Perryn considered herself lucky, at least she was given a proper send of, quite shocking considering her father liked to pretend she did not exist.
A handful of guards and two handmaidens expected to attend to all her needs, how generous.
An arranged marriage is the best her father could offer, Perryn is to be wedded to the fourth son of some well-known councilman, she could not be bothered to remember the name of.
First impressions were important, something her tutors had beaten her over the head with. Perryn should be happy, truly this was a joyous occasion, yet...
The sudden jolt of the Palanquin pulls Perryn out of her thoughts, what was the problem now? This was the seventh time in the last hour, was the path that bad?
"Forgive us my lady, just a slight bump, nothing to worry about." A voice spoke ahead.
Another bump? Perryn had a feeling this had to be intentional, she was not quite liked by the guards back at home, it would not surprise her if this was all some sort of joke.
"Are you alright, my lady?" A soft voice called out to her. She glances at the small and only window of her Palanquin. The voice belonged to one of her handmaidens, Therill if she remembered correctly.
Perryn takes a second to compose herself and gives Therill a small smile, hoping Therill could see said smile as her veil obscured her face.
"I should be used to this, seeing as the last hour has been filled with nothing but bumps. I will manage."
Perryn hoped the conversation would end there, small talk was not her forte, it felt draining, like being under the sun for too long, she felt weaker and weaker until all she wanted to do was find solace in the shade of the biggest tree possible.
The handmaiden, Therill, let out a sigh of relief.
"It is our duty to make sure you are comfortable," she turns slightly to Perryn, "Your wellbeing is of utmost importance, if there is anything I can, well, we can do, do not hesitate to ask-"
"It is as I said, I am used to it, you need not worry." Perryn was aware cutting her off was a rude thing to do however, she wanted a few hours of peace and quiet before facing the inevitable, a marriage to some man whose appearance she did not know.
Perryn let out a sigh, with nothing else to do, and hoping that that was the end of the conversation, she inspects the inside of her cage, quaint, nothing over the top, spending more money than required was not her father's way of operating.
The Palanquin was spacious; despite how suffocating it felt to her; she could at least stretch her legs.
Perryn continues her inspection, her eyes drawn to a little chest almost pressed up against her feet, a simple box filled with sentimental items from home.
There should have been more, but this was all she was allowed to carry.
There was still quite a distance to go before her group would meet up with the other party, she leans over to open the unassuming chest, her eyes instantly lock in on a hand mirror, gold in color with precious gemstones embedded into its back.
It was a gift from her mother during her sixteenth birthday, an item she held dear to her heart, one of the only small comforts of her time with her father and half-siblings.
Perryn raises the mirror to her face and truly, she can hardly believe the woman looking back was her.
The floor length crimson veils which came in two layers, one see-through which covered her vision and the other opaque that draped behind her. A golden circlet rests delicately on her head, dangling from the lower edge of the circlet are golden beads each suspended by fine chains.
It felt too much and too real and Perryn found it difficult to breathe, the proverbial noose getting tighter and tighter with each breath.
She 'agreed' to the marriage, yes but, what other choice was given to her? To continue to face the scorn of her half-siblings or deal with the pitying looks thrown her way.
'A Bastard'
'Pitiful creature'
'You aren't worth the trouble'
Father should have never taken you in, you do nothing but sully his good name'
As if it was her fault that scum failed to be a faithful husband. It was all so exhausting, trying to prove her worth as a person.
Perryn's thoughts continued to spiral out of control, her palms felt sweaty, the walls of the Palanquin felt like they were closing in on her. Was this the only way to attain freedom? Agreeing to a marry a man whose name she could not even remember?
The Palanquin jerks once again, before Perryn could voice her displeasure once more a scream pierces the air and soon after it is followed by the sound of steel drawing.
A second goes by and another scream fills the shrill sound is the only sound that could be heard.
The Palanquin jolts once more until it is dropped suddenly, the drop catches Perryn off guard and it takes a while for her ears to stop ringing, to catch her bearings. Her hand mirror is long discarded.
Perryn reaches to open the sliding door but stops when she hears more screeching, this time it is the unmistakable voice of Therill.
A thud is heard from above her; a force which shakes the Palanquin and Perryn is forced to hold on for dear life.
A final scream is heard, and her ears are graced with an unnerving silence.
Perryn holds her breath, she presses her ear against the door, hoping to hear something, anybody.
With a silent confirmation that whatever attacked her entourage has long since departed, she gathers up her courage and reaches for the door, it takes her a few tries but finally it opens, with how long it took and how much force it required to open there was no doubt in Perryn's mind, it had been damaged by the initial drop.
The sight that greets her is nothing short of a massacre.
The viscera of her retinue decorate the ground, entrails all about, painting a macabre scene.
Perryn slowly makes her way out of the Palanquin whatever courage she had built vanishing the moment something warm and wet drops onto her hand, crimson in color, blood.
Perryn slowly looks up, the corpse on the roof, Therill, glassy eyes, her last expression that of pure terror, body mangled, Perryn's eyes drift down to her torso, it is easy to tell she has been disemboweled, Perryn takes a step back, the squelch from below making her freeze up with fear, disgust, a combination of both really.
Perryn slowly turned around, she did not want to see anymore, she needed to leave, that creature could be anywhere.
'I can do this,' Perryn thought as she slowly makes her way forward, 'I can do this, one step at a time.'
Right, left, right, left. It went on like a mantra in her head. Perryn tried her best not to acknowledge the carnage all around her. The occasional squelch or warm liquid from below made it much harder to concentrate and she had stopped once or twice to gather her bearings.
She felt like throwing up.
The walk felt like an eternity until at last she made it to the edge of the forest, without looking back she ran like a girl on fire.