Chapter 13
Tears had threatened to fall this whole week. They had finally fallen. Two drops of sadness that had a story to tell. A story that could fill the pages of a large book.
One week. It had passed by so quickly. Jean had not seen Scott since then. The last time she had seen him was not even at the church. It had been through her window. That was the last time she had seen his eyes. When she closed her window that night, she hoped a door would open. But the only thing she had seen in her mind was the door to the cathedral open.
She stared at her own eyes for a long and silent moment. They whispered silent tears. She held the crumpled rose between her fingers. Entranced by the wilted and dead rose intertwined in her hands, she remembered the day he had given it to her. She had picked it off the ground and kept it. For so many years. It did not smell as sweet or look as healthy, but it did in her memories.
She unconsciously fiddled with a the loose strands of her curled hair. She patted the poofed heap of straightened hair on the top of her head. Looking in the mirror at her red lips and golden eye shadow she had to blink twice. Why was she all made-up today and dressed very properly? "Madam, it is almost time," a woman spoke from the door. Jean stared at the reflection of her face in the mirror blankly and statue-like. Oh yes, she remembered.
Down a few steps and then up the steps of the carriage. Up the stairs of the cathedral she walked as her dress slithered behind her. Golden jewelry, that of a princess and future queen. Golden sleeves that circled her upper arms and a little below her elbow. The sleeves went around her arm like a fluffy cloud that shadowed the sun. Red see-through material hung off of her lower arm and off her limp hands. They stretched far from her fingers, where she could not reach the edges. The dangling sleeves touched the beginning of the bottom of her dress. An emblem was hung across the red material hanging over her stomach loosely. The top of her dress held her breasts together firmly as the waved lines engraved as a design overlapped each other in a hectic manner. She felt as if she had no legs as she walked behind the large dress circling around her in a large heap. She felt someone place a long cape behind her. The cape felt like an anchor. An anchor tied to that of a wedding dress.
Her eyes flew from left to right as she looked at the people who were looking at her in awe. Maybe she was looking towards them to see their blind eyes, or maybe she was looking at them so she would not have to look at the groom.
She looked at her Grandfather quite lovingly when she walked down the isle as a respectful "thank you". A thank you for trying and believing that a gypsy was worthy enough to love a princess. But a thank you without a smile or an open heart. Her heart was shut tightly at the moment. Everything that passed her as she walked down the isle was as if she was dreaming. Everything seemed vague and unreal. Everyone seemed unfamiliar and her heart seemed to be lost. Her body was trembling inside. She could scream at the top of her lungs right this moment and no one would hear her.
When she felt the goose bumps paint themselves across her skin, she remembered distant words. But they became clear when she repeated them over and over again. There is not anything or anyone to fear in life but those who fear life and everyone in it, rather than live it, she thought to herself over and over again until the words sank into her actions. I am not going to fear life anymore. Or anyone in it. I am going to embrace it. She reached the priest with wide eyes. Not even glancing at Duncan as she reached him at the top of the steps covered with red carpet. She looked at the priest, who had a knowing expression, and knew she had to turn her dress around. She had to turn her direction around because she was obviously lost. Her stare was fixated on the front cathedral doors as she unhooked the cape from her shoulders and ran down the steps, ignoring the words of those around her and the loud gasps.
"Jean!" Duncan exclaimed harshly behind her.
But her thoughts were like the sound of thunder over lightning towards the meaningless words of wedding guests. A wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion and that is what Jean was going to make of it. She pushed the cathedral doors open and let her large dress trail behind her. Her crown fell to the ground as she reached her hand out for another and felt the horse's hind legs beneath her. The man in front of her kicked his two legs to the side of the horse as the horse ran into the distance.
She knew he would come.
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A breeze blew past their warm faces. He held her with a firm grip around her waist and let her down easily, while Jean held onto his upper arms for support. After she was on the ground he kept his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, very slowly. Jean did not object to his actions. Her eyes did not flinch or even ponder the idea of looking somewhere other than the two pure blue eyes staring the same way back. She thought she would never see those eyes again.
He held her close to him, embracing her strongly with his lips. He knew Duncan had not touched her, for her lips remained tasting sweet. Jean placed her arms firmly and tenderly on the muscular strength of his upper arms. She pulled him even closer to her fluffy dress. Scott took the moment to look at her so close through his eyes and through the sun's eyes when their kiss had broken slowly. He looked towards the river he had brought her to. The only place he could think to go. He did not care what happened after this day based on their action's consequences. Love sees nothing but their lover.
"Jean," he whispered into her ear as Jean shivered at the way he said her name. As if it was the most valuable thing in the world. He wanted to tell her in so many ways how much he loved being in her arms and listening to her words. He wanted to tell her how much he enjoyed being in her lovable presence. But he looked into her eyes, getting deeper and deeper with every millisecond he did this, and knew that only these words would express everything he felt. "I love you."
Jean stood there and gazed at him. She ran her soft fingertips over his left eyebrow and left eye, down to the tips of his lips. Scott kissed her fingertips lightly as they slipped down back to his arm. Scott took her hands in his and kissed them lightly as he placed them tenderly over his shoulders and around his neck. He was truly beautiful. The sun's light spoke of this also. The moon would be jealous of the sun's beautiful light. "I love you," she whispered softly as their lips met again and their tongues and lips synchronized within each other passionately. As if they belonged to the world and there was nothing they could do about it. As if the they were the only people that belonged to the world.
But a sudden and quick breaking of their lips by a sharp sword would prove otherwise. Jean gasped as her eyes watched Scott fall against the water in slow motion as if the water was as hard as iron . She just watched as the racing horse that was belonging to the man on it came towards Scott as if he was dirt itself. The unmerciful sword came slashing across his face. Across the top part of his face, where his eyes shone no longer. Everything around her turned black. Her head was dizzy of what she had just seen. "SCOTT!!!" was all her reaction was to Scott's scream that scratched her heart so forcefully. It was all she could react to. What was she supposed to do? Put bandages on his eyes and everything would be better?
A hand suddenly grabbed her wrists and dragged her with the racing horse, fighting against her struggle to pull her up and run away with her. She looked up at the familiar horse and the familiar cold face. "Stop it Duncan!!!" she yelled with all her might and struggled as she tumbled on the ground and listened to the echoing shoes of the horse upon the withered leaves. Her hands clenched the dirt beneath her with anger and sorrow.
She ran to Scott, hearing nothing but her heart beating loudly in her throat. She knelt lightly down in the water, her large dress gathered around her, her eyes afraid of what they would see. Her sleeves wrapped themselves around the sides of Scott's face as she brought him into her lap and rocked his head against her chest, and rocked their bodies to and fro. She looked down at his face and touched the blood, that was upon her dress and skin now, with her shaking hands. She touched the red blood dripping down his torn eyes numbly. The blood was mixed with water and dirt. The wind blew by them. Would she ever be able to see his beautiful blue eyes again? Was her soul destroyed forever? She did not know.
She just touched his bloody eyes with her dirt covered fingers. "I cannot see you Jean," Scott whispered. "Why can't I see you?" Scott's body was shaking and his head was trembling. "I can feel you." Jean closed her eyes tightly. She too did not want to see this world or anyone in it. Not at this very moment. Tears were the only thing that could express her hurt right now, and so they did. They slipped down her soft, yet cold face and into the eyes that were no longer visible on Scott's face. Many tears began to slip down. But Scott could not hear her silent sobs. He could not see her crying. "Please do not cry," Scott begged as Jean held his head against her lap. "I want to see your smile. Please show it to me."
Jean's tears were not silent anymore. But her sobs choked inside her throat and her tears poured like never ending rain against her numb face. She felt Scott's hands touch her wet cheek and wipe away a tear so tenderly. His breath began to tremble even more. But now it was over the sound of her tears rather than the hurt in his eyes.
The sound of the horse's shoes raced back like striking thunder as Scott was thrown against a tree bark. Scott's face was blank and forward and his body was trembling. When was the fight for happiness and love going to end? He felt weak and useless because he did not fight back. He tumbled to the ground, his back against the tree trunk and his arms limp to his side.
He was blind right this moment. All he saw was black. But he had known the owner of the sword with blood painted on it was Duncan's. He knew a sword was very close to him. Duncan's intent this time was to rid Scott from this world. From Jean. The thought of that caused Scott to tumble over, away from the pointed sword. He heard the sword flop up and down, for it had gotten trapped in the tree bark. He got up and held his hands up in fists. "Come closer and fight like a man you coward!" Scott exclaimed, although the pain pierced his eyes greatly.
Duncan's laughter was as great as his ego. But a punch in the nose and eye had surprisingly shut him up. Scott reached out blindly to grab Duncan and he brought him to the ground. Jean watched as she ran towards them. They were punching, kicking, and twisting each other forcefully. Duncan was now over Scott in a heap. "Stop it!!!" Jean yelled eagerly as she pushed with all her might to get Duncan off of Scott. But Duncan shoved her many feet away from the brawl they were in.
"Stay out of this Jean," Duncan said with hatred as he punched Scott in the eyes. Scott let out a painful scream as his eyes pounded even more. But Scott retaliated and pushed Duncan off of him and towards the tree trunk, where his back scratched the old bark with full force. He got up with anger and pulled the sword forcefully out of the tree as he walked calmly over to Scott. Scott got up quickly as he heard footsteps crunching the leaves on the ground. He was ready to fight.
Everything was happening so quickly. Jean saw her life flash before her eyes. If only she could have said those words over and over again for the rest of her life. I love you, her mind spoke. But her lips wanted to fill the vibration of those words against her tongue again. Forever. But forever was a non-existent word at this very moment, when she was face to face with the tip of a sword. She looked into the sword for a brief second to see her face. Her face looked as if her heart had been broken. As if her love was over. It was. And now, her life was too. The sword sliced through her stomach and her eyes closed. Her soul disappeared.
He had heard her. He had heard Jean running silently. He heard her heart beating so loudly. He heard her scream and he felt someone fall to the ground next to him. Jean? Scott asked himself like an idiot. He could not lie to himself. He knew exactly what happened. He knew why Jean was silent this time. But he still failed to understand why. He reached out his hands to find her face and felt her soft cheek upon his cold skin. He found her hand and bent his head towards it. Lying there with his head bent towards her hand that laid in his.
Endless minutes of silence and hurt; a horrible voice echoed through Scott's loud sobs. But he did not care who heard him. He did not care who saw. Not today.
"I…I didn't mean to. It was an accident," Duncan stuttered as Scott ignored him and waited for the sword to cut his heart into more pieces than it already was. "It is all your fault," Duncan's familiar voice came into play.
"You are right," Scott said between choked sobs. "If loving is a sin." The pain pierced through his eyes as the blood fell to Jean's cold, limp hands. He laid next to her torn dress. He laid his head against the side of her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her mid stomach. "Kill me." Silence rang through the air. "Spare me life. Kill my body. My soul has already left."
Another loud silence floated in mid-air.
A sound of a sword being drawn was heard.
The sound of footsteps climbing onto a horse sounded.
The shoes of the horse crunched the leaves in the now far distance of his ears.
The sword dropped between the two bodies with blood from both bodies painted across the top.
Their bodies were still and lifeless, but the water from the river continued to flow. It continued to flow forever.
The word forever was not to be understood by such fragile minds.
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Author's Note STAY TUNED FOR MORE!!! FOR THE FINALE!!! VERY, VERY, VERY SOON……… ONLY IF THE HUMBLE READERS SHALL REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!