PROLOGUE

“HURRY, MY LOVE! I can hear them!”

The lady’s hoarse shout can hardly be heard amidst the heavy pouring of the rain. The trail they were braving through was slick and muddy from the torrential rain that has been ravaging the land for days, and their old horse, stolen from the stable they chanced upon, could barely keep up with the speed they need.

The man with the reins clenched his jaw, tightening his hold on the ropes. He and the lady have been on the run for several days now, and their pursuers have caught up with them. He was physically exhausted, but his resolve was as strong as it has been since they began to run; as strong as it was on the day he met and loved her.

He could feel the lady trembling, her lithe body pressed against his back, her dainty arms wrapped around his waist. He knew she was strong; had known it since the day he looked into her defiant eyes. But she, like him, was tired. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, as well. The toll of their run was evident on her unruly appearance and her tired face, a far cry from what she used to be like.

But she was happy. He could see the glint of love in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

I have never known true happiness until now, she had said while they were hiding out in an abandoned cottage hidden beneath the magnificent trees by the edge of the woods that they have found a few days back. They had thought they were safe, that they could finally rest and marvel in the miracle of being together; of the joy in being in each other’s arms without fear or worry. But they were wrong. Their pursuers found them, and the danger they were in is graver than ever. Now he was wondering if she regrets ever being with him.

A man’s shout rang above the sound of the rainfall and the hooves of horses. “I can see them! There they are!”

The lady sobbed and pressed her wet face to the back of his neck. She so rarely cried, his lady. It broke his heart whenever she did, for it meant that her pain was so great she could control it no longer. “My love…” she croaked. “They are bound to catch us. There is nothing we can do.”

Despite the truthfulness of her statement, he gritted his teeth. “No.” he said firmly, urging the horse to go faster. “I will not let them tear us apart. I would rather die.”

Her sobs became even louder. “And do you imagine, for a second, that I could bear to see you die?” Her hands clenched at his soaked garments. “It is me they are after. If you leave me and continue to run, you might have a chance at survival. “

“I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU!” he shouted.

“I AM COMMANDING YOU TO!” she shouted back. “If you truly love me, you will do as I say. They will not hurt me. You know they will not. But if they catch you, they will end your life! So do as I say and leave me! Leave me, and live. If you die, I could never bear it. But if I knew that you were alive, I might be able to make it. Leave me now, my love, and I promise we will be together again someday.”

Salty tears mixed with the rain drops on his face. “I could not bear to be parted from you, my lady.”

The lady’s arms wrapped tightly around him. “We will see each other again, my love, I promise you. A year from now, let us meet in the cottage. I will see you there, my love.”

Slowing his horse down, he turned his face around and kissed her. “I love you, my lady, and I will see you again.”

She pressed a kiss to his nose. “I love you.” Then the lady, in her drenched gown, jumped away from the horse, falling on the ground. She quickly stood up and gestured at him with her hands. “Go now, go!” she screamed, before raising her arms and shouting at the pursuers. “I AM HERE! I AM HERE!”

Cursing, he prodded his stead to gallop faster, his ears registering the sound of the hooves of the pursuers’ horses slowing down upon spotting the lady. He could get away, he thought. The lady would be thankful.

But he was wrong.

One of the pursuers continued to chase him, and succeeded. Urging his horse to kick down the old one, the man managed to knock him to the ground, his head hitting a log hard on the way down.

The man pursuing him jumped down his horse and drew his sword, pointing it at him. Despite his efforts, his body is at its lowest, and he could not stand. He lay still, breathing loudly, looking at the arrogant smirk on the man’s familiar face.

“You,” he spat.

The man’s sneer became even more pronounced. “Yes, it is I. The last person you will ever see before your death.” He raised the sword up over his head. “She is mine now. You will never have her.”