Don't Dare To Dream

Earlier

"Lead me to the horse," Jenna said finally, her voice low but steady. She didn't look back... at first. Her hand paused around the belt and sash.

"Why are you stalling?" the old woman asked, noticing the hesitation.

Jenna closed her eyes and sighed. The woman made sense with everything she had said. Not once had she received care from her own husband. She'd been freezing for too long, but Rhane wasn't cold water.

"No," Jenna muttered, dropping the sash back on the bed. "I know cold water even if I'm freezing."

The old woman tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

Jenna turned properly. "You said the minimum feels like everything because I've never received nothing... but Rhane doesn't feel cold. He..." Her voice trailed off.

He was the kind of quiet that didn't ask to be noticed, but once she did, Jenna wondered how she ever breathed without it.

"Rhane is like a lighthouse standing against dusk's hush. He didn't lead me away from wreckage," Jenna's eyes lit up with hope. "He stood there, steady, so I could find my own way back through it."

The old woman raised her brows, wondering if it was the same Scourge she knew that the young woman spoke of with such softness.

Jenna let out a small chuckle. She remembered when she first saved him. He wasn't acting the way he did because he lost his memory but because he always surrendered to her.

"Maybe I'm wrong... maybe I'm about to be foolish once more and trust a man. Maybe I'm freezing, and cold water feels warm, but then again..." Jenna trailed off, walking toward the dishes that left their aroma hanging in the air.

"A fish never drowns because of too much water." Jenna picked up a spoon. "I can still enjoy the softness while it lasts, can't I?" She grabbed the lamb cut and bit into the juicy skin.

The old woman shrugged, her expression stoic. "I've heard your choice, and will make it known."

"Mm," Jenna nodded. She didn't know if she was going to regret the decision she made on impulse, but Rhane's eyes had something in them. A little promise, and if she left, she wouldn't know what it was.

"Get Percy! Let him sit back and relax... we'll be fine here... for no—"

A heavy bang against the door startled the two women, and when the door opened, Gerald stepped in. His hand and face were wrapped with dirty bandages that made him look horrible.

"Look who is smiling so happily, after leaving her husband."

Jenna gulped. "What are you doing here—" Her voice hitched when Gerald took a step further into the room.

"Rhane will be here soon. You better leave," Jenna mustered all the courage she could think of, trying to make her voice sound threatening.

Gerald tilted his head and grinned, showing part of his broken teeth. "You've been having a lot of fun without your husband, haven't you?"

The old woman stepped forward, using her hand to shield Jenna. "She's a guest of the Scourge. I'll have you wait—"

Gerald picked up a stool from the table, and a loud squelch was heard when he slammed it harshly against the woman's head.

Jenna opened her mouth to scream, but Gerald hushed her with a finger on his lips.

"Shh... you know how I hate it when you scream, don't you?" he asked, his grin widening. "Now be a meek lamb and go sit over there. I'll be done soon."

Jenna pressed her lips tightly. She was no longer that woman. And Rhane had promised to protect her.

"I won't do what you want! I'm going to let Rhane know what you're doing!" she said boldly, making her way toward the door but more men walked in, causing Jenna to stagger backward.

Gerald threw his head back in laughter, his whole body trembling. "This is why women should be shown their place. I guess you've forgotten so fast, but I'll remind you, Jenna. I'll remind you."

"Get this old hag out of my sight, and tie her up," Gerald instructed with a snap of his fingers.

Before Jenna could let out a scream, Gerald hit her from behind, and the last thing she saw was a flash then darkness.

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Present Time

Jenna tried to open her eyes, but even that felt like a chore. Her whole body ached, especially her head, which was throbbing. Her ears picked up the distant sound of men laughing and fire crackling.

"More wine for the men!" Gerald's voice boomed in the air. "And meat too!" he joked.

Jenna groaned. She tried to turn to her side, but the pain intensified. Forcing herself, she snapped her eyes open. The voice she heard wasn't so far, and the firewood crackling was very close.

"You're finally awake, wife," Gerald hissed, dropping the jar of wine he was holding. "I thought you'd gone weak all of a sudden."

Jenna sat up and crawled to a corner, trying to get away from the monster in human form. "Gerald... what are you doing?" she asked, darting her eyes around the place.

"What do you mean by that?" Gerald asked with a small frown. "I'm only taking my wife home."

Jenna spat with disgust. "I am no longer your wife! I left! You have no such power over me!" Her chest rose and fell with every word she said.

Gerald paused, as if deep in thought. "Ah... you mean because I let you go? I knew you needed some time to come back to me. I'm here now."

"I didn't need your stupid time! You're a monster, and I'm leaving," Jenna snapped, shuffling with the rope that tied her legs. When she stood up, she glanced around the unfamiliar room.

"Rhane won't forgive you, so you better let me go while I'm asking nicely," Jenna commanded. At least she thought she did.

Gerald furrowed his brows, then burst into laughter. He laughed for a full two minutes before pointing at Jenna.

"You women always think you are smarter than you are! You think there's any better man out there? You dream too much and need to be kept awake." Gerald chimed, gulping noisily from his jar of liquor before tossing it aside.

"The only better man is your husband, me, Jenna! Me! And just like me, other men Rhane included, think with what's between their legs. Once they get a taste... you'll realize we all look alike." He took a step closer to Jenna.

Jenna stepped back twice, eyes scanning for a weapon. She didn't want to wait and hear more of Gerald's nonsense. She spotted a fishing hook on the floor, her eyes locking on it.

Gerald grabbed her leg, and she fell just a little closer and she would get the hook.

"Ah!" Jenna cried, using her hands to cover her face.

Gerald laughed maniacally, now hovering above her. He slapped her hands away from her face.

"Look at me, Jenna! Look at the man you can't ever please, dead or alive!" Gerald reached for her shirt and tore it open, revealing her chest. He traced his fingers around her skin.

"This is it... for all the time you let another man touch you... I'll make you suffer for it." Gerald's eyes flicked from her chest to her face.

"A wife should never let another man touch her aside from her husband. It's wrong, you know that, right?"

Jenna swallowed hard, eyes darting, not with fear this time, but calculation.

"You're right..." she whispered, voice trembling just enough to pass for surrender. "You're the only one who ever really... wanted me."

Gerald paused. Suspicious. But he liked the sound of it. "See? You remember now."

Jenna nodded slowly, even leaning forward, just enough to make him believe it, while her hand inched behind her, feeling for the hook hidden beneath the corner mat. She grabbed it and with force hit Gerald's face.

"Stupid slut!" Gerald hissed and he punched Jenna's face again.

Jenna's breathing became shaky. "Gerald, please..." she spat blood.

"Shhh, I don't want to hurt you." Gerald leaned closer rubbing the blood from his face on Jenna. When Jenna tried to turn away, he forced her to look at him.

"And as for Rhane... he offered you back to me. In exchange for his family name. So don't dare to dream. There won't be a knight busting down the door."

Jenna didn't respond. She couldn't.

The words, he offered you back to me...rattled around in her skull like broken glass. This wasn't just betrayal. It was annihilation of belief. The one man she dared to hope for, the lighthouse snuffed out the light. Rhane's eyes, that quiet promise she'd clung to, now felt like a trick of the light.

The lighthouse hadn't stood for her. It had watched her cling to hope then kicked her back to drown.

Gerald licked his lips, enjoying the look on Jenna's face. He leaned closer, "He didn't even flinch, Jenna. Just one name for one used-up wife. Seemed like a good trade to him."

"He gave me away… like I was nothing. Like I was always nothing." Jenna whispered, her eyes blank. She didn't let not one tear waste on Gerald. Even if nobody was coming, she was going to save herself or die trying.

You're right, Gerald," she murmured with a soft chuckle. "No one's coming. There's no knight. Just monsters."

Gerald clappled his hands, standing up. "We'll have fun again tonight, wife," he replied. "I want you to get undressed and go tie yourself over there. Once I'm done... or wait—"

Gerald's eyes lit up with a cruel smile. "Maybe you'll host my friends too. It's been a while."

"Gerald, no!" Jenna screamed, trying to stand. But Gerald stepped on her knee.

"Kill me now!!" she cried. She wasn't about to be used for Gerald's entertainment.

Gerald scowled. "Let's see if, once other men go in, you'll be open enough to please me," he snickered, grabbing a jar of unopened wine.

"Die!!! Gerald, die!!! I beg the heavens," Jenna screamed, her heart tearing into a thousand pieces.