Author's note:
Back in December, I end up with way too much time on my hands. My muse decided to take this opportunity to feed me this story. The writing and editing is completed so the updating shouldn't take too long. A huge thank you to my Beta Eridani Moon and to Mad Muse Musing for the support. I hope you enjoy it! :)
Chapter 1
Helena ran up the stairs as fast as she could, her vaporous red dress floating around her.
"Helena!"
Her mother's sharp cry made the young woman run faster.
"Helena!"
Helena stopped to look at her mother several steps down.
"Halt! Now!"
Shaking her head, Helena continued her ascension, followed by her mother. She finally reached the top of the stairs and entered her room. She went straight to her opened window, desperate to escape. Her mother entered the room as Helena was climbing on the window's edge.
"Helena!"
The annoyance in her mother's voice caused the young woman to turn and face her mother. Leaning out, she threatened, "I will jump!"
"Please don't!" begged Sarah, sudden fear lacing her tone.
Helena didn't listen and jumped. Sarah ran to the window with a desperate cry.
The fall was fast despite being several stories high. Sarah looked at the ground where her daughter's body was sprawled.
Holding a hand dramatically to her throat, she cried, "Helena! Helena! My child! What have you done?"
On the ground, Marcus, the caretaker, came with a wheelbarrow to take the body away. When he approached, he was terrified when Helena suddenly looked up at him and growled.
At the younger woman's movement, Sarah ordered, "Helena! Come back here this instant!"
Helena rose to her feet and then jumped back up to the window, landing on its edge with a scowl. Narrowing her eyes, she hissed, "You can't force me to marry him!"
Ignoring her mother's look of censure, she slid down over the window's edge and crossed the room to sit on her bed.
"Helena, my dear, Walter is an excellent suitor." Following her daughter, Sarah sat next to Helena and tried to reason with her. "First, he is rich. Second, he is wealthy, loaded and disgustingly affluent. Third, he will provide you everything you need."
Shuddering at the older woman's words, Helena returned, "I don't care about his money, Mother! He disgusts me!"
Sarah gently tucked a lock of Helena's hair behind her ear. "You are mistaken. He is quite dashing."
Helena discarded her mother's hand from her head, causing Sarah to purse her lips in anger. "Lord Walter Sykes is an Earl and you father is a Baron. It will be an improvement of your situation. Your father has decided to betroth you to Lord Sykes and you will obey his command whether you like it or not! Now, I have to go take care of our guests. I expect you to join us shortly… Or face the consequences."
Sarah rose to her feet and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She went down the long flight of stairs at a much slower pace than she had climbed them. No need to look rushed in front of her guests.
She went to the grand hall where her husband, Joseph, was sitting at the end of a long table. She sat to his left while Walter Sykes was sitting to his right. A servant came to fill their glasses with a red and thick liquid. Walter raised his glass to his future father-in-law.
"It will be an honour to join your family, sir."
Joseph raised his glass at him. "The honour is ours my Lord."
They took a sip, appreciating the warm and rich flavour on their tongues.
"How are your businesses, Lord Sykes?" Sarah politely inquired.
"As well as can be expected, Baroness. I do a lot of business with the colonies, especially India. Don't worry, your daughter's financial future is quite secured. Speaking of which, where is your charming daughter?"
Joseph looked at his wife. "That is a very good question. My dear, where is our daughter?"
Sarah tried to keep her tone light as she fiddled with her own wine glass. "She wanted to look her best for you my Lord. I'm sure she will be here any minute now."
Tired of his daughter's disrespect toward her future husband, Joseph growled, "Fetch her! Now!"
Sarah jumped from her chair and hurried out of the room. She went up the stairs once again and knocked at her daughter's bedroom door.
"Helena?"
A muffled voice came from the other side. "Coming!"
The Baroness elected to wait for her daughter downstairs.
Outside the castle, a black stallion let out a neighing in the dark cold night as its rider was pressing its flanks with her heels.
In the grand hall, the Baron was standing and raising his glass.
"I would like to say a toast to my future son-in-law. A man who will bring great honour to my family. A man who has fought several wars against the great evil who threatens our kind. A man who has the means to keep us safe. A man who will take my most cherished possession, my daughter Helena, as his wife. To Lord Walter Sykes!"
All the guests raised their glasses as Sarah quickly and discretely came back to her place.
"To Lord Walter Sykes!"
Everyone took a sip as Helena was reaching the limits to her family's land.
"We are very pleased that you chose Helena to bear your great family's descendants," Sarah said to Walter.
Upon hearing his daughter's name, the Baron became impatient. Turning towards the grand staircase, he bellowed, "Helena!"
The guests were mildly afraid by Joseph's cry of anger, backing away from the man as he turned back to his wife, demanding, "Helena! Where is she?"
Helena kept pressing her horse, putting as much distance as she could between her and her family. She felt a tremor if pleasure going through her. She was free!
This time, it was Joseph who climbed the stairs at top speed, followed by Walter and Sarah. He banged on his daughter's bedroom door.
"Helena!"
The voice on the other side of the door came clearly through the wood. "Coming!"
The Baron became beyond impatient. He blew up the door with a mere flick of his fingers and entered Helena's room. He looked everywhere but there was no trace of his daughter.
"Coming!"
Freezing in place as he heard the call once more, Joseph then turned to look at the black bird that was flapping its wings in its cage.
"Coming!"
Sarah cringed as Joseph let his anger explode. He let out a cry so powerful that the whole castle shook.
"Helena!"
When he finally ran out of steam several hours later, Walter came to him. Meeting the other man's eyes, Walter swore, "I will find her Baron. Even if it's the last thing I do."
Author's note 2: This chapter is pretty much an adaptation from a scene in the movie Karmina. I do not own anything!
