Taken by the Warrior King by Vanessa E. Silver Page A

my person.
    ***
    ‘P lease do not hurt my family,’ I made the request as soon as they stepped through the door. It was just three of them, two tall men with broad chests and a very attractive slender female almost the same in height as the men, and looking a little older than I, but all had a blonde colouring similar to the memory I had of the warrior King.
    At first they did not respond to my words, they just looked me over as my mother held my hand tightly for support and cried softly, and my little brother and sister came bravely out of their hiding places to cling onto the back of my mother and my own skirts.
    ‘It is her!’ The woman spoke with relief, stepping towards me as she touched part of my mass of thick red curls in her hands. ‘He said the woman had red hair and eyes of the deepest green,’ she spoke as she turned to look at her brethren who nodded in agreement.
    ‘You speak our language?’ I tried to communicate with them once again, as I resisted flinching or making any sudden moves as she continued to hold on to my hair.
    ‘Yes I speak a little of your foreign tongue, some of us were taught your language by a traveller who had blood of your people as well as my own within his veins,’ she looked up at me giving me a small smile that put me a little at ease, a feeling that was only increased when she finally dropped her hand to her side and touched my hair no longer. ‘Now in answer to your first question we will not hurt you or your family, we have been given instructions to take good care of you, but we will need you to come with us. So tell your mother to stop weeping, she will not lose her daughter to the sword!’
    ‘How do we know you speak the truth, we have heard news of the barbaric acts at your hands when you have invaded other lands, how do we know you will not do the same to us?’ my mother finally spoke in her anguish.
    ‘Please mother!’ I turned to silence her with my worried expression. ‘I will come with you without any fight,’ I spoke calmly to the visitors.
    ‘Good, that is a wise and potentially very rewarding decision you have made for yourself. Now before I forget I was told to give this to you as the first of your presents?’ the blond warrior woman spoke as she handed me over a little pouch.
    ‘I don’t understand, why would you give this to me?’ I stuttered as I looked at the silver coins inside, lifting one up to show my family.
    ‘He wanted you to have it.’
    ‘He?’
    But she would not reply back to my question on the identity of my mysterious benefactor.
    ‘Can I give it to my family?’
    ‘You can do what you like with it; the gift is yours not mine.’
    ‘Mother, please take this, it will help you all while I am away.’
    ‘I cannot take coin for my child, no matter what amount.’
    ‘It is not coin in exchange for me; it’s just a mere gift as they have just said. I am leaving here willingly, so please take the money, you will need it,’ I spoke pervasively, and was much relieved when my mother reluctantly took the pouch from my hands.
    ‘We need to leave now,’ the woman spoke with some urgency.
    ‘I am ready.’
    I hugged my family goodbye, before turning to follow the foreigners out of the place that had long been my home.
    I did not know what to feel or to think, I could not predict my future in any way, all remained as a complete mystery to me!

Chapter 2
    ‘A word of advice Lydia, you look like a smart girl, so I hope you will heed my words, you would do well to make yourself agreeable to the Lord. If he likes you, your life may just take on a change for the better,’ the tall blonde warrior woman spoke as she looked me over for the final time with critical eyes. She had remained not far from my side ever since she had escorted me away from my family and home, which enabled me to learn quickly that her name was Ingrid, as was revealed to me by the way her fellow men constantly addressed her.
    ‘But how am I to make myself agreeable