Mine Till The End Of Time

Chapter 1 An Angel

Theodora frowned as she moved along through the snow. Winter was ending soon, but not soon enough. It had been a long hard winter and she was tired.

But Erich kept her awake. His giggling and squealing while pulling and prodding the horses mane made her smile and she couldn't resist leaning down and rubbing her nose against his soft, dark curls.

He was what was driving her to do this. He was the reason she didn't care about the townspeople that shunned her and turned their backs on her. He was also the reason she never corrected their opinions of her.

She thought back to her life almost two years ago. She had trekked dangerously through  the lowlands and up to the highlands, barely staying alive. It was either escape, or be forced to endure a lifetime of hell, and she couldn't watch her son go through that.

Before Theodora could contemplate her life anymore, the white dog at her side crouched low and began to growl at the clump of trees at their left. She quickly pulled the horse to a stop and pulled the knife from the satchel at her hip.

She shushed Erich and slowly inched her horse forward.

"Go see what it is, Sheba," she whispered to the dog and she took off behind the trees.

Theodora kept her horse steady but ready to make a break for it. She would not be captured again. Sheba suddenly came back with a scrap of clothe in her mouth. It was bloody.

Theodora quickly slid from the horse with Erich in her arms and followed the dog.

It was a man.

He was laying in the snow in bloody, torn clothes. There were knife wounds marring his chest and arms, atop of other battle wounds. His right ankle was bent in such a way that Theodora knew instantly it was broken. She bent and ruffled through his clothes, attempting to find a plaid.

There was none. He could be from anywhere.

Theodora sighed heavily and turned towards Sheba.

"I guess we should get him back to the house."

After a few minutes of struggling, she had situated the man across the saddle and tied him down so he wouldn't fall. She took the sash from around her shoulders, not that it was keeping her warm anyways, and tied it around her waist and across her shoulders so Erich could ride on her hip and she could hold the horses reins.

And then she began the long trek home.

Once the door to their cottage came into view, she sighed in relief. She was damp with heat from carrying Erich all the way through the snow. She pulled the horse into the cottage and untied the man. She was able to slowly slide him down to the floor and drag him to the makeshift bed.

Then she untied Erich and let him crawl around on the dirt floor. She turned back to the horse and pulled her outside and into the barn, if you could call it that. It was a few long pieces of wood that stood up against the small cottage.

She hurried back inside and started up the fire and began to boil water. Erich's happy giggling could be heard through out the cottage and it brought a smile to her face, but then it fell. She was supposed to go into town today to meet with Lady Elizabeth. All the money she would have made today would have lasted them another month, and now they would have none.

Theodora turned to the man and studied him. Now that she really had a chance to look at his face, he was very...dangerous looking. But, she wasn't afraid. She found him...attractive. He had long brown hair with streaks of blond. It was long, almost to his shoulders. He was very muscular, she knew that from moving him. He was obviously a warrior. Maybe he will repay me for saving him, Theodora thought to herself.