Inayah had no inkling as to how long she had been walking. Her whole body felt sore and fatigued yet she held her tongue as remained silent.
She had silently cried throughout the first hours of travelling, slight sniffles disrupted with hiccups as she raised her bound wrists to her eyes and wiped at the tears.
She knew better than to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness and weakness allowed them an upper-hand over her.
She had to steel herself and yet she could not. She tried but failed thoroughly until finally succumbing to the tears. Inayah cried silently while staring at her bare feet as they walked over the path. She knew the two men could hear her but both chose to ignore and she was glad they did.
Although now that she thought about their ignorance, Inayah felt vague annoyance than anger through the tears. Her brown eyes rose to the broad back that sat astride a large horse, and she glared at him pensively.
He disrupts their annual ritual and claims her as his own. The confidence was revolting and her anger spiked at the audacious behaviour. He took her from normalcy.
Oscar.
Inayah’s eyes begin to burn all over again at the thought of her long time lover who was meant to be her husband. Had it not been for the stranger she would be in his arms by now, in their new home, planning for their new future. A future together.
Oscar. The boy who charmed his way into her heart and stole her of precious breath. Now gone. Eighteen years of saving her chastity for him now worthless.
She was meant to be a wife and now she would be nothing more but a slave to the stranger. Inayah wiped at her tears angrily then huffed out a breath, blowing a stray strand of curl that fell over her forehead.
Her feet ached from walking. To avoid stones and sharp twigs, she moved towards the path’s edge and walked on the grass which was softer and more conducive.
Peering up from beneath wet lashes, Inayah gazed at the man.
He sat tall and rigid. His shoulder-length midnight hair had been tied up and away into a ponytail. He was handsome, unnervingly so.
Hardly had she ever seen such a man for most that lived within their village was of normal looking. Nothing outstanding, nothing to have a woman chance a second glance. However, this man was different. He was beautiful with bronze flawless skin, an exotic breed far from European.
Inayah blinked then, not realizing that she had been blatantly gawking at him, and in turn, his sapphire eyes slanted in her direction. She ducked her head and stared at the ground hard.
After an hour, she broke the silence. “My feet,” Inayah began timidly, “may we break?”
She didn’t know what to expect. A part of her knew he would refuse and yet another hoped he would agree. When he did not stop, his heart began to slow only to stutter as his horse halted.
His dark voice startled her out of the brief reverie as he unmounted from the horse. His boots landed with a heavy thud and he straightened, heading in her direction.
Reflexively, Inayah flinched back as the man towered over her. She did not know what he would do, perhaps strike her for requesting a break? Inayah braced herself for the blow but none came.
His hand, large and warm, curled around her wrist as he worked the knots open. They fell from her wrists and she rubbed them timidly, still staring at his boots and not face.
“Five minutes.” The deep voice startled her. Inayah nodded quickly then dashed towards the tree line, the need to empty her bladder almost painful.
She moves behind a tree then begins to undo her pants only to still.
What was she doing?
Quietly, she turns and peers from around the tree at the stranger. He had moved towards the opposite treeline and was staring out into nowhere. His servant had long Wynter rode ahead, leaving them behind.
Inayah inhaled a shuddering breath and glanced back at the forest before her. If she ran now she could create a great enough distance to safety, plus she was a fast runner that much was true.
It was a risk, she knew, to escape. But what other choice did she have?
Silently manoeuvring around the bushes and trees, Inayah ducked beneath the trees and shot into the forest like a bullet. Her body moved in a blur of short silent breaths and light feet that barely grazed the earth.
Cold air whistled in her ears and hair, whipping them all over her face. She ran without pause nor dared to risk a glance over her shoulder out of fear. Her heart was going crazy, leaping all around and rattling her lungs along with.
After twenty or so minutes, she dared a glance over her shoulder, feet faltering at the sight of no one. He had not come after her, and if he dared then he may have lost her.
Her stomach was awash with relief and nerves. Slowing to a jog, Inayah quietly continued up until the sound of water trickling echoed in the near distance.
At the sight of a river, her mouth went dry. The rush of adrenaline subsided, leaving her in need of hydration and her feet felt horribly sore, sharp rocks and twigs having torn through flesh underfoot leaving traces of blood and dirt.
She needed to wash off the blood to prevent him from tracking her.
Collapsing by the riverbank, Inayah dipped her feet into the cold water and shuddered in turn. It felt soothing, calming her ache. Gently washing away the dirt and blood she ripped the hem of her dress and wrapped it around her soles then crawled onto her knees and cupped a handful of water before drinking.
Once quenched, she splashed her face and rose to her feet.
Suddenly, a hand braced on her lower back and shoved her into the river. Inayah fell with a yelp, plummeting into the water as it rolled over her.
She resurfaced, a sputtering lungful of water consumed only to freeze at the sight of Sapphire eyes. Wordlessly, he pointed at the shallow part of the river.
Inayah ducked her face shamefully and slowly tread through the water until the shallow part.
Just as he began approaching her, she pivoted and shot away only for a large hand to curl around the back of her neck.
“No!” Inayah screamed as the man lifted her with ease. She bucked and thrashed about, “Let me go!”
“Quiet,” he commanded but she remained adamant, kicking at his body when suddenly he knelt on one foot and placed her, stomach down, on the other.
Inayah gasped as her skirt was lifted and seconds later, his large palm came down on her exposed behind.
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