Underestimate Me

Shock overwhelmed Rowen’s senses as the cool air touched the scars on his back for the first time since his little brother deemed them healed. The muscles in his back tensed at once causing more pain to flow through his body. Soon his tolerance would break, but he would not let it break in front of her. As soon as he vowed to struggle against the hand that kept his tunic from his skin, her fingers released it. Disappointment ground on his shaken nerves while his muscles loosened a little. The knife at his cheek disappeared.

“Well I guess they thought you a woman as well." Her whispered words were more emotional than Rowen thought they would be, though they still seemed disgusted with him. “Bring this dog to his pole, for this puppy love of his has died. Two years ago.” Her voice grew louder as she spoke about herself. How dare she call what they once shared puppy love! His jaw clenched while he tried to push the anger down, he tried to hide it, but he could not. No, he would not deceive his anger any longer.

Rowen yelled the one thing that he knew would hurt her the most, the one thing that made him the happiest. He told her that she was the one to blame for their indiscretion, and she truly was.

“You heard them, Rowen!” She cried. It was official. The announcement had been made in front of the entire village on the day all of the betrothals were announced, but they had known the words before they were spoken. Her breaths came in shaking sobs. He knew she wanted marriage; she had waited for this day for so long, but this wasn't what she imagined. This was her disastrous fate.

Hadrian!

“Maybe everything we’ve heard is false?” Rowen tried to make her tears stop. They ran down her cheeks harder. How could her father have agreed to this so greedily? Didn’t he know; hadn’t he heard?

“They are true. Everything is true about him, even you can’t deny it.” Her blue eyes finally turned on him. “I saw the way you reacted! You don’t want me to marry him either!” She wiped the tears away.

Rowen turned away from her. “I only want what’s best for you, Joss.”

The touch of her hand shocked his eyes back to hers. Pleading filled her being as she held onto him for dear life. “Please!” She whispered. “Don’t let your father do this to me, Rowen. Don’t make me marry him!”


He remembered the closeness they developed as her wedding date grew nearer. She was not expected on his door step on the eve of her wedding, the wedding that Rowen refused to attend. Merek should have been there in her place since he expected his brother’s visit; they always played a card game once a week, and the eldest always bested the youngest. This night, a determined beauty stood outside his door pleading with him to help her find some way not to get married because she loved another.

She never loved anyone!

Meredith moved to take him out of the tent. Rowen did not struggle against her this time. He wanted out of Josselyn’s sight just as much as she wanted him gone. He paid for his sins every day by the hand of his father, and while he first thought he deserved to pay for his sins against her, he knew that this wretched creature did not care for aything other than his slow death. Why should he pay for sins against one whom does not give a rat’s ass about anything that she once shared with him?

Meredith yanked his chain causing him to stumble out of the tent just as he stumbled inside. She wanted to break him but he was not one to be easily broken. The guard who now sat near his pole stood quickly, retaking her post. Meredith slammed his back into the pole while the guard raised a questioning brow at her. “Sometimes they need a little pain so we can get what we want,” the swordswoman growled at the guard. She fastened his bindings so his injured shoulder pulled back further before sending word that the medic must not visit him until the sun was high in the morning sky. She glared at Rowen as she walked away from him, and he simply grinned at her.

“Rowen, Son of Elrik, you are under arrest for your crime of infidelity. You will be brought before the high council in order to receive punishment for your crime. This crime is often punishable by death,” The man who blocked Rowen’s doorway spoke though he looked away from him throughout his speech.

“Who found us out?” Rowen asked while harshly jerking away from the two men who held him tightly by the arms.

“Do you understand what you have been told,” the man raised his voice, still not looking directly at Rowen.

“I have a right to know who turned…”

The man shook his head as he finally met Rowen’s eyes. He nearly gasped at the sight of his fencing instructor in his full armor, one of the most respected warriors in the village. “Do you understand?” His voice was low and harsh, filled with disappointment in his favorite student.

“Yes,” Rowen whispered and lowered his head.

Rowen picked up his pieces after Sir Richard’s disappointment broke him in half and carried them to his father. Sure of being sentenced to death, Rowen did not bother to worry about being broking farther. He let his guard down and welcomed the thought since he knew he caused Josselyn’s pain. He should have sent her away that night, should have told her no, but the way her perfect sparkling eyes fell on him. Rowen could not have had her leave, no matter how much he knew it to be the right thing.

Elrik revoked Hadrian’s voice in the council trial meeting for Hadrian was out for blood, Rowen’s blood to be exact, but The Head would not see his eldest, his favorite, beheaded for some ignorant infraction. Rowen was just a boy, and Elrik knew that woman must have seduced his heir. He had Rowen publicly humiliated before taking his eldest home and showing him just how disappointed his father really was. Those scars were not visible though Rowen felt them every day. Just as he felt them now forced against this pole.

He let out a long deep sigh causing his guard to turn toward him. She spoke not one word, just stared. Upon closing his eyes, he heard the whip cracking in his ears, felt its sting against his bare back, and listened as his father told everyone who came to witness the favorite son’s lasing that he was being punished for falling prey to a selfish seductress. Rowen remembered the thoughts he had while tied to that pole bearing his punishment in the same way his father taught him. He remembered believing Elrik’s words, hating Josselyn for what she had done to him. But he could not hate her for long. She made him a happy man for one night, and he would not hate her for that even if she wanted nothing more than to use him to get out of Hadrian’s grasp. Then he remembered Elrik’s words…

"Dearest son,” Elrik’s voice was wrong as he spoke. It was not harsh as it had been for the last two days. Merek even reacted to the extreme change by moving closer to his brother, as if he could protect him. “I must give you grave news on this solemn occasion.”

“Father?” Rowen stated a little more harshly than he meant to, but he was still angry for Elrik’s public display and awful words against Josselyn. He still cared for her deeply, even though she never really cared for him.

“Your seductress…”

“Stop calling her that!” Rowen growled. Elrik slapped his hand down on Rowen’s tender back causing a groan to escape his son.

“Your seducer is gone,” his tone was no longer sweet and sincere but harsh and cold. “She somehow managed to escape her cage last night. Sir Richard found her remains this morning by the rabid wolves’ den that we have searched for the last month.”

One tear slipped from Rowen’s eye as he recalled the horrid thoughts he had against her. She wanted him broken. Maybe she finally succeeded though he was not broken by her hand or the hand of the pet she kept. No, Rowen sat there in the flickering firelight letting the memories fill him until he broke himself.