LIEF'S POV
I was in a hurry to ride out to Froloin. I was praying Merek and his men were gone long before Kaylein reached the village. My heart swelled with the thought of my love in danger. I leave the castle against my father's orders and I see Saul mounting his horse. I don't see another horse.
"Saul, where is my horse?" I call to him.
"You need to stay here! It won't look good to the people if the King can't keep his own son in line. I shall return safely with Kaylein."
I can't believe this! I watch him prepare to ride out, "No, I said I was coming with you! I want to personally see that Kaylein is safe!"
"Heyah!" Saul shouts and kicks his horse as soon as the words leave my lips.
I watch in disbelief as the horse gallops out at full speed. I kick the dirt out from under my feet and turn to head back inside the castle. Once I enter I am grabbed by my collar and drug into a room at the end of the hall. I see that my father is the man dragging me so I do not fight him. Once we are in the room he pushes me up against the wall, slightly banging my head against it.
"What the hell is going on with you?!" he screams, inches from my face. "How can the people of Peteonia put their faith in me, do as I command if my own son disobeys me?"
"You refused to send help to a village that needs it. The people will not be pleased to hear that." I counter.
My father snarls at me, showing me his anger while punching the wall behind me.
"This has nothing to do with that! It's written all over your face son! You're in love with that girl!"
Well, now he knew.
"Yes I am and I am going to protect her!" I scream at him.
"You stupid, silly boy! You risk your life for someone like her? Merek will kill you without thinking twice and then he will rape that girl and if he doesn't kill her as well he'll enslave her! This is a lost cause."
I push him away from me and move around him. I face him to tell him one last thing before I ride out to Froloin.
"You may be right but it's a chance I'm willing to take."
KAYLEIN'S POV
The walk to wherever the barbarians were taking us felt like hours. My legs were burning and my throat was dry from having no water. The one holding the chains would yank on it, causing pain to the other girls and I whenever we spoke to one another.
I did however learn the girls's names. Alainne was the one who shared my complexion and I learned she was a year older than I. Dametta and Gemma were sisters and they confided that they did not even live in Froloin; they travelled from Lundene to buy some things from the market. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Finally, there was Chloe. She was very beautiful and had long chestnut brown hair. She cried almost as much as I did during the walk.
"We'll stop here." one of the men stated. I looked up and saw the man who had grabbed me pointing to a stream of water.
"No, we should keep going." the fat one who scared off my horse argued. "Merek is expecting us soon. Do you want to explain what took us so long?"
The man growled and shook his head, sending his stringy black hair flying around his face. He then agreed with his barbaric companion and we kept marching.
Finally, after another hour we made it to a small compund where there was a fire burning, tents pitched and there was a table filled with food-no doubt stolen. Four other men who looked like the men who destroyed Froloin were seated at the table. One looked in our direction and got up, rushing to the largest tent. He disappeared inside and the men with us were greeted by the other three sitting at the table.
The girls and I were led to a large tree and tied to it. We were being treated like dogs! I fought more tears trying to break the surface. Then there was silence as all the men looked toward the tent the man had run to when we arrived.
The man exited and behind him, another man appeared. This man was huge! His chest was covered with defined muscles and his arms were large. His hair was long like all the other men but he had a gold plate bent in the shape of a crown atop his head. His face held a scruffy beard which he ran his fingers through after stepping out into view.
He looked over in our direction and a dastardly smile crossed his face. He pointed at Dametta then at one of the tents. One of the barbarian's unchained her and she fought to no avail as she was carried to the tent. The man who carried her did not come out but another barbarian entered.
Seconds later we hear Dametta screaming at the top of her lungs. I shut my eyes tightly and pray as the men all laugh. Next I hear Alainne screaming right next to me. I open my eyes and see another man unchaining her.
"No, please don't!" she cried.
The man grabbed at her body, fondling her breasts and ripping her shirt, exposing her naked chest to everyone. He then smacked her when she attempted to cover herself.
I looked behind the man and saw the large one, who I took to be the leader, grab the man by his throat and lift him off his feet.
"Merek, what are you doing?" he asked while he gasped for breath.
Merek pulled him close to his face and barked. "The women are not to be struck!"
The man nodded his understanding while he clutched at Merek's hands which were tighteneing around his throat.
For a moment I thought the man was surely going to die. I gasped and the sound caused Merek to rip his eyes from the man he held down to me. Our eyes met and all of a sudden he seemed to calm down. He turned back to the man before him and instead of placing him on his feet, he tossed him toward the table where the other men ate.
The man flies down the table, sending food flying into men's chest; the rest fell to the floor. The men all chastised Merek but he gave them a look that quieted them almost immediately.
He returned his gaze to me and I am frightened at the look on his face. He bends down in front of me and easily breaks the chains that are on my wrists, ankle and neck.
"What is your name?" he asks me.
I am taken back that he wants to know my name.
"Kaylein."
I swore I heard him moan my name but I hadn't had anything to eat or drink in hours. Maybe I was delusional.
He reaches out his hand to me. I notice it is dirty and there are cuts and scars on most of his fingers. He looks at me and then at his empty hand. I cautiously place my hand in his.
He stands and pulls me up with the action. I crane my neck to look at him and since my hand is still in his he leads me to a tent. OH NO!
Before we go inside he tells the men they can do what they want with Chloe, Alainne and Gemma but they are not to be hit.
My heart was racing once again as Merek led me inside what I assumed to be his tent. I saw a large cot, a shelf full of skulls and some food laying around-for God knows how long.
"Sit." he commands and points to a small pillow on the ground.
I do as I'm told and look up at him, wondering what he had planned for me.
MEREK'S POV
I rubbed my chin, feeling the hairs that begged to be shaved. I looked down at Kaylein as she stared at me with quizzical eyes. She looked so innocent, so inexperienced...so beautiful. I had to have her for myself. And if any of the other bafoons outside touched her, I would personally end their life.
"Hungry?" I ask her while grabbing the plate I had been eating off of. I thrust the plate toward her and she reluntantly picked some of the meat off the plate.
I watched her place it in her mouth and slowly chew. Once she swallowed I reached out for her. She was shaking as she took my hand. I pulled her up before me and ran my fingers through her golden brown hair.
She squeaked as I ran my hand down to the bottom of her coat and pulled it over her head. I then ripped the front of her chemise revealing her bosom to my eyes. I licked my lips as she shyly covered herself.
"No need to be shy. Go lie down."
I see her swallow the lump in her throat as she follows my command. I remove the little clothing I have on and move to my cot. I climb ontop of Kaylein. I look down into her face and see her crying. She turns her head away from me and for the first time ever, I start to digress.
I move off of her slim body. "I need a bath. Come bathe me." I order and walk out of the tent, naked in all my glory.
SAUL'S POV
Finally I arrived in Froloin and the sight caused me to feel weak. The entire village was destroyed and there were bodies of men and women scattered everywhere. A small fire was still intact. I jumped off my horse and ran over to extinguish it.
I blow out a breath and notice some footprints not too far away. Hopefully they weren't too far away or led across the river. I stand to go back to my horse and stop in my tracks when I see Lief sitting atop his white horse. He is examining the damage with a sad expression, just as I had.
"How far do you think they have travelled?" he asks me after swallowing a lump.
"I told you to stay in Peteonia." I growl at him as I march to my horse and mount it,
"And I told you I wanted to personally make sure Kaylein was safe."
I blow out another breath, this one full of frustration. "Fine, there are tracks that lead north." I point in that direction. "Hopefully the trail doesn't go cold. Let's go!"
I kick my horse and guide him in the direction of the footprints. I look to my left and see Lief riding beside me. To be honest, I was glad to have him with me and this proved to me that his love for Kaylein was real.