******
Isobel couldn’t believe what she just heard. Jakar basically told her they were to be married this evening and that she had no choice in the matter. How in the hell had she gone from fleeing a dangerous predator to being forced to marry someone who thought of her as spy? It was too damn hard to comprehend how her life had changed so much of the last few weeks.
She sat back down in the chair and stared into the fire. Her failed attempt to escape had only landed her in more trouble. Now she had to marry a man who wanted nothing to do with her and thought she was a fucking spy! There had to be a way for her to get back to her own time. It couldn’t be possible she was stuck here for the rest of her life.
She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open then close, unaware that someone was in room with her.
“M’lady?” a female voice spoke from behind her.
Isobel jerked around to find a servant girl waiting patiently for her to answer. “Yes?” She eyed the girl suspiciously.
“My Lord sent me to see to your needs.” She curtsied quickly.
“My needs?”
“Yes, m’lady. To help you get ready for your wedding. The Great Hall is already being prepared as we speak.”
“What’s your name?” Isobel asked.
“I’m Betsy, m’lady.” Betsy rushed over to the dresser where a brush lay on top. “Turn around and I will brush your hair out then braid it.”
Isobel did as Betsy asked. Thankfully her clothes and body had dried while sitting in front of the fireplace. A thought occurred to her that maybe she could get some answers got of this servant and find out what was really going on here.
“Betsy, have you worked here long?”
Not breaking her rhythm, Betsy began to speak. “Oh no. I’ve been here about three months. I usually work down in the kitchen but Nana had need of me elsewhere. She was going to come help you but Lord Jakar needed to speak with her.” Betsy worked the knots out of her tangled, damp hair with jerks that made her cringe in pain.
“Do you know anything about this story, this tale I keep hearing about?” Isobel crossed her fingers in her lap, hoping the girl had some answers.
“Yes, M’lady. My grandmother used to tell us the story at night when it was time for bed. The story tells of a woman who will come from a faraway land. One that will have the greenest eyes that are able to change shades depending on her emotions. She will be the one to help the leader of the north defeat what threatens them in the south. She will be the lord’s true love.” Betsy continued to brush her hair until it smooth and shiny and knot free.
“Where does this woman come from?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to her question.
“I am not really sure. Though it has been said she was to come from a place so far away that she would never be able to return to it.”
Isobels’s heart pounded in her chest. Never return? Not possible. “How…how far away?”
Betsy divided her hair into sections and began to braid her hair. “I’ve heard different things. One said she would come from the other side of Aslog. Another said she would come from the stars above or come from another universe. No one has really stuck with a definite place, except that it is far away.”
She was in real trouble now. There was no doubt in her mind that she was the one Betsy, Nana, and Nyla were talking about. Indeed, she came from somewhere far away, considering she was in a world known as Aslog. Somehow the mirror in her hotel room at Ackergill Tower was able to transport her to Aslog. But why her? And why did the mirror have those powers? Hopefully, one day she would be able to talk with Nyla, the fairy, and find out what was to happen to her.
******
The cloaked figure moved through the dark passage. This was the only safe passage for her to come and go from Jakar’s castle without anyone seeing her. Tuloch was expecting word from her today and she dared not show up. She didn’t mind spying for him but his demands were becoming too much lately. Tuloch wanted to know everything that went on in and around the castle. He had her here on a mission to find a way to bring Jakar down and take over the north. He was the rightful ruler of all Aslog. For too long now, Aslog had been split in two. Numerous battles had been fought for control of Aslog without success.
Tuloch depended on her to bring him information. Any information that would give him an advantage of his enemy. She despised being a servant in a household she hated with every breath she took. Her reward though, would be the status she would gain after Jakar was taken down and she married Tuloch.
A smile crossed her face as she made her way through the damp, smelly tunnel. She could barely see the light coming from the end of the passage. Numerous times she traveled this tunnel without fear of being caught. She could maneuver through the dark tunnel with her eyes closed if she had to, but luckily bits of light peaked through the roof above her head. The roots of trees hung low in the tunnel, grabbing her hair as she walked beneath them. It was the roots that let in enough light for her to see by without having to carry a torch.
As she neared the end of the tunnel, she saw a figure move across its entrance. A large black mass blocked out the light for a moment until it crossed to the other side. She knew it was Tuloch’s man.
Chapter 8
Betsy left shortly after she had finished up her hair. Nana came swooping in with several dresses that she needed to try on. Isobel was relieved that the dress she had to wear for her wedding wasn’t one of those old time dresses that had the big hoops and corset that was so tight she wouldn’t be able to breath
Nana held up each one individually. Each was a different color and had different patterns. The length of all the dresses were the same as were the sleeves. But one stood out to her, called to her. It was the one made from green silk and had tiny white pearls sewn to the skirt of the dress. She had to touch it. It looked so soft, so inviting.
Nana must have sensed her pleasure with the gown because she brought it over to her and helped her slip it over her head. The silky feel of the material slid down her body to lay gently on the floor around her bare feet. She slipped her arms through the sleeves that ended with a point over the top of her hand. Three rows of pearls stretched from her shoulder all the down to the tip of the sleeve. The bodice of the dress wasn’t cut too low and only revealed a slight hint of her cleavage and was decorated with the same tiny pearls.
“You look beautiful, Isobel. The dress matches your eyes perfectly!” Nana fussed over her. “I have a pair of slippers for you too. I had a hard time finding a pair small enough to fit you.” The old woman chuckled when she handed the delicate slippers to Isobel.
She couldn’t but smile at the old woman. “Thank you.” She wanted to talk to Nana but wasn’t sure this was the right time, but this was the only time she had left before she was lead downstairs. “Nana, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, my dear. Anything,” Nana replied.
“Do you really believe I’m the woman in your story?” She drew her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down.
Nana stopped everything she was doing. She came up to her and looked directly at her. “Child, you are the one we have been waiting for, not only to help take down the tyrant in the south, also to open up the heart of the man you’re destined to be happy with.”
“How can you be so sure?” Her voice wavered with the emotion that was beginning to build.
Nana used her old hands to cradle her face as a mother would do. “I am positive you are the one. No one has eyes like you do.” Nana searched her face. “Right now, your eyes are a light green, but I saw them last night when Jakar brought you here. They were so dark, almost black. Your eyes change color with the emotions you feel. Jakar will not admit it to himself that you are real. He’s never believed in the story even though the fairies told him themselves. The fairies never lie, are incapable of lying. He is strong willed like his mother was. He also has his father’s looks.”
“Where are his
parents?” She had a sinking feeling as she asked.
“They are both dead for a long time now. His mother died shortly after his brother’s birth. She hemorrhaged and the midwife was unable to stop the blood. His father died in a battle against Tuloch about ten years ago. Jakar had to take over the leadership of his father’s holdings at a very early age. He was but twenty-three.” Nana let go of her face but stayed near to her. “Jakar was devastated with the loss of his father and vowed to get revenge on Tuloch. Since then, Jakar has pursued the man relentlessly. Every so often Tuloch comes to the north, seeking out Jakar. That is what happened yesterday. Tuloch had sent some men to taunt Jakar into fighting him. The man is mad and Jakar insists on playing his games. Many of our men have lost their lives because of these battles and still nothing had been resolved. But, now that you are here, the end is near.” Nana smiled at her.
“But, how am I going to help? I can’t fight?”
“The part you play in this has not been revealed to us, so I cannot answer that. I often wondered how things would play out. That’s all I know. We will have to wait and see what takes place.” She placed a kiss on Isobel’s cheek. “Come, its time.”
Nana reached for her hand and lead her out of the room. She kept hold of the woman’s hand as she was walked down the stairs and through several hallways. If she had to try and get of there at that moment, she would be hopelessly lost. One last turn had the pair in a large room which had to be the Great Hall. People were lined up against the walls, watching her. The room wasn’t packed but there was more than enough people to make her even more nervous than she already was. She searched the room and found Jakar standing at the front of the room with his hands behind his back. Nyla buzzed around his head then landed on a tall, unlit candle stick. She saw out the corner of her eye several other fairies floating weightlessly in the air above the heads of the people gathered.
Nana lead her up the aisle the crowd had formed until they stood before Jakar. She kissed Isobel’s cheek again then placed her hand into the hand Jakar was holding out to her.
“Thank you Nana,” he said in a low whisper.
Isobel felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her mouth at any moment. It was beating so loudly she could hear it in her ears. She looked up at Jakar only to find a scowl gracing his face as he looked down at her. Great! This is going to be a real happy wedding, she thought to herself. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her any more. She turned away from him with her nose in the air and looked to the man standing before them. He was dressed like priest so she assumed that’s what he was.
The priest began to speak to them as they stood facing him. Some of it was in another language she had never heard before, but whatever was said, Jakar and the rest of the room responded to it.
“Lord Jakar, please take the hand of your bride.” The priest waited a few seconds then proceeded with the ceremony. “We are here to witness the marriage of Lord Jakar of Aslog and Isobel. We all bare witness that the two are here of their own free will.”
Jakar squeezed Isobel’s hand tightly in a warning not to say a word. The priest need not know she was being forced to marry him.
“We bare witness that the couple vows to stay true to each other, seeking out no other. These vows are to be honored until death.” The priest raised his hands and placed them on top of Jakar’s and Isobel’s head then said something again in the strange language.
The pressure of the priest’s hand was gone. She raised her head in time for the priest to tell Jakar to kiss his bride. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her up against his hard body. His mouth covered hers in a soft kiss at first but quickly turned to more of a demanding one. He ran his tongue over her closed lips urging her to open for him. When she didn’t respond to his demand he sucked in her lower lip and gave it a gentle nip, causing her to gasp and open her mouth to him. His tongue darted into her mouth and he moaned as he got his first taste of her. He could get lost is the taste of her. His body was responding to her in a way he hadn’t planned on.
He broke the kiss but still held on tightly to her waist. He watched as the color of her eyes slowly faded from dark emerald green to a lighter green. It was a sight to behold and he was coming to know what color her eyes changed to base upon what she was feeling. He already knew her eyes turned to a dark green when she was angry, which is the color they had been for most of her time here so far.
The crowd who witnessed the marriage, applauded in unison. Jakar wiped her lower lip that trembled from his kiss. He wanted to bed wife now. Up until this point he had planned on not touching her, but now was a different story after he tasted her. Besides, he thought to himself, the marriage needed to be consummated or the fairies would not see the marriage as binding.
Jakar had hold of her hand as he lead her down the aisle and out to the dining hall. The smell of food filled the air as they walked in followed closely by the people. The table they were to sit at was set up on a platform that was raised above the rest. Only two chairs sat at the table heavy with food platters. He assisted her to her chair then sat down next to him. Everyone else in the room waited for the wedding couple to sit first before they followed suit. Chatter began immediately as the food was passed around the tables. Loud laughter came from one table filled with men in armor. No ladies sat at their table and Isobel wondered why. All the other tables had males and females, so why not that one?
“Are you going to sit there and pout all evening?” Jakar’s voice spoke into her ear.
She turned to look at him. “I am not pouting. I was just thinking,” she snapped.
“About what, may I ask?”
She really hated it when he sounded as if he didn’t believe her. “I was wondering why that table over there doesn’t have any women sitting at it like all the rest.” She could tell he was surprised by her inquiry.
“Those are my men. The ones I trust with my life. None of them have married yet so they choose to sit as a group. They feel it is more of an honor to sit together the same way they fight together.”
She looked from the group to Jakar. “They must have a lot of respect for you. Not many people in my world would do something like that.”
“I don’t ask that of them. They choose to do it on their own.” He reached for a platter of roasted meat. He put several slices of the meat on his plate then offered to put some on hers, which she accepted. She hadn’t eaten all day and now her stomach was making funny gurgling sounds. She looked around the table to see what else was offered and found nothing familiar to her.
“I don’t know what any of this food is.” She was frustrated mainly because she didn’t like to try new foods.
She heard him chuckled at her comment before he said, “Try a little bit of each thing. That way you will know what you like and don’t like. I have to tell you, those rolls over there,” he pointed to a basket covered with a cloth napkin, “will melt in your mouth!” He reached for the basket and pulled two fresh hot rolls out, handing her one.
Her hand brushed his when she took the delicious smelling bread from him. Her cheeks flushed and she licked her lips in a nervous move. To end her embarrassment, she pull a corner off the bread and shoved it into her mouth. The light, buttery flavor exploded on her tongue. It was the most wonderful tasting bread she had ever had in her life!
“Do you like it?” Jakar asked her.
“Oh my god, yes! This is fantastic!” she mumbled around the mouth full of bread.
The evening progress in much the same manner. They ate their fill but hardly said a word to each other. Musicians had been brought in to play some soft music in the background while the dinner guests chatted and laughed. People mingled around the room and occasionally approached the table to speak with Jakar.
Soon, the guests started to leave the dining hall. This made Isobel very nervous because she had no idea what Jakar’s intentions were once they were alone in their room. Was he going to make her his wife in every way or would he hide her aw
ay and ignore her?
Isobel sat alone at the table when someone had asked to speak with Jakar in private. No one came up to the table as she sat there by herself, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She reached for her glass of wine when suddenly Nyla landed on the table in front of her.
“Geez, Nyla! You scared the crap out of me,” she laughed as she addressed the fairy.
The tiny giggle that came from the small fairy reminded her of a little girl’s laugh. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Isobel. I wanted to come talk to you and see how you are doing.”
Isobel folded her hands in her lap. “I’m ok I guess.”
Nyla stood on the table and walked closer to the edge where she sat. “That doesn’t seem promising. Everything is going to work itself out, I promise you.”
Through the Looking Glass Page 7
