Heaven's Borrowed Things

8 Years Later

Luce Brigantia rounded the corner of the labyrinth, the skirt of her gown in her hands. Today was the announcement of Prince Henry Rennier's coronation date, and every courtier wanted to be in attendance. Although the event had started fifteen minutes ago, Luce had been walking the palace labyrinth. She was recalling how young she and Henry had been when they first met.

Luce's father was one of the few royal advisors that Henry's father, King Alphonse, trusted. Luce was five when she was first introduced to the prince. At that time, Henry wasn't interested in being friends with a girl, but as the years progressed, the two had become incredibley close. That is, until Henry had begun his royal training. There had always been formalities- curtseying and general respect were a must- but now, it seemed that pure obedience was the requirement. Luce understood; Henry was meant to be king, and that came with rules. But that didn't mean she liked it.

It was the sundial in the center of the labyrinth that had caught Luce's attention. She was late, everyone would think she had skipped out, and now she had to run. Luce finally reached the entrance to the labyrinth. She wrenched open the gate and raced towards the palace in the distance. She stopped for only a moment to remove her shoes, and then continued barefoot.

She ran across the grounds, past the stables, through the gardens, and finally, reached the entrance to the east wing of the palace. Luce rested against the wall while wiping sweat from her forehead. She needed to compose herself; it would not do to be seen in such a state, especially at a royal announcement. Once she caught her breath, Luce slipped her shoes back on and bent down to adjust the latches. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a splash of yellow. Luce turned to see a cluster of dandelions.

Immediately, memories of Annabelle flashed through Luce's mind. Laughter, a hard punch, Annabelle's hair ribbons, gushing blood. Luce leaned her back up against the wall and wiped away a stray tear. Luce tried to avoid thinking or speaking about Annabelle most of the time, but occassionally something would remind her of their friendship and the horrible day that it ended.

When Annabelle appeared at her mother's side at Cecilia's party, her new dress stained in grass and blood, her mother immediately grabbed Annabelle's father who took them both to the nearest healer. The healer re-adjusted Annabelle's nose, a procedure that Luce was sure was very painful. Once Annabelle told her parents about Cecilia, Kheelan, and the other children, her father returned to the Morova's estate, demanding repercussions. Of course, Cecilia denied that anything had happened the way Annabelle had said. According to Cecilia, Annabelle had purposefully hit her nose with a rock and had created the entire story to get Cecilia into trouble. Annabelle's father disagreed. Offended by the insinuation that Cecilia could do anything wrong, her parents promptly fired Annabelle's father and made it clear that they would no longer be purchasing any of her mother's clothing.

After word got out that the Morovas were no longer purchasing clothing from the Rivkas, all of the province's residents refused to do so as well, save for Mr. Brigantia, Luce's father. Eventually, Annabelle and her family had to leave the province, hoping that they would be able to find work in another, but to no avail. Finally, the Rivkas were forced to leave the Kingdom of Cetique and embark on a journey to a neighboring kingdom, the name of which no one could ever find out. Except for Luce and her father, no one ever seemed to talk about or worry for the Rivkas, but when they did, each comment was different in regard to the Rivka's new home.

The last time Luce saw Annabelle, she was being helped by her father into their small carriage. Luce wanted to beg them not to leave, to apologize to Annabelle, but all she could do was stare on gravely. Annabelle spared only one glance towards Luce. Her nose was not longer swollen or black, but there was a fine line down the side of the bridge where the healer had re-adjusted it. Luce remembered feeling empty inside. She felt responsible for Annabelle's injury and subsequent move. She felt like crying, but all she could do when Annabelle looked at her was give a slight wave. It went unreturned.