In an instant the fire roared to life, swallowing the bamboo cabin, the fence, the entire yard.
I clutched my belly and screamed. "No! Stop! Make them stop!"
Chester pulled me to him and pressed my trembling body against his chest.
He held me there and let me pound my fists against him.
"Be good. When the time is right, I'll make you my equal wife. The child can carry the name of a legitimate heir. Everything will be the way it was before."
But Chester, I am a princess of the realm. How could I ever be your equal wife?
The courtyard was gone. And we could never go back.
Three years ago, I had a fight with my father and stormed out of the palace in a fit of anger, determined to chase my dream of a quiet life in the countryside.
I shook off every one of his scouts along the way and settled at the foot of this mountain.
That was when I met Chester Delgado. He was on horseback, his cloak whipping in the wind, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. One look was all it took. I fell for him completely.
I hid my identity from him, and he told me only that he was a wandering swordsman. We exchanged vows beneath the open sky, with heaven and earth as our witnesses.