************Emily POV************

A garden. Everything green, and the sunlight was almost blinding after having come from the portal she was sent through. Many, many women were surrounding Emily with concerned expressions when she tried to get to her feet. It seemed she was dropped off in the area to await the outcome of her arrival.

“Did they hurt you, child? You’re bleeding from your forearm,” one of the women spoke up while kneeling next to her. Emily winced as the wound was touched, but sighed in relief as it was healed by the woman.

“Where am I? Why are there so many people, and who are you?” Emily asked as she was helped to her feet at last and was able to get a good look at her surroundings.

It was like being on a whole new island with only women. By the looks of it, there was at least a hundred of them, many obviously pregnant. The realization hit Emily hard within seconds. What seemed to be heaven on earth by the fruit trees, sand, and all the greenery around was actually a place Sarium used to keep his wives in containment. It made her stomach turn in fear and disgust.

“My name is Muriel. I am the Seventy Sixth Wife of Lord Sarium. I would assume you are the Four Hundred and Fifty Eighth Wife?” Emily’s jaw dropped at the number, and for a second her mind went blank as she tried to comprehend how anyone could have that many wives in one setting.

“I...I suppose I am.” Muriel smiled as she brushed Emily off and took her arm. Emily was growing increasingly alarmed as she was walked through the crowd of women. The area was so thickly stuffed with women and new faces that she didn’t even realize it when they had walked to a building a good distance away from where she had appeared in the first place. It had been hidden by the trees, so she had not noticed at first.

“Where are we going?” Emily asked as the doors were opened by two women to allow her and Muriel in what seemed to be the greeting hall. The room was decorated in gold, light fixtures surrounded in jewels and crystals. A creamed colored marbled made up the floor while the furniture seemed to be covered in silk and silver castings.

“The First Wife will want to meet you. This is her house,” Muriel explained as they stepped into a library down the corridor.

The walls were all bookcases, thousands upon thousands of books filling the room. A woman sat in the middle of the room on a lounge chair with red satin while reading. She looked up when Emily walked in and gave a warm smile before standing to greet her.

The first thing Emily noticed was her age. She was much older than Emily, the wrinkles and aging marks on her skin signs of possibly being in her early fifties. It made Emily think of how old she was when she was taken to be Sarium’s wife. The next she noticed was her outfit, a blue dress that reached the floor with sleeves to her elbow. She also seemed to be pregnant.

“My name is Regan, the First Wife. You’re just a darling! It’s no doubt why Lord Sarium would have his eyes on you, he does love beauty in his wives. Please, make yourself comfortable and have a cup of tea,” she said as she reached out and took a hold of Emily’s hands. There was a calmness in the atmosphere as the three women sat down on the couch together, Emily continuing to force herself into a tense state and stay ready for anything.

“What did our husband do to take you as his new wife?” Regan asked. The events of the day raced through Emily’s mind, but she wasn’t quite sure if it would be wise to tell them.

“I mean...he didn’t do much of course, I wasn’t given much of a choice.” Regan and Muriel nodded in acknowledgement as three women walked into the room with plates of food for the women.

“You will find many of us here have come from that, so it does not surprise me. I myself was taken from my first husband many years ago. In trade for his life, I agreed to marry Lord Sarium. Of course, that was when I was sixteen, and here I am at sixty five dreaming about that day!” Regan giggled as she took another sip of tea before accepting her plate of food from the girl.

Emily looked at Regan in shock at her simple natured attitude, but accepted the food that was handed to her as she listen to Muriel speak about her past as well.

“Oh, that does sound harsh! I was living in poverty, and when my parents died I was stuck with two choices. Continue surviving, or agree to marry Lord Sarium. At the age of thirteen, I didn’t feel I had much of a choice. Of course, now I realize I could have grown but I don’t know much outside this world so I suppose I don’t mind,” Muriel said.

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The two looked towards Emily as if expecting her to talk about what brought her to their home, but she quickly bit into a cracker that was on the plate on her lap. They glanced at each other but pretended not to notice and began to eat as well. Emily’s mind turned to Ron and what was happening to him, fear building up at the thought that he may still very well be in battle.

A half hour later, when Emily had grown to be filled with only anxiety and worry, Regan gave a sigh and clapped her hands together. Two little girls walked into the room and bowed to the women sitting on the couch before taking the plates from them. Emily had forced herself to eat all that was there so as to not be rude and let the women know there was something else on her mind.

“Well, we knew you were going to be joining us, so we had a place built for you. I do hope you enjoy it. After you meet with Lord Sarium to get...acquainted with him...you will be sent back to us and we will show you your new home.”

The thought of seeing one of the Elders in person made Emily’s heart drop, but she swallowed her fear and nodded in response. There was nothing she could do but agree and do as she was told, for she knew if she did not do so she would be punished by Ron’s island being attacked more. She still didn’t know if there was still war happening there now.

As if on cue, there was a sudden light near the door. Emily quickly glanced up to see a man standing there with a sour look on his face. By the emblem on his chest, she assumed he was a guard of Sarium. Emily stood with a sigh and walked towards the man, who in turn took her arms and locked them together with glowing string.

Emily could hear Regan and Muriel gasp out loud at the sight of it, Muriel whispering ‘abnormal’ under her breath. It suddenly hit her that they had no knowledge beforehand that the new wife would be an abnormal. She couldn’t help but grow sad at the thought, but she held her head high anyways. The guard created another dark portal and pushed Emily forward. It had been an hour since Emily had arrived at her new home, and she was already greeted with fear.

When the girl came out on the other side of the portal into a velvety bedroom, she wanted to throw up from the horror and realization of what was going to happen. A laugh came from behind her as the portal closed, and when Emily turned to face the person it was connected to she was hit with the aura the man had about it.

Sarium was sitting across from Emily on a chair next to a dresser with a smile on his face. He was naked with a necklace of a sword dangling on his neck. The two stared at each other for a moment before he stood up and walked towards Emily. She growled and took a step back, the water pot behind her shaking as her magic built up in the room.

A wave of his hand was all it took to destroy her magic that had gathered. Emily’s face went white at how easily he had done so, all anger gone. Sarium stood in front of her with a grin, one she wanted to replace with an expression agony.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

************Ron POV************

Training was much more difficult that Ron thought. Everytime he tried to concentrate, his mind would turn to that girl the intruders were looking for and managed to get their hands on. The thought that she had been given up to be some strangers wife seemed to stab him in the chest, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Ron winced as the mind block stung him again, but he was growing increasingly more annoyed at it. He wanted to remember her, to figure out what it was he knew about her and why his emotions were scattered when it came to her, but she was gone and it was killing him.

A light suddenly burst from the orb on the kitchen table. Ron stood up and ran to the cabin from where he had been meditating outside to see what it was. A letter was lying on the table with the words ‘READ OR I WILL FIND YOU’ on it. Ron quickly ripped it open and began to read it.

“Ron, why has Emily not replied back to me? I expected her to reply, but there has been nothing. If you hurt her, I will hunt you down, god or not. Whether you care or not, she loves you and will sacrifice herself for you. I knew that after the first letter she sent back, but she needs you to make her not do that.

My guild is at the ready for battle. We all care for her, she has fought for us in many ways and we will fight. I will not be formal in this letter in fear she could be in pain. Wherever she is, we will get her back.

James.”

Ron stared at the words and considered what to say. It then occurred to him that this James could be of assistance to the safety of his people, and he quickly grabbed paper and made a pencil out of thin air.

“James,

This is Ron. A group of people had attacked my island out of the blue, all after Emily. Situations have thrown itself out of the blue and she was taken. We are preparing ourselves for war, but I am afraid we are not strong enough to protect ourselves, even with me here. I underestimated the enemy and was rightly defeated, but the woman I was battling seemed to be apart of a different group altogether.

The woman I was against called the one who took Emily “Sarium”. I don’t know who that is but you may. I request your assistance and that you come so a plan may be made to save Emily and protect my people.

Ron.”

The blue light took the letter, and in a matter of seconds a new letter appeared. Three words were written in shaky, large letters.

“On our way.”

Ron sighed and stood up to warn the villagers about the newcomers heading over to help, but a new light brought a different letter. This one was cream colored and had a stamp of a rose over it. Ron hesitated but picked it up.

“Hand over heart,

The wife stands strong.

Husband takes part

Beyond the light given willingly.

Sweet scent brings blood

Water covers all.”

A poem. Ron read it twice more before folding it and putting it in his pocket. He was concerned about who sent it, for he thought only James could send letters with the orb and he knew it wasn’t from him. He decided to ask the boy about it before things got even more crazy. Ron ran towards the village to explain what was going to happen, and as he did the image of Emily crept into his mind once more.

This time, he didn’t try to ignore it and let the pain of the mind block fill him as he ran.