Chapter 2
I had to go. I could not stay where I was. I had to leave. Immediately.
I ran. I did not know where I was going, but I wanted to be there as soon as possible. Whatever was out there had to be better then what I would stay to.
I took an un-beaten path through the woods, using my hands to move branches that were in my way. I did not even know in what direction I was running. It was unwise, but I could not think at the moment. I had to get away from what I had lived with since I was four. It was necessary.
After who knows how long I ran and after who knows how far I ran, I wondered what in the world I was thinking, running away. But it was better then staying. Much better. I pushed all thoughts out of my mind, and kept running. I had to pause for a moment to sweep all the hair that had fallen from my bun up and redo it. My hair, which reached down to my waist, was such a pain at times. I had a long knife that I used to hold my hair in place: very helpful for unhappy situations.
I started running again, for another unknown length of time, and then appeared at the edge of a clearing. Well, that was it. Time to go back. To face the hard reality. But I could not go. It was too soon, to painful. I stopped running just after I escaped the forest, and saw before me a beautiful meadow. A short walk away was the most beautiful place I had ever seen, but to be fair I have seen few palaces. I wondered where I was. Indeed, this was probably the home of some noble.
All of a sudden I noticed a young woman (I believed that to be the correct term) of about 17 or 18 glaring at me. She was obviously displeased about something, and my being here (wherever here was) added to her temper. She shouted to me something I could not understand, but it was obviously in Kyrrian. Well, at least that told me I had headed south, although I could be anywhere in Kyrria. Some help that was. And maybe she just thought I was Kyrrian, but was not a Kyrrian herself. Great, I thought. But I responded to her quickly.
"Excuse me?" I said in Kyrrian. She walked closer to me.
"I said 'He's inside,'" She informed me. I wondered who she was and who "he" was.
"Who is inside?" I asked. Might as well find out the easy way.
"Prince Osian."
Oh, well that was just great! Of all the places to run to, I had ended up running to a royal palace. I glanced around again, and realized that it was obvious. After all, the Kyrrian royal palace was a well-known building, but I had never been here.
I had to say something, so I uttered the word "Oh!" and immediately felt stupid.
"Adriana! Adriana, are you out here?" An agitated voice shouted. I then noticed the body the voice had come from. He was tall, with very dark brown hair and skin that would be considered swarthy. He was almost, to use a cliché, a spitting image of is father. I had heard many stories of how ladies fell in love with him at first sight, and I did not doubt it for a moment. Thank goodness I didn't though, I would hate to see a lovesick me.
"Yes!" The girl responded, clearly unpleased to be found. I knew this was a conversation that I probably should not overhear, so I turned to leave. I then thought it would be a shame to come all this way to the palace, even if only accidentally, and not stay only a few minutes. I climbed a nearby tree as the Prince, for he could only be the Prince, walked to the girl, whom I had to assume was his sister. . I heard the words "Nancy wants you," in the same, agitated voice but I listened no more as I climbed the tree. The sight was breath taking. I was lost in the beauty of the view from my branch, when I heard the young woman shout
"Oh! Where could she have gone to?"
"Who?" was the response from the Prince, clearly forgetting his annoyance for a moment to take interest in what she was talking about.
"I don't know," she told him in a rather annoyed voice. "She didn't introduce herself. She just sort of appeared when I came out. She was right over there," She pointed to where I had been standing.
I jumped down out of the tree and asked "Are you by any chance looking for me?"
"Yes! How did you, I mean who are, what are," She looked confused, as to who I was, why I was there, and what in the world I was doing in a tree.
"Yes?" I asked, hoping it would help her to finish a sentence.
"Who are you?" she managed.
"Ophelia" I stated.
"Do you have a last name and a place of origin?" The Prince asked sarcastically. His sister looked as shocked at his manners as I was. I had heard he was kind unless he was in ill- humor. By the way they had been acting toward each other, I supposed they had had an argument of some kind. But I responded to his rudeness with ease, hoping he would remember his manners.
"Pixies do not have last names, but I've lately been living in this forest," I told him.
Both of them stared at me. Indeed, I could understand if they were shocked as to my being a pixie living in a forest, but they stared at me for several seconds. Since they did not volunteer the information I wanted to confirm, I requested it.
"And you are" I said.
"Adriana, Princess of Kyrria," was the answer I received.
"Delighted," I said with a curtsy. It was then I noticed a rip in my dress, from the running. "What a first impression!" I thought.
The princess elbowed her brother. Hard.
"Ow! Oh! Uh, I am Osian, Prince of Kyrria." He bowed. I curtsied again.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highness."
"Please! Please, call me Osian."
I was dumbfounded as to his forwardness, but I managed a nod. His sister said "And me Adriana," thank goodness. It would have been rather odd to call one "Your Highness" and be on a first- name basis with the other.
Osian cleared his throat and said "Well, what brings you here Ophelia?" He then blushed, a shock to me "Hope you don't mind, I took the liberty,"
"Of using my first name?" I felt sorry for him. Most people felt at ease using my first name, but he was embarrassed. Always the gentleman, I supposed. Except when in ill- humor. He nodded. "Well," I laughed, "You hardly have a choice! And I must confess I had no idea I was coming here, I didn't know where I was going, I was just," I suddenly felt embarrassed. I could not talk about this with them. But I had to finish the sentence. "Running."
"Running?"
"Yes."
"From?" I had hoped he would not ask.
"Him." As soon as the word came out of my mouth, I regretted it. It was a mysterious way to invite him to ask whom I was referring to, and the last thing I wanted was to talk about it.
"Him?"
"Him."
"Your father?"
"I am orphaned."
"Oh! I'm sorry." He looked sorry. I felt sorry for him, again.
"Don't be. It is not your fault." I replied, he could not have known.
"Who is he?" I had hoped the orphan comment would lead him off this. I had hoped in vain.
"He is my teacher- was my teacher. But now," I couldn't tell him. It was far too soon to say anything. I was wondering what to do when he interrupted my meditation.
"Look," he said. I started. "Why don't you stay with us for a few days and then head back to wherever in the forest it is that you came from? You look lost."
I felt sure I was blushing.
"What?! Oh, no, I could not possibly."
"I insist," He said.
"But," I protested. I had no idea how to protest politely, but I was willing to learn.
"No! You must! You will be very happy here." He smiled. He had a wonderful smile. It was a pity that I was not infatuated, for he was surely someone that any lady should be infatuated with. But I just did not have those feelings. On the other hand, if I were never to have him, and I most certainly wasn't, then I would not break my heart. I suddenly realized that he was looking at me expectantly. His sister had said something. I had not heard, I was too deep in thought, but she was smiling too. I cracked under the pressure.
"I suppose. If your family agrees." I hoped they would not, but I was well aware of the generous nature of the Royal family of Kyrria.
"I'm sure they will," Adriana said, "They will be delighted." I unfortunately knew she was right.
"Thank you kindly," I said. It was not that I did not want to know them better either, but I was so confused at the moment that I could hardly say anything.
We walked back to the palace, the two of them in good spirits. I was as happy as I could be, considering the circumstances. I tried to be cheerful, but what had happened to me earlier that day weighed heavily on my heart.
*Author's Note(s):
Thank you for reading this! Please review!!!*
I had to go. I could not stay where I was. I had to leave. Immediately.
I ran. I did not know where I was going, but I wanted to be there as soon as possible. Whatever was out there had to be better then what I would stay to.
I took an un-beaten path through the woods, using my hands to move branches that were in my way. I did not even know in what direction I was running. It was unwise, but I could not think at the moment. I had to get away from what I had lived with since I was four. It was necessary.
After who knows how long I ran and after who knows how far I ran, I wondered what in the world I was thinking, running away. But it was better then staying. Much better. I pushed all thoughts out of my mind, and kept running. I had to pause for a moment to sweep all the hair that had fallen from my bun up and redo it. My hair, which reached down to my waist, was such a pain at times. I had a long knife that I used to hold my hair in place: very helpful for unhappy situations.
I started running again, for another unknown length of time, and then appeared at the edge of a clearing. Well, that was it. Time to go back. To face the hard reality. But I could not go. It was too soon, to painful. I stopped running just after I escaped the forest, and saw before me a beautiful meadow. A short walk away was the most beautiful place I had ever seen, but to be fair I have seen few palaces. I wondered where I was. Indeed, this was probably the home of some noble.
All of a sudden I noticed a young woman (I believed that to be the correct term) of about 17 or 18 glaring at me. She was obviously displeased about something, and my being here (wherever here was) added to her temper. She shouted to me something I could not understand, but it was obviously in Kyrrian. Well, at least that told me I had headed south, although I could be anywhere in Kyrria. Some help that was. And maybe she just thought I was Kyrrian, but was not a Kyrrian herself. Great, I thought. But I responded to her quickly.
"Excuse me?" I said in Kyrrian. She walked closer to me.
"I said 'He's inside,'" She informed me. I wondered who she was and who "he" was.
"Who is inside?" I asked. Might as well find out the easy way.
"Prince Osian."
Oh, well that was just great! Of all the places to run to, I had ended up running to a royal palace. I glanced around again, and realized that it was obvious. After all, the Kyrrian royal palace was a well-known building, but I had never been here.
I had to say something, so I uttered the word "Oh!" and immediately felt stupid.
"Adriana! Adriana, are you out here?" An agitated voice shouted. I then noticed the body the voice had come from. He was tall, with very dark brown hair and skin that would be considered swarthy. He was almost, to use a cliché, a spitting image of is father. I had heard many stories of how ladies fell in love with him at first sight, and I did not doubt it for a moment. Thank goodness I didn't though, I would hate to see a lovesick me.
"Yes!" The girl responded, clearly unpleased to be found. I knew this was a conversation that I probably should not overhear, so I turned to leave. I then thought it would be a shame to come all this way to the palace, even if only accidentally, and not stay only a few minutes. I climbed a nearby tree as the Prince, for he could only be the Prince, walked to the girl, whom I had to assume was his sister. . I heard the words "Nancy wants you," in the same, agitated voice but I listened no more as I climbed the tree. The sight was breath taking. I was lost in the beauty of the view from my branch, when I heard the young woman shout
"Oh! Where could she have gone to?"
"Who?" was the response from the Prince, clearly forgetting his annoyance for a moment to take interest in what she was talking about.
"I don't know," she told him in a rather annoyed voice. "She didn't introduce herself. She just sort of appeared when I came out. She was right over there," She pointed to where I had been standing.
I jumped down out of the tree and asked "Are you by any chance looking for me?"
"Yes! How did you, I mean who are, what are," She looked confused, as to who I was, why I was there, and what in the world I was doing in a tree.
"Yes?" I asked, hoping it would help her to finish a sentence.
"Who are you?" she managed.
"Ophelia" I stated.
"Do you have a last name and a place of origin?" The Prince asked sarcastically. His sister looked as shocked at his manners as I was. I had heard he was kind unless he was in ill- humor. By the way they had been acting toward each other, I supposed they had had an argument of some kind. But I responded to his rudeness with ease, hoping he would remember his manners.
"Pixies do not have last names, but I've lately been living in this forest," I told him.
Both of them stared at me. Indeed, I could understand if they were shocked as to my being a pixie living in a forest, but they stared at me for several seconds. Since they did not volunteer the information I wanted to confirm, I requested it.
"And you are" I said.
"Adriana, Princess of Kyrria," was the answer I received.
"Delighted," I said with a curtsy. It was then I noticed a rip in my dress, from the running. "What a first impression!" I thought.
The princess elbowed her brother. Hard.
"Ow! Oh! Uh, I am Osian, Prince of Kyrria." He bowed. I curtsied again.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highness."
"Please! Please, call me Osian."
I was dumbfounded as to his forwardness, but I managed a nod. His sister said "And me Adriana," thank goodness. It would have been rather odd to call one "Your Highness" and be on a first- name basis with the other.
Osian cleared his throat and said "Well, what brings you here Ophelia?" He then blushed, a shock to me "Hope you don't mind, I took the liberty,"
"Of using my first name?" I felt sorry for him. Most people felt at ease using my first name, but he was embarrassed. Always the gentleman, I supposed. Except when in ill- humor. He nodded. "Well," I laughed, "You hardly have a choice! And I must confess I had no idea I was coming here, I didn't know where I was going, I was just," I suddenly felt embarrassed. I could not talk about this with them. But I had to finish the sentence. "Running."
"Running?"
"Yes."
"From?" I had hoped he would not ask.
"Him." As soon as the word came out of my mouth, I regretted it. It was a mysterious way to invite him to ask whom I was referring to, and the last thing I wanted was to talk about it.
"Him?"
"Him."
"Your father?"
"I am orphaned."
"Oh! I'm sorry." He looked sorry. I felt sorry for him, again.
"Don't be. It is not your fault." I replied, he could not have known.
"Who is he?" I had hoped the orphan comment would lead him off this. I had hoped in vain.
"He is my teacher- was my teacher. But now," I couldn't tell him. It was far too soon to say anything. I was wondering what to do when he interrupted my meditation.
"Look," he said. I started. "Why don't you stay with us for a few days and then head back to wherever in the forest it is that you came from? You look lost."
I felt sure I was blushing.
"What?! Oh, no, I could not possibly."
"I insist," He said.
"But," I protested. I had no idea how to protest politely, but I was willing to learn.
"No! You must! You will be very happy here." He smiled. He had a wonderful smile. It was a pity that I was not infatuated, for he was surely someone that any lady should be infatuated with. But I just did not have those feelings. On the other hand, if I were never to have him, and I most certainly wasn't, then I would not break my heart. I suddenly realized that he was looking at me expectantly. His sister had said something. I had not heard, I was too deep in thought, but she was smiling too. I cracked under the pressure.
"I suppose. If your family agrees." I hoped they would not, but I was well aware of the generous nature of the Royal family of Kyrria.
"I'm sure they will," Adriana said, "They will be delighted." I unfortunately knew she was right.
"Thank you kindly," I said. It was not that I did not want to know them better either, but I was so confused at the moment that I could hardly say anything.
We walked back to the palace, the two of them in good spirits. I was as happy as I could be, considering the circumstances. I tried to be cheerful, but what had happened to me earlier that day weighed heavily on my heart.
*Author's Note(s):
Thank you for reading this! Please review!!!*