Disclaimer: -Twilight and all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I claim no ownership or copyright to any character or plot herein
A/N-Huge thanks to everyone who added the story alerts, please review too. I love to hear your comments on the story….
Chapter2
On Our Way to Vera
I was impatient. Rose would arrive at any moment. I wasn't sure whether I'm still ready for this….oh yes... Yesterday I didn't have a doubt on this whole plan, but….. one wrong step could lock me forever in this gloomy dark palace….
I heard faint foot steps on my left. I rolled my volume of Nodera tightly in my hand, and slowly moved towards the curtains. I heard the creaking of a wooden door moving against granite.
"Rose?" I whispered.
"Yes Miss Bella, come, be quick"
I hurried in to the shadowed passage. Rose closed the curtain and locked the door.
"Move further, there, and get change missy. Hurry up. Kate and Jane just left as I told them"
I removed my silk robe and threw it to a dark corner. Rose has brought a worn out leather trouser, faded blue shirt, tight white undergarments to make me look more like a boy, and a hat.
" Scissors?" I questioned her.
"you don't have to do that Miss Bella. Please don't." Rose murmured.
"Scissors?" I'm the one who decide.
Rose huffed and handed me some rusty old scissor. I let my hair down, and taking it in my fist I cut my waist length hair in one swift movement.
Rose gasped.
"Why did you cut it that low! It doesn't even reach your shoulder now!Bella!" She took the scissor away from me, afraid of me cutting my hair even shorter I think….
"Cut the edges neat" I commanded. Rosalie finished it quickly.
"Do I look like a boy now?" I raised an eye brow.
"Yes. A young and very pretty boy"
"Good. Lets move."
After several minutes we were out of our passage and in to the shadowed barns. I could hear guards talking few yards away. Back iron gate shone from their torches.
"Now what?"
"We will wait. I can't see the white horse I told Riley to tie there. He will come at any moment."
Then Rose cursed under her breath.
"Get down Bella" She pushed me behind some turnip sacks, covering us with her dark robe.
"What?"
"Shhh!. Listen"
I listened, two guards moved towards the turnip sacks. One man sat on the top, his butt inches away from my face. I stopped breathing. Ofcourse, from fear!
"So Riley says Princess is going to run away tonight?" he asked the other man, digging out a turnip out of a sack and turning it around his palm. I recognized his voice. He is Alec, once a faithful servant of my father. But I can not trust him now. There are many traitors.
"Yes. He told this because we are going to be in trouble if they escape. I would personally help her to get away from this maggot hole if I could. But I can not face Aro's wrath when he finds out she fled. I have children Domenic. I can't die right now " Alec said.
"But how could she? Aro has always put a guard on her, day and night. Even when she goes to the library or bath house, a guard stays outside." Domenic said.
"Princess Isabella is good planner, just like her father. So keep an open eye" Alec threw the turnip away and got up. We cowered down, praying.
Then suddenly a shriek erupted within the castle, followed by more screams and hurried foot steps.
"What the hell is that?" Domenic swore.
"Come on, something awful is happening there. I hope it's not the Princess…." Alec took his sword out and ran towards the castle. Domenic followed him. We watched other guards leave the gate unsecured.
Rose took my hand and we started running.
"Wait here."
"What?" I panicked as Rosa disappeared in to the dark stable. But within minutes she returned with a snow white horse. I hurried to the gate and removed the iron bars, and opened it wide. Rose hurried the horse out. I quickly closed the gate once we are out.
Out… Finally…..
"Climb on" Climbed on the horse and gave my a hand. I sat in front of her.
"Ha!" Rose kicked the horse and the horse started running like wind…. Looking back I saw a thin curl of smoke rising from the middle of Mocan palace. A huge smile spread across my face.
" Go boy…. Run as fast as you can.." I patted the horse's neck. I quickened his phase… just like he understood me.
Soon we passed the city. And the moor. And the fields…..
I'm seeing those farm houses after a long time...the difference struck me...those houses weren't thatched within years, no house were painted white, old pint were peeling off from those walls, and no yard were filled with goats and hens like it used to be. Their gardens were dried and dead...because farmers and their whole family had to work in their fields. Nobody was left to take care of those... Aro's taxes have drained those poor people. I swore, I'm going to make this right soon….
"I think they have found out you escaped by now. They will bring dogs, but nothing is faster than silver snow…. This horse belonged to your father. Do you remember?"
"Yes…." I ran my fingers through his hair. Truly, it's silver snow….
" We have passed the city border, yet we have five hours of ride. Do you need a rest Princess?"
I bend and murmured on the horse's ear
"Do you need a rest silver snow?"
Rosalie snorted.
Silver didn't slow his run. I took that as a no.
"Don't stop."
After four hours we reached a small thicket. We stopped and climbed down from the tired horse. Rosalie poured him some water, and I bent down. Started rubbing his legs from my silk handkerchief
"What the hell are you doing?" Rose barked.
"But he's tired!"
"Leave him alone before he kick you and knock all your teeth out"
Hmpf.I stood up and took the water bottle from her. I sipped some, looking at our road stretched to the horizon, though it was dark the eclipse helped us. And then I turned around to measure the way we already passed. And….
"Oh god"
"What?"
I showed her, tiny specks of light are moving on the road, far far away…. miles away… several hours apart. But yet those were moving fast.
"They are coming…."
"Come on….we have no time to waste…." Rose climbed back and dragged my on. I whispered the horse
" fast silver…..as fast as your legs can carry you."
Silver snow ran like an arrow,thickets and boulders passed us, everything was blurred. Only our road remained steady like a brown snake slithering to the horizon...Within another hour those lights faded in the dark. Silver slowed down galloping and I took the scenario surrounding us greedily.
This place was my favorite. When I visited other kingdoms with my parents they used to tell me stories about this place. A small wood stretched miles along the road. It was once a part of huge Vera wood. But some farmers who decided to build their own village had tried to cut the forest, after finding it's impossible the have abandoned it. Trees were not so thick like in Vera. and there were thousands of wild flowers, thousands of fruit trees, small ponds and a small river flowed through the wood. It was my heaven when I was a child…..
Vera wood was just miles away…..we are going to reach it in two hours.
"Rose….. will silver be safe?"
"I hope so…"
"I'm afraid" I admitted. I'm afraid of wolves, I'm afraid of dark, I'm afraid of starving, I'm afraid of thirst, I'm afraid of snakes….and spiders.
"You have me…." Rose assured. Well yes. But she was also afraid of spiders… and bugs.
It took one hour to reach the border of Vera..Vera was one huge forest, limits unknown to mankind yet. It's said that Vera stretches to the heaven itself. No living man has set his foot on the far west end, the dark wood stands still next to the mountains…people say it's haunted. And there are evil creatures in it…..no one comes out once they enter the gray mist constantly covering that wood. They call it mist of death, and that wood is called Dead child of Vera. A shiver passed through my spine.
"Are you cold Miss Bella?" Rose covered me from her tall body.
"No sister. And remember. I'm Robin, your younger brother, shut the Miss Bella out" I felt Rosalie laugh quietly.
"You cut your hair in vain. I don't think we would meet anyone in this forest! And already the noble men in the mountains know who you are….I told you not to do that." Rose said.
"Come on Rose… I wanted to make sure my plan goes without any flaw…And you know I hate hair pins..."
"I know Robin… you are one awful planner." We both laughed. Our merry laugh echoed from surrounding stone walls… we were then passing the stone wall passage, which was the border of walls of the passage looked like they are miles high… only a thin strip of light came through the crack above.
"I'm going to find Riley one day and beat him to death!" Rose seethed.
"Oh Rose…he was just scared of guard's lives…."
"Whatever! He betrayed us."
It took ten minutes to pass the stone walls the horse was not running. There was no need to hurry, our destination was close.
"Where does the trail begin? you are the leader now." I asked.
"Do you remember that huge tree next to the stone boulder we climbed once, that James tried to push you down when you refused to give him your candy?"
I laughed. Yes I remember that. He was so evil even he was just four years old.
"There a small river flows to north, which starts from the western mountains of Vera. We walk along the river bed. We must chase Silver away once we get there. Search dogs couldn't find us because we're in our new clothes. And yesterday we both used different fragranced soaps and oils. If they follow Silvers scent, they will find him alone." Rose said.
As she said, that huge stone boulder came to our view. I could hear sound of a river flowing somewhere near…..
I climbed down , Rose took her bag and threw my bag to me. I caught it and put it on my back, heavy, but I'm not That princess….
I walked to the horse, Silver made a small whimpering sound. I hope he's not afraid….
"Go Silver. Go to the east….. go slowly that they could follow you. And thank you…. You were fast, you should be named silver arrow….." I caressed his neck. He nuzzled my hand, and with one cry he turned and galloped towards east….
"How did you do that?" Rose asked me.
"Do what?"
"The horse acted like it understood you." Rose looked at me suspiciously.
"Animals understand commands"
"Not like that, you told it to go to the east, and he went east"
" I think it's instincts. He knows in north is another kingdom, and he could feel guards and dogs searching for us from south, he could smell wolves on the west, so he turned east.." I said.
"Okay….Please stop calling it him. it's a horse" Rose started walking towards the sound of our river. Which is going to be our companion for weeks…. I followed her without another word. And I could hear a howl from the depths of Vera forest…. And I quickened my steps. Soon we were drown in the gloomy night of Vera….. I wished the morning come soon…..