Haunted Love
Have you ever wished to fall so deeply in Love?
That even death could not separate you?
Have you ever had dreams of a passionate love story?
That when morning comes leaves you feeling an empty and painful ache in your heart?
Well what if that story was your past life…left unfinished.
He looked at her with such devotion and tenderness that if it had been any other time she would have wrapped her arms around him tightly promising that she would never leave him.
He brought up his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek with such tenderness much like his brown eyes held when he looked upon her before he kissed her leaving her breathless. Knowing that time was drawing closer to their parting, tears started to fall causing him to pull away from her to clean them away then pulling her into a tight embrace. "Don't cry Lucy, we'll see each other again." He whispered his promise into her ear not minding that he had to bend down to do so. Lucy not being able to stop her tears wrapped her arms around him clutching onto his white tunic desperately not willing to let him go, she buried her face onto his warm and strong chest wanting to remember his scent of pine and husk. "Don't make me go Edmund! You can't face her alone. She's too strong, look at what she did to our brother Peter!" she said desperation eating at her to take Edmund and leave or fight together.
At the mention of their older dead brother eyes harden with hatred that frighten Lucy as he glared at the wall behind her. He soften his gaze as he looked at her "My dear Lucy please leave I'll follow you shortly…" he stopped and froze as he heard dozen footsteps heading towards them and fast. Lucy felt fear course through her body as Edmund closed his eyes for a second and squeezed her against him before pushing her away from him at arm length "Lucy go! Now!" he told her pushing her towards the secret escape entrance that was on the floor leading towards tunnels under the castle to outside. Lucy stopped looking at herself and Edmund's powerful shoulders as his backed faced her in the wide full length mirror.
"I want to fight with you." She stated "Like always." Edmund ignored her words in favor of facing the bolted door with his sword point at it "Leave now!" he ordered her and her knowing it was no use arguing with him she casted one last glance at him before going down the stone stairs alone…
October 26 12:16am Friday
Lucy gasped sitting up while she pressed her hand against her wildly beating heart as it filled with ache for the man she had felt behind in her dreams. Her long light brown curly hair sticking to her damped forehead by sweat. Panting she looked out of her window to see that the moon was still out high in the sky shining down. Lifting a shaky hand to wipe some sweat from her face only to realize that it was tears instead of sweat. Lucy frown she was still crying, cleaning her tears but they didn't stop and the ache that her body felt as if she was missing his… Edmund was his name as she had found out this night unlike many others that had passed with them sharing sweet moments in a land that she didn't know but longed for.
A loud bang and some muffled cursing were heard throughout the small apartment that her step-father and mother had rented when they had moved in together a few months ago. Lucy let out a deep sigh knowing that her step-father was drunk again, pulling off her sticky sheets off of herself and started to creep around her small room to find what she needed before heading out that night. She stopped abruptly as she heard heavy footsteps heading towards her closed door, she moved towards a darken corner of her room that moon didn't reach and hid. Lucy held her breath and stood very still when the door of her bedroom opened and her step-father walked in reeking of alcohol and stumbling towards her bed than stopped blinking at the empty bed, scratching the back of his head confused before mumbling "Where that little bitch go?" sighing he stumble out of her room closing it rather hard in anger.
After hearing his footsteps get farther away Lucy felt it was safe to start breathing again. Putting her hand over her beating heart she shuddered in disgust at the thought of what he wanted to do to her as the memories of what happened that night a few months ago. Lucy waited until she heard the door of his bedroom close to leave her bedroom and towards the bathroom to change before escaping through the fire escape that was located by the living room window.
With her backpack hanging low on her back Lucy stuffed her hands inside the pockets of her sweater over her belly with the hoodie over her head to keep the chilly night air at bay. Seeing her breath as she walked through the streets a few people passing by not even bothering to notice her which was fine with her since it meant that she would be left alone to enjoy the chilly night like most nights it belonged to her. Her safe haven from her life and long days. With that thought Lucy smiled happily as she continued to make her way through the streets loving the sights and the lights that glowed brightly it made her feel like she was in a different place altogether.
A sharp pain that shot through her heart made her stop and clutch her chest panting as she doubled over, the pain as sudden as it came it went leaving her breathless and sweating. With a shaky hand she reached over towards the black iron fence before gripping it hard to pull herself up.
Easing her hand away from her chest then letting it fall to her side as her breath returned to normal, Lucy frown at the sudden pain that had spread across her body. It had felt as if someone had stabbed her in the heart, she looked down to make sure that wasn't the case. Lucy noticed the fence that was holding her steady before frowning again, she had never seen this fence here before and she would know since she walked down this street a dozen times. Looking up Lucy noticed that the black iron fence wasn't the only thing new.
She gasped in wonderment at the huge mansion. Past the chained gates the mansion sat looking gloomy and abandoned, the front door and windows bored up and the house itself looked ready to fall apart at any moment. Yet Lucy somehow knew that it wouldn't, it had a very strong foundation she felt it. Just like how she knew that this mansion was beautifully breathtaking a long time ago.
A silly thought entered her mind in wanting to enter it to look around and see what she would find. It being silly because the fence and the gate where far too big to scale over but the idea and urge to look inside were almost overpowering. With that in mind Lucy walked over to stand in front of the tall gate to see if the chain was rusted enough to break with a few kicks but to her surprise they looked brand new. She pouted a bit before an idea struck her bring a smile back to her lips, she reached into her hair under her hoodie and found a hair pin so she would be able to pick the lock that held the chains together.
Lucy reached for the padlock only to find that it didn't have a keyhole to pick at, she stepped back to look at the house before turning to leave in defeat when a strong gust of wind blew tossing her back hitting her against the gates. Lucy closed her eyes tightly waiting for the wind to die down as soon as the wind left she heard a thud behind her, turning quickly in fear she saw that the padlock had come undone and had fallen onto the ground along with the chains. In shock she walked through the gates and onto the pathway that lead up towards the front door.
The open front door with the pile of old wooden boards laying down onto the porch in front of the door, softly Lucy crept slowly near the old creaky stairs. She stopped in front of the doorway suddenly not so sure that she wanted to go in but before she could change her mind the same strong gust of wind called out her name and pushed her in then slamming the door behind her.
Instead of fear of being trapped inside the mansion Lucy felt like she was in a daze as a dull pain started to hum inside her heart yet it wasn't strong enough to cause her to snap out of her trance as she glanced around the dusty foyer. The ceiling was beautifully paint but the paint was chipped and too dirty make out what the painting was about that and it being night didn't help her case. Huffing in annoyance she pulled one of the straps on her shoulder down her right arm before pulling it across to her side in an easier fashion then pulled out a red flashlight. After closing it and pulling up the strap over her shoulder she turned on the flashlight it brightening the ceiling, she gasped at the art in shock. Lucy's hands started shaking at what the painting depicted four people riding horses across a forest it seemed; there were two young men as well as two young women. They were four kings and queens. They were the same people she dreamed about every night. With that thought Lucy crumbled onto the dirty floor with her hand shakily holding the flashlight up to the painting. What was this place? She thought unnerved at her discovery.
She stayed unmoving for a few moments scared that this would all be a dream but after a while she took a deep breath calming down before pushing herself up then dusting herself of. Determined to find out what she and this place had in common, she ventured to the right hallway flashlight firmly in hand and pointing from the ground seeing if the pathway was clear to the bare walls with peeling wallpaper and water stains.
Lucy didn't stop walking down the hallway until she came across a large painted portrait of a couple, the man stood tall and proud with an easygoing smile play across his lips. He had blonde hair with a golden crown on top of his head, a beard and Lucy's blue eyes. While the woman stood shorter next to the man only coming up to his shoulder with a regal posture, she had long dark brown hair with a crown that was the same shade of gold as the man next to her, the bluest blue eyes she had ever seen and a gentle expression on her face as well as a smile that gave off the feel of calmness to the onlooker. At the bottom of the portrait it read: High King Peter the magnificent and High Queen Susan the gentle.
"They look beautiful together." Lucy said softly amazement filled her voice as she continued to stare at the portrait. They made her feel like she was finally home as weird as it sounded; Lucy didn't want to stop staring at them but knew that she needed to continue on her way as the dull pain in her heart grew a bit more. Making her way further down the hallway only stopping when she saw a portrait of either of High King Peter or of High Queen Susan but that was when the pain pulsed stronger and as soon as she moved away it would come back to almost non-existent yet even with that pain Lucy stood there a while staring at them. She felt like she knew them yet knowing that she had never seen them before this night only in dreams.
After a while of passing through empty halls Lucy came across another portrait but this time it didn't held a painting of Peter or Susan but of a handsome young man. The handsome man stood straight with a stoic expression on his face with his dark brown hair covering his left brown eye, his silver crown on top of his head. Both of his hands behind him looking almost broodily yet stoic at the same time. Lucy in a daze reached over to the painting and caressed his face, wanting to see him smile but knowing that most of the time he looked like this. Like a man with a heavy secret inside his heart, oh and how desperately did Lucy want to know it!
"Tell me your secret." She whispered to him, begging him to tell her but how can a painting reveal that. A sharp pain struck her heart again and much stronger than before that Lucy withdrew her hand from his face to clutch her chest, dropping the flashlight she doubled over in pain. She waited for the pain to subside then a few minutes to make sure it was gone, her cheeks flushed from the pain and sweat dripped down the side of her face. Lucy slowly let go of her chest and took small deep breaths to make sure that the pain had gone away before picking up her fallen flashlight, lifting it up she caught the name of man. She stood straight and frozen as her flashlight shined the name clearly for her to see and remember, at the bottom of his portrait read: King Edmund the Just.
"King Edmund." She whispered and as soon as his name passed through her lips a gust of wind blew passed Lucy and the dream flash throughout her mind making her feel numb before pain returned stronger causing her to fall onto the ground and scream in agony. "Come upstairs!" a male voice rang inside her head passing through the intense pain. Lucy shook her head while clutching her chest, tear streaming down passed her tightly shut eyes.
"No, I can't move." She squeezed out passed her clenched teeth.
"Come to me! I'll make the pain go away!" the male ordered her but Lucy still didn't move "Hurry up the stairs, I'll tell you where to go." Lucy curled up in a fetal position "Please Lucy, Listen to me." He sounded desperate now as he begged her and at this Lucy grunted putting her hand against the wall to help her stand up. She dig in her nails against the wall when another pang hit her heart but nonetheless continued to climb the wall until she semi stood, she let out a cry of pain as she made her way out of the hallway and towards the staircase she had seen earlier. Leaving her backpack and flashlight behind hoping that the pain would leave already but didn't seem like it, what if she didn't make it to the place the man told her to go? Would she die here? Would her mom care? These questions ran through her head as she slowly made her way up the stairs "once you're at the top of the stairs, turn towards your left." He said to her and Lucy noticed that his voice was strong and firm just like how she imagined King Edmund's voice would be like with that thought she pushed through the pain a bit and climb the final few stairs before panting harder and resting as she gripped the railing of the stairs. Lucy was pretty sure she heard it creak a bit under the pressure "Don't stop! You're almost there." He urged her and Lucy had to use her willpower to let go of the railing and head to the left grasping the walls again for support "Go to the third door to the left." Lucy wasn't sure if he could see her but nonetheless nodded still pressing her hand against her chest. Once she found the door she rested against the wall in front of it trying to find the will to push herself to walk across the wide and dirty hallway and open the door but found herself too exhausted to do it. "Don't stop now!" he scolded her harshly "You're almost there! Just open the door and I'll make the pain go away!" he told her desperation decorating his voice and with taking a deep breath and holding it in she forced herself to walk across the hallway as the pain grew into a hot white intensity that she was surprised that she hadn't faint from it.
"Yes! That's it! Now touch the mirror!" he ordered with urgency. Lucy had fallen onto the ground the moment she opened the door clutching her chest in agony digging in her nails as well, she tried to stop her scream of pain but couldn't, sweat and tears ran down the side of her face. "The mirror! Quick!" his voice resonated inside her head. Crying she twisted herself to lay on her stomach then processed to crawl across the room towards the full length mirror, as soon as she touched it his voice filled her mind "You did well." Then she passed out...
A/N: this is my new short story! i hope you like it.