<span style="color: #FF0000">Sleep came to her, which he was happy for. The past few days he had been rough on her and he knew that was his fault. To say he was less than polite would be an understatement. A new level of cold and uncaring he had reached with her and now..<br/><br/>A small smile came to his lips as he looked down at her while she slept. His hand rubbed lightly up down and along her arm. The action was tender and loving almost, such an idea had never cross his mind, not once.  BrÃ¡dach had expected himself to be alone for the rest of his life, to be the loner, to have no one because it would be easier and safer that way. There would be no concern about him or the woman he was with getting hurt. He learned the lesson that love was fleeting and an ideal when his first â€œloveâ€ left him for a man with more money and a title. <br/><br/>BrÃ¡dach had a title, had a birthright that he could never claim because of love. To him it was a silly ideal and nothing to invest himself in. At least...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">She shifted in her sleep and held him a bit closer..</span> <br/><br/>It had been. <br/><br/>It would be his luck to develop something for a woman he could never have. Or, maybe not luck? But his own way to protect himself from the sham of an emotion, by wanting a woman that he could not have. <br/><br/>Yet....he had her. They had just been together even though they should have waited, they should have stopped, never should have gone so far, but they had and now. Now they would be forced to leave one another, to forget about one another and go on about their lives as if nothing had changed. <br/><br/>BrÃ¡dach knew that his life was forever changed. <br/><br/>Sleep finally took him, though an uneasy one, which is why it had felt like he had just closed his eyes when he sensed someone in the room. The first rays of the morning light peeked in through the cracks of the shutters and the room was silent; save for breathing. Breathing that was neither of theirs and  BrÃ¡dach swore at his own failure. In the heat of the moment he had not taken the proper precautions, weapons were far from him and he could feel the presence in the room draw closer to the bed. <br/><br/>There was only one thought in his mind right now and that was to protect Maria. <br/><br/>The arm that had slipped to the side of the bed in his sleep, gripped the small end table and waited for the person to draw closer to the bed. As the cool and familiar feel of steel tickled his throat he reacted and brought the table up along into the person as hard as he could. The wood broke, splintered and gave him a club that he was quick to use on the dazed assailant as he jumped from the bed. Before the man could recover  BrÃ¡dach lifted him and threw him toward the window, the large man's frame broke the shutters and filled the room with the much needed light. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Five.</span> <br/><br/>There were five of them there, including the one who he had just thrown. So...now naked and unarmed he had to protect Maria and get her out of there.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Come with me...Just come with me and leave everything else behind.</span><br/><br/>Her dreams were as conflicted as she'd felt prior to what she'd done. What<span style="font-style: italic">they'd</span>done. If dreams were a portrayal of your inner most thoughts and desires...she'd have a hard time focusing on what she needed to.<br/><br/>Harder than the time she knew she'd already have prior to this development.<br/><br/>All her life, she'd been taught to do what was right, what was necessary, what was for the good of the people. Never had she been told to follow her heart, her desires, and yet...here she was, laying in the arms of a man who wasn't her intended, who had treated her like refuse for days prior to this. Then, he'd gotten her to drink, she'd spoken frankly about things she'd never considered saying aloud even to herself, but had opened up to him about. She'd listened to him, connected to him, and then when they went up to the room and she'd bathed...<br/><br/>Everything she'd learned, everything that had been drilled into her...<br/><br/>...Flew out the window.<br/><br/>Thoughts she'd never had before had crept in. Urges she'd never had screamed at her, begged for attention. An ache she'd never experienced had taken hold, had started from the minute that he'd kissed her in that cave, and refused to leave, only to escalate when they'd begun talk of<span style="font-style: italic">dancing</span>and first times.<br/><br/>For a while, she couldn't think at all, her mind having clouded over with everything he'd evoked. The pleasure had been too much...<br/><br/>...And the one thought she did have...was to ask for something she shouldn't have indulged in and should never have asked for, not from anyone but her intended.<br/><br/>Now that it'd happened, her dreams replayed it over and over, along with what she wished could happen, if only to buy some more time with him. If only to experience everything she'd miss out on for the rest of her days spent in her stone prison until death took her, more than likely not the swift silent one she'd once prayed for. She wanted him to ask her to run away with her, to ask her to throw responsibility to the wind and stay with him, to see what they were, to<span style="font-style: italic">try</span>.<br/><br/>But how could she expect that when she didn't know what they were, nor where they'd be in only a few day's time? For all she knew, he could revert back to how he'd been treating her, cold, indifferent, full of loathing...Now that the liquor would surely be wearing off, what would they be to each other? Awkwardly familiar acquaintances?<br/><br/>She couldn't go back to that.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Just come away with me, Maria! We could try; We could see where this goes! Please...Ple-</span><br/><br/>The sound of wood breaking and sudden light filling the room woke her up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as her mind sought to catch up to what'd happened. However, the sight that met her eyes when the fog lifted, had her heart dropping, mind panicking, pulse racing.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Five men...five men against BrÃ¡dach...</span><br/><br/>Breath becoming more and more shallow, she clung to the sheets, raising them up as she scooted back against the headboard, pressing herself into it as her grip became white-knuckled on the comforter. Impossible odds. Impossible odds and he was ill-equipped because of her. Because she'd allowed herself to ask for what she shouldn't have. Because she'd refused to think.<br/><br/>...Now what were they going to do?<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">One of the four that stood before him split from him and made a rush for the bed, to Maria.<br/><br/>â€œNo you don't!â€ he shouted and without thought of himself he rushed the man, collided with him full on and took him into the wall. Yet again, the sound of wood as it splintered filled the room from the impact. When he drew back a fist to continue the job he felt an arm wrap about his own, then another before he was pulled from the man who now bled from a wound at the back of his head. The one he initially threw into the window was still dazzed, though he had begun to make an effort to get back into the fray. With the one now somewhat, stuck in the wall that left just three of them to handle him. <br/><br/>Two held his arms while the other took a bit of pleasure in giving BrÃ¡dach a couple of well placed punches to his face and then gut. <br/><br/>A fist full of his hair was grabbed, head wrenched back, â€œWhen we are done with her, we are going to have our way with her. Over and over again, before we ransom her back to that pissant of a father. Who will probably just hang her when he gets her back, because no one wants used goods, right?â€ A dark chuckle spilled from the man's lips, breath stunk of garlic, onion and whatever sour beer he had taken with his meal. Black and yellow teeth grinned at BrÃ¡dach, â€œReally...the only thing I need to figure out, is whether to keep you alive for it? I mean you have hurt me men quite a bit, it would be only fair to make you suffer and watch while we had a piece of what you just enjoyed yourself....â€ <br/><br/>His face leaned in even closer, so that the spittle from his next words landed on BrÃ¡dach's face, â€œTell me...was she sweet? Was she tight? Did she moan and squirm like bitch in heat?â€<br/><br/>The words....the way he talked about Maria, what they planned to do to her...<br/><br/>BrÃ¡dach watched himself react and move, his forehead bashed into the face of the man, a spray of blood as it broke from the force. Faintly, he heard the man out cry and stumble back, hands to his obliterated nose while BrÃ¡dach continued to move. First one arm was pulled free, that man promptly hit with the back of his fist, before he reached over and grabbed the other man that held his arm by the throat, the air quickly is choked from him. When he slammed him down and began to punch him repeatedly, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. <br/><br/>The man with the now broken nose made a run for Maria, a knife flashed in his hand and again BrÃ¡dach moved. Before he knew it he and the man struggled over the knife that he held in his hand, fatigue from the throwing and the blows they had managed to land. A searing pain suddenly sliced through him, but he pushed it from his mind as he was finally able to get the knife from the man and push him away. Without noticing the blood that now slicked the knife he reached for Maria, â€œQuickly!â€ he shouted and pulled from the bed with him. <br/><br/>Unconscious bodies were stepped/jumped over and then they were at the window, â€œJump!â€ he urged her. There was a moment of hesitation, then she jumped and much to his relief she landed right on the cart of hay below them. A glance at his back, the men were now gathering themselves and made their way to the window. Then the sensation of falling and the not so soft impact with the cart below, his greater weight and bulk made it so that he sunk a bit further. Not to mention that burning pain came back, though he had no time to think about it, or the fact they were still naked. <br/><br/>â€œCome on!â€ he said as he took hold of her hand and ran with her through the streets. At the moment he had no real plan save for to get them out of the town and back into the woods. <br/><br/>â€œBrÃ¡dach!â€ a voice cut through his panic and drew his attention, the inn keeper. They were motioned over and he was quick to comply. â€œI am so sorry my friend, they came in and threatened my wife I had to...â€<br/><br/>â€œDon't worry about it. How can you help now?â€ BrÃ¡dach cut off the other man. <br/><br/>â€œHere, clothes for you and some supplies. There is also a horse tied just down the road for you. Quickly they will be here soon,â€ the man said as he checked down around the building to see if they had been followed yet. <br/><br/>Hastily they pair dressed, both in simple slacks, shirts and boots. All just barely fit right, but it was better than running naked. Now he noticed the wound at his side, the blood seeped from there freely and he could tell it was already tell it was deep, but there was no time for it now. Right now he had to get her to safety, so the wound was kept from her view while he dressed.<br/><br/>With the sack of food in his hand, BrÃ¡dach glanced down the road once more with the inn keeper. â€œAlright...we run from here. Your debt to me is not repaid but it will not be as much when I come to collect again later. Understand?â€<br/><br/>â€œOf course, of course. Now, run you two! Run!â€ his voice cracked with the urgency, his arms thrown about in a shooing gesture.<br/><br/>His hand in her own again the pair ran and for a moment BrÃ¡dach thought that they just might make out of there in one piece. <br/><br/>Then an arrow whistled past and landed in the ground before them. A chance glance over his shoulder and he saw the archer with his bow as he lined up another shot. There was no thought to what he did next, he tugged Maria in front of him and wrapped his arm about her. <br/><br/>Just as the next arrow was loosed and he felt his steps falter, from the sudden pain that was now in his shoulder and back. <br/><br/>It became hard to breathe from the pain, but he still managed to move, still he kept her between him and them. Another arrow and he stumbled, nearly fell atop her before he got his footing again. With grit teeth, his vision swam but the horse was finally there in front of them. Somehow he managed to get up into the saddle and even pull her up into it before him. Then it was just a matter of kicking the horse and holding on, because he did not care where they went he just had to get them out of there.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Have to protect.....Maria.....</span></span>