Lady Illea (Lady Illea #1)

Chapter Thrity Six

   Wil was walking through trees, following the foot path, as if he'd done it a million time before. He was holding my hand, something I was not going to object to, and every place our skin made contact I heard a buzz ring in my ears.

"Where are we going?"

"Lunch"

'But where?"

Will smiled at me. 'You'll see"

   The walk through the trees was quiet, but soothing and comfortable. The summer heat caused my hair to stick to the back of my neck and I shifted my braid in an attempt to relieve my neck of the heat.

"You have such beautiful hair" he said. "Don't ever cut it"

I looked at him. "thank you"

"You know I always wondered what it was with women and their hair"

I shrugged. "I don't know"

    We walked further in silence and this time the quiet annoyed me. Walking in silence just gave me more time to think about how his fingers were laced through mine, more time to think of our wrists touching, and I think I'm suffering from the symptoms of a heat stroke. In an attempt to make conversation I cleared my throat and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"So Princy," I said. "That ball is tomorrow"

He smiled. "You're still coming"

I laughed. "You thought I'd ditch?"

"Well considering you almost left me to lunch on my own," 

I giggled.

"I thought it would be appropraite to make sure"

I smiled. "Well, I'm coming. So no worries"

    Apparently the rumors about Silvia giving us this huge challenge to determine Will's date was untrue, just as Tiny had suspected. Looking back at it, it never made sense anyway. Why would Silvia give us this huge challenge meanwhile she would have already been retired by the time the ball came around?

     I rubbed my locket and tried to see if there was an end to this road somewhere.

"I always forget to ask you," Will said. "That locket. You never take it off"

I dropped my hand and my gaze was nailed to the trees ahead. "No. I don't"

"Is it something special?" Will asked. 

I felt my bracelet, jiggle around my wrist. "I guess you can say that."

"Was it given to you by a family member?"

"My father gave it to me," I explained. "It's my mother's"

  Well...was.

Will smiled. "She must be very proud"

"Where ever she is. Maybe"

Will looked at me a bit lost at first but then his face turns somber. "Oh. i see"

I shrug. "I mean it was hers. Its mine now'

   I hated this topic. And I hated talking about it even more with Will.

"It must be hard," He said. "Losing a parent. I couldn't imagine one of my parents dying so young"

Immediately I was embarrassed. "Oh no she's not-!" i shook my head. "She's not dead"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't die, Princy. She left. I was four"

"Oh. Oh! Oh. Alessa." Will said and turned me around to face him. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean-"

I whithered uncomfortable and shook his hands off. "No its fine."

"Alright."

"I said its fine!" 

"Ok"

"Stop looking at me like that!" I insisted.

"Like what?"

"Like you're pitying me" I replied, suddenly feeling the urge to defend myself.

"I don't pity you, Alessa' Will said kindly. "It just hurts me that this hurts you"

"It doesn't hurt" I clenched my jaw so tight a throbbing headache started. "And I don't want your sympathy."

"Is that why you don't say anything?" Will asked. "Because you don't want people to pity you?"

"Exactly"

"Alright then," he took my hand again. "I don't see you any different then I did before."

I nodded firmly. "ok"

   We continued walking and Will looked at me. "So tell me this,"

I looked at him, the sun peering through the tree branches bouncing off his hair. "You live with your father, I'm assuming."

I nodded.

"No siblings?"

I shook my head and he laughed. "Must be nice to be an only child"

I smiled. "Well I had two best friends that were sisters to me. But no actual siblings."

Will smiled. "That's nice."

   We kept walking and Will stood in front of me.

"Eyes. Closed."

  Sighing I obliged and hear the shifting of branches and trees. Will took my hands pulling me closer and I was carefully not to trip over anything. He instructed me to open my eyes and I did with a gasp. I blinked harder trying to make sure what I saw was real.

    It was this huge, tall landscape. An enormous rock wall in different layers, eroded over time by nature, moss growing and tree vines and branches hanging. Water flowed like a waterfall into the lake and I'd never seen anything more breath taking before.

"Where do you suppose the lake gets its wate from?"

I laughed. "How did you find this?"

    I noticed will walked over to a huge rock just feet away from the water. Pushing the moss over there was huge basket under it and he pulled it out from his hidding place.

"Let's see. I was sixteen riding my horse at night and I wondered off a bit too far. That's why we did so much walking. It took me months to memorize the land here. Just over there," he pointed. "On top of that hill? On the other side at the bottom there's a meadow where exotic flowers of all kind bloom. Its really amazing, the woods behind the palace. No one bothers to explore anymore."

I looked at the basket and nearly laughed. "You were prepared?"

He was holding a rosy colored glass bottle and he popped the kork off, a bubbling exposion sounding in my ears. Will shrugged. "You have to be prepared"

I laughed shaking my head. "I don't drink"

"That's why this" he waved the rosy bottle. "Is champagne, and this" he waved a carmel colored bottle. "Is apple cider"