Rosebriar

Chapter Two: Shattered World

                                        Emma

        I pushed the heavy Iron Gate to the castle open, praying that no one would hear its loud grating sound. It had been a fortnight since I had been able to sneak out to go see Benjamin, and I could not stand another day without him. Besides the fact that Mother and Father had forbid me to see him, I couldn’t explain the draw I felt to be near him. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings.

        The pale silver moonlight spilled over my green and gold dress and pieced its way through my wavy waist-length mahogany hair. I smiled. The dress was a bit heavy for the trip, but Benjamin loved it so. He said it made my eyes shimmer like emeralds and my skin glow like the summer sun.

        Pulling my hair inside the hood of my cloak, I rushed down the familiar and worn dirt path to our secret spot. It was nestled in the forest so that no one would find us. As I ran, the cool brisk air stung my cheeks and made my eyes water, but I didn’t care. I was almost to our place, our spot where I would see my Benjamin again.

        I slowed my hastened pace as I walked under the shade of the wisteria and the elevated canopy of the willow trees. Pulling back the long wispy branches, I walked up to the stone bench and sat down. My hood had fallen back from the run, and my hair was slightly tousled. I let the rest fall out of the cloak and ran my fingers through it. Benjamin would be here shortly, and I wanted to look presentable at least.

        While I waited, I looked out over Arla Lake. It was indeed a sight to see. As quiet as a snowflake, it rippled under the pressure of the wind. The moon made it look like diamonds were twinkling just beneath the surface. As I exhaled the breath I had been holding, I closed my eyes and thought about how good it felt to be outside the castle walls. The roaming eyes and the judging stares became too much at times, not to mention the suffocation I grieved over from Mother and Father constantly.

        It was nearing my twenty first birthday, and as the oldest daughter, it was time for me to be taking a husband. They, of course, preferred my husband to be from another kingdom so as to keep peace among the country. Since when did I become something to bargain with and not a human being with feelings? It was all I could do to not scream at the top of my lungs. Here lately, however, they had been acting very peculiar.

        It seemed they were always talking about traveling overseas to Scotland, and how nice it would be to take a trip there for a little while. For one, Father never left the castle. Ever. Second, we had never traveled in the whole twenty years I had been alive. Why start now? I let out a loud sigh and squeezed my eyes tighter.

        "Something must be real important to put a frown such as that on your beautiful face," Benjamin whispered into my ear.        

        I opened my eyes and was enchanted to see eyes as deep and as blue as the ocean. The five o’ clock shadow on his jaw gave him a rather rugged look. His caramel colored hair fell on his shoulders and he had a smile on his face that could light up any darkness. This was the face I had been pining to see for the last fourteen days.

        He knelt down in front of me and grabbed my hands between his, looking me in the eyes. "What is it that has you worried so? Will you tell me so that I may take care of your pain and see you smile again?"

        Placing my hand to his face, I smiled.

        "’Tis nothing that can’t be put to rest tomorrow, my love. It is just some things at the castle that need to be attended to."