Sorry for the delay, dear readers...
Many believed that the Prince's new bride was a mute. Since the night of the prince's proposal, she spoke not a single word to him or any one. She sat nicely at dinner, made public appearances, and always kept her eyes cast modestly downward. In the public eye, she was a beautiful and noble young lady. Even the prince was under the impression that she'd finally come to her senses.
But when she was alone, locked in her room at night, she was an absolute terror. She screamed, threw things at the walls, and regularly challenged the guards that watched over her. Many times, within her room, she'd allow her wings to spring forth from her shoulder blades., and flap them wildly, creating a wind that disturbed everything. She never again called upon the powers of darkness in her tantrums- she herself was a hellish enough creature. Some of the maids would whisper and gossip that the girl was cursed by the wizard Howl, unhappy to lose his only child to his one enemy.
Adele had three friends in the world; Arden, the friendly soldier, his sister and a maid, Rosalie, and his fiancé, the gardener called Jessamine. When she had a tantrum, one of them would come running to her room, speaking words of comfort. Only then would she calm down, listening to Arden's stories of travel, allowing Rosalie to braid her hair, or sharing her passion for gardening with Jessamine. The prince was never told of her tantrums- the servants figured he had too much on his mind to be worrying about his unhappy bride.
And because Prince Justin believed Adele to be so lovely and well-mannered, he allowed her to have a small plot of earth within the garden. This was the only place she could freely use her magic, guarded only by Jessamine and a quiet, calculating soldier whose name she did not know. Within her tiny garden, Adele nursed all the same flowers she had in her old garden, but she found they would not bloom as lovely as they did in the meadow. But it was, nonetheless, a lovely sight amongst all the vegetables that grew in the garden for cooking.
In her garden was also the only place she was permitted to wear the simple country clothes that she had so often worn back home. Otherwise, it was choking corsets, heavy jewelry, and elaborately uncomfortable gowns. Yes, her garden was her one true sanctuary. There, she was not entirely happy, but still happier than she was when she was primped and polished at the prince's arm.
One day, the miserable routine she had settled into was suddenly disturbed.
She descended the marble staircase into the main hall. The prince wanted her to accompany him on a horseback ride that day, and that meant she would have no time for her gardening. Despite the fact that she would be on a horse, she still wore a ruffled, peach-colored gown, with a matching riding coat. Her hair was held back in an intricate arrangement of decorative pins, holding it out of her face, which was, as usual, heavily painted with make up.
When she reached the main hall, she could hear an argument occurring in one of the neighboring rooms. Two men were shouting at each other, and rather loudly.
"You must leave this instant," the prince was insisting to the other man who shouted in protest, "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it. My decision is final."
"You bastard!" the voice was more of a snarl than a human voice, "I won't allow you to do this to her- get your hands off me!"
A door flew open, and two guards hurried out, each holding the arm of the man who had challenged the Prince. Raven-black hair partially concealed the man's vibrant sapphire eyes. With a shove, the man shook off the guards who held him, and with a wave of his hand, sent them flying into a wall. He turned, and instantly collided with Adele.
When he looked down at her, anger showed in his eyes at first. Then, after a short moment of examining her, the anger ebbed away.
"Adele!" Howl exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his daughter and drawing her close to him, muttering apologies as he kissed her head affectionately.
Adele, at first, simply stood still with shock. The, tears began to pour from her eyes that were so similar to her fathers, and she returned his loving embrace.
"Guards!" The prince's voice rand through the room, "Arrest him at once!"
Howl drew away, taking a defensive stance in front of her. "I wouldn't let you have Sophie," he warned defiantly, "I won't let you have Adele!"
The guards were going to draw their swords, Adele could see. Her father was in danger, all because he was trying to save her from a bad marriage. They would hurt him if she didn't do anything. Bravely, Adele straightened up, wiped her eyes, and cleared her throat.
"Stand down!" she commanded of the two threatening guards. To her own shock, they obeyed. She turned then to Howl, regret sparkling in her eyes.
"Father," she said softly, "I am sorry, but you must leave. The prince has asked me to marry him, and I cannot turn him down."
"Yes you can, Adele!" Howl pleaded, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.
"I like it no more than you do," Adele replied sadly, "But it's for the good of the kingdom. It's for all those homeless children that starve in the streets. It's for your and Mother's protection, as well."
"That's why you're doing this?" Howl asked softly, "Because he threatened your mom and I? Adele, you don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do," Adele insisted, remembering that boy she'd met on the streets who had insisted she could be of no help. The words she spoke now were eerily similar to those her own mother had spoken to Howl years ago, though she was not aware of it.
Adele kissed her father gently on the cheek, before insisting that he must go. Howl, finding himself at a dead end, simply turned and left, but not without protest and argument. Once he was well gone, the prince approached Adele, lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed her fingertips.
"That was brilliant," Justin praised with a smile, "You'll make an excellent queen."
But Adele knew that the reason behind his smile was not that she had so maturely chosen to protect her kingdom. The smile came simply from watching Howl's own daughter cause the wizard so much pain.
"And you've regained your voice, too," the Prince remarked happily, "I'm glad."
"Yes, it is rather good," Adele agreed, watching the door that she had driven her own kin out of. She prayed Howl would understand that she was simply trying to protect her parents. "I'm tired," she announced, "I'm going back up to rest a bit- no riding today."
"Very well, Dear Adele," Prince Justin agreed, kissing her hand once more. Adele turned and began to walk back up the stairs, but he called her name once again, hailing her back to him.
"In a fortnight," he announced, "I will be holding a royal ball in celebration of our engagement. I'll have a dressmaker come and make a gown for you."
Adele nodded, before turning to hurry up to her room again. What was she going to do? Her father would just keep returning, trying to get her back, just as he had done with Sophie. And like back then, he may be captured again, and have to suffer unspeakable tortures once more...
She would not do that to him. Adele decided that the only way to get out of this marriage was to escape on her own, before Howl got himself into trouble over her. Instead of going to her room, Adele turned instead and went down a flight of stairs the servants used, escaping into the gardens. She found Jessamine pulling carrots alone.
"Jessamine," Adele called, kneeling beside the gardener.
"Good morning, Lady Adele," Jessamine greeted with a smile, "You're soiling your dress, dear."
"I don't care," Adele insisted, "I need your help."
Jessamine abandoned her carrots to turn her green-grey eyes up to meet Adele's blue ones. "What is it?"
"I need to escape," Adele replied, her voice stony and determined, "I have to get out of this marriage, but keep my parents from getting in trouble. I need all the help I can get, which means you, Rosalie, and Arden"-
"Count me in."
Both women turned their heads to see the usually stoic guard that accompanied Adele into the garden. It was evident that he had seem her come outside, and followed her.
Adele narrowed her eyes. "How do we know we can trust you?"
"I know how miserable you are," the guard insisted, "I was born in the prison tower; my mother had stolen some bread and was locked up. I've lived here my whole life. I'd hate to see your life ruined by being captive here. My name is Jon."
"Have you any proposals as to how she is to make her escape?" Jessamine inquired, standing up and brushing off her skirt.
"The engagement ball," Jon answered, "In all the chaos, no one will notice her slip away. And as an extra precaution, we can create a diversion. Tell Arden and Rosalie to meet in the kitchen tonight, after everyone is asleep. We'll work something out."