"You're telling me you went back in time? That's absurd, Bella."
Layton laid the back of his hand on Isabella's forehead, searching for a
fever. "You certainly hit your head very hard."
"I'm telling the truth, Layton," she cried. "I swear it, on Jack's grave, I do."
"I know you think that's what happened, Bella, but in your state hallucinations do happen."
"You sound like Challenger. Why can't you believe in the magic of the Plateau? You of all people should understand that."
Layton sighed, pulling his long legs under him into a cross legged position. "I'm not even going to pretend to understand my mother and Jane. But time travel? That's crazy."
"But it happened, I swear! And it was amazing, seeing my parents. They were so happy together. Like before, when we were little."
His blue eyes glanced upward, watching her rise and begin to pace. His smile was soft and almost sympathizing. "You always want things to be like they were. Things just can't go back."
She glanced back at him, her gray eyes gentle with appreciation. "Are you always this brutally honest?"
Layton nodded.
Isabella sighed. "Well thank you. You keep me in perspective. So, Father really postponed the wedding?"
"Yes, when he found out you split on the morning of his wedding, he wouldn't go through with it until you were found."
"I assumed he wouldn't care and just keep going. I bet Gabrielle isn't happy."
"No, not really. I'd avoid her if I were you." He looked away, trying to spend as little time as possible on their morbid secret.
"Don't worry, Layton. I'll be fine." It was a lie, they both knew it, but neither addressed it.
Layton unfolded his legs and stood, brushing his hands on his khaki pants and reaching for the tether of his horse which stood tied to the fence post.
"Come on, Isabella, let's go home." He offered her his hand and helped her on to the horse before swinging himself on with her.
"Do we have to?"
"Yes, I'm afraid we do. My mom is worried sick about you, as is Professor Challenger. And Jane's been a wreck."
"And Finn?"
He kicked the horse's sides lightly to get him started and steered him out of the clearing. "She is helping your dad look for you."
"And you get the glory of finding me," Isabella laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the plateau sun, and didn't see his face blush scarlet.
~ ~ ~
"Sir, the sentries reported seeing Layton and Isabella approaching the city from the south. They'll be here soon."
John Roxton hid his relief and nodded his thanks.
"I told you Layton would find her. He always has. They've got a connection," his old friend Ned Malone told him, seated in a chair at the end of a long table with a glass of water. "Are you going to go meet them? Or wait for her to come crawling back to you apologetically?"
"That'll never happen," Roxton half-laughed. "It's not in her nature. She doesn't apologize."
"Reminds me of some other people I know. Like her parents." Lord Roxton didn't reply, seating himself on the other end of the table.
"Challenger is almost finished with our way home."
"Isabella won't leave while there is a possibility her mother is still on the plateau."
"She won't? Or you won't?"
Before Roxton could answer, the door to the parlor swung open.
"Your runaway has returned," Gabrielle commented, sweeping into the room with Layton, and Isabella in tow. She immediately took her place at Roxton's side and Isabella looked away in disgust.
"Layton, let's go, your mother has dinner on the table," Ned said, rising from the table.
"Yes, sir."
His gaze fell to Isabella and lingered slightly longer than a friendly glance. He whispered "Good luck" and was gone. She felt oddly alone.
"Gabrielle, my daughter and I have much to talk about, so we'll have dinner alone tonight. The dining room is set for you and Nathan."
The woman opened her mouth to object, but instead glared at Bella and then left, but not without kissing John first.
"Edythe, dinner for the Lady and I?"
The maid nodded, "Yes, M'Lord," and then hurried to the kitchen.
Isabella sat uncomfortably at the other end of the table.
"You are angry."
"I was worried," he corrected.
"And now you're angry."
"Now I'm still worried, Isabella. I know you don't want me to marry Gabrielle and you want everything to go back to the way it was, but it can't."
"That's what Layton said," she said quietly, looking down at the hands folded in her lap.
"He's a smart boy. What worries me is the fact you would leave everyone you love just to prove a point."
"I thought it was the other way around," Bella mumbled under her breath.
"What?"
"The people I love did more leaving than I ever have. And mine was never permanent," she clarified.
Roxton looked at his jaded young daughter in a new light, then. He saw how broken and fragile she really was. At that moment, their food was brought in and saved Roxton from responding.
"So, Bella. what have you been up to for the past few days?" he asked to break the tension enveloping the room.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Isabella blushed into her soup as she, lady-like, raised the spoon to her lips.
"Where did Layton find you?" he tried again.
"The old tree house," she answered without looking up.
John nearly dropped his spoon, but regained his composure.
"Is that where you spent the time?"
"More or less," Isabella said truthfully. "Really, Father, I'm not all that hungry and I'm feeling very grimy. If I could be excused?"
John gave a puzzled nod; Isabella was never "not hungry". She was pulling a classic Marguerite move. He could only imagine where she'd learned it.
~ ~ ~
"Lady Roxton, you have a message from the Zanga village," Henry told her, knocking lightly on her bedroom door.
"Come in, Henry," Isabella sighed, a tired smile on her face.
He smiled and nodded. The butler handed her a neatly folded piece of paper.
"Do you need anything, Lady Isabella?"
"No, I'm okay, thank you. If Layton comes, send him in."
Henry patted her on the back. "It's good to have you back, M'Lady." With that, he took his leave.
Isabella opened the paper and looked it over. It was in Henry's neat script, which meant a Zanga messenger had come with a verbal message just for her, but found her not her. Good Henry must've thought it was important to copy it down.
"Bella-sa." It started. She immediately knew it was from Cobi or Assai, because they were the only two who called her that. It was the Zanga word for "Wind child" and had been her nickname for as long as she could remember.
She continued to read:
"We've found her, come quickly. We're doing our best to detain her, but we down know how much longer we can. Assai & Cobi"
Bella dropped the note and forgot to breathe for a moment.
The door swung open unannounced. It was Gabrielle and she was mighty mad.
"You! How dare you?"
Isabella backed up as Gabrielle approached her. Crack. Thud. A small yelp.
"My wedding! All my plans! You just had to run, had to bring it all crashing down!"
"He's still to marry you," Isabella wept, "I couldn't change that."
She was kicked and heard her knee pop. Her tears poured faster, harder, backed by all of the pain and betrayal.
"He is rethinking his decision! He is no longer sure."
"Because he remembers whom he truly loves," she croaked, trying to weakly shake her curls out of her face. Bella braced herself and was hit again.
"Mind you mouth."
"He loves my mother! Always has and he always will!" she cried, regain courage. "Now get out of my room."
Gabrielle raised her hand to strike again but was stayed by a little boy's voice.
"Bella! You're back!"
Nathan ran in and tried to hug Isabella, but stopped short, seeing her bloody and weak on top of a broken table.
"Mama? Bella? What happened?"
"Nothing," Gabrielle said too quickly.
"I'll go get Uncle John," he said nervously.
Gabrielle grabbed his arm and shook him violently. "You'll do no such thing. You'll keep this to yourself!"
Nathan's baby blues widened in shock and fear as he let out a small yelp. "Mama! You're hurting me!"
But Gabrielle's grip only got tighter and the boy began to squirm. Isabella couldn't stand to watch another child be tortured the way she was. Gathering all her energy and leaning heavily on her right leg, she did something for the first time in her life; she hit Gabrielle back.
"I'm telling the truth, Layton," she cried. "I swear it, on Jack's grave, I do."
"I know you think that's what happened, Bella, but in your state hallucinations do happen."
"You sound like Challenger. Why can't you believe in the magic of the Plateau? You of all people should understand that."
Layton sighed, pulling his long legs under him into a cross legged position. "I'm not even going to pretend to understand my mother and Jane. But time travel? That's crazy."
"But it happened, I swear! And it was amazing, seeing my parents. They were so happy together. Like before, when we were little."
His blue eyes glanced upward, watching her rise and begin to pace. His smile was soft and almost sympathizing. "You always want things to be like they were. Things just can't go back."
She glanced back at him, her gray eyes gentle with appreciation. "Are you always this brutally honest?"
Layton nodded.
Isabella sighed. "Well thank you. You keep me in perspective. So, Father really postponed the wedding?"
"Yes, when he found out you split on the morning of his wedding, he wouldn't go through with it until you were found."
"I assumed he wouldn't care and just keep going. I bet Gabrielle isn't happy."
"No, not really. I'd avoid her if I were you." He looked away, trying to spend as little time as possible on their morbid secret.
"Don't worry, Layton. I'll be fine." It was a lie, they both knew it, but neither addressed it.
Layton unfolded his legs and stood, brushing his hands on his khaki pants and reaching for the tether of his horse which stood tied to the fence post.
"Come on, Isabella, let's go home." He offered her his hand and helped her on to the horse before swinging himself on with her.
"Do we have to?"
"Yes, I'm afraid we do. My mom is worried sick about you, as is Professor Challenger. And Jane's been a wreck."
"And Finn?"
He kicked the horse's sides lightly to get him started and steered him out of the clearing. "She is helping your dad look for you."
"And you get the glory of finding me," Isabella laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the plateau sun, and didn't see his face blush scarlet.
~ ~ ~
"Sir, the sentries reported seeing Layton and Isabella approaching the city from the south. They'll be here soon."
John Roxton hid his relief and nodded his thanks.
"I told you Layton would find her. He always has. They've got a connection," his old friend Ned Malone told him, seated in a chair at the end of a long table with a glass of water. "Are you going to go meet them? Or wait for her to come crawling back to you apologetically?"
"That'll never happen," Roxton half-laughed. "It's not in her nature. She doesn't apologize."
"Reminds me of some other people I know. Like her parents." Lord Roxton didn't reply, seating himself on the other end of the table.
"Challenger is almost finished with our way home."
"Isabella won't leave while there is a possibility her mother is still on the plateau."
"She won't? Or you won't?"
Before Roxton could answer, the door to the parlor swung open.
"Your runaway has returned," Gabrielle commented, sweeping into the room with Layton, and Isabella in tow. She immediately took her place at Roxton's side and Isabella looked away in disgust.
"Layton, let's go, your mother has dinner on the table," Ned said, rising from the table.
"Yes, sir."
His gaze fell to Isabella and lingered slightly longer than a friendly glance. He whispered "Good luck" and was gone. She felt oddly alone.
"Gabrielle, my daughter and I have much to talk about, so we'll have dinner alone tonight. The dining room is set for you and Nathan."
The woman opened her mouth to object, but instead glared at Bella and then left, but not without kissing John first.
"Edythe, dinner for the Lady and I?"
The maid nodded, "Yes, M'Lord," and then hurried to the kitchen.
Isabella sat uncomfortably at the other end of the table.
"You are angry."
"I was worried," he corrected.
"And now you're angry."
"Now I'm still worried, Isabella. I know you don't want me to marry Gabrielle and you want everything to go back to the way it was, but it can't."
"That's what Layton said," she said quietly, looking down at the hands folded in her lap.
"He's a smart boy. What worries me is the fact you would leave everyone you love just to prove a point."
"I thought it was the other way around," Bella mumbled under her breath.
"What?"
"The people I love did more leaving than I ever have. And mine was never permanent," she clarified.
Roxton looked at his jaded young daughter in a new light, then. He saw how broken and fragile she really was. At that moment, their food was brought in and saved Roxton from responding.
"So, Bella. what have you been up to for the past few days?" he asked to break the tension enveloping the room.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Isabella blushed into her soup as she, lady-like, raised the spoon to her lips.
"Where did Layton find you?" he tried again.
"The old tree house," she answered without looking up.
John nearly dropped his spoon, but regained his composure.
"Is that where you spent the time?"
"More or less," Isabella said truthfully. "Really, Father, I'm not all that hungry and I'm feeling very grimy. If I could be excused?"
John gave a puzzled nod; Isabella was never "not hungry". She was pulling a classic Marguerite move. He could only imagine where she'd learned it.
~ ~ ~
"Lady Roxton, you have a message from the Zanga village," Henry told her, knocking lightly on her bedroom door.
"Come in, Henry," Isabella sighed, a tired smile on her face.
He smiled and nodded. The butler handed her a neatly folded piece of paper.
"Do you need anything, Lady Isabella?"
"No, I'm okay, thank you. If Layton comes, send him in."
Henry patted her on the back. "It's good to have you back, M'Lady." With that, he took his leave.
Isabella opened the paper and looked it over. It was in Henry's neat script, which meant a Zanga messenger had come with a verbal message just for her, but found her not her. Good Henry must've thought it was important to copy it down.
"Bella-sa." It started. She immediately knew it was from Cobi or Assai, because they were the only two who called her that. It was the Zanga word for "Wind child" and had been her nickname for as long as she could remember.
She continued to read:
"We've found her, come quickly. We're doing our best to detain her, but we down know how much longer we can. Assai & Cobi"
Bella dropped the note and forgot to breathe for a moment.
The door swung open unannounced. It was Gabrielle and she was mighty mad.
"You! How dare you?"
Isabella backed up as Gabrielle approached her. Crack. Thud. A small yelp.
"My wedding! All my plans! You just had to run, had to bring it all crashing down!"
"He's still to marry you," Isabella wept, "I couldn't change that."
She was kicked and heard her knee pop. Her tears poured faster, harder, backed by all of the pain and betrayal.
"He is rethinking his decision! He is no longer sure."
"Because he remembers whom he truly loves," she croaked, trying to weakly shake her curls out of her face. Bella braced herself and was hit again.
"Mind you mouth."
"He loves my mother! Always has and he always will!" she cried, regain courage. "Now get out of my room."
Gabrielle raised her hand to strike again but was stayed by a little boy's voice.
"Bella! You're back!"
Nathan ran in and tried to hug Isabella, but stopped short, seeing her bloody and weak on top of a broken table.
"Mama? Bella? What happened?"
"Nothing," Gabrielle said too quickly.
"I'll go get Uncle John," he said nervously.
Gabrielle grabbed his arm and shook him violently. "You'll do no such thing. You'll keep this to yourself!"
Nathan's baby blues widened in shock and fear as he let out a small yelp. "Mama! You're hurting me!"
But Gabrielle's grip only got tighter and the boy began to squirm. Isabella couldn't stand to watch another child be tortured the way she was. Gathering all her energy and leaning heavily on her right leg, she did something for the first time in her life; she hit Gabrielle back.
