"They cannot make ya marry 'er, Tiernan. They will be cursin' you to a life o' pain and sufferin' and weakness." Rodor paced back and forth, his agitated steps echoing in the empty hall. The rest of the man standing shuffled back and forth, also clearly on edge.
Tiernan, Lord of Egesa and Duke of Norvel, sat silent. He had been listening to his men grumble for over three hours now, with no mention of a solution to his "problem". He grew weary and stood reluctantly, stretching his tired back and legs. They had returned from battle no less than twelve hours ago to a missive, hailing that the Lord is commanded by King to marry a lady from a domain in the near countryside. Tiernan knew that his time as a bachelor was going to be cut short, just not
this
short. He was 31, and well past the traditional marrying age, he supposed. He was a Lord of battle, and a Duke of destruction. He had no feelings past pain and victory. He had no desire to saddle himself with...a
girl
, barely out of her short skirts. And this girl especially.
Odelia, Lady of Tellan, was an heiress in the most basic sense, and far beyond wealthy. Though he had not seen her since the accident, the rumors of her illness had spread to him long ago. If he had feelings, he would feel pity for this girl. Born of noble blood and into a fortunate family, she should have been on the top of the list of nobles to wed. Unfortunately, there had been an accident some time ago, although that had never been confirmed. He recalled something of a horseback ride where the girl had fallen, and struck her head. She was 20, and very coveted in the area. He knew of her beauty and grace, and popularity among her people. After the accident, she had lost her wits, so he was told. She could no longer speak, and did not comprehend the simplest of tasks or was even capable of communicating.
"We have ta fight this." Rowe, Tiernan's little brother, stood and clenched his fist. Tiernan held up a hand, and the room grew silent.
"There is nothing ta fight. We all ken the day would come, and though ya do not see me embracin' my future, neither will I fight something ya ken we cannot. Would as well be fightin' the wind." Tiernan sighed, gave one more stretch, and left the room.
"We will no' be part of some master plan to unite the clans. We have ta fight!" Rodor pumped his fist, angry in his every breath.
"Ye saw what Tiernan has decided. He will no' defy honor and loyalty to the king to avoid this. We have ta force his hand. It is no' right that he as the eldest be forced to be baron. The gel can't even be touched without quiverin'." Rowe took up pacing again, scratching his forehead. "There must be someone ta go in his place."
The whole room took a breath, waiting for what they knew would come next.
"I will marry the gel." Rowe straightened with his announcement, and faced the men down with his stare. "The bloodline will continue with his heir, not with mine. My choice is made." Rowe saw several nods, and took them as acquiesce. The plan must be held secret, he knew, for Tiernan would not view this as "saving", but as treason and betrayal of his clan and brother.
*****
"They cannot make her marry him! Please, my dear, make them understand!" Honora begged her husband, Edmond, to listen to her.
"Ye ken I cannot, my precious...the King has spoken and it would be treason." Edmond heaved a sigh, and felt his age in his bones as he stood. The times of war and strife had taken a toll on his body, his marriage, and now his daughter. His only daughter, Odelia, had been pledged to another. A man that others spoke of with bated breath for fear of incurring his wrath. Edmond new that his fragile daughter would never last in this man's presence. He feared for her, and for his wife at her loss. Odelia was beyond invaluable to him, his only child and family besides his wife. He had known this day would come, and yet feared it more than he feared any attack or war on his lands.
"Call for Odelia." Edmond issued the quiet order, and heard Honora's scream of denial.
*****
Odelia stepped carefully down the stone steps, wondering what this could be about. The servant had come to her quickly, motioning for her to come down stairs. She had a knot in her stomach, knowing this would not be good news. Her only prayer was that her family was save, beyond that, not much mattered in her world.
She was on the last step before her world went dizzy. She felt herself trip, and tried to straighten her legs but her body wouldn't respond. She felt the blinding pain in her temples and lost her sight. She felt a hand on her elbow and she quaked with fear.
Not again,
she thought. Praying that no one was there to see her fall.
Minutes later, her eyesight returned, and she saw her concerned mother and father staring at her. She tried to wave them off, but her control over her arm had not yet returned, and all that she managed was an awkward jerk of her arm. She saw a flash of pity in her mother's eye, and wished that she could make that disappear.
"Odelia, my sweet. There is something I must tell you, and it will not be easy to hear. The King has demanded that our clans unite with the neighboring kingdom of Edesa. The eldest son has been sentenced to be married, and you, my child, are to be his bride." Edmond waited for his news to sink in, but only saw the blank look in his child's eyes. He tried again, speaking slower.
Odelia focused on his lips, trying to keep up with the quick speech. When he slowed down, she caught bits and pieces and knew that she was leaving her home to be married. She saw "Edesa" form on his lips and could not stop shaking. This was a kingdom that had come several years ago and attempted a takeover. The heir to that throne had visited her several times before, twice as a guest and once as her "master" during the coup. The takeover had failed, but she would never be the same. Tiernan, she remembered his name, and his face, although the sound of his voice escaped her memory. He was beautiful, dark, and dangerous. He had a perfect face, chiseled and tan from his days out in battle. His cold eyes seemed to pierce hers, back when she had thought him honorable. The ice blue had seemed mysterious and given her shivers, but now those shivers were of disgust, hatred, and fear.
The first time he had cornered her, it had been in the keep while she was humming to herself. She had felt his hands on her shoulders, and had not felt fear. She turned to him, smiling, thinking he was going to lead her into a dance, and then saw his face. There had not been humor, or reverence...just blazing lust. He forced her roughly against the wood top. She could still feel the paint radiate against her lower back, and he pressed her against it. His lips had come down onto hers harshly, and she had swallowed back bile at being treated so. She had pushed against his arms, futilely it seemed, for he just laughed and moved his hands to her waist. She tried to scream, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She felt his hands move up to her ribcage, and then felt cold air on her breasts. She took a breath to scream, and felt him twist her nipple so hard she lost her air. She grappled along the top to find a weapon, anything, and felt the cold steel of a knife. She maneuvered it over to her palm, and thrust it hard into his side. He let go of her, swearing. He had looked at her like she was a bug to be crushed, and staggered out, threatening to kill her if she told anyone.
She had been careful during that trip to stay away from him, and to always have someone near her. When she heard of his return the second time, she had convinced herself that he had been drunk, or something had been temporarily wrong with him. When he met her for introductions, he had smiled at her warmly and bowed to her. He had murmured of her beauty, and he and her father had laughed about some story about a battle not so long ago. That night she had been brushing her hair, when she heard her door open. She turned, assuming it was her mother or night maid, but instead was blinded by a hood thrown over her face. She could feel herself being carried, and then felt her soft bed at her back. She struggled, and was rewarded with a hard punch to her belly. Her eyes teared up, and she whimpered. She heard a laugh, and tensed, recognizing it as Tiernan.
"Please..." She heard herself plead, hating herself for being so weak. She heard him laugh again, and felt his hand capture both of hers and hold them above her head. She felt his other hand raising her skirts, and bucked against them. He swore and tightened his grip on her hands. She felt his hard length press against her most sensitive spot and let out a scream that he couldn't muffle in time. She and he both heard footsteps, and all of a sudden she felt his weight lifted off of her, and heard the squeak of the window opening and closing. Seconds later, her night maid burst in. Her father had not believed it could be Tiernan, but had asked them to leave, assuming it was one of his party.
The third time she had met him had been out in the stables. She was brushing her mare Ebony's long mane, and murmuring to her in soothing non-words. She had thought herself alone, as the manor had no guests at the time. She heard a stick break behind her, turned quickly. She saw one glimpse of Tiernan's face before she was roughly turned and pressed against the stable door. She tried to fight, and he slammed her harder into the aged wood. She heard a crack, and her mare whinnied and pranced in her stall. She felt his hand follow the length of her dress to the crevice between her legs and sobbed quietly. She knew this time there was nothing she could do. No weapons, no one would come to help her...it was too far from the house.
She felt his mouth on the back of her neck, biting and licking, and he began to rock against her, grinding his aroused member against her backside. She felt air on the back of her calves and tried to headbutt him. He slammed her once more into the barn door, and the door gave way. They both fell into the stall, and she rolled quickly away. Ebony pranced around her, and she grabbed ahold of her mane and swung herself up. Shaking, she urged Ebony to run, fast, faster. She heard hoofbeats behind her, and, turning, saw that Tiernan had grabbed a steed from the stables as well. She encouraged Ebony faster, until her hair was flying behind them, and the trees were a blur.
She didn't see the cliff until it was too late, and reined Ebony backed. She spooked, and Odelia was thrown. She felt her head hit something hard, and then...nothing.
It took her almost a year to recover from most of her injuries. The bones were set, the stitches sewn, and the damage was done. The fall had cracked her skull, and the doctor said it had caused massive brain injury. She could no longer speak. The doctor said her brain was missing connections, it didn't register sometimes. What the doctors, and no one, knew is that sometimes she felt perfectly normal. Then she would have an "episode", where she lost sight and hearing and control of her muscles. She could never tell what brought these on, and how long they would last, but they left her feeling weak and unstable. During one of these, she lost complete control of her body and was totally vulnerable. Sometime just for a few seconds, and sometimes for an hour or longer.
She had heard tell from her mother that Tiernan had come to visit while she was recovering. This was one of her spells where she couldn't move her limbs. Supposedly, he had walked into her room and seen the nurses feeding her, because she couldn't lift her arms. He had proclaimed that she was "as functioning as a rock", and would not be back to visit her again.
