The Lady Samantha was still trying to understand how things had gotten to this point. Lady. Hell, fifteen months ago, she had simply been the oldest daughter of a peasant farmer. Now, here she was at the castle. Of course things would be much better if she wasn't to be executed in an hour. Samantha tried not to cry as she thought back to that fateful day, a little over a year earlier.
Samantha's family was poor. Of course they were peasants, and that kind of went without saying. Still, that winter had been worse than most, and Samantha's family had really been in danger of starving. Her father had been desperate. Finally, when the food was completely gone, and there was no money for any more, he had taken a chance at poaching one of the king's deer.
Now the forest nearby their home was almost overrun with deer, but they were reserved for noble hunting parties. For a peasant to kill a deer warranted a sentence of death. Samantha's father went into the forest, and he thought he had been incredibly lucky, when within two hours he had bagged a beautiful buck. There was enough meat on that animal to feed his family for a week.
The man would not have felt nearly as fortunate if he had seen the royal scout who was watching him.
For it happened that the king himself was enjoying a royal hunt. Of course Henry was too bulky himself to hunt any more, but he still enjoyed the forest and watching his huntsmen work. So it was the king himself who was informed by the scout of the poacher he had seen. Henry was enraged, he demanded that the scout lead him to the knave immediately. It was no effort at all for the skilled scout to track the poor man back to his home.
Samantha's father had just finished cleaning his kill, when the king's party arrived. Three men at arms rushed the house and dragged the miserable peasant outside. There he was thrown on the ground at the feet of the king's horse. Henry was just about to order him killed on the spot, when he spied Samantha. At that moment, Henry lost all interest in the man sprawled on the ground.
The king couldn't take his eyes off Samantha. She may have been a peasant, but she was stunning. Her hair was long and jet black. The girl might have been a little on the heavy side, but that was certainly not something Henry VIII could complain about. And, anyway, if she was heavy, the extra weight was definitely all in the right places. The king had to have her, and the perfect opportunity had just presented itself.
Majestically, the king dismounted. He walked over to the girl's father, and had him lifted up to his knees. Then Henry dramatically drew his sword. He wanted the girl to get the full effect. Poor Samantha was indeed terrified. She was sure that her beloved father was about to be killed. The girl was just getting ready to run out and beg for mercy, when the king turned to her first.
Henry turned to face the girl. Then, in his best royal voice he proclaimed, "Gentlemen, this peasant has committed an act of treason in killing a royal deer. We should have him killed at once, but We are feeling merciful. Therefore, we will grant this miserable peasant his life, and even allow him to keep the spoils, but on one condition. A life must be offered for a life. So, I will spare this man's life, on the condition that his lovely daughter agrees to spend the remainder of her life in the royal palace."
The royal palace. Samantha had never even seen it. Now she was being offered the chance to live there. The girl would have followed the king to the palace just given the chance. So, it only took a moment to accept Henry's offer of mercy. It was only ten minutes after that, when Samantha was mounted on a horse and the party was riding back to the castle. The girl had only the clothes on her back, as she rode and tried to imagine what her life was going to be like.