A/n: I'm trying out a new story; I'm thinking about a book, possibly, my dear friends have been pushing me to do this, so here it is. Btw, do you like the indent? I wasn't sure, since you're not used to me, or most people on here doing that…So, without further ado, "Jewel of my Heart".
For my sister,
Rachel
Chapter One: Only the Beginning
"Oh, Aranel, you look beautiful!" Morwen cooed. Aranel looked back over her shoulder at the mirror. In it was a beautiful maiden in a pearly white wedding dress, her russet hair was done up, flowing over with graceful curls, there were small beads and other trinkets scatted along the sides of her porcelain face. Her smooth lips painted with a mellow pink. Everything was perfect, until you looked at her eyes. Her silvery blue orbs stared back at Aranel, sadness and regret covered them, washing over her and destroying the beauty. Aranel sighed and sat down on the small bench of the balcony. Morwen carefully placed her lady's headband on, a thin, silver band that dipped down in the front and held a small jewel to match her pale eyes.
"Morwen, I'm not sure I can go through with this. I mean, I've never even met the man." Aranel chocked through tears that where building up, ready to pour out. Morwen looked at her with a sisterly compassion. "Well, I've never known you to be scarred of something. You'll be fine. We will still be together." Aranel let a small smile slip.
Morwen had always been there for her. They had formed such a strong and lasting friendship as soon as they met each other when they where nothing more than children. Morwen was very pretty. She always keep her long crimson hair tied back at the sides, but let the rest flow out, so it wasn't in her soft brown eyes. She was perhaps, the happiest person at the palace. Always smiling and jumping to something. She was with her faults though, like anyone else. She almost never thought about something until she'd done it. But anytime Aranel would do something, she would follow loyally. She was a true friend, and never let anyone change her ways or feelings; she was unbelievably obdurate in her ways. Morwen had learned to use the ability of archery when Aranel had to be trained. She had good quality rapid reflexes, but not the sharpest aim. She could strike anything standing still long enough for the arrow to reach it, but once it moved, it was a fluke. She never lied, if someone asked her how she did at the shooting range, or out on a hunt, she would openly tell them, even if she did terribly. She made up for her lack of aim with the bow in her horsemanship. She was a fine rider and kept to her pony, Ralph, an older horse of a muddy strawberry coat and a thick, wild mane. Aranel could always rely on Morwen as a partner for anything. They did everything together, despite their differences in status.
"Then come on, we'd better get this over with." Aranel stood gracefully from her seat and walked to the large wooden doors carved with vines, Morwen came up behind her and reached for her hand. The two girls embraced each other with a hug; Aranel shook with worry and fret. What if the man she was to marry today horrible to her, or had a mistress, or would not allow her to leave the castle, or keep her ladies in waiting or her beloved horse, Ránëwén?
Morwen let go and rubbed her back with one hand as she opened the large door with the other. Aranel took a deep breath as they walked down the silent hallways. They looked at the painting of her ancestors on the walls, of other women forced to an arranged marriage like she. As they looked down to the end of the hallway, they heard the music of the chapel, light and airy, floating on the breeze. They were waiting on her. Aranel looked over to the sleeping guard in his chair, his partner looking toward the wedding sight. As soon as he heard their footsteps coming he whacked his sleeping friend and the both stood and saluted.
"Princess, they are waiting on you. Your father told me to give this to you." He handed her a small box, wrapped in twine. She handed it to Morwen as they continued down the hall.
"Princess! Morwen! Wait!!" A girlish voice shrieked from around a corner, there where two different footsteps. Princess Aranel and Morwen stopped and waited as the two other ladies in waiting skidded to a stop, panting for air.
"Why, hello Marilwen, Deirde." Morwen chuckled, "Well, what's he look like?" Marilwen popped her head up.
"He's old!" Deirde chirped. "And fat and bald!" Marilwen finished. Aranel was relived to say the least. This wouldn't be that hard to do then. As the group walked to the doors of the chapel, Aranel took a deep breath as Morwen and Marilwen reached for the door handles. But as the huge doors swung open to the chapel, and the old man looked back at them. Morwen looked at Aranel quickly as she took a small step forward. Aranel pursed her lips together.
"I can't do this. There's no point in wasting my life away with that man. I don't even know his name. Come on and move fast, we're going to leave and run away. Are you with me?" She whispered through clenched teeth. Morwen nodded.
What happened next was all a blur. Aranel, Morwen, Marilwen, and Deirde ran back up the hall as quickly as possible, the guards where startled and began to chase after the foursome yelling and shouting for them to stop and come back. They kept running and running and running until they came to the large oak doors of Aranel's chamber. They darted inside and slammed the door behind them. Marilwen quickly locked it.
"Alright, that was invigorating and all, but why are we running away?" Deirde asked, grabbing a bag and the things she would need. Aranel quickly began throwing possessions out of drawers and looking for a traveling cloak. They were packed and ready to go within minutes. They looked around for an exit. The only thing they could see was the north window, which over looked the stables, or the balcony, which hung over the vast sea.
"Well, here we go!" Morwen chirped as she slung a rope out the window, climbing down first. All of them made it safely down the rope with their belongings as they crossed over the short grassy patches to the barn.
The all walked up to their individual mount. Aranel quickly saddled up Ránëwén, a beautiful blood bay mare with a long and silky charcoal mane; she had black stockings and a white blaze. Ránëwén was Aranel's prized possession, she had raised the horse from a foal and trained her herself. Morwen jumped onto her pony, Ralph's, back. Marilwen and Deirde quickly grabbed two sound mares. They grabbed a stocky pony that would not be missed, for he had an awful temperament and could not be ridden, as their pack pony.
They mounted the horses and galloped out of the stable. As they neared the gate, the guards saw them coming and began to shut the gate. They edged the horses on faster and faster, Aranel had no idea that Ránëwén was this fast. She was leading the others under the gate. They cleared it just as it came crashing down. They ran the horses harder then they intended to, but just enough to get away.
The where nearing the Black Forest. They slowed to a trot as they found the path. It was dark and intimidating, but they marched on anyway. As soon as they where in the forest, the horses started getting slower and slower until they where at a walk and far out of the guards reaches for now. Deirde was upset because she didn't like this place; it brought back her old memories. She grumbled under her breath about how she should've stayed put and never gotten herself into this disarray.
Deirde was Marilwen's cousin and her best friend. Deirde had a poor attitude and was quite boring and mellow. She didn't like change. She was comfortable where she knew the people and the land. She wasn't much of a talked unless Marilwen was around. She always preferred cooking and cleaning over going for a ride on a horse, none the less one she wasn't familiar with. Deirde had come to the castle when she was small; her parents had always yelled and screamed at her, she was always timid and reserved, for they had never shown any love or kindness toward her. Her father left her mother and married another woman; her mother was left to raise her older sister and herself. Her sister always did everything before she was told and Deirde was almost exiled by her own mother. Deirde could not take it any longer and attempted to escape to the palace where her dear cousin dwelt. She was nearing the castle when a large group of bandits jumped her and robbed her of her possessions and dignity. They scarred her arm with a hot blade and then cut her hair. She's grown it back since then and it's now a burnt ginger color that stands out against her dark, forestry olive eyes. She's never been the same since that incident. She could barely make it to the front gate before collapsing in front of a guardsman.
Marilwen on the other hand, was a bright eyed blonde whose grace and cheerfulness brought color to the halls of the king. She was a wonderful dancer and was often asked to perform in the court. She had no ordinary eyes though, they where a sparkling and shinning washed out crimson. She had been raised by her mother at the palace and loved to roam around. She would always find secret doors and passageways that they would go exploring in. She had little experience with horses and even less with a bow. She was versatile, however, with garments. She could make a dress out of just about everything and no matter what she made, it was always astonishing. She could cook some things from a cookbook, but not much. You could always find her in the kitchen making something completely new and exotic that looked horrid, but didn't taste half bad once you got past the "secret" ingredient she supposedly used in everything. Oh but her passion was books, she would sit for hours listening to Deirde read something to her, anything from a book and she would listen. She loved to capture Deirde and a good volume and go and sit in the courtyard and listen to her read all afternoon and into the evening.
They rode on for several hours until it was dark. They found a small and quiet clearing to make camp. Morwen tethered and groomed the horses, Marilwen went off in search of fire wood, Deirde started up a small stew of potatoes, and Aranel set up the small campsite. The only had time to grab enough sheets and rope to make two tents which was by all means, fine with them. Marilwen came back within minutes of departing, her arms full with dry wood. It hadn't rained in so long. As she bent down to make a fire, Deirde almost screamed.
"Oh, Marilwen! What ever has happened to you? Are you alright?" She bleated, quickly pulling out a handkerchief. Aranel turned from her work as did Morwen. Marilwen was surprised but relived when Deirde hurriedly patted her cheek with the cloth, and pulled it back to only reveal that she had been scraped across her cheek and it was nothing serious. Marilwen was used to her younger cousin behaving like this, she hated blood, and she was almost petrified of it really. That's why anytime someone was bleeding she would quickly walk away to avoid being sick. Marilwen was the only one she could handle being around. And that was only to prevent her from bleeding.
Aranel quickly pulled Morwen to the side. "This is going to be a long night. We better get some sleep; I can take first watch if you like." Morwen offered. Aranel shook her head, "No, I'll do it. You go ahead and get some rest. Get those two in bed also." Morwen nodded and walked over to the cousins. "Come on, get to bed. Lady Aranel is taking the first shift." Aranel smiled, she hated formality, but Morwen gave it to her anyway to show her respect. She would sometimes call her 'Miss Morwen' just to play with her.
The two scattered off to their tent and changed into nightgowns, bid their goodnights, and went to bed. Morwen stopped in front of her tent and turned to face her friend. She smiled and looked at her clothing. Aranel looked bewildered. "You might want to get out of that wedding dress. Someone might think you're a run away bride, and heaven knows, we can't have that, now can we?" Aranel giggled and walked over to the tent and pulled on a simple indigo dress and her cloak to keep against the cold. Morwen went to bed and Aranel took her post.
A/n: Yes, these are my own original characters, bios, settings, etc… Well, do you like it? I'd love to know what you think, I hope none of this is confusing, it should explain itself later, don't worry about that box yet! And Aranel is the main character; I just didn't want to focus on her all the time. So, enjoy and look for my next chapter!
Love ya lots, Cherry 3