Women of Valor [An Illegal Adventure Awaits!]

CHAPTER 13 - Rose's predicament

CHAPTER 13 - Rose's predicament

Espen could not sleep right that particular night, she could not take the image of that knight who confessed of wanting to have her for himself out, she could not take the tingling feeling of his big hands roaming around her body and his lips massaging her own out of her head.

Jasper was starting to think that Espen was going mad from all the tossing and turning that she did at bed and one time almost squished him flat.

Espen wanted to take her mind off things so on the next morning she climbed on a tree and jumped on a balcony of a dear friend she knew would be waiting for her.

Espen slowly sneaked in the window but stopped when she noticed Rose just sitting on a stool, sobbing gently. The beautiful girl's back was to her and Espen couldn't see what was wrong.

Espen jumped down the window, landing with a soft thud on the floor.

Rose flinched from the sound and turned to see Espen standing there with her hands on her hips. Rose's frown quickly molded into a smile.

"Espen!" Rose exclaimed lowly as a bead made of diamond, fell down her cheeks.

"Rose, I told you I'd be back and I brought a friend with me." Espen said as Rose stood from her seat and ran to Espen.

"What? Really? Have you brought another friend?" Rose's eyes gleamed but there was something off about her today and Espen noticed it.

"Aye, look here." Espen continued end stretched out her arm and out came crawling an orange and black striped tarantula, the size of an adults hand.

Rose didn't even scream nor flinch away as she looked at the creature with curiousity. "Oh my! What is this pretty little thing?" Rose said and inched a finger close to Jasper but didn't touch him.

Espen looked at the woman with wide-eyes, surprised she didn't recognize the creature. "Well, this is my best friend, Jasper. He's a Tarantula. He comes from a certain species called 'arachnid' mostly known as the abdominable spider." Espen explained proudly and watched with merriment on Rose's reaction.

"I've never seen one before. He's adorable! Nice to meet you, Jasper. I'm Espen's friend. You're her best friend and I'm her friend then that must mean you're my best friend too!" Rose smiled wide as she began scratching the top of the arachnid's head gently.

"I'm not sure it works that way, but okay, whatever makes you happy I guess." Espen said and took Rose's palm and opened it. "Here." She said as they both watched Jasper crawl over to Rose's palm then to her arm then up to her shoulders then to her neck.

"That tickles." Rose giggled as Jasper crawled over her left cheek.

Then Espen saw it.

A faint bruise mark that one would not see is they did not pay close attention.

Espen gently placed a palm on Rose's cheek and watched as the woman flinched on the contact. "Rose, what happened to this? Did he hurt you?" Espen pushed her golden hair away and inspected the mark closer.

It looked like something you would get from a very hard blow.

Rose let the spider crawl back on her palm as she flattened Espen's hand on her cheek with hers. "Don't worry about that. It doesn't hurt." Rose said softly before pulling Espen's hand away.

"It wouldn't turn red if it didn't. Rose, you can't just let these things happen to you. You can't let that man do this to you." Espen's brow furrowed with frustration.

"But he's my father. He raised me. He fed me. He schooled me--" Rose placed the spider on a nearby table as she spoke.

"--And he hurt you, Rose. When did this one happen?" Espen asked sternly as she lifted Rose's chin to inspect the mark again.