Marden
I had found her. Yes, I had found her. It would impress my supervising superiors, most definitely. Drawing an arrow from my quiver, I set myself steadily on my horse, I imagined a target painted on her thigh.
She was not, I had been told, to be killed. She was only to be maimed enough to be manageable. It was of most importance that she remained generally capable.
But something stopped me, as I strained the string of my bow.
She wore a heart on her sleeve.
And her skirt was embellished with baby’s breath and pearls.
She turned and her eyes found mine, much like the deer I had hunted in the past. There was a glowing, glittering quality about her skin and her face in general. My breath caught in my throat for a moment, but I forced myself composed again, waking myself from my stupor. Then she darted behind a tree and took off through the winding paths which I suspected only she was familiar with.
She seemed to pay no mind to the biting nettles and rocks on the ground, stepping on them with her bare feet.
Soon I had caught up to her. Her eyes widened when she saw my horse gaining on her. Then she tripped, looking over her shoulder. For a moment, she struggled, trying to get back on her feet. I drew my sword and held it beneath her chin, forcing her to look up at me. She snapped her jaws, as if she were attempting to bite the blade.
“Rise,” I said, putting a bit of pressure on her chin. “Slowly.”
She did.
“Now, remain still. I’m going to dismount, you understand?”
She nodded her head slowly, but said nothing.
“Good,” I said. I swung my leg over my horse’s back and slid down his broad slide, all the while keeping my eyes on her. I tensed at every twitch of her muscle. “You are the forest witch, are you not?”
She grinned wickedly.
“Yes. So I thought. You are to come with me. You understand? The king is demanding your company. I know not of your future following your delivery. However, if you come with me quietly, I assure you I shall cause you no harm. Do you understand, lady?”
The witch broke out in giggles for a moment. Then she looped her hair around my neck and crouched, forcing me to follow her. I knelt before her. Thought she was lower than I was, it felt quite the opposite. For a moment, she was my queen, and I her lowly servant.
Then she looked up at me like a child. I was entirely captured. Whether this was from some spell or some other reason, I was unsure. Nothing made sense. Time was suspended. I thought I saw her lips move, but I heard nothing, only the wordless babble of the stream nearby. A few birds flew overhead, cackling at my stupidity at being caught by a woman.
Then she vanished.
I stumbled backwards, no longer having her hair anchoring me in balance. My horse responded by stomping and whinnying. I could only look up at him and blinked. Had he seen her? Had I imagined her, even? My stomach turned. No armor could protect me from the fear which had been installed in my mind.
Was I mad? That hardly seemed a better option than if she was only just behind me, a knife poised above my back. I whipped around and found there was no one.
Mounting my horse shakily, I wondered if I should tell the other men that I had seen her. But then how would I explain her absence? Would they believe I had seen her? Or that I had let her get away? They knew she was a witch; would that be enough of an excuse?
I clicked my tongue, urging my horse forward and back to the group.
Then the woman stood in front of the horse, still and looking me in the eye. Admittedly, I was intimidated.
“Woah!” I said, pulling on the reins.
The witch murmured something, her lips moving slowly as she kept her gaze trained on my eyes, despite their residence in my shadowed helmet.
“Lie with me,” she said.
“Witch!” I exclaimed, pointing at her accusingly.
“Lie with me,” she repeated, her eyes more alive.
“Witch!” I said louder, hoping the rest would come and capture her while I kept her distracted. “Damned sorceress! Over here!” I waved my arms, then realized it would only encourage her to run away from me.
“Marden,” she said.
“I – excuse me? Witch!” I called again. Then I turned back to her. “Marden?” I repeated. “What does that mean?”
“Marden,” she said.
“Is that your name? Marden?”
“Marden.” The R rolled from her tongue pleasantly. A flash of flesh against flesh invaded my mind, a lightning bolt between tongues.
“Yes, it’s very pretty. How long have you lived here, Marden?”
“Ten,” she said. She clasped her hands, gazing at me giddily.
“Ten?” I saw another of the men approaching quietly behind her. I put my finger to my lips, then continued to talk to her. “Ten years? Is that how long, Marden? Ten weeks? Ten months? Ten days?”
“Ten,” she said, nodding. “Marden.”
“Marden. Are you hungry, Marden?”
“Marden.”
She was grabbed about the waist by the man behind her. Others came in from the sides and tied ropes to her wrists, binding her. She kicked wildly, flailing about and screeching as she tried to scratch herself free. I looked away.
“Take her,” I said, gripping the mane of my horse below me. He blew air through his nose and stamped his hooves. “Go on! The king will be waiting. I understand he’s a cell for her and Porter is ready for containing her. Hurry.”
“Yes, sir,” one of them said. I could not recognize him through his armor.
After that, they turned and left, dragging Marden along the path only she could see.
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