(A/N-I know that it has been quite a long time since I've updated, and I'm very sorry, but I've had many issues in my personal life as well as a broken laptop, so I hope that you will all understand. Anyway, enjoy the update and let me know what you all think and what you'd all like to see in the future!)
I awoke to a gloomy day. Clouds completely covering the blue sky I so longed for. I sighed, deciding to remain in bed for a while longer. I begrudgingly stirred a few moments later to a knock on my door. I opened to find our cook holding a tray of my breakfast.
"I noticed that you weren't coming down, so I thought you might like to eat in your own quarters." She told me, holding the tray out to me.
"Thank you very much, that was very thoughtful of you." I took the tray from her, giving her a genuine smile as she left. She very well may be my favorite person in this house, as she is the only one that I can truly trust and who is honest, unlike my father.
I ate my food by my window, staring out into the courtyard where it began to rain. Pity, I was actually hoping for Elijah to visit me today. I finished my breakfast quickly after that, dressing in a long royal blue dress and black boots, finishing with a black jacket and hat. I was going to go into the woods, so I could be outside without getting wet, as the dense cover of the trees will keep me mostly dry.
I snuck outside, not wanting father to catch me and send me back up to my room. As I reached the mouth of the woods, I heard a carriage pull into the drive. I hid behind a large tree, peeking out to see who had arrived. To my surprise and delight, it was Elijah. He stiffened for a moment before turning and staring me down. I giggled, turning to run deeper into the trees. I heard the carriage leave, then light footsteps running over the gravel.
The footsteps silenced as I assumed he reached the trees and was now stepping over the slightly damp leaves. I wove in between trees, trying to lose his chase. I giggled again, knowing that he was still chasing me but trying to be quiet. I sped up, turning to race across the actual path onto the other side of the forest.
"I will catch you!" I heard Elijah shout from behind me. I laughed, ducking into a large knot of tree roots that were above the ground. I quieted my breathing, peeking through the small gaps in the wood. I saw Elijah standing with his back to my hiding spot, looking around. I silently emerged from my spot, tapping him on the shoulder. He whipped around, smiling largely as he saw me. He grabbed me, holding me close to him.
"I told you that I would catch you," I moved from his arms, walking back towards the path.
"So, what ae you doing here?" I questioned, my eyes moving to his as he caught up with me.
"I just wanted to see you. I see you're wearing the necklace I bought you." I looked down, seeing the heavy moonstone around my neck.
"Oh, yes. I didn't even realize that I had put it on." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, failing to remember putting the necklace on. Elijah lifted my chin, his eyes meeting mine, growing serious.
"Please let me court you. I want nothing more in my life than to be with you." I took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. I searched them for any sign of dishonesty, finding none.
"I will," I paused, seeing his eyes light up with happiness, "On one condition. I need to know why you referred to me as your soulmate."
"As you wish," he said, leading me to a bench along the path. "But please, promise me that you won't be frightened." I nodded, allowing him to take my hands in his own. He began to tell me the story of his life, and how his mother changed him and his siblings into the vampires that they are now. "So you see, my brother and I came here when a witch told us that I would find true happiness. So we did, and I found you. You were walking around the market, and stopped at a stall that was selling books. You looked so peaceful as you paged through the books, choosing a few that you seemed drawn to. You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and when I heard of your party, I knew I had to come and meet you."
I sat in silence, absorbing everything that he told me from start to finish. My face hardened as I realized that he was still playing with my mind, trying to make me fall into bed with him.
"Bella? Is everything okay?" I removed my hands from his, standing up from the bench.
"I am so sick of you playing these mind games with me. Your story is so obviously a lie that you must think I'm stupid." A tear rolled down my cheek as I turned from him, walking back to my home down the path.
"Wait! Bella please!" I ignored his calls, more beginning to cry harder as I continued walking from him. "I can prove to you that I'm not lying! I swear it!" I stopped, spinning on my heel to face him. His face fell as he saw my tears, looking panicked as I took another step back. "Promise me you won't run if I show you." I nodded, eyes widening. "No, you have to promise."
"I promise," I practically whispered, taking a few steps over to him. He closed the gap between us, taking my hands in his.
"Please remember how much you mean to me," before I could ask him what he meant by that, his face began to transform. Dark veins protruded under his eyes, his incisors elongating as his mouth turned up in a sneer. I gasped, reaching out to feel his face. He stayed like that for a while before transforming back into his usual face. I hugged him, holding him as close as possible.
"I'm sorry that I didn't believe you." He wrapped his arms around me, laying my head on his chest. We held each other for a long time, far after the rain had stopped.
"Are you still allowing me to court you?"
"Of course Elijah. I believe you about me being your soulmate now, so there is no reason not to court each other." I could practically feel the smile that graced his face. "You know," I said, pulling away from him, "I should really be heading back. My father must be worried about me."
"Oh, did he not tell you? Niklaus took him on a trip to the ocean so that I could spend the day with you without his watchful eye." I smiled, happy that I could spend my time without worrying about his urge to wed me to man I didn't know well enough.
"That's perfect! Come on, I'd like to show you something back at the house." I grabbed his hand, leading him out of the woods. He smiled, happily following me. As we reached the end of the path, he scooped me up in his arms, racing towards the house. I laughed, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders. He stopped in the parlor, setting me down in an armchair. I straightened my skirts, standing and leading him to my private library.
I went to a bookshelf, pulling out a very worn copy of my favorite book. I took a deep breath before turning, setting the book lightly in Elijah's hands.
"This is the most important thing in my life. I've had it since our housekeeper taught me to read against my father's wishes. Please read it, but take care of it." He pulled me into him, kissing my forehead.
"Thank you for trusting me with this, Isabella. It means an incredible amount." We spent the rest of the day sharing stories of our lives, growing closer as the day went on. He described all of his siblings to me, and I told him of my late mother. After roughly four hours together, he had to leave when he knew my father was coming home.
"Goodbye, dear Isabella. I will be back tomorrow, if you'll allow me." He kissed my hand, opening the door to leave.
"Of course I wish you back tomorrow. Goodnight, Elijah, I will see you tomorrow." He smiled, hugging me one final time before running off into the evening.
A few minutes later, I heard my father's carriage pull into the drive. I sucked in a deep breath before brushing off by jacket, taking off my hat and fluffing my hair, as my father disapproves of me wearing hats indoors. I cinched my jacket up over my collarbone, not wanting my appearance to be studied and criticized. The door opened, my father instantly complaining about dinner not being entirely ready. Trying to distract him from yelling at the housekeeper, I spoke up.
"How was your day, father?" He whipped around, face softening as he saw me.
"It was very nice, Sir Niklaus took me to the ocean to speak about his business. But of course, you'd know nothing of business so I won't speak of that in detail." I restrained myself from rolling my eyes, tightening my mouth into a straight line. Just then, the dinner bell was rung. We entered the dining room, sitting across the table from one another. We ate in an uncomfortable silence, his comment still bothering me.
I dismissed myself, going up to ready myself for bed. I didn't want to trouble out housekeeper, so I ran outside to gather the water for my bath myself. I soaked for a while, getting out only when the water became uncomfortably cold. I dressed for bed, climbing into my four poster and dragging the sheer, gauzy curtain around the perimeter of the bed.