Betrayed by Family Ch 1

Started by Amur, May 14, 2015, 09:31:52 PM

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Amur

(I'm going to try my hand at some writing here. This is going to be written as I type it here as opposed to being transcribed from paper. Hope you enjoy reading it.)

I looked over the castle ruins with the stars twinkling above. I should feel something for the stone edifice that was once my home so long ago. No one has lived here in so long, I have no fear of being discovered by anyone. To say nothing of the family I once had here.


Northern Scotland 806 AD

I looked out the window of my room looking out over the cliffs that guard our back from attack from any who would try to take our land and wondered at my future. In a very short time, my maid would lead me down to my father and the chapel where my future husband waits for me. I've been trained my whole life for this, to marry a worthy man and lead my clan.

Our clan is unlike the other clans in the highlands which is something my father is proud of as it has allowed us to prosper more than our neighbors. We allow our women to rule as well as our men and we trade with the Norse men from the northern lands.

My marriage is to one of their princes as a sign of peace. And while at my side, my future husband would have some say in the rule of our clan even as I stand at the head of our family where he would have had little chance with his own family with his two older brothers between him and the leadership of his tribe.

"It's time, M'lady" Maggie, my maid, said from the door. She was only a couple years younger than me and would soon find a husband of her own.

I turned from the window and followed Maggie down the stairs. I sewn into my white wedding gown wrapped in the white and brown tartan of my clan. Maggie wore a simple dress and a well worn brown tartan.

My father stood at the bottom of the stairs dressed in his finest clothes. His normally unruly brown hair was pulled back from his face with a tie, showing off the scar he'd earned as a young man defending our land from another clan.  He was still a powerful man though more gray hair was sprinkled through his brown hair than when I was a child.

"Ye'll leave yer husband speechless and trying to pick his tongue up off the floor" he said holding out his arm for me.

"I 'ave nay doubt o' dat, Da" I said. I was by no means vain. Most days I could care less what I looked like. I spent more time in the stables and sword ring learning the arts of war beside the other children of the clan. Today, I allowed the women of the clan to make me look pretty for my wedding.

The rest of the day flew by in a blur. The relatively quick ceremony followed by hours of feasting and drinking as only Scotsman can do. My husband was as attentive as the other men would allow. Everyone was happy. It was well past midnight before we were allowed to stumble to our wedding bed.

It was mere hours later that my world came to an end.

(I decided to keep this chapter short to see how people received it. Depending on feed back, I may start writing it on paper to develop it more before posting here. I do hope to transfer this to the adult section once I get approved. If the younger audience takes to it as well, I'll probably post it in both areas.)