The Spoils of War (COMPLETED)

Revealing the Past

That night Jasmine stayed awake, knowing that any minute Alaric would arrive. She paced her floor, glancing at the door periodically until she finally her the soft click of it opening. Her pacing stopped and she stood like a deer caught in lights.

Alaric gently closed to door behind him before turning to find Jasmine bathed in moonlight. He had seen angels many times before and quite honestly she looked like one. His mouth became dry as he wondered what he should even say. She had said she would tell him, but he wouldn't demand that she do so.

Jasmine was the first to break their stalemate moving to take a seat on the couch. She glanced at the spot beside her as if silently telling him to sit down.

Moving almost mechanically he put forth one foot in front of the other at a snail's pace until he stood beside her. Gently he positioned himself close enough to hold her if need be, but far enough away as to not make her feel threatened.

"When he said I worked for his family he was not lying. Hah, work, if you could even call that anything but slavery. I came from a wealthy family, we were only marquis, but during the war, I was the only one to survive. They promised to hire me as their daughter's personal maid, I would have a nice room and be treated well. It was all lies. The moment I handed them my papers they locked me away for weeks until I was pronounced dead. My room was a closet and the food was moldy. I was treated like property and I basically was." Jasmine took a breath before continuing.

"The day I met you I was in the process of running away because anywhere would be better than there. Several days prior I had heard maids talking about sending me to the young master but did not think someone would actually be that cruel. A couple of days after I had heard them Jeremy's personal servant came to find me. He told me I was to be cleaned and present myself to that vile man that night." She shuddered at the memory but continued. "Instead of heading to the bathhouse for us servants, I ran. I packed the one dress I owned and ran as quickly as I could, taking any route that would avoid guards. When I got to the back of the estate there was a tree close enough to the wall that I could jump onto it and once there I dropped to the other side.."

"I knew that I didn't have much time before they would notice my absence. The walk to town felt like it took ages as I stuck to the woods near the road. After I arrived a started to try to find quick jobs so I could get money for travel. I wanted as far away as I could get. At some point, those three men you saw had started to tail me with me none the wiser until they came up behind me and knocked me out. When I came to I was alone in a room at the inn and found the window to be unlocked. Almost as soon as I was about to tie the sheets together to escape they came in and I took my chances of jumping out the window and landed on you... I'm truly sorry about that."  She looked down into her lap having told the gist of what had happened before their fateful meeting.

Jasmine was starting to grow worried when he didn't say anything. Her thoughts screaming in her mind that he must not believe her. She was about to open her mouth to say more when strong arms wrapped around her and a warm forehead pressed against her shoulder. "I should have killed him today. I didn't know... I will catch all of them, and when I do they will wish they were dead." Alaric's words should have been scary but instead, Jasmine felt warmth.

"Thank you." Her words were barely a whisper across the top of his head.

Alaric wanted to tell her that he needed no thanks, that he would do anything for her but he didn't want to scare her away. Over the past couple of weeks, he had found comfort and care with her and started seeing a future between them.

"What is your last name?"

"Pendegrass, I am Jasmine Rochell Pendegrass."

Alaric felt his mind go blank for a moment before all at once he pulled back and held her shoulders. "Your whole family isn't dead, who told you that they were?"

Jasmine couldn't believe her ears, her neighbors had told her they were dead... That they had seen it happen themselves. "The Montagues lived next door and they told me... Now that I think about it they were the ones that suggested the Wright's as employers as well. Why would they do such a thing?" Tears came to her eyes as she thought about her childhood and how Montagues had always been friendly and their son too before he had passed away.

Alaric pulled her into his embrace and rocked her. Betrayal of any kind hurt, but he would make sure that by the end of this whole ordeal there wouldn't be one person left who had wicked thoughts about her. Then he would confidently ask her father for her hand in marriage. "Shhh it's alright, I'm not going anywhere so sleep peacefully and tomorrow we can make plans."