hey guys! once again...there is some cursing in this chapter and proably future ones, but...it is rated T...
Chapter 2: Truth
I scrubbed the wooden plates with the soap, attempting to ignore the burning of the soap on the cracks of my hands. The calloused hands of a lower class farm girl… When the plates and utensils were significantly scrubbed I piled them into my tub and walked back into the house. I stored the tub under our chest of drawers, trying to be as quiet as possible. If I was quiet enough I could creep upstairs.
I walked behind my mother's and father's chair next to the small fireplace. I put a hand on the weathered rail and put my foot down, the stairs gave the tiniest bit of noise. My sister Raelin raised a perfect auburn eyebrow at me. The flames form the fire made her look like a cat. Her green eyes reflected the orange making them yellowish and her lean body looked ready to pounce. My other sister, Birkita, looked from me to Raelin. Her sky blue eyes were curious, while her lean for was bunched and tight, wanting to get out of there. I lightly place a finger to my lips. Realin's eyes dropped down once and then went up once. I nodded my head and creeped up the stairs. They made a protest almost every time I put my foot down. Finally I made it up to the loft. The warm fire's glow lit my way about the dim room. Toward the steep slope of our roof were two mattresses, one for me and one for Raelin and Birkita. Three trunks were lined up against another wall and the rest of the floor was a heap of old blankets and rugs and pillows. I slipped out of my dress and pulled on my thin slip. After re-braiding my hair into one long thick braid, I laid down on my mattress, the holey quit piled on my legs. I fell back, careful to duck my head so that I wouldn't fall into the sloped ceiling. shortly after I had gotten settled; Birkita and Raelin came upstairs whispering and giggling excitedly. The whispering abruptly stopped as soon as they entered the loft. I herd their feet scuttling around on the floor, trying not to wake me up because of one of two reasons. Reason one: they respect me and want me to get some sleep. Or most likely reason two which is they don't want me to "wake-up" so they can talk about whatever it was they were talking about on the steps.
I herd clothes rustling and then someone digging trough a trunk. After that it was silent for a while and then I felt something step very close to my face. I tried to keep my breathing even.
"Is she awake?" Raelin asked.
"Tara?" someone whispered in my ear. I made an effort not to jerk my head at the sound of my name.
"She's asleep," confirmed Birkita.
"Now, what were you going to tell me, sister ,and out of curiosity, why can't Tara know? I mean she's our elder sister after all." said Birkita, not even trying to keep her voice down.
" Shush! Well, she doesn't have experience with boys. And besides, you're my twin, therefore you have a right to know." Raelin said sneakily, and with, was that hatred? My own sister hated me?
Damn you to hell, you pettish 16 year olds! I thought savagely, but did nothing, for I wanted to hear.
Raelin began to talk, about that day's gossip and in my mind I was swept away with the stream of her words, imagining the faces of the people I knew that she was talking about, the places, the animals. And as suddenly as they always came, I had an attack of romanticism.
The edge of the woods was bathed in light. A simple white lily was handed to her by the most handsome boy in the village, Torin. His grey eyes shone with love as he looked into hers. His white blonde hair caught the sunlight, dazzling her. His hand cupped the back on her neck. His lips came close to her face. "I love you" his warm sweet breath whispered against her face. The lily smell came sharply from the flower. His soft lips were like a feather's breath against hers. His tongue gently coaxed her lips open. She gladly complied, getting lost. Then his hands worked in a fever against the laces of her dress while she held onto his strong shoulders. And then… My day dream stopped and I came slowly out of the vortex it had pulled me into. I realized that I was curled in a ball, crying silently. I didn't reach up to wipe the tears, I let them come, knowing that it was the last part of my fit. What was I thinking? He would never love me. And who was he? Torin that's who. Of course all of the girls in the village disliked me because of how different looking I was. But that wasn't the main reason. It was because of how much I hung out with Torin. We had been friends since we were five years old and from the time to when he was thirteen and I was twelve picnics, exploring the woods, swimming in the creek, and playing hide and seek in the fields had consumed the day. But after that point of our lives, we drifted apart. When I was fifteen and he was sixteen we started to hang out again, always meeting in the library. Ever since then I have harbored feelings for him that I shouldn't, feelings and thoughts that should be buried in the back of my head. Two years the feelings had haunted me, and it had only gotten worse, now I was deluding myself into thinking that he liked me. I blinked my eyes rapidly to clear my head. I focused back on Realin's voice.
"Oh and of course, Gwen was going after that mysterious young man today! She didn't come out to see him, but watched him instead, she does think he is oh so handsome! I mean who wouldn't he has those lovely blue eyes! It isn't often anyone in our village gets blue eyes. Him and Tara are the only ones! But his hair is also such beautiful color. It is like reddish brown mixed with black, no one has that hair color either! And his skin the color of it is absolutely beautiful! It seems to glow. If I could talk to him once he would fall in love with me easily." gushed Raelin to Birkita. My finger clenched and unclench on my other arm. Gwendolyn had seen me today. Shit! Oh dear, I really must stop cursing! But how could I have missed her? She was the worst of the girls that tracked me down from my walk to and from the fields! I was stupid, letting my guard down like that. I herd my name and immediately snapped back to attention.
"…Not Tara! She doesn't even look like a lady, more like a gypsy! He would defiantly fall in love with you, quiet easily!" Birkita assured her. I stuffed my fist in my mouth, so many emotions were coursing through my body. I had to resist laughing, I was slaphappy. My sister was fantasizing about capturing my heart! The irony of it all!
"What is his name?" continued Birkita. I was about to answer but then I remembered that I was supposed to be asleep.
"I don't know. But he does walk through the village everyday. Oh and I herd a rumor that if you wait for a while after he disappears into the wood, Tara comes back out looking really happy…" she trailed off. I herd Birkita's sharp intake of breath followed by a:
"You don't think…?"
"Is it possible? We'll have to watch tomorrow and see." said Raelin.
"Agreed."
"Goodnight sister." said Raelin yawing.
"Mhm." responded Birkita. I herd them turning on the mattress and then their light snores filled the room.
I didn't know what to feel. I was trying to figure out if I should laugh, cry or both. So I laughed, quietly. After I had quieted down I felt like a the weight had been taken form my shoulders. I drifted to sleep, not black, but alight gray color lulled me to sleep.
I woke before sunrise like always. Trying to give my sisters the courtesy they never gave me I crept to my trunk against the far wall. Pulling out a random skirt, corset , blouse and kerchief I went down the rickety steps, cringing when they made a noise.
My basket was on the table, full of fruit. I shrugged out of my slip and pulled on my other clothing. Grabbing an apple and a different basket I headed out the back door, angling to the well. I dipped the white slip in the cool water a couple of times and hung it out to dry. Cutting through our garden I found the main cobblestone road. My boots made a tap-tap on the street. There was no need to the my mother where I was going, she'd figure it out.
Today I decided to go to the forest behind the fields. I nodded to the baker and the book keeper as I walked across the main square to the exit.
"Hey Tara! Wait up for me!" someone called from behind. I stiffened, all of the horrible thoughts and feelings rising to the surface. I tried desperately to put them back in the same corner of my mind as my other secrets. I herd the running feet behind me and then a muscular, tanned arm swung around my shoulder.
"Hey! So you know where Ronan is today? Is he showing up?" they asked me. I stiffened underneath their arm. This was a touchy subject. Especially since we were pretty much talking about me in the third person.
"I don't think I know him." I said airily, deciding that a lie was better than the truth. I received a playful punch.
"Oh stop lying! I have herd the rumors and seen them proven correct for myself."
I twirled away from their arm and faced him, "If you must know he is done with his plot of land therefore he will not be working today!" Torin held his hands up in mock surrender, a playful smiled dancing on his lips and his grey eyes shining.
He raised an eyebrow at me, "Alright. So where are you off to at such an early hour?"
"To the woods, to collect berries and silk!" I said. He raised his eye brow again. A strange anger flashed briefly in his silver eyes, but was gone quickly.
"Nice, may I escort you? I have no work today and nothing better to do."
"Oh, thank you so much, I feel honored that I'm second to field work." I said with heavy sarcasm.
"You should! Hold on I have to talk to the guards." he said.
"Alright…"I smiled sweetly and kept walking. We passed through the gates attracting curious looks from the guards. I shook my head and kept walking next to Torin. We reached the wheat field and he walked over to the guards.
"I'm done with my plot, good sirs. I would like to get my pay for the week. Now could we hurry it up? I must help this enchanting young woman with her chores." hesaid, winking. They smiled and paid him and we set off to the forest.
"You didn't have to do that you know!" I said, bumping into his shoulder.
"I know." he said wrapping his arm around my shoulders. My heart leapt into my throat but I laughed and leaned into him, forcing him to take the path I wanted. He smiled and complied, so that I could just lean if I wanted to. Which, if I'm not lying to myself, I did.
We stood at the edge of the forest, something picking at my brain. I held my basket to my legs and looked down self consciously.
"Thank you for keeping me company today Torin." I said.
"Hey someone has to make sure that Ronan isn't terrorizing you!" he said, a slight anger coloring his tone.
"Oh!" was all I could say.
He smiled and pulled a plain singly white lily from behind his back. My heart stuttered and picked up again. A wave of panic swept threw me. I looked into his eyes. And the one thing I had been dreading was there, love. I thought would be happy when this happened, but I wasn't I felt completely panic and afraid.
"Tara," he whispered, taking a step closer. His breath tickled my cheek, "I have loved you since I was fifteen, and I have been waiting long enough." I had no time to before his lips were against mine. Light as a feather's breath. I gladly kissed him back, reveling in the since of it all. His tongue coaxed my lips open. I was amazed about how it felt. Not nasty or anything, just right. His body pressed against mine. My stomach dropped. I knew what was coming next. My moral values fought against it, but I was eighteen, it was time to commit myself, and this was the one person I wanted to be bound to. I felt my feet move and the light disappeared. I knew that we were in the cover of the woods. I felt Torin's fingers work furiously at the laces containing me from him. I held onto his shoulder's. A voice cut through the air and his hands stilled. I slowly drew my lips away from his.
"Tara?" it said again. I let go of Torin and bent down to pick up my basket. He leaned casually against the tree, not bothering to brush his disheveled hair. I blushed and bent down , trying to distract myself.
"Tara?" They said again. I looked up a Torin panicked. The little rueful smile on his face become sincere and he offered his hand to me. I hesitated, throwing caution to the wind, I took it.
He led me through the tress, weaving this way and that, jumping a stream, stepping over a rock and then the tress parted and we came to a small knoll. There was a streamed running through it and a flat rock in the center. I walked over to the rock and sat down, my basket next to me. I let out a sigh. Torin walked over and sat down at my feet, his back against my legs. He leaned his head back to look at me.
"What are you thinking?" his eyes were anxious.
"Nothing really. Why?" I asked.
"No reason." but his tone gave away the lie.
"I was thinking about that kiss." I said.
"Oh really? What about it." his tone polite.
"You said you had been waiting too long? How long exactly?"
"Four years I have loved you."
"hmm, I have loved you for two." my hand flew to my mouth, too much information.
He smiled brilliantly, "Oh really?"
"yes."
"so?"
"what?"
"Do you love me back?" he asked, his eyes questioning, the question phrased as I he were a child.
"Yes I do." I said slipping to the ground beside him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, I leaned my head against him. The sun was setting. And slowly I was drifting to sleep.
I woke up the next morning with an uncomfortable pain in my stomach. hungry! it declared, in the un flattering form a of a growl. I shifted out of my cramped position next to Torin and walked over to the stream. I removed my shoes and dipped my feet in the chilly water, watching the sun rise.
I looked back behind me. Torin was stretching and yawing.
"Ugg. I guess we had better get back, we could always say that we were up at the castle." he said, trapping me in a hug. I smiled and kissed the edge of his jaw. He smiled and buried his face n my hair.
I hauled my self up. He followed shortly after me. We walked to the edge of the woods hand in hand. The guards at the gate and fields gave us odd looks. At the main square we said goodbye, not bothering with public display of affection.
"Meet me in the library later." Torin said, catching me in a hug.
"Alright." I agreed, letting go of him with regret. He smiled at my reluctance and walked to his home. I turned and walked back to my house. A good fifteen minute walk, which gave me the perfect amount of time to order my confused thoughts.
When I go home no one else was up. I went up the stairs quickly and changed clothing. At the bottom of my trunk I found a piece of thin blue cloth wound through with sliver and green reflecting string. I shrugged and tied it around my head to keep my braids form falling forward. Dressed in light blue and white I set off to the library, grabbing an apple and piece of bread on the way. I looked around furtively when I reached the main square, but no one was up yet. The library was thankfully open. I walked into the musty room, which was warmed by the unnecessary fire.
"Uh, hello?" I asked the man behind the big desk.
"Yes madam Tara, how may I help you?" the man asked. I think his name was Maxim.
"Umm, I need to see all of the items on my family."
"Oh yes the um, what is your last name again?"
"Atlas." I said.
"Follow me." he took me down rows and rows of books. I was surprised by how many there were.
"Here we are." he said. I looked at the shelf number:800.
"This is your current family tree," he said handing me a piece of parchment. I sensed a double meaning to his words.
I had seen this piece of paper many times. But now when I looked at it something, was wrong. There was my mother Sharalin, and my father Matt and my sisters Birkita and Raelin, and there was- I wasn't on there.
"Excuse me, Maxim. I'm not on here." I said,
"Have you been having anything when you are witnessing something or hearing something, but in your minds eye your seeing something else?" he asked me.
"Uhh, yeah." I responded
"do the day dreams happen?" he asked. Now that I thought about it, they did.
"Yes sir."
"Alright then you need this." he said, handing me a big green volume, from far down the shelf.
"And this." he said handing me a leather diary with gilded pages,
"And this." he said yet again handing me a black cloth bound book.
"And lastly this." he said handing me a pack of letters.
"Red the leather bound journal first and work your way from there." he said.
"Thank you Maxim." I said. He nodded and turned down the aisle to leave.
I sat down at a wooded table with a couple candles. I opened the diary and a letter fell out. I was about to turn it aside, but blue ink caught my eye and… my name. What was my name doing on the envelope? I opened it. A thick creamy parchment fell out. I unfolded it and read the blue inked words hungrily.
June 5
Dear Tara,
My darling, I have no idea when you will be reading this. I can not tell you too much, it is far to dangerous, but I can tell you enough. I have entrusted everything you shall need to Maxim. For my dear, we are in the middle of a war, and as I write this we are in a rock cave, and you are asleep, just a little two year old, dig back deep in you memory and you shall see it darling. I am sure that you have realized that you aren't related or anything like people you live with, in fact they are no blood relation. And you are not of the nationality, you are from Izlanda. Were you are is, was the enemy's territory, I do hope things have settled down there. But you are in the enemy's territory. They are hunting us down, your father and I. The truth is darling, we are very, very influential. We are in fact Crown Prince and Princess, and you are our only child, therefore you are a Crown Princess too. Do not ever go back to your native land and try to claim your place, they will kill you. And one more thing darling, for they are close, beware of when the moon rises.
With all of our love, your mother and father, Princess Annelise and Prince Philippe Vasagar.
My mind went blank, I was adopted? I'm from the enemy nation. I was, am, royalty?
A/N hey guys! please review, and i hop eyou liked this chapter! i will try and have a better cliff hanger next chaper! Also please check out the poll on my profile page! it is for this story adn i need some answers on it so that i can finish up chapter three! thanks and please review!!