Editor's note: this submission contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sexual situations.
Hello, my lovelies! I am so sorry I have been away for so long. Trust me, it was not by choice. I have been working on multiple stories and just when I thought I would finish one this one came to me and would not leave me alone until I wrote it. It is short and sweet, of course (emphasis on the short). I got inspiration from all of the old romance novels I grew up reading. Please enjoy and leave comments!
XOXO SkylerLuv
~~~
I promised myself I would not cry. And yet here I am, unable to stop the tears from spilling onto my white gloves. Beatrice looks apologetic but she knows there is little that she can do. Nothing she says will change where we are headed and where my life is hurling towards. The tears continue to fall, reminding me I still have much, much further to go. This is not even the beginning.
The carriage bounces at the same stuttering speed it has been since the beginning of our journey. If I had motion sickness, I would have been in my own personal Hell. Small blessings, I suppose.
William. I know his Christian name. I know he is well respected, with enough money to buy me. No, he did not purchase me. My father assured me it was best for my future. With the amount of money and land that he has I should never want for anything. It must be more money than all of my other suitors back home combined. It felt like my parents were trying to get rid of me but the tears in their eyes were a small comfort. They would miss me as much as I missed them. This is what is best for me, my mother said once or twice. I cannot stay at home forever. I was introduced to society and it is time for the next chapter of my life.
I bite my lip to stop the sobs that are trying to escape. I can do this. I have to do this. I have no choice. Closing my eyes, I lean my head back in hope of getting some rest. I know sleep will not come. We have been traveling for hours. We are about to reach our first destination where we will stay at a small inn and then continue traveling tomorrow until we get to my new home. How can it be my home when I have never been there? I will not know anyone there. Beatrice will be the only person who I will be able to confide in. As much as I can confide in a personal maid.
The sting of leaving my childhood home would be less painful if it was not so far away. I would not be able to visit my friends and family as much as I would wish. Will William let me make monthly visits? What does he expect of me? I hope not anything I cannot give him. Per my father, they met a reputable gentleman's club. William was searching for a wife, his need to carry down his name almost as persistent as my need to stay rooted at home.
I like my own solitude, preferring to be alone then in the presence of others. Reading in my mother's garden, walking along the pound in our backyard as I did some self-reflection, crying when I an upset in the sanctuary of my own room. These were now times that I would have to share with another and the thought displeases me. I know I will not disobey my future husband. I will bow my head and be a dutiful wife just like I am now being a dutiful daughter. And just like how I have been practicing since I was very little, I try to control my emotions before they get the best of me.
A sharp gasp makes me sit up. I turn to look at Beatrice wondering what caused her to make such a noise. The carriage comes to an abrupt halt. My hands come out to stop me from falling over. She peaks her head out the window but quickly cowers far back in her seat. Her face is as white as my gloves. Her round brown eyes look like they are about to pop out of her head. Her shaky finger comes up to her lips indicating that I should stay silent.
My heart beats at an alarming rate but I do as she says. All thoughts of Wilandale and my old home cease. I move to look out the window but she catches my arm and gives me a warning look. For someone who is younger than me, Beatrice is more like a guardian than any personal maid I've had in the past. One reproachful look and I know to sit still.
"We are only passing through." I hear Peter yell out. There is a quiver in his tone.
Suddenly the carriage doors are ripped open and I jump back. The sunlight floods the inside of the carriage, blinding me from seeing anything beyond the threshold. Beatrice screams fill the space as two large hands reach in to drag her out. I silently grab her arm, trying to pull her back in. My mind is empty of thoughts, my body is trying to be useful to her even if my mouth does nothing. In the process of trying to keep her inside I am pulled out as well.
We both land on the dirt road and scramble back to put some distance between us and them. We hold on to each other and lean back against one of the carriage's wheel.
The first person I see is a man almost as big as an ox. Much taller than an ox. His shoulders are wide and all he is wearing is some animal fur on to cover his private parts. My hand comes up to my chest as I try to control my breathing. I have never seen so much exposed skin in my life.
"Move." Someone orders.
Once he steps away a smaller figure appears. I say smaller because she is not as tall or as strong as the man now standing next to us but she is not small.
Like her partner she is only wearing enough to cover her breast and the lower part of her body. Her arms, legs, and stomach are exposed. She has one side of her black mane cut close to her scalp. The rest of her hair, which comes up to her shoulders, is covered with strands wrapped in colorful string and feathers. Once my eyes land on her face I gasp. Her face has rough edges, making her look more like a boy than a girl. There are scars on her cheeks and some look intentional. Her eyes are black and soulless. Only after she meets my eyes does she speak again.
"Tie him up, bring them." She points at Beatrice and me with a thick, wooden, arrow she is holding. It has similar colored feathers from her hair around the tip.
She turns away as the others do her bidding.
All the people with her are dressed the same. Minimal coverings. They all have white paint on their russet skin. Intricate lines one either their faces, backs, or arms. Their heads are shaved, save a small section or a large one enough to decorate with colorful feathers or string. I do not notice any other female in the group. None of them have a definable expression on their face.
Beatrice begins to weep and I grab her hand. I am surprised my tears have stopped but I do not question it. I need to stay alert. The large man grabs us both by the arms and makes us stand. He ties our hands with thick rope, one behind the other. I look back and see them tying Peter to a tree.
"What is going to happen to him?" I ask.
I can't take my eyes away from Peter. I hope the large man knows I'm talking to him.
"An animal will probably eat him." He grunts.
My stomach tightens and I turn away to relieve everything that was in it. It finally dawns on me what we have gotten ourselves into.
~~~
When I think back to the lessons about this land, I remember my tutor briefly going over the section about its inhabitants. The Morzan tribe, if I remember correctly. I was not paying much attention then. My mind was more focused on where I was going to go play after the lesson. I never thought I would encounter one. I never thought I would be on foreign land. I ignore the pulsing in my temples and try to remember any details about this tribe. Maybe I am not thinking of the right people anyways. But I have to try. My mind flashes through multiple lessons. They keep to themselves and do not bother anyone unless they are bothered first. That is somewhat helpful. But then again, they did just kidnap us. I remember something else: they are not friendly to outsiders. I try to wreck my brain for any useful information that I might remember but nothing else comes to mind.
I would have never crossed this path if I had known they were there. Why would Peter even think of it? Oh, Peter. My stomach tightens again. I then start to think about the implications of our kidnapping. We will never get to Wilandale, they will assume we are dead, my parents will think something terrible happened. A tear slips down my face, they will be devastated. I do not know how they will handle the news. How long will it take for them to get the word?
We have been walking for miles. My shoes are every bit as uncomfortable as I expected them to be for the amount of traveling on foot we have been forced to endure. The uneven ground makes them rub up against the blisters that have formed. The only thing keeping me going is Beatrice walking silently behind me. Only once did I slip and almost fall. The ogre looked back as if he was losing his patience. I didn't want to give him a reason to be angry with me so I kept walking even when I wanted to stop.
Did they really travel this far only to stumble upon us as we crossed their land? It is a long walk. I thought their village would be nearby. It is very odd they found us when they did. Maybe they were hunting. Maybe they make it a habit to wait for people to come through that road to kidnap them as well. A shiver goes down my spine thinking of all of the ones that didn't make it out alive.
The sweat trickling down my scalp does nothing to cool me from the blistering heat. The layers of clothing make it even more suffocating walk. My mouth feels like it is filled with enough cotton to make a stuffed doll. Just when I am about to ask for water, the trees in front of us begin to clear and a small village appears.
Everyone in the village stops to stare at us. I feel my cheeks heat up and lower my gaze. From my peripheral vision I notice everyone is still not moving. The women and men are all frozen to get a glimpse of the newly captured women. The houses are made of hand chopped wood, dirt, and leaves, there are children running around naked, skinned animals are hanging by their feet. I almost run into the ogre when he stops abruptly. Beatrice yanks me back against her.
"You have done well." An ancient voice says. I shift to look around the man in front of me and see an older man with gray hair and a band around his head staring at us. He has large feathers coming out of the headband, they are beautiful and intimidating at the same time. Though his words are praising the group, he does not look happy. He actually looks displeased. "Take them to Tula's house and make sure they are given something to eat."
When he bows his head, everyone begins to move again. With eyes shifted away from us I feel more comfortable to get a better look around the place. It is small. There are only about a dozen houses or so. Their leader has the biggest one by far, right at the edge of the village. There are only trees surrounding the area, no big wall, nothing to deter people from coming in. Who in their right mind would end up here? I hear a river nearby and I am reminded again that I am thirsty. At least he promised food. They seem to have a system in place. Some are washing their clothing, others preparing meals, and the rest are building things or planning things. I guess I expected chaos. What I did not expect was to be kidnapped and then offered food.
The girl leading this small group knocks on a wooden door before us. An elderly woman opens the door. The girl bows and whispers something, the woman nods and opens her door further. Only the girl, the ogre, Beatrice and I go in. Everyone else stays out. The door shuts behind us and we're in a semi-lit place. There is a fire in the corner and some light coming from in between the wood used to build this place. There is not much inside. Some benches, two separate rooms, utilities for a small kitchen but not much else. I finally get a good look at the woman who lives here. She is wearing a long white cloth to cover herself up. Her long black hair is parted down the middle but there are some strands of gray mixed in. She doesn't have many wrinkles. Her skin is as dark as the rest.
"Untie them, they are guests in this house." She does not sound happy.
"Yes, Aunt Tula." The girl comes up to us and unties the knots. She doesn't look at me or Beatrice.
"You know I disapprove of this. But I do not have the final say so, I can only do what I think is best on my end." She turns to a room across from the kitchen and raises her voice slightly. "Kat, come help me get dinner set up for our guest."
A younger girl, probably a little younger than me walks out. She is taller than her mother. The resemblance is uncanny. From the hair being parted down the middle to the roundness of their dark eyes. Her face is still full as if she was a babe. Her eyes widen when she takes a good look at us. She gives us a friendly smile and bows.
I turn to Beatrice who is also watching their every move.
