<posted from IM between Bliss & Amberghylles><br/><br/>Felicity knew it was foolish to be walking so openly homeward on the road from town, now that dark had fallen over the farmlands; but she was still light of step and of heart, ears and mind full of the lovely things that had been whispered in her ear during a filling dinner, and in the inn garden, her departure delaying even as the sun had sunk low, wanting just a few moments more of his company. Finally, with smiles and a stolen kiss and promises, she'd left him, and now she was getting so very close to home. The fields she walked by were her family's, reached as the moon hung low and full in the sky, pregnant with reflected light.<br/><br/>Another moved along that same road.  Down from the castle, Brom Percivan, eldest son of the Baron walked his midnight black steed forward.  Through the field of his visor, his eyes fell upon the girl, bathed in moonlight and alone.  He growled low in his throat and smiled.  "A rabbit," he cried, "Run little rabbit, run!"  One gauntleted hand held the reigns as the other lifted a long whip from his saddle. He uncurled it and cracked it loudly in the air as his steed reared and pawed at the air with a loud cry.<br/><br/>The scream of the horse caused her to look back through the moonlight, and Felicity saw the figure of him ahorse, whip swirling and cutting with a crack through the air above his midnight form. Her fear became terror as she turned to throw herself into running for the hopeful safety of a too distant light, hands catching up thick skirts that swirled around her legs.<br/><br/>Brom grinned as he spurred his stallion forward, hooves thundering in the still night air. The lights were far, and no haven from the son of the lord of the realm anyway. He rode toward her, swirling his whip and cracking it loudly to spur her on. Then as he neared, he lashed out, cracking it to strike her back before riding past her to cut Felicity off from the village.<br/><br/>The first whipcrack made her scream a little, but then a line of fire raised across her back, the force of the second crack striking sent her stumbling to the ground, and she sprawled in the dirt with a pained and terrified sob while metal-shod hooves thundered past her and blotted out the sight of the only thing that could remotely be called sanctuary. "No!" she cried out, raising to her knees and lifting hands in supplication.<br/><br/>The stallion reared again, silhouetting them against the distant lights. Then Brom walked him forward, closing in on her. "I told you to run girl," he said, "I'm not done chasing you yet..." And as he got near, he swung his whip overhead once again and lashed it down to strike her thigh, sharp even through the thick skirt.<br/><br/>She felt and heard the cloth tearing, and screamed out as the whip cracked down against her. "My lord, no!" But even as she screamed the words, she was surging to her feet and running the other way as fast as she could manage, expecting and dreading another crack, another line of fiery pain at any moment.<br/><br/>Brom's laugh carried as he waited a few heartbeats before riding after her, enjoying the game of this hopeless chase. He swung his whip as he rode by once more, aiming for the flash of a pale leg below the edge of her skirt.<br/><br/>Felicity's hair streamed out from beneath the gleaming white sloth that covered it, the hastily slung shawl around her shoulders threatening to slide off when suddenly the thundering of hooves came up behind, whip cracking down against her ankle with a pain so sharp instead of like fire it was like a spike of ice darting between the delicate bones, and too late she screamed out, trying to change direction again, striking out away from the road and over a low stone wall, across the dark and fallow field.<br/>