My Villainous husband loves me

Abigail's POV

Alexa brought me along with her to meet the rest of her traveling companions. There were six of them. Five able bodied young men in their youth and a girl about my age. The young lads sat by the corner around a bonfire and they sharpened their arrows while the girl cooked not very far away from them on a small stove.

When I appeared, she stopped what she was doing and she stared at me.

She wasn't wearing a dress like me and she wasn't dressed as Alexa either, hers were a perfect bend of both. She wore a long ash color skirt and a shirt that looked like it belonged to an older man because it covered her hands. Her hair was up in a bun but her face was devoid of any form of femininity. There was no color either.

The young lads were next to stand up and unlike the young girl with the exception of one, looked at me like they would like to skin me and roast me just for fun.

I moved closer to Alexa instinctively. It was not a warm welcome.

"This is Abigail. She will be traveling with us to Zurich" she said to them like she didn't notice their hostile glares. "Abigail, this is John, Abe, Drew, Zach and Jacob. She is Lucile. She is a Godsent, she takes care of me"

Alexa hardly finished talking when the one she called John came forward to meet us. "May I have a word with you, please?"

He moved away from us and Alexa followed leaving me behind under the watchful gaze of five pairs of eyes.

It was uncomfortable, which I didn't mind. My life has never been comfortable.

"Are you hungry? I made food" Lucile asked me after five seconds of staring at me in awkward silence.

"Yes, please. I am famished. Running for one's life can be very…" I took a deep breathe and laughed out loud "Yes, I could eat"

"Okay. It will be ready in a few minutes. You can sit over there" Lucile pointed at a tree log by the side. It was so close to the lads that I didn't dare go close to them.

"Could I help you cook instead? I don't know how but you could teach me, I am a quick learner. Ask anyone!" I declared in my usual effervescent voice.

"Who will I ask?" Lucile asked me.

I blinked.

"Its…is a…. never mind. lead the way"

I followed her behind to the makeshift kitchen.

"Do you think Alexa will be alright? Did I get her in trouble with John?" I asked Lucile.

For a first time, Lucile smiled. "In trouble with John? She is always in trouble with John. She wins every time, though. She is the only one who can overrule John both here and at home. She's Alpha"

"Alpha?" I was confused.

"Yes. John is our pack's beta; the rest are some of our best warriors" Lucile explained as if I understood a single word of what she is saying.

But I understood the word 'warrior'

"Are you a warrior like Alexa, Lucile? Because that will be the second most amazing thing to happen to me in a day…. I don't think girls are supposed to know their way around a sword" I whispered. I was beyond amazed.

Lucile smiled brighter. "No one is like Alexa even back home. I know my way around an arrow. I once successfully short a thief with my father's bow and arrow…the thief turned out to be my brother Jacob and father was furious about it, mostly because he had to keep Jacob from strangling me but it was the best day of my life! Brothers are awfully annoying; I have four of them"

My eyes wandered to where Lucile's brother was sitting. it made me miss what I never had.

"You are lucky, Lucile. You have siblings, growing up must have been fun"

"If you count being tortured and tormented by my insufferable brothers… fun then by all means I had a wonderful childhood. Jacob once left a lizard in my soup…my soup! I am surprise it me so long to shoot him!"

She made a face at Jacob and he returned the favor.

"I will take insufferable brothers over being an only child, day or night, Lucile"

I wanted to tell her that a lot of my problems would go away if I had a brother. If I had a brother he would have been Baron after father and I wouldn't have to run to a tyrant for help while evading horsemen sent by my bloodthirsty and greedy distant cousin, Baron Winslow.

I ate dinner with Lucile and she showed me a tent to sleep in, I didn't see Alexa till the next morning.

The next morning, we started our journey to Zurich. Abe led the way and we followed behind.

There was mostly silence, I guess nobody had the urge to talk but I couldn't stand the silence.

Silence meant I was left alone in my head and I didn't want to be left alone in my head. My head was filled with a thousand- and one-ways things could go wrong. Staying in my head meant thinking of the fate that befell my poor parents.

It dawned on me that my own head was the worst place I could be because it was showing me scenarios of how horrible my life could become.

I could make it safely to Zurich and be put to death for daring to speak in the king's presence, I could get the king to grant me a wish but won't I be condemning myself to a lifetime of pain and sorrow because…of all the people in the whole world I had to force the crown prince into a marriage he didn't want.

This wasn't how my story was supposed to go, I am supposed to fall in love with a stable boy or a misunderstood knight or the thousand other lad in the most unrealistic and funny way just like the love story books father gave me to read.

I am supposed to marry for love just like Father and mother and have babies…three at least because I want them to have what Lucile had growing up.

I wanted the fairy tale love and happy ending. It is what I deserve. In a perfect world, I would be married to prince charming and we would live happily ever after but it is not a perfect world is it?

The real world is less magical and people die. Good girls make an impossible journey to make an impossible request. Family tries to kill you and total strangers become good friends.

Oh great!

Can I be anymore grim?

"Alexa, we should…."

I started to say but Alexa covered my mouth with her palm.

"Hush!" she said and pulled out a dagger.

"What is it?" I asked clearly agitated.

"We are being followed. Stay here"