This is as soon as I could post. Sorry It took a long time. but please cut me some slack and read!
-Jordan
CHAPTER 4: I'll Miss You
Amorette had made it back to her parent's car. It'd taken her five minutes to get there since she tried not to ruin her clothes. She spotted them talking to the people selling some jewelry. They looked like they were having a good time too. She opened the door and threw her cloak in, breathing a sigh of relief that she'd gotten there fast enough. She rubbed the sweat off of her face and fixed her clothes. She leaned against the car for support when she was breathing more deeply. She put her hair back up into its high position.
"Good morning Princess Amorette." A girl about her age said as she walked by with a basket full of items.
"And to you, what's your name?" She asked.
"Sarah Kernville, it's very nice to meet you." She said, sticking her hand out to shake Amorette's.
"It's nice to meet you too, what have you been shopping for today?" Amber asked her, shaking her hand.
"Food and fabrics, I work at a dress shop. My mistress wants to make your ball gown for this Monday."
"I'm sorry, but that offer has already been filled. I'll request her for any other ball I have though." Amber said.
"Thank you. I think I made the dress you're wearing now." Sarah said and looked at the dress.
"Really?" Amber asked.
"Yes, I remember stitching that one."
"My favorite is the blue one that has the intricate design at the chest line." Amber pictured the dress in her head.
"I made that one too!" Sarah said and smiled.
"The design looks so complicated, how did you manage?" Amber asked her.
"It wasn't that hard, you just have to know how to sew first. The stitching isn't hard." She said. Amber heard her name being called behind her. She turned to find Louis searching through the crowd.
"Amber!?" He called out.
"Oh no." She said.
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
"It's just, a boy I know. He doesn't…it's complicated." She said, turning back to Sarah.
"I hope it works out, whatever it is. I have to go back to the shop. Goodbye."Sarah said with a smile. Amber waved, and squeezed her muscles together. She was hoping he wouldn't recognize her.
"Amber! Hey wait!" He said and reached for her arm. Amber turned and faced Louis with her eyes closed, hoping that when she opened them he would be gone.
"I'm so sorry Princess Amorette, I was just…" Louis trailed off and took a sharp breath in. She opened her eyes to find Louis in the middle of a bow staring up at her.
"You…Amber…Amorette…you're…" He couldn't finish his sentence.
"Shh! Louis you cannot tell anyone about this." She told him, staring back at him.
"I…you…but…" he still couldn't finish.
"Louis promise me, you can't tell anyone. Please, Louis." She begged.
"I won't. I promise, I can keep a secret." He said and bowed again.
"Philip needs some clothes for the ball, he wants to go. I was wondering if you could…spare a few. If you don't want to then that's fine but…" Louis was babbling. This was the exact reason Amber didn't want him to know.
"Stop it Louis. It's still Amber on the inside, talk to me like you would her." She said and looked at him harder.
"Sorry, could you spare some clothes?" He asked.
"I'd be honored. I'll bring you some by Monday, or I'll leave it by the shack where you were standing when you stole the money." She said and turned to see her parent's walking back with some objects.
They had a couple fabrics and some jewelry; some fish was in their basket also.
"You were right about coming to the market, Amber; it's just so amazing with all of these people." Maria said and got into the car. Mr. Frank, their driver and wife to Mrs. Frank, opened the door for her and her parents.
"They were all adoring over your mother." King Joseph said.
"I didn't see you around anyone, where were you?" Queen Maria asked.
"I was over by the dress shop; I made a friend with one of the sewers there." Amorette replied.
"That's nice; did you show her any patterns for a dress that you'd want?" Maria asked.
"No, I didn't have any."
"You were talking about wanting a dress." Maria said.
"You said Miss. Lydia was designing it." Amber said widening her eyes.
"For this ball, but you're growing. You're going to be invited to many other balls after Monday." Joseph said with hurt eyes. As much as he didn't want to let is little girl go, he had to for the kingdom.
"Alright, I guess I'll talk to her again soon." Amber replied.
A couple minutes passed in the car while her parent's discussed important matters with the food sources and such.
"We were informed of a request from England. Prince Charles is looking forward to meeting you."
Maria smiled and put her hand on Amber's knee, "He might even propose."
"What!?" Amorette almost yelled. She didn't want to get married. Not now, when she was ready...this to her was going to be a very long time.
"Don't you want to earn the throne?" Maria asked.
"Yes but not now! I'm only 16 mother; I'm not ready to be married." She said.
"I thought you'd want to be." Maria said; King Joseph was still looking out the window, avoiding the conversation until he absolutely had to interrupt.
"I want to fall in love mother, not have it arranged all for me." Amorette said. Her mind was blown away, she couldn't even think.
"Just put your best foot forward and meet him before you judge that." Joseph said and looked at her with hard eyes, he wouldn't jeopardize his relationship with England because his daughter didn't want to be married the way it's been for thousands of years. Arranged, the one word that Amber hated.
The second the gates were open Amorette wanted to get out of that car and think about things…there was only two places for her to do so. One: The music hall, though they would find her there, or two: the hideout. Which no one knew about except for Edwin.
"May I be excused?" She asked her father.
"Yes, and be sure to think about Prince Charles kindly. He might turn out to be a good husband." He said.
"Yes, Father." She replied and opened the door, pulling her cloak with her. Mr. Frank drove on.
Amorette walked past the house, where all the servants were either on the inside or the outside decorating it with new paint or drapes or anything. The trees were all decorated with candles that hadn't been lit yet and the house was shining in the sunset. Amber walked past the maid's quarter and the horse stable. She told her horse, Nellie, hello and went around the house to the back with all of the bushes. She had found the place when she was little, about six. She had gotten mad about Edwin getting to take the crown first. She had ran out into the backyard and tripped over a stone, falling into one of the bushes. Thankfully they didn't have any thorns. She lifted her head to find an oasis in the rugged rocks around it. It sunk ten feet under so if she stood in the place, no one would see her. There was a rock path that lead to the pond below, and it flowed into a pasture around the house. Bushes covered her identity and the water flowed down the opposing side of the oasis like a mini waterfall. She had told Edwin about it later and he helped her build a bridge to the opposing side, which had a little bit of land in the pond. He also built a bench in it too and would sit and talk with her sometimes.
She sat on the bench alone now and thought about everything that had happened. She needed to tell someone. No one could listen quietly, except two people. God and Edwin, which both were invisible.
"I give in." She said to the quiet sound of the water, "I'll talk to you." She said. In her mind she had stopped talking to Edwin because she knew he couldn't hear her…and that didn't last long.
"Mom's going crazy about me and my satisfaction with material things lately, and Father is bugging me about marrying Prince Charles. Do you understand this!? It's Prince Charles, from what…when I was four? He ate mud when I was with him last!" She complained, "Sorry I took your knife, but it did come in handy when those boys tried to hurt me. They're so pretentious, don't you think?"
No one answered her.
"I know you can't talk…but thanks for listening." She said. Suddenly a bright light began on show on the pond. She looked up at the parting clouds and the beams of yellow lights shining down on her. She saw Edwin faintly in the clouds and she blinked. He was still there, looking down at her; smiling.
"Edwin?" She stated and asked at the same time. Then he was gone. She shook her hand and turned back to the sky. He was there again. His eyes were deeper, lighter now. He was in white and he had grown taller. Then he was gone again, the light was dimming.
"Edwin?" This time it was a question.
"I've missed you, Amorette." She heard a voice behind her.
"Edwin!?" She exclaimed when she turned. Nothing was there, "Hello?" She asked the air.
Her eyes searched the air and moved to the bridge over the pond. The sun's rays gleamed over a shape on the bridge.
"It's you." She whispered, squinting her eyes. He was there, yet he wasn't. A gleaming shadow in the sun.
"Yes it is." He said and smiled again, "You've grown a lot since I've gone." The shadow said.
"…." She couldn't respond, the shadow was her brother…the ghost was her brother.
"Are you alright, Amber?" He asked. She was even more startled, his voice was as pure as the water in the pond. Musical and lovely, like his face gleaming.
"Why are you here? You're dead." She said when she came back into reality.
"I still am; you go to my grave and fine my bones. My spirit is visiting you. He said it was time you knew the truth." He said, looking serious.
"The truth?" She asked him.
"The truth about my death." He said and floated to the rocks above.
"Are you coming?" He asked. She was staring absentmindedly at him; amazed at his grace and image.
"Yes." She said, shaking her head.
"I wasn't in a car accident like Father said." He told her gliding across the sandy walkway.
"Then what happened, and why did father lie to me?" She asked him, he went into the brick in the clearing and stared at the fountain. They had benches on each side of it and the brick walkway lead out onto the river.
"I was kidnapped in the middle of the night by Father's friend." He said. Amorette gasped.
"Why would his friend kidnap you!?" She exclaimed.
"They had an old grudge against him. I'm glad that I died though, they were going to attack him when the kingdom needed Father most. His guards were on patrol that night no they came through my window. One of the guards found out and they carried me away…to this spot." He said slowly, pointing to the fountain.
"What happened?" Amber asked with wide eyes.
"Father and his guards ran out to kill them, but they were too late. I had no weapon so they…they…" He trailed off.
"What did they do?" Amber asked with tears in her eyes. Edwin took a long look at her and went over to the tree behind the bench. He floated above one of the benches and picked an object up, and then he let it swing down until it hit the fountain.
"A rope…" Amber said and slowly took a breath in. Her brother had been murdered…hung.
The rope swung around the fountain and was blowing in the wind, it was old and rotten. The hole in the middle peered at Amorette with unseen devil eyes.
"They hung you, Edwin." She said and the tears burst out of her like the waterfall in the oasis.
"Father saw it first; he stood there the whole night watching over me after the guard took me down." He said with hope filled eyes.
"What did it feel like?" Amber asked with a tear running down her cheek.
"It was scary. I was only thirteen then and was not as trained in hurting a man that large then too. I tried hitting him. He slapped me though; it felt like a boulder had crushed my face. I was bleeding right away. They carried me here and threw the rope over my head. I was almost into unconsciousness when they pushed my legs off the fountain."
Amber still said nothing. She hung her head low and kept shaking it…wishing this all wasn't true.
"Death was slow though…quiet…numb. It's easier than life. I remember seeing father's face though when I opened my eyes for the last time…" He trailed off.
"Did you say anything?"
"I can't remember…no, I do. My eyes were closing slowly and I whispered, "Goodbye, Amorette."
Amber's tears turned into sobs and she fell to the ground.
"I remember waking up a night before father told me about the accident. I'd heard a voice and that scared me." She said through her sobs, "It was you." She held her head in her hands for minutes.
"Why didn't Father tell me?!" Amber asked standing up in her sobs, reaching out for Edwin's arm. He wasn't there though…the ghost of a man.
"He didn't want to upset you was much as telling you this story would. He waited two days afterwards to tell you and Mother." He said, this time he reached out for Amber's hand.
"Curse this immortality." He said quietly when his hand appeared to e touching hers but they both felt nothing but the wind.
Amorette didn't say anything for a long time. She was still staring at the rope, its devil ways. The water was pouring out of her eyes in even more quantity now but she didn't feel like crying anymore. She felt as if she wanted to die too. Edwin knew what she was thinking though…another gift of immortality.
"Do not fret sister, you're life will have its good moments and bad ones. You will soon be in a good moment. Do not forget hope Amber. I'm always here; you just might not always see me." He told her and disappeared altogether.
That was the last time she heard his voice.
Amorette stared at the rope more and sat on the bench. His last words…his last testament…"Goodbye, Amorette." She thought.
"Goodbye, Edwin." She whispered into the wind as it carried her voice to heaven. She knew he could hear her. Her tears had subdued and she got up again. She walked to the fountain and looked at the rope…the blood stain from his face was still there. She slowly lifted her hand and took Edwin knife from her belt. She grabbed the rope with one hand and took a breath. She closed her eyes and felt his spirit grow in her. Her opened her eyes and cut the hole out with one swipe. She held it in her hand and lifted her head to the sky.
She carried it out onto the river and stood at the dock's end.
"Goodbye, King Edwin." She said again, nobly. The rope fell from her hands and gently splashed into the water. The current carrying it out into the soon to be ocean, and she turned from the dock, walked back to the house, and turned again.
"I'll miss you." She whispered into the sky.