I held her hand tight, and I wasn’t ever letting go, though it may mean my own demise. We walked together into the street, revealing our courtship which was scaldalous and all but forbidden, but we cared not. The heart, as they say, wants what it wants.

We received glares from passers by and let them roll off our backs as the rain does a duck’s. We only had eyes for each other and hardly noticed the looks that surrounded us. I stopped Rebecca abruptly and taunted the pedestrians by spinning her around and kissing her aggressively in the middle of the street.

Audible gasps arose over the surrounding crowd noise and we quickly ran away and hid in a store, giggling like children. Eventually, we left and headed for home.

The door was already askew when we arrived and I eased it open, taking a small knife from my belt to defend myself if necessary. The rooms had been ransacked and all of our belongings were scattered around them. As I searched my own house, silently moving from room to room and making sure nobody remained, I heard a yelp from outside. My blood ran cold. Before I realized it, I stood outside my front door, where Rebecca was supposed to be waiting for me.

A wagon disappeared down the road and I took off after it. With no hope of catching it, I tracked it down after it turned a corner. When I found it, I wasted no time.

Tracks led into a building and I forced the door, falling flat as I got in. I was lifted by multiple people and dropped onto the floor in another room, just next to Rebecca. I reached out for her hand as I could see one of the men standing over me raise a club.

I held her hand tight, and I wasn’t ever letting go.

Not while I still drew breath.