“I am the villain in this fairytale. No hero is riding in to rescue you from me. Gods help anyone who would try. I will tear any man or woman apart who dares to touch you. Do you understand your life belongs to me now?”
He relinquishes his hold and stomps from the tent, leaving her trembling. A tiny cry bursts from her lips as she rests her forehead on the canvas of the cot. To think she once spun fantasies of this man as a knight in shining armor. If she can not escape him, then she will die on her knees.
Tomorrow is my last chance to free myself from Sigvid’s clutches before he traps me in Toftlund.
November 3rd, Year 100, 9th Era
Somewhere in the Salt Province
Avina sways in time with the midnight stallion's trot. Each jerk of her body lands between two thick, inked arms. The pull of bracing muscles is felt against her back as she collides to the side once more.
The tip of Sigvid’s curling beard tickles her nose, jolting her consciousness. Her curtain of dark lashes lazily drifts open to see the passing of towering pines.
Oh no! How long had I been out?
She had been dutifully following their path through Salt, carefullyplanning her escape until she passed out. She must have missed the break they took at one of the small villages where she planned to steal a horse.
Her sudden shift to sit upright draws the attention of her captor.
“Evening.” His voice is gruff and strained.
“Evening?” As she struggles to pull herself up, her cheeks burn as she realizes that sometime during their journey, he moved her into a side saddle position and cradled her in his arms.
As she comes to, she pulls on her wrists, remembering they’re bound tightly with rope against her waist. The thick, scratchy strand of material tied between her legs and under her breasts is a reminder of why she struggled to sleep. She is at least grateful for the oversized clothes they gave her, which are taking the brunt of the pressure.
She cannot stay in Salt a moment longer. One of her handmaidens, Joetta, cared for Nellie while she was away but is to be married on this day. Not only would she miss her wedding, but who would feed Nellie?
“We are stopping ahead to camp.” He nods to a growing mass of canvas and curling campfire smoke spread across a vast sea of frosted grass.
Reeling, she calculates that they are barely a day’s ride to Toftlund. A peek at his expression has her squirming. The determination set in his jaw and tired blue orbs is hauntingly beautiful.
Focus!
She needs to return to Nellie. If they stop to camp, this will be her final chance.
He dismounts along the fringe of the pine forest. She is led barefoot and bound to a small fire and the scent of cooking stew.
“Grim!” She smiles at his cheery face with deep laugh lines. His conversations have been the sole comfort during her captivity.
He bows his head respectfully, “You look more rested, Your Majesty. If you wait a little longer, I will have a halfway decent stew for us.”
Sigvid growls. “Stop fucking addressing her as ‘Queen.’ She is a prisoner of the Salt Prince now.” He drops the large saddlebags from his horse. “I need to make some rounds. Would you watch the captive?”
Her grumble earns her a dagger-like glance from Sigvid. He stalkstoward her until they are nose to nose, his hand pushing her cheeks together so tightly she cries.
“Is there a problem? Would you rather me allow my prisoners to wander?”
“Fuck you.” She manages to spit out with her cheeks nearly touching.
His rough release forces her to stagger, tripping over a tree stump.
He and Grim exchange more logistical points, and then Sigvid abandons her as he did the other day at camp.
“I will untie you to assist me with the tents. If you run, I am afraid I may have to hurt you.” Grim holds up a mass of canvas.
Once unbound, she helps Grim assemble the tents. The long trousers she wears continue to get caught beneath her feet, threatening to tug off her hips. She never thought she would take clothes that fit for granted.
She is already annoyingly fond of Grim, who, she has learned, lost his wife, after which corrupt Timber lords forced him into the Arena. Even without asking, she is suspicious about who caused this upstanding man to lose everything. When she finds her way back to Scarwood, she will visit a certain Duke and ensure he lives his life in misery.
