Eleina wrapped herself around one leg almost instantly, and when Demetria looked down, she found her vision blurred by tears.
All her plans, for the wheat, for the harvest, were blown away like ashes on the wind, and she had the vague sense of falling.
But Eleina needed her. Her father would need her. She had little doubt that the Reeve would do the very least he could get away with aiding her father, but if she was to work at the castle, perhaps she could save some money to give aid to her father. Perhaps there she might find a husband better than Pallit and find a way to take care of Eleina and her father.
She knelt and quickly wiped away the tears that had tracked down her cheeks. "Eleina," she said, and winced at the way her voice broke. "Eleina, I have to go with these nice men," she said. Even as the words left her, Eleina pressed herself harder against her and wrapped her tiny arms tighter around her neck.
"I love you," Demetria breathed into her ear. "And I will come back as soon as I can. Do what father tells you, and grow big and strong, okay?"
Eleina was screaming now, and Demetria took the time to just hold her. How long she had she didn't know, but for a few moments, she just held her little sister.
A thump on the door roused her from it after a moment, and a voice, not unkind, shouted. "Hurry, we have little time."
Demetria stood and set Eleina down, but the girl leaped back to her, tears pouring from her eyes.
"I have to get my things," Demetria told her, but Eleina clung to her leg as she went to the bed. From beneath the pillow, she took the two treasures she possessed in the world.
The first was a necklace, a bit of bone carved in the shape of an angel, its wings outstretched, hanging from a thin cord. It had been her mother's, and she had given it to Demetria with her last breaths.
The second was a comb, carved from bone, which her father had made for her. She slipped it with the necklace into her pocket and took a deep, ragged breath.
Everything was spinning around her, the only anchor being Eleina, still holding on to her leg. This cottage had been her home all her life, and in a few moments, she would leave it behind.
She swept her eyes over it, taking in every detail, but the pounding on the door struck again.
"Time is up," the man called. "We need to go."
Demetria took another breath and stepped toward the door, Eleina hanging tight the whole way. Hesitating for a moment, Demetria pulled open the door before turning to her sister. No need for them to break the door, and they deserved to see what this did to her sister at the very least.
She knelt in the doorway and began gently prying Eleina's arms from around her leg. "I have to go," she told her. "But I love you, a lot. Do as father says, and I will see you again soon."
At her promise, Eleina looked up at her, the tears slowing for a moment, and Demetria felt a stab of guilt. Surely they would not keep her at the castle beyond the winter without allowing her to visit her family, so it was not much of a lie. But she knew Eleina's idea of soon did not extend nearly so far into the future.
"Wait here till father returns," she told her sister, and she glanced to where the little twig doll lay discarded in the grass by the door. She leaned out to snatch it up and pressed it into Eleina's arms. "Play with your doll, and father will be back soon."
The man stepped up next to her. "The Reeve will see your sister is watched until your father returns," he said. "Where are your things?"
Demetria stood, tearing her eyes from her sister. "Here," she patted her pocket. "You said I did not need clothes, my lord."
His mouth worked a moment, then he nodded. "Come, time is short."
Demetria forced herself to step forward, and a moment later she found herself swung up onto the horse, the man vaulting up behind her.
"Have you ridden before?" He asked.
Demetria shook her head, the ground seemed far below, and the sensation of sitting atop the horse was a strange, unsettling one. It grew worse when she looked up and saw that the horse had turned to look at her out of one huge eye.
"No complaining, Ren," the man said. "You've carried more for longer."
The horse snorted as they turned back into the lane.
"No!"
Demetria's breath caught in her throat as she glanced back and saw Eleina running toward them.
"No!" the little girl shouted, and the last bit of Demetria's control shattered at the sound of her sister's voice.
She slid from the horse, tears streaming down her face as her sister leaped into her arms, her first word still hanging in the air.
"No." Eleina said again, softer now, as she pressed her head against Demetria's shoulder. "No."
"I have to go," Demetria said through the tears. "You and father will be okay, and I will come back, I promise."
She tried to pry Eleina loose, but her arms felt weak, and Eleina was clinging with all the strength of a child hanging on for dear life.
"Lady," the man's voice behind her was calm, but she felt the impatience beginning to rise. "We must be off."
The reeve stepped forward, but Demetria sidestepped him and took a few quick steps to the cottage.
"I have to go," she whispered to Eleina. "And you have to be brave. Wait for father, and be brave, okay?"
She knelt, setting Eleina down. "Be brave."
"I will be back in a week's time," the leader said to the reeve, swinging down from his horse. "And I will hear how the lady's family has been cared for."
He took Demetria by the shoulders and pulled her gently but firmly toward the horse. "We must go."
In the heart of the village, the riders had gathered a half dozen others for the conscription. Pallit was among them, which Demetria noted with some satisfaction. One other girl had been taken, Letya, the daughter of a farmer from the eastern half of the village.
The gathering was quick, and a few moments later they were riding down the road that lead northward, to the baron's castle. Demetria kept her eyes straight ahead, but in her mind she was wondering what next her life held.
Why were they seizing women for the conscriptions? Had war been declared already? What work would they have for her? She knew little of the baron and saw less of him. From time to time he rode through the village on the way to the capitol, but even those occasions were rare, and it was not often he stopped.
She doubted she would have much to do with the baron or baroness in the castle. It was more likely that she would have some job in the kitchens or—
She thought suddenly of the baron's daughter. She was about Demetria's age. Perhaps she was to be married, and she needed servants to go with her to her new husband. Would she end up on the other side of the kingdom?
The capital city, Galsturn, was the furthest one could go from her home without leaving the kingdom, a full week's journey for most merchants. If she was sent so far, it would be difficult, and dangerous, to make it back home, even for a quick visit.
Her mind was fully focused on the castle as they rode, and what new life lay before her, that she almost did not recognize the bent shape along the road.
"That is my father," she gasped, turning on the horse so suddenly that she almost fell. "That is my father!"
The man gave a heavy sigh as he slowed the horses. "You are trying my patience, lady."
"Give her a moment," one rider said from behind them. "It is worth the time."
He gave another sigh, but raised his hand for the company to halt, and Demetria slid from the horse, rocking a moment on the solid ground, before lunging toward her father.
His face was twisted in pain as he limped along, leaning heavily on the crutch with every step, but his eyes widened when he saw her.
"Demetria?" he gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Why are you here?" She asked. "Eleina is waiting for you."
"I was on my way to petition the baron," her father said. "I cannot let you bind yourself to Pallit, especially not when there is yet more I could do."
She wrapped her arms tightly around him, committing the feeling to memory.
"The queen has need of her services," the leader of the horsemen said, guiding his horse toward them. "She has been conscripted, and I have arranged matters with the Reeve to see that you are compensated for the work she would have done."
"She is my daughter," her father snapped. "It is not her work. I am saddened to see go."
"I cannot give you another daughter," the man replied. "But if there is a war with Drestin or Remur, there will be many without daughters. One still remains with you, pray that war does not come, and your second may return."
He glanced at the party of conscripts behind him and reached out toward Demetria. "We cannot tarry. Already I am late, and the minutes are precious."
Demetria stepped back from her father. "Eleina is waiting for you," she said. "Perhaps this will be better, better than Pallit, anyway."
Her father nodded tightly. "I hope you may return soon," he said to her. "I love you."
"I love you too," she squeezed his hand.
"Come," the man leaned down and grasped Demetria's arm. With a pull that was less painful than it could have been, he lifted her quickly into the saddle.
"Your name farmer?" the man asked.
"Warrell Quinsson" her father answered.
"Well then, Warrell Quinsson," the man said. "I will return in a week's time and bring you news of your daughter. Until then, I must be on my way."
With that, he tapped his heels to his horse, and they galloped away. Demetria looked back over his shoulder, watching her father until he disappeared behind a bend in the road.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! This chapter was a little tougher to write, mainly because I feel that there's a lot of questions and not many answers. When I write chapters like this, there can be the temptation to speed through it and get to the part with the answers, but I wanted to show how all of this is impacting Demetria, as well as how her father reacts to it.