Chapter One:

“I am Who I am!”

“Who would have guessed it could happen to me of all people? He was my Man, A Knight all along, But mine!!”

“I have never had an easy life. Nothing like my dear friends lives. Not that I am complaining. I am who I am because of what I have gone trough. I have chosen my own path in life and I have stuck with it. But before I get ahead of myself let me start the story from the beginning.

I was twenty three when I moved out on my own. I was the only woman in my village to move out of her parent’s home un-wed. Immediately I took residence at the local tavern. Where I acquired a job; as the Tavern wench. I did not care what others said about me being a whore, even thought I have had sexual intercourse which is un-heard of an unmarried woman in my time. But no one knows about that little secret. Though they assume it because of where I work, no one has been able to prove it nor tried to.

You see, I had not chosen to break my purity seal. I was raped at age sixteen by my step brother Steven. Luckily I did not conceive the seed of him.  Only Steven and I know of what happened that dark rainy night. The fact being, that very same night he took me, he was chosen to serve the king and was sent away to battle.  If he told any one there God only knows, no one has said a word of it to me.   He was seven years older then me, and by our laws here if you are of the age of eighteen or above and if you are able to, you enter servitude when, where, and for how long you are told to do so. You see, a man must do as he is told to serve his king. Otherwise he is not honored as a man.. Therefore a man must always be ready to server our King if they want that respect and recognition. Some however do not live to gain the honor of manhood. And they live off others, only to please themselves. Eventually they are jailed or worse, killed by some means.

Thus my secret stayed safe.  Steven was killed in battled two years latter, before he could return home. The men that brought the news never gave us the specific cause of death. And we never got to see his body.  Which the man told us was for the best. The Knight said only that “Steven had died fulfilling his duty to the King, may he rest in peace.” Personally I hope he is rotting in Hell. His poor mother passed away a few moths after due to the deep depression of loosing her only son. That in which, has left me alone to care for my father Thomas. Which was the case till; he met his new wife Anna.

That was when I knew I had to get away while I had the chance. My father, the loving man that he is, sadly has poor taste in women. His new wife is my age which will be good fore bearing children, but will most likely out live him. We did not see eye to eye on many subjects. So to keep peace with my father and his new bride, I chose to move out.  My new mother Anna is already with child. Probably the child was conceived before the marriage, and hopefully the child will be a boy for my father’s sake. He needs an heir. So I will have, in a few moths a new sibling. Honestly I really could care less to know the child. I am not cold heated but they have a new life. One I do not wish to relive again. Anna is Thomas’s third wife, including my mother. And now it is my turn to have my own life.

So here I am, a woman of twenty three years, several years past the conman marring age and still single, by my own choice. My dear friends Catalina, Jasmine, Lora, Eliza, and Victoria, already found husbands and have been blessed with at least one child so far.

I have had marriage proposals, many in fact.  However I am a very particular woman. Not just any ordinary man will do.  I am a beautiful woman, in fact the one of the most beautiful in this town. I am not vein just stating a fact. I am smart, I know how to read and write. My favored hobby is to read about the different places all around the world. This fact though has helped me none in finding a unique man. And rarely do we get new travels that come though our village.  But if they do, they always visit the Tavern. It is the only place where one can find board, food, and drink. That was my main reason for choosing to work there. I am longing to meet some one new, a man of character.  Who will be unique and different from the common folk in this village!

I have easily settled into my new room, it over looks the small village park. That is where we hold all the main events. Our village is made up of only seventy seven people. The villagers are mainly older couples and their families. Besides me there are only a few other single women and even less single men. All the good ones are summoned away to server the King and rarely come back single.  The other single woman I know is Becky, she is not that pretty in looks but she knows how to show off her assets if you know what I mean.  She is my main competition for a suitor. She does not work at the tavern but she is a regular visitor and she knows how to gain attention. I however choose to stay in the background. And I will until I meet my Husband to be. I just hope Becky will stay out of my way.

I have additional talents other then serving tables, I sing at times and I write short stories for the local paper. I don’t get paid for them, but I do get a small amount of credit at the local store, and freedom to what I write, as long as my real name is not signed in the story. So I write under the pen name Timothy Johnson. I know you think I would be mad about that, but I am happy to be able to share my stories in any way that I can. As long as the stories make others happy I will be happy.”

~~~*~~~~*~~~

“Oh beg my pardon, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Anita Jones.  If you are wondering about my looks, I am a blond woman with green eyes; my measurements are 32, 25, and 32. And I am about five feet two inches.”

~Fin