A New Life

This is a short story I just wrote. It's a bit rough, but it's raw emotion. I purposefully didn't use names for any of the characters. Not entirely sure why, but it seemed to fit. Any resemblance to any living or dead person is purely coincidental....maybe ;)



His grip was tight on her wrist as he led her down the dark tunnel. Torches on the walls cast flickering shadows, causing the girl to jump at the slightest noises, fearing they were caught. She looked over her shoulder as they approached a set of stairs. No one was in sight, but she thought she heard footsteps pounding in the distance. He pushed her ahead of him up the stairs, glancing down the tunnel before following her. She had no idea how far down they were and without any exits, she darted step to step up the spiraled staircase. Clutching her dress in her hands, she kept her eyes on her feet so she wouldn't slip or fall. She felt a hand on her back and spun around to face her lover.

He pointed beyond her, and she saw they had made it to a door. She stepped out of the way, and he went up to the door, ear pressed to the key hole listening. After a minute of no sound, he cautiously opened the door. Seeing no one in their view, they quickly walked down the carpeted hall, her small hand enfolded in his. They made it to the stables without seeing a soul. A carriage with two horses was waiting for them, along with her lover's good friend, a stable hand for the Duke. The man sighed in relief upon seeing them, and quickly ushered the girl inside the carriage. Her lover climbed up front to take hold of the reigns. She heard the two men speak, but couldn't make out the words. Then with a crack of the reigns, they were gone, heading far away from her prison.

Alone with her thoughts, she wondered if she was trading one prison for another. While she loved him, she barely knew anything about her lover. From the pieces of his past that she had managed to gather, he was a wealthy business man, one of London's finest bankers. She also was from London, but was whisked away to the countryside before her tenth birthday. Five years later, the Duke came for her, and after a long ride north, she found herself in her new home. She had spent three years in that hell, a voiceless victim to a well connected, wealthy, yet evil man. The horrors she endured in those dungeons scarred her mind, and after a year, she no longer fought the Duke. By all appearances, she seemed to be a loving and devoted wife. Inside, she was withering away. That was until she met her lover, a man who swept her off her feet from the moment they met. He was just as old as the Duke, yet his age did not bother her like it had with her husband. He was a breath of fresh air in her closed off world.

He was respectful and courteous to all when he came to visit the Duke. That's how he became good friends with the stable hand, and how he found out about the beautiful's girl horrible world. She had her own bed chambers, far from her husband's. One night she awoke to find the wealthy banker sitting on the edge of her bed. She panicked, but he soothed her fears, he only wanted to ask her questions. At first, she resisted and gave him general assurances that her life was wonderful. He was persistent though and coaxed her to tell him the entire truth. When she began crying, he held her close and stroked her hair. He promised he would do everything in his power to take her away and keep her safe.

It was six months from that point, and she was starting to wonder if it would be possible. Her worst fears came to be when the Duke took her down to the dungeons. Except he asked no questions of her, he only wanted to unleash his cruel and sadistic nature on her vulnerable body. That is where her lover found her, breaking her chains both physical and mental. She wondered if the footsteps she heard were real or if it was her blood rushing through her body she heard. She believed the latter as in the past, she wouldn't be released from her bonds until at least mid-day, if not later. No one should have come to look for her, not even now as the sun had just begun to rise over the horizons.

She remembered the countless nights she had spent in his arms, her mind and body being loved by a man who was not her husband. When she was with him, she could forget her life and just be in the moment. She felt loved and cherished, things sorely lacking her marriage. A bump from the road brought her back to the present, and she began looking to the future. Her lover was her knight in shining armor and if he was going to hurt her, she felt he would have done so long before this point. When the sun began to set, she realized they weren't heading in the direction of London. They had been heading to the eastern coast. They stopped just before the sun set for the evening. As the door opened, she fell into his arms sobbing, needing to be close to him. He held her close and soothed her with words and soft caresses. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips gently. She looked past his shoulders and gasped at what she saw. A beautiful church on a hillside was before them. Stained glass windows glistened in the dusk light, casting a multicolored glow over the lush grass and trees.

She looked up at her lover, and saw him smiling down at her. He led her up to the church, her arm resting on his as they walked. Her mind was racing, not understanding what was happening. An elderly nun was waiting for them as the approached. She smiled at both and took the girl's hand, leading her inside and off into a small room. Her lover was met by the priest who led him into another small room on the opposite side of the church. In her designated room, a gorgeous green wedding gown was laid out on a small bed. On the desk was a long, pale green veil with yellow and white crystals sowed in. The nun helped her quickly do her hair and then into her dress. It fit like a glove and she realized her love must have had it made for her. The shoes were lightly padded slippers, dyed green to match her gown. A simple matching necklace and earrings pulled her outfit together. She took one look in the mirror at the finished product, not able to stop smiling. The nun motioned that it was time, and led her back into the main church. Waiting at the end of the aisle were the priest and her love. He was wearing a stunning green and black kilt, and a silk black shirt. They had eyes for only each other as the nun escorted her to him.

She barely heard the words the priest spoke, too stunned and happy to care about the details. When he reached the point of vows, she stumbled, looking between the priest and her love realizing that she couldn't marry him. She was already a married women and told the priest such. He informed her that her marriage was never legal before the Church or the state as the Duke, in his haste, had never filed the proper paperwork. She shook her head, not understanding, and then it hit her. Her love must have gotten rid of all the documentation of the marriage. That's why it had taken him so long. He smiled at her, seeing she finally understood. The wedding continued smoothly, and finally the priest announced them husband and wife. They kissed and the world melted away. She was loved and treasured, now married to a good man. He had found a beautiful, intelligent, and loving wife in the woman before him. He had waited his whole life to meet someone like her, and now that she was truly his, he was never letting her go.