Bound By Honour (Book 1)

Chapter 8

"Smart words but I don't see the harm in this dinner tonight, you can go home tomorrow and he will have to accept that you will not marry him." Lady Claire replies.

"Perhaps, if travelling today would be the same as tomorrow. Maybe you are immune within this garden but there is already snow outside and the skies are dark, the wind is picking up and everyone knows those signs. I will struggle to get home today, tomorrow will be impossible. Make him accept today I will not marry and he shouldn't want me to."

"Why should I?"

Sparrow chuckles.

"If I don't leave until tomorrow I will not head north, I will head east. I am sure that the Lords in the lands surrounding yours will be interested to know how impulsive and foolish your son is. They may not wish to live next to him anymore."

"You threaten but it is weak. I know very well that the Ricells are not on good terms with your people. You would not be safe; you would be thrown into the dungeons before you could do any damage to my son."

Sparrow laughs and plucks a rose and twists the stem between her fingers. "You sound so sure of yourself. But you lack the facts. It is true the Ricells and my ancestors were not on good terms. If others hadn't interfered one of our lines would have ceased to exist. When my sister first came, I journeyed with her part of the way then headed to them. I was not received with hospitality but the youngest Ricell, he was curious. Our elders may not get along but we do. He would listen to me. I had to make sure that we would have protectors if the deal with your son fell through." Sparrow turns and offers the rose. "I'm glad I have done so now."

"Get out!" Her voice shakes and Sparrow bows her head. "Get out now!"

Sparrow obeys quickly, her feet taking her outside the garden and across the white blanketed ground. There is no one around. Sparrow scans the area then takes off running.

Her feet pound across the ground, covering a great distance. She doesn't slow, she doesn't hasten, she simply keeps running. She only stops when she reaches the drop of a cliff. The wind picks up, whipping her long hair around. She stands at the very edge and breathes in the salty air. Waves crash several hundred metres below her, the spray not quite reaching her. She screams, pauses, and then screams again. Anger rushes from her lungs and spills into the wind around her.

For hours she stands there, her feet planted solidly to the ground, the wind tugging at her clothes and skin. It's not until the light starts to fade that she notices the growling pain in her stomach and the coolness to her cheeks. She turns, half expecting to have been forgotten. A tall figure sits atop a large bay horse. It throws its head up and snorts loudly. The rider dismounts and stands by its head. "Are you Sparrow?" His voice is quiet but somewhere she still hears him loud and clear. She nods, watching him warily. "I've been sent to find you along with many others." He exhales air in an almost chuckle. "You have my brother worried."

She doesn't reply straight away but analyses the man stood before her. He has dark curly blonde hair sitting atop his head and a short, well-kept beard across his face. Dark green eyes shine out at her and she notices how peaceful his expression is. He is dressed simply, in dark brown trousers, sturdy boots and a large black wool coat. As he waits he traces his fingers across the horse's neck to keep him calm. Clearly another one of the brothers.

"That was not my intention."

"What was your intention?"

"To escape," she looks out across the raging sea. "Has he changed his mind, I could make it home if I left now."

He stays silent for many moments, his eyes taking in every detail of the girl stood before him and the weather. "We both know it's too late for that. The weather is turning for the worst as we stand here, you'd die in the cold before you ever got home."