1 Year Later
Philippe and I sit leaning against the wall of the cell. It's been a year since we were locked in here for no apparent reason. We have tried our best to live as comfortably as we can, despite the given situation.
I glance up when the door to the cell is opened and a fresh bucket of water is set just inside. My chains jingle as I reach out and shake Philippe gently, waking him from his light sleep.
"Hm?" He asks.
I point to the bucket; indicating that it was time we do our best to bathe. Standing, I walk over to the small pail of water. I bring it back, setting it down gently next to Philippe.
I kneel down in front of him, bowing my head, my eyes trailing the floor. I am unable to bath myself because of my shackles restricting my movement, and he himself because of the mask restricting his sightline.
I close my eyes as he reaches out, pulling the strings of my dirty dress. It falls to the floor around me. He takes the small bit of cloth provided in the pail. Even after a year of us bathing each other, I still find it uncomfortable. I kneel bare in front of a man. A man that, although I am engaged to, I have not married. This impropriety makes me quite unsuitable to anyone else.
I watch as Philippe takes the cloth to my skin, the cool water makes me shiver at first, sending goosebumps down my arms. He wipes away the dirt on my shoulders, slowing trailing down to my breasts.
I turn my head away, tears clouding my eyes. I hear the guards in the hallway, taking turns looking into the cell through the small window in the door. They whistle and jeer at my naked body.
"Hey," Philippe says quietly. He reaches out gently turning my head to look at him. "Don't listen to them."
The cloth brushes lightly against my breasts, the light skin almost glows in the dimly lit cell.
A few moments later, Philippe urges me to turn. I turn around slowly, bringing my knees up to cover my bare chest. He seems to caress my bare back with the cloth. Delicately, he cleans the brand on my shoulder. Now scared over, sometimes I can still feel the burning.
When he is finished I turn back around. He looks at me through the small eye holes in the mask. Reaching out, he cups my cheek in his hand. I lean my head into his gentle touch as he strokes my cheekbone with his thumb.
"I miss your voice. Hearing you say my name. Hearing you sing to yourself," He sighs softly.
Tears escape my eyes but he quickly swipes them away.
"No crying, my love. Have faith."
I look at him sadly. How can I have faith when there is no hope? No hope of escape. No hope that we will ever be truly wed.
"Have faith in God's plan for us." His bright blue eyes twinkle at me through the darkness of his mask as he helps me to retie my dress.
I then help him strip his shirt off. I wipe away the dirt from his back, chest, and arms. More muscular than he had been when we arrived, he found that working his body was a distraction from the world in which we lived.
By the time we had both finished our sad excuses for baths, the sun was beginning to set just outside our small window.
I drag my fingers through my hair, combing it as best I could while I stood staring out the window at the small patch of blue sky that was quickly darkening. Philippe comes up behind me, wrapping his arms about my waist, staring up at our small patch of sky.
"Have faith that one day I will marry you underneath the bluest of sky, surrounded by grass and trees so tall they touch the fluffy white clouds that float by. Have faith that you will be in the most beautiful white dress, with your hair falling in waves, framing your beautiful face. Have faith that I plan to renew every vow I have already made to you. To love you. To protect you with my life. To only have eyes for you."
I turn around in his arms, my shackles clanging loudly. I look up, only to see the dark iron that encloses his face. I miss the sharp rise of his cheekbones. I miss the lines of his jaw. I miss the small wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles.
"Have faith that one day, we will get out of here." He turns, looking up now at the sky which had been taken by the night. "Even if it kills me," he mutters.
Authors Note:
I am so very sorry that it has taken me so long to update.
On the contrary, go check out my first, officially, published book: Ode To Rebellion. It is a science fiction novel now available on Amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble website. This is what I have been working on in my absence from wattpad. If you like my stories on here, you will definitely love Ode To Rebellion.
Thank you all SOO much for the support! I should have another update for you soon!
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The Man in the Iron Mask and the Girl in the Iron Chains
Adventure(Inspired by the movie 'The Man in the Iron Mask') He was imprisoned unfairly and enclosed in an iron mask. She was forced to care for her lover in the dark Bastille. Then, six years later, a miracle occurs. They are broken out of prison by three h...
