Been a while? I thought so…
Enjoy!
He spun her out and wrapped his arms around her waist, gliding across the hall to the music. Mara's head was resting on his forehead, listening to his heartbeat, for some reason it soothed her. "I love you," he whispered into her hair, Mara looked up at him, and pressed her lips to his. "I'm still sorry I lied,"
"Don't be," she shook her head "I understand, completely."
"So," Jerome kissed her forehead, and then pulled away, getting down onto one knee, Mara's eyes widened "Mara, I'm completely and utterly in love with you. Will you please, please, please…marry me?" Mara stood there frozen for a moment, before her hand flew up to cover her mouth and she started crying, nodding. Jerome's relieved breath sent her heart racing a million miles per second. He engulfed her into a hug "Wonderful,"
Line Break
Mara didn't realise how it happened, but one second she was happily picking flowers in the garden, when a sudden surge of pain and weight shook her. What was she doing? Marrying a person she had met a few months before? What about her family and friends? She looked up towards the house and it looked more like a prison to her in that moment. She spotted the gate, and without even really thinking about it, the weight on her shoulders…Mara ran. Out of the gate and down the dirt road.
Jerome watched, his hands behind his back like the overseer of the entire world. He watched her leave and his face was expressionless, almost as if he had expected it. But that didn't mean it pained him any less. He knew, he knew as soon as she had said yes it was too good to be true. She was too good and too kind to marry without telling her family, or at least seeing them again. And that's when Jerome fell weak, would he see her again?
Line Break
As soon as she was back in the village, it was a tremendous relief. She looked around and her eyes landed on Jake. He set down his bucket of water and his smile was so wide she was happy to be back, ecstatic, and she wondered to herself as she ran to him, how could she have left this? She jumped into his arms and he spun her around "Mara!" he cried into her ear "I thought you were gone, I thought you were…" he shook his head, kissing her shoulder. Mara pulled with a smile
"Jake," she sighed, hugging him again, he hugged her back and they stood like that for a while. Just embracing each other. "I'm so sorry, I've been…staying with a friend, who was very ill," the lie came naturally and she feared Jerome might have been rubbing off on her
"You should have told me," he whispered into her hair, pulling back "Do you know how worried I was- Mara…I was searching for you for days on end," his voice broke and suddenly Mara saw the dark rings under his eyes. What had she done?
"You looked for me?"
"Everywhere, all over the forest, the entire village, I've been sleeping outside your house, waiting for you to come home," his face was so innocent and breathtaking in that moment that Mara couldn't think of anything else. The gesture was so grand
"I didn't realise you cared so much," she admitted. Jake smiled at her, drawing her in for another hug.
Line Break
"I'm really sorry," Alfie whispered. Jerome was crying, quite openly. He had gone through the house, closing all the curtains and the windows, all except from Mara's room, which he left untouched. Jerome closed the thick curtains and the room was in total darkness, apart from the two lit candles on the far side "I really thought she was going to be the one for you,"
Jerome said nothing, sitting back in the chair that he use to practically live on. He leaned back and he realised, Mara wasn't coming back. "I love her, Alfie."
Alfie sighed, tilting his head back, colder now without the rays of sunshine "I…I wish I could do something,"
"No, Alfie," Jerome sighed "You've done way too much for me already. That enchantress knew what she was going. She…I…When she cursed me…it was for the rest of my life." And not for the first time in his life a rush of frustration buzzed through him and he clenched both his fists, whacking the arms of the soft chair "I wish I'd let her stay! Damn it!" he clutched his hands in his hair, hiding his face from the non-seeing eyes and felt so utterly lost.
Line Break
Mara lay in her bed, looking up at her ceiling…but it wasn't…her ceiling. Her ceiling had a chandelier hanging from it, with paintings of clouds in the corners. Her heart ached, a similar feeling to the one she'd had whilst in the garden. She wouldn't be happy at either place. They were two different extremes. She pulled the covers back and pulled on her white cloak, it was made of cloak, and did nothing much to protect her from the fierce winds. Jake was asleep in her front room, not wanting to leave her alone. She wandered what he'd do if he found her gone.
She braved the night, and headed over to the bird house. Lifting the wooden latch, she crept down the hay covered corridor, until she came to a cage right at that back. Her favourite bird, Dilly. She pulled it out of its cage, and attached the message she'd written to it's foot. Taking it outside, she realised it. Dilly was a clever bird, and would find her way.
Line Break
The next day seemed worse. Jerome was in the north tower, no mirror, just him. His face was sunken and he was tired. He had heard her voice throughout the night, calling his name and it was haunting him. She had been gone less than a day and here he was, literally dying without her. He leaned far out the window, to look down the dirt path hee had last seen her. But there was nothing there. He jumped back when a white bird was suddenly in his face. He frowned at it, as it sat quite peacefully on his ledge, chirping away. That was when he noticed the note on it's right leg.
Carefully, he untied the string, and opened the note.
Dearest Jerome,
I love you, more than you will ever know. But I can't live in that castle with you, I'm not your princess, I'm a maiden who belongs in the village with her friends. You are the prince who lives in the castle. I'm sorry, about everything. Please, don't come to the village, I won't be there.
I love you so much,
Mara
X
The first thing Jerome did was run downstairs, pulling on a cloak, and after fastening it, he realised he didn't need it anymore. But he kept it on, straddling a horse and galloping towards the village at full speed.
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