Authors: Carmella Jones
Chapter Five
Though Scarlet couldn't tell the passage of time at all, she and Nerol eventually landed on a planet which seemed to be straight out of a fantastical drawing of a Dr. Seuss book. The colors of the planet primarily focused around greens, blues and violet. At first, these cold and frosty, yet vibrant colors hurt her eyes to look at, but she had to acclimate herself. Either that or walk around blind.
Once they had landed, Nerol helped Scarlet out of the pod and took her into a large house made of some pale lavender stone. The architecture was hard to describe. It seemed like some miniature version of a Norman castle from days of yore, yet with an entirely different perspective on it. Though it was large and clunky in some regards, at least compared to the chic and streamlined style popular in modern architecture on Earth, there was an air of sophistication despite any clunky overarching themes.
Inside of the house, it was very arid and slightly warm. The outside of the house was not so much as ten feet off of the ground, and at that it was extremely small, as if there were only a few rooms in the entire abode. However, upon entering, there was a stone staircase which lead them underground.
Having no other options, Scarlet followed Nerol hesitantly, just wrapping her arms around herself to try and keep herself warm. She still didn't have a shred of clothing, which had long ago ceased to be embarrassing and now was just inconvenient for the sake of warmth.
Nerol didn't pay her much heed, and just led her down the staircase and then into an adjacent room. There was a chest there which he opened and took out a long fur coat, and then took it to Scarlet, wrapping it around her. She instantly put her arms through the sleeves and the coat fastened itself around her with a series of magnets.
Scarlet hadn't been warm since she woke up on that metal table, and so her gratitude for having this coat was boundless. She just sat on the floor, making sure the blanket folded under her, and cuddling up with it without paying Nerol the slightest amount of heed.
Nerol sat next to her, letting her have a moment to get warm. He knew that she had been very cold for far too long, but there was nothing that he could have done until he got to his house. However, the time for enjoying herself would have to be short.
"Human. I have to ask you this. Will you marry me?" Nerol asked rather stoically. Scarlet didn't even know what to say, so she just stared at him with a mix of bewilderment and shock in her eyes. "Before you answer, please know that if you say no, you will in all likelihood marry Metz," Nerol added.
Scarlet shivered when she remembered Metz' crude voice, his domineering attitude, his awful yellow eyes, and most of all the threat of his violent nature that Nerol had told her about. "I don't have much choice now, do I?" Scarlet grumbled, pulling her blankets closer, curling up into the fetal position, and closing her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Nerol said softly, petting the fur coat where he assumed Scarlet would be. The coat was so oversized for Scarlet that it just swallowed her up.
"I won't say no," Scarlet said quietly, mainly because she felt like she would have no other real option. It certainly wasn't because she wanted to, but in this situation, it felt as though she had no choice.
"I won't make you regret that," Nerol replied, and he got up and walked out of the room, leaving Scarlet to her own devices for the time being.
Chapter Six
While Nerol was off making his arrangement, Scarlet just leaned against the wall and slept in her over sized fur coat. For once, she was let to sleep until her body woke her up, and she was in the same place as she fell asleep when her eyes opened again.
She carefully got up, her legs a bit sore and stiff from the awkward position she had slept in, and she looked for anyone who might be able to give her information on what was going on.
The house, though it wasn't very large, was like a maze at first. However, Scarlet was able to acclimate herself after a short while and at least somewhat navigate through the twisting hallways that seemed to lead her to an endless procession of rooms, which all had the exact same doors.
Eventually, rather than her finding someone, Nerol found her, grabbing her by the shoulder as he walked up behind her. "Scarlet. I need you to come now. We are to have our ceremony now," Nerol said, his voice seemingly higher pitched than usual, as if he were nervous.
Scarlet nodded at that, and let Nerol lead her back to the room that she had slept in, and he gave her a leather skin dress that was of a fawn color, and boots to match. Wedding garb, she supposed. Odd though it seemed to her, she went into another room, changed, and presented herself to Nerol. The clothes were much to big for her, especially insofar as the length went, but Nerol didn't seem bothered by this. He took Scarlet's hand and half dragged her to another room, where a man wearing the mask of some sort of tusked beast and a fur coat stood holding an old tome.
"Turn on your translator if you would, master," Nerol said as he entered with his soon to be bride. At first the man growled and hissed in protest, but he did turn on his translator, considering its necessity was obvious.
"Very well. Do you, woman, understand that you are about to enter a life long commitment with Nerol, and you will be his from this moment on, forever and ever, and anon?" the old shaman like figure before Scarlet asked in a gruff tone, as if trying to coerce her to say yes.
Scarlet just swallowed hard, and nodded at the question. She would rather be Nerol's than Metz, after all. "Yes," she said quietly, though she was a bit concerned with being labeled someone's property.
To her surprise, however, the old and gruff man repeated to Nerol the same line for him to accept, which he readily did. Scarlet expected to be kissed then, but after the ceremony, Nerol just hoisted Scarlet up and carried her to his room, then set her down on the bed. She assumed that the next order of business would be to consummate the union which they just formed, but instead Nerol seemed as though he wasn't in the least bit concerned with that.
"Now no one will be able to contest that you are mine," Nerol explained, and smiled slightly. Scarlet just didn't respond, because she didn't really know what to say at first. The rush job on them tying the knot along with the fact that she barely knew Nerol made the whole thing seem strange. Yet, she still felt a connection to him none the less, so it was difficult for her to decide one way or another whether she liked or detested her choices.
"Not even Metz?" Scarlet ventured to ask after a moment of silence.
"No. Certainly not Metz," Nerol replied, though he tensed up at the question, and Scarlet felt that it would be better not to bring him up again.
"So, what now?" Scarlet asked hesitantly. She truly had no idea what she had gotten herself into, but Nerol was happy to show her what he expected out of their life from this point forward. Nerol showed her how to cook dinner with the materials that he had on hand, and then they ate together and put the dishes in an automatic cleaner.
With that done, nothing more pressing seemed to need to be discussed, and Nerol spent his time with the shaman that had come in earlier, while Scarlet herself wandered around aimlessly until it was time to go to sleep.
By the next week, it was a little noisier. Granted, the week that passed with Nerol was akin to bliss for Scarlet. She had nearly no responsibilities, and Nerol treated her like a princess. However, such joy could not last. The ship that they had escaped from landed on the planet, and one of the gaggle that had been with Metz came to Nerol's house, and had a heated discussion with Nerol. Scarlet couldn't understand a word that went between the two, but she could tell that none of what they were saying was positive, so she tried her best to keep her nose out of it until it was just herself and Nerol again.
When the other character left, Nerol found Scarlet, and sat her down for a conversation. "Metz wishes to challenge me," Nerol said quietly. "For the right to call you mine, I mean."
"I thought that you said--" Scarlet began, but Nerol cut her off.
"I was wrong. I will go to the Colosseum tomorrow to fight him. If I lose, I don't know what will happen to you," Nerol said quietly. "But, I do not think that I will lose."
Scarlet was concerned hearing that, and she just wrapped her arms around Nerol, holding him close for the time being. She wanted to make the most of the time that she had left with him, but she didn't know how she could do that. It was such short notice.
For the remainder of the day, Scarlet didn't leave Nerol's side. When they finally laid down to sleep, though, she couldn't so much as keep her eyes closed for a minute due to the anxiety, but she stayed in bed with her arms wrapped around him to keep him close to her heart. This may be the last chance that she ever got, after all.
Chapter Seven
At the Colosseum, Scarlet was given a seat that was perhaps just a bit too close to the action. A mere ten yards away, her husband would be jousting on a ferocious, over-sized ostrich like creature, which stood at about seven feet high, and had razor sharp beaks and talons. They were frightening to say the least.
Even more frightening, however, were the javelins with which the two parties would be jousting with. If either got hit with the sharp spike on the end of the spear, there was no way that they would bounce back up, and in all likelihood the first to be knocked off their steed would be shredded to pieces by the sharp talons of the fowl mounts.
Scarlet watched with bated breath as both Nerol and Metz faced each other on opposite ends of the Colosseum, ready to charge at one another and charge at any moment. However, they waited until the conductor of the tournament gave the sign, then they charged. Their first volley landed no hits. Their second volley was equally unsuccessful.
By this time, the dust kicked up by the mounts made visibility difficult, but neither were ready to end this so soon, and the third volley commenced. Scarlet saw the javelin go into Nerol, and she screamed out. Not only did she scream, but she tried to jump into the Colosseum, and if not for the guards, she would have.
"Nerol!" she screamed from behind the restrictive guards. However, only after her passion died down did she see that neither of the large fowls had riders any longer. Nerol and Metz were wrestling in the dirt, as they managed to pull each other off of their mounts.
Scarlet watched with tears in her eyes as Metz landed blows upon Nerol, and Nerol do the same. The anticipation was honestly just too much, and Scarlet lost herself in her tears.
Within about ten minutes, the victor was declared. Though she couldn't understand the language, she understood from the mix of cheers and boos in the crowd that the victor was being crowned, though she was initially too afraid to look. After the clamor died down a bit, she did glance up to see Nerol's hand being held high by the conductor of the event, and Scarlet just felt a wash of relief come over her.
Now that the guards were distracted, she managed to quite effortlessly rush past them and run onto the jousting area all the way to Nerol and wrap her arms around him. Perhaps their meeting was out of the ordinary, and maybe she did complain about their first interactions being less than ideal, but she'd gathered by now that Nerol really love her, and she knew that she loved Nerol.
"I'm so glad that you're okay," Scarlet said as she held him close, tears streaming down her face.
"I had to be. I had to protect you from him," Nerol replied, giving her a soft kiss. Scarlet had never felt safer or more protected than at this moment.
"Thank you. I . . . I love you, Nerol," Scarlet said, burying her face in his broad and masculine chest.
"I love you too, Scarlet," Nerol said, holding her tightly to him.
THE END
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The Sheriff's Mail Order Bride
Chapter 1
It was another abrasively hot day. Cole Pearse had been living in the barren lands of New Mexico for five years now. The dry, unbearable heat, along with constant dust, was quite a change from the New England climate he had previously lived in.
Originally from Concord, Massachusetts, Cole had followed his father and sister into the New Frontier in search of a better life. Cole’s father was not interested in pursuing gold mining like many others, but instead he had aspirations of building his own saloon in one of the up and coming mining towns.
So he packed up his son and daughter and off they went to the rocky lands of New Mexico. He quickly established a saloon in Bloomingfield, which, like every other mining town needed a saloon because where else would the gold miners and gun-slinging cowboys go after a rough day? He soon became known for the best whiskey west of the Rio Grande. His saloon was the place to go if someone wanted a hard shot of whiskey, or if someone wanted to try their luck gambling with the regulars.
Olivia Pearse always had her hands full with the rowdy men who stumbled into the saloon, but in the five years since living in New Mexico she had quickly learned how to stand up to any man. She was the prime jewel of the town, being one of the few women who lived in the predominantly male town. The fact of the matter was that Bloomingfield’s male population outnumbered the female population nearly five to one.
For this reason, Cole Pearse, although nearly thirty-five was without a wife. When he followed his father to Bloomingfield he expected to find himself working in the gold mines with the other men, but instead, his trustworthy attitude and muscular appearance quickly put him in the position of sheriff. Now, with three years experience under his belt, the town folk trusted in him to uphold the law of the town, but this reputation didn’t bring him any closer to getting a wife.
And the unbearable heat didn’t make his job any easier. He could feel the wetness in his hair, hiding under his sheriff’s hat. He could feel his shirt cling to his back as it was smothered by the thick material of his uniform. Even his sheriff’s badge, still shiny and new, would burn Cole if he happened to touch it. The only thing that could save him from the heat would be a nice cold beer at his father’s saloon: The Phoenix Alehouse.
Cole stepped inside to see the saloon stuffed with its regular customers. There were people lining the bar, a group of men playing cards in the corner, and various other people sitting together in conversation. As he looked up his eyes locked on his sister, Olivia, skillfully pouring someone a glass of beer. As she placed the glass in front of the patron she looked up to see her brother and smiled.
He exchanged the smile before taking off his hat and wiping the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief. He sat down on one of the open stools, looking exhausted.
“Hard day at work I take it?” Olivia inquired as she started to pour him a beer. She already knew his favorite brew and expertly filled up his mug, letting the foam spill over. She placed it on the bar in front of him before placing her hand on her hip and giving him a stern look. She wanted an answer.
“Well… to be honest… I didn’t do much, but this heat is killing me. This weather is nothing like old Concord. I miss the snow.” Olivia chuckled at her brother. They had lived in the desert for five years now, one would think he would get used to the weather, but Cole had always preferred the cold to the heat.
“Well… you just have to deal with it. Father is making a lot of money with this saloon and so are you with being the sheriff and all. I would count my blessings if I were you. You aren’t the one wearing this uncomfortable skirt and slaving away for all these men!” Olivia’s tongue was sharp as she reprimanded her brother’s complaining. Cole, although almost 18 years her elder, often times found himself being put in his place by his baby sister, who wasn’t even old enough to marry.
“I suppose.” Cole eventually muttered as he looked at the cold beer in front of him.
“And, I have been thinking. You are almost thirty-five.
Thirty-five
. You are turning into an old bachelor. If you don’t find a wife soon you’ll end up a bachelor forever. You don’t want that, do you? If we were back at Concord you would have married
years
ago.” Cole looked at his sister. He knew she was right but where was he supposed to find a wife when all the women in the town were either married off or were below the age of marriage, like his sister.
“And who would you like me to marry? Mrs. Lansky?” Olivia burst out laughing. Mrs. Lansky was a ninety-year-old widow that had lost her mind three years ago. Everyone stayed away from her.
“No, I do not, under any circumstances, want Mrs. Lansky as my sister-in-law,” Olivia said back as she continued to chuckle. “But, on a serious note, have you considered posting an ad back in Massachusetts? I heard that a lot of Boston newspapers do that now. You send a picture of yourself and a description and interested women will, hopefully, respond.” Olivia’s voice had taken on an excited tone.
“Hmm… I’m not sure Liv.” Olivia rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
*****
Three months later Cole visited the post office and picked up a letter from Claudia Finch. He looked down as he unfolded the letter and saw a small photo of a beautiful woman with a round, healthy face. Her eyes were dark and intelligent. He reached down and gently traced the outline of her derby hat perched on her head giving her a dignified look. She looked ready to take on the world.
*****
Two years and multiple letters later Cole Pearse and Claudia Finch were going to get married.