Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters in it.
For the longest time, I simply sat there in shock, my body frozen stiff. I tried to move, to get up and run away, but my legs wouldn't move. I remembered all too clearly the way his hands moved across me and how his dark eyes seemed to gleam in enjoyment. I had begged him to stop many times, but he took no note of it.
I let out a low groan, wrapping my arms around my knees and pulling them to my chest. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I felt numb, in an odd sort of way. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced before and I hoped I never experienced again. I shivered, and knowing that I couldn't sit there forever I started crawling, trying to find something to cover myself with. The first cloak I found was my newest one, the fur one, and with a shiver of disgust I tossed it on, standing up on wobbly knees.
My legs ached, protesting against moving as I tried to walk. They wobbled in response to my persistence, but I knew I did not have the time to stop and rest. Not unless I wanted to actually marry Charlie and have to go through that again. I shivered. He had held no sympathy for my virgin entity, and now that he had taken the innocence from me forcefully, I knew he had ceased all bonds of family between the two of us.
This entire time, I'd been trying to make him change his ways, to see what he was doing was wrong. I'd given him nearly impossible tasks in an attempt to stall for time, more time where he could realize the errors of my ways. Then when I realized he had gotten the gifts, I clung to the small hope he would change his ways before I ran away. What I hadn't known was that I had lost the fight to cure him before it even began.
I hurried out into the hallway, forcing myself to at the very least to jog. It took longer than expected, but I soon reached Gretchen's room, finding her sleeping upon her small, uncomfortable bed. I sat down on it next to it, watching her sleeping peacefully, and with a sigh of regret I placed my hands upon her shoulders, shaking her.
She awoke with a gasp, her eyes darting around the room in fear.
"Gretchen," I whispered, and immediately her eyes turned towards her, her mouth opened to say something. She abruptly snapped it shut when she saw my appearance; my practically nude form, and her eyes widened in evident horror. Her mouth fell open as she gasped, and I knew she didn't need for me to confirm what happened.
"Oh, no, no, no," she whispered, taking in my bruises. "Please, please tell me he didn't," she whispered. Her elderly face wrinkled in concern and I felt like hugging her at that moment.
"He did," I whimpered out, causing her to immediately sit up and envelope me in a hug. I didn't cry, and I didn't say anything. I knew as well as she did that she already knew the answer to that question. I was sure she knew that I knew that she knew as well.
"Gretchen, why me?" I whispered, keeping my voice low so no one overheard us. "I never did anything that bad in my life. Have I? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Oh, baby girl," she whispered. "You didn't deserve this. No one does. This is the hardest part of living in our world today – things like this do happen. And I am so, so, sorry that this happened to you." She sniffled.
"But Charlie was never, well," it pained me to say it, "insane. But now abruptly he is. Why?"
"Bella, darling, you've been so sheltered your entire life," she whispered back in response. "You wouldn't have noticed it, but indeed, this has been going on with your father for a while. Little reactions from you would send him into deep thought for the longest time, and sometimes, when you weren't spying on him," she smiled fondly at me, "he would spy on you. I would see him doing it, but I just never thought..."
She didn't complete her sentence, and I didn't pressure her. Speaking the words aloud only made it that much worse.
"I must leave," I whispered. She looked pained at my words, but she nodded her head, understanding why I had to leave. I was terrified of leaving behind everything and everyone I loved behind; my entire life. But I was even more terrified of the prospect of staying here with Charlie and allowing him to get his way. I couldn't do it.
"I understand. Go to your room; I will meet you there shortly," she assured me. I stood, wrapping the cloak tighter around myself as I felt shivers running up and down my spine. I wasn't sure if it was because I was cold or terrified.
I hurried off to my room, my small feet hitting the floor in a pattern. Left, right, left, right. I shook my head, realizing I was getting slightly dazed. I had to concentrate on getting out of here, not on how my feet hit the floor. I closed my eyes once I reached my room, throwing myself upon my bed. I did not want to see the spot where he had taken me.
I remembered how I had covered my ears and backed away, nearly tripping over my own dress. I had backed straight into the wall, possibly bruising my back. I screamed, thinking someone was behind me to help Charlie. I had turned around and backed away from the wall, only to smash straight into Charlie. I had cried and begged for him to stop, screamed for someone to save me, and yet no one came.
Perhaps no one heard me, or perhaps someone did hear me but did not care enough to help. Perhaps someone heard me, but was too frightened to try and stop him. I could understand that; he would have them killed if they tried to stop him. He was a terrible man, and I knew after tonight I could never just forgive him and move on.
Gretchen arrived a few minutes later, a big bag in her hand. She sat down on the bed next to me and stroked my hair, her gaze sympathetic. I avoided her gaze, too embarrassed, and partly ashamed to meet it.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked sweetly. "We have a bit of time before you must leave."
I just shook my head, sitting up on my bed to see whatever she had in the bag. Too talk about it, would be realizing that it had actually happened. I wasn't sure if I was quite ready to accept that. She seemed to understand once again because she nodded her head and started reaching inside the bag, pulling out blond, curly fake hair. Upon my skeptical gaze, she smiled.
"Dark hair would have made you looking too much like yourself, and red hair is too noticeable. That only left blond." I smiled; she thought ahead. I took it from her hands, trying to figure out how to put it on. She laughed at my confounded gaze as I looked at it.
"First off, you must pull up your hair," she instructed me. I did as she said, pulling it into a tight bun. She smiled. "Now, you must place it over your head like," she placed it on top of my head, "this." She began messing up the blond banana curls slightly, trying to get it to look messier. It was much longer then my real hair, which I was grateful for.
"No one will believe this!" I nearly snapped. Sure, the hair looked real enough, but my facial features were still exactly the same. She didn't get angry, seeming to understand once more that I was just nervous. I bit my lip. "My facial features are exactly the same, Gretchen. Who will believe this?" She patted my hand gently.
"You will often be covered in dirt and grime, dear. Who will be able to see your face?" She chuckled. "Come down. No one pays any attention to a peasant, anyway. Yes, people will be able to see you're beautiful, but no one will recognize you as princess. Trust me. Now, the youngest, well, physically, Cullen there, Edward, has the power to read minds. But apparently, mind powers do not work on you."
I raised my eye-brow, deciding not to question it.
"There was an entire debate about it here when a vampire visited. They were quite confused. It is a secret that you are immune, however." She laughed gently. I attempted to laugh as well, now beginning to wonder if I should be trusting Gretchen. Then again, I really had no other choice. "But anyway, you should be safe due to that. When we go to balls, King James always brings one of his men that has the power to disable others powers, and he uses it to his advantage. So, no one should notice that either the princess or... whoever you will claim to be is not affected by mind powers. However, regardless, be careful!"
I nodded my head, deciding not to comment on that. She reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of perfume.
"Use this at all times! Understand? They will recognize your scent if you do not use it. If they recognize your scent, they will know it is you and this entire plan of ours will be ruined. So always, always, always use it! Am I clear?" I just nodded along, knowing I would use it, but only to appease Gretchen.
"I understand."
"Good," she replied, smiling once more. "Now you will use this bag," she held up the ratty, old bag she had been using to hold the fake hair and wig, "to carry your stuff." I frowned but didn't say anything, knowing at this point I would do anything she said. I just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. "But first," her eyes ran along my nude form, only covered by a cloak, "let's get you dressed."
She helped me into a plain blue dress, saying I would just look like a "pretty peasant". Personally, I wasn't fond of the dress, but that could also be because I was a bit spoiled when it came towards items. It wasn't really my fault (so I thought), since I was raised to have everything and anything I wanted, and of course, I did want the prettier dresses.
"Gretchen," I whispered as she helped me into my heels. "Why do you help me so much? Surely there must be another, better reason. You are risking your own life for a girl you already know." I sniffled; the realization of what she was risking hitting me. If she was caught helping me escape, she would be killed, as would her family most likely. It would be considered a betrayal to our country; treason.
She smiled lightly, but it seemed strained. "There is no other reason, Bella. My mother -- her name was Madeline, you may or may not of heard of her, was known for doing good deeds. She knew your mother, during the war. She often helped her emotionally, which is how I came to be in the service here." She looked up at me from where she was kneeling, finishing strapping my heels. "She raised me well, Bella. She never would have let something like this happen, so neither shall I."
I didn't say anything, knowing whatever I said would probably make things even more awkward. She stood up, my heels securely on my feet. She grabbed the bag, tossing it to me and heading over towards my closet.
"I'll pick out all of the dresses you'll take with you; you get whatever else you think is necessary." She was rummaging around in my closet, so, with a shrug, I tossed the perfume into the bag, knowing I'd need to keep the wig on. I went over to my dresser, searching for smaller, tradable diamonds. Finding a case of them, I scooped them up and tossed them into the bag. Hopefully no one would ever check my bag – that would be hard to explain.
Gretchen was placing the dresses in my bag now, having chosen two plain ones and two expensive ones used for trade. She picked up two of my cloaks and tossed me the fur one, placing the cloaks in my bag. I bit my lip, noticing it was getting stuffed. I bent down onto the ground, reaching under for my doll Renee. I pulled her out, and wiping away the dust that had gathered, I placed her in the bag. Gretchen raised an eye-brow, but didn't question.
"I'll go fetch you some food to bring," she told me, leaving me all alone in the room. With a sigh, I placed my fur cloak on, bringing it up to cover myself. I did, honestly, look much different with blond hair and when I covered myself. But still, I knew my father would recognize me in a heartbeat if he saw me. I sighed, sitting down upon the bed. Gretchen arrived a few minutes later with a few rolls of bread and a package with two big things of meat. My mouth dropped open.
"How long is it to the Cullen's?" I whispered. Gretchen grimaced.
"You'll be taking a horse, so it should only last a few weeks. This reminds me; please remember to grab some horse food before you leave." She placed the food inside of my bag, but I was too busy hyperventilating to notice. A few weeks, and so little food? Surely she was jesting! Could someone truly survive just off of that? I doubted it.
"Surely you jest!" I cried out. She glanced towards me.
"No, I do not. You must ration your food incredibly carefully, Isabella. If you do need more food, trade for it, but be very wise with who you trade with." I gasped, placing my head in my hands. There was too much to remember, and too much danger. I could be caught so easily, and it would be even more terrible if Charlie knew Gretchen helped me, because then this would all be for nothing. "Calm down, child," Gretchen soothed.
"I'm scared," I muttered.
"I know," she sympathized. "It's understandable, Isabella. If I were you, I think I may have just killed myself by now!" She laughed, a smile blooming on her face. But as quickly as it appeared, it left, a frown taking its place. "But don't you dare try that." I laughed dryly, tossing myself onto my bed.
"I won't."
Before I knew it Gretchen and I were walking out of the door, her leading me towards the stables. I knew the way by myself, but I was savoring her company for as long as I could. I didn't know if we'd ever see each other. When we reached the stables, the first thing I did was throw my arms around Gretchen, hugging her as tightly as I could.
"Thank you, Gretchen," I murmured. "I am forever in your debt. Thank you so, so much." She hugged me back and kissed my cheek gently, ushering me towards a small white horse. The horse glanced towards me briefly then turned away, not caring enough to watch me. I grabbed some nearby horse food, tossing that into my bag. It just barely fit.
I hopped on top of the horse, and kicking in the back, I started off.
Days passed like this. I pushed the horse, Snow, to her limit, staying inside of the woods; the harder path towards the Cullen's. But it was that or I had to enter the open where someone might see me and recognize me. Nobody found me within those days, and I never heard any men approaching, and it made me rather nervous. I wondered if father knew if I had something planned, because it was not like him to not make a big scene.
Eventually I tired of not knowing and eaves dropped on the villagers, leaving the woods to do so. Apparently everyone was aware I was missing, well, 'kidnapped' was what they thought. However, a trail of blue feathers had been found nearing towards King James's kingdom, a false trail set most likely by Gretchen.
I silently thanked her.
Weeks soon passed, and only occasionally did I stop to get food. Nobody recognized me, thankfully. Mostly I just got food for Snow, wanting her to be full of energy so we could go faster and get towards safety. (Well, as close to safety as I was going to get, anyway.) We drank from any river we could find, and that is also where I bathed. More often than not the river was freezing.
I slept on the ground, and sometimes against trees. It was when I was sleeping against a tree that I heard the voices.
"Aww, come on now, brother! It would be fun," a loud voice boomed out. I could hear the sounds of horses against the ground, and I could picture the dirt floating around their feet. That's when I remembered I wasn't home, and that the ground here was always wet and disgusting, never dry, so it couldn't have dirt flying everywhere.
I sighed, leaning my head back against the tree. I had no idea how much longer I had until I reached the Cullen kingdom, and I was dreading every minute of the journey. I was dirty, hungry, thirsty, tired and cold. I didn't dare put on the other cloaks even though the fur one was not sufficient enough. The other cloaks shined too much and would give me away.
"No, Emmett," another musical voice snapped. I froze, recognizing that voice almost instantly. It was impossible to forget.
Edward Cullen.
"Do you hear that?" Edward suddenly murmured, and both he and Emmett came to a stop. Neither one of them moved at first, but then I heard some light shuffling. I could hear one of them pushing away the tree branches that blocked me from sight. Muffling a cry of horror, I climbed inside of a tree trunk whose bottom part had a big opening. I put the fur cloak in front of me, trying to hide my body. Hopefully, they would just assume they had heard Snow. I couldn't let them find me like this! I was a mess. They would never hire me.
But I could hear them walk straight past Snow and towards the tree trunk where I was hiding in. I heard Edward crouch down and peer inside, so I made sure to stay hidden inside of the cloak. He brought one hand out to touch my cloak, not knowing there was a girl hidden inside of it. I did my very best not to move.
"What is it?" I heard Emmett ask.
"I'm not sure," was Edward's response. "Some kind of animal. Odd fur. We have to bring this home to show Carlisle. He'll love it!" I cowered away at that, flinching away from Edward's cold, out stretched hand. "Come on now, little guy," he murmured. Little guy? How offending. Although I suppose he couldn't really know, what with me hidden. "I won't hurt you."
I didn't move, and with a sigh of regret, Edward stuck both his arms inside of the tree trunk, yanking me out by my legs. He honestly thought I was an animal I could tell; due to the fact he couldn't see me. All he could see was my cloak made of bird feathers. I cried out as he tugged me out, and he dropped me in surprise.
"What the hell?" he roared out. I could see Emmett's eyes budge when he caught sight of my dirty face, my fake, long hair spreading out on the ground. "It's a girl!" he barked. Emmett burst out laughing at that, and Edward sent him a nasty glare. "A girl human! What the hell do you think you are doing here?"
I started to cry then, seeing my job slipping away from me quicker and quicker. I would go broke and die of starvation without this job, I realized. Or, without the protection of their castle, I would be caught and sent back to my father. I started to cry harder at the thought, knowing I'd prefer death then to marry that fiend.
"Don't cry!" Emmett said helplessly, shooting a glance at Edward. Edward, who was still crouched down, sighed. He scooped me up in his arms, ignoring my shriek of surprise, and stood up, placing me upon his horse. It was a big horse and it allowed me to be both taller than Edward and Emmett. I glanced back towards Snow, who looked a bit jealous. I almost smiled.
Edward placed his hands upon my knees, his expression firm. "What are you doing here?" he demanded once more. I continued to cry, wiping furiously at my eyes with my hands.
"W-was I not allowed in here? I'm s-sorry! I had no idea it was private property!" Edward shot Emmett a glance at that. Emmett sighed and walked towards me, pushing Edward away from me.
"It's not that you're not allowed," he said as gently as his loud voice would allow him. "It's just that humans shouldn't venture back here. It's dangerous, because our family loves to go hunting back here. So don't ever come back here again, you understand?" His voice wasn't firm like Edward's, rather understanding. I nodded my head eagerly, wanting to appease him.
"What are you doing here, by the way?" Edward questioned his expression no longer firm; curious, rather.
I sniffled. "I have lost both my mother and father, and I have no where left to go. My... guardian is unable to care for me, but she said to come here to search for a job." Emmett and Edward exchanged glances again. "Oh, please my lord! Please, please, please!" I begged. "I do not wish to starve to death!"
"You're a very, very pretty girl. Even I can tell that," Emmett's eye-brows were narrowing, "you could have married well regardless. Why not go home and get married to some nice man who can support you? Sorry, it's just," now he looked uncomfortable, "we don't need any more kitchen ladies, and we don't really have any more room."
I clasped my hands together, sticking out my lower lip and widening my eyes like I usually did to get my way. "Please!" I cried out. "I do not wish to marry any of those men! They would treat me terribly! I know so. Please, do let me work here until I can find an appropriate husband."
As if that would ever actually happen.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have the room," Edward stated regretfully, and he seemed genuinely apologetic. I put me clasped hands in front of me, placing them in pleading a position.
"Oh, please, please, please! I'll wed very quickly and leave you," I promised, lying through my teeth. Emmett and Edward exchanged a glance, each of them look hesitant. There was a tense silence, in which Emmett broke.
"Tell you what," he began. "We'll bring you home to our mother, Esme, and if she likes you, she'll hire you. She's rather compassionate, so chances are you're all set and hired. However, if she doesn't hire you, you have to leave without complaint. Deal?" he smiled at. I nodded my head eagerly, causing Edward to sigh tiredly. Emmett picked up my bag for me, tossing it over his shoulder.
"You know Esme will hire her," Edward muttered darkly towards him. He smiled and shrugged, hopping onto his horse. Edward followed suit, jumping onto his own, landing straight behind. He gestured for me to scoot up and I did so, allowing him more room on his horse. "So what's your name?"
"Is-- um... well... Madeline," my voice broke. I cleared my throat, trying to look firm. "My name is Madeline. But you can call me Mimi." I would have said Gretchen, but I did not want any traces of my escape to point to Gretchen. Perhaps Madeline was not the best name to choose, but oh, well.
"You are French?" he asked, surprised. "You don't look it. Do you speak it?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. My mother simply loved the name Madeline. I wish I did speak, but I do not, my lord." Actually, I did speak French, and I spoke it well. It was something I had to learn, being a princess and such. But only nobility knew other languages from what I could tell.
"I see," he responded, frowning. "So what happened to your family, if I may ask?" I nearly snorted at that. Of course no one would stop him front asking – he was royalty.
"I am just a poor orphan," I said slowly. "Both of my parents have died, and I have no one else to care for me." That was true in a way. My mother was dead, and my father was dead to me after he decided he could take me as his own to bed and as his wife. He ceased all bonds at that moment.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." His gaze was sympathetic. "How did they die?"
I froze, struggling to think of my response to that. It took a moment to answer.
"Illness. They fell terribly ill," I told him. In a way, that was true, too. Mother got ill and died, and my father just got ill. Well, insane if you wanted to be exact.
"What did they have?" he asked, his eye-brows narrowing. I frowned. Why was he asking me all of this? Royalty was not supposed to care for those of lower status, and I don't see why he wanted to know in the first place. Curiosity, I supposed, was why he was doing this.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "The sickness was spreading around my town, and when they fell ill with it, they told me to run. I did so when they both died, so I didn't stick around to figure out what it was attacking the town." I shrugged again.
"Hm," he said sharply. I had a feeling he didn't believe me. "Well, feel free to go to sleep or... whatever you want to do. It's a long journey back." I nearly groaned, but I figured it could be worse. At least now I didn't have to steer the horse, and there was no chance of getting lost.
"Um, okay, thanks," I muttered. I wouldn't go to sleep, of course. I talked when I was sleeping, and I didn't want to accidentally confess to something that should remain a secret. I desperately hoped servants did not have to share rooms.
"No, Emmett," Edward suddenly said, and I jumped slightly. I was positive Emmett had not said anything. I glanced between the two of them, waiting for Emmett to say something else, but he didn't. Just grinned. "Be quiet, Emmett," Edward snapped. My mouth fell open. He didn't say anything!
Edward Cullen was obviously crazy.
I shuddered at the thought, remembering my father briefly. Edward glanced down towards me, noticing my shudder.
"Are you well?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord."
His lips pressed into a firm line, but he didn't say anything else. Once again, I was pretty sure he did not believe me, but also did not care enough to question me. I was rather grateful for that fact – it made this easier for me.
It took about an hour, but eventually we reached the castle. It was incredibly large, the size of my palace at home, but much prettier. It was white, with flowers in bloom all around. The scents of them nearly over-whelmed me, but it was a pleasant feeling, rather than a bad one.
"There she is, there she is!" A small girl shrieked, jumping up and down. I recognized her from the ball, although I couldn't help but wonder why she was pointing at me. It was causing a scene. Some of the gardeners paused to look at who she was pointing at, causing me to flush beat red.
The small girl ran towards me, grabbing me by my hand and yanking me down. "Hello, I'm Princess Mary Alice, but you can call me Alice! It's great to meet you, Mimi! We have your room all set and ready, but I'm afraid it isn't much. We had no other rooms left, just this small closet. But it'll work for now!" She was beaming, but my mouth had dropped open.
What the...?
"Alice, you're going to scare her away!" Emmett laughed out, causing Edward to snort. Alice ignored them, squeezing my hand tighter and dragging me away. I could only wonder how on earth she had known my 'name', and how she had known I had come here to work. And how she knew to expect me.
Did they have some way of communicating I was not aware of?
I groaned, abruptly realizing this was going to be harder than expected.
Authors Note: Right, this chapter is a bit boring. Sorry. The next chapter things will get more interesting, but these events had to happen.
