Fading Into The Sea

chapter 1

I was young again and I didn't really have any friends because they were jealous of what I had. Being the daughter of a Duke and all, I got a lot of things because my father spoiled me. The night my father was having a party he invited some of his work friends over to our house for the evening, and they brought their children with them. They were all so mean to me, they called me names and teased me, finally I just got fed up with their nonsense and punch a girl in the face. I ran outside to the large mass of palm trees that was behind my house. I ran until I couldn't anymore. When I thought I was far enough away I sat down and yanked at the grass around me, imaging each handful were the kids who teased me.
After about ten minutes of pulling the grass I was covered in mud. My yellow dress had big brown mud steins on it and my curled hair was now a knot, the yellow bow that was nicely placed in my hair had fallen out but I didn't care. I stood up to leave when I heard a commotion coming from the opposite direction. Curiosity got the best of me and I followed the noise.
I peaked around some bushes I saw a boy, he didn't seem to be much older than me maybe a year or two. He had long raven black hair that covered his eyebrows and golden eyes. His clothes were torn in various places and had a mud streaked face. He looked angry as he threw rocks and sticks and basically whatever else he could pick up. Deciding that it looked like fin I walked up behind him and stared throwing small rocks in the same direction.  It wasn't until the third or fourth rock I threw that he noticed that I was there.
"What do you think you are doing," he asked out of breath.
"Throwing stuff the same as you," I said as I threw another rock. A look of confusion crossed his face before he asked, "Why?"
"Because I'm mad and it looks like fun."
"Well go away. This is my spot." He said after a second.
"Why? I don't see a sign that has your name on it "claiming" it as your spot." I smirked.
"Well I was here first."
"So?"
"So leave," he yelled.
"No!"
"It's my place, so you should follow my rules, and my rules state that no girls are allowed," He frowned.
"Look kid you can't tell me what to do! I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want,"  I yelled while pointing a finger at him and carried on chucking sticks and rocks. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw him bend down and pick up something. I thought that I had won the argument when all of the sudden a giant ball of mud hit me right in the back of my head. I turned around and saw him with a glare on his face. I then bent down and picked up a huge glob of dirt and threw it right at his face, but he ducked at the last minute, he stood up and looked over his shoulder to where the ball of mud had splattered against a tree, but before he could do anything about it I threw another mud ball and this time I didn't miss.
This made him all the more angry and tried to chase me with more mud, and when he did I tackled him to the ground shoving mud and grass in his face but it wasn't to long before he overcame me and did the same thing to me. After a while of fighting we laid side by side in a mud pit panting. I turned my gaze from the pink sky to look at the strange boy beside me, he was covered from head to toe in mud and his hair was spiked up in many places. I started to laugh at the boy to the point where I was crying.
"What? What are you laughing at?" He asked with a glum look on his face. Gasping between breaths I was finally able to tell him that he looked ridiculous. He looked himself up and down and smiled. "I look ridiculous? You should see you!" he laughed. I examined myself and I was just as bad as him if not worse! That made me laugh even harder. When the laughing stopped we sat there in silence for a bit before I broke it.
"My name is Brea." I said holding out my hand for him to shake it. He took my hand and moved it up and down. "Nice to meet you." He said
"Well whats your name?" I asked. He turned to me and smiled then said. "In time you will know my name."
"well I guess ill just have to call you kid until you tell me your name." I said giving him a glare. He helped me off the ground and we started to talk for a while, he would ask me questions about where I live and what my family was like, but whenever I would ask him a question he would avoid it by asking me another question. Soon it was time for me to leave and I left the boy in the forest. 
Then a bright light hit the roof of my eyelids as the maid drew the curtains, smashing the feather pillow over my face to block out the light the maid chirped for me to get out of bed. Ignoring her I tried to go back to sleep. Then the bed sheets were ripped off of me, "Mary!" I shouted at her, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes as my dream began to fade. I have had that dream before about the encounter of the boy from my past. We had secret meetings in the same spot a while after I had met him and we became best friends. Then one day he just disappeared. I went to our spot every day for a long time, then I had to except the fact that he probably wasn't ever coming back. I was so upset because my best and only friend had disappeared. It took me forever to get over it, but eventually I did. My father never believed that I had a friend that lived in the woods, I would tell him that we needed to send out a search party to look for him, but my father was fed up with my 'stories' and told me that I need to grow up and start acting like a lady.
"I'm sorry my lady, but your father said you need to be up and downstairs in ten minutes." Said the maid with a smile. Why was she so happy? Mary has been my lady's maid ever since I can remember, she was a close friend of mine.
"What on earth is he waking me up this early for?" I grumbled.
"Sorry lady Brea, but I'm not allowed to say." Something was odd, she practically skipped out of my bed room with all my bed sheets in her arms. With a groan I slipped out of bed and walked over my dresser where a bowl filled with warm water sat. I dipped a clean cloth into the water and started to wash my face. Before long I was dressed in my favorite baby blue laced day dress and my hair laid in soft sand blonde waves down my back. Now that I was somewhat presentable, well enough for my father that is, I opened the door and proceeded to walk down one side of the grand staircase, and turned the corner to walk into his study, but before I could turn the door knob I heard my father talking to someone. I slowly opened the door to see my father speaking with a young man. He was tall and had neatly cut brown hair. His almond shaped eyes were a dark shade of brown. There was something about those eyes that set me on edge.
"Brea darling, how nice of you to join us. Please come in." My father grabbed my hand and led me to stand by his side. "Brea this is James Chadwick, He is of the Chadwick family over in England."
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Chadwick." I said with a curtsy.
"The pleasure is all mine." He replied with a curt nod.
"My dear since Mr. Chadwick is new here it would be greatly appreciated if you would show him around town." My father exclaimed.
"Alright, just let me get a few things before we leave." I said then walked up to the foyer my father and Mr. Chadwick following close behind me. My lady's maid was already waiting with my white hand bag and hat in her hands.
"Don't be to long." My father said opening one of the big wooden doors. Mr. Chadwick held up his arm to escort me, and I took it without hesitation. "We won't." I said to my father.
We sat in awkward silence for most of the ride into town, I could see Mr. Chadwick skimming his mind for something to talk about but never finding the words to say. It was me who finally broke the silence. "So Mr. Chadwick-" "Please call me James, Mr. Chadwick is my father." He interrupted me.
"Of course, James where did you say you were from again?" I asked.
"England, well London to be more precise."
"I have never been to England, but I would like to go someday, I want to get out of here and see the world." I stated.
"The world is an awfully big place, much too big for a women."  He laughed.
"Why do you say that?" I asked my trying to keep my mouth shut from what I really thought of his statement.
"The world is a dangerous place and more of a man's country if you ask me. You wouldn't last a week in the real world, the world is a cruel place, you are lucky to have been brought up in a house of luxury."
My blood started to boil at his choice of words "I can take care of myself Mr. Chadwick, I am not some china doll everyone plays me out to be." I said as I looked out the window. More silence.
Changing the subject, I commented him on his medals that rested on his uniform. He so 'graciously' took the time to tell me how he got each one and what they stood for. I couldn't get one word in when he started talking about his medals, even when I started to answer a question he asked me he would cut me off, and change the topic. This was going to be a very long day.
When we were in town I walked him up and down the market and into some stores, when he spotted the blacksmith was really what took us the longest. He spotted the swords and had to test and ask every question he could about each sword, determined to find the perfect sword. When he finally chose the perfect one he ordered the blacksmith to take it to his house. We then continued to walk in town I was quiet the whole time while he talked about the king and politics, but I had lost interest in his stories a long time ago and zoned out. My mind began to wander away from the present and into the past when I saw a couple of children playing with wooden swords on the side walk.
They reminded me of when I was a child of about eleven. When I had met the boy in the woods. I had flash-backs of the times we had together and the memories pulled at my heart strings. I wonder where he is now? I thought to myself before realizing that we were back in the carriage heading home.
When we arrived my father was waiting for us in his study. "How was town?" He asked James.
"It was wonderful, there is so much to do here." James replied.
"Yes, yes so much, listen James I was wondering if you would come to the masquerade ball tomorrow night in honor of Brea's nineteenth birthday? It is being hosted here." I quickly looked at my father to protest but kept my mouth shut.
"I would love to. That is if its alright with Lady Brea?" he answered. My father gave me a cold stare sending a secret message that if I didn't say yes I would be in a lot of trouble.
"Of course, I would be delighted if you could come." I said coolly.
"Perfect! We shall see you tomorrow night then?" My father beamed.
"Yes sir," James said. "See you tomorrow Brea." The way he said my name gave me goose bumps. I still couldn't put my finger on the unsettling feeling he gave me. He turned and walked out the door and into the carriage. As soon as the door shut I let out a sigh of relief, I hadn't known I had been holding my breath at all until he had gone.
"What do you think of Mr. Chadwick?" My father asked.
"He seems nice, and completely self-centered, someone who only cares about himself and flirts with any women in sight-" Before I could finish sating my opinion on Mr. Chadwick my father interrupted me.
"Brea he's asked for your hand in marriage."