The coach rattled along the worn dirt track. Lady Alanna of Trebond sat in
it, contemplating her fate. She had not eaten for three days. Her brother
was worried sick about her. She had softened towards him considerably in
her last hours in Corus. He would have travelled with her, but he had
pressing matters to attend to and they could not wait. He had sworn to
himself that he would see Alanna at first opportunity. He had blamed
himself for her current existence but his father came a good, strong second
place.
She twisted long strands of hair distractedly and her face was a constant
picture of despair. As the carriage drew up at the Trebond estates and
Alanna was led away to speak with her father, she composed herself and by
the time she was admitted to her father's presence she looked perfectly
normal, well, as normal as Alanna ever was.
"Well let me look at you girl. Step into the light." Alanna meekly obeyed her father's command.
"I suppose you'll do. I must say, I hoped that the convent would do a better job on your physical features but I guess you get what you pay for." Alanna felt growingly more nervous inside.
"I have arranged a marriage for you. It will keep you out of harms way, and mine, and earn me a tidy income, very tidy income as a matter of fact. I have betrothed you to..."
**Ohhh, I hate cliffhangers don't you? Only joking, here it is! **
"I have betrothed you to Sir Raoul of Golden Lake. I did this for two reasons, firstly, profit, and secondly, I believe one of your friends is to be betrothed to Sir Gareth the Younger of Naxen...."
The rest of his words slid off Alanna like water slides of petals and leaves in the soft spring showers. She didn't realise that she had returned to her rooms, that she had donned a customary violet gown or that she was halfway through a dinner with her father. She was expected to be silent unless addressed and this suited her fine. Tomorrow, she had been told, she would begin her journey back to Corus to be presented to her future husband.
THE NEXT DAY:
Alanna stepped into the carriage and immediately drew the curtains, she did not pen them and she spent the whole journey in total darkness and silence, weeping her heart out.
**I'm so sorry. I know I'm being cruel and I promise it will get better very soon. Tomorrow or Sunday I will post the next chapter. Promise.**
"Well let me look at you girl. Step into the light." Alanna meekly obeyed her father's command.
"I suppose you'll do. I must say, I hoped that the convent would do a better job on your physical features but I guess you get what you pay for." Alanna felt growingly more nervous inside.
"I have arranged a marriage for you. It will keep you out of harms way, and mine, and earn me a tidy income, very tidy income as a matter of fact. I have betrothed you to..."
**Ohhh, I hate cliffhangers don't you? Only joking, here it is! **
"I have betrothed you to Sir Raoul of Golden Lake. I did this for two reasons, firstly, profit, and secondly, I believe one of your friends is to be betrothed to Sir Gareth the Younger of Naxen...."
The rest of his words slid off Alanna like water slides of petals and leaves in the soft spring showers. She didn't realise that she had returned to her rooms, that she had donned a customary violet gown or that she was halfway through a dinner with her father. She was expected to be silent unless addressed and this suited her fine. Tomorrow, she had been told, she would begin her journey back to Corus to be presented to her future husband.
THE NEXT DAY:
Alanna stepped into the carriage and immediately drew the curtains, she did not pen them and she spent the whole journey in total darkness and silence, weeping her heart out.
**I'm so sorry. I know I'm being cruel and I promise it will get better very soon. Tomorrow or Sunday I will post the next chapter. Promise.**