I knocked on Mrs. Cope's office and she shouted for me to come in. I entered to find her polishing her desk. I stood by the entrance and waited until she stopped.
'What are you doing here, child? Don't you have to be somewhere?' she scolded. I swallowed my sarcastic reply and calmed my nerves.
'I'd like to swap jobs if you please,' I asked politely. Mrs Cope glared daggers at me.
'What job do you have today?' she asked.
'Prince…Edward's room, miss.'
'Do you know how many girls would kill to work there?'
'Yes but I am not one of them. I would like to give one of them a chance.'
'Pray tell, what is your name?'
'Bella Swan, Ma'am.' Mrs. Cope shook her head and barked a laugh.
'Absolutely not, I got a raise because of your excellent services in his room. Now go and do your work to a much finer standard and I may give you a day off and a rise in pay,' Mrs Cope told me hoping I would be swayed. Knowing I would not win.
'Fine, miss,' I said resigned. She smiled brightly at me and patted my shoulder as she came to leave for her own rooms. I followed her out and she locked the door behind her.
I dragged myself up to his room and pulled out the mop and bucket. I walked to his room slowly and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Suddenly I remembered Emmett saying he was away on business. I almost squealed for joy. I skipped in and filled my bucket up with the water from his tub.
The work wasn't too bad once I had that revelation. I missed him like I would miss my head but I sang to get the thoughts out of my head. I had often been complimented on my uniqueness of tone and beautiful soprano voice. I had always blushed at those comments. He had once called me his songbird, that had me redder than a ripe tomato. I sighed at the memory and began to sing a sad song about a girl trapped in a dungeon. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realise someone had come in. I jumped when I saw them. I hurried to hide my face.
'You have a beautiful voice, very much alike my old friend's. You know she has the same name as you,' he said. I nodded unwilling to speak. He carried on:
'By the way, Bella or is it Marie, thank you for the dresses. The scent was…agonisingly astoundingly lovely. It brought back such happy memories that I wish I could dispel from my mind. You have a staff meeting in five minutes.'
I left without looking him in the eye and headed quickly down to the maid's quarters.
I found all my fellow maid's milling around the square, I quickly found Angela and stood by her. Mrs Cope stood on the platform. She called us to attention.
'I have here the people who are entitled to a day off. First of all, our mighty Prince Edward, heir to the throne, is supervising this session, so please express your gratitude for his grant of a day off for three chosen maids,' Mrs Cope announced. We all curtseyed. He nodded and went back to surveying the scene for someone in particular. I hoped it wasn't me but the nagging voice in my head knew it was. Mrs. Cope spoke again.
'The three maids chosen to have this evening and tomorrow off are Keira Lampshells, Natalie Clarke and Bella Swan.'
I headed over to the doors as I felt his eyes shooting over us all looking for me it seemed. I was almost out unnoticed when I heard him announce the meeting was over and then I heard rushing footsteps that didn't sound like a maid's. I ran to my room and was congratulated by Angela and given evil glares from Jessica and Lauren. I grabbed my bag, my pouch of money, a shawl and a couple of other bits and pieces. I ran out to the gardens and sat on one of my favourite benches. I could see the sun setting.
Twilight. My favourite time of day.
I stood up and wrapped the shawl around my shoulders a little tighter and I placed the bag strap over my shoulder. I walked towards the stepped gardens that went down in stages towards the bottom of the green valley. I sat on the top most step on the stages near to the freesias and violets. I watched the mystical colours of the sunset for a long time. It took ages for the sun to set over Dii Greci. I heard voices as I sat there in silence.
'Oh come on, Alice, who else has the name Bella Swan?' his voice floated with a skilled ice skater over the wind to my ears. I shivered.
'Edward, you are completely delusional. You really need to see someone, Jasper is trained. Talk to him. I can't talk to you while you are in this state. It is rather upsetting, I'm going back to my room,' Alice's soft pixie voice skimmed over the sunset and right to me. I heard footsteps alerting me that Alice had left him alone. I got up and walked towards the forest. The breeze was cool and calming. I was suddenly glad to have all this time to myself, even if I had absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go, but I did need to think and this was the perfect opportunity.
'Hey! Stop, wait up,' his shout shook me and I turned to see him walking towards me. I gasped and ran at full speed to the safety of the forest's trees. I could hear him shouting after me and running full pelt. I knew he would catch up with me, arrest me and throw me to the ghastly executioners. I was deathly afraid and decided to lose him in the trees. I knew the forests well but in my years back in my own kingdom of pure hell, the forest had become overgrown. Thorns ripped at my dress and caught on my legs. I bit my lips to dull my cries. I felt trees throwing their limbs at me in an attempt to slow me down and trip me up but I ignored the lashing pains and carried on regardless. I ran until it became too dark to see. I could feel thin stinging trickles of blood dripping down my lashed legs.
'Bella!' his anguished cry echoed through the trees. I sobbed, the pain in voice evident still made him sound like a chorus of angels. I broke down and fell amongst the fallen leaves and sticks. I curled up and cried. I cried for every memory good or bad I'd ever had. His shouts became quieter as I cried silently. He was becoming more distant but my heart reached out towards him, it wanted me to run to him and envelope myself in his warm safe arms. I protested against it. My head warned me to run and find a safe place to hide, my heart was being overruled. I was glad.
Soon I found the strength to get up. I wandered in the dark until I found a tree that felt familiar, don't ask me why the trees were familiar to me but I'd spent a lot of time in the forest whilst I had been staying in the kingdom last time. I found the lowered limbs of the tree and climbed to the top of the main trunk. I found the hole in the hollowed out top and slipped into it. I wrapped my thin shawl tightly around me; the cold wind was biting and frozen as it swept through the darkened forest trees. The darkness was horribly inviting and I wanted to keep watch out but tiredness dragged over me. I felt safer up here, safer from him, safer from beasts of the night, safer than day.
'Bella!' his loud pained cry was the last thing I heard before the heavy cloud of lethargy overcame me.
(AN: I was going to end it here)
I awoke as the sun pierced through the thickened layer of leafy treetops. I pulled myself out of my sleepy hollow and clambered down to the ground. I could see in the bright morning sun that my skirt was ripped and torn. Dry blood ran in trails down my legs and with the movement my legs ached. Bruises were imminent on my legs and arms too. I groaned, I had the day off but he would probably be looking out for me. I pulled my comb out of my bag and set to work removing the twigs, leaves and knots that were in my hair after my run last night.
After a long time my hair was silky smooth again. I tried to fix my skirt as much as I could but to my utter dismay it was impossible. I arranged it so I looked as presentable as possible and began to amble through the wooded forest slowly, trying to avoid all the logs that would have tripped me over otherwise.
While I walked I had a lot of time to think as I had travelled far into the forests to escape him and almost certain death. There was a time when I could not have managed all this time without him but I was a stronger young woman now. I had experienced far too much since I'd been thrown out. I was a criminal over in this kingdom. I had felt that I was ready to see them when I had run away from my own kingdom. I was a refugee but I was a wanted criminal too. I hadn't been back to this country in years, five long years. I'd been in love and that had been taken from me by family of all people. I groaned in frustration, why couldn't I have spoken with them civilly but now they had captured my best friend while she was injured and were alerted of my presence in the castle. Now they are after me. Would the pure torture never end?
Five years ago I had been a happy carefree young lady, now I was a criminal, escapee, refugee and full of worries. It wasn't fair. I had been tortured, punished, slapped, punched, hit, spat at, hung, whipped, stabbed and burned and still much more. Although nothing had hurt as much as being taken from him. That was only a little of my torment over the past years but I had managed to pull through and escape with the help of my best friend, Lilia.
It must have been Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie who alerted them to my presence. No one knew I had been here before, well Angela may have had a small inkling but no more that that. I stepped over a large fallen tree and could almost see the edge of town through the trees. I grinned; my memory hadn't been harmed in any way. I carried on walking trying to not think of my fate if I were to get caught by either this kingdom's soldiers or my own one. Life was so unfair to some people.
The sounds increased as I neared the busy streets. I could feel the heat of the blazing midday sun as I stood amongst the crowds. It must have been market day. I remembered this town well as this was where Charlie and I had stayed when we hadn't been working. I stepped into one of the side streets and walked in the direction on my old house. I preferred the quieter shady streets as they held so much character of times gone by. I used to sit for hours by my bedroom window, studying and sketching the gothic style of the opposite houses. Architecture has always amazed me but I had never the heart or body to pursue. It was a man's job.
I found my house easily in front of the cloisters of the kingdom cathedral. Another feature I spent a lot of time looking at and drawing. I stood outside the front of my previous house and gazed upon it.
The beams had been cleaned up and polished. They gleamed in the soft sunlight that seeped through the shadows from the behind the cathedral. The roof had been re-thatched and the straw smelt cleaner. The windows looked clean too. When Charlie and I had lived there, a thin layer of dust covered almost everything. I walked up closer to the beloved building and gazed through the window. I saw a woman around ten years older than me standing by the stove heating the water with a baby on her hip. A young girl of about five ran across the room, screaming, chased by what seemed like her older brother, he looked about eight and was trying to be a lion. I laughed at the pleasurable sight. It pleased me that it had become a loved family home. It was what the place deserved after mine and Charlie's uncaring approach. I hadn't even stayed there much after I met him. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realise that the door had opened and the woman was looking at me.
'Hello dear,' she said very kindly.
'Oh goodness, I'm terribly sorry but staring,' I apologised, mortified.
'Nonsense, you seemed lost in your thoughts. But tell me child, what is troubling you?'
'I…I have so much on my mind. I'm so lost in my tortured world.' I told her. She patted my shoulder and steered me towards the house with the baby still on her hip.
'Come in and have some tea,' she invited me. I agreed and soon we were talking.
'My name is Elizabeth Masen and pray tell what's yours?' the woman, Elizabeth asked.
'My name is Isabella Swan but I prefer to be called Bella. Awfully pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm sorry for the intrusion,' I added. Elizabeth looked tearful all of a sudden. I must have upset her and tried to make amends.
'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. I should go,' I got up to leave when Elizabeth embraced me, tears rolling down her cheeks in torrents.
'My dear Bella,' she kept repeating. 'So long, so long.' After a few minutes, I pulled away.
'I don't understand,' I said slowly. Elizabeth smiled a watery smile. She looked so familiar all of a sudden.
'Bella, my child. Do not worry yourself but do what you need. I'd like it if you visited often. You could meet my adopted children,' she said, putting a strain on the word 'adopted'. I smiled at her, trying to get her drift but failing. After a few more minutes of talking, I left happy and satisfied. I had agreed to come and visit often. I walked down an alleyway to get back to the main street. The market had finished while I'd been in Elizabeth's house but there will still lots of people milling around and chatting while others packed up and others still had started their evening of drinking! I walked towards the way back to the castle at the end of the street. The sun was still shining, it wasn't terribly strong but it was warm.
I approached a bread stall that had a couple of rolls still for sale. I hadn't eaten at all, so I pulled out my purse to buy one when I heard a shout.
'BELLA!' I stifled a scream and ran. He'd found me, I had no idea how. Must have been spies, I thought as I ran back down the main street. I shot right down a side street into the road where the cathedral was. I ran past it and turned back onto the main road. I was almost out of sight when four muscular men stood in my path, beer tankards in hand. One of them, who had a scraggly beard, grabbed my wrists in one hand and held them tightly.
'Let me go,' I screamed. I struggled but another of the men covered my mouth with his hand. I wriggled and tried to escape but it was impossible. I relaxed.
'Thank god on high,' a familiar voice called out. I began to struggle again. I couldn't go to prison and be executed. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I struggled.
'Thank you, here is your pay,' he handed the men four gold coins each. For my capture, a voice in my head hissed. The men let go of me but I was too exhausted to run like all my body told me to. Instead I fell towards him, I knew he would step to the side and let me fall into a heap on the floor and treat me like the criminal he thought I was, but instead he caught me and held me closely. I wanted to escape and be far away but his warmth and scent intoxicated me. I breathed him in as he embraced me. I was surprised to hear muffled sobs as he held me. He buried his face in my hair and I let him, naturally as before.
It seemed as if I was having an out of body experience in the moments that followed. I felt my body fall limp, he checked that I was still breathing and kissed my forehead tenderly. He cradled me and carried me to his horse and laid me on the saddle while he mounted. Then he took me back to the castle. I thought I'd be thrown in the dungeon instantly to wait for a trial but instead he personally carried me up to the Royal rooms. Many guards offered to carry me but he persisted and refused to let a single one of them touch me. He laid me on his bed in his room, where I passed out completely.
Sheesh, I'm so sorry for not updating, I went on holiday. Short notice but I's sooo sorry.
I hope the chapter made up for it.
Lots of love
Beth 'Tired, Bored' Cullen
Xx
PS. I might write an epilogue. Would you like that or not??
PPS. Thank you for telling me what music you like. I like rock and metal if you wanted to know. I am also going to a rock/metal festival in June called the Download Festival, it is going to be MASSIVE.
PPPS. Please check out my blog: bethcullen (dot) blogspot (dot) com
PPPPS. Love you all PLEASE REVIEW.