Present day

For as long as I can remember, I have called Grotwick Thorpe my home. If there was a time before it with my parents, that was gone, along with any memories of them.

I was lucky my aunt and uncle had agreed to take me in after my parents passed away. Few others would have been so fortunate. A fact they are only too happy to remind me of whenever I spent too long with my nose in a book instead of doing the chores they deem more important.

But if there's one thing that reading history and fairy tales taught me, it's that you don't make promises you have no intention of following through on.

A lesson Mayor Merridean either never learnt, or chose to ignore when he made an agreement with the stranger who promised to free our town from the clutches of cursed rats.

I could see he was regretting it already as we watched him send a charismatic smile into the crowd. "Thank you." He declared with a wave of his hands to the hooded stranger.

The thin sheen of sweat on his upper lip and the slight tremble of his hand were enough to tell me that despite his proclamation of gratitude, he was afraid of the stranger. Whatever he had agreed to give the stranger had to be impressive considering the feat he had just achieved.

The crates were silent, but they had reliably informed us they were full to the brim with the rats that had terrorised our town.

No more clawing our doors and windows in an attempt to get inside. No more frightened horses and panicked running from building to building.

Maybe now I'd even be able to go for a walk without fearing for my life.

For as long as I could remember, the rats had run the streets, but they had increased in numbers in the last few weeks and we had almost lost hope of ever being free of them.

The stranger didn't speak as he stood alongside the Mayor and his family at the head table. Merely nodding his head as if the accomplishment of capturing the vicious little creatures to remove from our town had been just another Tuesday to him.

Perhaps it had been? We knew nothing of this man, save for the fact he was the latest in a long line of strangers who had promised to save us.

I leaned a little further out of the booth, ignoring my Aunt Lucy's tut of disapproval, as I tried to catch a glimpse of the face beneath the cloak. All I could see was the darkness where it should be. There was no way to tell who he was, or where he was looking as he spun what looked to be a hand crafted wooden flute between his fingers.

I wondered if he might play it for us later. Why else would he be carrying it?

"As promised," Mayor Merridean continued, holding out a small wooden chest, "fifty gold pieces in recognition of our thanks."

The stranger took the box without speaking, allowing a brief glimpse of tanned forearms before the cloak covered them again.

Was that it? The Mayor had gold aplenty, more than enough that this should be nothing to him. So why was he so unsettled by the reward giving?

"And my other required payment?" The softly accented male voice was so at odds with the stranger's dark and mysterious appearance.

My forehead creased into a frown. How could something so lyrical come from someone so deadly?

Mayor Merridean looked uncomfortable as he shifted back a step. "It will be ready to leave in your carriage at first light." He promised, voice trembling slightly, "For now, let us celebrate your impressive feat." He clapped his hands, and the band at the far left of the raised stage immediately broke into song.

I glanced around, trying to work out if anyone else knew what the stranger was asking for. But as the singing and dancing filled the room, there appeared to be nothing but joy and happiness. It had been so long since anyone here had felt comfortable enough to relax like this.

The stranger waited for a moment, and I felt his gaze slide over my skin and around the room as he watched the townfolk. The Mayor said something to him quietly and whatever his response had, the Mayor's skin growing more pale as he ducked his head and retreated to his family.

The song switched tempo to an even more upbeat one, and I smiled. It had been a long time since I had heard music playing and whatever the stranger was; he had helped us.

A few people dared to approach him, calling out their thanks. The stranger just nodded and hastily made his way to the door. A glance at my aunt and uncle confirmed they were deep in a whispered conversation. Far too engrossed to see me slipping from my seat and following the stranger to the door.

I peered round the wooden frame just in time to see him vanishing up the stairs to the rooms above the inn. Disappointed, I turned, intending to return to my seat before my absence was noted. But something blocked my way, and I found myself colliding with a body.

"Sorry." I squeaked as wine sloshed out of a glass, splashing both of our clothes.

My eyes widened in horror as I realised it was the Mayor and took in the mess I had created. "So sorry." I whispered, grabbing a cloth from the nearby table and desperately dabbing at his front.

"Not to worry Miss Weatherby." He said quickly, "Here you finish this glass and I will excuse myself to change."

He took the cloth from my hand and handed me the almost full glass. "Are you sure?" I asked. My eyes flickered to where my aunt and uncle watched the exchange from their seats.

I couldn't tell if they were furious with me or just their usual grumpy selves, but I was sure I was in for an earful by the time I got back to the table.

"Absolutely. You young people deserve to celebrate tonight, too." He said with a tight smile.

I gave an uncertain smile as I looked at the man who had never spoken more than a couple of words to me. "Thank you."

"To the safety of our town." He said, lifting an imaginary glass to clink against mine.

I smiled and pretended to knock mine against his before gulping down the sweet wine. At my twentieth summer, it was expected that I might drink alongside the other adults in the town, but my aunt and uncle had been quite determined to make sure that nothing vaguely resembling fun had broached our lives. I was surprised they had even agreed to come along tonight.

"Enjoy your evening Miss Weatherby." The Mayor said softly, before turning and heading towards where his wife and daughter waited.

Monday Merridean gave me a small smile before turning her attention to her Father. We hadn't exactly been friends, but she was not that much older than me and with limited people our own age, we had naturally ended up spending time together over the years.

I remembered when I used to be jealous of her fortunate life. Her existence was one of dresses, dances and frivolity. How lucky she was to never have to work scrubbing floors until her hands bled and caring for animals on the farm until her body burned from exhaustion. It would have been so easy to resent her if she hadn't been so unfairly sweet and nice.

Looking back to my own family, I took another generous gulp of wine before rejoining them. Aunt Lucy yanked me down into the seat as though thinking I were incapable of taking it myself.

"Why must you embarrass us with your clumsiness?" Uncle Roddy hissed, his lips stretched into a fake smile so no one would realise how annoyed he truly was.

"It was an accident." I replied, plastering the same forced smile across my own face.

I had never really understood why they had agreed to take me in when they clearly lacked any instinct for care and compassion. The free labour I provided was probably a fair reason. It wouldn't have been fun, but I might have fared better in an orphanage. At least they had laws there to prevent beatings as punishments.

"Well, you had better drink that up quickly so we can head home before you can humiliate us further." Aunt Lucy snapped as she downed the last sip of her goblet of mead.

I bit back the retort on the tip of my tongue and chose to continue drinking, letting my eyes scan the room as I did.

The Mayor had already disappeared, presumably to change and his wife and daughter along with him. I frowned. It wasn't like them to skip a party. Perhaps something had happened?

I craned my neck to look for anything out of the ordinary before a hand swatted the back of my head. It was hard enough that I could taste the blood from my bitten cheek as I turned.

"Drink up." Aunt Lucy snapped, looking entirely unrepentant for smacking me.

It was unusual that she was behaving like this in public, usually choosing to save it for behind closed doors, and that was enough to raise my suspicions.

I took another cautious sip and was aware now of my eyelids growing heavy. This stuff was stronger than it looked.

"I think I've had enough." I replied, setting it down.

My tongue felt too big for my mouth as I tried to understand why I felt so strange. "Do you think she had enough?" Aunt Lucy asked, and I tried to open my mouth to ask what she meant, but my body no longer obeyed me.

There were at least three of Uncle Roddy now. "I think so. Let's get her out of here before anyone notices."

I felt my body hoisted to my feet as my head lolled about and my feet dragged against the floor.

"Yes, a little too much to drink." Aunt Lucy laughed, her fingers tightening on my upper arm as someone approached and offered to help.

"What was in that?" I slurred.

I wasn't a big drinker, but I knew enough to understand that one glass, especially one I hadn't even finished, shouldn't have done this to me.

The world around me was darkening even as my thoughts tried desperately to work out what was going on. Cool air hit me as we stumbled out into the night and my attempts to cling to consciousness finally failed, allowing blissful darkness to consume me.

—

Wakefulness returned with a painful jolt and the irritating glare of daylight on my face. I winced, reeling back, and my eyes snapped open, realising my movements were restricted. Shoulders burning I shifted in the seat, trying to scramble for the memories of what had brought me here. I took stock of the small carriage I was in, my head resting against plush velvet and eyes on a small window which gave me a view of unfamiliar fields.

Looking around slowly, I sucked in a breath at the person sitting opposite me. He was tall, with thick golden hair curling around a painfully handsome face. It was inhuman in its prettiness, telling me he was almost certainly fae.

My fingers itched to reach out and touch him and it was at that point I realised my hands were bound behind my back. Shifting in my seat, I twisted and attempted to test the ropes and see if I could escape.

"Ah, you're awake." the familiar voice brought my attention back to the person opposite.

"You're the person who got rid of the rats?" My tone made it sound like a question, but it was a statement.

Even if I didn't know his face, I knew that voice. "I am." He smirked, leaning towards me.

"What am I doing here? Where is here?" I asked, a little more sharply than I planned.

"You're in my carriage and we are on our way to my home." He paused and then smiled brightly. "Our home."

I stared, utterly dumbfounded by his apparent belief that I was even slightly on board with this plan.

"You kidnapped me?"

His smile dimmed. "Not really. I won your hand in marriage for freeing the town. Didn't anyone discuss it with you?"

My temper, which had been barely restrained until this point, finally decided enough was enough.

"I think the fuck not." I shrieked, "And who the hell demands a person as a reward, you sick son of a bitch?"

I lifted my bound legs high and slammed them into his chest as hard as I could.