Hey! Once again I am very sorry for the long update. I hope you like this next chapter of The Swan Princess.
Oh, guys. I can't believe I'm doing this but I am not going to update until I get at least 5 reviews. Please review. It mean everything to me as a writer. Even if it's constructive criticism. It helps me know people are actually reading my FF. I love you guys! I hope your not mad.
Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING! Duh!
9. Chapter 8
As Derek left Casey room for his own, all the energy drained completely, from his body. His eyes were voided of all emotion, they were dead. He felt as if he were dying from the inside out.
Derek made his way to his room as if without thinking of his actions. He was just going through the motions.
When inside his room he changed his cloths and claimed into bed, again doing all this without thinking.
As he lied there, his eyes were wide with numbness and his mind was tired. Nothing seemed to matter anymore or make sense.
After a moment of this agony sleep finally set in. It over took him in a wave of claim.
In this sleep he saw his whole life. Starting with the moment Casey walked into his life.
He watched as an unseen third party. They couldn't see nor hear him though he could do both.
He saw all the times they fought. When they use to play cards and she would always win and he would sulk in a corner.
As he watched this unfold it was a refreshing experience and he couldn't help but smile to himself. It reminded him of why he loved her so much and what he had been fighting for.
Then it came to the last time he saw Casey before she disappeared. It was the day of Casey 16th birthday; the day that Derek made the biggest mistake of his life.
It was all there from the moment Derek walked into the meeting hall to the moment of Casey's question to which he gave the worse possible answer.
Derek stood beside the dream Derek yelling at him. Telling him to go after her, stop her, talk to her anything but he did nothing.
But the Derek in dream couldn't hear any of it; he only stood there a look of complete shock of what had just transpired.
When Derek realized this he turned his head and watched as Casey left their view. As she disappeared out of his sight this dream world of memories melted away into a sea of blackness.
Derek's eyes flew open and he sat up in bed, breathing heavily from the whole event that had just transpired in his dream world.
Derek groaned as he put his head in his hands.
'I can't let that happen again. I won't lose her, I can't.' He thought as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Then all at once the realization of the true meaning of his dream washed over him. 'Maybe this is the way that I can make everything right again. I can be the person I should been all along. I am going to be there for her and show her how I truly feel. I know she doesn't remember me, but I'm going to do something I never did when she had her memory, be there for her.'
At once he took to his feet looked out the big window to his right and realizing it was in fact morning. He rushed over to his dresser and hastily changed his cloths. Then rushed to his washing bowl and pitcher, he scrubbed his face and hands as well as he could. Then he combed his hair as well.
Once finished he looked at himself in the mirror one last time before dashing out door and down the hall toward Casey's room.
As he reached her room he saw Edwin carrying a tray of food with all of Casey's favorites on it.
Derek quickened his steps and rushed over to Edwin and said, "I'll take that." Then stylishly grabbed the tray from Edwin's hands and rushed away before Edwin could respond.
Derek walked over to Casey's door and pause briefly, mentally preparing himself for what his very near future would in tale.
Derek took a deep breath mustering up all the courage he could he nodded at the two guards that were stationed there to open the door. As the door opened it revealed the room where a very unsure and frightened Casey was residing.
The door closed quietly behind Derek as he walked further in the room, toward the bed on which Casey sat with her eyes glued to him.
Derek saw Casey's unwavering stare on him as he sat down on the side of her bed.
"Hi, I'm Derek." He said in the softest most endearing tone he could muster, also giving her a worm and claiming smile.
After a moment Derek realized her gaze was no longer on him, it was on the tray of food he was holding.
"Oh, are you hungry?" She nodded warily so Derek handed her the tray carefully, his eyes watching her the whole time.
As she ate he watched her, like his eyes were hungry just for the real sight of her. Seeing her in his dreams was nothing like the real thing. Though Derek couldn't help but feel disappointed. She was there yes, but not really. He could see her smile again though she would never remember all the times she made him smile.
All these thoughts reeled through Derek's head as he sat watching her eat.
As Casey reached for her glass of juice Derek saw something he hadn't the previously. There were clear shackle marks on Casey's wrist. They were bad enough to send a sick feeling to Derek's stomach. After see this he started studying her further. Taking a closer look at Casey's face he saw the two black eyes he had seen the previous night, but also seeing things that he hadn't. There was a cut on her right temple and hand prints around her throat as if she was chocked at one point.
This pained Derek so greatly he had to avert his eyes from her and breathe deeply.
"Is everything alright?" A very familiar voice said in a not so familiar tone.
He felt a hand take his which snapped Derek out of his thoughts. He first looked at his hand then at the person holding it. Their eyes locked and for a moment Derek forgot everything. That only lasted a moment though and he snapped himself out of it.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking of someone." Derek instantly regretted saying it. He didn't want Casey to find out it was her he was thinking of. He didn't want her to agenize over the fact that she couldn't remember him or what they meant to each other.
Casey tilted and asked, "Who?"
"Well, I don't want to bother you with it, but it's someone I love and I don't know if I'll ever see her again." As he said this his voice seemed to grow further away as if he was disappearing into his past.
"Oh, that's sad." Casey said frowning her entire face and looking away from Derek briefly. Then she turned back to Derek and said, "Hey, if you ever want to talk I'd be happy to listen."
After she said this she gave Derek one of her beautiful smiles, though this one wasn't just on her lips but also in her eyes. Derek believed that this very smile is one of the many reasons he fell in love with her. Derek felt as if he was breathing for the first time in his life. It was like the life that was drained from his body the night before was restored tenfold.
"I would like that." He said with a nodded and a simple smile.
Realizing that every scrap of food on her tray was gone Derek asked, "Oh are you done?"
She nodded a yes for her answer, and Derek carefully took the tray from her as if any sudden movement and Casey would break into a thousand pieces.
Derek stood up about to leave but turned around. "I think I should warn you about something. My mother should be in here as soon as leave with all her servants. But don't let them scare you they'll take good care of you. Also my mother will ask you to tea just say yes. She won't give up until you say yes anyway." He said this trying his hardest not to put her on edge or scared at all.
Derek was going to leave but turned back around once more. "Also after your tea with my mother I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me around the castle grounds. There's this place that I know you love." He couldn't believe he just said that. He mentally assaulted himself for it while awaiting her answer.
Casey saw the regret on this unknown guy's face named Derek. She couldn't help but feel bad for him and her desire to get out of this room was also over whelming.
"That sounds nice. I'd love to."
His face lit from the inside out and for some unknown reason to Casey this gave her a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach.
"Great. See you then." With that Derek left the room.
Casey was felt there only with her thoughts of this guy named Derek.
'He seems really nice, a little weird but nice. I guess it must be hard to see someone you care about not know who you are. I wish I knew what was going on. I don't even know how I lost my memory.'
She reached up to brush a hard away from her face and saw her wrist with circular burses that she hadn't seen before.
Alarmed at this she got up and rushed to the mirror to examine herself further.
When she reached the mirror she saw what everyone else was seeing when they looked at her, the two horrible and painful looking black eyes.
She ran her hand over them wincing at the pain not realizing they would hurt. She quickly moved her hair out of her face trying to see anything else she missed. By pushing her hair back she saw what Derek had seen, the cut on her right temple and something weird near her face. Casey shifted in the light, trying to figure out what the thing near her face was. The light hit it and she still wasn't sure so in curiosity ran her fingers softly over it though still wincing slightly.
She sighed heavily hand stood there staring for only a moment when all the sudden the room was filled with more unfamiliar faces. They swarmed around; they inspected her as she had.
Casey's mind was reeling with all these people around her. She was looking from this unknown face to that one and back and forth.
Then someone clapped their hands loudly and they servants immediately stopped and cleared the way for a woman, of whom Casey did not know.
This woman walked forward taking Casey's hands. She wasn't sure but it seemed to Casey that there were slight tears in this woman's eyes.
"Hello Casey. I'm queen Abby, Derek's mother." Abby said pulling Casey into a hug.
'Derek's a prince? I'm totally confused. How do I know these people? Garrr! I can't remember anything. I feel like crying.'
But what Casey didn't realize was she actually was crying. She knew these people knew her and loved her. She could feel their love for her every time she spoke to one of them. So why couldn't she remember any of them or anything of her life?
"Oh sweetheart, are you alright?" Queen Abby said pulling Casey into a hug.
Casey shook her head and said, "No. I don't remember anything. Why am I here? How do I know any of you?"
Turning to the servants Abby told them to leave her and Casey alone. She turned back to Casey and said, "Casey, let's sit and I'll tell you what you need to know."
The two walked over to a pair on chairs by the large book case in the room.
"Ok, I'll start from the beginning. I and my husband king George were the best friends with your mother, Queen Nora and father, King Dennis. But my husband died when Derek was only two and the following year you were born and your mother died shortly after. You and your father would spend every summer here. Then about a month ago you and your father were going to visit a friend of yours and you were attacked. Your father was killed and you were nowhere to be found. We've been looking for you for three weeks. Derek was the most diligent about finding you. If it wasn't for him I don't know if we would have found you."
"How did I lose my memory?"
"Well, when Derek found you, you were laying under a giant fallen tree branch knocked unconscious. The woman who said she helped you escape told us you were fine before that. That's really all I can tell you dear."
Though that was a lie it wasn't a total lie. The doctor told them not to tell Casey too much about her past. That it would be much better for Casey if she found out when her memory returned.
"All that happened to me?" Casey blinked her eyes over and over again as if this were the only way to retrieve her lost memories, though needless to say unsuccessfully.
"Yes, I wish I could tell you more." Abby said trying to be there for Casey though completely unsure of to do that.
"Hey, I know what will get you mind off this. How about some pampering and then you and me out on the terrace drinking tea? I know how much you love the outdoors."
Casey smiled at the thought of finally getting out of this room. She nodded her head yes and Abby left to retrieve the servants so they could resume their work.
Ok guys. That's it for this chapter. PLEASE review! They really help me write faster. Love y'all!
