Chapter 9

[Robert]

The poor girl. It's obvious to me that she has lived a devastating life. She has been here over a week now, and still she won't tell us what her life has been like. Mother and Father worry over her. I don't blame them either. She is just so sad. I wish I knew who, or what had hurt her, so that I could find them, and hurt them back for what they did. I hardly know my sister, I was only two when she was kidnapped, but that doesn't mean I don't love her.

The pain is obvious on her face as she pushes her food around.

"Cecilia?" She doesn't respond.

"Cecilia?" Still she continues to ignore me.

"Cecilia?" Finally, she looks up.

"Are you alright? You aren't eating." She looks even sadder for a moment, but then smiles. I can tell it's fake.

"I'm quite well," She says. "Just a little tired. If you'll excuse me." She gets up and begins to walk away.

"Wait," I call out to her. She stops and turns to face me. "Would you like to walk?" Anguish flashes across her face. She shakes her head.

"I think I will just go read." She leaves the room, and I continue to wonder what had happened to her. I have never in my life seen anyone so sad. It's like she is broken inside and cannot be fixed.

Anger wells up in me. Whoever dared to do this to my sister will pay dearly. She deserves to be happy, to be able to come out of her hiding place.  I remember the raw pain on her face the first time I saw her. She was so sad and afraid...

I am out riding, just for the fun of it. I love the feel of the wind in my face. It brings a certain freedom. I am never sure where I will end up, and today, looking around, it's the shore. The sound of the waves is soothing. The feel of the wind is soft. Everything is so quiet and at peace, it's beautiful.

A soft sigh breaks me out of my trance. It had come from ahead. I see a beautiful, red haired woman, and for a moment, mistake her for mother. It becomes obvious to me that she is not mother when she doesn't look up. I can't believe it! There is only one way she can look that much like mother. She is my sister!

I sit down beside her. I don't say anything, though, even as much as I want to pull her into a hug and hold her tight forever. It's a moment before she looks up at me. She stares for a moment before a flicker of recognition flashes in her eyes, followed by distrust. I decide to introduce myself.

"I am Robert." I say it as kindly as possible, as not to scare her away. She seems such a fragile girl. She hesitates for a moment, and then gets up and begins to walk away. I try to get up to follow her, but I fall back down. Damn this armor!

"Wait!" I call out to her when I manage to get up. She doesn't do what I want her to do. Instead, she begins to run. I chase, catching up quickly. I grab her arm, spinning her around to face me. She tries to pull away, but I keep a steady hold on her. I can see the terror on her face. She looks like she is about to scream, so I put my hand over her mouth. She continues to struggle.

"Would you please just listen to me?" I beg. The sun is beginning to set, I don't have much time. She takes a moment to think, then nods her head in agreement.

"First I must know your name." I say. I forgot, but my hand was still over her mouth. She glares at me, and then licks my hand, reminding me that it's still over her mouth. I grimace and quickly remove my hands.

"Cecilia." She says grudgingly. Somehow, even though I expected it, it surprised me. My sister… Maybe. There is only one way to confirm it.

"Cecilia Rosette?" Now she is the one looking shocked.

"How do you know me?" She demanded, fear plain on her face. She tries to back away, but I grab her arm again. I can't let her get away. Mother and Father have been sad for too long. I smile.

"We have been searching for you for the last seventeen years, sister." Once again, she looks shocked.

"Sister?" She squeaks. My smile grows.

"I will explain when we get home." I say. She looks dazed and exhausted. "Come, my horse can take two armored men, so I'm sure there will be no difficulty with him carrying the two of us."

I am still no closer to knowing what happened to her than before. I will find out. And when I do, whoever caused her pain will pay dearly.