She dashed through the woods her two braids on her head flinging like wheat on a windy day, her throat sore with the cold, she pulled herself together…and ran. The pounding of her heart was almost as loud as the stomping of her feet, she jumped over a dead fallen tree creaking as she passed it. The feet of her adversary were close behind her, she turned forward and slipped on a puddle from rain the night before, it was almost six at night, but to Jade is felt like ages since her last peaceful time that abruptly stopped at eight in the morning, she faded back to those few hours before. The birds chirping, her mother petting her hair as she sat on the couch with her…she went back to reality as she rolled down the muddy hill. She lay there, her hot breath showing with the cloud as she breathed out on the cold July day, it was the strangest weather and saddest day she had ever faced. The trees were either dead or dying or the leaves were orange and red…she felt as she was dying, she reached out to her knife that had fallen in the little stream as she had fallen. But, suddenly, two rough and warm hands grabbed her arms and roughly pulled her up shaking her in anger, the owner of the hands said: “Where are you going, girl?” She turned her head to look at the tree her father helped her climb weeks before. He jerked it back: “Where? You can’t hide! We must go.” He let her left arm go and stood her back on the ground, she looked at his muscular arms and legs, a scar running down his right cheek like the anger in his eyes. She acted like she was tired, which she was, but she had not given up, she kicked him in the knee, he sprawled…and she ran. He got up with a slight limp, and easily caught her right as her foot crossed the stream! He dragged her away. She cut the dirt with her long fingernails to make him stop, the mud rolled into her nails instead, he lifted her body like she was a little stick onto his right shoulder, her head bounced lightly on his back, but she was not done…this was not over.

She nodded off, still on his back minutes later…but, as she felt the soft blanket of sleep wrap around he threw her on the ground, she propped herself up with her hands and her chin almost touching her knees…what was his game? “Look Jade, you are going to answer what I ask, and you are going to do it quickly.”

“Why would I want to answer anything you ask?” She lowered her eyebrows in anger she could not comprehend.

“Because” he pulled out the same dagger she had had on her waist only a few minutes before, she went to her side in surprise…he had known she had it. “Like I said, you don’t know what I am capable of…and you are mine, I can do whatever I want.”

She slowly backed up, a devilish smile played on his lips. “Oh dear, help me…” She thought to herself.

“Now, where is your father?” He put the dagger to her chin forcing her head up slowly. A trickle of blood ran down her neck as he pushed it in ever so slightly, just enough…tears burned in her eyes, and one fell, she screamed at herself in the inside-he knew she was weak, she was a fool. “I don’t know…” she whispered as blood reached her chest.

“Louder!” He yelled, he just wanted control…

“I don’t know!” She practically screamed. He let her fall to the ground as he wiped the dagger on his shirt, but the blood was still on it…she could see it, he couldn’t, but she could. She also knew that he knew he had her in his grasp…he was her lord.

“And your mother?” He got back on his haunches looming over her like a cat licking his lips at a fish.

She stuttered…what if he knew she knew even if she said she didn’t? “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You don’t know?! Yes, you do, you liar!”

He knew.

“She…she…made…” She could not think; her mind went blank to the wooden barn floor after she had cleaned it out.

“I am only going to ask one more time: where did she go?”

“Heritage!” She yelled, though she very much knew she had gone the opposite direction.

“Why did you not go with her?”

She came up with a story as quickly as possible. “She wanted you to hear the clatter of the…wagon! And you would follow her thinking I was in the back…”

“Ah, smart woman. But, I outsmarted her, she will come as quick as those horses can turn around, and we will get her…but, right now I am busy with you.”

They walked side by side his hand making a mark above her elbow, she saw a tent over the tall grass and she saw the tools that were obviously left in a rush, this perfectly made tent with an unfolded blanket and wrinkled pillow…there was a tall wooden post dusty as the wind roared past it just yesterday. He pushed her down and tied her hands behind her back, tears once again burned in her eyes, life was dim, and her eyes slowly closed as she nodded off to sleep hoping it was all a dream.