Not Part of the Deal

Chapter 16 ~ Festival of 'Fall'

Sorry guys, but I'm going to keep this one short.  I'm sorry to say that the next chapter is going to be short as well, but it'll all work out in the end.  You should all be pretty happy with this chapter.  I like it. :) Anyways, enjoy reading.  Votes and comments are much appreciated especially when they are in the form of constructive criticism and feedback.  I'm uploading before Wednesday because I want to get stuff done while I can, and I have church every night or so for the next two weeks.  Next upload should be on Friday or sooner since it is going to be short.  Happy reading!

                                              ~Britski

**************************************************************************************************************

When I awoke the next morning, I could almost feel the excitement pulsating throughout the castle.  There was a note in my lounge area telling me to find my way outside.  It was from Eliza.  

I threw on a random burnt orange dress, grabbed one of the many cream shawls Laura had made for me, and exited my room.  Westley was just outside, pacing the hall.  His curls sat sloppily atop his head and I smiled at his bright blue eyes.

"Good morning," he said quietly, coming up to me and stroking a strand of my dark hair.

"Do I finally get to see the roof today?" I asked pleasantly, already knowing the answer.  It was the day of the Harvest Festival.  He nodded and slid his hand down my shoulder to my hand.  

The castle had been completely changed over night.  Now, everything held an autumnal aura.  Small decorations lined the corridor and everything was awash with the soft yellow light coming from the orbs snuggled in their brackets with bits of tinsel to liven them up.  

Our journey to the roof was quicker than our last attempt.  When we'd finally made it up the long flight of stairs, the big double doors were already open.  A cool breeze bid us welcome as we left the closure of the palace.

The roof was enormous and for the most part, completely flat.  People were everywhere- sipping fresh dew drop water, gossiping with friends, and participating in various games as well as the other festivities.  

Everything looked marvelous and I soon discovered that everything was marvelous. Especially the food.  Warm pumpkin pies, apple pies, pea soup, soft bread, honey, and other sweet things overflowed from a long table.

Westley and I quickly found Eliza.  She and I decided to go off alone, leaving Westley to fend for himself.  We had to reassure him amidst a lot of laughing that yes, he would somehow survive without us.  We then set off for a shaded spot over where some tables were set up.

"So what's up with you and Christopher?" I asked skeptically while sitting down at one of the two-people tables.  Eliza followed suit and a caterer quickly placed glasses of water before us.

"Well, I actually really wanted to talk to you about that," she said with a wide smile.  "He explained everything and I've totally forgiven him.  In fact... We're getting married!"

I started choking on my water mid-sip and one of the servants came and started pounding on my back.  I waved him away, still sputtering while trying to assure the concerned fellow that I was fine.  Eliza just sat in her seat looking a bit startled and nervous.

"You're getting married!" I exclaimed, still coughing a bit.  Eliza wrung her hands self-consciously.

 "Yeah," she said through a strained smile. "Aren't you happy for me?"

I placed my fingers against my temples to try and prevent an oncoming headache and said, "No, I mean... Yeah, that's great, but so soon?"

"Well, we aren't getting married for, like, another year..."

"I just don't know if this is a smart thing to do.  Maybe I just need to go for a walk and think this over," I suggested.

"Sure! Go ahead!" she quickly agreed, eager for anything that would help me approve of her decision.

I excused myself from the table and made my way to a rail somewhere on the opposite side of the wide roof.  There weren't many people there, except for a few mushy couples.  Goodness, these people need to get rooms, I thought.

My eyes wandered to the tree's outstretched branches, like hundreds of arms.  People wandered along their flat surfaces, for the branches acted like roads, connecting the city surrounding the tree to the palace in the middle.  I noticed something sparkle way off in the distance, and suddenly got the strong urge to go after it.   

The guards let me out the front gate without any qualms, and I struggled against the surge of people trying to get into the festival.  The thing was still shining, a beam of light hitting me directly in the eye.  A small part of me was nagging at me to just go back to the safety of the palace and find Westley, but the curious side seemed amplified somehow and overruled my conscience.

I didn't even notice myself wandering towards the edge of the road.  It wasn't railed over here.  Railings were for the wealthy.  They were an unnecessary luxury.  Besides, everyone had wings around here.  No one even blinked when my feet stumbled on each other, trying to find solid ground, and I slipped off of the edge.

In fact, I would've sworn I heard a few people laugh at my clumsiness.  I guess they all assumed I was like them; that I could whip out my wings at will and save myself.

Miraculously, there seemed to be no branches directly beneath where I fell, so it was a straight shot to the ground.  Sadly, the earth was hurtling towards me at a horrifyingly fast pace.

I struggled to catch my breath as the wind flew by me, too fast for me to inhale.  What would it be like, death? Would I even feel a thing when I splattered against the ground? Maybe the grass would break my fall! No, probably not.  Poor Westley- not even married for a month and he'd already be a widower.  The ground was approaching now, and I thought my skin would fly right off my face, but then-

****************************************************************************************************************

Heeheehee! Cliffhanger! What do you think will happen next? 

Also, question of the day: What would YOU do if you got married without knowing it.  (divorce isn't an option in this situation) How would you react???