Blood Bride

Chapter One

The sun glistened, filtering through the branches and leaves that reached up to touch the precious gold sphere. The trees were silent. Only the quiet chirp of a bird or the sound of metal hitting wood touched my ears.

I closed my eyes and took it all in.

I could map out this area of the forest with my eyes closed. Nearly everyday, while walking from my parent's house to the market, I would stop here and watch the scenery. I loved it in every season.

In summer everything was bright, as it is now, with wild flowers growing next to tee trunks and amongst the grass. In autumn, it was slightly barer, with darker tones colouring the leaves. Winter was pure. Everything was white, and glistened. Barely anyone ventured into the woods during winter so the snow lay untouched as it covered the grass and tree tops. But spring was the best. When new life begun. Flowers sprouted from the ground and the leaves on the trees started to grow.

I turned my head to watch a small bird hop from branch to branch before settling high in a tree, resting in its nest among its small eggs. A smile grew on my face as I watched the bird thinking of my own mother who protected me as I grew up, and how my father took over as I grew into a woman, and now, seventeen, he still hadn't let me go. Hadn't given me to a husband.

Twirling a piece of my dark brown skirt in my fingers, I closed my eyes and let my head tilt back as the summer breeze softly kissed my face.

I was wearing a casual everyday outfit consisting of a chemise which had a small tie at the front which was currently unravelling itself causing the neckline to slip slightly, exposing more of the top of my breasts. The sleeves were rolled up to my elbows and the skirt fell to my ankles. Over it I wore a dark brown dress, with straps over my shoulders. And over that a corset went around my stomach. It was currently pulled tightly, laced up at the front.

"Scarlet!" I jumped at the shout and shot around at the sound of my name. I turned to see my father stood angrily amongst the stalls of the market. I gasped and scooped up the basket at my feet, running over to him.

My father stood tall against the side of a stall selling jewellery, hands on his hips and his greying hair neatly brushed over his small bald patch. He wore a plain dark green long sleeved tunic and dark brown pants.

"What were you doing staring at the sky like an idiot when I sent you to get food?" he demanded angrily. His face reddened slightly as he bent his body slightly so he was bent over me in an intimidating manner.

"Sorry father." I muttered as I slipped by his side. My head was tilted down and my gaze ran across the dirty floor beneath my brown pumps and dirty skirt.

My father calmed down quickly before taking one of my dark curls in his hand and twirling it between his fingers. He sighed once before moving slightly and letting the strand fall back against my chest.

Looking past my father, to where his hand gestured, I saw the array jewels and gems laid out on the table before us. They sparkled under the sunlight spreading their colour around us.

The burly man looked up from adjusting a necklace and looked at us, before glancing at the two men beside him, his sons, as if it was a silent warning not to take anything, or else.

"Sorry Sir, but I think these items are a little out of a mere farmer's price range. Your wages couldn't afford them, not if you wanted to eat." The man said, a little laugh escaping him at the end as he glanced at his sons who held smirks on their faced. The man was dressed in expensive clothes projecting his wealth and status. Before he could tell us to leave, I watched in surprise as my father threw a bag of gold onto the wooden stall.