The stars twinkled above me on that warm June night. I sat outside gazing up into the dark sky. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my back. “David,” I whispered.
David sat down. “Are we still on for tomorrow? Meet me
at the stables bright and early.”
I smiled. “Ok.”
David got onto his horse and rode away into the night.
Morning broke, dark and rainy. “Oh well!” I thought
sadly, looking out my peasant home window into the rain. Knowing David, we
would go anyway. I pulled on my boots and my heavy cloak and climbed down from
my loft into the warm kitchen where our house keeper, Betsy, was making
breakfast. “Good morning, Cordelia,” she said.
“Where is father?” I asked.
“Oh, out bringing food from our field to the castle. A
guest has come to stay with King James, Queen Annalise, and Prince David,”
Betsy said as she poured me a cup of water and set it down in front of me with
a slice of bread.
“Thank you, but I told David I would meet him at the stable
this morning,” I said.
“Fine, but going out into the cold and rain without any
breakfast…” her voice trailed off. Betsy had acted like my mother ever since my
mother had died. I kissed her on the cheek, thanked her, and rushed out the
door.
I ran like the wind to the stable where David stood arms
opened wide. I ran into them, and he gently kissed my lips as he smoothed back
my wet hair from my face.
“So, tell me where we are going today?” I asked as I
looked into his eyes. They had a twinkle in them.
“It’s a surprise,” he said as he jumped onto a horse. He
reached down his hand, I grabbed it, and he pulled me up.
We rode into the thick forest right behind the tall wall
of the castle. I looked up into the sky. It had finally stopped raining, but it
looked like the sky was going to let down another torrent of rain any minute.
As we rode farther into the forest, it became darker and colder. I clasped
David’s waist tighter. “Please tell me where we are going!!” I yelled over the
thunder.
He looked back at me and smiled.
“Just a few more minutes then we will be there,” David
yelled back. Sure enough, the forest opened into a small clearing. The sun had
come out but, strangely, only in the clearing. David rode up to it and jumped
down off the horse. I followed him.
“Why is this spot so sunny and beautiful and…” my voice
trailed off. David reached down. He held my hand. He put his finger to his
lips.
“Let me tell you. My father asked my mother to marry him
here in this same spot,” he said, and his bright blue eyes looked down into my
eyes. “The fairies put an enchantment on it to make it the most beautiful spot
in the world where true love happens. So, I would like to do it here, right
now.” David bent down onto one knee and pulled a small diamond ring out of his
cloak. “Will you marry me?”
I stood there, speechless, with tears running down my
face. “Yes!” I cried.
He rose to his feet and kissed my lips. I kissed him
back.
David whispered, “May the love between us always be
strong, true, and eternal.”
We rode home in the rain, but it was not nearly as bad
as before on the ride there. We were going to be together forever. We rode back
up to the stable. Betsy’s breakfast sounded so good just then. David led the
horse into a stable. I jumped down and stood there waiting for David to come
out of the stable. I wrapped my hands around my arms.
“Burr,” I thought.
David came out and wrapped his cloak around me. Suddenly
I heard the voice of a woman behind me. David and I turned around to see a
young girl with dark brown hair. Her perfect curls fell just below her
shoulders. It didn’t even look like a speck of rain had touched them, while my
overgrown curls were nearly sopping wet, flying in every direction.
“Yes?” asked David.
“Your father, I meant to say King James, told me you
would be here,” said the young girl. “Sorry, I am Princess Bella. I am visiting
your castle. My father has many hopes that you will marry me.”
David stood there in shock. “I am sorry. I forgot to
introduce my fiancé, Cordelia,” David said.
Bella just stood there. Anger entered her eyes. She ran
for the nearest horse, slipped her hood over her face, and rode away.
“Come on. We need to get to the castle before she does,”
David said with a quiver in his voice.
We rode through the gate of the castle. I had been in
the castle many times with David, but never for this reason. We both jumped off
and ran up the large stone marble steps. “We have to beat Bella there,” I
thought.
David swung the door open, and I ran in behind him. We
walked into his bed chambers.
“We can’t go see Queen Annalise and King James like
this,” I said.
David nodded. He walked over to his closet and pulled
out a beautiful light purple and cream dress. The sleeves opened up at the end.
Leaving them long and flowing. I smiled. He left the room to get some clean
clothes for himself. I slipped off my wet, muddy boots and dress and put on the
silk dress. I combed my fingers through my hair. I put on a smile. Just then, a
small knock sounded at the door.
“Come in!” I said.
“Don’t you look lovely?” David said as he peeked in.
I blushed. “Thank you!”
“Are you ready to go see my parents?” asked David.
I sighed and tried to smile. David’s parents had met me
before but only saw me as David’s friend.
“Will I ever be ready?” I joked. He took my hand and led
me down a long hallway hung with tapestry and fine artwork. David knocked
softly at his mother and father’s door.
Queen Annalise answered. “David, come in. And Cordelia,
you too.” Queen Annalise had a voice as sweet as her heart.
“Mother and Father, I have asked Cordelia to marry me,”
David said taking my hand as we stood.
“I am so proud of you my son!” Annalise and James said
together.
“But there is a
problem. Bella wishes to marry you, David,” said James with sorrow in his eyes.
“Well, we can tell Bella’s father that you have found a
different girl and that Bella is not who you want,” said Annalise. “Tonight at
the banquet – you will tell him then.”
Later, I sat at the long banquet table and sipped my
drink, trying to ignore the rude looks that Bella, who was sitting across the
table, was giving me. Her eyes became more jealous every time I looked at her.
Finally, I saw Bella get up from the table and move to a corner, where she
began to talk to an elderly man, who must have been her father. I only heard
bits and pieces, but I know she was talking to her father about me. I saw him
look over at me with the coldest eyes I had ever seen. My head began to spin.
“Time to go,” I thought.
“David, I am going to the balcony in your room to get
some fresh air,” I said to David as I rushed out of the dining hall. He nodded
and looked over in the direction of Bella and her father, king of some far off
land. I ran to David’s room and opened the door to the balcony. Fresh air swept
over me. I stared out over the woods, beyond to the deep ocean. “What a day,” I
thought as I walked over to David’s bed and shut my eyes. “I’ll just rest for a
minute,” I thought.
I was awakened by the noise of a woman giggling and a
man flirting. I strained my eyes to see David and Bella kissing on the balcony.
Horror entered my whole body. With tears running down my face, I slid my
engagement ring off and threw it to the floor. With that, I fled from the room.
I ran down the same steps I had come up earlier that day,
when I had thought that David was my true love. Now, my heart broken, I ran
from the castle to my horse and rode into the forest.
---
At the sound of Cordelia’s ring against the floor, David
broke loose and closed his eyes, retracing everything that want had just
happened. After Cordelia had left the dining hall, Bella had come over from
talking with her father and switched David’s wine glass with a different one.
Unaware of the switch, David had emptied the glass, thinking it was the best
wine her had ever tasted. Then sly Bella had pulled the prince into his room
and, stared a conversation. Then she had kissed him, and David had kissed her
back.
“You’re not Cordelia!” he yelled at Bella, opening his
eyes. He turned away.
“I just kissed Bella!” he said to himself. Still
recovering from the shock, he rubbed his face with his hands.
“Bella what did you do to me?” He asked, confused.
“I, um, I poisoned your wine glass with a poison that
would make you forget everything, because I was jealous,” said Bella hoping
that, if she told the truth, he would spare her from the worst.
“Well it looks like Cordelia, my fiancé, saw us,” David
said with a low growl in his voice. With that he picked up the ring and ran
from the room. He rode into the forest after Cordelia.
---
I rode to the spot where just earlier that day, David
had told me that our love would be true and eternal. But now, my thoughts
wandered. I fell off the horse and looked up into the sky where the sun was
beginning to set.
“I guess that this place isn’t enchanted. But please,
fairies, if you’re there, take my life,” I whispered. With that, I looked up
into the stars and breathed my last breath.
David was too late. He fell onto his knees, put his face
into his hands, and cried. Finally, he reached down and kissed my lips. A ray
of sunlight up, and I gasped for air.
“David! You found me.”
“I will always find you!” said David as I looked up into
his blue eyes.
“Look, Bella poisoned me to tune me out, and she pulled
me into my room. I didn’t know what I was doing. I am so sorry!” said David as
he slid the ring back on my finger.
“So, you really love me?” I asked as the breathing
became easier and the life spread throughout my body. Tears of happiness were
spilling from my eyes.
“I could never love anyone else, Cordelia. I am so sorry
for causing you to doubt my love!” he cried.
“It’s not your fault!” I said, wiping the tears off his
cheeks.
“We will be happy forever!” David wove his fingers
through my hair as he kissed me.
– By Jennifer Fuhrman
