Well, here is all you've missed so far! I think my new schedule will be a new page or two every Tuesday and Thursday. So fingers crossed for that. So here is the story, with the new fixes!
Day 1. Reliving The Past.
As I looked out my window, I thought about what a good life I’d had. My husband never wandered (as far as I knew) we lived peacefully, and we were not in debt. Pssht. Shows how much I knew right?
Standing up abruptly, I looked around my room and felt nervous. I looked at my mirror, and for the first time in a decade, smiled at what I saw. My hair was long and flowing down to my bottom – not having been cut in over a year. My soft green eyes had gained back some of their lustre, and my long eyelashes emphasized their colour. As I perused myself, I heard the steps creaking.
Rushing back to my post at the table, I hurriedly hid my books, and tried to appear calm. As the door opened slowly, I looked into the mirror, and was pleased with what I saw.
Gone was the young girl who was forced to marry a man for her sisters’ safety. In her stead was a calm, collected widow.
----~~----
I turned when I felt his presence beside me. My hair whipped around and I stared into his cold eyes. His chiselled features were by no way beautiful, but he reminded me off somebody. When he eyed me slowly I felt warmth spread all over my body. Squirming, I looked at my dainty hands, and found a great interest in my nails. Gathering my courage, I noticed his pained expression. Before I could say anything though, it was gone; replaced with coldness that not even I could understand.
Me – who’d been hidden in this cold hell for over 11 months, didn’t have that coldness. Me - who had to attend my own husband’s funeral – knowing his body was not in his casket. Me - who had to watch as my own brother was killed, trying to protect me; didn’t have that coldness. Suddenly racking sobs took over me. For the first time in almost a year, I cried. I cried for my husband, my brother, but mostly for myself. I cried knowing that no one was looking for me. My husband had no title, no land, no one but me to mourn his death. But worse, there was no one to mourn the loss of me, suddenly I found myself wrapped in my captors arms. He whispered sweet nothingness in my ears, much like what my husband used to do as I watched an opera. A sudden pain appeared in my chest. The tears dropped even harder until I found that the pain was dimming. I looked into my captor’s eyes and was shocked by what I saw. Instead of pity, or even the previous cold look, I saw something far scarier. I saw desire.
As I looked out the window of my room I thought about when I was first captured.
“Desida... We know that you loved your husband dearly, but he wouldn’t have wanted you to stay in the house for the rest of your days,” Said Hugh.
I looked at my brother and thought of his luck. His wife who was in her last month of pregnancy was probably eagerly waiting for his return in their home out in the country. Since I was 29, I was considered not only a bitter old widow- but a spinster at that; so I knew I wouldn’t be wanted. My beauty alone would not be enough for me to catch another husband. Smothering my heartfelt sigh I turned from my station and eyed my younger brother.
“Leave me Hugh; you have your wife and child – let me wallow in my own pain...”
My brother walked towards me and said, “Desi,” (he likely thought using my childhood name would soften the blow) “I know how you feel – but Arthur wouldn’t have wanted you to–”. I whipped my head around and stared accusing eyes at the only person who had ever truly known about my less-than-perfect relationship with my husband. Stalking towards him I poked him in the chest with a long yet skinny finger.
“You- know -nothing – about- my- relationship,” between each word was sharp jab at his chest. Indignantly, I said, “You have been a pampered brat all your damn life, you wouldn’t know pain and heartache if it bit you in your damn ass!”
That was when we heard the horses and soldiers outside. Men wearing all black stormed in the room and blocked the doorway. Before either of us could anticipate a move, I was being carried out of my parlour, by a man with dark red hair. I looked back at my brother just in time to see him drop to his knees after he was viciously stabbed in his stomach. Screaming out; I began to kick at my captor, only to have him backhand me. My eyes started to blank, and soon I felt myself drift out of consciousness...
I looked out my window again, and made myself a promise; the man who killed my brother was going to regret his very existence.
I was lying on my bed when it first happened. My head got dizzy and I felt as if I was never going to breathe again. My heart was about to jump out of my chest and I had a thirst that would drain the Thames. I looked around my large room, but my eyes began to dim. My breaths were coming out as short bursts, and I couldn’t scream. I scratched at my throat and knocked over a candelabrum in my distress. I saw a water pitcher to the side of the and rushed towards it, before I could get off my knees, though, my legs broke from under me and I was lying on the floor.
Suddenly I heard the door break open and I looked into my captor’s eyes. Rather than the cold detachment in his eyes he looked quite alarmed and caring. For a while I thought I even thought I saw pain, but it was gone before I could acknowledge it. Then again – I don’t think I could acknowledge anything when my body felt as if I was burning up.
My body was shaking and I knew I was pale. Abruptly he lifted me off the floor and held me to his hard chest and tried to comfort me – which was funny; I’d been living with the man for a whole year, and this was the second time in two days that he was holding me.
I had the sudden feeling of contentment; as if I was made to be in his arms. He had the unforgettable smell of man and peppermint. I looked into his eyes as my body began to cool down and saw concern. “What happened- are you OK?” He carried me up to the bed as if I weighed nothing and said, “Stay right there, I’ll be right back.”
As if I was any condition to move – all of a sudden I felt as if I was coming out of my body. I was looking at my captor come back into the room, to see me fall off the four-poster bed. He shouted and rushed towards me. Looking closer, I saw that he had a cup of something in his hands. When he poured the liquid into my - her? – mouth. I was startled when I felt as if fire was running down my throat. I seemed to smile at him, and I saw my head raise towards his. He looked taken back when I started shaking. My out-of-body experience was cut back short when I realised he was shaking me. I looked into his eyes for a long time and finally breathed out,
“Arthur?” The man’s eyes looked up in shock, before my lips closed over his...
Before I could sigh, he seemed to fall out of a trance and pulled back suddenly, but dropped me in his haste. Bile filled my throat and I ran to vomit outside the open window. The wind blew across my face, and I would’ve sworn I heard my captor curse. Whipping my head around, I looked into his face.
“Who are you?” I asked. I walked closer to him, and brushed my hand against his cheek. He flinched and stepped back from me. My pain was forgotten as I stared at the silent man in front of me. I stepped close to my bed, and sat on it with a heartfelt sigh. Looking at my captor I repeated, “What is your name?” In over a year of being his captive, I had never asked, and suddenly – I just had to know...
“Brennen,” He walked towards the window in the same manner I had done just yesterday. Jerking around he stared at me, “We’ve been living here for 13 months now, why you want to know my name now?” I looked back at him and he spit at floor. “You want something? That’s it? You want to leave now?” When he said that he finally had me thinking.
Since I had woken up in this room 11 months ago, I’d never tried to get out. I had gotten up, relieved myself in a bucket toward the window, and sat waiting on the bed.
“Why did you take me?” I asked Brennen. He eyed me before walking to my bed and sitting beside me. I stiffened my back when his hands were suddenly around my shoulders. He leant closer to my ear and whispered silkily, “I wanted you.” I could feel his breath around my ear, and I bent my back in response to his blatant banter. Shivering, I felt his large hands soon started running up and down my arm to heat me. All thoughts of my past pain were forgotten as I thought about the man right beside me.
“No, who are you really?” I said breathily to him.
“I’m the captain of ‘High and Mighty’,” He said. His hands began to itch closer to my neck before a thought came to me. High and Mighty was a group of men who were outcasts and killers.
They were also the men that killed my brother... The man who called himself “Brennen” inched closer to my lips as I looked at him with painful clarity. Here was the man who issued the death to my brother!
His warm breath soon found its way to my mouth and I could feel his lips inch closer to mine as I knew he was trying to kiss me. A sudden heat went to the core of my being. I felt him push me onto my back and press his lips to mine. Unlike my soft and naive kisses with Arthur; this man was positively ravishing my mouth. A multitude of sensations went through my body, and as I lifted my hands to comb through his hair, I felt him harden beneath me. That was when I realised – well, really, realised what I was doing. I started to withdraw and pushed him away from me.
“Tease,” Brennen looked at me with contempt before walking out of the room. I saw him look back at me before saying, “Put your clothes on properly then come downstairs.” I looked at the man who just a couple of seconds ago was on top of me before weakly nodding.
“How did I get to this?” I wondered. Sitting on the still warm bed I remembered the feeling of Brennen’s callused fingers of my skin. Slowly I touched my lips and fancied that his were still making their soft battle.
Fo Sho!
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