Disclaimer: My stuff belongs to me, the world belongs to Gail Carson Levine
Chapter 9
It was a long, boring solid week before I was able to work again. Who knew that I would miss work so much?
There was just nothing to do but limp around the house scrounging for food and to talk to the random animals who walked inside. But to be honest, I was beginning to miss people who would talk back to me.
Which was strange considering how much I disliked people back at the palace. . .
But I suppose Mistress Sharia was able to get me to come out of my shell.
And that cute little Craw boy helped as well. I had never really hung around children after I grew out of childhood, so it was nice to be around one for once. He was just as mischievous as I was in my youth.
Mr. Craw was great too, he was just so easy to get along with, and anytime I had a problem he would help me out with a big ol' grin on his face.
It was strange how they liked me. I had never really been liked for myself before... except for Darius, I suppose.
As I fed the pigs I thought of him and his handsome brown eyes, hair, and skin. Had he ever really said he liked me? Or loved me?
Well, I thought with a shameless grin plastered on my muddy face, he did kiss me rather nicely.
"Why do ya have a stupid grin on your face gurl?" someone asked from behind me.
I wanted to groan but I held it in, and turned to look at Mrs. Craw who glowered at me, "No reason, I was just thinking about someone from back home."
She glowered at me some more, "Well no daydreamin' allowed here missy!" She grabbed the bucket roughly from my hands and began to mutter about idiot blonde girls.
I just rolled my eyes and headed to the kitchen for lunch. Sharia was already setting me up with some vegetables and fruits on my plate with eggs. For some reason the idea of eating eggs didn't bother me as much as eating fish or any other meat. I suppose it was because I couldn't see the eyes.
While the rest of the Craw family was eating their lunch out in the little "dining" room, if you could even call it that, Sharia and I always ate in the kitchen, mostly for privacy reasons. It was one of the only times we could talk to one another about stuff from back home. One would think that we would be able to talk back at our little cottage but we are usually to exhausted by the time we get back home and we just eat a quick dinner and go right to sleep.
"It's been four months that we have lived here, Ari-Dodie," Sharia said quickly just in case the Craws could overhear us at all.
I shrugged, I already knew this, I had been counting down since we got here, "I know.... are they closer to catching the villainess who did this to me?" I asked as I spread some butter over a biscuit.
Sharia shook her head, "From my spells I believe whoever did this to you is still out there... and I don't think your parents are doing that great of a job looking for the person."
I narrowed my eyes, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that they are trying very hard, but from what I can tell, they haven't even found a clue..." Sharia said worriedly.
I stared down at my food. "Does this mean... I am going to be stuck working here... forever?" I asked quietly. I couldn't abide the thought.
Sharia looked at me, her hair looking even more frazzled, "I hope not Miss, I truly hope not."
"I wish I would just get pinpricked by that stupid thing," I muttered carelessly, "then whoever my 'true love' is will save me or whatnot."
Sharia looked grim, "Not necessarily. I'm sure that the villains who did this to you will make it impossible for Orlando to save you."
I rolled my eyes and began stuffing a watermelon in my mouth. Who said it had to be Prince Orlando to save me? I wanted to ask. Darius was more of a likely candidate in my eyes considering he had already kissed me. But I felt like that it wasn't any business of Sharia who kissed me. It would be embarrassing to tell her anyway. More embarrassing than telling my real mother, oddly enough.
I gave Sharia a scouring glance. She didn't look much older than I, but of course she was a fairy, so that meant nothing. But I was beginning to feel like she had a more motherly instinct towards me than my real mother.
Well, I thought to myself as I ate a slice of tomato, she is my fairy godmother. It would only make sense if she had motherly feelings towards me. The word mother is in the word godmother, after all.
Sharia, after a few moments of silence gave me an exasperated look. "Don't you want to know what I think the villains will do to make it impossible for Orlando to save you?" she asked quietly.
I shrugged, "I suppose that would be interesting to know." I didn't really care to be honest, I wasn't planning on getting pricked by a spinning wheel at any point in my life. I would just wait for the villains to be defeated.
"I think that they will have humongous guard of sorts, or as well as other magical things protecting, like thorns or something... and maybe they will even send their own Prince Charming to kiss you instead of Orlando..." Sharia said, lost in thought.
"I thought only your true love could wake you up from something like that?" I asked.
She shook her head wildly, "Nope, it doesn't matter who kisses you. Although, according to recent research that some of my fairy friends have been doing, the release of the spell is more powerful if it is your true love."
I gave her a puzzling look, "So there is such a thing as true love."
Sharia shrugged once again, "I've never personally seen it, but some other fairies I know have. It's a very rare gift, and most of you humans take it for granted."
"Oh." I didn't know what else to say, so the rest of our lunch passed in quiet until Mrs. Craw came into the kitchen fifteen minutes later yelling at me to get back to work.
Prince Orlando's POV
It had been about two months since I wanted to charge off and save Arianna.
I don't what I was thinking before... I was just being so rash and unlike myself. Usually I am the cool headed brother who comes up with a plan and Alaric is the one who rushes into things.
But weirdly enough, we've switched places. I'm antsy to save her still, and Alaric is all calm, cool, and collected about the matter.
But it isn't his fiance after all, so he should be. If it was Beauty's life on the line, I'm sure he would be losing his hair over it, and I would be the one coming up with the brilliant plan.
I sighed as I looked to him as he ate his dinner with pregnant Beauty next to him. Instead of me or even Beauty coming up with the amazing plan, he did.
Beauty is too much of an influence on him, I growled as I ate some of my flounder.
I can't believe he thought of sending some of our royal scouts to look for Arianna. They would find her, or at the very least, the people who were doing this to her, or maybe even the awful spinning wheel that would be causing her to fall into an endless sleep.
Though, as I looked down at my half-empty plate, I had to doubt that this would work. Only Sharia knew where Arianna was, and that was because she hid them both very well.
Not even the King and Queen of Bezidel knew where their daughter was in their kingdom.
Where is she?
Darius' POV
Where is she?
I scowled at my reflection in the mirror. I hadn't shaved in weeks due to searching for the silly girl.
I just knew she wouldn't go to Granat without some parade or something, so she must've ran away. With Sharia, which was probably the strangest thing. I know they were close, in Arianna's standards of the word close, anyway, but why didn't she pick me to run away with.
It would have made everything so much easier.
Arianna's POV
I hate being stuck in this cottage during a rainstorm.
Actually being stuck in this dingy cottage sucks no matter what.
But right now the only person I can talk to happens to be a fairy who is in a bad temper.
Although at dinner time she usually sings and dances around, the only thing she is doing now is glowering outside the window.
"I think someone is looking for you," she said grimly, "I just can't tell who."
My heart rose, maybe Darius is! I felt like singing but I kept it to myself. But as I went over to the window to join her, I tripped and fell down.
Sharia rolled her eyes at me, and helped me, "Sometimes Arianna I swear you have the vision of a centaur."
I gave her a look, "What does that mean?"
"It means your vision is fuzzy," she said coolly as she examined the rain.
I felt like I should protest more but I just humphed away and sat down at our table.
She stared out the window for another fifteen minutes before I interrupted her thought process, "Sharia, we've been here for about five months now, almost half a year... when will I go home?"
Sharia gave me a troubled glance, "I don't know," she admitted. She turned back to stare at the rain, "If it is your mother and father, or Orlando looking for you right now, you might be able to go home soon, but if it is the other side..." her voice broke, "well you might have to work for the Craw's forever."
The words felt like a slap. But my royal training kicked in and stopped me from crying.
I didn't even know why I wanted to cry. I just didn't want to be here anymore. I missed the Royal Forest, my Governess, my Father.
I missed my mother even. I had never liked her, but I missed her and her stupid rants on peasants that were inaccurate. I missed her.
I even missed the slippery tongue of Sir Montague who would sneak an insult into a compliment.
But I really missed Darius. His knowledge of horses, the fact that he kissed me, I just missed him.
Then Orlando's face popped into my head, and I wanted to give him a weak smile. I even missed the Prince of Granat... how sad was this becoming?
Sharia could tell I was upset, so she kissed the top of my head like a mother would and sent me to bed.
I had nightmares for the first time in a long time.
What they were about I couldn't tell you in the morning.
I just remembered the chill of fear as I awoke with a note on the door telling me to collect some wood for our cottage today, written in Sharia's hand. It was my day off, I remembered.
(A/N) The next chapter is the beginning of one of the smaller climax in this story. And it's already written =D
So tell me if you want me to upload it right away, or wait a week. Please review!
I hope you liked this latest chapter.
