By popular demand (Thank you everyone, that really means a lot) Here is chapter two of THE PEASANT (Oh, and a suggestion for reading this more easily, copy and paste it into something like Word or Notepad):
Noah came up behind his friend Eilam and clapped him on the shoulder, “I don’t think even your eagle eyes could see her from here my friend.”
His friend kept his eyes on the horizon, “Laugh now my friend, but it will happen to you to someday. Some beautiful woman will come along who will make you forget all your rogueish ways.”
“Someday perhaps, but not just yet. I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Time isn’t going to help your looks my friend, and they surely need it.”
Noah made a face, he knew looks were not his problem. If looks were all a woman wanted then he would have no problem at all, but the kind of women who thought that way weren’t at all what he was looking for. He needed someone with class and sophistication, someone who could help him advance his social status.
He had finally decided his only hope was to marry a poor noblewoman, one who was desperate enough for money to allow herself to be connected to him or his family.
“Well, maybe you should marry one of those girls we brought along. Some of them are rather pretty, if you like that sort of look.”
Noah laughed, “No, I’d say that’s the last thing I have in mind. When the time comes I’ll settle down with a nice Adavian girl. As far as I’m concerned those foreigners can keep their women.” He checked over his shoulder and lowered his voice, “I don’t understand why we brought all those girls along anyways, whatever could we want with them? I mean, the one I get, she’s some sort of royalty so it makes sense for political reasons, but the rest of them are just peasants.”
Eilam just shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t really get it either, but I’m sure the king knows what he’s doing.”
Noah tried not to laugh at his friend’s blind faith, “Yes, I’m sure he does.”
They stood at the rail in silence for a few moments before Noah laughed again and looked to Eilam. “Can you imagine me actually marrying a foreign girl? Crazy.”
His friend nodded and joined in laughing.
He shook his head and laughed again. “Crazy.”
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“You want me to what?!” Noah knew he shouldn’t be yelling at his commanding officer but at the moment he was too shocked to think of what was proper.
If the lieutenant was bothered by Noah’s outburst he didn’t show it “You’re going to marry one of the Jobran girls we took from the city.”
“Why on earth would I do a thing like that?”
“Because the King himself has commanded it.”
“The King himself, commanded that I specifically must marry one of those foreign girls?”
“Of course not but,”
“Then I’ll say again, why on Earth would I do a thing like that?”
“Because it is your duty, you wouldn’t want to dishonor your family would you?” The knowing look in the older man’s eyes sent Noah’s temper flaring, and he’d thought he was angry before now he was livid. He couldn’t believe the man, bringing his family into this.
“Fine. It would appear I have no choice.”
“No you don’t. You’ll be assigned a bride upon our reaching Adavia, of course if you’d like to check them out, get a feel for them.”
Noah felt his eyes widen at the man’s insinuations and he tried to mask his disgust. He knew he had a bit of reputation with women, but hardly any of it was true.
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
The lieutenant shrugged and smiled, “Just as well I suppose, I already have a girl in mind for you.”
“Thank you sir, permission to leave?”
“Go on.”
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Elara leaned back against the rough wooden wall, watching the sailors as they went about their duties. For the first week of their voyage she had been confined to the room she shared with nine other girls, but now she her bruises had faded and the pain enveloping her body had become a dull ache. Her mind was the one thing that didn’t seem to be healing.
She still didn’t know her name so one of the girls had given her the name Varava, which meant stranger, and she remembered nothing about her past. The strange thing was that when the Adavian lieutenant, who appeared to be in charge of them, had spoken to them she had replied fluently in his own language.
Most of the girls knew a little of the language, but she had spoken it perfectly, nearly without an accent. And when it had been her turn to assist the cook she hadn’t had any idea what to do. It wasn’t just that she was inept, she hadn’t recognized any of the tools or what to do with them. It just didn’t make sense.
One girl had theorized that she could have come from a farm family where she had spent all her time outside rather than in the kitchen, but one look at her hands had dispelled that notion.
A tear slipped from Elara’s eye, nothing made sense, everything about her was a contradiction. Her hands and her intellect were those of an wealthy woman, yet she was dressed like a peasant and she had seemed to be alone.
She’d seen how sad the other girls were, and how much they missed their families and their homes, but somehow she thought she’d take the sadness if only she had a family or a home to miss.