Chris's Chronicles Book 1: Part 1:
The beginning of it all...
Wales: 1667
"Mamma, I am going out with Alexander, be home before dark." Jordan said as she started for the door. She had just turned twenty-one, and was to be married the next day.
"Jordan, you do not need to see him the night before your wedding. Stay in and help me finish your dress."
"But mamma, the wedding is not till tomorrow. We can do it tonite. We are just going for a picnic on the coast. I will be back before dark. Promise you."
Jordan's mother walked towards her daughter and hugged her. "Your papa would be so proud of you, God Bless his soul. all right then, but you be careful and make it home before dark. Understood?"
"Yes mamma." She hugged her mother back. "I promise."
"Jordan?" her mother said with a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Yes mamma?"
"Never mind you." She said as she watched her daughter walk out the door.
Jordan walked down the path to the spot where she and Alexander were to meet. They had been betroved to each other since before they were born. As they grew up, they had fallen love and had remained so even when he spent time traveling in Ireland and Scotland where his family came from before they settled in Wales. Now Jordan couldn't imagine anyone else she would want to spend the rest of her life with. As she was setting up the picnic near the water, she saw Alexander walking towards her. He was gorgeous in her eyes. His long reddish hair and eyes as blue as the water on the lake and his part Irish smile could melt Jordan a mile away.
"Afternoon, Miss Jordan," he said as he bowed slightly. "Ya mamma let you come? I had to argue with me mamma to let me out to see you. She said 'twas bad luck to see me bride."
"As long as we are together, no bad luck can harm us." Jordan said as she wrapped her arms around his muscular body and hugged and kissed him. They were both very traditional, but yet had still found a way to enjoy the joys of marriage before the honeymoon. "Mamma put up a fight, but she let me come. I hope you are hungry, I brought lots of food."
"I was thinking more of a feast before the feast." Alexander said as he slid his hand down her thigh. "After tomorrow, the fun of sneaking around will be gone." He flashed her a smile that no woman in her right mind could resist.
"Alex!" she shyly protested as she pushed his hand off her leg. "Not in public."
"No one else is around. Jordan, ya know I love ya an' I wanna be with ya." He said kissing her neck and sitting her down on the blanket that had been spread out for the picnic. "Then I will race ya to the water."
"The undertow will be rough with tes storms we been havin."
"Come on, what are ya chicken? We both can swim, nothing is gonna happen."
Jordan thought it over for a moment and smiled. "Ok, you know I am never able to resist you when you smile that Irish smile of yours."
Within a minute, Alexander had striped down only to his underwear and was already in the water. Jordan took her time taking off her clothes, wanting to entertain her lover. "Did you hear something?" She said in a panic as she turned around looking for the noise she heard.
"Tis nothing Jordan. Come..." Alexander stopped. Jordan turned with a jerk, to look at the water. He was no where to be seen.
"Alex? Alex? Come on Alex, this isn't funny show thyself." There was still no answer. She ran to the waters edge and looked around. Floating a few feet away to her left was Alex. She ran to the waters edge near where he was floating face down, and tried to get in the water. The undertow was so rough, she wasn't even in ankle deep when she was dragged out and under.
A few minutes later, Jordan had managed to break free of the undertow and get out of the water. She ran and put what clothes she had taken off, on. She ran and dressed in what clothes she had taken off and headed for the path, screaming "Help! Someone please help, my fiancee` is in trouble at the water." There was no answer. Up ahead she could see an old cabin. She ran up there and knocked on the door.
An odd looking man opened the door, looked at her and smiled. "Yes?" he said with an American accent.
"Please help, my fiancˇe and I got caught in the undertow in the lake, and I think he may drown.
"I'm sure he's gone by now, please come in and dry off."
"No, I got to help him." She said heading away.
The man grabbed her arm and yanked her into the cabin locking the door behind her. "You're not going anywhere!" he said as he shoved her into a chair. He grabbed a piece of rope, and tied her arms and legs to the chair. "Ahh my pretty thing, you have so much to learn. You will have many men in time, why bother with one who you will never see again."
Jordan looked at him and around the cabin. It was decorated with swords of all types and lengths. "Please let me go, I have to help him. We are to be married tomorrow. Me mamma will be worried if I don't get home."
"You're not going anywhere, not just yet. Now shut up you whore." He slapped Jordan across the face and kicked her in the leg. "You think I haven't been watching you and your boy making love by and in the water. Your mamma musta raised you better than that. Such a sweet and frail thing. Too bad you won't last long in the Game."
"What Game? What are you talking about. And don't talk about me mamma like that." She said as she spat at his feet.
He slapped her again and yanking her hair, pulled her head back. "Don't cross me Miss, or you'll find out sooner than you want to." He leaned down an looked directly into her eyes. Jordan saw the hate and pleasure in his eyes. He jerked her head upright, and walked to the door. He unlocked it and walked out.
Jordan tried to break free of the ropes, but they were too tight. An hour later, the man returned. He had the food that Jordan had taken to the picnic earlier, but there was no sign of Alexander. "What are you doing with me food?"
"It's all taken care of, everyone thought you both drown and that your body was carried out to sea."
Jordan looked at him and realized he was serious. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized everyone thought she was dead. "But I did not drown, I am here. Why do they think that. If you was there, why didn't you tell em the truth?"
"It will be the truth eventually, until then you are my guest here and will do what I say. If not, you will surely die."
Jordan looked away from the man as he handed her some of the food. "I wanna go home to me mamma."
"Your mamma thinks your dead, it would fright her so if you came back from the dead. Now eat!"
Jordan spat on the man's feet and looked at him "You are an evil man, and I will never do what you say."
"I warned you once not to cross me!" he said as he slapped her for the third time. This time it was a lot harder than he had planned, and she fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. "Next time you won't be so lucky."