Chapter 3 #2
“Stop your mess.” My father hisses at me through the door. He’s talking to one of the guards, a man specifically put here to make sure I don’t run off.
I’d rather face the gallows than be in this car. My father wants me to calm down, but what he doesn’t understand is I can feel my freedom slipping away with every ticking second. I can’t just be calm. I’m in my own private war.
I was supposed to have more time, supposed to have at least another week before I was going to be shipped off and married to that monster. Now my father is telling me that the wedding will happen today.
It won’t be any wedding that I’ve dreamed of. There will be no bridesmaids or large parties. No first dance or long courtship. This is a prison sentence through and through.
I kick at the door again, but this time, instead of just ignoring me, my father grabs hold of the handle and rips the door open.
He reaches inside the car and grabs hold of my arm, yanking hard enough that it causes me to cry out.
I’ll take the beating if it means I get more time.
“I’ve already told you once to stop. You will not make a fool of me here tonight. This is happening whether you want it to or not. Get used to it. Accept it. Deal with it. Whatever you have to do to make sure this marriage goes over without a hitch.”
“And if I don’t? What happens if the priest asks me to say I do and I say I don’t?” I narrow my eyes at my father, issuing one last threat.
His lips pull up into a snarl. “Then you are of no more use to me. This beautiful forest will make a nice final resting place, don’t you think?”
There is no hesitation in my father’s tone. No doubt. He means every word that is coming out of his mouth right now. He’s going to kill me if I don’t go through with this.
“You don’t mean that,” I utter, even as he continues to stare at me, and I know for sure that he does.
“Of course I mean it.” He fixes a smile on his face.
I look around the environment that I’m in. I don’t remember ever coming to this part of the countryside. I don’t know for sure what is waiting for me on the other side of this tree-lined field, but I know it feels like walking to my death, one way or another.
“Please.” I beg one final time.
“Come, it’s time.” He reaches out for my hand as if I want him anywhere near me right now.
I don’t grab hold of him. Instead, I shoot daggers out of my eyes before I take a step in the direction he wants me to go. The guards surround me, cutting off any hope of escape while my father follows alongside me.
I stumble several times over the branches and muddy patches in the dirt. It aggravates my father.
“Give me your shoes.” He snaps and wiggles his fingers, waiting for the offending article of clothing to appear in his hand.
“What? How will I get there? Is someone going to carry me?”
“Carry you? No. Your new husband can take care of your feet once the ceremony is over.”
His request should shock me, but after all I’ve been through in the past few hours, nothing shocks me anymore. I don’t have the energy to fight. Instead, I just reach down and pull the high heels off. My feet connect with the ground, and I have to admit, I prefer the feel of the earth beneath me.
Ireland is a land of many wonders and gifts, and it’s just now hitting me that this may be the last time I ever set foot here.
My new husband has plans to bring me to America.
I’ve always wanted to go there, just never under these circumstances.
I thought I’d live out my old age here, in my home, with my people.
I guess that’s a dream that will never come true.
I slow my pace, trying to take in as much of my surroundings as possible, the trees, the animals, the dirt. How long have I spent not appreciating these little things?
Tears stream down my face silently as I look up ahead and see a soft glow. Fire, a light for us to find our way.
I’ve never been more scared of the unknown in my life. I drag my feet, and my father has to reach to the side and drag me along.
Silently, I whisper a prayer to a god I haven’t spoken to since I was a young child. He didn’t listen to me before; I doubt he’ll listen to me now, but I have to give it a shot.
My lips are moving a mile a minute when we finally make it to the space where the makeshift wedding is to take place. There are several members of security, a man I recognize to be Niall O’Sullivan, and another man standing with his back turned to me.
He’s large. A bear of a man. All that’s missing from him is the fur. Swallowing down hard, I make my way to his side, but I keep my eyes down.
Another man comes out from the group of security with a pad in his hand and a holy man’s attire. I’ve seen his kind in the churches. He comes to stand in front of me and my soon-to-be husband. None of us speaks for a second. I’m guessing none of us knows what to do.
Niall O’Sullivan is the one to break the silence.
“We should get on with this, no?”
“Yes, of course.” The holy man in front of us nods his head enthusiastically, but I can see his hands shaking. He doesn’t want to be here either.
He opens the pad that he has in his hand, and before I even have a chance to read what the paperwork says, I know that it’s the contract I’ll have to sign to give my soul to the devil.
Another tear makes its way down my cheek, but I don’t dare say a word. I’m scared if I open my mouth I’ll curse everyone standing here. Then I’ll be dead.
The man presiding over this sham of a wedding starts his speech and brings out a long thin ribbon that he presents to myself and Cormac.
We’re supposed to lay our hands over each other’s, and the priest will bind them, signifying our unity.
I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for a miracle I know isn’t going to happen until my father clears his throat and pushes me forward.
Cormac raises his hand, and I gently put my hand on top of his. It’s not so I don’t hurt him; I just don’t want any part of my body touching his.
Finally, I turn to look at him in the same second that he turns to look at me.
I gasp and my eyes widen when I get a good look at his face.
The rumors were true. He is a monster.
The light from the few candles illuminating the space flickers in his eyes, but it’s almost as if his darkness snuffs out the light before it can take root. There is a deep evil to the man. My new husband.
The priest goes on with the ceremony, and the both of us say the words when we’re supposed to say them. There are no smiles, no comforting words, just the two of us going through the motions as both of our fathers demanded of us.
It’s all over way too quickly.
I turn to go back over to my father, but Cormac grabs hold of my hand and pulls me back in his direction.
“No. You’ve already said your goodbyes. You’re mine now.”