This chapter is for babyjay, CrimsonEnchantress and kaio who've reviewed
every chapter! I love you guys! You get a big golden star because I like
you! And for all my other beautiful reviewers!
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I placed the rose in a glass of water in my lonely attic. It looked truly beautiful, the scarlet petals deep red, veined with fine streaks of gold against the dullness of the white washed walls. The many layers of petals clustered and kissed together to form a bell slowly blooming up into a spurt of loose plumes of tender color. Loose leaves wounds around the stem coyly tickling the thorns and softening their points.
There was a passage I read in a book once about red roses.
Roses are the symbol of the deepest love and respect. They are the totem floras of the Lady, and they are used in the unbinding of curses and enchantment. The red rose is also a sign of passion and agony, for it is said that the first red rose was created when the Lady bleed onto a pure white rose to save her homeland.
For the deepest love and respect. He must have loved his Bella a lot, to mourn her death so deeply.
In a rare time of sentimental flight, I leaned over and kissed the rose before climbing into my thin bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
The day started out like every other. The sun rose, as did I, and I climbed down the winding stairs of the house.
There was a strange, almost eerie silence that radiated across the whole house. Ona gave me my chores with a grim smile on her face, and attacked the floors with the broom, as she did when she was feeling a particularly vehement mood.
The servants seemed more subdued than usual, I thought, as I scrubbed the dishes. I wondered what was going on. All those I saw wore identical expressions of worry... and perhaps even... fear?
A wild sobbing rose from one of the manor's many locked doors as I passed. Curious, I leaned my ear against the wall and listened. There was a hum of voices from beyond the wood, one that I recognized as Elaine's, and a deeper, unfamiliar voice I supposed was fathers. The sobbing seemed to be coming from my hysterical half sister Jewel.
'Banished! For treason to the King! Oh why... why?'
'Hush Jewel,' Elaine replied in a sharp voice. 'Father, what is to become of us?'
There was a sigh, and a long silence.
'We shall be sent away from court, to one of our mountain estates, far away from all whispers of nobles, so the King shall see that I am not plotting against him. The servants, I expect, shall be executed, fort not reporting our disloyalty earlier.'
I gasped. Executed? For something that they had no part in, for something not even true, only imaged up in the mind of a mad king? T'was mad! I turned around, and found that I was not the only eavesdropping servant. Shock, and a wild, animal like fear was imprinted on every face, mirrored to look the same by identical emotions imprinted.
The door swung open, and with years of practiced skill, the servants slipped away silently. My reflexes not being as fast, I almost fell into the open door space.
It was Father. His dark blue eyes were oddly blazing as he surveyed me, and I opened my mouth to speak, brandishing my feather duster uselessly.
'I know you. You're Bella's child, are you not?' he demanded, his grip on my arm painful.
Bella? Who was this mysterious woman? Was she my mother, from a past I could not possibly hope to recall?
'Sir, I have no idea of what...'
His grip tightened, and I winced.
'You do not speak like a servant, and nor do you act like one. I say this now, for I shall not be able to say it again- I am not your father. I housed you, under a vow made for her, sealed by my love. I swore I would see to you until your 16 th birthday. But I say this now- Lady or servant you may be- flee. Flee, for you will get no joy here. I expect that many others will have left already. Heed my warning well.'
He turned to go away, releasing my arm.
'Wait! Sir... why? Who is my mother? Tell me this sir, I demand of you!' I cried desperately. The veil of mystery obscuring my heritage was beginning to unravel slowly, thread by thread.
Turning around, he smiled suddenly.
'You are much like her, in your stubbornness. It seems that we have all been under enchantment, even I. The charm was absolute whilst it lasted, but now I can talk. Your mother was a lovely lady from Teora, a powerful magic user to say the very least, that I fell in love with. We spent many happy days together...' he sighed wistfully, and I could see the pain in his eyes, clouded by memories.
'But she too, was under spell, as she explained. You were her baby, a child she told me "was born to a great destiny", and as she wasted away, under a illness that no body could cure, she cast her own enchantment on me. An Enchantment that would secure you under my care, until you were 16, and at that time I would not remember your true heritage...or Bella herself,' he winced suddenly, as if he had a great pain.
I winced too, as the pieces fell slowly into place. The man, who was not my Father as I had thought him to be for over sixteen years, turned around, and his eyes seemed to soften slightly.
'You are, greatly like your mother, Charmaine. I wish you all the luck in the world, for I could have loved you... and Bella...so much, if only she had allowed it,' he said softly, swallowing.
I turned, and ran.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
My belongings thrown hastily and quickly into a Hessian bag, I walked away slowly from the manor I had lived in all my life. Servants carrying similar bags fled, sometimes doging glance behind them.
I walked. I did not know were I was going, or what I was doing, but I walked away.
Not once did I look back.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Helloooo! Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it?
Review! You get a chocolate bar if you do. Promise!
Ok, I'm on a high. I should be finishing my English now...
Info about the story: This story is going to have about 20 chapters, and then over. It might take me a while to get the chapters down because there are still a billion ways this can go, and I have to decide which one. My other stories that I've removed won't be back for a bit until I feel like getting off my lazy ass and editing it... Also Perfectly Imperfect WILL BE CONTINUED! Yay! *Smiles Happily*
But anyways, I might not be updating for a while cos school's started and I pretty busy.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~ ~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~ ~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~* ~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~ ~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
I placed the rose in a glass of water in my lonely attic. It looked truly beautiful, the scarlet petals deep red, veined with fine streaks of gold against the dullness of the white washed walls. The many layers of petals clustered and kissed together to form a bell slowly blooming up into a spurt of loose plumes of tender color. Loose leaves wounds around the stem coyly tickling the thorns and softening their points.
There was a passage I read in a book once about red roses.
Roses are the symbol of the deepest love and respect. They are the totem floras of the Lady, and they are used in the unbinding of curses and enchantment. The red rose is also a sign of passion and agony, for it is said that the first red rose was created when the Lady bleed onto a pure white rose to save her homeland.
For the deepest love and respect. He must have loved his Bella a lot, to mourn her death so deeply.
In a rare time of sentimental flight, I leaned over and kissed the rose before climbing into my thin bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
The day started out like every other. The sun rose, as did I, and I climbed down the winding stairs of the house.
There was a strange, almost eerie silence that radiated across the whole house. Ona gave me my chores with a grim smile on her face, and attacked the floors with the broom, as she did when she was feeling a particularly vehement mood.
The servants seemed more subdued than usual, I thought, as I scrubbed the dishes. I wondered what was going on. All those I saw wore identical expressions of worry... and perhaps even... fear?
A wild sobbing rose from one of the manor's many locked doors as I passed. Curious, I leaned my ear against the wall and listened. There was a hum of voices from beyond the wood, one that I recognized as Elaine's, and a deeper, unfamiliar voice I supposed was fathers. The sobbing seemed to be coming from my hysterical half sister Jewel.
'Banished! For treason to the King! Oh why... why?'
'Hush Jewel,' Elaine replied in a sharp voice. 'Father, what is to become of us?'
There was a sigh, and a long silence.
'We shall be sent away from court, to one of our mountain estates, far away from all whispers of nobles, so the King shall see that I am not plotting against him. The servants, I expect, shall be executed, fort not reporting our disloyalty earlier.'
I gasped. Executed? For something that they had no part in, for something not even true, only imaged up in the mind of a mad king? T'was mad! I turned around, and found that I was not the only eavesdropping servant. Shock, and a wild, animal like fear was imprinted on every face, mirrored to look the same by identical emotions imprinted.
The door swung open, and with years of practiced skill, the servants slipped away silently. My reflexes not being as fast, I almost fell into the open door space.
It was Father. His dark blue eyes were oddly blazing as he surveyed me, and I opened my mouth to speak, brandishing my feather duster uselessly.
'I know you. You're Bella's child, are you not?' he demanded, his grip on my arm painful.
Bella? Who was this mysterious woman? Was she my mother, from a past I could not possibly hope to recall?
'Sir, I have no idea of what...'
His grip tightened, and I winced.
'You do not speak like a servant, and nor do you act like one. I say this now, for I shall not be able to say it again- I am not your father. I housed you, under a vow made for her, sealed by my love. I swore I would see to you until your 16 th birthday. But I say this now- Lady or servant you may be- flee. Flee, for you will get no joy here. I expect that many others will have left already. Heed my warning well.'
He turned to go away, releasing my arm.
'Wait! Sir... why? Who is my mother? Tell me this sir, I demand of you!' I cried desperately. The veil of mystery obscuring my heritage was beginning to unravel slowly, thread by thread.
Turning around, he smiled suddenly.
'You are much like her, in your stubbornness. It seems that we have all been under enchantment, even I. The charm was absolute whilst it lasted, but now I can talk. Your mother was a lovely lady from Teora, a powerful magic user to say the very least, that I fell in love with. We spent many happy days together...' he sighed wistfully, and I could see the pain in his eyes, clouded by memories.
'But she too, was under spell, as she explained. You were her baby, a child she told me "was born to a great destiny", and as she wasted away, under a illness that no body could cure, she cast her own enchantment on me. An Enchantment that would secure you under my care, until you were 16, and at that time I would not remember your true heritage...or Bella herself,' he winced suddenly, as if he had a great pain.
I winced too, as the pieces fell slowly into place. The man, who was not my Father as I had thought him to be for over sixteen years, turned around, and his eyes seemed to soften slightly.
'You are, greatly like your mother, Charmaine. I wish you all the luck in the world, for I could have loved you... and Bella...so much, if only she had allowed it,' he said softly, swallowing.
I turned, and ran.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
My belongings thrown hastily and quickly into a Hessian bag, I walked away slowly from the manor I had lived in all my life. Servants carrying similar bags fled, sometimes doging glance behind them.
I walked. I did not know were I was going, or what I was doing, but I walked away.
Not once did I look back.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Helloooo! Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it? Like it?
Review! You get a chocolate bar if you do. Promise!
Ok, I'm on a high. I should be finishing my English now...
Info about the story: This story is going to have about 20 chapters, and then over. It might take me a while to get the chapters down because there are still a billion ways this can go, and I have to decide which one. My other stories that I've removed won't be back for a bit until I feel like getting off my lazy ass and editing it... Also Perfectly Imperfect WILL BE CONTINUED! Yay! *Smiles Happily*
But anyways, I might not be updating for a while cos school's started and I pretty busy.
~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~