Hey Everyone, thanks to my reviewers GeminiAngel236 and KrystalB723 i really appreciate any feedback
and to everyone who celebrated thanksgiving i hope you had a happy one
Answers
"I'm not marrying him!" I screamed at my mother.
"But you were so happy last night." She said in a hushed tone, a confused look on her face.
"I was in shock," I said. "Mother, Dale is … not for me. I am not going to marry him." She pulled me closer to her.
"Asha, it is set. You will not embarrass your father and me by taking back your acceptance. And besides, Dale is a good man that will provide for you. He loves you."
"He does not love me, he doesn't even know me. He would kill me if he found out who I was." I was so upset I didn't realize what I had just said.
"And who are you Asha. Your right I don't even know who my own daughter is anymore so tell me, who are you." My mother asked with a forbidding look in her eyes. I took a death breath, here was my chance. I could say everything that had been locked up inside me.
"Mother, I hear voices that haunt me. They come to me in dreams and show me horrible things. And then I have these visions with people from Ashlyn that claim …" I trailed off, her glare making me stop talking. She stared at me long and hard. When she finally decided to speak she had a solemn look on her face.
"Have you told anyone else that." She asked.
"No."
"Good, never repeat it again." She turned on her heal and left the room. I stood there alone and rejected until I felt the tears running down my face, then I ran to my room.
*_*
For a week I spoke to no one. I did my chores, ate, slept and most of all, avoided Dale at all costs. I was haunted by no more visions, but my nights were full of disturbing dreams. There were always voices in them causing me to yell out in fright. In my dreams I killed many times, always with a hungry look in my eyes. I did not understand what they were trying to tell me, if they were trying to tell me anything. I was depressed and desperate for answers. My family and the rest of the servants ignored me. Before I knew it Dale and I were getting ready to leave for his parent's house. As we walked to the carriage I knew that from this moment on my life would change drastically. I was losing it, the dreams did not allow me to sleep at night, and I felt my old self slipping away. Dale climbed into the carriage next to me. He grinned at me, and I felt sick to my stomach. I looked away from him and through the window at the manor. Anna waved to me and the carriage set off. With the sound of the horse's hooves as my lullaby, I fell asleep.
The abrupt stop of the carriage startled me awake. It was dark out and everything seemed to be covered with a thick fog.
"What do we have here." Someone called. I looked at Dale and he was shaking, where was the brave revolutionary now. Who ever had stopped the carriage was speaking in low voices. The door opened to show three men with dark brown hair and thick beards. The tallest man was darker then I had ever seen and had dark brown eyes. "And where are you off to on this fine night." He said. His accent was thick and his words slurred.
"We don't want any trouble good men. We are on our way to Tonen." The driver called.
"Ahhh, Tonen ay, well my good men if he says he doesn't want any trouble we best not give it to him." The men around him laughed spasmodically, from the sound of their laughter I could tell there had to be more men than those who blocked the door. "You," the man said to Dale. "You're shaking like a leaf. Now we won't hurt you. "
"Well," Dale said in a whisper, "we really should be on our way." His voice shook making him more incomprehensible then the man with the thick accent. The man looked at Dale then nodded. Still, we did not continue on, instead we stood there. The driver's scream finally broke the silence. I looked at the man and he smiled at me. "Get out." He told us. Dale did not move, causing the man to pull him from his seat. "And you my lady." He said to me offering his hand. I took it and he helped me down from the carriage. I looked and saw the driver at the head of the carriage, blood dripping from him onto the ground.
We walked then for what seemed like hours. Men behind us carried our belongings; there were about ten others with the dark man. The sun rose and was high in the sky by the time we neared a forest and continued into it. The man then said to me, "You're on Ashlyn soil now." I think he meant to evoke fear but I was not afraid of this odd man. We finally reached a camp that was buzzing with activity. Deliciously tantalizing smells came from pots over fires causing my mouth to water. The man walked me over to a tent and locked my hands into restraints. I did not know where Dale had been taken. When someone opened the tent again it had been dark for hours. A woman entered with a bowl in her hands.
"Poor child" she said. "Here have some broth." My mouth was so dry I could barely open it. "I'll be right back; I'm going to find a way to get you out of those things." By the time she returned it was dawn and a man was with her. "Open them," she said to the man. He got down on his knees and freed me from my restraints. "Better?" she said smiling. I smiled back. The women's name was Irma and the man, her nephew was Ricter she told me over breakfast. Her town in Ashlyn had been taken over by rioters forcing her to flee. She explained that most of the people in the camp were from towns that were left in chaos after riots. "The only way we get new goods is robbing them," she said.
"Why are there so many riots, why isn't Puer controlling them. " I asked her.
"Oh darling," she said. "The king has never had any control over his people. Ashlyn is controlled by a powerful aristocracy, one might say. The legends say that a long time ago the land was full of magical beings but now only the privileged have any power. I personally believe it is all a silly childhood fantasy story. An old family, the original Ashlyns, hold all the power."
"I don't understand."
"It's all hogwash anyway but the family is supposed to be protected by secrets, no one knows who is really Ashlyn. They pass down the magic and keep their blood line pure so that no magic is lost, in doing so they control the country. Now, Puer is in on all of this, because the Ashlyns don't want a title they already have the real power."
"But what is the power."
"Well they say real Ashlyns can communicate with each other you know like transport one another to their mind, they can go into your brain and learn your darkest secrets, and they can control you completely and the poor soul would not even know it. Puer is sort of like their representative, he does all the diplomatic things."
"But I still don't understand what that has to do with riots."
"The Ashlyns have disappeared." Irma said laughing. "And now poor Puer has no idea how to do anything. Rioters are trying to set up a new government. That is why Puer wants an alliance with Arria, so that King Laden will protect him and his people."
"Where did they go?"
"Oh, you sure do ask questions. I don't know. I think it is all a lie anyway." Irma smiled at me. "Now honey, I'm sure some of the men will be going back into Arria soon and I'll see where they are headed." She began to get up to the table but I grabbed her arm.
"I'm not from Arria."
"Really I thought that is where Ricter said he picked you up. He said you were headed to Tonen. Darling, do not be afraid I will take care of you and make sure you get back home."
"But I don't want to go home; there is nothing for me there." I told her. I was finally getting closer to discovering the truth about myself. There was no way I could leave now. The man that had headed the group last night appeared next to us.
"I'm glad you took it upon yourself to free the girl" He said. Irma did not look at him.
"She's just a girl, Mickli."
"Huh" he said under his breath. He walked away.
"You see," Irma whispered in my ear. "Mickli is a brute who we only keep around because of his strength." I smiled.
"We?" I asked.
"I'm part of the council that runs this camp. I meant it when I said I could keep you safe and get you home." I finished my porridge. The sun warmed me and with Irma next to me I felt more at peace then I had been in a days.
*_*
Jai was worried. He paced his room taking giant steps. Why couldn't I concentrate? He thought to himself. He had to find her. He opened the door to his room and ran down the winding steps with the necklace crutched in his hand. "Eli" he called.
"Yes," the man answered. He was short and balding. His hair had once been dark brown and his eyes were a lifeless grey.
"When will he get here?" Jai asked.
"I am not sure." Eli answered. "You will find her. I have complete faith."
"I can't concentrate my mind always comes back to …"
"To who?" Eli asked intrigued. He was always fascinated with the power of the Ashlyns, how their magic could be both a gift and a curse.
"It's rather complicated." Eli looked up at Jai. "Well it's the girl I told you about, that came to me."
"You mean the one who claimed to be Asha."
"Yes, I never was able to control the power enough to transport someone. I thought I had reached a breakthrough. That I would finally be able to reach Opal." He slammed his fist onto a table. Then Jai turned around and ran back to his room, he would not rest until he found her. Eli marveled at Jai's actions. His wife, Opal, had escaped from Ashlyn when Asha was first lost and the riots began. Asha's father had been foolish to give her away and in doing so destroyed had weakened the power of the Ashlyn family. What Jai didn't know was that Opal was dead. He was just wasting his time and that is exactly what Eli wanted.
You know the drill please review. I'm sorry if it gets confusing between the Ashlyn family and Ashlyn the country. Basically the country was started by the family, which is realli a group of familes that all came to from one family. I noe now im confused lol. So please review. :) And question is it to early to start saying happy holidays just wondering?