caution:this chapter contains contents which might be triggering to the views read at your risk.
They all stormed into the room to know what was wrong, it was Alexa she was on the bed her eyes closed, and she kept moving like she was struggling with someone everyone stared at her as she struggled, crying
"let me go!" she cried the groom walked to her bed and tried to wake her
" Alexa... Alexa wake up " he called hitting lightly on her cheeks
" Alexa," Jasmine said climbing the bed as others followed behind her, soon she shot her teary eyes open as she stared at them sweat all over her face she was petrified
"No...no stay away from me, please! Please!" she screamed shaking her head as the groom sat on the side of the bed
"It is me Henry don't be afraid, "he said about to touch her as she kicked him off the bed he groaned in pain. she climbed off the bed trying to leave the room but Amos blocked the door, afraid of him she backed away
"Oh my ....my son, " his mother said rushing to him
"You violent girl how could you hit my son like that " his mother complained helping him up
"It's me your mother ...Alexa..." Mariya said crying as she walked to her
"No! I said stay away from me " she said pushing her, Avery held her to prevent her from falling
"Someone call the physician and tell him Alexa has woken" Avery echoed as the chief rushed out of the room
"Alexa it's us," Jasmine said biting her lower lips and trying not to cry Ana nodded, she rushed to the table and grabbed a hairpin
"Don't come close to me! I will stab you ...am warning you "she shouted waving the pin
" Alexa "Jayden said coming closer and tried to grab her as she stabbed his arm he groaned in pain everyone was left shocked by this sudden action
" Alexa! " Ana scolded rushing to Jayden who was bleeding
"Ana be careful alright she is dangerous...someone grabs her," Parry said as Henry ran to her and grabbed her she began to scream trying to get out of his grip
"No! no no no ...let go please don't hurt me " she screamed struggling but his grip was too strong she kept trying to release herself, she tried scratching him as she kicked his groin he groaned leaving her. he dropped on the ground groaning in pain.
Jasmine, Ana, and Emerald tried to reach her but she kept throwing things on the ground to keep them from coming close
" Stop please don't hurt me " she cried shaking she ran her hands through her hair breathing heavily
"No we won't hurt you, Alexa," Jasmine said stepping cautiously close to her
"No! ...you will...you will hurt me, please! Someone help me, they are going to hurt me !" she screamed as Jasmine stopped for a moment observing her she couldn't help but notice something on Alexa's wrist it seemed to be carved in her skin for sure she was scared, what had happened to her still kept playing in her head
" stop everyone don't come close to her ...I want everyone to leave " jasmine said as they all looked at her confused
" what are you saying we can't let her go" Ana said with a frown
" as you can see she is scared of us she thinks we are going to attack her so everyone leaves " After a moment of debate they finally left closing the door behind them, Jasmine and Alexa were on the ground, she brought her knees to her chest using her arms to hold it closer folding herself into a ball, shivering like a puppy which was drenched by the rain jasmine sat down close to her not bothering to touch her as she began to sing a song the three girls used to sing when they were just little girls. Alexa who was shaking for a moment stopped looking at Jasmine
"Jasmine?..." she whispered as Jasmine nodded, she tried to hold her hands but she flinched before allowing the touch
" it's alright" Jasmine whispered as Alexa pulled her into a hug sobbing, her heart still pounding aggressively against her chest soon the physician arrived and gave Alexa a concoction that helped her relax and sent her to sleep.
Jasmine was sent to the market to get some things for Alexa's lunch, it has been three weeks since Alexa was found and things were still the same. she wouldn't speak to anyone except Jasmine she would stay in her room all through the day and would only accept food from Jasmine like a child who only wants her mother
" Tatiana? " Jasmine said entering her house she had a few things to collect before heading to the Heinzen mansion
" yes ?" she replied coming out of her room Jasmine sighed she was exhausted from going around the market
" am sure your hunger hmm here," she said handing some Ingredients for soup
"you can make lettuce soup right " she asked unsure
" what do you take me for I know I may not be interested in the household things but this at least I can do .....besides I know you're quite busy with your in-laws that you forgot your sister," she said with a frown as Jasmine rolled her eyes
"Chief! chief!" a man called entering their house
"rad?" the two girls said in unison he's one of the chief's men who would run small errands for him
"Father isn't around.... his at the palace, " Tatiana said with a worried look
" is something wrong ?" Jasmine added
" the villagers are about to stone Barshel the widow and Edrin the Smith's son," Rad said panting he seemed to have run a long distance
" What? " Jasmine said confused
"Let's go we have to stop them or they will kill them both," he said dragging Jasmine along as she managed to drop the goods she was holding before going
"stone her !...." a woman shouted
" someone grab them " another screamed as they pursued the couple, the village square was In chaos. the two of them kept running as Barshel tripped on her gown causing the both of them to fall the crowd closing in on them
" shave her hair off....." a woman shouted
" cut both their tongues " another added as a man grabbed her hair asking for a knife,
"What is going on here ?" Jasmine echoed as the village square fell silent
" well this girl has committed a great offense" a woman spoke up handing the old man a knife as he tried cutting her hair
" What offense is so grave that you want to shave off her hair," Jasmine said holding his arm
" little girl matters like these do not concern you " another screamed from the back
" I think I will be the one to determine what does and doesn't concern me," she said glaring at the figure that spoke
"Jasmine this girl is a widow and she is planning on marrying this man," the elderly man holding her hair said
" And you know the traditions of our village a widow is not allowed to marry again but stay the way she is mourning her late husband for the rest of her life " he added
"I am aware. she is still quite young you expect her to mourn for a dead man for the rest of her life shouldn't that be a choice for her to make and not what you have all imposed on her, it astonishes me that women are the ones doing this to fellow women how fair is it that a widower is allowed to marry just a few months after the death of their spouses and widows aren't allowed"
"These are the traditions that have been followed from generation to generation, the foolish words of a girl won't change that," the old man said
"humorous because your daughter was allowed to marry again and to the brother of her late husband didn't this widow break the rules of this village" she said looking directly at the old man as murmurings began
" you shouldn't speak of something you know not a little girl... Our traditions allow a widow to get married only to the males of the family she was married into and that was what my daughter did her husband died then she married his brother according to tradition, but this woman here is doing the contrary. her husband is dead so she is to marry a male from his family but my dear nephew has no brother his father my brother is dead and I have only begat females to my misfortune which means I am the only male of the family and she...is to be my wife and not follow this Smith's son round the village "he echoed as jasmine scoffed
" oh so that is your problem you want her as your wife but she refused to marry a man old enough to be her father or even grandfather...I could safely assume you have had an eye for your nephew's wife for a long time " he was taken aback by her statement as his face reddened, anger written on his face
"How dare you little girl ....what outrageous accusations I can see the chief made a poor effort in raising you. this is why females are married off so they won't become a nuisance. my children can't speak to an elderly like this " he shouted
" can't you see she has no respect, she embarrassed a quite famous merchant at his party " a woman shouted from behind as Jasmine sighed
" sir it was an assumption, but I can assure you my father did a wonderful job at bringing me up, he made sure that if there was an instance I were to be on my own I would be able to manage just fine"
" why are we listening to this girl stone the widow " a middle-aged man screamed as another threw a stone rad catching it before it could hit them
" if anyone tries to touch this girl I will make sure they pay for it" Jasmine shouted as she told Rad to bring a rod he obeyed
" This girl is bluffing what can a girl do to you ....hold the chief's daughter and punishment the two offenders, "the old man said as another man tried to hold Jasmine, she began to hit him with the rod causing others to back away
" you seem to have forgotten that the only one allowed to punish an offender here is the chief " she echoed as Rad helped the couple to stand
" you make this mistake again I will make sure you all pay for it " she added walking away the couple and Rad following behind
" stay with them until Father comes alright " Jasmine informed Rad as he nodded with a smile entering the house
" your back," Tatiana said with a mouth full
"Jasmine took care of the situation as usual "Rad echoed with a bright smile as Tatiana rolled her eyes
" yes that is our perfect jasmine " Tatiana chipped with a fake smile before devouring her food again
" thank you, " the couple said in unison Jasmine smiling as she motioned to leave
" aren't you late I mean your in-laws should be worried as to why you aren't there yet "
" oh no! I need to get there quick" she said as Rad left coming back some minutes after
" pony is ready for you to use him " he had prepared her horse for her as she narrowed her brows
"...no ...I am not sure if he is strong enough to be used for now"Pony was bought for Jasmine when she was little they both grew together, but caught the flu and has been under observation since then
"he all healed now don't worry " he replied as Jasmine dashed to the horse with the things she bought and rode with it after being sure of its recovery .
She finally arrived and sent Pony to the stable with Rose.
" you took so long to get here is everything fine ?" Mariya said chopping the onion
" yes aunt ...something came up and the chief presence was needed but he wasn't around so I took care of it," Jasmine said joining the two women in the kitchen as Emerald frowned and stopped stirring the food she turned around staring at jasmine
" what needed the chief's presence, " Emerald said
"Mother I said I took care of it so you need not worry... here," she said handing the things she bought
" She said not to worry so don't " Mariya added with a bright smile
" Jayden I want you to go milk parry for me alright be nice to her so she allows you to touch her teats okay? " Mariya shouted so Jayden could hear
"Yes Mother...and could you stop calling the cow Parry" he shouted back not bothering to come to the kitchen Mariya smiled turning to see the shocked expressions on Emerald and Jasmine's faces
" You named your cow after Aunty Parry?" Jasmine said trying to prevent a laugh
"Well all my cows are named after Parry"
" so how do you differentiate " Emerald said chuckling as she continued to stir the food
" well we have over twenty cows and they have different colors so I differentiate by their colors or order in which they are born like parry brown or..." She shrugged
" OK, that makes no sense cause what other colors do cows have except black, white, and brow," Emerald said cutting her off as everywhere fell silent for a moment, the little yet contagious laugh of emerald breaking the silence. the kitchen soon became like a forest filled with the laughter of hyenas.
soon they were done cooking and ready to give Alexa her lunch
"Jasmine... thank you for everything, " Mariya said with a slight smile as Jasmine smiled back holding the silver tray containing food
" you are lucky to have a daughter like Jasmine," Mariya said turning to Emerald as she stared at Jasmine for a moment before smiling
" yes I am " she replied they all went to Alexa's room placing a small knock
" Alexa open your food is here," Emerald said but received no response
"Jasmine is here to feed you " Mariya chipped as the door opened Alexa stuck her head out staring at them for a second before narrowing her eyes
"Jasmine.... " she chipped holding her hands and pulling her into the room
" can I come in dear ?" Mariya said with teary eyes
" no " she replied before slamming the door
" come sit," Jasmine said tapping the bed as she obeyed
" look what we made for you see..." Jasmine said excitedly as she showed her the tray of food the smile on Alexa's face disappearing
" I don't like it I don't want to eat, "Alexa said turning away
" well if you don't want it then I will just eat it together with this delicious-looking muffin I have here, "Jasmine said about to eat the muffin
" muffins " Alexa shouted excited like she just found a treasure about to grab it from Jasmine who had raised her hands up
" you will have to eat your food first and take the concoction the physician made okay?" she said as Alexa thought for a bit before speaking
" I will take the food "
" and the medicine? "
" OK I will take the medicine as well," Alexa said sighing as Jasmine smiled, Alexa tried grabbing the muffin again
" eat your food first and take your medicine then I will allow you to enjoy your muffins.... hmmm?" she said raising her arm again as Alexa nodded.
She watched Alexa finish her food and take her medicine before handing her the muffins which Alexa finished wholeheartedly jasmine's smile disappeared on seeing the scar on Alexa's wrist she grabbed her wrist to gaze at it
"What?" Alexa asked with a mouth full of muffins
"tar?....where have I heard that name before I have seen it somewhere before" Jasmine muttered pondering on the name she just read from Alexa's wrist it seemed to have been carved in her skin, Alexa pulled her wrist from Jasmine's grip turning away
" Alexa?....how did...who did this to you it was the same man that...."
" get out," Alexa said cutting her off
" Alexa I...."
" I said get out !" she shouted as Jasmine got off the bed
" leave!....get out!" she screamed throwing things at her as she obeyed leaving the room
" What happened....did she eat, why is she screaming," Emerald said
" she ate she's just reacting again the concoction will put her to sleep soon," Jasmine said with a faint smile as they all nodded
" you must be hungry," Emerald said grabbing Jasmine and leading her to the kitchen where they both ate.
The day began to get old, emerald was busy chatting with Mariya while Jasmine decided to take a walk. she walked through the dark garden filled with jasmine flowers allowing the lovely smell to fill her nostrils she smiled at the feeling it gave her jasmine flowers were seen as a symbol of love, peace, and freedom in the Haran village her smile soon faded as she heard the footstep of someone she turned around but saw no one she continued her little tour soon she felt a hand which held her waist and covered her mouth as she struggled trying to scream but this person seemed stronger, the person carried her into a dark room dropping her on the bed
" wh...o are ....you " she stuttered only gazing at the figure that the moon allowed her to see
"Help!... I swear if you come close I will kill you " she said standing from the bed as she began to crawl on the ground looking for an object to attack the person only stopped by the grip on her wrist before the candles were lit, light pursuing the darkness away she glanced at the hand on hers before looking at the familiar smirk, they both stood up her mouth fell open
" Jayden?" she said furious as the smirk soon turned into a burst of full-blown laughter his husky voice engulfing the small house she pulled away from his grip and began to throw punches at his chest
" whoa ....easy girl don't misunderstand I didn't bring you here to do that," he said still laughing as she frowned his laughter infuriating her the more
" what? "
" I mean I didn't bring you here to do what couples do ...you know, so you can stop trying to take my clothes off... Seriously Jasmine you call this punching you can do better " he said catching her wrist and preventing another punch as she kicked his ankle causing him to fall groaning
" bastard! , how could you scare a person like that I thought you were some thief or...uh you are sure an idiot and where is this place "
" oh my ....you are quite strong," he said rubbing his ankle
" well it's father's abandoned cottage I turned it into my little hideout...I come here when I feel low or when I want to have some fun with a lady you know what I mean " he said winking before placing a smirk as she shrank her face in disgust
" so ...why was I seized and brought here " she said with a bored expression
" seized is one way to say it ...but am tired of all my women I decided to go for someone you know fresh...someone feisty," he said looking deep into her sapphire eyes as he brought his face close to hers, her breath seized by this sudden movement of his
" What?" she whispered as he burst into laughter falling to the ground her face became red from embarrassment
" why were you whispering wow am gorgeous looking, I mean are falling for my charms...I must be extremely impressive "
" I hate you Jayden, "she said about leaving as he grabbed her wrist
" I just wanted to speak to someone and also thank you for everything you have done for my family"
" wow Jayden how did you know I would like a surprise like this? this is a remarkable way to thank me," she said her face void of expressions as he rolled his eyes
"Sorry....but this hideout of mine is something you only are aware of alright... I haven't told anyone about it you're the first so you should feel lucky aye" he said as she chuckled
" let's take a walk before someone comes in here and thinks we are up to something," she said as she winked walking out of the cottage him following behind
"one question hmmm....you said it was your father's cottage before you claimed it as yours so how is it your secret hideout am sure others come here without you knowing," she said with a frown
" shut up!" he yelled as she laughed as everywhere could silence for a moment
" thank you Jasmine am grateful for what you have been doing for Alexa "
" We are friends Eric and Alexa is like an elder sister to me so don't thank me or I will give you a worthy punch," she said as they both laughed
" but I want to give you something ...ask for whatever you want and I will give you," he said as she frowned
" I didn't do what I did so I could be rewarded"
"Jasmine on the day Alexa got missing I was busy getting entertained by Tiffany while my sister was in trouble I was enjoying myself ...I feel like a bastard, I feel it is my fault. everyone thought that Alexa had come home but instead, it was Tiffany who snicked into the house .....she followed Alexa's room to meet me and Mother must have thought it was Alexa in the room I was asked if Alexa was back and instead of being sure if my sister was safely home I just said yes. Jasmine I should have escorted you all that day but as usual I was being a fool" he said with teary eyes sniffing as Jasmine hugged him
" they are disappointed in me I just know it "Jasmine shook her head her eyes becoming teary as she cleaned it
"They aren't disappointed maybe angry but not disappointed," she said with a faint smile
" OK?.... eric stop crying now!.... it doesn't suit you," she said
" If you want me to stop allow me to pay you back hmmm?" she rolled her eyes before sighing
"Okey ...I want uhhh! I don't know, just keep this little gift when I find something I want you must promise to grant it no matter what it is "
" I swear to give you whatever you ask no matter what it is," he said
" and a man's words are his...."
"is his integrity, worth, and life," they said in unison smiling ear to ear at each other.