Dreven City; Autumn 1258
Summer had come and gone, flown by all too slowly for the peace of mind of two young people in the crowded streets of Dreven unable to slip away without being seen. As summer turned to autumn with Moonshare's first days, the rich returned to the city, and the young to their studies. For Duncan, this was strict and regimented, rules laid down long before he was born as to the way a male of his station should be taught. And for Mara ....it opened up a whole new world. Her days were longer, filled with lessons on everything from etiquette to entertaining skills, and even - much to her initial disgust - the beginning of her training in what would make her sought after, if she learned well. These lessons were the work of a single afternoon each tenday, and though she resisted at first, Elise had finally convinced her to learn from a master of the trade.
This particular afternoon had been all kinds of shocking, but rather a lot of fun, too, ended with the leave-taking of the lucky young dock worker who had been paid to be her practice dummy. As he bowed at her door, he winked, and Mara blushed, giggling as she remembered just what she'd learned today, shaking her head at his wider grin, unaware that not everyone in the street below was as ignorant of her silly reaction as she might have hoped.
Despite their inability to be alone and unseen at their secret place, summer had its own charms. Tireless lessons were at a standstill, and the young were afforded a little respite. Ever restless, Duncan had spent much of his summer riding, exploring the countryside, cavorting with his friends, sneaking visits with Mara when he could here and there. Most of those visits happened at night, when the rest of Dreven was sleeping, when there were no eyes to watch their every movement.
He'd grown tanned over the summer, his hair lightening a little, but just as curly and unruly as ever, unless he took the time to fuss with it, which was rare unless it was insisted upon. He had been spending more and more time in the company of his friends, who were making plans for their own futures. They hoped to one day become Rangers, and they had opened Duncan's mind to the idea of one day leaving Dreven far behind to travel far and wide, further spurring a strong sense of adventure. Of course, once his father learned of this nonsense, he made sure to squash the boy's dreams before they could take root.
He insisted the boy would carry on in his father's footsteps. He had, after all, not acquired the family fortune without the boy and his mother in mind. He accused him of being selfish and ungrateful, spoiled rotten to the core. There was only one way to make the boy forget such nonsense and that was to beat it out of him. For Duncan, it was only one more beating in a long line of abuse, but at least when his father was angry, he had his attention. He still thought it preferable to his indifference, but that would change with time.
His mother, in her serky-induced daze, rarely had any idea what was going on, and though she loved her son fiercely, she would not lift a hand or speak a word against her husband, preferring to pretend not to know what truly went on between father and son. Only the servants knew the truth, but they did not dare try to stop it or speak a word of it outside the house. To the outside world, the Mallorys were an ideal family. Only those who lived within those walls knew the truth, and one girl who could do nothing to end her friend's suffering, but be there when he needed her. Today was one of those days.
Unfortunately, for both Duncan and Mara, he was just arriving on horseback as Mara's visitor was departing. He was there to witness the flirtation, the wink and the giggle, the flirting and affection that should have belonged to him and no other. Jealousy flared hotly in his heart, more painful even than the lashes on his back. Jealousy, envy, betrayal. Oh, he knew what she was to become, but he never expected to have to witness it, to see her offering her favors to another man, no matter the reason. His face darkened, his jaw tightening, tears of anger stinging his eyes. No, he'd never let her see those. He was too proud for that.
The dock worker, a handsome lad of around twenty, pocketed his payment for the day and took his leave, whistling merrily to himself as he jogged down the steps and onto the busy street, passing by the fuming boy on horseback without even a glance. But Mara saw him. As soon as her eyes turned to the street, she saw her best friend - her love - and her entire demeanor changed. She brightened, lighting up from within, all flirtation and giggles and blushes forgotten in the pleasure of seeing Duncan. Despite Elise trying to pull her back into the apartment, she raised her hand to wave to him, stopping just short of calling his name as she fought her nursemaid to be allowed to move out onto the steps herself.
He caught sight of her and felt the sting of tears prickling his eyes. How could she look so happy to see him when she had been all giggles a moment before for someone else? Someone older than him, someone he deemed too old for her. How many suitors did she have anyway' Was she just toying with him, toying with his heart' Fickle girl. She had never loved him, like he thought she had. Just like the rest. She probably only cared for his fortune and nothing for him at all. Well, he wouldn't be one of her suitors. She would be his and only his, or not at all. He felt tears threatening, but would not give her the satisfaction of seeing them, turning his horse so sharply that the black snorted in disapproval. He wasted no time, kicking the black harder than necessary, and retreating through the city. It wasn't hard to guess where he'd end up, the only place where he could be truly alone with his own misery. The cottage that had been their refuge, their secret place, only a short time before.
He didn't see the way her smile faded at the anger on his face, or the way her steps faltered as he turned away from her, not even offering a nod in acknowledgement. As he rode away, so hard, so fast, her eyes fell to the young man who had just left her rooms, and her quick mind realized what Duncan had seen. What he had assumed. Her lips set in a thin line as anger of her own made itself known. How dare he assume she would do that to him' To herself"
Ignoring Elise's grasping hands, she picked up her skirts and ran down onto the street, following after her beloved friend as though she might catch him, seeing in the line of his shoulders as he rode away from her that he'd come looking for the honesty they'd always shared, that he'd come in pain. There was only one place he would go now, a place she'd never been without him. Well, she might not have a horse, but she definitely knew how to get one.
He rode hard and fast, pushing the black to exhaustion, hardly caring if the ride ended in disaster. Tears blurred his vision, his heart feeling as though it was breaking. Somewhere deep inside him he had known this would happen someday, that she would find another, that he would have to share her, but he had chosen not to believe it. He had chosen to believe that they'd have their dream, but maybe that was all it was. A stupid childish dream that could never be. Maybe the dream had only been his and not hers at all. He reached the cottage in record time, anger and pain blackening his heart.
He jumped off the horse before he brought it to a halt, with little regard for his own safety, though he was quickly becoming a master horseman, even at his young age. He pushed his way into the cottage, slamming the door behind him, smashing the first thing that came within reach, which just happened to be a lamp. Glass crashed to the floor, shattering into shards, crunching beneath his boots. He flung himself upon the bed, gripping the feather pillow tightly in his arms to muffle the sobs that choked his throat and made his chest ache. He cried first for Mara and her betrayal, and then for himself, the emotional pain almost harder to bear than that of the physical wounds caused by a father who loathed and despised his only son. The miles swept by beneath the hooves of a mare taken from the Mallory's own stables, bearing a courtesan in training far from the city, her eyes fixed on the glitter of Lake Silvermere ahead of her. Mara was steaming, as hurt and angry as she had ever been by the assumption she'd seen in Duncan's eyes, more so by the fact that he had not even deigned to acknowledge her, much less let her explain. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right that he should dictate to her how she should be when she had less choice than he did in how her life was going to be lived. And how dare he take one sight from the street and jump to the worst possible conclusion' Didn't he trust her at all?
Summer had come and gone, flown by all too slowly for the peace of mind of two young people in the crowded streets of Dreven unable to slip away without being seen. As summer turned to autumn with Moonshare's first days, the rich returned to the city, and the young to their studies. For Duncan, this was strict and regimented, rules laid down long before he was born as to the way a male of his station should be taught. And for Mara ....it opened up a whole new world. Her days were longer, filled with lessons on everything from etiquette to entertaining skills, and even - much to her initial disgust - the beginning of her training in what would make her sought after, if she learned well. These lessons were the work of a single afternoon each tenday, and though she resisted at first, Elise had finally convinced her to learn from a master of the trade.
This particular afternoon had been all kinds of shocking, but rather a lot of fun, too, ended with the leave-taking of the lucky young dock worker who had been paid to be her practice dummy. As he bowed at her door, he winked, and Mara blushed, giggling as she remembered just what she'd learned today, shaking her head at his wider grin, unaware that not everyone in the street below was as ignorant of her silly reaction as she might have hoped.
Despite their inability to be alone and unseen at their secret place, summer had its own charms. Tireless lessons were at a standstill, and the young were afforded a little respite. Ever restless, Duncan had spent much of his summer riding, exploring the countryside, cavorting with his friends, sneaking visits with Mara when he could here and there. Most of those visits happened at night, when the rest of Dreven was sleeping, when there were no eyes to watch their every movement.
He'd grown tanned over the summer, his hair lightening a little, but just as curly and unruly as ever, unless he took the time to fuss with it, which was rare unless it was insisted upon. He had been spending more and more time in the company of his friends, who were making plans for their own futures. They hoped to one day become Rangers, and they had opened Duncan's mind to the idea of one day leaving Dreven far behind to travel far and wide, further spurring a strong sense of adventure. Of course, once his father learned of this nonsense, he made sure to squash the boy's dreams before they could take root.
He insisted the boy would carry on in his father's footsteps. He had, after all, not acquired the family fortune without the boy and his mother in mind. He accused him of being selfish and ungrateful, spoiled rotten to the core. There was only one way to make the boy forget such nonsense and that was to beat it out of him. For Duncan, it was only one more beating in a long line of abuse, but at least when his father was angry, he had his attention. He still thought it preferable to his indifference, but that would change with time.
His mother, in her serky-induced daze, rarely had any idea what was going on, and though she loved her son fiercely, she would not lift a hand or speak a word against her husband, preferring to pretend not to know what truly went on between father and son. Only the servants knew the truth, but they did not dare try to stop it or speak a word of it outside the house. To the outside world, the Mallorys were an ideal family. Only those who lived within those walls knew the truth, and one girl who could do nothing to end her friend's suffering, but be there when he needed her. Today was one of those days.
Unfortunately, for both Duncan and Mara, he was just arriving on horseback as Mara's visitor was departing. He was there to witness the flirtation, the wink and the giggle, the flirting and affection that should have belonged to him and no other. Jealousy flared hotly in his heart, more painful even than the lashes on his back. Jealousy, envy, betrayal. Oh, he knew what she was to become, but he never expected to have to witness it, to see her offering her favors to another man, no matter the reason. His face darkened, his jaw tightening, tears of anger stinging his eyes. No, he'd never let her see those. He was too proud for that.
The dock worker, a handsome lad of around twenty, pocketed his payment for the day and took his leave, whistling merrily to himself as he jogged down the steps and onto the busy street, passing by the fuming boy on horseback without even a glance. But Mara saw him. As soon as her eyes turned to the street, she saw her best friend - her love - and her entire demeanor changed. She brightened, lighting up from within, all flirtation and giggles and blushes forgotten in the pleasure of seeing Duncan. Despite Elise trying to pull her back into the apartment, she raised her hand to wave to him, stopping just short of calling his name as she fought her nursemaid to be allowed to move out onto the steps herself.
He caught sight of her and felt the sting of tears prickling his eyes. How could she look so happy to see him when she had been all giggles a moment before for someone else? Someone older than him, someone he deemed too old for her. How many suitors did she have anyway' Was she just toying with him, toying with his heart' Fickle girl. She had never loved him, like he thought she had. Just like the rest. She probably only cared for his fortune and nothing for him at all. Well, he wouldn't be one of her suitors. She would be his and only his, or not at all. He felt tears threatening, but would not give her the satisfaction of seeing them, turning his horse so sharply that the black snorted in disapproval. He wasted no time, kicking the black harder than necessary, and retreating through the city. It wasn't hard to guess where he'd end up, the only place where he could be truly alone with his own misery. The cottage that had been their refuge, their secret place, only a short time before.
He didn't see the way her smile faded at the anger on his face, or the way her steps faltered as he turned away from her, not even offering a nod in acknowledgement. As he rode away, so hard, so fast, her eyes fell to the young man who had just left her rooms, and her quick mind realized what Duncan had seen. What he had assumed. Her lips set in a thin line as anger of her own made itself known. How dare he assume she would do that to him' To herself"
Ignoring Elise's grasping hands, she picked up her skirts and ran down onto the street, following after her beloved friend as though she might catch him, seeing in the line of his shoulders as he rode away from her that he'd come looking for the honesty they'd always shared, that he'd come in pain. There was only one place he would go now, a place she'd never been without him. Well, she might not have a horse, but she definitely knew how to get one.
He rode hard and fast, pushing the black to exhaustion, hardly caring if the ride ended in disaster. Tears blurred his vision, his heart feeling as though it was breaking. Somewhere deep inside him he had known this would happen someday, that she would find another, that he would have to share her, but he had chosen not to believe it. He had chosen to believe that they'd have their dream, but maybe that was all it was. A stupid childish dream that could never be. Maybe the dream had only been his and not hers at all. He reached the cottage in record time, anger and pain blackening his heart.
He jumped off the horse before he brought it to a halt, with little regard for his own safety, though he was quickly becoming a master horseman, even at his young age. He pushed his way into the cottage, slamming the door behind him, smashing the first thing that came within reach, which just happened to be a lamp. Glass crashed to the floor, shattering into shards, crunching beneath his boots. He flung himself upon the bed, gripping the feather pillow tightly in his arms to muffle the sobs that choked his throat and made his chest ache. He cried first for Mara and her betrayal, and then for himself, the emotional pain almost harder to bear than that of the physical wounds caused by a father who loathed and despised his only son. The miles swept by beneath the hooves of a mare taken from the Mallory's own stables, bearing a courtesan in training far from the city, her eyes fixed on the glitter of Lake Silvermere ahead of her. Mara was steaming, as hurt and angry as she had ever been by the assumption she'd seen in Duncan's eyes, more so by the fact that he had not even deigned to acknowledge her, much less let her explain. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right that he should dictate to her how she should be when she had less choice than he did in how her life was going to be lived. And how dare he take one sight from the street and jump to the worst possible conclusion' Didn't he trust her at all?