The lady

Maerwyn… Gwendolyn was sitting on the stairs of our small wooden  house sobbing silently. The memory of what my father had done to her was fresh in my mind. "How dare you sleep with the son of my enemy" my dad had barged into the house drunk as hell. We were all taken aback by his outburst since we had expected that Gwendolyn's relationship with Steffen was never going to reach him. Our father had countless times mentioned that he hated that family, especially after Stefan's father took his position in the military, during the time they were young. Before Gwendolyn could explain herself, he had slapped her twice. "I can't believe i raised a harlot, you are in deed your mother's daughter" he seethed. My father had never failed to mention that our mother was a harlot, and that she had cheated on him with countless men. "Dad?" I interjected but he glared at me. "Speak to your sister or I'll kick her out" he ranted and stormed out of the house.  i walked and sat next to my younger sister, her sobs making my heart heavy, i placed my hand on her back and rubbed it softly, she raised her head from between her legs and stared at me. Her eyes were sore red. "Maerwyn, i love him" she whispered, conscious enough so as not to be heard by the drunk bull snoring loudly in the living room. "I know" I whispered back, helpless that i couldn't help her with anything, except, offer her with a shoulder to cry on. She rubbed her eyes and looked behind her then leaned closer to me. "Stefan is leaving to Northania, he said i should go with him?" She uttered and stared at my face waiting to see my reaction. I was surprised, and scared at the same time. It was a risk for her to escape from our house. What if Stefan gets tired of having using her, gets tired of her body and dump her in the Northern kingdom, I couldn't bare imagine what my sister would go through. I cared for her more than anything, but she wasn't happy here, and a bet at love was worth a try. "You should go" I said softly, much to her astonishment. "I should?" She raised a brow. It was clear she didn't expect me to agree with it.  "Yes, I want you to be happy Gwen, and i can't stand what father is doing to you" "Thank you so much" she hugged me tightly as her tears soaked my back and I patted her back softly. "I love you sis, always remember that" ……………. I helped Gwen pack while our father was still sleeping. We did it quickly so that the sleeping lion couldn't wake up. My heart felt heavy but I wanted the best for her. I knew that once our father know what had happened, he would burn with fury, but it was worth it. I knew that he couldn't hit me, he had never done it. Never!. And I doubted he would do it. He had always said that i was his little princess. It was so since i had made him a father, he would take me with him when he went bullfighting, and showed me how to ride a horse, once my mother got pregnant again, he had high expectations for a son, and when it was a girl, it was clear he was much dissapointed. Growing up, Gwen had always suffered at his hands, either physically, or mentally from his sharp tongue. Gwen hunged her bag on her shoulders and stared at me helplessly. "Let's go" I whispered as we tiptoed through the living room, my dad sneezed so loudly between his snores, and we stood still in the middle of the living room, Gwen looked as if he was going to melt and when he continued sleeping, her shoulders relaxed and i sighed. We managed to walk out and quickly hurried to the agreed location where steffan was waiting for Gwen. He was standing next to his wagon which had two horses–a black and a brown one. Steffan was very attractive and had it not that my sister was in love with him…….. Gwen ran to Steffan and hugged him tightly while crying her heart out. Steffan patted her back lightly while whispering. "It's okay baby, everything is going to be fine" I stood watching feeling so jealous–but in a good way. Gwen had always attracted men than me, her skin was lighter and softer, and her auburn hair, coupled with her deep blue eyes were enough to send a man on her knees. It was also the reason my father was so strict on her–he always said she was like wild meat, if left in the open, vultures would feed on it. After their little show of affection. Steffan stared at me. "Thank you" he said. "Don't thank me, just make sure she is okay, otherwise, you'll get it from me " I said, as a matter of fact. I knew I meant it. "Mae?" Gwen complained. "It's true Gwen, if he mistreat you in any way, he'll get it from me" Steffan smiled and said "okay maerwyn, I promise to protect her with my life" I hope he wasn't just saying it to please me. We parted ways and I watched as he helped her get into the wagon as he mounted the horses and they left. I stood watching until I couldn't see anything else and wondered if i had done the right thing. Going home, i couldn't help but wonder how my life was going to be without Gwen. She was the only friend i had, my confidant, i would tell her everything. I appeared at the lawn to our house and my dad was standing on the porch flaring like a charged rhino. It was almost dark and he hated it when we stayed out that long. His eyes rested on me, then behind me where he expected to see someone. Gwen. But she wasn't there. TBC…