The Lifetimes I Remembered

Chapter Nine: Hannah

She scurried to the village with a sack of oranges and apples on her back. Her father would have her head if she was late. He wanted to prepare a banquet for the arrival of the son of a good comrade of his that happened to be a lord of the land. She was actually excited to see the young lad. She had heard rumors about him and all the girls gossiped about how handsome he was.

It had been a long while since she had waited for a young lord to come to their village that she could set her sights on.

She was thrilled at the prospect.

“Hannah! Hurry!” Her brother, Mitchell, called out to her. He was waiting at the front of their house, an eager smile on his face. He was just as excited as she was. It wasn’t every day that a visitor comes into their village.

She picked up her pace and almost toppled over when she reached Mitchell. He laughed and steadied her to her feet, grabbing the sack off of her back. “You could’ve just let me do this, Han. Then you’ll have the time to make sure you look pretty for him.”

She laughed and kissed her brother’s cheek. “You just wanted to charm the village girls with your strength.”

When she was inside their house, she was immediately met by the scent of the food her mother was cooking. She rushed to her mother’s side, wanting to help. Maybe she could charm the guest if he’d have word that she helped with the food. After all, isn’t a way to a man’s heart through his stomach?

“Oh, no, you are not helping here, Hannah. You have no hand in cooking.” Her mother scolded when she tried to reach for the wooden spoon. She pouted at her mother who couldn’t help but smile and shoo her away. “I know you’re excited to see someone out of this village, Hannah. So maybe you should get ready or else you’ll have the other village girls competing for his affection.”

Her eyes narrowed at the idea. She couldn’t let that happen. She had been waiting for this day to arrive. She couldn’t just simply allow herself to settle for one of the boys in this village. They were all…boys. She wanted someone as brave as her father and as kind as Mitchell.

Well…there was one boy. He was the son of the blacksmith. He was kind to everyone, always smiling and happy but he also held a temper that only showed when he wanted to protect those he loved. Even at their young age, it was clear that he was strong because he helped his father forged the swords of the king’s knights.

And he was her best friend and she only loved him as much as she loved Mitchell.

Speaking of the devil, “Hannah!”

He was looking out their window, a huge smile on his face. He was actually good-looking, coming right next to Mitchell when it came to looks. His blonde hair was wavy and he kept it tied back. His brown eyes were warm and inviting and if it wasn’t for the hardness he masked himself in, any girl would fight over him.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully, knowing that he was calling for her to simply annoy her and ask if she wanted to practice swords. “Not now. I have to get ready for his arrival.”

She saw him roll her eyes at the word his. He had been teasing her that she would only get her hopes up, she wasn’t as dashing as everyone had described him to be and that when the dinner was over, she would rush to him to meet for their evening walks and that she would complain how unattractive ‘her visitor’ actually was.

“You’re only going to get your hopes up,” he told her, tossing her a bag.

When she opened them, they were filled with her favorite berries. She remembered that he had told her he was going hunting with the friends he made among the knights that went to his father’s shop.

She smiled at him and for a moment, wondered what could be if it was the two of them. When that thought crossed her mind, she immediately stopped them from going further. He was her best friend and that was the only role he should be playing in her life.

“I have to get ready. I’ll see you after dinner.”

He nodded at her and was ready to head to his home. But for a moment, he lingered, watching through her window as she looked for a suitable dress for the occasion. His traitorous heart clenched for a moment, the sadness slowly seeping in, the longing for the girl- he always looked berries for in the deepest parts of the woods in exchange for the fleeting smile that would grace the lips he had always dreamed of kissing -made his heart ache.

She didn’t know how she was supposed to keep her hands still. The excitement was rushing through her, filling her entire body with a giddy buzz. Her father was just as anxious as he was, and had been pacing the house back and forth since the sun started dipping.

The knock on their door caused the four of them to jolt with a start. Jefferson glanced at his family and then walked to the door, opening it and welcoming the comrade he had made in the other village. “Lord Joseph!”

The two of them shared a manly hug as Jefferson introduced Joseph to the rest of their family. Joseph was a big burly man, with graying hair and piercing blue eyes. “Ah, I can’t say enough thanks to your family for allowing my son and me to spend a few days here. The trip back home is a long one and with what happened to the village after yours, it isn’t safe at the moment to travel, so I thank you for your generosity.”

Alice smiled and nodded. “It’s our pleasure to share our home with you for the time being.”

Joseph nodded and Hannah saw another head appear behind him. The excitement in the pit of her stomach grew, knowing that this was the boy she had been waiting for yesterday when her father had announced that his comrade was staying for a week with them.

“Ah, let me introduce to you my son, Ivan,” Joseph said, stepping aside so Ivan could come into view.

Hannah gasped slightly at the sight of him. He was beyond the words that others had described of him. His hair was black- she had never seen hair as black as his- and his eyes…dear Lord, his eyes were a sight to see! They resembled the colors of the sea, a mixture of blue and green.

And then he smiled and Hannah almost melted. She had to lean onto Mitchell for support. Her older brother chuckled in amusement at her expense. The dinner went as her father had planned and Jefferson had asked Joseph if he wanted to drink. They invited Mitchell to tag along and Ivan was left behind with Hannah and Alice.

Alice looked at her daughter and their guest. She winked at Hannah. “Dear, why don’t you show young lord around the village? Bring him to your evening walks with you.”

Hannah glanced at Ivan and was ready to tell him that if he didn’t want to come, it was fine. But he smiled at her and held out his hand. “I’d love to go on a walk with you. There’s nothing like the crisp evening air to seal the night.”

She couldn’t stop the beaming smile that erupted from her face as she gladly looped her arm around his. Ivan was a gentleman as he was kind and charming. “So what’s it like living in a castle?”

He glanced at her and shrugged. “Nothing special, not like all of you assumed. If you ask me, I’d rather take a walk around one of the villages of Stormhill than stay at its castle. At least, I’d get to have a moment alone with you.”

Hannah melted at his words. He stopped and interlaced their hands. “When my father said that his best knight had a daughter, I didn’t think she would be this beautiful.”

She bit her lip, heat rising to her cheeks. He smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “I shouldn’t let such a fair maiden get away from me easily.”

Her eyes widened, wondering what his words meant. If she was right with her assumption, then she might become Lady of Stormhill, something she had always dreamed of when she was young. But she shouldn’t be getting her hopes up, for as she had also heard another type of rumor about the young lord.

That he was ladies’ men, just like his father and with that thought at the back of her mind, she wasn’t sure she should be placing her heart on her sleeve.

They walked around the village some more, Hannah pointing to him the shops. Ivan listened intently and continued to hold her hand, his thumb caressing her knuckles in such a gentle manner that made her melt like jelly. She knew that it seemed to happen so fast, that she was allowing herself to fall for a guy she barely knew simply because of the idea of who he was made her heart flutter.

When they arrived at her house, her heart sank when she saw her best friend waiting for her. His blonde hair wasn’t tied back and he allowed his unruly curls lose. He looked up when he heard their footsteps. “I see you walked without me, tonight.”

Ivan glanced at the two of them, letting go of Hannah’s hand. “I didn’t know you had a lover.”

“He’s my friend,” Hannah answered quickly. She snatched Ivan’s hand again. “I’ll meet you inside, Ivan. Go rest, you’ve had a long day.”

Ivan hesitated for a moment but headed inside. Hannah looked at her best friend with apologizing eyes. She rushed to her side and clung to her arm. “I’m sorry. Mother suggested that I take Lord Ivan for a walk around the village. I hadn’t known you would be waiting.”

But she did. He always waited for her, even if it became too cold outside or too hot, even when the rain would pour down or he would end up stuck in snow, he always waited, even when they were kids. His eyebrows rose at her statement and she sighed.

“I’m sorry. I was thrilled at the idea of having some alone time with the young lord. You know how much I’ve been waiting for his arrival.”

He sighed and nodded, patting her gently on the shoulder. “I guess your prince charming has arrived then. He’s as perfect as you thought he would be?”

Hannah thought of the sweet words Ivan had said and the charm and kindness he had shown. “He’s more than I expected him to be.”

When he smiled, Hannah noticed the trace of sadness that it held. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head gently. “Nothing. I guess I tired myself out waiting for you when you were basking in the presence of your lord.”

The guilt weighed on her and she reached for his hand, taking it in hers and squeezing it tightly. “You’re still my favorite person.”

“That’s only because I find you your favorite berries.” He said, flicking her on her nose. Hannah huffed and her hands immediately went to her nose.

She pouted at him. “Don’t be mad.”

Just like that, he wasn’t upset with her anymore. He wasn’t mad anymore. It was as easy as that for her to be forgiven by him. He knew it was because his heart was a traitor and always favored her. “I’m not. I’m not mad, Hannah.”

She grinned and nodded, and then looped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. “That’s good because I wouldn’t be able to have a good night's sleep knowing my favorite person is mad at me for bailing on our evening walks.”

His arms automatically circled around her waist. It was moments like this that he allowed himself to believe that the love they shared, rather, the love she had for him wasn’t just platonic. But he knew his heart would only get broken to bits and pieces because she will never look at him in the way that he does to her.

“Goodnight, Hannah.”

She smiled and his heart soared. He would have to satisfy himself with seeing just those smiles of hers. “Goodnight, Dominic.”