A visit to the past
As I drew close to the solid oak door I felt a slight gnawing in my stomach. So similar to hunger, this sensation was becoming more and more familiar to me as my date with Royce grew nearer. I paused briefly to admire the way the beautiful dress fit my body, in this instance I needed no mirror to know that Royce would be dazzled by my appearance so I swiftly knocked on the door.
I had never expected him to answer the door himself but the crowd of men standing in the frame surprised me slightly. "A necessary precaution" I though to myself. In the end these men would be more of a help to me than they would be a hindrance. It would take longer to reach Royce but then again it was the struggle that made a fight worthwhile.
The expression on the men's faces were empty, almost comical, like a porcelain doll. They seemed collected and poised but it was clear, at least to me, that their minds were empty of all thought.
"This will be easier than I had imagined" I commented under my breath. Then suddenly one of them spoke. "Rosalie Hale." I could sense the questioning tone of his statement, Royce must have prepared them for the worst because he clearly could not believe I was alive.
"Under order of the King family, upon penalty of death, you are hereby ordered to leave." I knew exactly how to react to this. I would play the hurt and coy fiancé that I was notorious for being.
I slowly turned by head to the side, as if to hide the tears that were by no means falling and let out a soft and sultry "oh." From the corner of my eye I could tell it had worked. Half of the men were wearing puzzled, somewhat piteous looks and the man who had addressed me gave the man blocking the door a small nudge with his elbow.
What happened next was unexpected. The largest man turned quickly and slammed the door in my face. I was wondering what went wrong. "If only I was blessed with the gift to read minds," I muttered.
I was calculating my next move when the sound of the tumbler in the knob drew me from my thoughts. The shallow eyes of the smallest of the guards greeted me. "I'm sorry miss Hale I wish I could." I gave a frown."I only want to see my fiancé…" I said. I could tell that my efforts to make my voice as vulnerable as possible were successful because he began to acquire a look of pity in his eyes.
"If it were up to me I would let you go wherever you wanted, but orders are orders." I gave him a sad smile. "Poor fool" I thought. I quickly gauged his emotions and chose a path of action.
"Well can I at least gather my belongings and jewelry from the bedroom?" A brief moment of weakness showed in his eyes and I knew I had won. He gradually moved aside and I strolled into the apartment, trying my hardest to replace my presence of confidence with one of sadness.
The small man led me through the well-decorated parlor into the sitting room and finally into the bedroom. I glanced around and took note of the items that had once belonged to me. A comb, a vanity set, several dresses and petticoats and a large collection of fine jewels. I knew well enough that I would never want or use these things again but they provided a distraction, more for the man than me. "Wait here" he ordered. I happily obliged, waiting in the center of the room while he busied himself with gathering my belongings.
He was in the process of sorting through the closet when I caught a glimpse of it. A small metal door in the back of the closet, hidden by frivolous clothes and garments and I smiled. "I have found you at last my love" I whispered.
"Well I believe that is all miss Hale." The stout blank faced man interrupted. "I suppose you should be…."Poor man he never even got to finish his last sentence in life.
Five minutes later after a quick pass through the rest of the house I was ready to face my fiancé. I stole carefully into the closet and knocked on the reinforced door. By listening intently I was able to hear the click of a revolver being cocked. I smiled to my self and opened the door.
