Blacksmiths daughter

A Secret

Gwendolyn opened her eyes and smiled. Today was Sunday, no work for them! She looked out the window. The sky was clear, a brilliant blue you only see in spring.
The smile still on her face, Gwendolyn got out of bed and dressed.
Today, she would be able to relax. There was no work in the forge, and lunch had already been made the previous day.
She went into the kitchen, one of the three rooms in their house. There, she looked around curiously. Where was her father?
She checked his room. No, he wasn't still sleeping. Gwendolyn was puzzled. It wasn't like him to disappear just like that... It was then that she heard the voices just outside the door.
"But are you sure she will agree?" the voice was that of a man's. But not her father's. The next voice, though, made Gwendolyn's blood freeze in her veins.
"I am not. But she will do whatever I tell her." there was obvious pain in her father's voice. Gwendolyn didn't understand. What were they talking about? Her? Why did her father sound like that? And who was that man? The questions flew through her head as fast as a galloping horse.
"Alright then. Then in exactly a week, I will bring Alric and you Gwendolyn. They will meet and hopefully it will go well." Gwendolyn felt her heart stop. Alric was a young man in the village, about her age. And she had guessed what the two were discussing.
No... He wouldn't do that to me... She didn't understand. Her father, force her to marry?
Gwendolyn shook her head violently. It wasn't possible. But...
"alright. See you..." Gwendolyn noticed her father's voice sounded very sad. There was the noise of footsteps leaving, then a tremendous sigh.
Gwendolyn moved away from the door and got her breakfast ready. Soon enough, her father walked in. He jumped guiltily as he saw Gwendolyn. She raised an eyebrow.
"yes?" her father shook his head, not answering.
"where were you?" Gwendolyn asked this time. Her father froze.
"I... Went to the bakery to get us something nice for breakfast." Gwendolyn looked over him.
"and where is it?" the blacksmith blinked, looked down at his hands, then thought for a moment.
"I... I forgot the money, I didn't buy anything." he replied in excuse. Gwendolyn could see his purse by his side, but decided not to push the matter any further. She shrugged.
"alright then." her father sighed, obviously relieved his lie had seemingly worked. Gwendolyn prepared the breakfast, too angry with him to talk.
Then, as they were sitting and finishing off their breakfast, she decided to speak.
"and what should we do today?" her father shrugged.
"relax. We should, since we can. And next week-" he paled and broke off. He had been about to say too much. Gwendolyn sighed.
"what about next week?" she wondered.
"nothing..." Gwendolyn looked down. She was sure now. They normally had such a nice, fun relationship, would tell each other anything, but now...
"alright then, we'll relax." she said, giving up. It was so hard to know something, but not be able to tell! Gwendolyn stood up violently and began tidying up the table. Her father seemed lost for a second, then stood as well and took a plate from her hand.
"I'll do it. You go and have fun." Gwendolyn didn't talk and simply walked out without a word. She was angry with him, and there was no way she would tell him.
She walked without looking where she went, until she ended up near the edge of the village. She looked around and decided to sit down on the stump of a tree, her head in her hands.
After only a few minutes, she heard the quiet sound of walking. She looked up and there was the man she had noticed before, the one always by the house.
She drew herself up and her heart started racing. What was he doing here?
The boy, which she noticed looker more like a young man after all, simply walked up to her and stood there. Gwendolyn stood up. He was a little taller than her, and she didn't want to sit and be even shorter.
"why are you here?" she asked. She hated the tremble in her voice.
"and why are you here?" the boy asked back. His voice was not that of a boy, but not a man yet either. Gwendolyn blinked.
"that is none of your business!" she exclaimed, louder than she had meant to. The young man lifted his hands in sign of surrender.
"alright, alright! I was only curious, I didn't mean to make you angry." Gwendolyn was confused by this young man of about her age, whom she knew nothing about but seemed to know perfectly how to interact with her.
She didn't talk for a second, and when she did, she sounded less angry than before.
"why did you follow me?" the boy shrugged.
"you've noticed me lately, right? It became my new goal in life, for lack of a better or more interesting one." Gwendolyn wasn't sure whether to take it as an offense or a compliment.
"why did you then decide the walk up to me then?" the young man smiled.
"that, is my business." he replied. Gwendolyn rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore it. She hesitated, but since he didn't seem very dangerous, decided it would be no worse no better for either if they exchanged names. But before she could speak, it was the boy that talked.
"what's your name?" he asked. Gwendolyn laughed, and the boy tilted his head.
"what's so funny?" he wondered out loud, but he was smiling as well.
"I was about to ask the same! You start." she told him firmly.
"alright. My name is Ethan." Gwendolyn nodded. She couldn't help but think Ethan was a nice name.
"my name is Gwendolyn. Gwen for short." she told him. Ethan smiled.
"nice name." Gwendolyn blushed a bit. She then stopped talking, mostly because she didn't know what to say. Ethan seemed equally so awkward.
Suddenly, he burst out laughing. Gwendolyn couldn't help but smile.
"what's so funny?" she asked, repeating his own sentence a few minutes ago.
"I don't know! Me! You! Us! This whole thing!" he managed to gasp out, out of breath from laughing. Gwendolyn found him so hilarious she couldn't help but laugh as well.
And as she did, she thought, what a nice and funny person! She couldn't believe she had once been a little scared of him, or at least unsettled. So she laughed, simply happy to laugh.