Chapter 1: Sold Off

Whoosh

A simple breeze blew, gently shaking the fully bloomed wisteria tree branches. A young woman stood by the tree, feeling grass crunch underneath her feet. She placed her hand on the tree, smiling softly, as the wind gently blew her long dark brown hair. She looked up seeing the sun peaking through the branches of the tree, 

'Today's the day Gabrielle, don't chicken out this time,' she thought as she looked away from the sun back at the tree. 

'I can't chicken out this time, I have to tell Kenton how I feel.' 

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart begin to race. 

'Calm down, you got this.'  She shut her eyes, breathing slowly. 

"You wanted to see me?"

She quickly opened her eyes, hearing a familiar voice, she turned around to see a man in his early 20s standing a few feet away from her. She gazed upon him with her amber eyes, admiring his short reddish brown quiff styled hair, pinkish colored bow lips, minorly muscular physique, and mint green eyes.

"Did you call me here just to stare at me," he bantered as he raised one of his straight eyebrows. 

She quickly looked away, feeling her cheeks turn red, she bit her lip.

'Come on girl, tell him how you feel,' she thought as her heart pounded against her chest. 

"Gabrielle I really don't have time to play games right now. I'm really busy, so if you don't have anything to say to me, please don't call me here again,"  He sighed, turning his back towards her.

She sheepishly looked up at him, seeing him start to walk away, and quickly grabbed the hem of his long sleeved, cotton blue shirt.

"Wait," she mumbled.

He looked back at her, his eyes turning cold, and said, "What do you need Gabrielle?"

She looked down, swallowing her air. 

"I know you're busy Kenton, I promise this will only take a moment," She said. 

"Well then tell me what you want," He scoffed, "I have things I have to attend to." 

"Do you remember this place," She asked. 

"No, should I," He said. 

"It's the place we first met when we were children… It's where our friendship started,"  She muttered, gripping the skirt of her white, mid length, floral, sundress. 

He looked around him, taking in the scenery, and said, "Yeah I guess it is. Now why did you bring me here?" 

"I was crying all alone. Abandoned by my family, and you were so kind to me. Your family took me in and I became a noble. From that day on we were inseparable," She said as she continued to grip her dress. 

"So you brought me here to tell me you miss how close we were? Listen I get it, you get older and things change, but I will always be your best friend," He sighed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. 

She looked at him, meeting his eyes. "No Kenton, I have to tell you," She paused feeling butterflies overwhelm her stomach. 

"Tell me what," He snickered, "Just say it." 

She took a deep breath, mustering up all the courage in her, "I like you," She confessed.

He gritted his teeth. His demeanor stiffened, and his eyes turned cold. She looked away, feeling her face getting warm from embarrassment. 

"Do you like me too," She whispered.

"Gabrielle, I've been holding back," He sighed, "I don't like you and I never have. You were never a choice of mine to marry, in fact I only ever saw you as a sister and nothing more."

Pain tingled in her eyes as she held back her tears and felt her heart sink. 

"Don't you understand that I will never love you in that way," He said with a half smile, "We will never be together." 

She fought back the pain in her heart, faking a smile as she looked at him, mumbling, "I understand, I'm sorry to have bothered you." 

"There you are," A young woman hummed, "I've been looking for you sweetheart.

They glanced over seeing a young woman wearing a blue, short sleeved, floor length, dress that had a damask pattern throughout it and a rose gold tiara in her hair. The woman's lush chocolate brown hair flowed in the wind as she walked over to Kenton and placed her delicate hand on his chest.

Warmth filled Kenton's face as his harsh demeanor turned soft and loving. He grabbed the woman's hand and kissed it.

"A show stopping beauty you are," He flirted. 

She grabbed his arm, resting her head against his shoulder, smiling softly. 

"I was looking all over for you. Where have you been," She pouted. 

"I'm sorry my Queen, I was taking care of some loose ends but I'm free now,"  He hummed, running his fingers through her hair. 

She shifted her eyes towards Gabrielle, looking at her up and down. "Is this who you were tying loose ends with," She said, gritting her teeth. 

Gabrielle looked down, feeling her face turn red as embarrassment overwhelmed her. 

"Yes," He sighed, "She confessed her feelings for me. It was pitiful."

Gabrielle's eyes widened, tears filling her eyes, 'Why is he being so harsh with me now? He's never acted like this before,' She thought. 

"She confessed to you? Is she foolish," The woman laughed, "Does she not know you're engaged to me." 

Gabrielle looked up, meeting the woman's fiery peach colored eyes, seeing her give a sly smile. 

"I guess not," He snickered, "She's never been really attentive to things." 

The woman looked at Kenton, saying, "How could she not know. I'm Dutchess Celila Avente Bloomingston. There's not a person in the Kingdom who doesn't know of our engagement. No, this floozy was just trying to steal you away."

"No," Gabrielle exclaimed, "I meant no harm, I was never informed that Kenton was engaged, let alone to a Duchess. If I had known I never would've said anything. Please forgive me." 

"Do you hear her? You're about to be a Duke and she DARES call you by your first name," Celila snickered, "How dare you not address him as Lordship or Grace. Do you view yourself so high that manners have left you?" 

"Pay her no mind Celila," He said as he grabbed her wrist, "She's of no importance anyway."

"She thinks she's better than us, better than me. She didn't even bow," Celila said, snatching her wrist away from him. 

"Remember sweetheart she doesn't have any family. She doesn't know how to act," He said, comforting Celila.

"Well then maybe she should learn some… After all, the Earl in Kingdom Holden is looking for a servant girl and she is a noble. He is a close family friend of the king. It'll be a nice peace offering between our two kingdoms, wouldn't you say Kenton," Celila planned, with a widened smile on her face. 

Tears blurred Gabrielle's eyes as she thought, 'Kingdom Holden… That cruel kingdom… If I'm sent there I will surely die.' 

Kenton met Celila's eyes, brushing her hair back behind her ears, saying, "Is that truly what you want?" 

"Yes my Love," Celila pouted, "Consider it as a wedding gift to me." 

Gabrielle looked at Kenton, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

She cried, "How could you even consider this request?" 

Celila rushed over to her, slapping her across the face. "Don't you dare speak you floozy," Celila taunted, "How dare you even speak against me and my requests? I am a Duchess and you… You're a nobody." 

She pushed Celila out of the way, grabbing onto Kenton's shirt. 

"Please, please don't let her do this to me," She begged, "Kenton we're supposed to be best friends. Please do something." 

He pushed her off on him, shouting, "Celila is my wife and you dare push her. You aren't even worthy of breathing the same air as her." 

Celila pulled Gabrielle's hair, throwing her down to the ground, and shouted, "How dare you disrespect me and then ask my husband for a request. I should have you killed but being a servant in Kingdom Holden is more fitting for a girl like you." 

"I won't go," Gabrielle screamed, "You can't make me." 

Celila grabbed Gabrielle's face, forcing Gabrielle to look at her. 

"I am a Duchess. The guards follow my command, the people do as I say. You have no power in my kingdom. If you think you can run then I encourage you to do so. The guards love playing a game of cat and mouse," Celila mocked, throwing Gabrielle to the ground once more. 

She stumbled to her feet, catching her balance. She cried, "I won't, I won't go." 

She ran, running towards a nearby forest as Celila watched, smiling from ear to ear. 

"Should I catch her, Sweetheart," He asked.

Celila turned around to look at him, saying, "No need, my guards have this place surrounded, and I had already made plans to ship her off so she wouldn't be a distraction to you." 

"She could never distract me from you," He cooed, grabbing Celila's hands. 

Deep into the forest Gabrielle ran, tears blurring her vision. 

'How could he do this to me,' She thought, 'I loved him.'

She ran until she felt a strong tug on her arm that jolted her back, bringing her to a complete stop.

"Where do you think you're going,"  A guard dressed in silver armor grumbled.

"Let go of me," She screamed, trying to fight out of his tight grip. 

"I love a good fight," He snarked, grabbing onto her other arm with the same amount of force, "Look around you baby, there's nowhere for you to run."

She looked up, watching as guards from the kingdom surrounded her. 

"Please don't make this harder for yourself, you can come with us peacefully or by force, but you will come with us," He snickered.

She lowered her head feeling shame eat away at her as she stopped resisting. 

"That's a good girl," He mocked, "Now let's go."

On foot she traveled alongside the guards as they took her to a large beige castle, that was on a large plot of land in Kingdom Holden. 

They walked her to the entrance of the stone stairs to the castle, being greeted by guards of Kingdom Holden who wore similar armor but had a symbol of flames (Kingdom Holden's national symbol) on their chest plates and the Guard Master who wore black colored armor. 

"Is she the woman promised to our Lordship," The Guard Master asked, examining Gabrielle's looks.

"Her Grace sends her with many regards, hoping this will appease his Lordship and The King," one of Celila's guards answered.

Gabrielle looked down, hiding her tears, and the Guard Master said, "She's not much and looks rather pitiful." 

"I assure you that as a highly respected marchioness, Lady Gabrielle is a fine gift for his Lordship," The same guard (that was Celila's) said. 

She thought, 'I'm no marchioness, nor was I ever respected by the kingdom… I only ever had a title of noble because of Kenton and his family… Now I am less than a nobody…" 

The Master Guard nodded, ordering the guards under his leadership to escort Gabrielle into the castle.

"Well see what his Lordship says, and send word back to her Grace," The Master Guard said and left leading his guards and Gabrielle into the castle. 

As Gabrielle walked into the castle, she felt her feet become heavier and heavier from her overwhelming sorrow. 

Guards led Gabrielle to an office in the castle. 

The office had dark brown walls, wood floors, redwood desk, Kingdom's Holden's national flag that sat next to the desk and hung on a gold flag pole, a clock, windows that were covered by red curtains, and a gold chandelier that  hung in the center of the room's tall ceilings. 

Behind the desk sat the Earl, sitting in a dark wood, red cushioned, chair. 

The guards pushed Gabrielle down to the floor, making her kneel before the Earl, and the Master Guard bowed, saying, "My Lord, this is the peace offering sent over by her Grace Duchess Celila, does it please you?" 

The Earl looked up, looking at Gabrielle with his dark brown, wrinkled eyes. He stood up from his chair walking over to her. 

He crouched down and grabbed her by the face, forcing her to look at him. She looked at his face, seeing his wrinkles and dark spots, his thin brown tinted lips, his bushy salt and pepper eyebrows, and his gentleman cut styled gray hair. 

"I thought she would be prettier… But she'll do, she'll make a fine peace offering," He smirked, throwing her to the ground.

He stood up, towering over her, he said, "Now that outfit simply won't do. I want her dressed in servant's clothing immediately. We can't have her thinking she has any importance here."

He looked down at Gabrielle, saying, "Now my Dear, I'd hope that you would follow the rules… Should you not, there will be harsh consequences for you."