Reviewers note: Mark C Lil Jean, Miss Ginny, fluffy's numba 1 gal, Optic Red, and CPBaker12: I wanted to thank you for all of your support and great reviews. You have inspired me and motivated me to write more. Because of all the wonderful feedback I get from the wonderful readers out there, all I can think about is my story. When I go to bed, in my dreams, in math class, etc. Keep reading because it gets better………
Chapter 3
Jean felt the pain pierce through her stomach like never before. Her body swayed back and forth just slightly and she tried hard to keep her ground. Ah, the pain of being a woman. "Kitty, is this really necessary?" Jean asked with irritation at the strings of the corset pulling tightly around her torso.
"I think he is a fine man, Jean," Kitty said with a smile as she concentrated on working the strings of the white corset. "A fine man that you need to learn about and soon learn to love. Which brings me to the conclusion of, yes it is necessary to go to dinner tonight."
Jean looked back at Kitty and gave her a full smile before saying, "I was talking about the corset."
"Alright then," Kitty said with a smile. "It is necessary to wear the corset to look stunning for Duncan."
"Kitty," Jean said as she slightly knitted her eyebrows. "You are using that tone."
"What tone?"
"The tone you use when you are not telling the full truth," Jean said as she turned her head to the front and focused her eyes on an object.
Kitty sighed and told the other servant who was helping with the corset to leave. She finished tying the strings and then turned Jean towards her. She put her hands on Jean's cheeks and tilted her head towards her blue eyes. "You are growing up so fast. You are fourteen now, a half grown woman. I trust you to make your own decisions."
"I love you too," Jean said as she placed her hands on Kitty's wrists. "But this is where you are wrong. This is not my decision."
"I remember when you were a little girl," Kitty began. She allowed Jean to wear her dress on her own as she walked over to the window to dust her sheets. "Your mother and father were doing their social duties while I was taking care of you. You were only four and you ran out of the palace, across the courtyard, and up a tree. You were climbing it fiercely." Jean mouthed the words with her as if the story was repeated many times before. It was repeated many times before. "I told you to come down before you hurt yourself, but you told me that what you were doing was worth it."
"It was," Jean finished. "You asked me 'what is?'. I just smiled when I reached the top. You asked me what was so amusing."
"And you said 'I saved the bird's nest'," Kitty said as Jean laughed at her silliness.
"But this story has no significance with what's happening right now," Jean said as Kitty turned her body fully towards her.
Kitty smiled and said, "I was terrified for your safety. But when I realized what you were doing I knew you would be alright on your own. And I know you can handle this."
"That is what you think," Jean said with a whisper. She had not seen Duncan ever since the first time she met him. He was always out of town with his parents and who knows what. She did not know what he was like, how he looked, or anything about him. Jean finished up with her hair and turned to Kitty after some deep thinking was done with.
"Kitty, I know that it is possible to learn to love someone," Jean began as she adjusted her dress and fixed her hair. "But what if that person cannot learn to love someone because they are already in love with someone else."
"If you know that you are promised to marry someone else, then you should be aware of the consequences derived from those actions," Kitty reasoned. "But life is like an unread book. New characters appear everywhere, bringing unexpected things."
"Life is like reading a book," Jean said lightly. "The fairytale is always happening to other people." Kitty let out a laugh and turned to the window to remove the sheets. She kept tugging at them but they would not come up. Something was pulling fiercely on them. Or rather, someone.
"What in God's name………" Kitty began before her question was answered in no time.
Scott popped his head in as Kitty let out a loud shriek. He tumbled into the sheets and over Kitty. Kitty began to struggle beneath his weight and the clean sheets. But Scott managed to find his way out and helped Kitty up. Jean's laughter was heard echoing in the back the whole time the scene was playing. "Good evening, Madame Kitty," he said as he revealed his face from beneath his hood. Kitty smiled at his kindness and pinched his cheeks, hard. Scott rubbed them after she let go and a smile suddenly escaped.
"Good evening, Sir Scott," Kitty said with a small bow. "My, my, how you have grown since the last time I saw you."
"Madame, you saw me the day before yesterday," Scott said with a smile as he turned to Jean. His breath suddenly caught in his throat when he looked over her ensemble. Her hair was neatly placed in a green net that held her braded bun in place. The rest of her loose red hair had been curled and one curl had freely fallen to the side of her face. She was dressed in a green dress that came off her shoulders. It had a yellow design on the front that resembled to emblems with sharp ends on the side. Her sleeves were fluffy in a diameter and stopped at mid-point on the top part of her arm. Tight yellow see-through sleeves covered the rest of her arm and were carved with neatly sewed designs. Before the bottom skirt of the dress flowed to the floor, a yellow stripe stopped right beneath her breasts. A little bit of cleavage was uncovered above her yellow collar and Scott tried not to stare. "Y-you…you," he stuttered before he regained control again. "You look lovely," he finally said as he gave her hand a peck.
Jean was surprised to find her cheeks flushed. But it quickly disappeared as Scott started pacing back and forth, his white blouse flapping against his growing chest. He quickly spilled the words that he has been anticipating to tell her. "What is it?" Jean asked with curiosity.
"Jean," Scott said lightly. "He's back."
"Who is?" Jean asked before gasping and putting her hand over her heart. It was the mysterious man they had run away from two years ago. Kurtis Chagner. They had not seen him ever since that day and so it has escaped their minds. It always amazed Jean of how the daily things in life can help you put the important things behind you. But things so important always found a way to come back and haunt those who consider it important.
A knock on the door suddenly sounded and a voice spoke. The voice of King John. "Jean, are you decent?"
"Be patient, Father, I am not yet done," Jean called back as she turned to Scott. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to place him under her bed. She bent down to see if it was clear under there when she heard something behind her. Scott had tripped over the sheets and was stumbling towards the window. "SCOTT!" Jean screamed in a whisper. Scott quickly brought her voice to his attention and fumbled with his balance to go straight out the window. Jean heard Kitty gasp as Scott went over and Jean's dad knocked once again.
Jean ran over to the window and grabbed Scott's wrist. Suddenly the door opened and in came her mother. She brushed past Kitty without regard and looked down upon her daughter. "It is time to go," Queen Elaine said with a strict voice. Jean leaned the bottom of her wrist against the window sill in a carefree manner and gave her mother a smile. "Jean, what has gotten into you?"
Jean laughed lightly and said, "Nothing, nothing." Tight breathes came running from her mouth as she tried to hide it from the presence of her mother. She was going to act like nothing was wrong. She was going to act like Scott wasn't dangling from her window and was too heavy for her to hold for too long.
She swallowed her saliva as she felt her arm moving forward and Scott's wrist slipping from her grip. She let out a loud shriek. "Jean! That is no way for a princess to behave," Queen Elaine stated with a pointing finger.
"I thought I saw a fly," Jean said as she tightened her grip roughly. At times like this, she wished she could lift things with her mind. "But, it's nothing mother. Really."
"Good," Queen Elaine said with satisfactory. "Then you shall be down in the dining hall promptly in five minutes. No later. I think you will enjoy Duncan's company. He is a fine, well-mannered, well-bread young man," Queen Elaine said with emphasis on every adjective she described. Jean gave a tight smile as her mother began to exit the room.
Jean's palms were sweaty and were about to loose their grip on Scott. Her mother was inches from the doorway when she abruptly stopped and turned towards Jean. Scott's wrist was at her fingertips. "You look beautiful," Queen Elaine said silently.
"Oh, Kitty helped with the………" Jean began but abruptly stopped, realizing her mother was out the door now, not regarding the last words she said.
Jean sighed with relief and all the worry flowed out of her. Wait, it was all coming back like a flood of water. Scott was still dangling outside her window of a tall tower and a long way down.
She could not feel a wrist beneath her skin. Kitty shut the door and Jean looked out the window. "Scott!" she screamed as she bent her body out the window and grabbed Scott's wrists with both hands. She pulled Scott up with Kitty's help from the back. Scott tumbled over Jean as they both fell to the floor with a heaving breath.
He took in a deep breath and put his hand on his heart. "You were serious about your mother killing me if she found me with you."
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Jean wandered around the dining hall, waiting for dinner to be served. She watched everyone mingle with each other so respectfully and properly. It was what she was used to, but it made her want to be out with Scott. Everyone that she had mingled with before she wandered off always spoke of the same things. Some things she quite did not understand, such as politics. They spoke of interesting things at times, but it amazed her of how they would not speak of the baker, the salesmen, the gypsies, or the ordinary townspeople. They did not know them individually or how they individually live.
To be future queen of a country she always thought that you had to know the people to rule the people. Her whole life she had been taught one solemn way. She obeyed what she learned but never should question. But she has always had so many questions that needed to be asked. So many questions that were never answered. Sometimes she asked herself if the only way to receive some answers was to experience the questions. If only she could do so, but there were duties she had to fulfill…………
"So this is my future wife?" Duncan asked rhetorically as he kissed her hand with slight intimacy. Jean had to back away slightly at his actions. She heard him take a deep breath and noticed him examining her body with his mischievous eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and tried to smile. But something about him made her uncomfortable. Every time she would look into someone's eyes she would know. Everyone else seemed to have a similar sixth sense but she believed hers was slightly different. She felt something strong every time she would look into a persons pupil. Not their whole eye shape or face. She just concentrated on their pupil and she would feel a great wave of pressure. A wave of feelings, as if she could read the summary of their soul. If the summary was good or bad or loving. Despite what she felt when she looked at Duncan, she tried her hardest to manage a fake smile.
He brushed his hands through his blond hair and gave her an un-genuine smile in return. They sat in silence for two moments when Jean had the need to start talking soon or die. "So, what sort of books do you fancy?" Jean asked vaguely.
"I adore books of war," Duncan stated.
Jean nodded politely. "Do you feel any interest in books of philosophy?"
"I do not believe in the theories of philosophers," Duncan said. "I believe they are inhumane and based on a world that does not exist. No, no……the only philosophy for this world is to fulfill the obligations of the certain privileges everyone was born into. Every kind for himself. Those who are born as thieves must be punished for the obligations of their birthright."
Jean's eyebrows were unconsciously creased and her head was taken aback slightly. After Duncan finished what he was saying, Jean realized the stunned expression left on her face. She tried to get rid of it before someone thought something was terribly wrong with her.
Duncan suddenly broke out in annoying laughter. "I hope I did not frighten you, me lady. War is a subject not to discuss with such feminism, purity, fragileness, and beauty," he said as he held her hand in his. He bent down to kiss it again and looked up at her with piercing blue eyes. Jean froze at the look in his eyes. She suddenly felt goose bumps formulated by fear on her cold skin. His hands let go of hers when the sound of the bell for dinner erupted. "Shall we adjourn to dinner?" he asked.
Jean just nodded. She tried to speak but no sound could come out. Jean decided it was just a side-effect. She walked a few feet behind Duncan so she could examine something she had noticed from under the table that the metal cups with rubies were placed on. She walked over to the table and was suddenly pulled down towards it when the coast was clear. A hand went over her mouth and Jean's eyes widened, muttering muffled words from beneath the hand. Her body started moving from side to side as she struggled to remove the hand over her mouth.
"Shh, Jean," a familiar voice spoke. "It is just me." When the hand let go of her she pushed him away from her.
"SCOTT!" Jean exclaimed with joy as she leaned forward and hugged him. After that, she punched him in the stomach. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"
"Sorry," Scott whispered under the table. The room was empty, for all the guests had adjourned to the next room. "I was contemplating something in my head."
"Great," Jean said with an excited tone. Scott just looked at her. Jean looked back after seconds of silence. "Well, what is it?"
"Oh," Scott said. "He got up from the side of the cathedral." Jean stared wide-eyed at Scott as he did the same. "We have to………"
"Follow him," Jean finished for him as she grabbed his hand. They peeked their heads from under the table. The candles lit the room with quiet light as their shadows whispered across the marble floor and over to the servants doorway. Jean grabbed two candles for light in the dark night and handed one to Scott. They fled through the servants exit and looked up at the night sky. No visible moon tonight, no stars in the sky. Just the raven night.
They walked close together as they grabbed a horse from the shed. Jean climbed on as Scott rode behind her. She kicked her legs to the side of the horse as they rode away in a rush.
"Uh, Jean," Scott said hesitantly when they were almost there. "We were riding so fast that the candles went out."
"Should have thought of that," Jean said as they hopped off the horse. Jean grabbed a torch from the side of the church as Scott led her to where he saw Kurtis Chagner go. They went around the church and towards the back when they saw a shadowed figure enter. "Oh my Lord."
"Do not worry, me lady," Scott said with bravery in his voice. "I shall protect you." Jean rolled her eyes at his comment for she knew he was as scared as she was. Scott threw the torch to the ground so they would walk in unnoticed in the dim light of the cathedral.
The cathedral shone with candle light that spoke of peace and love. But that was the last thing Jean and Scott felt at the moment. The statues of the great profits stood next to the colorful tinted glass windows of the large church. It was quiet and empty as shadows crept along the wooden benches and metal candle holders.
They walked in and hid behind a long pole hooked to the floor from the ceiling. They looked out from both sides to see the hooded figure gone.
"Where did he go?" Jean asked as she spotted a shadow covering theirs. Jean and Scott turned around to see the hooded figure standing inches away from them with a candle to his chest. They heard him say muffled words and looked at each other with fear.
The candle lit the top part of his face as he lifted his eyes to look at the frightened teenagers. The brown eyes that he owned were the lightest brown Jean and Scott had ever seen. They were so brown they could pass for the color yellow. They shone with the candle's light on them as he spoke the words again. Jean and Scott looked at each other worriedly as he neared them. They both let out a scream and ran to the sides of where they were standing.
They ran to the door and opened it with force. They heard it open behind them and they increased their speed. They heard his muffled words again but more clearly this time. "I am going to burn you," he said with a low voice that emanated growling vibrations.
"RUN! RUN! RUN!" Scott shouted as they both ran as fast as they could, away from the shadowy figure they believed was running after them.
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