By Redhawk
Disclaimers: See disclaimers in Prologue.
Part 4
Katerin scratched her scalp, wishing it didn't itch so much. Her waist length
hair had been cut, now only reaching her shoulders. With its sheer weight no
longer hanging, the gentle breezes made it move, tickling relentlessly. Her
nose also itched, but she refused to touch it, not wanting to smear the makeup
so diligently applied by Lucinda. Turning in her seat, she looked behind her
at the remainder of the troupe.
Four wagons trailed Ros', each with an assortment of colorfully dressed people. A vague grumble could be heard from the next cage, the circus' only tiger pacing about in reaction to the excitement. Cristof was the driver of that particular wagon, the cat being his. Each of the horses had been decorated with feathered headdresses, their manes neatly combed and braided. A handful of people were still at the encampment, finishing last minute preparations for the show. Ilia was there, lending a hand with final costume stitching and practicing the lute for her first performance.
Despite the princess' circumstances, anticipation filled her and she was hard put to not fidget in her seat. Beside her, Ros clucked at the horses and held the reins. Occasionally, she'd glance at her charge, lip curled in humor at the barely contained entrancement.
Breaking through the trees, a small valley of farmland opened before them. Homesteads sprinkled the green patchwork, small dark knots in the distance. The road stretched out before them, bearing directly toward a larger cluster of buildings.
Ros pulled up her steeds, tying their reins about the brake. "Come, Katerin," she said before disappearing over the side of the wagon.
Gulping, the brunette obeyed, stopping long enough to peer down the suddenly very tall traveling abode. She saw the circus owner looking up, impatience flashing, and Katerin lifted her chin in response. With ginger steps, she eased over the side, feet finding the rungs that would carry her back to the ground. By the time she planted herself firmly on the dusty road, everyone else had gathered around Ros at the back of her wagon. The princess drifted closer.
"Hodsin is up ahead," the blonde was saying. "Daiki, release the dogs and have Minkhat help with the hoops. Martim, Tommaso, Cristof, Willem and Katerin will drive the wagons. Sameer and Abdullah, post the flyers and make it fun. Gemma, Minkhat, Usiku and Sati, do some tumbles and the like. Wilm will stay with the monkey. Have I forgotten anyone?"
The gathering looked at each other, a general murmur of dissent rising.
With a nod, Ros continued, "Fantastic. Hodsin was a godsend last season when we came through. Rumor has it they've done twice as well with their crops this year. Make it good and we'll have food for our table for a fortnight." With a final scan of her people, the blonde grinned rakishly. "Let's have at it, then." They parted with excited babble, each bent to their task.
Chewing her lower lip, Katerin edged closer to the owner. "I've not driven a wagon before," she murmured, blushing at her inability.
"No matter, Katerin," the blonde answered in a distracted tone as she pulled on soft black leather gloves. "Just hold the reins and keep them from being tangled. You'll not need any experience for it, the horses have been well trained." When the smaller woman still hesitated, Ros' eyes fixed upon her. Her voice warmed and she grinned slightly. "No worries, lass. I'll be holding their bridles down below. These big lummoxes don't spook easily."
Coloring further at Ros' attempt to ease her mind, the brunette ducked her head. "Aye. No worries." Swallowing hard, she turned without another word and climbed the rungs up the wagon. Katerin untied the reins, staring at the mess of leather in her hands for a moment.
To give the woman a bit more time to collect herself, Ros made a final check of the wagons and people, stopping here and there as needed to adjust costume or placement. Once all was well, she returned, looking up to see that Katerin had finally figured out which rein went where. "Ready?" she asked softly as she took the lead horse's bridle.
Katerin inhaled deeply, bolstering her courage as she nodded.
Ros craned her neck to look down the procession. "Let's go!" she called, tugging on the steed to get him started.
All in all, driving the wagon wasn't as difficult as Katerin thought. True to Ros' word, the mounts appeared to be steady and properly trained. All the brunette did was hold the straps of leather in loose hands as the circus owner lead the team.
About them, Hodsin woke up to the new arrivals as the wagons passed the first low buildings. Children called in excitement and ran towards the center of the township, announcing their visitors as a pair of wandering geese honked in displeasure at nearly being trampled. The adult inhabitants left their abodes and businesses to trail along with the circus, grinning in welcome at the pleasant interruption in their day, and a fine procession arrived at the town square. Once there, people stood aside as the troupe circled about a time or two, showing off the richly painted wagons and themselves before stopping.
"Township of Hodsin!" Ros called, her voice ringing through the square. She raised her arms and stepped forward, all eyes upon her welcome smile. "Let it be known that tonight - tonight! - a performance beyond your wildest imaginations shall occur not two leagues east of this spot!" The blonde stamped her boot to punctuate her sentence. "You are all invited to join us, to witness spectacular acts that will tease your fancy and boggle your mind!" Turning to the wagons, the blonde waved her people forward.
Katerin blinked from her reverie, chagrined that she'd been so openly staring at Ros' presentation; the energy fairly crackled about the circus owner. Glancing around, she could see the others climb from the wagons, moving toward the blonde and, scrambling, she followed suit. Unsure of what to do, however, the brunette opted to stand at the head of the team, gently holding a bridle as she watched.
"Witness just a sampling of what we have to offer," Ros finished, bowing elegantly and stepping back.
Daiki and Minkhat surged forward, four small dogs yapping at their heels. The swarthy clown held two medium sized hoops in his hand. At the dog trainer's instruction, the animals began an intricate pattern of leaping through them. In response, the people clapped, laughing when one dog appeared to take a liking to Minkhat, jumping up to bounce off his chest and through a hoop.
While this was occurring, the others were not idle and neither was the audience. Some of the people had drifted towards Cristof and he was regaling them with horrific tales of how many men his tiger had killed. At one point, he rapped the cage with a cane and the cat snarled and growled in response, scaring the living daylights out of the youngsters. Wilm was wandering about the crowd, the monkey on his shoulder, answering questions about the animal and allowing children to pet it. The boy's mother, Sati, was being chased about the crowd by Gemma, their behavior ludicrous in the extreme as they ran circles about people and generally caused havoc. Usiku, his midnight skin sporting a patchwork of colorful paint, closely studied an old man's clothing, half undressing the fellow in his inspection.
Once the dogs finished their
exhibition, Daiki called them back, tossing them each a treat before taking
the hoops from his assistant. Free from aiding the trainer, Minkhat leapt into
the air with a whoop, doing a backflip before joining the chase of Sati and
Gemma. Taking their cue, Tommaso and Martim stalked forward and glanced confidently
about the clearing. After a moment of sizing the crowd up, they looked at each
other, nodded and began their act.
Tommaso squatted down, holding very still as Martim placed a huge hand on his
head. In seconds, the audience gasped as the second man levered his body up
until he was standing, one handed, all his weight on his partner's head.
Katerin watched in awe, as she'd done at rehearsal the day before, while the two men practiced what they referred to as 'hand to hand.' Movement from the corner of her eye drew her away from the act, and she spotted Sameer and Abdullah handing out flyers. She couldn't help but giggle at them, one tiny and the other massive, as they played off their size to do their task. Abdullah would squat down for the dwarf to clamber up the muscled body, bringing him eye to eye with an average sized woman that he flirted with, handing her one of the many flyers he carried. At another point, he circled a man who appeared to be the tallest one in the audience, his craggy face screwed into a scowl of consternation. Tugging on Abdullah's pant leg, he made some comment and, in response, the large performer picked Sameer up by the back of his shirt and dangled him before the tall man's face.
"What do you do?"
Surprised at being approached, Katerin looked down to a girl of about eight. "Me?" Her mind raced as she tried to come up with an answer, dark eyes casting about as she searched her thoughts.
"This is my assistant, Kat," Ros responded as she stepped near and knelt down.
The girl giggled, glancing back at two of her friends who were edging closer. Pointing up at the brunette, she said, "She's not a cat! And what does she assist with?"
Relieved at the interruption, Katerin was nonetheless wary of the circus owner's response. After the last day of innuendo, there was simply too much that could be said to answer that question.
Also picking up the potential, Ros looked up at the princess and winked, her grin impish. "Well," and she returned her attention to the girl. "Kat is her name. And she helps me with my magic."
"You're magic?" the girl asked, eyes wide, all thought of Katerin gone. Her friends, interest peaked, pushed closer.
"Aye," the blonde nodded solemnly. "Let me show you."
Biting back a sigh of relief, the princess watched Ros entertain the trio with sleight of hand for a few moments, rolling a coin along the backs of her fingers, making it disappear and reappear once more. Despite a desire to keep away from the blonde, Katerin found herself intrigued by the conversation, a small smile forming as she watched Ros teach the girls a simple trick. How can she be so sweet and so vulgar at the same time?
When each of the children had mastered the act of a disappearing coin, Ros appeared to pull a piece of hard candy from each one's ear and present it to them, smiling and commending their magical abilities. As they scampered off to their parents, she rose, winked once more at Katerin and returned to the center of the square. Tommaso and Martim finished their act, waving at the scattered applause as they backed away.
"Township of Hodsin! You've seen but an insignificant offering here. Tonight, you will witness such wonders that only the courts of kings and emperors have seen." Ros turned in place, eyes raking everyone present with a mixture of mystery and glee. "You will be able to see aerial feats of daring, magic, juggling and much, much more!"
"Do ye still breath fire, lass?" a woman called from the audience.
The blonde turned and bowed, a grin on her face. "Aye, I do. I've yet to lose an eyebrow from it."
Laughing, another spoke. "And do you still have dancers?" He wiggled his eyebrows, a friend guffawing and thumping him on the back.
"Aye!" Ros answered.
"Lucinda and Habibah are preparing for your… entertainment, even as
we speak." She smiled at the murmur of anticipation. Bringing things to
a close, she bowed with an elegant flourish and stepped back, her troupe taking
her cue and boarding their transportation. "Join us
tonight, good folk of Hodsin. We will be awaiting you."
Katerin found herself being hustled up the wagon, the blonde in close pursuit. Settling in their seat, Ros grabbed up the reins, quickly untangling them. As the horses began the trek back through town, she murmured through smiling lips, "Smile! Wave at them, Katerin."
Doing as ordered, the princess watched as the people drifted along with them, children running in excitement until they reached the edge of town. From there, they continued on unescorted. Once around a bend in the road and out of sight, the princess dropped her arm and faced forward again.
"That went well," Ros said. "I expect we'll get quite the turnout tonight."
Heartened by the attempt at conversation, Katerin asked, "Is it like that in every town?"
The blonde head shook in the negative. "No. Not always. During good years, we receive good bounty. In bad… Well, suffice it to say, when the crops suffer, so do we. People are less willing to be kind-hearted." After a thoughtful pause, she said, "It's been a good year so far, and we've only just begun the season. Any extra foodstuffs we'll receive will go into the stores for the winter."
Conversation halted for a few moments, the only sound the steady clop clop of hooves in the road. "What happens now?" Katerin asked.
"Now? We return to camp, prepare to greet our guests and put on the best show ever."
Tending the firepits was a filthy job. Katerin, a smudge of dark ash decorating
her right cheek, added more kindling to the iron brazier. As the flame caught,
she adjusted the mirror, directing the light towards the makeshift stage. She
kept low, moving to the next pot to repeat her actions. Nearly a dozen braziers
circled the center of the tent, providing illumination for the performers. It
had fallen on Katerin and Ilia, the least skilled of the troupe, to keep them
blazing. Currently, the dark young woman was alone in her task, as her handmaiden
was needed to play the lute for an upcoming act.
Around her, the crowd burst into laughter. Glancing at the cleared center, she saw Usiku pulling what appeared to be a long string of colorful cloth from his breeches. That the material turned out to be several pairs of smallclothes tied together only made the audience laugh harder. An exaggerated look of embarrassment when he finally peeked into his breeches forced a chuckle from Katerin; she shook her head at his antics, stoking the small fire before her.
Scattered around the edges of the audience were torches to light the way for those wishing to come and go, though not many utilized the opportunity. It appeared that the entire population of the valley was present, flickering torchlight reflecting no less than fifty people enjoying the show. This was the troupe's third performance in as many days, the word of their presence spreading like wildfire through the small community. Ros had been correct in her assessment of their bounty; the cook wagon now held several additional pounds of wheat and corn, three salted hams, two dozen eggs and an assortment of drying herbs. There had been promises of two casks of beer and a handful of roasting hens should the troupe decide to stay for another day.
Katerin scooted to the next brazier, wiping sweat from her forehead, smearing even more ash on her delicate features. Around her, the audience roared and clapped as Gemma pulled Usiku's breeches down to his ankles, revealing a monstrous fig leaf guarding his privates. Grabbing up his drawers, the man gave chase, his buttocks flashing in the torchlight as he stumbled his way after his companion. Once they were both out of sight, Ros entered the center, a barely suppressed expression of somber excitement upon her face. Instinctively, the people hushed, some even leaning forward in eager anticipation. Katerin found she was mesmerized once again, an unsettling habit she'd developed over the last three days when watching the blonde woman.
"In the deepest, darkest
jungles of Mohsir lurks a beast so vicious, so
horrible that the natives of the region liken it to a demon," she said,
her rough voice pitched low. As Ros spoke, music began to build from somewhere
behind her. "Many have seen it; few have survived to tell their woeful
tale. One man - a great and noble hunter - braved the depths of that jungle,
searching for the Mohsir Demon."
When the blonde looked pointedly at Katerin, an embarrassed flush crossed the princess' face as she realized she'd missed her cue. Thanking the gods for the darkness, she hastily adjusted the mirror before her until the light washed across Cristof waiting to one side.
Satisfied that things were back on schedule, the circus owner continued weaving her story, circling around and making eye contact with her audience. Behind her, Cristof acted out the tale. "Upon finding the beast's lair, he gathered his weapons. His goal was to capture this horrible animal and so he built a cage of bamboo and vines."
A bizarre wooden contraption trundled out, pushed by Minkhat and Willem. It was actually made of elm and rope, created from leftover branches once the tent poles had been stripped, but in the flickering lights it looked rustic enough for their purpose. They then rolled out two barrels, placing them in the center near the flimsy cage before disappearing into the dark.
"Armed only with a whip and a stave, the great hunter prepared to lure the beast into the open. What follows is a re-enactment of that fateful battle," Ros finished, moving out of the central area.
Cristof pulled the whip from his belt and let it fly, the sharp crack causing the audience to gasp. In the darkness behind the stage, a low growl could be heard, followed by a woman squeaking in fear from among the spectators. Katerin, her attention no longer diverted by the circus owner's presence, bent to her task. She had seen the 'Mohsir Demon' lying on her back, receiving a tummy rub by young Wilm, so the act was less than astounding. Ilia soon reappeared and the pair of them fell back into the mindless drudgery. So lost in her thoughts, Katerin didn't notice the new arrivals.
Ros, however, did.
From her vantage point, the owner saw three men slip through the main entrance and begin scanning the crowd. While they weren't causing a disturbance, Ros had no doubt who they were looking for. Catching Abdullah and Willem's eyes, she nodded towards the entry. The three troupe members converged on the obvious soldiers.
"I'm glad you could join us," Ros said, her voice nearly a whisper so as not to disturb the nearest villagers. "Perhaps you and your men would like to sit? The show is not quite half finished."
The apparent leader looked her up and down. "No," he responded. "We'll stand." With a glance and a nod at his comrades, he sent them to look through the audience.
With great skill, Ros refrained from scowling at the unwelcome visitor. "I'm the owner of this circus. Is there something I can help you with?"
Eyes narrowing as the soldier's interest piqued, he asked, "How long have you been in this area?"
His tone brooked no argument and Ros was hard put not to respond in kind. "I'm not at liberty to answer your questions right now. As I said, we're halfway through our performance." She gestured behind her to the stage where Cristof had his tiger balancing precariously upon one of the barrels. "This act is nearly over and I must introduce the next."
"You'll answer what questions I put to you when I ask them," the soldier growled taking a half-step forward.
Holding up her hand to forestall her companions looming forward, Ros' eyes raked over the man before her, her face stern. "Do not forget yourself, captain. I doubt the queen of Dellenri would appreciate hearing of the Invader's soldiers rousting citizens within her borders." Before he could respond, the blonde continued smoothly, "I will be most happy to answer any questions you have once this performance is over. Feel free to post your men as guards; once our guests have left, we will speak."
Studying her closely, searching for any subterfuge, the captain nodded stiffly. With a jerk of his head he recalled his men and the trio stepped outside.
Turning away, Ros sighed in frustration. The question is, did they track us? Or stumble upon us during a sweep? She gauged how far along Cristof was in his act, not surprised to find that the ending had long since passed and he was improvising. The crowd appeared to be getting restless, instinctively knowing something had changed.
"Now what, Ros?" Willem asked.
The blonde sighed again and adjusted her sleeve. "Let's get this finished. We've got a far more important performance tonight. Inform the others." She barely heard their responses as she strode toward the stage to introduce the next act.
All too soon the performances were over. Standing center stage, Ros looked out
over the audience, catching the telltale glint of torchlight on chainmail, and
gave her closing speech. A welcome cheer met her invitation for all to return
the next afternoon for one final show. Bounding forward to accept their accolades,
entertainers bowed and waved before dashing out of sight into the darkness.
Katerin and Ilia lit torches around the stage before capping the braziers, giving
better illumination for their guests to leave. About them, the hubbub of a satisfied
crowd rose and fell.
Normally, after all had left, their next chore would be to put out the torches and make certain that the braziers were properly extinguished before going to bed. Samheer had come round earlier, however, to inform them of the unwanted guests and that there'd been a change of plan. Looking towards the main entrance, fear fluttered in Katerin's throat at the sight of three guardsmen.
"Katerin."
Flinching in surprise, the dark woman turned to find Sati, the remains of clown makeup smearing at the edges of the woman's face.
Reaching out, Sati laid a calming hand on Katerin's forearm. "I'm sorry I startled you," she said softly. "Ros sent me."
Katerin placed her hand over the older woman's. "It's all right. What did Ros need from Ilia and I?" she asked, smiling in reassurance at her handmaiden.
Sati nodded at the shy blonde before returning her gaze to Katerin. "We've been through similar situations as this. Ilia, you're to clean up and go to your wagon. The soldiers will want to know who sleeps where."
Swallowing heavily, Katerin's heart sank as she realized where this was heading. "I as well?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
Sati smiled in sympathy. Squeezing the smaller woman's arm, she said, "Aye. Though Ros says you're not to clean up prior." She reached up with her free hand to muss Katerin's recently shorn hair. "She says to act the simpleton and follow her lead."
Nodding, the princess raised her chin, giving the impression of a lamb being led to slaughter. A simpleton who warms the sapphist owner's bed.
A scowl crossed the Sati's face and she squeezed Katerin's arm again. "Stop that! Ros would never hurt or take advantage of you despite her tendencies."
Katerin ducked her head in shame. "Forgive me," she murmured. "You're absolutely correct."
Sati shook her head. "Let it go, Kat. We've no time to discuss it." Glancing around at the now empty tent, she released the dark woman's arm. "Come. Let's see how good an actor you are."
As she followed, Katerin mused that she was royalty - Acting is in my blood. Reaching out, she grasped Ilia's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they stepped out into the evening. Certain the pair would follow orders, Sati left them at the entrance, joining her small family at their wagon.
"Milady...?" the nervous blonde whispered, eyes large as she spotted the guardsmen walking about the encampment with Ros.
"Do as Sati said, Ilia.
All will be well. Remember, you and I joined the
troupe a month ago." With an encouraging nod, Katerin released the woman's
hand. In sudden inspiration, she leaned over and whispered, "Pretend one
of the guardsmen is young Malcolm."
Ilia blushed, dropping her gaze at the memory of a certain young smith apprentice who'd been sweet on her. "Aye, milady," she said. At Katerin's urging, Ilia grabbed up her skirt and left to join Gemma and Lucinda at their wagon.
The princess watched the handmaiden until she reached her destination. Scanning the encampment, she saw that Ros had almost completed a full circle and only had three more wagons to go before her own. "Best get on with it, then," Katerin said under her breath.
Aware of the soldiers' watchful eyes, she ducked her head and allowed her shoulders to slump. Her steps became a shuffle as she went to Ros' wagon. Once there, Katerin settled on the stool that the owner used to prop her feet. Her wait wasn't long.
"And here is my wagon," Ros said, leading the Invader's trio.
"Who's this?" the captain grunted, looking down at the woman seated on a low stool.
"Kat! Stand up and greet our guests!" the circus owner insisted, pushing past the guard and dragging the brunette to her feet.
Startled, Katerin jumped at the sudden strong grip on her arm. Biting her tongue at the immediate irritated response, she opted to keep her head down, masking an angry flush. "Good evening," she mumbled, giving an awkward curtsey.
Apparently satisfied, Ros released the younger woman's arm, rubbing it gently. "Aye, much better." Turning to the captain she grinned ruefully. "Please excuse her. She's not had much experience with proper etiquette."
The captain eyed the smaller woman in speculation. Ordering his men to search the wagon with a nod of his head, he returned his attention to Katerin. "How long have you been here?" he asked the filthy woman.
There was an uncomfortable silence broken only by the sounds of Ros' wagon being tossed. Finally, Katerin shrugged with one shoulder. "I don't know, sir. A long time."
"She's a bit simple," the blonde explained in an undertone, finger circling the air beside her ear. "I picked her up in Aimsbury at the same time as Elsa."
Ignoring the owner, the captain reached out and tilted Katerin's face up. "Here, girl. Let's have a look at you." His touch was not unkind as he turned her face this way and that, squinting at her ash covered features in the light of a nearby lantern.
Katerin's dark eyes were fearful as she met his. While her royal training insisted she keep his gaze, she knew better. Allowing her trepidation to show, she chewed her lip, attempting to stare at the ground during his inspection.
The two soldiers interrupted his inspection as they returned from their search. "Anything?" he asked.
"No, sir," one responded, scanning the blonde woman's length. "Only one bed. A few changes of clothing for this one, though nothing but a shift for the other."
Pursing his lips, the captain turned his attention to Ros, an eyebrow lifting in question.
With a wave at Katerin's dirty appearance, the owner said, "That's hardly surprising, is it? Her job is to take care of the braziers during performances. I'd be a fool to waste money on more for her. She'd soil it within minutes." She continued with an ingenious grin, "Besides, her other… attributes are what I keep her for and clothing isn't necessary."
It took a moment for the comment to sink in. While one soldier was able to keep a straight face, the other burst into a wicked guffaw before he could stifle himself.
The captain's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold. His grasp on the small woman's chin tightened and he leaned forward to stare at her. "Is this true?" he grated. "Do you share this…woman's bed?"
His weathered face filled her vision and Katerin forced herself to look at him. Gods! Now what do I do? Realizing that the situation precluded Ros being able to help her, the brunette went with her gut instincts. A sweet smile crossed her lips, and she said, "Yes, sir. I keeps her warm at nights."
Releasing her and stepping backwards, the captain sneered at the blonde. "Sapphist bitch."
Ros' smile turned feral as she smoothly moved between the man and woman. "Aye, that I am. Not only a sapphist, but a bitch as well. You'd do well to remember that." Her tone was not quite a threat and she made no move to reach for the sword hanging from her hip.
After staring at her in disgust for another minute, the captain waved his soldiers off. "What we're looking for's not here," he pronounced. "Let's go." Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the camp.
There was a long pause as all watched them go. Just near the tent entrance, the three gathered large warhorses and mounted. With a final derisive glance backwards, the captain kicked his steed into a gallop. The thunder of hooves faded into the distance and silence reigned for a few moments.
Katerin, still standing behind Ros, stared at the blonde woman, relief washing over her. She watched the woman reach up to scratch at tousled blonde hair and rub the nape of her neck. A sudden desire washed over the dark woman, a yearning to ease the burden on those shoulders and her hands almost reached up before she caught herself. Staring down at the ground in mild confusion, she balled her hands into fists. Chuckling caught her attention and Katerin looked up as the circus owner turned.
"That," Ros insisted, "was priceless!" Without thought, she grabbed the smaller woman into a hug, spinning her around. "You've outdone yourself, Kat! You've missed your calling!" She set Katerin back onto her feet, chortling.
Flustered, half embarrassed and half pleased, the brunette allowed a small grin to cross her face. "Thank you." As the rest of the troupe approached, laughing and talking excitedly in relief, Katerin could still smell the circus owner's scent, feel the strong arms about her, and her skin tingled in response. What is this…? Before she could analyze the strangeness, Ilia approached and distracted her.
It was late, most of the troupe long ago having gone to their beds in exhaustion.
Ros looked up from the small book she was updating, diverted from the last minute
accounts by a noise. She was seated at the small table in her wagon, a hooded
lantern illuminating her work. In the bed to her right, Katerin had fallen asleep
and it was from there the sound came again. Puzzled, the blonde adjusted the
lantern, allowing the light to sweep across the sleeping form.
The smaller woman moaned and tossed her head, her expression pained.
Another bad dream. Ros rose and settled on her side of the bed, reaching out to gently caress the dark bangs.
As Katerin struggled with the nightmare, barely coming to consciousness, she could feel fingers caress her forehead.
"Shhh. It's just a bad dream," a familiar voice murmured. "You're safe now."
Sighing, Katerin relaxed back into sleep.