I scrambled to get to my feet but slipped on my dress as I attempted to pull my legs up from under me. In a swift movement my chin smacked against the dock as I fell, and I rolled onto my back with a groan. He was coming for me whether I stood or laid down I thought to myself, trying to soothe my ego and nerves. I noted that I did not have shoes on and that the fabric of my dress was quite light. Looking down I saw I was wearing nothing but a white night shift that had gone see through from my little dip in the lake. Even in this odd and dire situation I still felt slightly embarrassed. Although, if I had been wearing anything heavier I may not have made it back up to the surface moments earlier I supposed.
The man's face came into view against the sky as he came to a stop at my side. He stared down at me with something like trepidation glancing through his expression. He really was a large person although leaner than I had originally perceived, and I allowed myself to observe him more closely this time. A brute, yes, but not unsightly. Short brown hair that grew longer in the front sat in unruly soft waves on his brow. Thick dark eyebrows furrowed in the middle, hugging the top of a long strong nose. Shadowy stubble blanketed a sharp defined jawline as if he did a daily set of scowling to strengthen his mandiblar muscles. Full pink lips. And his eyes, a striking shade of stormy grey..
From his warm olive skin tone and athletic build I guessed that he did some kind of heavy work in the sun. Maybe a farmer?
"Ahum", I cleared my throat testing my voice.
"What the hell is going on?", I rasped.
Farmer boy only raised his eyebrows and replied, "what indeed", before reaching down to grab my arm, softer this time I noted, than he had when he pulled me from the lake.
Slowly he lifted me up giving me time to curl forward and use my legs to assist.
We stood for a couple beats before he removed his grip on me, as if he was testing if I was stable enough to stand without his support. Surprisingly, I was.
"How did I fall in? And why was everyone just staring at me?"
He looked at me frowning with confusion, then a knowing expression slackened his features for a split second before he schooled his face into a placid indifference, glancing towards the church-like building.
"Don't ask so many questions… You shouldn't say anything at all...to anyone. Including me"
I opened my mouth to ask him to explain but he cut me off as he reached to his back pocket, pulling out a length a crude rope.
"You're being taken into custody by the Church of Solaris, hold out your hands."
I stared at him slack jawed and managed to stumble out, "wh… what did I do wrong?!".
Avoiding looking me in my eyes, instead opting to stare at the rope, he said nothing, and continued to hold it out between his rough calloused hands expectantly. When I didn't raise my arms he clicked his tongue in annoyance and reached to take my wrists himself. I stepped back avoiding his grasp and was awarded with a piercing warning look as he snapped his head back up. I couldn't help but to shiver at the sudden and aggressive attention of those eyes.
"Please! Tell me what's happening!"
Again he said nothing, but he held my gaze this time and a muscle feathered in his cheek as he clenched his jaw and again, made to move towards me. I went to take another step back when like lightning, his hand shot out to grip the strings tying the front of my flimsy night shift. I didn't even have time to put my foot down when I flinched backwards at his sudden movement and was being held at a slant, suspended in the air by my ties. He barely appeared to strain as he held my weight in place and growled,
"I'll not fish you out a second time, if you fall."
I glanced behind me and realised that I'd been about to step off the side of the dock. Shocked, I felt my eyes widen at the realisation and whirled my head back around to find farmer boy smirking mockingly at me. A lick of annoyance and embarrassment muddled my thoughts as he slankened his grip on my strings for a second, causing me to jolt back towards the water. I let out a short sharp squeal of alarm and instinctively reached to grasp his arm for security and heaved to pull myself up. The force of my reaction catapulted me into his chest, a wall of dense muscle. In my disarray he made expert quick work of binding my hands together and an annoying part of my very muddled mind pondered - maybe not a farmer but a sailor?
I was snapped back into reality as he gave a final tug on the rope to finish his work. He stepped back holding the end of a metre of extra length, connecting my now bound hands to him, and nodded to himself approvingly.
I scowled at him as he said,
"I won't have to pull you along if you keep up."
With that he turned and began to swiftly make his way down the dock looping the rope firmly around his hand. The rope quickly went taunt and with a jolt I stumbled forward to follow.
"Is this really necessary??"
I scowled again attempting to communicate my annoyance but sailor boy kept his gaze forward as he marched, seemingly set on ignoring my questions.
I jostled along only able to avoid being yanked by use of an awkward half speed walk, half jog technique. His quick, long strides again drew my attention to this man's build. He had to be a good many inches taller than 6 foot. Compared to my proud 5"8, he was still very tall.
As we made our way onto the road and towards the church, the comfortable soft grass of the lakes cove turned to sharp stones beneath my bare feet. I winced at the pain and discomfort as I continued to walk. Without turning to look at me, sailor boy drifted from the middle of the road to the edge where I was able to again walk on the grass.
We made our way in silence as we grew nearer to the Church. My stomache began to churn with dread as the facts of my situation set in. I had offended the Church of Solaris somehow and could not remember it. This amnesia would make defending myself very difficult… Could I have really done something so bad? My inability to answer that question myself added to my nervousness… But now was not a good time to reflect on my lack of a verbal filter or my sometimes hard to regulate temper…
My mind spun as I attempted to think of something that might get me out of this bizarre situation. My frustration built and blistered as I kept drawing blanks. Maybe I could run… My thoughts turned desperate as we neared the gates… Or maybe someone inside might explain things better than my mysterious captor… Maybe it was just a minor offence…
Finally we came to a stop in front of the gate. My legs shook with the fatigue of the short walk and the event of nearly drowning. Resigned and tired I concluded, that with so little information, the only thing I could really do was ride this out.