"The Pianist"

~Chapter Seven~

A Few Hours Later...

His feet crunches over twigs and his body is shivering as the sun get lower in the west. His hands tighten over and over again on his satchel; his canteen empty of water; his food supply nearly gone...what is about the woods that makes a man eat like a dying soldier gasping for his last breath? He wipes sweat off his brow and then slows his pace; looking over his shoulders before he turns around the front and continues walking at that slow pace. "Aaaooh!" every muscle in his body clenches when he hears that howl. 'What if Gabriella had been attacked by a wolf?' he thinks, worst case scenarios of his daughter bleeding out from any part of her driving him to walk fast...until he tripped over a root sticking up from the ground, landing on his face and cutting his palms on the sharp rocks. Agony stings, but he swallows it and adjusts himself so he is sitting in the dirt at the base of the tree that tripped him. "Aaaooh!" another howl is released, he looks at the sunset; what's left of it anyway...

Brilliant hues of gold, red and orange blend in the sky; lighting it ablaze and temporarily blinding Gregor until he has to look away to regain his sight. Gabriella loves sunsets, so...what if she's near a place where she can see it perfectly. He smiles small and soft at the sight of his daughter humming while she looks on at the golden ball in the sky disappearing for the night and her eyes sparkling as she wishes on that first star. "Gabriella..." he sobs, not bothering to hide. Hell, he's practically in private, no-one around to question his 'manhood' when they see him cry or quiver with worry. He hugs his knees to his chest, laying his face in his arms as he muffles his sobs. His wife, he fears for her health and his daughter...he fears her safety. "I'm sorry...I'm going to find you. Papa's going to find you, everything will be all right..." his voice is strangled and muffled and choked from the sobs. His heart is squeezing and un-squeezing in his chest with each agonizing breath. Besides his sobs, the woods are quiet...

That is until he hears bushes rustle, he stumbles to his feet; grabbing his daggers from his pockets, poised to fight whatever was- A rabbit. He visibly relaxes, smiling softly at the small creature as it looks around with wide eyes, that quivering nose, before it hops out of the way and into the forest of it's rabbit hole. Gregor puts his daggers back into their sheaths at his sides, and then he feels himself being knocked to the ground by two forces. One of them, grabbing hold of his ankle and dragging him roughly as it growls. He peeks over his shoulder, seeing a great wolf. Grey in colour, it's eyes a menacing yellow as he glowers at the man and growls; dragging Gregor some more. The other wold; reddish tint to its fur, grabs Gregor's wrist. The man screams, and his arm and leg are pulled to the point of his hip and shoulder dislocating. "Ah!" he kicks his leg that is free, hitting the grey wolf in the nose, but the creature quickly lurches on to something more fleshy. More likely to bleed out.

His thigh. "Ah! Damn it!" He tugs at his wrist that is in the other wolfs mouth, but that one has a tight hold; and it's teeth dig fiercely into his skin. Gregor screams and swears, kicking his free leg into the wolf's ribs and his free hand to grab at one of his daggers in their sheaths at his hips. Next thing he knows, the sharpness of the blade slashes through the fur and skin of the reddish wolf, and he lunges at the grey one. Attacking and stabbing it before slitting it's throat. What if these wolves attacked his daughter? It's good the beasts are dead so they can't harm anyone else.

He checks his wrist, the flesh is torn and blood drips over his palm. It stings when he touches even slightly. Then he looks at his thigh and ankle. They look about the same. He sighs, too fatigued to move- or even attempt the action of moving -he falls onto the ground with his back hitting the rocky, cold ground; a chill coming over him and his eyes slowly drifting closed...maybe if he ...just lays here...to rest. For a minute. A bit.

He won't be long, "Just let me rest..." he calls out to no-one, his eyes closing and his wounds numbing from the chill. Yes, a bit. A small rest wouldn't make much of a difference. He'd still have time to find ..."Gabriella," he whispers, "Papa's coming..." with those words, he drifts off to sleep. The chill greeting him like an old friend.

"You play lovely," Gabriella says, sitting on the bench in front of the piano besides Troy. Her eyes examining him as he sits there, his hands on the keys but not moving. His blank eyes staying on the wall in front of her. How great he must have been as a child-

"You mean for someone whose blind." Troy says, interrupting her thoughts. Shaking his head, and sliding off the stool, using his hands to guide him around the piano to where his settee sat; made of blue velvet and lucious silk pillows sitting in the corners the whole thing just sang to Gabriella 'sit here!' she sighs, standing up; her lips can't help but smirk with glistening eyes as she made her way to Troy.

"I wasn't even...I didn't mean-"

"It must be late." Troy says, interrupting her again. His back to her. "We've been up here for nearly the whole day." Gabriella nods, bobbing her small head as she looks out the balcony doors at the beautiful sunset. Her heart flutters at the red, gold and orange intertwining; she walks to the doors, stepping out on to the balcony to admire it more.

Troy turns his head, after hearing her footsteps go off to that direction he felt a curiosity build up in him- well, honestly, he has felt that curiosity ever since their exchange on the stairs ...and then again after he walked into his chamber after he'd kissed her hand. His lips burn still from that action, his gut aches and his palms tingle. It wasn't long before that while he was playing that time that his word created by his music was turned into a dancing temptress; dancing and swaying to the melodies he created, her gown falling off her shoulders, her lips rosy and plump as she smiles at him with ...in his world, he's not blind. He's sighted, but when that world ends...the harsh reality returns. "Gabriella?" He calls out, no answer. He cocks his head to the side, his hands reaching out as he stumbles to the balcony. He trips over his ottoman. He curses and just lies there with a leg draped over the obstacle. It's not the first time, and no-one's helped him...partly because he snaps at anyone who deigns too.

The clutter in the chamber made Gabriella look away from the sun, stepping in she looks down. Seeing Troy on the floor. "Oh my- are you...let me..help-" he waves his hand at her, shrugging as he just lies there.

"It's not the first time I've fallen over something, most of the time it's my own feet." He says, he didn't mean them too, but his words came out snidely and rude. The hurt that stabs Gabriella is like two little pinpricks on her palm. She bites her lip and takes a step closer, her hands reaching to curl around his shoulder; when he feels the tips of her fingers, he flinches and yanks himself away.

"You don't like help from others, do you?" She asks, now it's her turn to be snide and rude. Troy scoffs.

"I don't like the vulnerability that comes with it-" she crosses her arms over her chest, Troy can picture well in his mind. He shakes his head. Not saying anything.

"You're just going to lie there?" No response. She sighs, standing up straighter and looking away from Troy before she turns her head back. "I understand that men are prone to be afraid to show that they are weak...but how you treat your mother. Your father-"

"Stop..." he says, she continues on.

"Your servants-"

"Shut up, Gabriella." his teeth are clenched, he's struggling to sit up at least; but the ottoman won't release his leg. She continues on.

"It's pathetic. You act like a spoiled child when you don't get your way and you will go to any lengths to get your way; you throw fits and tantrums, you're arrogant and-"

"SHUT UP!" Troy yells, taking her aback and making her step backward toward the piano, he stumbles to his feet; finally freeing his leg from the ottoman that had tripped him- mental reminder, he thinks, give that away. Or chuck it over the balcony. "You know nothing about me! So who are you to tell me what I am? How I act? You know nothing! You're just a peasant! A peasant who lost her way in the big, bad woods! I didn't even want you here, but my parents insisted on it! Why don't you just...just go! I'm happier- much happier here alone!" Tears sprung in her eyes, she just looks at him for a second; her lips and hands trembling. She's been yelled at before, by her mama and papa, but those were scoldings when she's done something wrong.

She understood scoldings. Troy needs one like no other, but what he just- he...she shakes her head, sniffling audibly as she turns on her feet and runs from the chamber; her foot falls echoing with each step she took. He listens for a nearby door - a chamber door - to slam shut but he doesn't. Instead, he hears the doors- large, mahogany doors that stand proudly in the foyer. Troy feels his knees wobble and shake.

Well, shit. He didn't...making her cry- he didn't mean...growling, he marches- as a blind man could -out of his chamber, grabbing hold of the banister. "Gabriella!" His voice carries and echoes through the large foyer. Suddenly it's an empty feeling. Cold. Chilling. "Gabriella! I'm sorry!" he yells once more, walking half slow, half fast down the marble stairs. "Gab-" the clicking of nails on the floors distracts him and he turns his head. A low whine and the feel of fur brushing up against his leg.

His parents have changed already, is it so late? Oh no...it's nearly dark. "Gabriella!" Forgetting the banister- and stumbling; nearly falling on his front -he runs to the door (the only part of the castle that he doesn't need to reach his hand to feel around for) and grabs the handle; throwing it open. A strong gust of wind blows in; it's strong and nearly knocks him on his ass.

"Going somewhere Troy?" Asks a familiar three voices, Troy tenses and his eyes narrow. "You look good for a blind man."

"Get." He says, but he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Let her go-"

"It's freezing! Dark! She could die out there-"

"You suddenly care?" The three voices ask at once, then again they are from one throat. Troy shakes his head and grabs her wrist, wrenching it back. "I said 'Leave'!" The woman stumbles back and watches as he runs out of the castle. She stops him at the gate.

"You're blind, Troy." The three voices stop him, his hands ball into fists. The three voices speak again, this time they are directly behind him; the woman's hands on his shoulders as she turns him around. "Even if you go into the woods to find her...you won't be able to see if it's really her-"

"Then you go." He says through clenched teeth, she shakes her head. He could see it in his mind, and he's never been more annoyed.

"I only came to check on you, see if you learned anything-"

"Gah!" Troy freaks, shoving her back. "Mother! Father!" The two wolves run out, stopping at his side; he felt their fur on his legs through his tights.

"Troy-" The woman says, but he stops listening to her; grabbing hold of his parents fur, they lead him into the woods. Searching for Gabriella, yes it is cold, dark even. They might not find her, but they might. The woman watches the three go off, her face blank and expressionless before he disappears into the thick trees of the woods. As they disappear she smiles, grinning from ear to ear; and soon the one enchantress turns into three beggar women again. They look at each other, "Shall we help them find her?" the middle one says, the one on the left grins wider.

"So they don't go far into the woods.." The one on the right nods, curling her knotted fingers around her staff.

"We wouldn't that...after all, it seems that Troy is beginning to learn his lesson after all." The women nod and vanish into the thin air.

:O Oooh! Cliff-hanger! What do you think will happen? Will Troy find Gabriella? What do you think of what happened to Gregor? Do think that now that Gabriella is in the woods as well that she'll run in to her father? Hmm...so many questions. What do you think of the return of the enchantress? What's your opinion of her? What do you think of how this chapter turned out? Will Troy and Gabriella make up? Do you guys (stupid question) want a Troyella kiss in the future of this story?

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Review! xxx

~Elena