Chapter 7- Taking the fall
Here I stand head in hand,
Turn my face to the wall,
If she's gone, I can't go on,
Feeling two foot small,
Everywhere people stair,
Each and every day,
I can see them laugh at me,
And I hear them say,
Hey! You've got to hide your love away,
Hey! You've got to hide your love away,
How can I even try, I can never win,
Hearing them,
Seeing them,
In the state I'm in,
How could she say to me,
Love will find away,
Gather round all you clowns,
Let me hear you say,
-The Beatles (You've got to hide your love away)
The handrail was only a little higher then my waist and supported by a thick band of wood carved with fairies and other magical creatures. "I've never tried it." I admitted reluctantly, I didn't want to disappoint him but I also didn't want to kill myself trying something I had never done before.
"Perhaps you could learn?" He asked hopefully.
"Perhaps you could teach me?" I asked and was rewarded by a broad and happy smile.
It looked easy when he did it but he had admitted to years of practice with his parents so perhaps it was easy for him. After he had explained it to me and flew down several times himself it was my turn. I cautiously settled myself on the railing and then I was flying, perhaps not as gracefully as he had but I wasn't falling either. I let out an undignified whoop as I was shot a few feet off from the bottom and landed on Alex who meant to catch me. He hadn't been braced enough and we both toppled to the floor.
"That was fun." I said rolling off of him to the thick red carpet out of breath and laughing.
"You looked so funny." He was laughing to and where as that comment from anyone else would have been offensive he sounded so happy it just made me laugh harder.
"Let's do it again." I suggested when we had both regained our breath.
And so we did it again, Alex sliding first and then catching me at the bottom before we dashed up the stairs to do it again. Finally around mid-morning we fell asleep at the bottom of the stairs both to exhausted to go back to our rooms.
I don't recall falling asleep that morning but I remember waking up very clearly. Surreal would be the only way to explain the seen that greeted me when I awoke. My head was resting on the muscular chest of Prince Alexander Charmont William Jerrold son of King Charmont and Queen Eleanor, heir to the throne of Kyrria, the man I was infatuated with and even more importantly the man my sister was infatuated with.
Once I got over that shock I realized that my hand was clasped in his and it wasn't in anyway innocent, it was a lovers touch and that frightened me out of my wits. It's ok, you're the only one who'll remember this, my brain struggled to rationalize this whole ordeal, and you're the only one who will cherish it, the more sadistic part of myself whispered.
I carefully lifted my head from his chest, waiting for any change in the pace of his breathing, but none came. I sat up and away from him, he looked almost child like in sleep, the lines of his face relaxed, his mouth turned up slightly and his long, dark lashes spread down over his cheeks. I almost giggled but caught myself, I wasn't out of the fire yet, his hand was still tightly around my own.
It took three tries but I finally got my fingers disentangled from his. I didn't stick around for him to wake up, I gathered my skirts in my fists and ran for my rooms, taking the most backwards and out of the way route I knew there. I saw only one servant on the way and he only gave me a startled look before going about his business.
I stripped off the dress, dusty from our adventure through the place and ripped in a few places from sliding down the stair rail and threw it in the back of the closet, I would deal with it later. According to the sundial on my windowsill I had exactically thirty minutes to wash, change and be downstairs for dinner (AN: Remember that this is actually lunch in our terminology) or there'd be hell to pay. Father had mentioned we were having a formal dinner with the DeLac's and I would be in trouble with him if I was late. Not to mention it would aggravate Harmony even more.
I made it in time, but just barely, in fact I made it to the room just as they sat down. Dinner was tedious to say the least, father, the Count DeLac and Ethan mainly discussed business while Harmony alternated between shooting me withering glances and discussing fashion with The Countess. For my part I mainly attempted to replicate a swan I had once seen a Jester fold from paper with my napkin under the table. But he knew what he was doing and could see the paper so my swan ended up looking more like a mentally deficient rabbit.
When I was finally allowed to retreat from the table I didn't go back to my room, I wasn't ready to face my punishment just yet and that was the first place Harmony would look for me.
Perhaps I was hiding from Alex and Mathew also because of the million places my sister would never look for me I chose the history part of the library. And I was quiet sure I was the only person who knew ever ventured there. It wasn't that I was particularly interested in history but there was quiet a comfortable little couch and no one ever disturbed me.
"Like history do you." My heart nearly stopped as someone spoke.
Ethan had followed me and was now leaning lazily against one of the bookshelves. The dress I was wearing was rather conservative but as he looked at me I suddenly felt very naked. "No not really, I was trying to be alone." I said a little more bravely then I felt.
He smirked, leered actually. "You don't like me, do you." He asked bluntly.
I wanted to say yes but I knew better. "I don't know you." I said putting an infuriating air of superiority in my voice. "Now I must go sir."
And before he could get over my annoying snootiness I grabbed the edges of my skirts and marched smartly from the room. Unfortunately I had just been kicked out of the only hiding spot I had that Mathew didn't know of and only a few moments after I had settled myself in the comforting nook of my favorite tree then the branches began to shake and eventually produced my smiling best friend.
"Have a nice lunch?" He asked wryly.
"Absolutely wonderful." I said sarcastically.
"Have you seen Alex?" I stiffened at the sound of his name but caught myself and immediately relaxed.
"No I haven't." I said staring off into the distance.
I had fallen in love with him that morning as he had slept and the horrible thing was that he would never know it. He would fall in love with someone else and I would smile reassuringly as my heart broke because that was the way my life was and I wasn't brave enough to change it.
"You ok?" Mathew asked. "You looked so sad for just a minute there."
I smiled and he returned it. "It's nothing." I assured him.
(AN: Would ya'll like a ch. From Alex's POV next? Or should I just continue with Lei's? Review please people I'm shooting for sixty before ch. 8! But that's probably not realistic!)
Here I stand head in hand,
Turn my face to the wall,
If she's gone, I can't go on,
Feeling two foot small,
Everywhere people stair,
Each and every day,
I can see them laugh at me,
And I hear them say,
Hey! You've got to hide your love away,
Hey! You've got to hide your love away,
How can I even try, I can never win,
Hearing them,
Seeing them,
In the state I'm in,
How could she say to me,
Love will find away,
Gather round all you clowns,
Let me hear you say,
-The Beatles (You've got to hide your love away)
The handrail was only a little higher then my waist and supported by a thick band of wood carved with fairies and other magical creatures. "I've never tried it." I admitted reluctantly, I didn't want to disappoint him but I also didn't want to kill myself trying something I had never done before.
"Perhaps you could learn?" He asked hopefully.
"Perhaps you could teach me?" I asked and was rewarded by a broad and happy smile.
It looked easy when he did it but he had admitted to years of practice with his parents so perhaps it was easy for him. After he had explained it to me and flew down several times himself it was my turn. I cautiously settled myself on the railing and then I was flying, perhaps not as gracefully as he had but I wasn't falling either. I let out an undignified whoop as I was shot a few feet off from the bottom and landed on Alex who meant to catch me. He hadn't been braced enough and we both toppled to the floor.
"That was fun." I said rolling off of him to the thick red carpet out of breath and laughing.
"You looked so funny." He was laughing to and where as that comment from anyone else would have been offensive he sounded so happy it just made me laugh harder.
"Let's do it again." I suggested when we had both regained our breath.
And so we did it again, Alex sliding first and then catching me at the bottom before we dashed up the stairs to do it again. Finally around mid-morning we fell asleep at the bottom of the stairs both to exhausted to go back to our rooms.
I don't recall falling asleep that morning but I remember waking up very clearly. Surreal would be the only way to explain the seen that greeted me when I awoke. My head was resting on the muscular chest of Prince Alexander Charmont William Jerrold son of King Charmont and Queen Eleanor, heir to the throne of Kyrria, the man I was infatuated with and even more importantly the man my sister was infatuated with.
Once I got over that shock I realized that my hand was clasped in his and it wasn't in anyway innocent, it was a lovers touch and that frightened me out of my wits. It's ok, you're the only one who'll remember this, my brain struggled to rationalize this whole ordeal, and you're the only one who will cherish it, the more sadistic part of myself whispered.
I carefully lifted my head from his chest, waiting for any change in the pace of his breathing, but none came. I sat up and away from him, he looked almost child like in sleep, the lines of his face relaxed, his mouth turned up slightly and his long, dark lashes spread down over his cheeks. I almost giggled but caught myself, I wasn't out of the fire yet, his hand was still tightly around my own.
It took three tries but I finally got my fingers disentangled from his. I didn't stick around for him to wake up, I gathered my skirts in my fists and ran for my rooms, taking the most backwards and out of the way route I knew there. I saw only one servant on the way and he only gave me a startled look before going about his business.
I stripped off the dress, dusty from our adventure through the place and ripped in a few places from sliding down the stair rail and threw it in the back of the closet, I would deal with it later. According to the sundial on my windowsill I had exactically thirty minutes to wash, change and be downstairs for dinner (AN: Remember that this is actually lunch in our terminology) or there'd be hell to pay. Father had mentioned we were having a formal dinner with the DeLac's and I would be in trouble with him if I was late. Not to mention it would aggravate Harmony even more.
I made it in time, but just barely, in fact I made it to the room just as they sat down. Dinner was tedious to say the least, father, the Count DeLac and Ethan mainly discussed business while Harmony alternated between shooting me withering glances and discussing fashion with The Countess. For my part I mainly attempted to replicate a swan I had once seen a Jester fold from paper with my napkin under the table. But he knew what he was doing and could see the paper so my swan ended up looking more like a mentally deficient rabbit.
When I was finally allowed to retreat from the table I didn't go back to my room, I wasn't ready to face my punishment just yet and that was the first place Harmony would look for me.
Perhaps I was hiding from Alex and Mathew also because of the million places my sister would never look for me I chose the history part of the library. And I was quiet sure I was the only person who knew ever ventured there. It wasn't that I was particularly interested in history but there was quiet a comfortable little couch and no one ever disturbed me.
"Like history do you." My heart nearly stopped as someone spoke.
Ethan had followed me and was now leaning lazily against one of the bookshelves. The dress I was wearing was rather conservative but as he looked at me I suddenly felt very naked. "No not really, I was trying to be alone." I said a little more bravely then I felt.
He smirked, leered actually. "You don't like me, do you." He asked bluntly.
I wanted to say yes but I knew better. "I don't know you." I said putting an infuriating air of superiority in my voice. "Now I must go sir."
And before he could get over my annoying snootiness I grabbed the edges of my skirts and marched smartly from the room. Unfortunately I had just been kicked out of the only hiding spot I had that Mathew didn't know of and only a few moments after I had settled myself in the comforting nook of my favorite tree then the branches began to shake and eventually produced my smiling best friend.
"Have a nice lunch?" He asked wryly.
"Absolutely wonderful." I said sarcastically.
"Have you seen Alex?" I stiffened at the sound of his name but caught myself and immediately relaxed.
"No I haven't." I said staring off into the distance.
I had fallen in love with him that morning as he had slept and the horrible thing was that he would never know it. He would fall in love with someone else and I would smile reassuringly as my heart broke because that was the way my life was and I wasn't brave enough to change it.
"You ok?" Mathew asked. "You looked so sad for just a minute there."
I smiled and he returned it. "It's nothing." I assured him.
(AN: Would ya'll like a ch. From Alex's POV next? Or should I just continue with Lei's? Review please people I'm shooting for sixty before ch. 8! But that's probably not realistic!)