Begin Again

Chapter 15

(RYAH)

"Which one of you is Rollo's wife?" A gruff voice demanded. I looked over at Anna who was staring defiantly at the men. There was a slight change in her expression and she started to open her mouth.

"I am!" I blurted before she could say anything. She looked at me with a confused look on her face. "I am Rollo's wife," I repeated. 

"Ryah?" Anna whispered.

"Lady Ryah," I corrected. "How many times do I have to remind you?"

"Had some trouble with this one have ya?" The man asked as he gestured to the long scar that was on her face.

"She's extremely stubborn and determined," I said and he laughed. We were sitting in a circle on the ground. I was shivering in just my dress and I could see Anna shaking out of the corner of my eye. It was a cold night and neither of us had anything to keep warm with. The men who had taken us couldn't risk lighting a fire or our position would be given away. 

"Where are you taking us?" Anna asked.

"To a place far away from here."

"Why not just kill us now?" 

He slowly looked Anna up and down. "What awaits you is a fate worse than death and if I killed you now I would have to take your place. If you try to get away you will be caught because I am not going to take your place." The man leaned back against the tree behind him and wrapped his cloak around himself. "I suggest the two of you get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us," He mumbled as he closed his eyes and settled in against the tree. 

I glanced at Anna and I could see her looking around at the men counting. I knew she was trying to decide if we could fight off our captors. I gave my head a slight shake. She might know how to handle herself in a fight but I would be more of a hindrance than an asset. I looked around to get a count on the men. It seemed like more appeared every few minutes. And those were the men that I could see. I was sure that there were more men in the trees all around us. 

The two men who had held us a knife point had taken us out of the village. At the edge of town we were joined by four more men. They took the lead and led us on an invisible path. I tried to keep track of the twists and turns but we had gotten so deep into the forest that it was impossible to remember everything.  After walking for most of the day we stopped. The men were familiar with the area and they could find it in the dark. 

I laid down on the ground and Anna looked at me with an expression that asked what I was doing. I rolled on my side turning my head away from her and tried to wrap my arms around myself to stay warm. As I laid there trying to sleep I couldn't help but wonder how many men would be around us in the morning. I also wondered if Torin and Rollo were looking for us. Or if they were even alive. 

(TORIN)

Torin ran through the trees towards the meadow. He knew it was unlikely, but he hoped that Ryah would be there. He burst through the trees and saw her house standing at the edge of the meadow. He didn't have time to look at her progress as he started making his way across the meadow. 

"Ryah!" He shouted as loudly as he dared. When there wasn't a reply he ran up towards the house. He looked around the foundation hoping to find her hiding against the edge where she wouldn't be seen. He looked in any of the places where she could hide but she wasn't anywhere to be found in the dark. 

"Ryah!" He called again and ran into the trees that were surrounding the house. In the distance he could hear someone else calling her name. He ran to the voice. It was her father standing out in their field. "Is she here?!" Torin yelled when he saw Ryah's father.