A.N. Okay! So I felt really bad that, the last chapter was so short and... well basically one of the worse chapters in my opinion, so, I wrote another chapter which I'm much happier with. So yeah...Please Enjoy Chapter 7 of Servant Boy. Please R&R too ^_^ (very greatly appreciated!)
Time passed faster than I expected it to. I blinked and I was twelve. I blinked and Edward was fourteen. I blinked and I grew up. Lady Jane, although manipulative and strict, taught me well and I started acting the way I was expected to. I learned how to speak French and English fluently and now I was learning how to speak in German. Lord Alec even taught me to play more complex pieces on the piano that challenged me for weeks. I grew out of the habit of following Edward like a little duckling and the more time that passed, the more I missed the way I was.
I missed the days Edward and I spent riding on Jeluby, swinging on the swing and sitting in the middle of our meadow. I missed watching Edward working, trying to understand the words he said, and memorizing his face. I miss him surprising me with his drawings of houses and people, and teaching him how to play the piano. I miss being able to tell him anything and spending as much time as I pleased with him. The castle wasn't empty anymore, but it was definitely lonely again. Without my time with Edward, I was back to where I started.
No matter how busy we were, though, Edward and I always tried our best to see each other. We always planned meetings in our meadow at least once a week; but as those weeks passed, the time we had got more and more limited. One time, we spent over a month without talking. It was hard enough without Lady Jane disapproving me to speak to Edward. She lectured me on and on about how appalling it was to see a Princess talking to a commoner. Whenever she caught the two of us together, she washed my mouth out with soap and slapped Edward. That didn't matter to us, though. Edward and I were friends. We couldn't let Lady Jane stand in the way of our friendship.
Today, Edward and I planned to meet in our meadow after piano and before sunset. I casually strolled down the hall and into the garden. Once I was close enough to the forest, I gave the castle one last glance before I broke off into a sprint. I couldn't believe how much I missed being in the meadow or running like crazy . It seemed like forever since I was able to feel the wind in my hair, my pulse picking up and my heart pumping. It shocked me when I ran out of breath and tripped over a root. I stayed there for a while, and laughed as I slowly breathed in the fresh scent of pine coming off of the trees.
I took one last deep breath and got up. The meadow was just around the corner. Edward was so close that I could run up and hug him again, something I haven't done in so long. The thought of being with Edward once more, made me more eager to see him. Finally, I made it to the meadow. I looked around, heart practically jumping out of my chest, eyes searching, but... no Edward.
'That's funny,' I thought, 'Edward's usually here before I am. He must have gotten side tracked in the castle.'
I sat down on a stump and waited for Edward. I heard birds chirping in the distance and squirrels quietly chattering up in the trees. Still no Edward.
The King was pacing up and down the Throne Room while The Queen, Lady Jane and Lord Alec watched him patiently.
"What should I do?" the King asked. "Billy and I have been fighting since the day I gave away that piece of land I owned to some other poor fellow. He hasn't forgiven me since. I wasn't even aware that he wanted it! What should I do, Renee? You were the one who advised me to finally make amends with him. I offered him peace and he demanded that we give him one of our best servants! If I refuse to give him one of them, then we can't retrieve the peace. But if I agree, we lose one of our best servants and it will seem like their Kingdom raises higher than ours. What are we going to do, Renee?"
"Oh calm down, Charlie. It will all work out fine," Renee said quietly. "We could always offer him something else and if he still insists on one of our servants, we can always pick one. They are servants, Charlie, they live to serve us."
"You're right, Renee, you always are. I must send a letter to Billy right away! Carlisle! write a letter to Billy Black telling him that..."
I was working in the kitchen when I looked up at the sky and saw that it was almost sunset. It was time to head over to the meadow to meet Bella. Quickly finishing what was left of the dishes I had to wash, I set my things down and looked for Esme.
"Esme!" I called, "I'm off now!" I told her.
"All right," she yelled after me, "Please be careful, Edward!"
"Aren't I always?" I laughed, something I hadn't done that in a while. Since Lady Jane came, my time with Bella was limited. She was always off learning something useless that she had no interested in. The only times I other times I got to see her, was in the hall. She smiled and I nodded whenever we spotted each other. I missed listening to her laugh, I missed seeing her blush whenever she did something clumsy and tripped over something, but most of all, I missed being able to spend countless hours talking about anything.
I was just out the back door when...
"Edward!" Carlisle called. I felt my face twist into multiple emotions, annoyance and confusion. What could he possible want from me at this hour? I was already late for my meeting with Bella and although I knew she wouldn't get mad, I was sure she wouldn't be very happy that our time was cut short again. Deciding I should get it over and done with, I went to Carlisle who told me I had been called by the King.
"He refused?" Charlie screamed at the messenger. "I'm s-sorry your Highness!" the messenger stuttered. "He demands that you give him a servant. He said that we can forget the peace if you cannot repay him for the land he should have owned, your Majesty!"
"Renee, what should I do?" The King wailed.
"Worry not, Charlie. If he wishes for a servant, why not just give him one? We can always buy it back if we really want to. It's such a shame, Billy and you grew up together. It's such a waste of friendship to end it over land, wouldn't you say?" Renee said.
"I- I guess so, Renee, but who? Who should we give him?"
"May I make a suggestion, your Majesty?" Jane asked, stepping closer to the King. He nodded, imploring her to continue.
"We'll I've been watching the Princess for a while now, and I've noticed that she likes spending a lot of time with that servant, Edward... if you ask me, he's interfering with her learning. Every time she comes back from, even just a few minutes with that boy, she starts acting like...well, un-Princess like, not only that, but they treat each other like... like... equals!" she shuddered. "It's very unhealthy for a Princess like her, a girl who has so much power! I mean, she might end up falling in love with him! Sooner or later, she'll wind up marrying him, a lowly servant boy..." Jane trailed off.
"That's preposterous! Our little Bella and Edward? Of course not, they're just... oh... I see. I didn't realize that she actually considered him a friend. What do you think, Renee? Should we give him, Edward?"
Renee contemplated the situation again. "Well, Edward is one of our best servants and I don't think he's gotten attached to this place yet since he's only been here for a while, unlike the rest of the other servants... and he does seem to be growing rather fond of our Bella... I suppose it's for the best, really," she said, "Charlie? I'm feeling quite under the weather right now, please excuse me."
"Of course, my dear, go and rest," Charlie said, his voice softened. When Renee left, Charlie sighed. 'I guess it's time to let Edward go,' he thought. 'I hope I won't end up regretting this decision.' He looked out of the window, almost sunset. It wasn't as if he had a choice, right? He held his breath as he looked at Jane and Alec who smiled back at him, reassuringly.
"Carlisle," he called, "please go and fetch me Edward."
As I finally got to the King's throne, the room went silent. The King was slouching in his chair, looking at the floor. He didn't even look at me, the King. Something must be wrong. Whenever he asked me to do something, he always looked me in the eyes and asked curtly. Even though he was a King, he didn't go out of his way to prove it to everyone. 'What is going on?' I thought.
I looked beside him, the Queen wasn't there, but Lady Jane and Lord Alec was. I groaned quietly. This couldn't be good, if Jane and Alec were there. Perhaps they told the King that I wasn't doing my job properly? Or that I was spending too much time with Bella, which, I didn't really see the problem with that. Bella needed to lighten up a bit, she was only a child.
"Yes, your Majesty?" I said once I calmed down. He didn't reply. No one said a word, as if they were all holding their breath for something big. "Is something the matter, Your Highness?" I asked. He shook his head, still not saying anything.
"Okay..." I muttered. The King stood up and walked towards me. He put his hands on his shoulders and took a good look at me. I could feel the curiosity fleeting on my face. Couldn't he hurry up? I was keeping Bella waiting.
"Edward..." he began. "You see, Edward, I... have you heard of King Billy?" he asked. What a silly question. Of course I hadn't, I wasn't raised to know all the names of Royalty.
"I'm sorry, your Highness, I haven't..." I said. He sighed. What was going on?
"You see, Edward, a long time ago, King Billy and I were friends, then we grew up and both became Kings. I inherited more land than him, of course, and one day, I gave the tiniest piece of land away to a poor man who needed to provide a home for his family. Well it turned out the Billy wanted that piece of land. He got so mad at me that he stopped talking to me, and we ended up fighting over it. Until now, we are still fighting..." he explained. I didn't understand. Why was this so important? What did this have to do with me?
"I- I see, Sire," I said, still confused.
"Well, you see Edward, we've been fighting until now... Edward, I have a chance to finally put an end to all this nonsense! Isn't that great?"
"Of course, your Majesty... I'm... I'm happy for you?"
"Hah, that's m'boy, Edward!"
"If you don't mind me asking, your Highness, what exactly does King Billy want that I can help with?" I asked, patiently. The King practically fell down.
"Ah Edward. So sharp, aren't you? Well you see..." Urgh, how annoying, he was wasting my time stalling when I could be with Bella right now. What exactly could I give King Billy that was making King Charlie all nervous?
"Yes, Your Highness?" I asked. 'Please hurry up,' I added in my head.
"Look, Edward. You're fourteen, I shouldn't have to speak to you like a boy when you're almost a man. King Billy wants one of our best servants. We thought that you filled he role perfectly because you haven't been here as long as the other servants and it wouldn't be fair to chase them out of the only home they've ever know. Not only that, but it wouldn't be fair to split up families, and to be honest, Edward... there aren't many people without families, except for you," he said. I stared at him.. He... wanted me... to leave the castle? To leave Bella? How could he possibly ask me to do that?
"Edward, this is a real honor! We think you're one of the greatest servants we've ever had, and you're still so young! Please, Edward, this is the only was we can do to achieve peace with the Blacks!" he begged. The King was begging me. He didn't want me living in the castle. I didn't really have a choice, did I? He was the one who took me in, and if he wanted me out, I should leave. What was the big deal anyway? I just worked here and it wasn't like anyone would miss me. The Princess can make new friends. The Princess is a Princess. I am her servant, and I was getting too close to her anyway. I liked her too much. Maybe this was for the best?
I nodded. The King clapped and cheered. "Thank you, Edward! Thank you! You have until tomorrow morning to pack, we will send you off before dawn." I thought about Bella. Why did even thinking about leaving her, hurt me so much? I looked up at the sky, it was already dark.
I felt so stupid. I was sitting on the stump for hours, waiting for Edward to come. He never showed. The birds stopped chirping, the squirrels left, and crickets started coming out. It was cold outside and almost dark. Why did it matter so much, if he didn't show? He probably had other things to do that interfered. It wasn't his fault. But why, why did I have some sort of weird feeling in me? I felt... rejected? But why? Edward was just my friend, wasn't he? My best friend yes, but... why did I feel like this? I stood up and trudged home.
When we made plans today, why did I feel so happy? Why was it all I could think about all day? When I came and saw that he hadn't arrive yet, why did I feel so sad? Why am I always so impatient when it comes to him? Why does just seeing him, affect me so much? Why does talking to him, make me smile? When he didn't show up today, why did I start crying? I don't understand. Why am I crying right now?
Why did I like it so much when he promised me something? Why did it hurt so much when he didn't keep this one promise? Why do I like making him look at me, pay attention to me, talk to me, or spend time with me? Why did I like hugging him so much? Or laughing with him? Why did I cherish the swing he made me when I was seven? Or the picture he drew for me when I turned eight? Why, why, WHY? It didn't add up. If Edward was just a friend to me, why did do I need him so much to keep me happy? Why did I like him so much? Why can't I get enough of him? Why do I miss him the second he leaves me? Unless of course... I liked Edward more than I thought... more than I wanted to... more than I planned.
By the time I realized that I was at my room, Edward was standing in front of me. He looked at me with pleading eyes. I knew that he wanted to tell me something.
"Bella-" he started. "Bella, I'm sorry I didn't come, I- something came up. Bella, can I speak to you in private?"
"Maybe tomorrow, Edward. I'm tired..."
"I don't have until tomorrow, Bella," he said.
"What? Of course you do, Edward. I'll see you in the morning. Right now, I have to think," I walked into my room and closed the door. I quickly undressed, put on my night gown, and plopped down on my bed. Why did talking to him make me feel so much better?
"Bella?" he yelled through the door. "Bella! Please open the door," he begged. Pretending not to hear him, I continued to lie down on my bed. He sounded so worried, that it worried me. Oh how much I wanted to open the door and go and give him a hug.
"Bella, Bella please?" I knew Edward enough to know that he wouldn't give up anytime soon, so I closed my eyes and went to sleep. Whatever Edward wanted to tell me could wait until morning, couldn't it? I couldn't help but shake this feeling I had inside; but I was confused. There's not way I would feel like this if I didn't like Edward more than a friend, right? But then... does that mean that I liked Edward?
"Go away Edward!" I yelled. That did it. I heard him cuss under her breath, as he muttered, "Goodbye, Bella," and ran off.