kayla actually blushed as Vincenzo brushed back her hair, asking her why she thought that Christopher didn’t want her any longer. She couldn’t fight back the tears or the absolute misery as she finally found the courage to make her confession.

“Because of what Olaf did.” She whispered softly, tears streaming down her face. “He hurt me, Papa. He took something so precious from me. I should have listened to Durban.”
 
"I know, darling... Christopher told me how he found you, we both knew. But the fact is, you're still pure and Christopher doesn't think of what Olaf did when he sees you. He sees his dear Lady Kayla, the lovely beauty who captured and kept his heart just years ago."
 
Kayla was quiet for a long moment after Vincenzo confessed to her that Christopher knew what had happened. She sniffled and struggled to compose herself. It was hard to think about the person that she’d been, so bright and sunny, and then to look upon the person that she was now with an aching heart and a gloom that didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“You…you haven’t told anything else…have you?” She asked him softly, knowing that she would rather die then to face the pitying looks of her family when they came to visit her.
 
"The only other person who knows is your mother. She was helping me with you when Christopher brought you out from the Keep. Rest assured we don't tell people things like that."
 
Kayla nodded, her forehead pressing against her stepfather’s cheek. She let out a long sigh of relief, knowing that the three people that she held so dearly would keep her secret until the grave. She was about to speak again when the door was suddenly flung open and Ashien stepped in, a look of relief on his face as Ballas had alerted him to the fact that his twin was awake.

“Ash.” She said softly, her broken arm reaching out to hold her twin brother tightly.
 
Ashien knew her arm was broken and he stopped her from using it before drawing her into his arms. "Careful, little sister..." he'd always called her that because she was his smallest sibling and he was the first to be born of the two.
 
“I’m so happy to see you again.” She murmured as he stopped her from using her arm, drawing her into the warm circle of his familiar embrace. “I never thought I would.”

She had just buried her face against his shoulder when the room suddenly began to fill with the familiar sounds of her loud and loving family.
 
Vincenzo controlled the noise and chaos and whatnot, as Ashien smiled down to his sister. "Of course, I had to make it back to finally introduce you to my wife. And to be here when you meet your new niece."

Boar took his brother's cue and stepped forward with Emma with his tiny daughter in his arms. "Hiya, love... meet your niece Kayla."
 
Kayla looked up at Boar as he stood over her with his tiny little daughter. She was in awe as he gently positioned the newborn in her good arm, the little girl’s head resting lightly against her arm. She was in awe that her strong, hulking brother had made something so tiny and perfect.

“She’s beautiful.” Kayla said softly, stroking her fingers through her niece’s thick black hair.

“It only seemed right to name her after you.” Emma said with a smile as she took Boar’s hand, holding it tight.

Kayla leaned in and kissed the little girl’s brow, smiling down at her with tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”

“No, baby sister. Thank you for what you did.” Selena said softly from the side of the bed.
 
"Yer a gem, love... more'n a gem," Boar spoke as he touched his sister's cheek gently. "Y'saved us when y'made tha' deal with Olaf... Sarah didn' 'ave th'power t'attack after 'is men settled 'ere a while. Tha' gave Julia enough time t'come back an' retake th'town. An' because o' you... Norway's now an ally o'Scotland and under yer command. Th'warriors left 'ave pledged their loyalty t'ya."
 
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