Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Oath ❯ Chapter 3~Tessa ( Chapter 3 )

Blood Oath

By Mija

Disclaimer~I do own the story and all charactors to it.

Chapter 3~Tessa

~~~Tessa was in the garden when Sister Mary Mathilda came to her in excited joy. Mary Mathilda was 16, just a year older than Tessa herself and as Tessa, they were now at the age of marriage, but yet niether could wed. Tessa, because she had to wait till her 18th birthday per her fathers wishes and Mary Mathilda because she was already wed to christ. She was one of very few nuns that were actually Tessa's age, and they had been friends, since Tessa could remember. Seeing the look on Mary Mathilda's face Tessa could already guess what had her so excited. It was after all six month since her previous packages had arrived. King refuse was truelly a wonderfull man. Every six months, twice a year, since he had bought her to the convent when she was seven, he would send her many nice and pretty things. Dresses and gowns, at first toys and dolls, now books and musical intruments. He also sent fine delicate jewelry and silken slippers, as well as stockings and chemise' of all colors and of the finest fabrics. He also sent the convent supplies for taking care of her, like food and grain, apples and other items needed. Many times the head mother would have a list of things the convent needed by the time the men with her gifts would arrive.

"I take it by the look in your eyes and the excitement on your face that King Rufus had graced me yet again with more gifts?" I teased Mary Mathilda, I could not help it, she was so easy to excite, a nuns life was not very interesting if you asked her, but she would never tell anyone that, especially the head mother.

"Ohh yes and all of it is being taken to your room, come Tessa let us see what the King has sent you this time." came Mary Mathilda's comicly childlike voice as she turned on her heel and started for Tessa's room. Tessa smiled and got up from the flower bed she had been weeding and dusted herself off. As gratefull as she was for all the fine gifts the King sent her, the only thing she really looked foward to was the latest news of her betrothed. Every six months, along with the gifts, would come a large parcel with news and tales of her intendeds life, his good deeds, his likes and dislikes, his antics and what not. In essence, she was getting to know her future husband through words on a paper than by actual confrontations with him. She would of much preferred to have gotten to know him by actual contact, but till the day of her wedding she would not be allowed to even see him. She would have to make due with the letters, and she was not only gratefull for them but it was the highlight of her years.

~~~In the beginning most of the letters had been written by the kings scribe, but after Prince Jason had wed Princess Kathrine, the future queen of Greystone, had taken it upon herself to write down her brother in laws life to her. The king had said that Kathrine had not thought the scribe would write anything but cold calculating facts with no personal touch to it at all, and she though Tessa should get to know the true Garretts Greystroke. Princess Kathrine had been right. At first the letters had been short and to the point, mostly telling her of his training or his duties as a squire and prince. It had been cold and detatched so to speak, but ever sense Kathrine had taken to sending her Garrentts accounts, they had been filled with more personal touches, Kathrine often joked of her brother in law and often wrote about silly stuff that would amuse her as well as all his deeds and accompishments.

~~~When they got to her room, she bit back her eagerness to read the letters first, and indulged Mary Mathilda's need to see the pretty gifts the king had sent her first. Honestly though, she often wondered why the king sent her such things in a convent? It was not like she could go about wearing all those fine gowns and slippers. The convent didnt throw balls or entertain royalty or noblemen. There was an occasion or two that a nobleman would come to rest from what ever journey he was on. But Tessa was forbidden to even leave her room on those occasions, so she did not see the need for any of the fancy things the king sent. Most times she would wear them but once or twice to satisfy her conscience and everyone elses, before she gave them to the Head Mother to sell at the market place for nessecities or plain sewing cloth for the more sedate simpler dresses she wore around the convent to do her daily chores. She could not tell how many times those dresses and such had saved the convent from a harsh winters starvation, or helped to by healing herbs and medicinal things. As well as help to keep the convent leak free and warm in the winters, cool in the summers.

~~~As she took out her gifts and showed them to Mary Mathilda who oohed and awwed at everything, Tessa thought back to that night so long ago in the forbidden forest, and how her father had died in her arms. She hadnt even been allowed to watch him be buried, but had been promised by the king that he would have an honorable burial with the proper funeral and such. He had explained to her that long night ago of her betrothal to Prince Garrett, and his blood oath to her father, what it meant and why it was that she needed to leave immediatly. She now understood more fully what it meant but back than it had all been like some horrible nightmare and dream combined into one. Now she understood why, she was to wile away her years in the convent till her wedding day, and why it was that she was not to show herself if any strangers appeared at the convent, especially nobles or knights and such. It seems that it was highly rare for any nobleman, more so a King to give anyone his blood oath. In doing so he not only put himself in danger but her as well. For if his enemies were to find out about it, and find her, then they might kidnapp her, and force the king to give what ever ransom they chose, because once the blood oath was given it could not be taken back save for death and even then his hiers would take it upon themselves to keep the oath to save the honor of thier father, and family name. Untill the oath was complete then she and he were vunerable to attack. If a man wanted to take her and use her as a pawn to get to Rufus then all he had to do is remind him of his oath, tell him that he had given an oath to see to her safety and her marriage to the prince. If Rufus wanted to keep that oath then he would have to pay any price they asked for to get her back in order for him to keep his vow.

~~~It was all a bit complicated to Tessa. She had no idea why anyone would want to kidnapp her. She was but a simple peasant girl, who had lost her father, and had the fortune to meet the King and Prince' of Greystoke. She still did not feel worthy enough to be wed to a prince, but ever since she was seven she knew that she had no say in the matter, it had been her fathers last wish, and the Kings command. She could disobey niether of them. She could still remember Prince Garrett. He had been the youngest that night. Thin, yet cocky for his 10 years of age. He had black hair and blue eyes if she recalled. He seemed happy enough, well except for the whole almost dying part, but he had seemed to accept the fact and had prepared to die with honor. He had even taken her hand and prepared to jump into the swirling pool below them if her father had failed to keep the wolves away. She recalled him looking her dead in the eyes, as if telling her with his eyes that he was sorry but she needed to understand. She had. And then when he had held her and told her in his not yet manly voice that he would always take care of her. That had been the highlight of her dreams as she had grown up, when she wasnt reliving the nightmare of watching her father die that is.

~~~As she read the letter Princess Kathrine wrote Tessa sighed. It was hard for anyone to understand, including her, but she had fallen in love with her future husband. Yes she had yet to met the man in person, but reading about him and his exploits were the next best thing to her. Kathrine described how he had filled out nicely. He was big and broad shouldered. With thick midnight black hair that he let grow till it was past his collar. Kathrine teased and said he liked to be rebelious and often looked more scruffy than princly, but no one would ever mistake him for royalty. He carried himself in a way that bespoke his station in life and everyone respected him. He was often loud and brash but that only made him that much more indearing. Kathrine wrote that with Garrett there was never any pretenses or doubts of his feeling because he spoke them clearly and loudly. He had become a knight a little before his 17 birthday and already he was not only the best Knight in all the kingdome but feared by all his enemies. He was noble and fair, yet strong and deadly to those that would dare bring harm or shame to his family or kingdome. To her these letters were like reading a fairy tale and what young maiden could keep from falling for the handsome gallant prince?

~~~Kathrine went on and on about little things as well. How Garrett and his brothers, although close, often argued over the silly things. It always made her laugh to think of this. In her mind all she could picure were the three young boys she had meet and seen for but a night. But they were no longer boys were they? They were men and Knights, Princes and future kings of Greystoke. There was much Tessa had learned about her future husband from Kathrine's letters. But Tessa felt that something had changed in the last two years. She couldnt put her finger on it, but Kathrines writing, yet definitly her own was someone different. As if she were keeping something back from her when she had not before. She didnt understand it and never dared to ask. She let herself believe that it was her imagination and nerves, since as the years passed, so did the day of her impending wedding grew closer. She admitted that she was nervous. Again she was but a peasant born girl, who was to wed a prince. She was not sure if she could handle that sort of responsiblity and she prayed every morning and night that she would not shame her new husband or future inlaws, as well as her own deceased father by bringing any shame to them. She just hoped her new husband could come to love her as much as she was falling in love with him. She did not and could not live a life of marriage without it. It had been something she had promised herself long ago when her mother had walked out on her and her father when she was but five. Her mother had never loved her father, yet he had adored her. It had nearly killed him and broken his heart when she had abandoned them, him. But what really bothered her father the most and Tessa too, was the fact that through out thier short marriage, her mother had been unfaithfull to her husband with many men, while he was gone in the forest chopping wood to sell at the market. She had vowed she would die before she lived a life like that.

A/N~okies next chap. Just a bit of insight into the young Tessa's mind about her impending marriage to the bitter Prince Garrett. Yet she dont know hes bitter now does she? lol..anyhow tell me what you think k? Sorry for the delays on updates but muse is still doing as it pleases, till next chap be well safe and good, huggles and smiles Mija..:-)