Hello there! I've finally completed the next chapter! I'm going to be starting tenth grade tomorrow, so I promise to do my very best to keep working on this aside from my school work. This chapter is very long! ^_^ I hope you enjoy! - Sketchypheebs
"What is your name?" Lizzie still attempted to maintain her stare at the ground as they trudged across the uneven and unfamiliar soil path. Did that boy ever talk? 'Mother would have shouted some sense into him by now,' She thought, half grudgingly.
One quite annoying thing that Lizzie had already noticed in the mere minutes she had known this person is that he really did take his own sweet time to answer a question. Did nothing else matter? Did he think he was the boss of everyone? Lizzie hoped that she would not have to spend a great deal more time with this fellow.
"The name's Nicholas. My parents call me Nick, but I don't particularly like that name, so yes, I go by Nicholas." His answer was rather lacking in tone, something that bothered Lizzie immensely. Throughout her life as the big talker that she was, she had come to believe that one should always be sincere while speaking. It would serve to make a good impression on the persons listening. Though she was thoroughly displeased by Nicholas's manners, Lizzie knew that it would probably not be the greatest idea to turn her rescuer further against her. Attempting to keep up the conversation, Lizzie tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed.
"Well then Nicholas, I am glad to make your acquaintance. I apologize for the state you have found me in, I am quite aware that this is quite improper of me." Nicholas looked back, with a slight squint in his eyes.
"Girly, do I look like I give a damn about propriety? 'Cuz I can assure you, that's not exactly my people's top priority."
"Who are your people, Nicholas? Where are you even taking me?" Lizzie felt a pang of frustration when Nicholas silently refused to answer the question. How was she supposed to have confidence in this boy when she was being led through a forest she had never seen or heard of before, over perilous terrain?
Nicholas sighed and looked over his shoulder once more before answering.
"You won't have heard of us, Elizabeth. We keep ourselves under tight wraps. Not even the queen knows that we're here. We don't have a name for ourselves; never really needed one I suppose. We have a settlement 'bout 200 meters from here." As he spoke, they approached a rather high embankment. "Alright Elizabeth, we're going to need to climb up to get to the main road." Noticing her overwhelmed expression, Nicholas added, "Don't worry. I'll give you a hand up. But I can't promise anything great for your shoes." He took hold of a large root in the cliff face, pulled himself up, and found a foothold in another. "Okay, follow me. Don't be afraid, this is an easy climb." He reached the top, swinging his leg over the edge to find himself on sold ground.
Lizzie shook a bit, but followed. As her new protector had hinted, the condition of her shoes deteriorated fast. As she found a foothold on a rather precariously placed stone, she heard a small snap. She looked down to see the heel of her white silk-covered shoe fall to the ground, landing in the soft soil below. Lizzie growled quietly. She had rather liked those shoes.
'No Lizzie, don't get distracted,' She thought. She thought of the consequences of a fall. Though Lizzie had never been the most Athletically oriented person, she had always been forced by her mother to partake in physical training along with her fencing lessons. The problem was, she had always been so fragile. In her tiny body it was far too easy to sprain an ankle from a shoe with a ridiculously high heel, or to bruise rather horrifically due to a short fall down the stairs. She estimated from another glance down that this cliff might not be as small as she thought. Or maybe it was just all in her head.
'It's just one branch after another. Grasp, step, grasp, step.'
Nicholas did come off as a rather difficult person. "Oh come on, Elizabeth. We don't have all day! I'm going to get a good scolding from father for being this late, yes I am!"
With a final huff and pull, Elizabeth swung her body over the edge of the cliff. When she got up, she was startled by her instability that may have been best attributed to the loss of the three-inch heel on her right shoe. Nicholas smirked a bit, looking at what a mess this girl had become in such a short time.
"You best take both your shoes off, Elizabeth. I don't think your shoes are in any sort of working condition." He assessed her clothing as well. "Yes, I think we're gonna need to get you some new garments. Those look positively dreadful." Lizzie flushed in offense for a moment, but realized Nicholas was right. What had once been a simple blue dress was now a tattered and dirt-stained rag.
"Well, I agree but perhaps we could discuss this when we reach civilization?"
"Yes, well there it is." Nicholas pointed through a patch of tall grass. I chimney could be seen emitting dark smoke. A horse whinnied somewhere nearby. Nicholas and Lizzie made their way through the grass with Lizzie nervously swatting away the tiny insects landing on her. Nicholas looked back to see her struggling against her tiny enemies as they swarmed around her. "You're going to have to get used to the mosquitoes if you're going to stick around here. I think that perfume smells a tad bit too sweet to keep the little buggers away."
"Really? How do the mosquitoes survive up here? Mother taught me in a lesson a few weeks ago that insects like Mosquitoes thrive best in moist environments, around lakes for example. I haven't seen a drop of still water since I stepped in that wretched rain puddle."
"Well," Nicholas Replied, "We aren't sure ourselves how they make it up here in such high numbers. It's just something we've had to accept over the years. Actually, I think at this point the horses are more bothered by the little pests than anyone here is." He absently clawed lightly at a small red bump on the back of his neck. "Look, we're just about to get into town. I have a feeling dad's gonna be looking for me, so I should probably warn you that when he finds us there's going to be a lot of noise."
Lizzie nodded. She pushed one more wall of grass aside and her eyes widened slightly at what she saw. A cobblestone street ran across their path, lined thickly with brick houses with curtains in the windows. A carriage ran by, pulled by a large horse, probably a Clydesdale if Lizzie remembered correctly. Women in plainclothes walked together, talking and laughing while children played in the street. A little boy caught Lizzie's eye. She looked intently at his black hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a blue jacket that went with his hair in a way that was simply adorable. But Lizzie was not reminded of a good person. A resemblance of Ciel Phantomhive did not bring the same happiness that it once might have. Breaking away from her imagination, Lizzie nodded at Nicholas's gesture to follow. They stepped out of the grass forest and began walking down the cobbled road that led deeper into this place.
There was a thick, musty smell of fertilizer drifting through the air, but Lizzie wasn't repulsed by the odor. In fact, as she breathed in the clean air, she remembered a time from her past.
She was out in the riding ring with the horse her father had given her as a gift. The Arabian was named Garnet and had been important to Lizzie. She learned to properly ride a horse on Garnet. She would ride with her father, over the trails of her the Middleford estate. She remembered the smooth canter she held with Garnet, which she knew added to her teacher's pride. She could hear his voice echoing over the sound of hoofs colliding with firm trail. 'That's wonderful, Lizzie! Just keep in that two point, you're doing splendidly!' Her short ringlets bounced lightly as the seven year-old Lizzie savored the feeling of wind in her face and the slight burn in her thighs that told her she was becoming stronger. Lizzie smiled in glee, enjoying every second of her first successful canter with her beloved Garnet. But that was a story from long ago. Lizzie brought herself out of her bittersweet reminiscence, putting her attention back into the introduction of this strange town.
"-And those are the stables over there," Said Nicholas as he pointed to a wooden building with bales of bright yellow hay lining the walls. "Oh, and that's the library. It's not much, but you might be able to find a book that suits your fancy while you're here. Father tells me most of them were written by our people so you won't have heard of them before." Lizzie nodded. She was half smiling as her newfound friend continued. "We're just coming up to the center of town now," Nicholas said as they turned a corner. "Father works here, so brace yourself." Right on cue, a booming voice sounded moments after the two had rounded the corner. Lizzie was quite startled. Nicholas did not even seem to be phased.
"Well, look who it is! It took you long enough to go to the bloody orchard, didn't it?" There was a slight silence as a considerably tall man approached, staring daggers at Nicholas who was rolling his eyes. That didn't seem to deter this man though. "And what is this! Where the bloody hell are the apples, boy? I told you to go pick enough apples to restock my damn stock!" He gestured to a cart behind him, which held a variety of fruits. Melons, cherries, lemons, oranges and grapes were all arranged neatly on display. To any other person, it was an ordinary vendor, no different from the rest. But in Lizzie's mind, it was different. He mouth watered as she eyed the glistening delicacies. Having not eaten in over twenty-four hours, Lizzie was ravenous.
"Dad, give it a rest! I didn't go to the orchard 'cause I came across this girl on the way!" Nicholas gestured to Lizzie who was still staring in the direction of food. Having been wrapped up in the scolding of his son, the huge man looked surprised when his eyes fell on Lizzie. He grabbed his son's arm, pulling him aside, away from Lizzie's deaf ears.
"Who in lord's name is that?" The man might have been angry, but the sudden appearance of a visitor was a rather new experience on his part, given his obviously sedentary life.
"I found her, dad. She was lost, wandering through the woods, yes she was. Says she ran away from home! Not sure I believe her though, 'cause when I found her, she looked like some sort of princess! Her name's Elizabeth, but she didn't tell me more than that. Says she's from London."
The man stood up straight, scratching his course black beard. This girl was a mess if he had ever seen one. What had she been doing? Her clothing looked like it had once been elaborate, but the dress looked nearly beyond repair. "Jesus, son! What did you have her do? She looks like she's been through a hurricane!"
"Dad, she says she's been wandering for days; hasn't been eating properly. Also, she's a rather clumsy thing. Scaling the cliff wasn't easy for her, no it wasn't." Nicholas watched his father carefully as he waited for a reply. All he got was a rather annoyed growl. Nicholas spoke up immediately. "Dad, I know you don't like outsiders but I think it's only fair we give her a place to stay while she sorts herself out. We don't know for sure who she is but she obviously needs someone to look out for her. Nicholas looked back at Lizzie, noticing the fixation she had with a particular Orange that sat at the top of the cart's heap. Without asking first, he called over to Lizzie. "Hey Elizabeth! Go ahead, take the orange, you're gonna need it!" Lizzie didn't waste any time in attacking the ripe fruit, peeling it in record time. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she bit into the juicy flesh.
"Did I say you could do that, boy?" Nicholas winced in anger as his father's rough hand grasped his arm, shaking him slightly.
"No, but she needed food and I gave it to her." He wrenched his arm away from his father. "I'm taking her home now. She's got a nasty cut on her leg, don't think she even knows." He turned away, swiftly walking away from his father, regarding the smoldering glare that followed him. He reached Elizabeth who was still enjoying her orange. He put his hand on her shoulder.
"Come on Elizabeth, you better rest up."
She looked up at Nicholas looking rather dazed. "Oh- yes, alright." She began to walk away from Nicholas.
"Hey," Nicholas called after her.
"What is it?" She asked dreamily.
"Our house is this way." He ran up to spin Lizzie around and began to pull her in the right direction. "You need some proper food." He frowned when he noticed that Lizzie was clinging onto his arm as they walked. "What's the matter?" Nicholas's eyes narrowed when an angry thought overtook his mind. "What, is this town too poor for you? Is it too dirty or smelly or do the people disgust you?" He regretted his words right after they left his mouth. But her didn't receive the angry reaction he was expecting. Lizzie still clung tightly to his arm, staring into the distance.
"No-" She began. She took a deep breath and focused on Nicholas as best as her tired eyes would allow. "No, Nicholas. This place is none of those things." She spoke quietly and plainly. "I'm just asking for your help if you can give it. I promise not to complain."
Nicholas was rather taken aback by Lizzie's calm response. He kept silent as he continued down the strangely quiet street. "It's usually noisier around here-" Me mused. "Eh, whatever. We're home." The two approached a small stone house. Nicholas turned the knob of the simple wooden door and opened it. The hinges creaked slightly as the door swung back.
Nicholas sighed as Lizzie kneeled down and began to weep. Apparently the type of girl he knew was coming back. Nicholas walked to the small dining table and picked up an empty glass, filled it with water and brought it back to where Lizzie sat weeping.
"Here, drink this." He handed to water to Lizzie. She stopped crying and took a dainty sip of the water. A moment passed and then Lizzie threw her head back and downed the rest much faster. She gasped as she brought the empty glass away from her lips.
"Thank you." Lizzie took a deep breath trying to think of something to say. She dried her tears with her torn sleeve. She looked at Nicholas, now curious. "Nicholas, why are you being so generous? Your father clearly doesn't approve of the idea of me staying with you and-" Nicholas cut her off.
"My dad doesn't make the decisions around here. He's too much of an airhead to dictate anything important. Even he knows that. He usually leaves these things to me. He's only bothered by you because we haven't had an outsider come into town, well, since it was built. He'll come around, yes he will." He sat next to Lizzie, rather uncomfortable. Little did she know that this was his first experience with interacting with a person of his own age. He crossed his arms tightly across his chest. "Right, well you might want to sit somewhere more comfortable, so why don't you take the couch there? I think you'll end up sleeping there anyway."
Lizzie got up and surprised Nicholas with a hug. "I can't tell you how grateful I am, Nicholas. I don't know how I will repay your generosity-"
"Oh, stop already!" Nicholas spun Lizzie around and gave her a little shove toward the couch. That was all the help she needed to collapse completely onto the course fabric that resembled burlap. The springs were worn and the fabric itched; yet Lizzie had fallen asleep before she had the chance to notice.
Nicholas turned and made for his room. His father would throw a fit if Nicholas didn't complete his homework on time.