Thank you to everyone is still with me.. I've been busy but here is chapter 4. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Chapter 4
BPOV
The words that left his mouth, echoed around in my head over and over. They registered but the meaning escaped me. He was calling me daughter, but why? I had not moved an inch, though Renee had move from behind me and now in my line of sight, but I could not make eye contact with her, so I stared at the wall in front of me.
"Isabella?" My neck snapped in her direction so quickly, I heard the popping of my bones. My eyes bore into hers as I searched for some sort of conformation that he was lying to me. But all I saw was shame.
"You lied to me." My voice was flat, lifeless; it resembled how I felt at the moment. She knew all this time, and never told me.
"Bella, I wanted to tell you, but the time never felt right, I never meant to lie but now that you know I hope you will get to know your father a little more." Her shy suggestion was insulting. Eighteen years I grew up thinking I had no father, when all along he was alive, married another woman and cared nothing about me.
"Why? Why would I wish to get to know him? I have no father, I never had one when I needed him most. So tell me mother why do I need one now?" The level of my voice had not risen, but the anger was there.
"Isabella, when I found out I was carrying you, your father wanted us to become married, but it just was not might to be." It did not escape me that she kept calling him my father.
"It does not matter what happened, but that the truth was hidden from me for years. And what do you want from me good king?" I turned my attention to him. "Do you wish to get to know your long lost child? Do you want to hear stories of my humble upbringing?" Moving across the floor I got close enough so both of them could hear me.
"I want nothing to do with you. I was hidden, a secret for eighteen years, well I wish to remain as that." I stepped back and looked around for the coat I was wearing, then I realised I had never taken it off. Slowly raising the hood of the coat and tucking in my curly locks, I walked to the door that we entered through.
"I wish to go home." That was the last thing I said to them both, as they stood still behind me for what seemed like hours. Finally I heard the door behind me open and Bree was beckoned. When she finally reached me I could see sleep lines on her face. I wished I could fall asleep and dream this all away.
Walking through the dark hallways once again, I kept my head down. I did not wish to take in anything else of this night. I wanted to lie down and hopefully with the setting of the moon, my problems would disappear as well.
Once I entered the carriage, I watched the servant's exit for any sign of my mother, but when the driver exited and closed the carriage door, I knew what choice she had made. She chose him over me, the man who left her, over the daughter who loved her. The sting of tears settling in my eyes made the pain ever so real.
The ride from was much quicker and before long I was settled in my bed. The quiet of the house made me nervous, as the events of the night weighed on me. I had a father, who knew about me, my mother had showed her true colours tonight and the worst of it all I was alone. But I resolved that no matter what, I would stand firm in my decision. With this thought firmly planted in my mind, I fell into a deep slumber.
The next morning, saw me rising early. I did all the chores as quickly as I could, and ate a simple breakfast of fruits and cold meat. Sitting in the armchair facing the door, I read for a while, as I waited for something. Waited for the other shoe to drop in a sense, waited for the moment my mother would walk through that door and we would carry on as usual.
But after my midday meal, the feeling of anticipation gave way to dread, as I paced the area in front of our small fireplace. How could she do this to me? She chose him over me? How could she leave me alone to deal with this?
I fell to my knees as my breathing increased. Tears fell freely and I did nothing to stop them, as I realised how truly alone I was. As the loud sobs continued to rock through my body, a loud knock rattling the door, cause me to stop mid sob. Had a neighbour heard me? Suddenly I was up off the floor and cleaning my face in my skirt.
"I'll be there in a minute." I called out. Once I was in control of my body, I slowly approached the door. Grabbing the handle, I pulled the door open just a bit, so I could peep out. A messenger stood outside, his back was to me as he observed his surroundings.
Yanking the door open completely, I addressed him. "Good day. How may I help you?" He spun around and smiled wide.
"Is'Bella Swan?" His accent was heavy, and I could tell he was from a few villages over.
"Yes am she." Nodding he reached into his bag and pulled out a letter for me. "Good day Miss".
And with that he turned and ran off. I looked on as he slowly ran out of my line of sight, before I pushed the door close. The front of the letter had my name written in a lovely hand writing I had never seen before. Turning it over, I dropped the letter. Pushed into the wax that closed the envelope itself was the royal seal.
Falling back I landed in Renee's rocking chair. What else would they have to say to me? I didn't know if I wanted to hear anything else from them. Pushing off, I rocked slowly as I tried to calm myself down. My breathing slowed after a while and my body felt limp, before I knew it I was drifting off to sleep.
A while later, I awoke with a start, as I looked around, the colours of the setting sun peeped through the windows of the house. The cold winds of the night were beginning to pick up and I needed to start a fire. Once it was warm enough, my stomach rumbled loudly, and I made a quick supper. With nothing else to do, I decided to prepare for bed. Dressed in my sleeping gown, I went to stir the dying fire.
Padding barefoot back to my room, my feet stepped on something, looking down I saw it was the letter. Sighing I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, contemplating whether to read it or not. Even though I knew did not owe them anything, my curiosity got the best of me.
Slipping into bed, I pulled apart the seal, taking out the delicate looking paper. The script was elegantly written and I knew my mother did not write this. It was long but now I wanted to know what it said.
Dear Isabella,
I know should have written this letter years ago. I should have known not to spring such a thing upon you. So for being completely wrong in my approach and for how I handled the past eighteen years, I deeply and humbling apologize and seek your forgiveness.
When I met your mother, she was twenty-four and I thirty-five. I knew it was wrong to pursue her, but I could not help myself. It was at love at first sight, and I had to have her, and I did. We spent the next four years in a secret relationship. I spent all my free time with her and three years into our relationship, we found out she was carrying my first and only child, she was carrying you.
That day you were born, I hid in the back room of her cottage as some local village women tended to you and your mother. The moment you entered this world, I knew I would never love another as I love you. Isabella what you do not know is that I have not seen you for seventeen years, not eighteen. I spent the first year of your life with you. You were my shining light, my joy, my everything.
But our happiness was cut short upon the deaths of my father, and older brother. With their deaths, I became the heir to the kingdom and I was bent on making your mother my wife and queen. But sometimes we do not get what we want. My brother was betrothed to the princess of Spain and her father demanded that to keep ties with Spain, I had to marry her instead.
Your mother was destroyed when I told her, but she was strong. The day of my marriage to Queen Sofia, was the hardest day I would have to endure. That day I lost Renee and I lost you. During the first year of my marriage, I found out that the queen could have no children, and though I should have been upset, I was happy because I knew one day, I would have you back in my life Bella.
I know now that my approach was wrong, but I wish to have another chance, even if I can only tell you the full story in person. If you wish to, please send word with the messenger and I will arrange for you to be brought here. Isabella, please consider my words.
Charles.
He signed just his name, maybe he did not know who he was to me, not my father, not my king. I read his words over, and while they sounded true and he sounded repentant, I was still unsure. Folding back the letter, I place it into the drawer next to me along with the envelope.
His words circled around in my head, some of them making me feel things I was not sure if I should feel, others made feel anger towards the both of them. My decision was firm, no matter how honest his words seemed, I would not be swayed. I would stay away.
It has been four days since that dreadful night, three days since that first letter and every day they keep coming. The next day after the first letter arrived, the messenger returned to receive my message. I had none and so another letter was given to me. He would return and if I had nothing to tell him, I would receive a letter.
I noted the tone of them, and they all seemed to be of an asking tone. He wished for me to reconsider, she wished I would forgive, I wished for them to leave me alone.
Three knocks shook the door right on time. Opening the door, I greeted the messenger as he place the letter in my hand and bid me a good day. He never asked any questions and I never gave any explanations. I was tempted to just throw it into the fire but as usual my curiosity got the best of me.
Flipping over the letter I saw it was her handwriting and a loud sigh fell from my lips. Her letters were met with more dislike than his, he would plead his case, and she would try to make me see things their way.
My eyes floated over the words as I realised that her tone had changed. Gone was the slight air of pleading, now it was almost a demand. I knew my mother and she loves to have things go her way, and it would not be long before the tone of his letters change as well.
Throwing the letter into the fire, I watched as the flames licked at it and then engulfed it. This described my life completely; they were all trying to force me, into doing what they wanted, and once I gave up, they would consume me. The only one, who seemed to understand that this was overwhelming for me, was the king, but I had a hard time believing him.
Turning away from the fire, I went about my day.
It has been six days since that night and the letters have gone from pleads to request to full demands. I know it will only be a matter of time before I am forcibly brought to them. Yesterday the usual messenger, bid me farewell for the last time, he would no longer be delivering my letters.
My time was short and I needed to decide what my next step would be. If I stayed here, one of two things would happen, I will be either taken to the castle or the next letter delivered would be a personal delivery. I couldn't let either of the two happen. I had to leave.
With two hours till day break, I began to put my plan into action. I could not travel alone; I would become a target and would be dead or worst in a matter of days. I needed to go where I knew I would be safe.
A random thought popped into my head and as I finished packing the last of my things, I left my home for what may be the last time.
The days had moved so fast and the wind had become colder, making me pull my coat closer. With my head down, I quickly made my way across town and upon reaching my destination; I quickly pounded on the door without hesitation.
I could see a light peeping from under the door and as the light grew neared it got brighter. Finally I could hear the rattling of the handle as the door was pulled open slightly.
"Who goes there?" I small call came and I raised my head, allowing my hood to fall back.
"Isabella!"
Wow! So some things I kinda want to make known if people don't already know. Now that we have met Charles, I hope everybody understands that Bella is bi-racial, black mother, white father. I am trying to get some photos done of Bella to help as a visual. Also I dislike 'whiny Bella', either she's crying or fainting all the time. So where do you think Bella went? I hope everyone loves the chapter. I did enjoy writing it. Thanks for reading.
Cheltivia.