The cold winter wind blew into my face, billowing my hair tangling itself. The crystal blue water was cold; my bare feet sloshed in the water. It's a very cold day today, that's what my nanny Carmilla said, it might also snow. You better stay indoors. She warned me. But I didn't listen to her. I never listen to anyone. They would be looking for me right now. Everybody in the castle would be searching everywhere. I can imagine Carmilla's face, when she finds me she will be really angry. I giggled, they don't like playing hide-and-seek. I don't know why; it's maybe because they never find me.
I kicked the icy water splattering my face and nice clothes.
"Skye!" somebody yelled behind me. The voice was familiar to me; it was small and sounded girlish. I always teased him about it; he would always pout his lips, frown, cross his arms across his chest then storm off. Also, he was the only one who called me Skye. Skye, because I always gazed at the blue sky. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be inside the castle?" he sat down beside me in the grass, "doing, I don't know, princess stuff?" he shrugged his shoulders. He took off his shoes and soaked his feet onto the water. His small body trembled from the cold.
"Princess, schmincess." I said waving my hand in the air. "I don't want to be stuck in that place forever," I breathed in some fresh air "and I don't want to be one of them." I glowered.
Tristyn didn't say anything; he just stared at the rippling water.
The silence between us spread on. Not one of us said anything for what seemed like forever. I thought about what was going to happen to my future and the life that my family had set out to me. The sun was already setting in the horizon. Carmilla would be very upset; I better get home before she does find me. I wouldn't her to find me here. I kicked the sparkling water for the last time before getting up.
"You can't escape your destiny." Tristyn mused.
I halted to look at him. I knew exactly what he means.
He turned his head up to face me, his deep green eyes expressed everything that he wanted to say. "Our paths are laid out for us when we were born. All we have to do is follow it. We have no choice."
"That's pretty deep for an eight-year-old." I stated, flashing one of toothy smiles at him.
"Your mind is too young for an eight-year-old body. You're like two." He said back to me "Maybe when you're twenty you will have the mind of an eight-year-old."
I sighed "Yeah, when I'm older." I brushed dirt off my used to be clean clothes. "I better go. It's getting late and I think they're really worried." Carmilla would be displeased with me. I could imagine her face red with anger. I put my small shiny slippers back on and started to walk away. Even though I was small, I could walk pretty fast.
Tristyn ran up to me, his shoes on his small hands. He was trying really hard to keep up with my fast pace. His breathe made small smokes in the air. "Skye,"
"Hmmm?" I kept puffing small smokes out of my mouth. It was fun to see the white small mists that I made.
"I have to tell you something." he almost whispered.
I looked at him curiously. I stopped puffing my own self made mist for a moment. What does he need to tell me now when he could tell me tomorrow? It doesn't seem that important.
Tomorrow we would be playing around our favourite fort; just at the edges of the forest. Big white boulders sat on the fringe of the forest. It made a good playground for us. He would play as the gallant knight while I would always play as the princess locked up in the tower. An imaginary fiery dragon and an evil witch would be guarding my prison tower, they kept brave young men at bay. He would have a thick long stick as a sword and he would smack it into a tree trunk pretending that it was the dragon. The fallen leaves were the dragon's deadly hot fire that comes out of its mouth. Tristyn would dodge them, moving here and there, jumping up and down. In the end of his mock battle, he would cross the little bridge to attain me. I would always give him butter biscuits, the ones that our cook made. A reward for his heroic act.
"I'm leaving, Skye." He said solemnly.
That stopped me from my train of thought and from my tracks. "What?!" I almost half yelled.
He stopped too just a few steps away from where I was. Tristyn put his index finger over his mouth shushing me. "Be quiet. Your voice is too loud. I'm just right beside you."
"Where are you going? Are you living in another town or in another place? Why are you leaving? Please don't leave. I will miss you. You're my only friend." the words came out in a rush but my voice was softer.
"We're moving to another country, I don't know which one. My father said we needed a change and you know that he doesn't want me to be around you. He says that it's too dangerous. The same with your family with you. I wish that it wasn't like this." His eyes fell down from my face to the ground. He kicked a pebble with his bare feet. He must be freezing cold now. The temperature's quickly dropping.
I couldn't agree with him more. Our family hated each other. They literally want to kill one another if one had had a chance. Even Carmilla doesn't approve of me befriending the harmless Tristyn. She told me once never to see him again. But, the next day I did the opposite to what she said. I couldn't avoid a day without seeing him.
"I am going to miss you too." He lifted up his face again and gazed into my eyes. His emerald eyes sparkled with playfulness. The one thing that I always see in his eyes, even when he was in despair. My favourite set of jewels. "Wait, I just remembered." He put his hand inside one of his jacket pocket and dug down.
I waited patiently while Carmilla waited impatiently.
Tristyn pulled out something shiny. It dangled from his small hand. "Here" he put the shiny thing in front of my face. It was a beautiful gleaming gold necklace, the pendant that dangled down was his family's emblem passed down from generation to generation.
"Isn't this your family's necklace that your father gave you?" I asked.
"I want you to have it. It would be a remembrance from me. So every time you need me just grasp that necklace in your hands and I would be there."
I put it on admiring it; their emblem always intrigued me. "Thank you." I said gratefully.
He smiled warmly; blood reddened his cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I don't have anything to give you. Your news was very sudden."
"No, it's all right. I don't need anything to remember you by. I won't forget you." He raised his right hand up and put it against his left chest "I promise."
I hugged him. A very rough but gentle hug. We both said bye at the same time and released each other.
"Bye" I said again before running away. I wasn't sure if he waved his hand at me or if it was just my imagination. I ran to my awaiting doom.
"Christina Elizabeth Vilanin!" Carmilla shouted at the top of her lungs when she saw me walking up to the gates of the castle.
She ran through the large front yard to meet me. I suddenly felt scared of what she would tell me. I know that she will lecture me till the end of my life.
Carmilla reached me in just a fleeting second. "Where have you been Christina? Your mother was very worried." she said. As if my mother would be worried about me. All she cares about is herself and her absolute beauty that no one can compare to. "Come on." She held out a hand to me. I took it; we both walked back to the huge stone castle, her hand prohibited me from running away. "We have to get ready for the ball. Your uncle would be glad to see you wear the dress he bought you from Denali."
I blocked her babbling, thinking of nothing but Tristyn. My dearest and only friend will be gone out of my life. He was the only one that really cared about me and treated me like everybody else. I groaned as we passed through the huge heavy mahogany doors. This is my fate, my destiny. Like it or not.