Chapter 1

The young fourteen year old Princess sat in a comfortable chair watching the sun rise above the rocky hills that surrounded Morathia. The rare oppressive heat forced her Highness to wear the lightest gown she had in her wardrobe. Usually the castle was damp and cold even the in summer, but not last night nor this morning. Her gaze across the valley thrilled her as it wore its rich lush green carpet. She viewed the forests, the river and crops growing in abundance. Already the serfs were up and about doing their jobs to eke out a living just barely surviving on its yield. She always pitied these people for subsisting in poverty while she lived in luxury.

Nora was the only living issue of King William II and his wife Debra. Her brother Edward was born two years before her dying from consumption at the age of three. If he lived, he would be heir to the throne. Now William had to look about the other small kingdoms for a prince to marry his daughter whose beauty was known throughout a two hundred mile radius of Morathia. Lengthy raven hair, eyebrows, and long dark lashes christened her comely face along with a small nose and lush lips. Her body was not fully developed but promised to be like the rest of her. Nora's most outstanding feature was her sparkling blue eyes that could melt a man's heart if she looked favorably upon him. She was five foot high, tall for a woman of the Dark Ages.

Nora and her father often clashed violently when the talk of marriage came up.

"I will not marry that mouse Felix nor will I marry that monster Ubert nor will I ever marry Mark," though she never laid eyes on the latter. He was the son of King Menon Morathia's belligerent King of Todar to the west of her land.

"You will marry and the man I choose will be your husband," her father growled back menacingly.

"You can pick him, he can come, but I will barricade myself in my room and if you break the door down; I will not dress for the ceremony. And you will be embarrassed when I refuse to say my vows before the Father Michael." she hissed at him. "I will get up before all the invited and tell them my disdain for that man you try to marry me with all for the sake of an alliance or have a king to our kingdom." William knew that she meant it.

"She has more balls between her legs than most men," he told Debra one night as They lay in their bed. The King was so frustrated with her.

"She is your daughter and is just as head strong as her father," Debra told her frustrated. She's fourteen now and she mostly has a secret love you nor I know about."

"Who could that be?" William pondered.

"Perhaps one of the knights has caught her eye," Debra put her cold fee on the King's legs."

"That's ridiculous," William grumbled. "I would have known it by now."

"And perhaps the man in question doesn't even know himself. You know our Nora. She isn't weak like most of the women of the kingdom. She'll never tell anyone that she is love with a commoner even if it meant the torture rack."

Nora received the beauty from her mother but the temperament of her father. She would rather never marry or bear children that to be Queen to a man she could not stand or even love.

Nora and William clashed often on this subject but neither gave ground. She would rather choose her own man or none at all.

A light knock on the door told her that Diane, one of her ladies in waiting had her breakfast tray.

"Come in, Diane," she said just loud enough to be heard through the thick door. It sprang open and Diane kicked the door closed with her foot.

"Good morning, Highness," Diane chirped. She was a short pretty girl with golden locks with a bright smile.

"Good morning, honey." Nora called all her ladies that unless one made a mistake or displeased her. She didn't reprimand, but her coldness toward that person made that lady wished that she had said something in anger. The lady would rather be told what she did than kept wondering what transgression she committed to raise Nora's ire.

"And how did the Princess sleep last night?"

"Not good at all. This heat bothered me so."

"It is cooler on the inner part of the castle," Diane told her. "I just laid myself against the cold stone wall and slept soundly."

Nora lifted the lid. "I'll eat the apples and drink the milk, you can take the rest back to the kitchen."

"Yes your Highness," Diane lifted the tray and put it aside. "Do you know what I was thinking while I was sleeping last night?"

"What was that?" Nora took a bite of one apple.

"Remember the years we were snuggle bunnies?"

"I remember, those were fun years," Nora recalled that she and Diane slept in the same bed at night keeping each other warm. William put a stop to it when his daughter reached her twelfth birthday. The girls were too old by that time in his view. "Get out my riding outfit and inform my guard to saddle my mare."

"Yes Highness," Diane curtsied, as she grabbed the tray.

"Diane," Nora scolded mildly. "I have told you many times you don't have to curtsy to me in my chambers. In here we are more friends than Princess and lady. Call me Nora!"

"Yes Nora," she obeyed and left closing the door softly behind her.

Nora dressed herself then recalled Diane back to brush her long hair that fell to the base of her spin. She washed it out every other day and added a special cream to keep its luster shining in the light. Even during the brutal winters Nora bathed every third day with her ladies in waiting pouring hot water into a wooden tub as Diane washed her back. She'd splash a rose scent all over her before dressing. She had gowns for winter that kept her warm and gowns for the summer which kept her much cooler.

"Good morning my loyal knights," the Princess appeared before them looking beautiful as always. She gave all four a bright smile that wilted their hearts.

"Your Highness," the four brave men bowed before her. They vowed before the King that each would lay down their lives for Princess Nora.

These men were Sir Thomas, Sir Ian, Sir John, and Sir Gorman. All except Sir Gorman sported beards. Nora chose Gorman over the protests of King William the First being the son of the traitor, Duke Garvin who tried to usurp the throne by means of the Great Rebellion. Garvin was hung while his band of traitors were thrown from the edge of the Irish Sea down two hundred feet and dashed against the rocks before the night tides came in and drew the bodies into the water. This was warning to anyone else would be dealt with in the same manner if they betrayed their oath of loyalty to the King.

Gorman was a six month old infant when this occurred being brought into the castle to be educated, trained for warfare, and to pledge his loyalty to the King and his kingdom. He was tall with sandy hair, very strong in wielding his weapons, and taught in tactics of attack and siege.

Little did he nor anyone else know that Nora loved him. He was the man she wanted to marry. Knowing that this wouldn't go over with her father or even most in the realm, she plotted secretly looking for ways to overcome this. She was determined not to marry the men her father wanted her but to unite as man and wife with Gorman. She purposely kept him at arms length not sharing her feelings toward him. Not yet anyway.

"Very hot today, isn't it," she allowed Ian to help the Princess into her side- saddle. She waited for her knights to mount their steeds by primping at her gown and leather gloves.

"Aye, but it will pass," Thomas observed. "These days don't come often."

Two knights, Gorman and John, led the way just in front of her off to her side while two followed behind to the side so she had enough of a good view for her ride. Usually they trotted or galloped, but she decided to just let the horses walk so the animals wouldn't overheat.

They conversed lightly as she showed her sense of humor by telling light jokes which caused the men to genuinely laugh because of her good mood. The men felt privileged to be in the presence of such a beautiful young woman. Her thin body made her look so frail but the knights knew better. She was physically stronger than she appeared. They also knew she was very intelligent and had a temper they went out of their way to avoid.