Sitting in the cave plotting by herself wasn’t as much fun as she had imagined. In fact, it had given the opposite effect than what she had been both expecting and hoping. She had been anticipating the rush of anger and rage to explode from her about Robin’s words from last night. This however, did not happen. Her being separated from him gave her a strange and unfamiliar longing for him. She wasn’t sure what was happening but she didn’t like it. Alex didn’t like being dependant on anyone but herself. Reliance had never been her strong suit. She had learned the hard way that trust wasn’t something that she should give away. She had done that one too many times. Plan after plan had been formed in her mind and every time, she found on flaw that led to fifty that ended up in total failure. She wouldn’t mind, however, losing one life… say Marion’s? No, even her death would mean something valuable lost. Not Marion’s life, but the loss of Robin’s trust. But figuring out a flawless plan wasn’t going to be as easy as she had thought. After what seemed like hours, she gave up. Letting her mind wander, it entered a place that wasn’t an area she allowed herself to explore often… it was her past. Dark and daunting, it had left scars that could never be fixed.

“Don’t leave me! Please Alex! Don’t leave me!”

“I won’t, I promise Lilianna! Shhh, don’t worry, I won’t leave!” the tears threatened to come up again, but she had to be strong for Lilianna’s sake. Then they came back. Lilianna’s bound hands were trembling. Alex stood in front of her protectively.

“Move aside little girl, you can’t stop us.” Said one burly man. The rain poured, drenching the forest and each one of them.

“Please, just go! You can have all of our cattle! Our land! Anything please, just don’t take her!” Young Alex said pleadingly.

“Sorry lass, but we have rights and this girl belongs to us.” Said another, his voice carrying no remorse.

“Rights? What rights! You don’t own Lilianna! When I tell my father about this, he will have you arrested!” all of the men burst out laughing as Alex stared at them with hate. Finally one of the men gathered himself enough to speak.

“Your father is the very man who sold her to us! With this we can do anything we want with the girl.” The man said gesturing to the contract with her father’s signature at the bottom. Behind her, Lilianna whimpered.

“Then he must have been drunk! He would never do any such thing sober!”

“He’s right here and I don’t know about you but he looks sober enough to me!” Out of the bulk of men walked her father, a blank, placid look on his face.

“Father… how… how could you!” Alex asked. He quickly looked down as he tried to hide the money in his hands. “How much?” Alex asked softly. When he didn’t reply she repeated herself. “I said how much!” She demanded in a much louder tone.

“12 shillings.”

“You sold my sister for 12 shillings! How dare you! You don’t even take care of us and now this! You expect me to just go with this as long as it means a little more money! You are a foolish, evil scumbag who doesn’t deserve the daughters he has been given. I despise you! I hope you burn for this! No I hope I kill you with my own sword! Your blood will be the only thing that can satisfy me!” Alex spat at his feet. Her father didn’t even flinch. She turned to the men, “Please, take me instead! I am older and much better at housework! Please! I beg you!” The men shook their heads. The deal had been stuck, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. The men pushed her out of the way and grabbed her sister, they walked and as Alex tried to pursue them, they tied her to a tree where she could not even move. She almost died there, but Robin, a young boy, saved her. Death wasn’t her fear; her fear was that she would never see her beloved sister again. That was one thing in her life, which she had predicted correctly.

Marion was thinking about why she had agreed to help them… after all, it wasn’t her problem. She knew why though. While she didn’t exactly love Robin, she had to admit, he wasn’t all that dreadful. The way he looked at her made her feel like a goddess. The love and adoration in his eyes was so pure, so faithful. She knew that what she was doing to him was cruel but he was the only one who actually seemed to worship her. Everyone else saw her as a shallow, airheaded girl. Robin was different. He obviously wasn’t interested in her money because he didn’t ask her for any favors. The more she thought about it, the more she found herself falling for Robin. She hated it. If she fell in love with him, she knew it would be harder to let him go. It was obvious her father was accepting offers for her hand in marriage. The less attached she was to Robin, the easier it would be to drop him. But even Marion knew that it wouldn’t be that simple. She was absolutely dreading the day she had to admit to him that she was a fake. She could just imagine the way his face would fall and his lovely, deep blue eyes would no longer look upon her with adoration. He would see her the exact same way everyone else did. Picturing him with his handsome face and sandy, dark blond hair was painful even now. Marion loathed herself… even more than she loathed Alex.

Alex… Marion’s hate for Alex had been apparent from the first time they had met. While Robin obviously adored her, he respected Alex. Something Marion had been yearning for from the moment she was born. Alex and he had been friends long before Marion had entered the picture. Alex knew Robin in a way that Marion would never know. That was something Marion couldn’t change with all the beauty in the world. Alex was beautiful in a different sort of way. While Marion was heartbreakingly gorgeous, Alex’s long dark chestnut colored hair gave her a shadowy appearance. In the summer, when the sun shined, Alex’s hair seemed to turn to gold. It was the kind of beauty that made you stop and gaze at the simple complexity of a person. It was dark and mysterious unlike Marion who while being stunning, was as readable and simple as a slate. It made Marion hate Alex all the more. Her detestation was the only thing that kept her sane while everyone else treated her like a child. Marion was ready. Ready to risk everything for something and someone that she barely knew.