“That’s enough!” Theodore smacked the carriage window, his face reddened from his temper. “You shall not say another word until we arrive, at the chapel. Once we arrive you shall only speak the words, ‘I do.’ Is that clear?” He clenched his fists, but his angered words only sparked a stronger desire in me to infuriate him.
“Well, that’s hardly fair,” I mocked. “We aren’t even married yet, and you’re already setting the rules. Shouldn’t I be permitted a simple-minded chat before handing over my freedoms? Oh! I apologize. I had forgotten that simple-minded topics were still too troubling for you. Would you like me to comment on the weather instead?”
A sharp sting met my cheek. My memory flooded back to the strike my adoptive father had placed upon me, but this was far worse. The pain was the same, but the fear that came alongside it was tenfold. The man I was nearly married to had struck me out of lack of control.
I kept my head low, placing a hand to my cheek. The sting still lingered, but I didn’t feel like crying this time; I felt enraged. As my left hand catered to my swelling cheek, my right hand placed itself atop the dagger beneath my skirts. Never in my life had I wanted to inflict pain upon another, but today was a special day after all.
“Don’t pout, you had it coming.” Theodore snorted, then stretched a hand toward my face. “Sit up! Let me see if the mark will fade before we reach the chapel. You may need to apply some powder before we arrive, and you better not be crying, either.” He reached under my chin to lift my face to his. When our eyes met, his irritated expression broke for a moment.
He had been expecting to look into the eyes of a broken sixteen-year-old, but instead, he was gazing straight into my inner hatred. My patience had officially run out. Fire burned through me, holding his gaze in a suffocating lock. His shocked expression gained me just enough time to dive my hand beneath my skirts and produce the glistening blade. I pointed it at his throat.
“Aurelia!” he shrieked in the highest pitch I had ever heard a man reach. “What in the realms do you think you’re doing!?” He tried to reach for my blade, but I thrust it toward him in a threateningly manner. He squeaked pathetically and retracted his hands.
“Don’t move.” I commanded fiercely.
“You foolish girl!” he raged behind panicked eyes. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? The consequences for injuring me will not be lenient!” Despite his angered tone, he skittered back another inch as I pressed the blade forward.
“No, Theodore,” I glared at the pathetic creature, “you’re the one who doesn’t comprehend the meaning of consequences. You struck me, so now you’ll pay. It’s like your father said... some people are rabbits.” I raked my eyes over him with my most intimidating glare. Sweat began to bead across his forehead, and I leaned forward to whisper darkly in his ear. “And some are bears.”
Before I could lay out the full weight of my wrath onto the sniveling imp, the carriage came to an abrupt stop. My eyes darted to the window, keeping the edge of the blade across Theodore. From the corner of the window, I could barely see the edge of a fallen tree that blocked the road. The coachman had stepped down to investigate and was now returning to the cabin where Theodore and I remained. Quickly, I hid the blade back under my skirts, but kept the point pressed into Theo’s leg.
“Say anything I don’t like, and you’ll be crawling down the aisle, understand?” I growled fiercely. He nodded silently, but still looked pale. The coachman knocked on the door, and I called for him to open it.
“Forgive me, my lord, but it would seem the path is blocked.” The coachman’s words came out a little shaken, his face paling by the second. I glanced between him and Theodore nervously, wondering if he had overheard my threats.
“Sh-shall we not just go around it, then?” Theodore stuttered awkwardly. I pressed the blade slightly into his leg as a quick insistence that he try a little harder to act calm. He gulped anxiously, and the coachman gave him a shared look of worry.
“I would, but…” The coachman leaned forward, quieting his voice to a whisper. “The tree appears to have been cut, not simply fallen. Often times, bandits will cut trees to block roads to lure carriages down an ambushed path.” His eyes darted around nervously, surveying the surrounding forest.
I took a quiet intake of breath and relaxed slightly knowing that his anxiousness wasn’t spurred by me. Bandits were an entirely different problem, and honestly, at the bottom of my to-do list at the moment.
“What do you suggest we do, then?” Theodore asked, sounding a little calmer this time. I lessened the pressure on his leg.
“Well, my lord, I think the best plan of action would be t—.” His thought never finished, because it was cut off by the whizzing sound of an arrow falling at his feet. The man cried out in fear, then rushed toward the horses. Theodore cursed, then ducked behind me. I removed the dagger from his leg to hold it in the air defensively. Ugh, I didn’t have time for this.
Two more arrows fell around the carriage, but they weren’t the same as before. They had been lit on fire. I could hear the coachman’s panicked yells as he tried to climb back up to the box seat. I could only imagine his fear as he climbed to higher ground. Fortunately or not, the arrows seemed to be directed at the cabin. I leaned forward, and pulled the door shut to prevent any arrows from flying through the opening. Theodore straightened once the door was shut, but instantly squealed again at the sound of something piercing the roof. We both looked up slowly and saw the tip of a blackened arrow poking through the canvas roofing.
Flames spread across the cabin ceiling, enveloping the small space in heat. Theodore panicked once more and scrambled over top of me to get to the door. I pressed back against the seat as the deranged man shoved me out of the way in defense of his own life. He shot me a quick glance once he had made it to the ground and I wondered if he was going to help me out, too. Alas, he continued to fly his true colors and simply sprinted down the road instead. I huffed a blonde curl out of my eyes, feeling more irritated with his selfishness than I was fearful about the overheard fire.
My irritation passed quickly as the fire continued to spread to the cabin’s wooden frame. Instinctively, I reached for the exit, but something made me freeze.
Elias’s note... He told me to stay in the carriage. Could this be what he meant?
I gazed up at the burning roof as pieces of cinder floated down toward my eyes, causing me to duck away. Outside the carriage window, the coachman and Theodore were both calling to me to exit. Theodore’s face was red from the shouting while the coachman’s was white with fear. My lungs burned from the smoke, and the outside air looked more and more appealing. But still, I couldn’t shake Elias’s words.
Stay in the carriage.
Well, I had never been one to fully think through my plans...
With a shaking hand, I latched my fingers around the carriage door’s handle. I poked my head out of the carriage for just an instant, sucking in as much clean air as I possibly could before slamming the door shut behind me. The faces of the two observing men dropped into utter shock at my action. Theodore in particular looked entirely aghast, as I shrugged at him through the window with an uncaring expression. They both remained staring with open mouths until the coachman pointed at something in the distance. Theodore adjusted his gaze to whatever the coachman had seen, and they both took off running. I tried to catch a glance at whatever had frightened them, but the smoke was too thick.
I pressed a layer of my wedding skirt over my mouth and nose, trying to filter the air. The heat was growing unbearable, and even the walls were beginning to burn. I took the dagger into my other hand and began shredding the layers of fabric away from my legs. The hem of the skirt had already grown singed, and I didn’t want to risk becoming a fireball. My lungs and eyes burned from the thick smoke, and I began to ponder how wise my choice to stay had been.
Had Elias really planned for this? What if this truly was the work of a bandit, and I was merely enforcing my death. Sweat poured down my body, and I had to lean off the back of the seat as the rear wall had become unbearable to touch. I closed my eyes, begging for something to happen, anything to confirm that this was part of a plan. I would wait ten more seconds and then leave... or maybe just five.
Five, Four, Three, Tw—
A familiar bark sounded outside the door, and I opened my eyes. The smoke was extremely thick, but it instantly poured out when the carriage door flew open. I blinked back the cool air, and the sudden texture of fur laced under my fingers. My eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the lingering smoke, so I blindly gripped the coarse fur, allowing it to guide me out of the carriage. Together, my furry rescuer and I tumbled out of the carriage and skittered away from the burning wreckage.