New Beginnings

Chapter 13

Grey stood behind the cover of dense trees. Through the branches, she could see the training session and she laughed to herself. They fought like children. She could have easily taken them out if she wanted to. But she didn't want to. Right now she was content watching them. Torin was going easy on the girl. She clearly had minimal skills as a fighter. Grey thought it might be fun to fight the girl. She would be an easy target.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust at this place. It was so dense and dirty. Rollo's people were well behind her people in matters of architecture as well as other things. Grey would do her best to get Rollo to leave this disgusting land. She could make him come to her people to her land. Of course his people would come to and anyone who refused would be killed as an example. Eventually she would have her way and Rollo would be forced to leave with her.

Grey heard a shout and her attention snapped back to the training session below her. One of the children ran out towards the fighting couple. Grey spat on the ground. Children. The very word made her skin crawl. She would need one to carry on the position of Earl just in case Rollo unexpectedly died but the thought of all the noise made her want to vomit. Children were disgusting. Rollo had always spent a lot of time around his little sisters and Grey didn't like that. She didn't want Rollo to be distracted from what was really important. Grey sighed and tried to think of something else to get her mind off of the idea of a child. She looked around at all of the trees that surrounded her.

She missed her land. Her home was on a mountain top surrounded by sky and overlooking the ocean. It was gorgeous with a large house full of slaves to do everything for her family. Grey didn't like to work or do household duties, she wasn't a slave, she liked to fight.

Grey looked around her. There was so much green everywhere it choked out the sky. Mountains loomed all around except one small opening that was the sea. Rollo's house was small and full of his many younger siblings. The house was too small and wasn't full of riches like hers was. The people had the riches instead. Grey thought it was foolish for the people to be almost as rich as the Earl. When they had plenty they no longer respected the Earl.

Things would change when she married Rollo. The people wouldn't have so much wealth. Instead they would give their wealth to the Earl as a sign of respect and allegiance. With money came power and power was what Grey wanted. She was angry that she would have to marry a husband to get the power since she was a woman and couldn't hold it for herself. She was strong as any man after all she was a shield maiden.

Grey let out a long breath and glared down again at the scene in front of her. She wished that Rollo would return to her so they could leave this place. She jumped slightly when Torin let out a cheer. The girl had just stolen his sword with a move that Grey had mastered as a child. Torin was wasting his time on the girl. Something strange was going on and Grey was determined to figure out what.