Redeemed

Ch. 5

I collapsed onto my bed, running my hands down my face. After a thorough discussion with Mom that consisted of her doing all of the talking at an elevated volume and the punishment of doing endless chores to "help me reflect on my ways," I was ready to roll over and forget everything that had happened today.

"It's time you moved on, Thea, and grew up a little. He passed away three years ago. I've accepted it, your brother has accepted it, even Shay has moved past the wounds of war. It's time you did the same," Mom had said. Which only prompted me to respond with an equally heated and stupid answer. Hence the chores. Whatever. She would never understand.

I wasn't sure why everyone around here accepted the war and the hardships it brought so easily. Many in the town had lost loved ones, and everyone missed having the men around to help with daily life, yet whenever asked why, everyone insisted the war was being fought for a just cause.

One reason could be the rumors of people being kidnapped who spoke out against the Prince, including the tale of a man in a nearby town who had disappeared in the night after bad-mouthing the war, though no one could tell me his name when I challenged their claims. Personally, I doubted any of the rumors were true. I had been strongly voicing my dissent for years and I was still here.

Of course, I had never said those words to anyone with power until this evening. My gut clenched a little as my words to Prince Solas echoed in my head: I couldn't respect, much less love, a man who took my father and brother away. I should have been killed on the spot for showing such blatant disregard to the Prince. Even if the Prince was only a man in a long line of men with that title, there were certain standards to follow when conversing with royalty. Yet he had merely looked at me with kindness and mercy and asked me to think on his offer.

I rolled over, tossing such thoughts out of my head. Regardless of the Prince's offer and my behavior, there was still much work to be done tomorrow, and I needed sleep if it was going to get done.

❈ ❈ ❈

Hands grabbed me roughly around the shoulders, pulling me from bed and a good night's sleep. Struggling, I opened my mouth to scream. Instead, a cloth was shoved down my throat, muffling my cries. I jerked, trying to kick out of my assailant's grip. I was able to wrench one shoulder free before another pair of hands grabbed me, stopping my escape.

"Quick, the cloth!" a whisper echoed. "Hurry, she's a live one!" A handkerchief with a slight smell was pressed over my mouth and nose. My vision started to fade as my body became slack. Oh, mercy, they were taking me. The rumors were true. Then blackness.

❈ ❈ ❈

I woke up to the smell of horsehair and the sensation of gentle rocking. Cool, fresh night air made me blink and sit up. The stars shone brightly overhead with no moon in sight. I could make out four others on horseback around me, blocking any escape routes. A tingling sensation in my arms made me look down to see my hands tied. I gritted my teeth as feeling started to come back to my arms. My legs and feet were tied tightly to the saddle to prevent me from falling off. At least they had removed the gag.

"So the warrior-princess awakens," said a deep, male voice on the left. Laughter sounded from the others. Anger roiled within me. First they kidnap me, and then they taunt me?

"Let me go! Imprisoning a person for speaking her mind is wrong. I meant no harm toward your Prince." Silence for a beat, then raucous laughter filled the air. I frowned, my anger and frustration building.

"You think we work for the Prince?" the man on the right chortled. "Do you hear that, boys? We've been promoted!" More laughter followed.

"Better get the shoe polish out. Wouldn't want His Majesty's shoes to look dusty."