EDWINA (Sample)

Chapter Five

Bowing to his father once more, Hector lifted Edwina and placed her on the saddle sideways because the shackles would unable her to straddle the horse then mounted and sat down behind her, straddling her.

He held the reins and glanced at his brother and Sir Lyonell for the last time. Edwina looked up towards the Queen's wing and saw her standing by the window. The queen pressed her fingers to her lips in tears and waved at Edwina. Hector steered the horse towards the gate of the castle and galloped out and some passersby hurried out of his way on time to avoid being run down by his horse.

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Hector pulled his horse to an abrupt halt once they were at the outskirt of Avalon that overlooked the great forest path he was to travel on. He dismounted the horse and helped Edwina too, he hated the chains on her. The clanking and rattling noise kept getting on his nerves.

"Spread your legs." He commanded. When she gave him shocking displeased look having read the wrong meaning to his words, he pulled out his sword and struck twice on the chains with his newly sharpened sword and they broke loose. He crouched and pried the cuffs off her ankles and wrists and tossed them away while she stared at him in surprise. He lifted her to straddle the horse this time, mounted behind her and they continued their journey.

She was surprised because he just made her escape easier. She couldn't tell why he had broken the chain off her but all the same, she still decided to keep the key even though it had lost its importance. They had a long way ahead of them and once they were in the woods, she was going to act.

Finally, they were in the forest. Hector slowed his horse to a trot as they walked through a narrow path. The forest was lively and different sounds of several animals could be animated the woods. The tall trees shaded enough sunlight from entering the forest but rays filtered through the branches nonetheless. The air in the forest smelt of fruits, sap seeping out of some trees and other things she couldn't quite figure out. It was barely noon when Hector offered Edwina some water from his flask while they stopped and took a short rest but she knocked it right out of his hand wasting most of it before he could save it. He pursed his lips and stared at her remorseless face but said nothing.

They continued through the forest in silence, his arms around her to hold the reins in order to navigate his horse and he realized that this was the very first time in all of four years that they had ever been this close to each other. When the horse had been galloping, the strong wind had blown her long curly hair on his face, filling his nostrils with the sweet smell of it despite the fact that she had spent a night in the dungeon. They had been riding for hours and yet she had not uttered a single word to him. Not that he had not attempted to start a conversation with her but when he realized that she might snub him or leave him talking alone, he decided that it was best he left her to herself. He noticed that her face was impassive and she was just staring blankly into the distance, lost in her own thoughts.

The chattering of agile monkeys on tree branches overhead got their attention. The monkeys were staring down at them and were jumping from one branch to another, following them. One even threw down a fruit at Hector who in return gave it a stern look and the monkey scampered into hiding. Soon the monkeys grew weary of following them and Hector rode for few more hours still in silence and he finally accepted his fate with a sigh that Edwina hated him with passion that she would not even talk to him nor plead for her life to get out of her situation.

He wondered why it still bothered him, after all, back in Avalon, he was mostly staring at her while she always glared at him. So it was obvious that nothing would change that, not even when she had been handed to him to make certain her death.