ast seen her. She see m ed even m ore beau tif ul t han he re m e m bered so m e m on t hs be f ore. A nd no w , h i s on l y t hought w as t o get her a l one, i n t he hopes of convinc i ng her t o par t ake i n t he p l easures of t he fl esh w h i ch he so eas il y t ook f or gran t ed but t hat she had not yet kno w n. D an i a s m il ed.
“ Sa m son, m y l ord…you know I am not going t o l ay w it h you. H aven ’ t w e been over and over t h i s t hrou g hout t he seasons? I do l ove you, t hough. W it h a l l m y hear t .”
She reached out and m oved a s t ray l ock of h i s l ong ha i r f rom h i s f orehead and t he hones t y i n her eyes a l m ost m ade h i m f eel gu ilt y f or a second. B ut on l y f or a s e cond. H e s t opped her hand as she reached ou t , us i ng i t t o pu l l her c l oser t o h i m .
“ M y s w eet D an i a, you know t hat I w ou l d never d e sert you. N one t hat I have ever kno w n can co m pare t o you. I hones tl y be li eve you are t he one w ho i s t ru l y m eant f or m e,” he li ed aga i n, re m e m ber i ng t he t avern m a i d he ’ d be e n carou s i ng w it h j ust t he n i ght be f ore. T hat w as h i s en ti re lif e, carou s i ng, dr i nk i ng and bedd i ng any w illi ng w o m an he cou l d l ure t here. H e f e l t no t h i ng f or any of t hem and d i d n ’ t be li eve i n t he f oo li sh chan t s and fi res of her pagan w or l d nor of G od and H eaven e it her. D ebauchery w as h i s re l i g i on.
“ Sa m son, I cannot and w il l no t . Just because I am n ot born of a w ea lt hy f a m il y … as you are, does not m ean t hat I have no pr i de f or m yse lf . Y ou know you can never m arry m e. I am no m ore t han t he daugh t er of a serf and you are t he son of a w ea lt hy baron. M ayhap w e shou l d not see each o t h er any - m ore.”
Sa m son s t ood t here as she spoke rea li z i ng t hat she w as not go i ng t o g i ve i n t h i s ti m e any m ore t han she had every o t her. H e rubbed h i s ch i n t h i nk i ng t hrough on how t o respond t o her s t a t e m en t . H e cer t a i n l y d i dn ’ t w ant t o end t h i s…at l east not ye t !
T hey’d kno w n each o t her s i nce ch il dhood w hen t hey had secre tl y m et one a ft ernoon w hen he and h i s f a t her had co m e i n t o t he v ill age. H e had m arve l ed at t he si gh t s a l l around of t he s m a l l hove l s, open fi res and peop l e m illi ng abou t …so un li ke t he con fi nes of h i s she lt ered lif e at h i s f a m ili es es t a t e.
T he i r carr i age s t opped as h i s papa had go tt en out t o check on t he new s w ord t he s m it hy w as w ork i ng on f or h i m . A spec i al w eapon he ’ d co mm i ss i oned, and a lt hough he d i dn ’ t usua ll y deal w it h t he peasan t s d i rec tl y, i n t h i s par ti c u l ar case t he b l acks m it h w as t he fi nest i n a l l t he surround i ng l ands and he w an t ed t o check h i s w ork persona ll y. A nd so w hen h i s papa had gone i ns i de t he s m a l l hu t , Sa m son had go tt en o u t of t he carr i age. H e ’ d not w andered f ar w hen a li t tl e g i rl approached h i m and o ff ered h i m her hand. She m o ti oned f or h i m t o co m e p l ay and so he had run o f f w it h her.
T hey ran hand i n hand v i s iti ng several s m a l l ho m es w here t he g i rl see m ed t o be kno w n and w e l co m e, and, sa m p li ng t he cu li nary w ares t hat so m e of t he e l der l ad i es had cook i ng i n po t s, or f o w l roas ti ng over an open fl a m e. O ne had o ff ered t hem so m e f resh l y baked bread w h i ch t hey g l ad l y d e voured be f ore runn i ng back i n t o t he s m a l l group of grassy h ill s beh i nd t he v ill age.
T hey e l uded t he adu lt s f or several hours and she ’ d sho w n h i m such w onders as he w as never a ll o w ed t o s ee i n h i s she lt ered lif e as t hey w a l ked f ree l y i n t he pas t ure and p i cked fl o w ers, c
“ Sa m son, m y l ord…you know I am not going t o l ay w it h you. H aven ’ t w e been over and over t h i s t hrou g hout t he seasons? I do l ove you, t hough. W it h a l l m y hear t .”
She reached out and m oved a s t ray l ock of h i s l ong ha i r f rom h i s f orehead and t he hones t y i n her eyes a l m ost m ade h i m f eel gu ilt y f or a second. B ut on l y f or a s e cond. H e s t opped her hand as she reached ou t , us i ng i t t o pu l l her c l oser t o h i m .
“ M y s w eet D an i a, you know t hat I w ou l d never d e sert you. N one t hat I have ever kno w n can co m pare t o you. I hones tl y be li eve you are t he one w ho i s t ru l y m eant f or m e,” he li ed aga i n, re m e m ber i ng t he t avern m a i d he ’ d be e n carou s i ng w it h j ust t he n i ght be f ore. T hat w as h i s en ti re lif e, carou s i ng, dr i nk i ng and bedd i ng any w illi ng w o m an he cou l d l ure t here. H e f e l t no t h i ng f or any of t hem and d i d n ’ t be li eve i n t he f oo li sh chan t s and fi res of her pagan w or l d nor of G od and H eaven e it her. D ebauchery w as h i s re l i g i on.
“ Sa m son, I cannot and w il l no t . Just because I am n ot born of a w ea lt hy f a m il y … as you are, does not m ean t hat I have no pr i de f or m yse lf . Y ou know you can never m arry m e. I am no m ore t han t he daugh t er of a serf and you are t he son of a w ea lt hy baron. M ayhap w e shou l d not see each o t h er any - m ore.”
Sa m son s t ood t here as she spoke rea li z i ng t hat she w as not go i ng t o g i ve i n t h i s ti m e any m ore t han she had every o t her. H e rubbed h i s ch i n t h i nk i ng t hrough on how t o respond t o her s t a t e m en t . H e cer t a i n l y d i dn ’ t w ant t o end t h i s…at l east not ye t !
T hey’d kno w n each o t her s i nce ch il dhood w hen t hey had secre tl y m et one a ft ernoon w hen he and h i s f a t her had co m e i n t o t he v ill age. H e had m arve l ed at t he si gh t s a l l around of t he s m a l l hove l s, open fi res and peop l e m illi ng abou t …so un li ke t he con fi nes of h i s she lt ered lif e at h i s f a m ili es es t a t e.
T he i r carr i age s t opped as h i s papa had go tt en out t o check on t he new s w ord t he s m it hy w as w ork i ng on f or h i m . A spec i al w eapon he ’ d co mm i ss i oned, and a lt hough he d i dn ’ t usua ll y deal w it h t he peasan t s d i rec tl y, i n t h i s par ti c u l ar case t he b l acks m it h w as t he fi nest i n a l l t he surround i ng l ands and he w an t ed t o check h i s w ork persona ll y. A nd so w hen h i s papa had gone i ns i de t he s m a l l hu t , Sa m son had go tt en o u t of t he carr i age. H e ’ d not w andered f ar w hen a li t tl e g i rl approached h i m and o ff ered h i m her hand. She m o ti oned f or h i m t o co m e p l ay and so he had run o f f w it h her.
T hey ran hand i n hand v i s iti ng several s m a l l ho m es w here t he g i rl see m ed t o be kno w n and w e l co m e, and, sa m p li ng t he cu li nary w ares t hat so m e of t he e l der l ad i es had cook i ng i n po t s, or f o w l roas ti ng over an open fl a m e. O ne had o ff ered t hem so m e f resh l y baked bread w h i ch t hey g l ad l y d e voured be f ore runn i ng back i n t o t he s m a l l group of grassy h ill s beh i nd t he v ill age.
T hey e l uded t he adu lt s f or several hours and she ’ d sho w n h i m such w onders as he w as never a ll o w ed t o s ee i n h i s she lt ered lif e as t hey w a l ked f ree l y i n t he pas t ure and p i cked fl o w ers, c
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