That Fateful Night

Chapter one

Anne's POV

The wind whipped through Anne's hair as she trudged towards her secret-- or not so secret-- hideout, holding her paper and pens in her coat pocket. The woods held so much scope for the imagination, all the birds chirping high up in the trees. Oh how she loved their sweet symphonies! The autumn leaves crunched under her feet, every step known to the animals, none of them coming to greet her. Anne sighs, imagining herself as beautiful Princess Cordelia, with whom the animals adore and follow her wherever she goes, calling to the other little forest creatures to join them in their wonderful escapade. Anne laughs, the sweet sound echoing over the beautiful chirps of her feathered friends, filling the woods with more delight as she twirls through the thicket, not minding the sharpness of certain plants with thorns... nothing could ruin her beautiful mood. 

She continues to twirl, winding her way around an uprooted tree that had fallen in last nights storm, the soil damp with the fallen rain. The mud clung to her boots, causing some of the beautiful red leaves to as well, softening her step even more. Looking up to the sky Anne giggles again. She imagines her fellow subjects surrounding her, praising her. 

 "Oh Princess Cordelia, blessed is this day that the sun shineth down o'er the dismal land of Enchantia. You, our dear princess, have brought us out of our miserable turmoil and set us free into our land, never to be enslaved again." Their shouts of joy filled her mind as she continued down the path toward her not-so-secret hideout. She closes her eyes as the sunbeams continue to hit her pale freckled face, her feet knowing the path to her hideout very well.

"My dear subjects, I promise to rule you true and fair, as a good princess should. Never again shall Queen Pye cause a speck of worry in your beautiful minds. As I, crowned Princess Cordelia, aspire to make your hearts full of joy and the pureness of true love. From this day on we will not live in fear, but in contentment. May imagination rise far, but true love fall from the heavens!" With that decree the applause came again. All these people, her loyal subjects applauding her, Princess Cordelia, with the gorgeous dark auburn hair and mystical blue eyes, her rosy complexion bright... bright enough to illuminate the darkest days.

Anne relished in this imaginative world. One where there wasn't a freckle adorning her plain, ugly face. One where her hair wasn't red enough to put a fire to shame. A world where her skin wasn't pale enough to challenge the pages in the books she read, or the plain tea cups Marilla had in the cupboard. No, she was Princess Cordelia. Ruler of Enchantia, loyal to her subjects and beloved to all those who met her. Deep down, Anne knew, she was truly Cordelia. 

The applause in Anne's brain faded fast, and so did her wistful smile as she tripped over something, landing on the ground with a loud thump and the crack of many autumn leaves. Mud squished under her as she laid back against the thick log, her shoulder-length red hair falling in her face once again. 'Maybe it wasn't so bad when it was short' she thought, but immediately dismissed it when she remembered Mr. Philips' remark about her being a boy. 

She stared up at the sun, slowly falling towards the horizon. Painting the sky so many beautiful colors, spilling over the sky like paint on a canvas-- paint. Canvas. Paintings. Cole.

 Anne's heart sunk at the thought of Cole. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks as she laid her winter coat on the log. She grabbed a piece of the fine paper Marilla had bought for her for her 15th birthday, soon reaching back into her pocket for a pen as well, placing them atop the coat. Starting yet another letter to send to her distant friend. 

Oh Cole! 

Must we be so far away. I miss you ever so dearly, my heart aching for you every time I see a drawing, or look at your old broken sculptures laying outside our old hideout. I see your face in the shadows of my room, memories of your joyous laugh haunting the fields in which my imagination roams. Every time I pass through the schoolhouse I remember the dreaded game of 'Spin the Bottle' during which we kissed, and the day you did my hair. Oh! The elegant braids with ribbons were divine. I feel my heart leap with pride as I remember that you and I have already made plans of engagement, for I know that certainly there is no human on this beautiful green Earth that could make me happier and more accepted than you.