The Key Read Online Free Page A

afforded her the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. However, the army was known for being ruthless, and Darmik did control the army. So why did he help her?
    Rema shook her head, trying to clear it. She couldn’t afford to think of Prince Darmik that way. She needed to get inside before Bren’s family arrived to finalize the dowry and sign the marriage contract to a wedding that would most likely take place next month.
    Just like one of her uncle’s horses, she was to be bought and sold.
    ****
    “Why do you want to marry me, Bren?” Rema stopped walking and scrutinized his eyes, searching for the answer.
    Bren laughed. They had traveled about a half -mile into the woods for some privacy from their families, who were still inside finalizing the wedding contract.
    “We all have to marry, Rema. The king demands it. Why not marry a friend?” He tore a leaf from the low -hanging branch of a tree and twirled it between his fingers.
    But Bren had other friends. He went to the market in town, and he knew most of the people that lived in the area.
    “Are you happy to be taking over for your father?” Rema asked.
    “I’ve been planning on it my entire life. It’s what’s expected.” Throwing the leaf on the ground, he examined her, like he was trying to decipher what she was really getting at.
    “So, no then,” she mumbled.
    “If I could do anything, would I be a farmer? Is that what you’re asking?” His deep voice sounded loud in the quiet forest.
    “Yes.”
    “I don’t know,” he answered. “B ut I have to be realistic, Rema. It’s a good holding. I’ll make enough money to take care of you. We’ll have a home to live in. All I need is someone to share my life with.” Bren appeared agitated. Rema couldn’t help but smile at the way his lip protruded, his hands clenched in fists resting on his hips, and eyebrows bent inward. He was a handsome man with his black hair and dark eyes. Bren had wide shoulders and strong muscles from working on the farm. Rema knew other girls were attracted to him, but it wasn’t like that between the two of them.
    Not wanting to upset her husband-to-be, Rema reached out and stroked his arm until his shoulders relaxed and the tense look on his face disappeared. “But why me?” she whispered.
    He gently took both her hands in his. “Because you’re my friend. And you’re beautiful, a hard worker, and strong. You’ll do well on the farm.”
    Bren’s thumb traced Rema’s band, and she recalled Prince Darmik. He had held her hand delicately, his fingers swirling softly over the marks on her band. Rema shivered. Bren’s hands, by comparison, were warm and sweaty.
    Bren stared at her, but she had nothing to say that wouldn’t irritate him and cause a debate between the two of them. Normally that was something she wouldn’t mind doing, but not with both of their families in the house awaiting their return. Instead, she said, “We better get back.” Rema tugged her hands from his and walked toward the house. Bren silently followed.
    “Don’t you want to marry me?” he asked.
    She stiffened but kept walking so he wouldn’t see her face.
    “It isn’t that,” she stammered. What could she say that wouldn’t hurt his feelings, and yet, still allow her to be honest? “It’s just that ...I hadn’t expected to marry so soon. There are some things I want to do before I tie myself to another person.”
    That was hard for her to admit out loud. She continued walking without glancing back.
    As a child, she had rarely left the house. Aunt Maya educated Rema at home, and all of her free time was spent helping with the horses. The older she got, the more Rema’s aunt and uncle allowed her brief moments of solitude in the forest, but never in town and never around other people. She always assumed that one day, when she was an adult, she would be able to do all the things she had dreamed about while growing up. It appeared that time would never come.
    For a moment, it was