Chapter 16:
(A/N): And before we go any further, I want to explain that the next chapter is going to be from the point of view of Solomon's daughters! Olivia and Bella! The two girls we see in the chariot during the first part of the movie. Their point of view will happen 2 days BEFORE the Festival. Hope it's not confusing! Thanks and review your thoughts!
"Olivia…"
"Bella…"
The two girls timidly replied looking upon the woman standing upon the stone steps of a large cathedral church. She wore white clothing and a wide bonnet like rabbit ears and white shoes. She was a tall lady, with dark brown hair, doe eyes, and skin as smooth and fresh as milk, and her eyes were the most dazzling, with the longest eyelashes they ever seen. The two girls seemed to dwarf beneath the presence of this enchanting and charming woman, seemingly reminding them of their mother. She looked as warm and kind as summer.
"I am Sister Rosemary," she smiled politely, looking down upon them folding her palms over her slender waist," Welcome children…"
The two adults bowed to the other before entering the church walking side by side down the aisle towards the center of their God and holy relics. As a child, he remembered walking with his father and mother down the aisle many times of Sunday mass and remembering a time when he admired the angel statues resting upon the marble pillars. Beholding the hidden beauty of the church was moving.
"Sister Rosemary, it is a pleasure."
"Likewise, Father Solomon. I prayed your journey here would be safe."
"Indeed. And I assume you have everything prepared?"
"Yes. Father Gabriel had an extra room here for you in the church."
"It is not for me, it is…" he looked back to see his daughters timidly walking behind them, keeping their hands locked behind their backs like good girls. "It is for them."
"I see."
"I have unfinished business here in the City," he squeezed his hand on his belt, imagining his sword there, keeping a straight face as to not worry the woman. "My visit here shall be on long terms with the Mayor and the citizens of the city. I have no time to enjoy the Celebration as many here do. But please send my deepest appreciation to Father Gabriel. Our arrival was on such short notice."
"Yes, I will." She bowed her head. Then her eyes glanced to his children. "Surely, you will allow your daughters to go to the Festival? It is a yuletide celebration of our beloved city and the Mayor has even promised a parade."
Solomon glanced towards his girls, unable to move from his feet, "Unfortunately, they will have to stay here. And stay here they must. In a month we leave."
"Oh," she lowered her eyelids. "I respect your decision."
The pair came to a lower hallway aligning against the pillars of the church delving into a roomy chamber. Sister Rosemary opened the door which quickly introduced them to a spiraling staircase rising higher than they could comprehend. Together they climbed and climbed until they believed there was no end to the trek. Rest assured, as soon as they reached a glass window their uncertainties disappeared as their eyes beheld the beautiful orange and pink glow of sunset over the entire city. Neither could fully grasp the attention the sunset demanded as they entered more dark rooms and hallways. These secret passageways held no dark cloud over the two faithful believers, but the two little girls thought otherwise.
It must've felt so terrible to be so little in a big world.
"Olivia. Bella. Come," their father motioned with his hand. Trembling and clutching hand in hand, both girls hurried up the steep climb where Sister Rosemary introduced them to a room. Two beds. One window. A bucket and pan. A small wood burner in the corner. This meant only one thing.
Father Solomon dropped their sacks of clothing onto the floor and removed the string, fixing their belongings on the bed. Sister Rosemary grabbed a small bowl of ash and threw it out the window before going to the wood burner and fixing piles of logs into it, stacking it neatly. Grabbing and scratching a matchstick, the wood burner lit. Fire, the size of a pocket watch, burned and grew until they undeniably felt the heat. It seemed to be a wonderful room, perfectly fit and suitable for two little girls. This went unnoticed to Solomon. His eldest Olivia felt otherwise.
She looked at him for the longest time. He's done this so many times. He's left them alone far too long. She, in fact, felt indifferent to her father's actions.
"How long are we staying?" her little voice boomed, catching the attention of the two adults. She looked so much like her mother. Looking at Sister Rosemary and stepped closer to her father, she huffed. "Where are you going? When can we leave? When are you coming back?" Olivia looked to her father, looking at the room with a grimace, and returning to his apologizing eyes. "We can't stay here. You can't just leave us! You can't!"
He had seen the look of disappointment and sadness in his daughter's eyes before, nearly making him halt in his steps, tugging at the string connected to his stone heart, and forcing him to swallow his regret. A moment of silence passed between them. There was only one solution to his miserable heartache—hunt wolves and monsters. Blinking his eyes closed he dared not look at her face. She was too much like her mother.
"They will be safe here, I assure you. I will inform Sister LeShaw of their arrival and immediately inform you if anything were to happen. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." Sister Rosemary smiled at him.
He smiled in return.
"I will return for you and your sister by the end of the month." He firmly announced, not noticing his little Bella crying and unable to run to him and give him a warm embrace before he slammed the door shut. Father Solomon felt a thrust of pain lunge side to side in his chest, reintroducing himself to the knowledge he's leaving his girls.
To be honest, Sister Rosemary had seen more warmth and love in little girls' father than her own had ever shown. After escorting Father Solomon back to the entrance doors, he gave her a leather packet containing papers, pictures, several notes, a silver dagger, and a rag doll inside.
"Give them this if I do not return."
T'was all he said before returning to his men.
High above in the darkened sky, like two princesses in the tallest tower, the two girls watched the City move in its rhythmic bustle and hustle. People everywhere readied for the grand Festival. All the population of the city would enjoy the grand and pleasant festivities—all but two.
Up, up, up high in the clouds were two girls. They were daughters of a great holy man who hunted monsters throughout the land. Their names were Olivia and Bella, not nearly the age of 10, and they were two lonely girls. So lonely and isolated that Olivia had practically given up all hope in living an ordinary life with her sister and father. On the other hand, little Bella wanted to have hope—she just didn't know how. Olivia had reached many points in her life where she imagined being in a different family, somewhere far away, where she would never see the face of her father again. Somewhere with walls and meadows and rivers and mountains and forests and lakes and emerald pools. Where they can run and play and hide and chase and laugh and never be sad again. A home where she and her sister can live forever.
"Do you think he's coming back?" asked little Bella to her big sister.
"He always comes back," she replied, hoping that would keep her quiet.
Olivia went to the door and jiggled the knob.
Locked.
There was nothing to use to get out of this room. They were locked in here until someone says otherwise. This was all him. This was all him. She kicked the door before running and jumping on her bed. She hated the world. She hated being so little. What if he never comes back? What if this was finally it? She and her little sister would be orphans. As Bella watched her bigger sister secretly hate everything, she wondered what would happen next.
She looked down at the city one last time, then back to her sister, crawling onto the bed, "Where is Papa going?"
Little Bella watched her sister give a mean look at her before cuddling beneath her bed sheets, huffing. "He's going to find monsters."
Olivia rested her cheek on her palm.
Little Bella looked at her big sister, lying on her back, twirling her finger in her hair in her tiny little fingers," Why do we have to stay here?"
"So he can keep us safe…" she rolled her eyes.
"Why?"
"Because we're not big enough to take care of ourselves yet."
"Why…"
"Because we can't. We can't go with our father. He doesn't let us."
"Why…"
Olivia regained her patience, huffing into her pillow, smashing her face into its feathery comfort, "It's what grown ups do Bella, you wouldn't understand."
"Why…"
"Because you're still little" Olivia looked up at Bella," You're still a big baby."
She pouted, sticking her bottom lip out as far as she could, "Am not."
"Are to."
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
"Am not!"
"Are to!" Olivia screamed, punching both her fists into the bed. "Don't you understand!? He's not coming back! He's never coming back!"
Her words sunk in like quick sand. She was too young to understand any of this. Tragically, Olivia didn't care how damaging her words were. Her little sister didn't pout, didn't stomp her foot, nor did she give a fret. All Bella could think about was her mother, Penelope, and how she never came back either, having not survived a wolf attack. Her mother was in heaven. Little Bella didn't want to return to such memories, nor did she want a repeat of such a heart wrenching devastation.
"He's not coming back!" Olivia stated firmly, rose from her bed standing in the middle of the room," He's never coming back! It's the last time that you and I will ever see him again! He doesn't care about you at all!"
Bella's little fingers came to her eyes, "He does to!" she wiped the corners to erase her brimming tears. "He does to!"
"Just go to bed!"
Olivia was so much like their father. Ever since she was born, she's been more like a big brother than a sister to Bella. Telling her how she didn't understand things the way she should. That she should grow up. Stop being a big baby. Olivia wasn't always like that. She was once… happy. She still loved Papa and Mother as a young child always should. Now, she didn't know who she was now.
Little Bella walked to her bed the size of a horse trough, wriggled her little body beneath the sheets and cuddled her head into the pillow. Within the heart of the young child, she deeply missed being tucked in by her mother. She missed holding her doll beneath her elbow and sleeping peacefully knowing her mother was there to kiss her forehead and chase away bad dreams, demons, ghouls, trolls, and wolves.
The Next Day:
"Move! Move! Move!" Bella pushed as hard as she could, but her big sister wouldn't budge. Her body was too little and she was too tall. "Move-aaa! Mooove-aaa!"
"Stop!"
"Mooove-aaa!"
"You have to wait your turn!"
"You cut in front of me!"
"Stop being a baby!"
"No cutting!"
The Sisters of the church hushed and ushered the two young girls down the walking aisle to attend morning mass, scooting past the legs of many other members until an available bench was found. It was a beautiful morning. After pushing and shoving each other, Sister Rosemary came to their seats seating herself between them, greeting them each with a smile while putting her finger to her lips. The two girls behaved after that. After their morning mass, Sister Rosemary escorted the two girls to the kitchen where their breakfast cooked in big pots sitting like boulders upon the stove fire. Inside brewed hot soup, mutton, and with stale bread served on the side. Sister Rosemary fixed a bowl for herself, seated herself, and she watched the two little sisters fight over the bread. Olivia won. Poor little Bella forced herself to be happy with the smallest slice of bread, black and crispy with no butter. Out of kindness and generosity of her soft heart, Rosemary spared Bella the brittle and hardened bread and exchanged her own, giving the little girl a big smile.
After a whole day, Bella and Olivia were escorted back to their tower. Isolated again. Tomorrow night would be the Festival and they would not be joined in. They would be left out of everything. Olivia feared that this would be their destiny. To be trapped forever with no way out.
The next morning came, the sun beams rousing the girls from their sleep. Only this time, Sister Rosemary did not come. Instead an older woman with grey and black hair, eyes as blue as stone, and a sharp and unfriendly voice.
"Wake up! Wake up!" she tugged their bed sheets off their bodies. "Go to the pigeon house to feed the birds!"
"Where is Sister Rosemary?" asked Olivia.
"Get up! Get up!" the woman clapped her hands together, the girls hurried quickly to get dressed in the clothes their mother made for them.
"No! Those clothes are no good!" yelled the woman, pushing the two girls behind a paper screen. "Get dressed! The sun is up!"
Both girls walked out wearing old gray kirtles and were given wooden shoes to wear. They ran down the tower to the main hallway where they saw Sister Rosemary prepare to leave for the City Festival. She packed flowers and sacks of wheat and sacks of cabbages and she wasn't dressed in her usual garbs anymore. Little Bella, saddened by her sudden departure was the first to ask where she was going. Kneeling down to their eye level, she explained in a soft voice.
"Dear children, be good and pious, and God will always take care of you, and I will send you my morning and evening prayers every day. This is Sister LeShaw and she will take very good care of you. Goodbye."
Without another word, the kind soft-hearted woman left.
The two girls couldn't begin to think where she was going and why she would leave so suddenly, but this didn't give Olivia any enthusiasm. Instead, this only increased her dislike. Abandonment from another adult. Where has she felt this before?
In no time at all, she and her sister were in the pigeon house feeding the flocks of birds water and pinches of seed. At the end of the day, after scrubbing the pots and pans clean within the kitchen, the girls were summoned back to the Tower where they would sleep until the next morning. But in the middle of the night Olivia was awoken by Bella telling her that something was happening. Both little girls looked out the window to see two arrows flame across the sky in a red crimson glow, flying across the black sky, dipping downwards to earth. Olivia has seen this before. Once when their father had traveled to the South lands to defeat a horrid winged creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, they were sent away to another church. Her father's holy men would fire those arrows when the creature was discovered and needed to give chase. That very night the horrid creature was dead.
"It's happening again. So that is why we are here," Olivia whispered into her arm, feeling the sting of abandonment and resentment once more. "Our father is hunting another creature…"
Little Bella could see the pain in her bigger sister's eyes which soon became a spirit of determination. As soon as those arrows disappeared, Olivia snuck beneath their beds pulling out a sack lining each with clothes and food and toys. She hastened to fasten them with strings and strapped it to her back while her little sister gathered their coins into her pockets. They had little money, but in time they would earn more silvers and coppers once they escape this place. Olivia fiddled with the doorknob with a silver wire that she had stolen from the pigeon coop, poking into the keyhole randomly. The door latch snapped. Within the dead of the night, they snuck down the Tower and carefully stepped through the hallway. They needed to be cautious of Sister LeShaw and her cudgel if they be discovered sneaking out.
"What if they catch us!?" asked little Bella.
Olivia whirled around and smacked her head," Keep your voice down! Do you want to stay up in that tower forever!? We are not prisoners, Bella! He's not coming back and he knows it. Ever since mother went to heaven, he's—he's—he chooses not to love anyone! Even you and me! Get that through your head," she grabbed her hand and pulled her forward," Follow me and stop talking…!"
Clutching her doll as tight as she could, she followed her bigger sister down the hallway. The two girls hid within the shadows as soon as two adults walked in the opposite direction, lurking like two guardsman. In a quick moment, they were gone. The church windows were all shut and locked, except one. The window had been pried open with a wire and left open, its shutters whacking open and closed against the whistling wind. No one within the building had noticed the girls were gone until ill-tempered Sister LeShaw went to the tower to announce their early departure from the city. The Mayor has ordered an evacuation for the Higher Class citizens as soon as possible. But as soon as she entered the room, disaster and rage erupted! Her voice boomed as loudly as a witch's cackle!
Olivia and little Bella ran as fast as they could! The escape from their prison had never tasted so sweet in their entire lives. But soon Olivia had regretted her decision to leave when the City that had been so accomplished and beautiful only yesterday—was completely in ruin. The houses were on fire and not a human being was in sight.
"Olivia where is everyone?" panicked little Bella as she saw the orange flames engulf an actor's stage. "Olivia! I want to go back to the tower!"
"We can't go back. It's too late to go back."
"Help me!" yelled a voice from afar.
"Everything is on fire! I want father!" cried Bella, yanking on her sister's sleeve. "I want father!"
Olivia looked at her sister," We have to sleep somewhere tonight. Follow me and don't make a sound. Sister LeShaw will be looking for us as soon as she knows we're gone. We have to get out of here and find a new family."
"Help!"
"Olivia, I hear someone!"
"Who?"
"I don't know. I think it's a voice of a woman," worried little Bella. "I think it's coming from over there."
Both girls walked towards the actor's stage, inspecting its disastrous props and canvases and costumes. Olivia stood close to the steps when she heard a thump coming from beneath the stage, a pounding as if someone's fist was banging. Surely enough she spotted a trap door. Olivia stuck her fingers into the latch, attempting to lift it open.
"Hello? Is someone in there?"
"P-Please, help! I've locked myself in!" cried the voice inside the trap door, banging on the wooden plank. "Help! Help!"
"Who goes there?" asked Olivia.
On her 3rd attempt, the latch was finally lifted. Up sprang a young woman with fiery red hair, sweaty pale skin, and wild eyes. She rose and crawled like a lizard would. Little Bella quickly hid behind her bigger sister acting cautious to this poor woman big with child, crying about the devil allowing her to live.
"He let me live!" she cried, standing, then zig-zagging across the cobblestone, stumbling like a mad woman. "It was so terrible, it was so dreadful, he was so monstrous! I thought that I would never live to see the morning come! The devil allowed both of us to live!"
As if snapping from a dream, the woman looked at the two girls.
"He let me live! But we cannot test his appetite for human flesh, he'll return for his blood! He'll return for blood! Come! He'll be back! We must get you to safety!" the woman grabbed the children by the arm headed in the direction of the military station.
"Let go of us!" Olivia yelled, pulling back her sleeve, "You don't have the right!"
"He's coming back!"
"Our father will be here soon!" the little girl threatened, yanking on her sleeve.
"Who's coming?"
"The beast! The beast will be back! We must search for my husband! He'll know what to do!"
"We don't know who you are!"
"You'll know me soon enough!"
"I'm scared," whimpered Bella holding onto her sister," I wanna go back to the Tower…"
Olivia shot her a glance," We're not going back! I told you that we're not ever going back again! He never cared about us and he's not going to change for me or you or for anyone else!"
"Mmm…" Bella hummed, wiping her eye with one fist, withholding the tears.
That struck a nerve. Harder than she thought.
Olivia turned to her sister and pinched her arm, "We are not going back! Ever!"
She wasn't afraid of Sister LeShaw or anyone else. She wasn't afraid to begin a new life for her and her little sister. There couldn't be any regrets. There was no way she would regret running away from her father. To prove a point to her little sister, Olivia needed to prove to her and to herself she was serious. Olivia decided to never go back again.
"Come on!"
"We're going!" Olivia ran holding her tiny little hand, "Bella hurry!"
The woman took the two girls to her home residence where they partook in a hasty and frantic search for any tables or chairs they could find, piling bookshelves against the doors and windows, locking every exit and entrance, and finally gathering in the corner with a candle in the middle of them. The little halo of light blended darkness and their faces. Thunder, like from the angriest hurricane, erupted in terrifying volts of noise shaking the city in quakes. Flashes of white light beamed brighter than the day. The smell of smoke had been noticeable. The city burned tonight. Olivia sat contemplating whether they had entered the house of a madwoman but after seeing the red bruises on her arms and neck resembling teeth marks, so maybe she wasn't so mad after all. She had never encountered someone like her before. It was disturbing to see a pregnant woman so disheveled and frantic, but during the early morning hours she was beginning to calm down.
She rested her head against the wall boards, listening to anything.
Silence.
She sighed, maybe it was safe.
Or maybe it wasn't.
So what now?
Bella felt safe. Despite her sister pinching a bruise on her arm she was happy that they were together. Maybe Papa would come through that door any moment and take them home. Where it would be safe and warm. Glancing at the woman, Bella felt the immediate desire to touch her belly. There was something so magical about babies. Babies. Babies. Babies. Where on this good green earth do they come from? Knowing she had no relations or connections to this stranger at all she deeply wanted the baby to be a girl. Then dress her up in pretty dresses, fix her hair, take her everywhere in a chariot with white horses with plumes on their heads and gold harnesses.
"Jack," said the woman giving Bella a sweet smile, rubbing her belly in a circular motion," If it's a boy I'm going to name him Jack."
Bella stammered," I didn't mean to stare. Ahh'm rude…"
Her smile grew," No, you're curious little one."
Bella grew brave and sweetly asked," What if it's a girl?"
"Perhaps," the woman pondered for a minute or two," I'll name her after my grandmother, Priscilla. I've always thought that her name was so pretty. Pretty. Pretty. Pretty."
The little girl glanced at her bigger sister for a minute as if she was breaking a rule, but Olivia didn't seem to be paying attention. Bella scooted closer.
"My mother's name was Pawwnelope."
"Well how pretty! Penelope," she moved the name around with her tongue, smiling her approval," Your mother sounds so lovely."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Ivy," she smiled gracefully," What is your name little one?"
Bella glanced at her sister one more time before answering," My name is Bellawww but don't tell her I told you."
Ivy nodded her head then looked at the second little girl," Is she your sister?"
She was silent for a moment.
"Her name is aww-livia, she's older than me. She thinks I'm a baby but I'm not," she strongly defended. "I'm not a baby. We were living at the Tower when Papa went away. I miss Papa."
"I'm sure he misses you, too." Ivy scooted closer," But soon we're all going to be safe. My husband will be back soon and he's going to take care of all of us. Then you and your sister will come with us to the arena in the center of the city where the Mayor will escort an evacuation."
Bella's sweet toothy smile disappeared when she glanced once more to her older sibling, leaned in, and whispered something Ivy didn't understand.
"We can't go with you..." she whispered," The wolves are near."
(A/N: OK! I hope that this chapter was exciting enough for you all. Next chapter will answer more questions. Just give me time and I promise that I'll work on it. I'm starting to get out of my authors block funk. And I've never had a sister before and hopefully I captured the Sister-Sister atmosphere and feeling because this was my first time trying to mimic a sibling love AND rivalry. Thanks again! Follow and Review!)