Reni
The Queen of all Birds
The Border Reivers
The 24th of March, 1603
Lowther Hall,
The West March Lands, England
The Queen was dead.
It was unusually clear in the West March when word of her passing reached Lowther Hall. For Meredith Lowther, the day would not be one she would soon forget. That morning she awoke to pounding footsteps and shouting men. Blinking a few times, Meredith looked over toward the window. The blue light was starting to turn orange as the sun crept above the horizon. It was barely dawn. What on earth were the men doing up so early? More shouts and curses followed that thought.
Suddenly, the door flew open. A plump woman with gray hair burst into the room. Her normally cheerful face strained, and her shoulders arched to her ears. "M'ladies!" she cried, rushing over to the bed that Meredith shared with her cousins Jane and Kate. All three girls jumped as their nurse scurried over to them. The two younger girls shrieked with fright.
Meredith was the only one to keep her head. "What on earth is going on, Bessy?" she asked. Her heart pounded as she leaped out of bed. Jane and Kate clamored to ask what happened as well, but one harsh look from Meredith shut them up. "Bessy, what has happened?"
Bessy swallowed hard, wringing her hands. "Queen Elizabeth is dead," she said. "And the Reivers are coming!"
Meredith's stomach knotted at the word. Reivers, lawless raiders that plundered the borderlands mercilessly. It was all she needed to know. Jumping out of bed, she hurried to dress. Her cousins were less composed, which was understandable considering they were only thirteen and eleven. While the oldest, Jane, was five years Meredith's junior and old enough to be married by law, she was still very much a child. Jane clung to her sister Kate who was sobbing on her shoulder.
While she was usually patient with her cousins, Meredith had no time for their hysterics right now. "Don't just sit there, you fools!" she yelled as she pulled on her chemise. "We are about to be attacked! Gather yourselves together and get dressed. Bessy, fetch Henry. We must flee!"
With a nod, Bessy fled the room in search of Henry.
Drying her eyes as well as her sister's, Jane pulled Kate from bed. "Hurry, Kate!" she cried before she helped Meredith fasten her corset. Kate's lower lip quivered as she joined them. Once they were all semi-presentable, they left the room and hurried to the Great Hall.
The cousins walked into utter chaos as servants rushed back and forth, preparing for the upcoming battle. Half-clothed men shouted at their squires to bring their armor. Women tried to soothe their frightened babes. In the middle of it all, Sir Robert was giving orders to his young squire, Edwin. He was a handsome youth of nineteen years, tall and thin with charcoal black hair and stormy gray eyes.
For a brief moment, Edwin caught Meredith's eye, looking grim. Despite herself, Meredith had to suppress a smile as she locked eyes with her future husband. The grim look was nothing new. He was always serious. Had been since the day he was born, his mother, Meredith's aunt, used to jest. Not that Meredith minded; she liked that about her cousin. The two were to be married within a fortnight. In a moment of selfishness, Meredith prayed that this raid from the Scots would not disturb those plans.
A gasp from Kate brought Meredith back to the moment. Peering around, she saw Bessy and young Henry running toward them. The boy was small for his age and had many of the distinguishing Lowther family features. Meredith possessed many of them herself. The boy, Henry, had pale skin with dark hair that was nearly black, blue eyes like the sea, and small stature. Though the small stature was not as much of a drawback as it might seem. The Lowthers were known to be light on their feet and graceful.
Henry's frightened blue eyes met Meredith's. Trembling, he rushed over and threw his arms around her. He buried his head in her chest. Meredith hugged him close and stroked Henry's hair. After a moment, she held the boy at arm's length, surveying him quickly to ensure he was all right.
"They say the Queen is dead, and Reivers are coming!" he cried.
"Yes, they are coming. Do you remember the plan?" Meredith asked.
Henry nodded. Meredith had not expected any other answer. The plan had been hammered into the cousins since Henry was born. If there was ever a raid from the Scots, the women and children of the Lowther family were to flee the castle and head to the southern watchtower.
Henry was the only child and heir of Sir Robert and his sickly wife, Eleanor. She had been pregnant six times, but only Henry survived. Henry's safety was paramount as one day he would inherit the Lowther fortune and lands. If he died, so did the Lowther family name. All their lands and money would be given to the crown. For the good of the family, Henry had to survive.
Taking Henry's hand and looking toward Jane, Kate, and their old nurse Bessy, Meredith nodded. "It is past time we leave. Where are Kent and Martin?" The five of them surveyed the room, looking for the two guards charged with taking them to the tower.
"There!" Bessy pointed to the two grizzled old guards as they approached. They were too old to be in the thick of battle but too skilled to retire. They served as protectors to the children of the Lowther family.
"Where have you been?" Meredith called. "We should have left already!"
The men stood a little straighter. "We are sorry, M'lady! We were both reporting to Sir Robert," Martin said. "Kent and I were on duty last night. He raised the alarm."
An irritated and tired Kent said in a sharp tone, "This is no time to apologize, Martin. Come, we must go." He turned on his heel and led the group to a small passage at the back of the keep.
At first, Jane protested, "No horses?"
"No time! Horses will only attract the filthy bastards. We need stealth if we are to get there safely. Now hush your mouth before you give away our position!" Kent spoke as a seasoned fighter. His word was law.
With haste, the old soldier led them into the forest. Meredith was first to follow. She trusted Kent as she would her father. After all, he had been good friends with Edward Lowther before death had claimed him in battle. It was Kent who had been with her father as he lay dying and delivered the news of his death.
Meredith rushed after him, taking Jane's hand and squeezing Henry's a little tighter. Bessy followed behind with Kate as Martin stationed himself last.
Once they were in the woods, they had to take care to stay hidden as their cover would thin out from time to time into marshes or rocky hills. Still, there was enough wooded area to provide coverage to the watchtower.
Stealthily, Kent moved forward. His companions did not move quite as well. Though Meredith thought herself graceful, it was hard to move through the woods with Jane and Henry clinging to her. The trees grew close together, with roots and rocks sticking up from the ground. Still, they moved as quickly and quietly as possible until Kate screeched.
Kent turned back quickly and clamped his hand tightly over the girl's mouth. "What the devil are you screaming about?" he whispered harshly. In tears, Kate pointed to the decaying body of a deer. Kent gave the girl a murderous look. "You eat venison, don't you? Calm yourself!"
Kate sniffled and whimpered softly as Kent scolded her. As much as she deserved to be rebuked, Meredith had sympathy for the poor girl. Still, this was far from the time or place for such outbursts. They had to keep moving.
Suddenly, Kent held his finger to his lips, signaling silence. In the blink of an eye, Kent and Martin had their swords drawn, ready to fight. The sound of running feet and snapping twigs soon reached Meredith's ears.
"Run!" Kent commanded. Clutching Henry and Jane's hands tightly in hers, Meredith took off in a sprint. They moved as fast as the terrain would allow them to. Behind her, she could hear the clashing of swords and the sounds of Martin shouting, though she could not make out his words.
For what seemed an eternity, she, Henry, and Jane ran hard and fast. Meredith wanted to put as much distance between them and the fighting as she possibly could. But she was worried about Bessy and Kate. Were they following? Had they fallen behind? She looked back to be sure they were indeed behind her. They were, but their pace was slow. The old woman could only move so fast, and Kate was having trouble keeping up in the rocky terrain.
"Move faster!" she hissed at them but was unsure that they heard her. Poor old Bessy was panting hard and having trouble drawing breath. Sweat dripped down her red face as she stumbled through the forest. They had not made much headway, and it looked like she might faint. They would not get anywhere if Bessy was unconscious.
Meredith knew she had to do something to ensure they reached the southern tower, even if that meant giving herself up to the Scots. Drawing to a halt, she turned back towards Bessy and Kate. They stopped as she turned back. Meredith passed young Henry over to Jane. The two exchanged a wide-eyed glance; both trembled.
"I need you to listen to me," Meredith told Jane. "Get Henry to the watchtower as quickly as you can. Do not stop, do not look back. Just run. Make sure he is safe. Once you are there, hide until our men come for you. Do you understand me?"
" I can not-"
Meredith held her hand up for silence. "Do you understand me?" she asked again. Fighting back tears, Jane answered with a short nod.
"Good." Meredith briefly embraced all of them in turn. She lingered for a moment longer on Henry. He whispered in her ear, "Do not go, do not leave me." His tears soaked her garment. An ache filled her heart as she held Henry tight. Since he had lost his mother, Meredith had tried her best to take on that role. Now she was leaving him too. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back. Giving him one last embrace, she kissed his cheek and pulled back. "I have no choice. You must be brave now. I love you… All of you," she added as she straightened up. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she took off at a run back towards the clearing in which Kent and Martin had been left to fight the reivers.
She stomped her way back through the woods, purposefully snapping twigs under her feet and kicking up fallen leaves. As she drew closer to the clearing, she began to call out as if speaking with her cousins. "Hurry now! We must move faster! Come on! The hunting lodge is not that much further." The hunting lodge happened to be in a glen far to the north of the watchtower. With any luck, she would be heard, and the reivers would search there first.
It was easier for her to run now that Henry was not clinging to her hand, so it did not take long before she reached the clearing with the decaying deer. But the deer was not the only corpse she discovered there.
There, on the blood-soaked ground, lay Martin. His eyes, while still open wide as if in shock, were glazed over. Meredith's knees buckled, and she fell to the ground by his body. Shoulders slumping forward, she stared at the body, shaking her head. She did not want to believe what she was seeing, yet there was no denying what was right in front of her. Tears welled up in her eyes, causing them to burn. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she gently closed the eyes of the old warrior. "Rest now, friend," she wept. "And may Christ receive your soul." Hands folded and head bowed, she whispered a prayer for him.
Without warning, a pair of gloved hands seized her from behind and wrenched her to her feet. A scream built up in Meredith's throat but was stifled by the gloved hand slapping over her mouth. She was pulled back, pressed firmly against the body of a man.
"Well, What have we here? A wee English lass caught all alone with no guard?" the man said gruffly in her ear. "Not a living one at least," he added, gesturing to the corpse.
"Aye!" came another voice. "And a bonnie thing she is too. Pass her over here, Angus! I wanna better look."
Meredith's heart pounded wildly as she was shoved towards a man with a mane of wild red hair and a bushy beard. He grabbed her by the arms and held her steady, looking her up and down. His rough hand jerked her chin side to side as he looked her over. A leering smile spread across his face.
"Take your filthy hands off me," Meredith spat as she fixed him with a hard, cold stare.
Rather than doing so or even being offended, the man let out a loud guffaw. "She's got a bit of spirit, this one!" he called to his companion. "How did a wee thing like you become so fierce?" He emphasized the last word with a slap to her rear.
Pushing against him roughly, Meredith shouted, "You will unhand me!"
The other man came up behind her again. "What's the matter, Lass? We're not good enough for you? You think yourself so high and mighty? Well, we'll show you, won't we, Donnal?" His hands grabbed at her skirts and began to hoist them up.
"I would say that she is too high and mighty for the likes of you." Another voice cut through the clearing. Jerking her chin out of her captor's grasp, Meredith whipped her head around, looking for the source of the new voice. It came from a man astride a horse. He was younger than the other two, and curly dark auburn hair peeked out under his steel helmet. "Let her go. Both of you."
"Ah, Gavin, don't ruin our fun! It's part of the deal, isn't it? We fight for the Carlisles, and you don't question our methods!"
"And if she were just some peasant wench, I might be inclined to leave you be, though I would not approve of such behavior. However, if you had your wits about you and were thinking with your heads rather than your loins, you would see this is a high-born Lady. Do you not see how she is dressed? She is no milkmaid. A peasant would never wear clothes as fine as these. A peasant girl would be hung just for thinking of doing so! No, this is a Lady. Now, unhand her."
The two gruff-looking Scotsmen glanced at each other before letting go of Meredith. As soon as they loosened their grasp on her, she tore herself out of their hands. Straightening her skirts, she quickly moved away from them.
"Are you hurt, lass?" he asked her in a soft voice, his brown eyes sympathetic.
Meredith looked up at him and shook her head slowly. Though in truth, she did not feel alright. It was just then she realized that she was trembling. She wondered if she had been shaking the entire time. She prided herself on being strong and keeping a cool head, even in the face of danger. Showing fear made her feel weak and foolish. Swallowing hard, she did her best to regain control over herself.
"I am fine!" she snapped, avoiding his gaze.
"Good," he said as he dismounted his horse. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a length of rope. "My father wants all captives to be unharmed," he said matter of factly. Meredith stood there unmoving, eyes wide, unable to make sense of what he was saying. Before she had the chance to understand his meaning, he seized her by the wrists and bound them tightly together. Recovering a moment too late, she pulled back from him, but there was no escaping the ties. Even if she could, there were three of them and one of her. She was at their mercy.
The 24th of March, 1603
Lowther Hall,
The West March Lands, England
The Queen was dead.
It was unusually clear in the West March when word of her passing reached Lowther Hall. For Meredith Lowther, the day would not be one she would soon forget. That morning she awoke to pounding footsteps and shouting men. Blinking a few times, Meredith looked over toward the window. The blue light was starting to turn orange as the sun crept above the horizon. It was barely dawn. What on earth were the men doing up so early? More shouts and curses followed that thought.
Suddenly, the door flew open. A plump woman with gray hair burst into the room. Her normally cheerful face strained, and her shoulders arched to her ears. "M'ladies!" she cried, rushing over to the bed that Meredith shared with her cousins Jane and Kate. All three girls jumped as their nurse scurried over to them. The two younger girls shrieked with fright.
Meredith was the only one to keep her head. "What on earth is going on, Bessy?" she asked. Her heart pounded as she leaped out of bed. Jane and Kate clamored to ask what happened as well, but one harsh look from Meredith shut them up. "Bessy, what has happened?"
Bessy swallowed hard, wringing her hands. "Queen Elizabeth is dead," she said. "And the Reivers are coming!"
Meredith's stomach knotted at the word. Reivers, lawless raiders that plundered the borderlands mercilessly. It was all she needed to know. Jumping out of bed, she hurried to dress. Her cousins were less composed, which was understandable considering they were only thirteen and eleven. While the oldest, Jane, was five years Meredith's junior and old enough to be married by law, she was still very much a child. Jane clung to her sister Kate who was sobbing on her shoulder.
While she was usually patient with her cousins, Meredith had no time for their hysterics right now. "Don't just sit there, you fools!" she yelled as she pulled on her chemise. "We are about to be attacked! Gather yourselves together and get dressed. Bessy, fetch Henry. We must flee!"
With a nod, Bessy fled the room in search of Henry.
Drying her eyes as well as her sister's, Jane pulled Kate from bed. "Hurry, Kate!" she cried before she helped Meredith fasten her corset. Kate's lower lip quivered as she joined them. Once they were all semi-presentable, they left the room and hurried to the Great Hall.
The cousins walked into utter chaos as servants rushed back and forth, preparing for the upcoming battle. Half-clothed men shouted at their squires to bring their armor. Women tried to soothe their frightened babes. In the middle of it all, Sir Robert was giving orders to his young squire, Edwin. He was a handsome youth of nineteen years, tall and thin with charcoal black hair and stormy gray eyes.
For a brief moment, Edwin caught Meredith's eye, looking grim. Despite herself, Meredith had to suppress a smile as she locked eyes with her future husband. The grim look was nothing new. He was always serious. Had been since the day he was born, his mother, Meredith's aunt, used to jest. Not that Meredith minded; she liked that about her cousin. The two were to be married within a fortnight. In a moment of selfishness, Meredith prayed that this raid from the Scots would not disturb those plans.
A gasp from Kate brought Meredith back to the moment. Peering around, she saw Bessy and young Henry running toward them. The boy was small for his age and had many of the distinguishing Lowther family features. Meredith possessed many of them herself. The boy, Henry, had pale skin with dark hair that was nearly black, blue eyes like the sea, and small stature. Though the small stature was not as much of a drawback as it might seem. The Lowthers were known to be light on their feet and graceful.
Henry's frightened blue eyes met Meredith's. Trembling, he rushed over and threw his arms around her. He buried his head in her chest. Meredith hugged him close and stroked Henry's hair. After a moment, she held the boy at arm's length, surveying him quickly to ensure he was all right.
"They say the Queen is dead, and Reivers are coming!" he cried.
"Yes, they are coming. Do you remember the plan?" Meredith asked.
Henry nodded. Meredith had not expected any other answer. The plan had been hammered into the cousins since Henry was born. If there was ever a raid from the Scots, the women and children of the Lowther family were to flee the castle and head to the southern watchtower.
Henry was the only child and heir of Sir Robert and his sickly wife, Eleanor. She had been pregnant six times, but only Henry survived. Henry's safety was paramount as one day he would inherit the Lowther fortune and lands. If he died, so did the Lowther family name. All their lands and money would be given to the crown. For the good of the family, Henry had to survive.
Taking Henry's hand and looking toward Jane, Kate, and their old nurse Bessy, Meredith nodded. "It is past time we leave. Where are Kent and Martin?" The five of them surveyed the room, looking for the two guards charged with taking them to the tower.
"There!" Bessy pointed to the two grizzled old guards as they approached. They were too old to be in the thick of battle but too skilled to retire. They served as protectors to the children of the Lowther family.
"Where have you been?" Meredith called. "We should have left already!"
The men stood a little straighter. "We are sorry, M'lady! We were both reporting to Sir Robert," Martin said. "Kent and I were on duty last night. He raised the alarm."
An irritated and tired Kent said in a sharp tone, "This is no time to apologize, Martin. Come, we must go." He turned on his heel and led the group to a small passage at the back of the keep.
At first, Jane protested, "No horses?"
"No time! Horses will only attract the filthy bastards. We need stealth if we are to get there safely. Now hush your mouth before you give away our position!" Kent spoke as a seasoned fighter. His word was law.
With haste, the old soldier led them into the forest. Meredith was first to follow. She trusted Kent as she would her father. After all, he had been good friends with Edward Lowther before death had claimed him in battle. It was Kent who had been with her father as he lay dying and delivered the news of his death.
Meredith rushed after him, taking Jane's hand and squeezing Henry's a little tighter. Bessy followed behind with Kate as Martin stationed himself last.
Once they were in the woods, they had to take care to stay hidden as their cover would thin out from time to time into marshes or rocky hills. Still, there was enough wooded area to provide coverage to the watchtower.
Stealthily, Kent moved forward. His companions did not move quite as well. Though Meredith thought herself graceful, it was hard to move through the woods with Jane and Henry clinging to her. The trees grew close together, with roots and rocks sticking up from the ground. Still, they moved as quickly and quietly as possible until Kate screeched.
Kent turned back quickly and clamped his hand tightly over the girl's mouth. "What the devil are you screaming about?" he whispered harshly. In tears, Kate pointed to the decaying body of a deer. Kent gave the girl a murderous look. "You eat venison, don't you? Calm yourself!"
Kate sniffled and whimpered softly as Kent scolded her. As much as she deserved to be rebuked, Meredith had sympathy for the poor girl. Still, this was far from the time or place for such outbursts. They had to keep moving.
Suddenly, Kent held his finger to his lips, signaling silence. In the blink of an eye, Kent and Martin had their swords drawn, ready to fight. The sound of running feet and snapping twigs soon reached Meredith's ears.
"Run!" Kent commanded. Clutching Henry and Jane's hands tightly in hers, Meredith took off in a sprint. They moved as fast as the terrain would allow them to. Behind her, she could hear the clashing of swords and the sounds of Martin shouting, though she could not make out his words.
For what seemed an eternity, she, Henry, and Jane ran hard and fast. Meredith wanted to put as much distance between them and the fighting as she possibly could. But she was worried about Bessy and Kate. Were they following? Had they fallen behind? She looked back to be sure they were indeed behind her. They were, but their pace was slow. The old woman could only move so fast, and Kate was having trouble keeping up in the rocky terrain.
"Move faster!" she hissed at them but was unsure that they heard her. Poor old Bessy was panting hard and having trouble drawing breath. Sweat dripped down her red face as she stumbled through the forest. They had not made much headway, and it looked like she might faint. They would not get anywhere if Bessy was unconscious.
Meredith knew she had to do something to ensure they reached the southern tower, even if that meant giving herself up to the Scots. Drawing to a halt, she turned back towards Bessy and Kate. They stopped as she turned back. Meredith passed young Henry over to Jane. The two exchanged a wide-eyed glance; both trembled.
"I need you to listen to me," Meredith told Jane. "Get Henry to the watchtower as quickly as you can. Do not stop, do not look back. Just run. Make sure he is safe. Once you are there, hide until our men come for you. Do you understand me?"
" I can not-"
Meredith held her hand up for silence. "Do you understand me?" she asked again. Fighting back tears, Jane answered with a short nod.
"Good." Meredith briefly embraced all of them in turn. She lingered for a moment longer on Henry. He whispered in her ear, "Do not go, do not leave me." His tears soaked her garment. An ache filled her heart as she held Henry tight. Since he had lost his mother, Meredith had tried her best to take on that role. Now she was leaving him too. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back. Giving him one last embrace, she kissed his cheek and pulled back. "I have no choice. You must be brave now. I love you… All of you," she added as she straightened up. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she took off at a run back towards the clearing in which Kent and Martin had been left to fight the reivers.
She stomped her way back through the woods, purposefully snapping twigs under her feet and kicking up fallen leaves. As she drew closer to the clearing, she began to call out as if speaking with her cousins. "Hurry now! We must move faster! Come on! The hunting lodge is not that much further." The hunting lodge happened to be in a glen far to the north of the watchtower. With any luck, she would be heard, and the reivers would search there first.
It was easier for her to run now that Henry was not clinging to her hand, so it did not take long before she reached the clearing with the decaying deer. But the deer was not the only corpse she discovered there.
There, on the blood-soaked ground, lay Martin. His eyes, while still open wide as if in shock, were glazed over. Meredith's knees buckled, and she fell to the ground by his body. Shoulders slumping forward, she stared at the body, shaking her head. She did not want to believe what she was seeing, yet there was no denying what was right in front of her. Tears welled up in her eyes, causing them to burn. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she gently closed the eyes of the old warrior. "Rest now, friend," she wept. "And may Christ receive your soul." Hands folded and head bowed, she whispered a prayer for him.
Without warning, a pair of gloved hands seized her from behind and wrenched her to her feet. A scream built up in Meredith's throat but was stifled by the gloved hand slapping over her mouth. She was pulled back, pressed firmly against the body of a man.
"Well, What have we here? A wee English lass caught all alone with no guard?" the man said gruffly in her ear. "Not a living one at least," he added, gesturing to the corpse.
"Aye!" came another voice. "And a bonnie thing she is too. Pass her over here, Angus! I wanna better look."
Meredith's heart pounded wildly as she was shoved towards a man with a mane of wild red hair and a bushy beard. He grabbed her by the arms and held her steady, looking her up and down. His rough hand jerked her chin side to side as he looked her over. A leering smile spread across his face.
"Take your filthy hands off me," Meredith spat as she fixed him with a hard, cold stare.
Rather than doing so or even being offended, the man let out a loud guffaw. "She's got a bit of spirit, this one!" he called to his companion. "How did a wee thing like you become so fierce?" He emphasized the last word with a slap to her rear.
Pushing against him roughly, Meredith shouted, "You will unhand me!"
The other man came up behind her again. "What's the matter, Lass? We're not good enough for you? You think yourself so high and mighty? Well, we'll show you, won't we, Donnal?" His hands grabbed at her skirts and began to hoist them up.
"I would say that she is too high and mighty for the likes of you." Another voice cut through the clearing. Jerking her chin out of her captor's grasp, Meredith whipped her head around, looking for the source of the new voice. It came from a man astride a horse. He was younger than the other two, and curly dark auburn hair peeked out under his steel helmet. "Let her go. Both of you."
"Ah, Gavin, don't ruin our fun! It's part of the deal, isn't it? We fight for the Carlisles, and you don't question our methods!"
"And if she were just some peasant wench, I might be inclined to leave you be, though I would not approve of such behavior. However, if you had your wits about you and were thinking with your heads rather than your loins, you would see this is a high-born Lady. Do you not see how she is dressed? She is no milkmaid. A peasant would never wear clothes as fine as these. A peasant girl would be hung just for thinking of doing so! No, this is a Lady. Now, unhand her."
The two gruff-looking Scotsmen glanced at each other before letting go of Meredith. As soon as they loosened their grasp on her, she tore herself out of their hands. Straightening her skirts, she quickly moved away from them.
"Are you hurt, lass?" he asked her in a soft voice, his brown eyes sympathetic.
Meredith looked up at him and shook her head slowly. Though in truth, she did not feel alright. It was just then she realized that she was trembling. She wondered if she had been shaking the entire time. She prided herself on being strong and keeping a cool head, even in the face of danger. Showing fear made her feel weak and foolish. Swallowing hard, she did her best to regain control over herself.
"I am fine!" she snapped, avoiding his gaze.
"Good," he said as he dismounted his horse. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a length of rope. "My father wants all captives to be unharmed," he said matter of factly. Meredith stood there unmoving, eyes wide, unable to make sense of what he was saying. Before she had the chance to understand his meaning, he seized her by the wrists and bound them tightly together. Recovering a moment too late, she pulled back from him, but there was no escaping the ties. Even if she could, there were three of them and one of her. She was at their mercy.