Chapter 1 - Escape

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Who says women can't be heroes?

Marilyn is watching Lord Grimston as he is sitting at a long, thick, and heavy dark wood dining table in the mess hall of his keep. His only company is two hunting dogs beside him while he is eating a roasted beef leg. The two dogs watch him with unwavering gazes as they beg for morsels.

His sword is lying next to his plate on the table unsheathed. He is cutting chunks of beef with a dagger and either eating it himself or tossing scraps to his dogs, which they gobble up with a single snap of their jaws. His matted blond hair hangs to his shoulders and is bound in a rough ponytail at the base of his neck. He is watching her with cold brown eyes that look more as if they are looking at a piece of furniture than a person. His beard adds more to his rugged features and makes him appear more intimidating. A dark fur cloak that hangs over his plate armor completes the picture.

She still cannot fathom how he can hold favor with the crown, looking more like a rugged bandit than a merchant. He eats alone and she has to stand and watch him eat. This man is very rude and tells her through this action that he will not tolerate any disobedience and he is the master of this keep and all that lives in it. With a hand, she sweeps a troublesome strand of her slightly curving auburn hair and tucks it behind her ear. She purses her lips and looks Lord Grimston in the eyes, unphased by his threatening demeanor. He meets her defiant gaze with a sneering glare.

The sword next to him gleams at her with a promise of malice. A message for anyone that he will not take no for an answer. You either obey or face the consequences.

Marilyn had to listen with great sorrow as she had to go and live with her uncle until her pre-arranged marriage was at hand.

Marriage is my worst enemy.

She feels her throat choking up at the idea of marrying any man. This is not what she wants for her future. Her uncle organized this wedding against her father's wishes. She is supposed to live free to choose with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life. Not this. She does not even know the man's name.

Just my rotten luck to be afraid of marriage.

"This is not what my father wants for me, Lord Grimston..." She tries to reason with him.

"Marilyn your father died on the battlefield. Your mother died of illness and you aren't married. You are not a boy who can choose for himself! So be grateful we even worry about you! You are a part of this family and you should act that way!" he cuts her off.

What?! How dare you throw family values in my face.

She opens and shuts her mouth like a fish as anger boils through her veins. The indignation and humiliation. How could they do this to her? Force her to marry someone she does not even know. Why do they not give in to her father's final wish? Her anger is so devastating that her heart beats painfully as it is torn between sorrow and wrath. Sorrow for her mother's loss and wrath against her uncle's dishonor of her father's memory.

They didn't even give her the time to mourn. "I can not and will not accept this. I would rather die than be m... ugh..." She makes a gagging reflex as her throat closes up on the word marriage. "...To someone, I don't even know." Marilyn takes a step back and the blood drains from her face. What the hell is wrong with her? It's just marriage. She has dreamed about getting married a few times, but somehow the thought always makes her feel like this. The idea of permanently binding herself to another and sacrificing her freedom frightens her immensely and she has never dwelled on it for too long. She also did not get the chance to while taking care of her ill mother. Now that she is face to face with it, she finds herself afraid in such a sense that she could feel her entire body freeze and shudder at the thought. What will happen if she is dragged to the altar against her will?

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