(Untitled)
by evil_nymph9
Jessie was weeding her garden when they came. A dozen knights rode around her cottage, trampling her precious flowers. She stood up and glared at the one closest to her, but she couldn't see his face, not that it would have made a difference, seeing as he hadn't dismounted from his horse yet. All of them were arrayed in full armor, polished until it hurt to look at them. The knight closest dismounted and walked towards her, stepping on herbs as he did so.
"Stay where you are before you harm anymore of my plants!" She cried out, and she stepped over her plants and worked her way over to him. He removed his helm and bowed elegantly.
"We have come to escort you home and to your betrothed, princess." He said. Jessie put her hands on her hips.
"What kind of joke is this? You come to my home; trample my flowers and herbs, which are my life! I'm not getting married, nor will I ever, so take with you your friends and begone! And don't you dare step on another one of my babies!" She turned around to go back to her weeding when a mail-backed hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
"My lady, tis no joke, you are a princess, and you need to pack up now." He said. Jessie folded her arms across her chest.
"Give me proof." She said, waiting for him to admit he was wrong.
"You have a star-shaped birthmark on your left shoulder." He said. Jessie was stunned.
"You could've peeked through my window." She said, but she didn't believe it herself.
"I've done no such thing my lady." He said, sounding offended. He led Jessie into her house, then said "Pack your things, we shall be waiting in the front." and with that he left. Jessie sat down numbly, her head spinning.
All that she had ever known was here, and she had to leave it all. She didn't have any human friends, but she had her plants. Whether it be tree, herb or flower, they were her friends and family, and these strangers wanted to take it all away from her.
A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to leave behind everything! This was her home, and they had no right to come and try to take it all away from her forever! Oh she'd pack all right, but it would be to run away and hide for however log it took for them to leave.
She began gathering stuff. Food, a cup, clothing, flint, and her homemade soap were packed into a small sack, her quiver slung over her shoulder, bow in hand. She peeked out the window, but she saw no one. She crept out of the house, and when she determined that no one was coming, she ran for the forest.
A strong arm wrapped around her middle and threw her onto a horse, then bound her arms and legs, until she couldn't move an inch. Something hit her on the back of the head, and as she lost consciousness, she saw three horses emerge from the bushes, and then she saw nothing.
* * *
"What were you thinking Ronald? We can't afford for the imperial army to come after us! You don't have any use for her!" Shouted a beefy man, his face red with anger.
"What I do is of no concern to you Jeffreys, but I can assure you that the army won't find us out here." Said the man called Ronald. He was tall, with dark hair tied back, and well muscled, and his face was clean shaven. He was handsome, in a dark way, with his green eyes that seemed to look right through the man called Jeffreys, and he was obviously intimidated by Ronald-all in all, Jessie never wanted to get on the wrong side of him. Jessie tried to raise her head, but cried out as pain lashed through her head. She curled up in a ball, but when she tried covering her head with her hands she discovered that they were bound tightly with cloth.
Her movements drew her captor's notice.
"Shh, she's up." Jeffreys said, and Ronald sat down beside her.
"Princess Jessica, you are no longer royalty. From henceforth, you are to be slave, and nothing more. Do not try to run away, for if I catch you at it, and I can assure you, I will catch you, and if on the off chance you escape, I'll find you. You are mine, forever." He said, then stood up and walked away. Jessie stayed how she was until the pain faded, and she realized that despite her hatred for the man who had ruined her chance of escape, despite the fact that she was now his prisoner, his slave, she felt a small attraction to the man. This ought to be interesting, she found herself thinking, and with that, she drifted off into a painful slumber.
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