Cedany's Voice

Father's Word Is Law

"Never. Never again." Cedany mumbled into his shoulder, he chuckled and patted her head. Her curls were tied into a thick French braid and tickled his fingers.

"We will never fight again, I know. Cedany, are you okay?" He knew that deep down she wasn't but he had to ask to see how she reacted. She had remained silent for a couple minutes still wrapped around him. And that bugged him; she always seemed to respond right away.

"Bryce... I'm not okay, I don't think I ever will be okay. Not with Mother gone, it now means that Father will have to sell me to some old creepy pervert man as his wife and carry his many heirs for money. With Mother gone, there is no need for me to stay here. And I just feel like I have to go away." She began to cry and he sat down with her in his lap.

"Shush Cee, you aren't going to be going anywhere! I promise!" Bryce said reassuringly and Cedany bought it. She turned and looked at him with her big all seeing green eyes.

"Are you sure?" She whispered so quietly that it was barely heard. He nodded and got up dusting off his pants. He grabbed her hand and brought her out to the rest of the family.

"Cee, as long as I am alive you will not be sold for money or sent away." He whispered into her ear before Lyna dragged him away. Lyna Gordove was the town's prettiest girl and had a huge crush on Bryce but everyone knew he didn't like her. And yet she still tried to make him court her and try to make him the father of her children.

The rest of the night was uneventful and Cedany went to bed with a happy heart as she played with her bracelet. She tucked herself into her warm ram skin bed and through her window she stared that the stars.

"Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight, someone thinking of me, and loving me tonight..." Cedany whispered to herself and soon fell asleep dreaming of a man that would love her for her and not because of her beauty.

~~

She woke up to the sound of yelling and the shattering of a dish. She barely could understand what was going on until she heard little pieces.

"You can't... It would ruin her... away... time... It would ruin our family... I can't...." She didn't really understand what was going on but she slipped into a pair of worn trousers and a tunic before heading down into what was a horrible family dispute. As she bound into the kitchen, she saw her Father sitting red faced at the end of the table and his eyes full on anger. At the other end of the table was Bryce and his voice loud and his eyes full of hatred. His face was contorted with both anger and disgust.

"Bryce? Father? What is this early morning is dispute?" She asked as she took her spot at the table. Her other brothers' faces solemn and didn't not share much to her. She looked between both angered men.

"Cedany. Hush up." Merek whispered into her ear and she shook her head.

"Brother, please explain this fight. What is it about?" She asked again, but Bryce ignored her to glare at their Father.

"You are a horrible man, Father. Know that, if you send her way," Bryce points directly at Cedany, "You will destroy the family and I will never return to here. And I shall not be your son. Instead of seven children, there will be only six."

Silence was the only thing heard throughout the room. Many of the brothers were surprised by Bryce's outburst. The only one not surprised was Carac and he remained silent. Cedany's mind was reeling as she was catching onto the conversation. She slowly turned to look at her father.

"Father, is it true? Is it true what my brothers speak of? Are you sending me away?" She asked her voice strong but her heart broken. She loved her family and she needed them, if she was sent away who knows what could happen. Her father had remained silent, his face loosening its redness but not the anger in his eyes.

"Daughter, enough! Until it proves that it is necessary to send you away, you will remain here. At home, with us." His voice softened and he began to cry, his shoulders shook and his became clouded with sadness. "My love, if your Mother was here everything would make sense."

The whole room remained silent as Tybalt broke down into a storm of tears. "Your Mother was a gift from her parents to mine as a sign of peace and I thought I would never love her. She was like any other women I had met and I was not interested until she revealed herself to me. I never met her until the day of the wedding, I was dreading marrying her. I was expecting someone ugly and dull and there, I can remember it like it was yesterday there she stood. Her brown curls braided into a tight crown with flowers and her dress all white lace and she was stunning. But in my heart, it didn't feel right. It was not until we were married a year that I realized I had fallen for her, she was amazing... She was beautiful and cooked well and cleaned the house until it was spotless.... The day she told me she was pregnant with Carac I was thrilled and I was scared. I was no more than eighteen and wasn't ready to be a father.

Your Mother though, she was thrilled, her energy made everything better, and when Carac was born, it was the day that I truly realized that your Mother was my soul mate.... And I have lost her. It's hard to lose that one person that made everything right. Everything now seems messy and unorganized. My children, here this now and remember it well. When you find love, cherish it, and never let it leave you."

Her brothers stared at their Father; none of them knew about love that deep except Carac. Carac and his love, Emeline, were never supposed to be and should have never met. She was a rich daughter of a Duke and was not allowed to marry a commoner like Carac but she loved him and he her. He would give the world for her and the child that she was barring but it was no good. He knew what it was like going everyday trying to survive without that person. He knew how much it hurt both of them and never consented to marrying.

"Father, if you speech is over. May I take my leave? I need to be in Inglewood by noon to make it half way to Porpole." Bryce said his voice harsh and void of any emotion towards Father. Father didn't not look up or speak to Bryce. His waved his hand and Bryce was gone from the room. Cedany chased after her brother, she would see him off as she always had.

"Bryce, have a good trip! Come back soon!" I yelled as he galloped away on Gypsy, the armour and sword that their Father made bounced in the sack that Father had put it.

"He is quite strong headed, isn't he?" Father had whispered behind Cedany, he placed his strong hand on her shoulder and looked deep into her eyes.

"Father, Bryce is Bryce and he is strong headed, like the rest of us." She said, her brother was now far out of sight and out of hearing range.

"That he is. Cedany, I am truly sorry about earlier. That mustn't have been the most pleasant way to wake up too. But my dear, I am lost, I am truly lost and I do not want you to bear my burden of sadness."

Cedany looked up at her Father and again noticed tears but she didn't worry about them, instead she wrapped her arms around her father and closed her eyes, listening to his heart beat strong.

"Father, if I must go, where would it be?" She asked her voice almost inaudible. Her father turned his big green eyes to look at the top of her head. He knew exactly where he'd send her, it was where Jacquelyn would have wanted her to go.

"Devblue Manor." He had said simply, so simply that the words shuttered down her spine.

"Aunt Alys'." She concluded. She would be sent off to her crazy Aunt Alys, who was her Mother's sister. Aunt Alys lived all the way on Lake Blueluna, which was over twenty miles away. But it didn't bug her how far but how much she knew about her Aunt. Her Aunt has never liked her since the day she was born; Alys would be set on making her a proper woman.

"Yes my dear, that's where Mother would have wanted you to go. Aunt Alys means well and I trust her with you, my only daughter." His voice full of love and strong. Cedany knew what her Father said was what he meant. He never would lie to her, not now. And to her, his words became law.

She knew that once he said he trusted Aunt Alys it meant that she would be leaving for Devblue Manor within a matter of days or weeks. But that did not matter; all that mattered was that Bryce was wrong. He could not have stopped Father from sending her away.