Chapter 8: Mad World
Julie hated it when she got hurt. For one, her mother would not stop nagging her about where she got her scratch in the first place. The second, she had to wear the ugliest patch that covered most of her chin, courtesy of her mother. It was simply embarrassing, to put it into fewer words, the way other servants stared and whispered to one another. Julie groaned, but she was lucky she was still alive, so she didn't complain much.
"It's barely noticeable, in my opinion," Gwen said, trying not to laugh.
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one with the stupid jumbo band aid," itched Julie, doing her best to tuck her chin in for it to be less noticeable.
"It got infected, didn't it?"
"Yes," Julie grumbled.
"I told you to treat it right away."
"Oh yeah, and not hear the story about my best friend? I don't think so, it's worth it," Julie smiled proudly, loving the fact that her friend was a powerful being. Gwen smiled to; she loved the idea of having a best friend. "We should get going, Kevin said he had an announcement."
"Does he usually make announcements?" pondered Gwen.
"No, he usually writes them down and posts it on a bulletin for everyone to see. It must be something big," Julie said, smiling big, thinking of the possibilities.
"Or bad," smirked Gwen.
"Hey, don't ruin the fun…we're getting out of work."
"For an hour," added Gwen, turning Julie's fantasy into reality.
"You're no fun sometimes."
"I'm just being realistic."
"Or in other words…no fun," turned Julie, walking up the steps to the main entrance of the palace. Gwen sighed and followed Julie, not admitting that she was interested in what Kevin had to say. Julie was just excited because Ben would be there, that much Gwen knew. They walked with the rest of the servants to the main hall, as many others gathered around Kevin's throne.
Kevin walked out nonchalantly, the servants barely noticing him. Julie and Gwen noticed Ben out of the corners of their eyes. Julie was about to call him over, until she saw the expression on his face. He didn't look so good; in fact he looked scared.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Julie worriedly.
"I don't know," replied Gwen with the same quizzical look on her face. Ben was staring at Kevin and didn't take his eyes off of him. He almost seemed sad for him, which was strange because Kevin looked as happy as could be.
"Alright, alright, settle down all of you," Kevin spoke in a loud voice, as the room became quiet. "I have a very important announcement to make." Then as if on cue, Charmcaster pranced in gleefully and embraced Kevin. She had a smile on her face that no words could possibly describe. "Princess Charmcaster and I are engaged!"
Whether they wanted to or not, the servants cheered happily, as Charmcaster showed off the huge ring on her finger. The only ones that weren't cheering were Julie and Gwen. Gwen stared blankly into space, thinking that this was truly some nightmare she just entered. Julie looked at her and wished she didn't. Gwen showed despair, misery, stricken, downcast…nothing could ever make it clear that this was truly happening and she could never truly be with Kevin. Charmcaster smirked broadly, scaling around the room, looking around the palace that would be hers soon enough. What Gwen didn't realize was that Kevin was staring at her the whole time, reading her face and taking it all in.
She shook her head and came back to reality. She knew something would happen, but she didn't know it would be this soon. She felt a comforting hand rest on her shoulder. Gwen looked at Julie and couldn't help but form tears in her eyes.
"We can go," Julie said, looking back at Ben who suddenly disappeared.
"No, no…it would be disrespectful to do so," she said quietly, softly clapping her hands with the rest of the crowd. Julie stood motionless, looking up at Kevin once more with a glare.
"I no longer have any respect for him," she stated, walking away briskly, leaving the crowd and Gwen clapping, with silent tears drowning her cheeks.
Julie was in the garden, throwing rocks in the pond miserably. She couldn't help but be furious at the way Kevin was acting. She thought she knew him different than this…where was the boy she grew up with? Since when did he follow the rules of being a king? Where was the rebel? He had to fall for an evil princess…she should say dictator. She grumbled and threw another rock in forcefully, watching as a couple of fish quickly diverted it and swam in a corner.
"Is this how you take out your anger?" said a voice. Julie couldn't help but ease up a little, turning to see the gorgeous Ben Tennyson standing behind her. "Hi."
"Hi," she replied dryly. Her anger got the best of her as she turned back to her pond to watch the fish. Why did she have to be so stubborn at a time like this?
"I've never seen this side of you before," he smirked, sitting down beside her. "Anger, I mean."
"I'm only like this on a bad day," she flicked another rock in the pond.
"You're going to kill the fish if you keep doing that," he smirked, only to frown. Her face remained the same…sad. "I don't like seeing you like this," he admitted.
"Like what?"
"Like this…angry, sad, depressed…what's wrong?"
"A good friend of mine is being an idiot."
"Gwen's not an idiot-,"
"I'm not talking about Gwen…I'm talking about Kevin."
"Kevin?"
"Yes Kevin…"
"I didn't realize you two were friends…"
"We don't show it in public, but yes very good friends. We haven't talked in a while though, ever since a month ago," she hugged her knees, looking at the fish.
"Funny, Kevin usually doesn't talk about his servants…"
"I know, but I was the kid that could relate to him around the palace as we grew up. He was only ten when his parents died and I was there…because I could relate."
"I met him when I was ten. He was so depressed and lost…my grandpa tried to be the role model he lost. He grew up pretty good though…well sort of," smirked Ben, receiving a giggle from Julie. "Now that's more like it." She sighed.
"But seriously, how can you be ok with this? Your best friend is marrying a power hungry psycho. Doesn't this bother you at all?"
"Yes, it does," Ben started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But I respect his decision. He obviously has something for her, so he sees things we don't. And she's honestly not that bad once you get to know her."
"Yeah right," Julie rolled her eyes, not believing a word.
"Look, she's rough around the edges, I know…but I can't stop him. I can add my inputs on her, yes, but I can never make the actual decision for him. It's his, not mine."
"I just want to know what he sees in her…must be her money, though I never would have thought Kevin could stoop so low. The Kevin I knew would have never made this decision. Hell, he would have never even considered her because of the way she treats her people."
"I didn't know you cursed."
"Only when I'm mad…," Julie smirked, while Ben smiled. "To top it all off, we now have to plan, decorate, and assemble this wedding in a very short time. I doubt Kevin's going to want to wait. He was never the patient type."
"Since we're on the topic of the wedding…" Ben was suddenly nervous, and Julie noticed. Julie was actually having a normal conversation with him, and she wasn't nervous at all. She was finally being herself in front of him, which proved that she could be with him. Ben took a deep breath. Julie had never seen him act like this. "When this whole wedding thing is over…I'm going to be going back to Omnitrix where my grandpa will step down from the throne for me to take."
"Oh…so you're going to be king?" Julie didn't know what to say. Was he saying that he was never going to see her again?
"Well yes…after some training and instructions, but that's not the point."
"Then what is?" Julie was the nervous one this time.
"After the wedding…I wanted you to come with me to Omnitrix."
She stared at him, speechless.
"Oh, so you want me to be your servant there? Kind of like Gwen is for Kevin?" she was making excuses, trying to find the answer. He shook his head nervously.
"Why don't I start over," he fumbled with his fingers. "Julie, I remember the first time I visited Bellwood to visit Kevin for a big sleepover weekend that we were going to have. It was five years ago and grandpa finally trusted me to go over Kevin's place without him with me. We were in his room, eating a bunch of junk food while playing with my-," he stopped, almost giving away his secret. He placed his hand over his watch defensively.
"You're what?"
"My…my sword! Yes, I had a sword at fifteen," Ben jumbled out, leaving Julie confused again. Julie raised an eyebrow, really not that surprised Ben had a sword when he was fifteen. "Uh…but that's not the point. The point is there was a knock at the door…a servant requesting to come in to get Kevin's laundry. But as that door opened, I saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. A fifteen year old girl, with black hair and hazel eyes walked into the room, grabbed a basket of Kevin's clothes and walked out, leaving me breathless. That was the first day I saw you."
Julie was in shock. She remembered that evening perfectly as well…only she didn't expect him to remember. He took her hand suddenly, and she was at a loss for words. What was he doing? Was he going crazy? Was she going crazy? This had to be a dream, maybe even a nightmare. She listened to the ripples of the water and the croaking of the frogs. All she could look at were his deep emerald pools that she loved so much.
"Julie, I want you to come back to Omnitrix with me. Not as my servant, but as my guest. I…I love you."
Yes, this was a dream, no doubt about it. It was like she didn't even hear the words correctly. Wait, this wasn't a dream; this was a nightmare, her head playing evil tricks to torment her. But as he continued to hold her hand, she realized that this was real, he was real. She was at a loss for words, she couldn't think correctly.
"I'm sorry…what?" she cleared her head, so that she could get the right words through her. Ben was worried now. Did she not feel the same way?
"I said I love you," he looked down for the first time, down at the swimming fish, feeling ashamed. Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut.
"I thought I heard you correctly," she began, collecting her thoughts, trying not to scream with excitement as hard as she could. He fixed his collar nervously and continued to ramble.
"Uh your mother could come and she can have a nice room with a view and will never have to work again."
"Ben…"
"And you'll have your own room as well…"
"Ben…"
"It'll face the mountains, giving you the perfect sunrise…"
"Ben!" she yelled a little louder, finally getting his attention. She spoke a little softer than before, pushing back a strand of hair behind her ear. Now she was nervous. "I love you too."
They were the words that he needed to hear, as he looked back at her once again. She was blushing madly, but he thought she was the cutest thing in the world. His fingers slowly went up to her chin, getting ready for a kiss. But he stopped suddenly.
"What happened to your chin?" he asked, noticing it for the first time. Julie rolled her eyes impatiently, clung to his neck and forced his lips onto hers. Julie was wrong; royalty can love the poor…but only if they have a good enough heart. This was her first kiss. She really didn't know what she was doing, but by Ben closing his eyes intently, she didn't care. It was the best feeling in the world. Butterflies erupted in her stomach. And just as she was about to get closer to his body, she slipped and fell into the pond, taking Ben with her. Ben surfaced and laughed.
"Is that a yes?"
Gwen was cleaning Kevin's stallion's stable and the horse itself. She offered to clean him, insisting that he was looking dirtier by the second and Kevin agreed. The stable was silent except for the whimpering of horses and chewing sounds of them eating. She was brushing the shiny and clean horse, as Eleven relaxed with her strokes. She whispered to him.
"You're a good boy, aren't you?"
She smiled gently as Eleven bucked his head, as if he was responding to her question.
"Yeah, I know how you feel. You think you're going to be happy and live a better life…but in the end it all ends up the same…a mess. You're left with nothing in the end."
She must have been going crazy. She was talking to a horse for heaven's sake. She breathed once more, listening to the utter silence around her. There was no one around; they were all decorating for the wedding inside the palace. That was why she wanted to come down here. To listen to the silence and to be left alone. What good would she be at decorating? She'd never decorated anything in her life. She was good at cleaning and that was her job. Cleaning was her thing, especially when she had things on her mind that made her feel sad…
Kevin.
Why was he doing this? Did he truly love her? What was so special about her? What did she have that she didn't?
Power of course…
Ok, that was something big…and something she didn't have. A huge kingdom and castle weren't things she could pull out of her pocket.
But she couldn't help but get the feeling something bad was going to happen. Ever since Charmcaster came, she got this eerie feeling that she was going something intentional…horrible. She wondered if she should be prepared. She wondered if this whole kingdom should be prepared. But the fact was she couldn't but feel…sense…that something was going to happen with Charmcaster. She hadn't practiced her powers in a while, not since she summoned them to save the towns people and Julie. She felt the need to practice just in case.
She closed her eyes and felt the mana around her. There were no humans at all in the stables. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into Eleven's. His huge brown eyes couldn't help but edge her on to do what she felt.
"Maybe something simple," she said, pointing her hands at a huge pile of hay. Then a big shovel came out of nowhere, scooped up the hay, and she put it in Eleven's stable. She smiled to see the horse's happy face as he began to eat. "Ok that's the easy stuff, but what I need to really practice is defense."
And all of a sudden, everything Verdona had taught her in the past came flooding back to her, as if her mind was set on rewind. Images of Verdona teaching her the various arts of protecting herself, attacking, tracing and tracking, manipulating the natural energy around her (mana) to create tentacles and shields, and to make powerful blasts from her hands came flooding back. She opened her eyes to notice herself levitating, something she tried to do as a kid, but came out unsuccessful. Should she practice in the stables? Of course; there was no one around.
Her hands began to glow, as the horses around her got scared and began to yell and jump.
She had been gone for about 2 hours. Sweaty and hair full hay, she went back to her room. She would later find Kevin and tell him his horse was clean, but she was not in the mood right now. She was tired and her power surging through her wasn't calming down.
Maybe I worked too much…nah it was fun…
She smiled as she began to pluck the small pieces of hay from her unclean hair. She suddenly jumped when Julie opened drastically the door to her room and screamed as loud as she could.
"Gwen!" Julie embraced her tightly, a bunch of hay falling from her hair. She didn't understand why Julie was acting like this, especially when she was in such a bad mood earlier. "Gwen! Where have you been?"
"Uh hi Julie, what's going on?" Gwen barely finished her sentence when she noticed Julie was crying. Gwen suddenly got serious. "Julie what happened?"
"I'm so happy…I already told my mom!"
"What are you talking about?" Gwen closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, extremely confused about her best friend's mood swings.
"I guess I should start form the beginning huh?"
"Yeah that would be useful," Gwen looked at her, sitting on her bed, as Julie joined her. Julie took a deep breath and began.
"I'm going to Omnitrix with Ben."
"Oh…like as you got a job?"
"No, as in I'm going to live in his palace."
"What?!" shrieked Gwen, suddenly standing up. Julie had tears in her eyes once again.
"Oh Gwen, I don't know how it happened or why…I was sitting down by the pond all mad when he came up to me and told this wonderful story about when he first saw me…"Julie was rambling. Gwen got some of the story, but really paid attention when she got to the end. "And then he told me he loved me and wanted me to move into the palace."
"What?!" repeated Gwen, almost shaking, so happy for her friend that she was finally getting the life she deserved. She gave her a hug. "Julie, I'm so happy for you!"
"Gwen you don't understand…I never thought I could have a life like this before. I always thought I'd have to work in the palace till I was old and have nothing else to do," Julie cried in Gwen's shoulder.
"I understand perfectly. Julie, you deserve this. You deserve this life. No matter what, you are an amazing person who deserves to be this…and maybe even be the future queen of Omnitrix."
Julie sobbed a little more. "I never thought this would happen to me."
"I always did…I knew he liked you the moment I saw him look at you."
Julie whipped her tears away from her eyes and regained herself. "Yeah well, it's not that easy when it's the actual person you like."
"Yeah, I know how that feels," Gwen looked down at her feet, all of a sudden sad. Julie was quiet for a moment and then cleared her throat.
"There's something else," Julie began. Gwen looked back up at her quizzically. "Ben wants you to come to Omnitrix too…to live there I mean."
"What?" Gwen shook her head.
"He wants you to come with us, with my mom and me. He wants you to live in the palace too, to not be a servant girl anymore."
"Why me?"
"I don't know…he considers you his friend," she shrugged, agreeing with her new boyfriend. "I think it's a great idea."
Gwen was silent. She hadn't yet told Julie her plans after the wedding. She looked up at her with apologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry Julie, but I'm going to have to pass."
"What? Why? You can't live here anymore…"
"I know…and I'm not going too," she said it as if she was telling a secret. Julie was confused. "I would have loved to live with you, but I'm gong to go off on my own now. After the wedding, I was planning on leaving."
"Leaving?"
"You think I want to stay here when the two married couple is on their honeymoon and I have to watch? I'm leaving Bellwood for good."
"But why not just come with us? It'll be fun…"
"I'm sorry Julie, but I plan on to exploring the world and seeing the better things. I don't want to stay here anymore."
"But…when will I see you again?" Julie became saddened. Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Of course I'm going to come visit! You're not going to loose me Julie, I'm always going to be your best friend."
Julie still continued to look down.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was a last minute decision. I decided today while I was cleaning the stables. I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to really live life and do things on my own. Maybe…find someone else and start a family. But I'm not going to stay here."
"I didn't realize…"
"I'll come visit Julie, I promise. I just can't be left here anymore. I want to have a good life. I want a life of my own this time, without serving anybody."
"But you could with Ben too."
"Trust me Julie, if I hadn't thought of this, I would be with you in a heartbeat. But now, I have a plan for my life. This is something I've never had," Gwen was trying to explain to Julie the importance of all of this. She looked up with tears in her eyes.
"Ok, I have faith in you. I believe you can do this. You go have the life you deserve."
"And you have yours…" Gwen reminded. "Who knows? Maybe I can save innocent people who are in trouble. Kind of like what the monsters do."
"Yes," agreed Julie. "But I'm going to miss you."
"Me too," Gwen hugged Julie. "Oh and one more thing…"
"Yes?"
"Let's keep this a secret. I really don't want Kevin finding out. Don't tell anyone, not even Ben."
"Ok, I will," Julie nodded.
Kevin was in the library, watching his fire place burn, while drinking a cup of rum. The day was coming faster than he expected. The servants were like on electricity, decorating the place faster than they've done anything in this. Kevin was worried, ok, he was freaking out about the whole thing. He was getting nervous.
There was a knock at the door. Who would be around at this hour?
"What?" Kevin asked irritably, taking another sip.
"It's me," Ben said on the other side of the door. Kevin relaxed.
"Come on in," he said, turning toward the door, putting his cup down.
"Hey, it's pretty quiet up here," said Ben, shutting the door behind him.
"Everyone's asleep, what can I say?" he sighed, sitting in a chair. Ben did the same, relaxing as he watched the fire dance.
"Grandpa's coming tomorrow," Ben broke the silence.
"So the guests are finally arriving…" he breathed.
"You'll never guess who's coming too," Ben began, as Kevin looked at him. "Ken…Ken and the whole team is coming with grandpa."
"Really?" he asked, sitting up from his seat. "No way…"
"We have a whole army now," smirked Ben. "A lot is going to change, you know…"
"If this works out, you mean…" reminded Kevin.
"Yeah well that too…a lot of change…"
"Yeah you said that already."
"Yes, a lot of change…"
"Ok, what happened?
"What do you mean?"
"I know you Ben. You try to stall when you have something important on your mind or if you have something to say…now spill," Kevin said, looking at Ben directly.
"Ok, now I know you said that I can have Julie…"
"No way, you're actually taking her?"
"Let's not talk about her as if she's an object Kevin, jeez…"
"Ok, you asked her to live with you? Because I know the 'be my servant instead' thing was not going to happen very good…"
"I kissed her…" Ben sighed dreamily, looking at the fire once more, seeing Julie's face in the flames.
"You love her?" he asked, knowing he did. Kevin's stomach fell until it dropped like a sack of bricks. Ben was getting what he wanted…why did he have to suffer? Why was it always him?
"Yes," he said confidently. "So it alright with you then?"
"Of course Ben! I said you could have her whenever you wanted!"
"Ok, ok, I just wanted your permission first. She has only been living here practically her whole life," Ben said, as Kevin rolled his eyes. "Her mom was really excited when she told her, you should have seen the look on her face."
"I could only imagine," Kevin sighed, closing his eyes and let the warm rays splash on his skin.
"Though, I didn't see Julie tell Gwen that she was coming, but I wish I could've been there to see her face when she said yes," Ben smiled, excited for all of them to live in his palace. Kevin's eyes shot open and went straight into Ben's love stricken face.
"What?" he said this as calm as possible.
"Oh yeah, Gwen's coming too, but overall I'm excited for everything to happen-,"
"What do you mean Gwen's going?"
Ben was a little taken back by Kevin's sudden reaction. "She's going…she's coming with us."
"And who gave you the right to take her too?" Kevin's voice was getting higher.
"I thought she might want to come-,"
"You thought? Oh of course you did! You always think and never actually consider what the outcome would be, don't you?"
"Kevin, where is all of this coming from?"
"Nothing, it's nothing…and none of your damn business!" Kevin yelled. Ben's fury was rising now.
"You're the one who doesn't understand! I have a very good reason why I'm taking her back to Omnitrix with me, but right now that's none of your concern! What else am I going to do? Watch her be a servant in your house when she can stay with me? I don't think so!"
"She wasn't going to be a servant anymore!" Kevin screamed this time, knocking over his drink in the process. Ben, on the other hand, stared at him in shock and awe. Kevin was breathing heavily, calming himself down. "Ben I…"
"Do you love her?" Ben asked incredulously, as Kevin looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Kevin was speechless. He didn't know what to say or what to do. All this time he'd kept this tiny secret from others, and now that the truth was spilled…he couldn't think straight anymore. "I asked you a question…"
Kevin remained silent, wondering what to do. Ben was his best friend, he could tell him the truth. But why was it so hard to do so? Kevin sighed and looked back at the fire that was now dwindling into nothing, disappearing right before them.
"Yes, I love her," Kevin released from his mouth, not daring to look back at Ben. Ben stayed silent, thinking of the right words to say. He was in love, he knew how he felt, but Kevin was in a worse predicament.
"Since when?" Ben asked…what a stupid question.
"I want to say when she first spoke to me, but I think it was when I first saw her. She was nothing I had ever seen before. She was so… beautiful. I was cool on the outside, but collapsing on the inside. And as I got to know her more, I fell deeper and deeper."
"Why didn't you tell me this?" blurted Ben suddenly. "You could have told me."
"No I couldn't. There had to be no distractions what so ever, Ben. I couldn't tell you how I was feeling with this girl if there was an important mission to do. I didn't want to get distracted. But she kept on feeding me, coming back to me. And when she was distant, I got closer when I wasn't supposed too! I screwed it all up just because of some girl."
"She's not just some girl. Kevin, you might think you're weak for falling for someone, but Gwen is strong. She's probably one of the strongest girls I have ever met," Ben smirked. "Which is probably why you're so attracted to her."
"She's amazing Ben. Don't you see? I can't let you take her away from me. I wasn't going to make her a servant anymore. She was going to be more than that…" Kevin sunk in his chair. He hated showing his feelings in front of others, but Ben was an exception…sometimes. "What am I going to do?"
"Well, she obviously doesn't know you like her, considering…uh well you know. So I say wait till we've done our mission and then tell her how you feel."
"I thought you were going to take her away from me?" Kevin asked rudely. Ben sighed.
"Kevin, we've known each other for a long time. You trust me, I know you do. But this time I need you to trust me now more than ever. I need to take Gwen to Omnitrix, I have to. I will tell you everything after the wedding when grandpa is here. But you have to trust me. I'm not going to be the one to ruin your love life."
"I trust you," Kevin sighed. "But this better be good."
"Trust me Kevin, it will be," Ben sighed, sinking into his chair. He then got a mischievous grin on his face and looked Kevin straight into his eyes.
"What?"
"So…you fell for a servant…"
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance…
That was chapter 8 ladies and gentlemen…I'm so sorry it took so long, but I do have I life besides this. But I would never quit! Especially on an awesome story like this, am I right? Just kidding…but seriously…
Ok, so I sparked the new relationship. I wasn't going to do it so soon, but I would have had no time to do it later in the chapters…especially when there's only a couple of chapters left. Yes, there are only two left…short story but I hate dragging things out like others that I've read.
Then Gwen wants to leave Bellwood for good. She's been there most of her life and she was finally happy. But after this roller coaster ride, she just wants to leave now and explore the world. Can't blame her really…
Also, Ben doesn't know that Gwen said no to his offer, and Julie certainly isn't going to tell him…
Now Ben knows Kevin's hidden secret that he's kept from him ever since he met Gwen. Now Ben knows what Kevin's problem is. So the question is, what will happen now?
We got lovebirds, a runaway, and a guy that can't control his feelings. What will happen next? Find out next chapter…at the wedding!
