I stared angrily from my place on the ground. Hot seething anger stretched and filled every limb I had. My muscles were stiff as I climbed back on to the cart. The old woman silently watched me, as I pulled on the reigns. It was just as well that she didn’t say anything. I didn’t wish to talk, and I had to think about what to tell my mother.

The ride to the far side of he village was silent. Not a word was said between us. Each lost in our own thoughts. There was only enough flour to last a few weeks, four at the most. I couldn’t t let my family starve over chastity I didn’t even have. Though the chances of him letting my family starve anyway was very high.

“You know that he will make you starve anyway.” The old woman’s voice cracked like dry woods upon a fire. Mirroring my thoughts as if she heard them.

“I know” My voice sounded tight even to me. I didn’t’ mean to be rude, but frustration was making it hard to be civil.

That was the only thing either of us said for the longest time. It seemed as if the subject had been dropped. Her voice breaks the desperate lines of thoughts that filled my head.

“He will make you crawl back again and again. Only giving you enough to keep the edge off of your starvation. Forcing you to go to others who will want the same deal.”

Coldness started to seep through my limbs, and numbed the rage that that flowed through my veins. Killing myself seemed like an attractive option at the moment. The only thing was that I knew my sister would grow up to be a beautiful girl. He would just go after her next. Using her until he had taken her hopes and innocence. Killing it as dead as I would be.

The old woman watched my face and nodded. “From the look on your face, I see that you are grasping your situation. What do you plan to do?”

“Go into the next town and use their mill.” I knew that one was not feasible. The next town was only two days away, and there have been reports of bandits.

The old woman shook her head. It looked as if my inner voice had found a chiding partner. “ That is almost 2 days ride, which isn’t safe at the best of times. Worse then the like of him travel these woods, my dear.”

“Speak to Moira, she knows how her husband is. She’s the one who found me afterwards, and helped me.” That idea was soon to be squashed, but that dry voice once more.

“Oh yes, that one will definitely help you. She’ll even pretty you up for him. After all, you’ll be a nice distraction from him. If she’s luckily he’ll use you to beat on instead.” I knew she was right, but it didn’t stop from giving her an angry look as I continued to drive Ramsey to her house.

Desperate frustration had my hands tighten around the reigns. It was as if every road I took ended at a dead end. I pulled up in front of her house, and pulled the horse to a stop. Moving around the cart to help her down which she quickly waved me away. I could hear her muscles crack and pops as she eased her form on to the ground. Absently I grabbed her parcels and carried them to her door waiting for her to reach it. My mind still ran over the issues at hand until she waved me in.