Savior

Barbarians

Juliette:

A bird cawed, its call melodious, beautiful. Everything free was beautiful. Lanterns bobbed in the darkness miles away as people came and left the island. The clatter of hooves could be heard from every direction and the sound of laughter permeated the air. People of different shapes and sizes from across the island had stuffed themselves into Severnshire’s estate, demanding attention. There was Sir Warring, with his wooden cane and rigid attitude, his equally stern daughter Ella, on his arm as they walked through the entrance. Shuffling in quickly behind the tall pair was the stout frame of Mrs. Carbery rushing through the grand doors, her blond hair already slipping from their tight curls, face flushed, and three giggling daughters rushing behind in her wake.

These balls, this grandeur, it all meant so much to them – it was what they dreamed for their future. But not me. The way these girls looked at balls and gowns and dashing lords and dukes from their early adolescence, I looked upon the sea. After all, the sea was where I had come from, what had helped me survive that night. Nothing had ever meant more to me than an escape, an escape from all these traditions, to be able to find my parents, to find who I truly was.

All I could remember, the only memory I could conjure when I was willing to go back in time was that of a boy. He was a scraggily looking, around the age of ten or eleven, his grimy clothes hanging loose upon his gaunt body. Jet black hair framed his face, untamed and licking the tips of his earlobes. His alabaster skin was sickly and his eyes were devoid of any childhood innocence; yet they were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They looked at the world with a harsh glare, mocking its people. They were pools of emerald and gold, as bright and breathtaking as the jewel itself. He held a ribbon in one hand, one I presumed to be mine. Behind him, lightening struck, and he looked at me with fret, tension coursing through his thin body as he looked left and right, back and forth. He was trying to tell me something. “Ru-“

“Well well well. What’s a beautiful lady like yourself doing out here all alone?” someone said softly, breaking my chain of thoughts.

“Oh the usual my lord,” I replied as I spun to face him, a grin on my face. “To escape the barbarians that haunt the balls in this town.”

“Barbarians?” he asked chuckling, “That’s a bit drastic don’t you think?”

All I had to do was point to a secluded area of the garden where two girls – sisters, I assumed- were arguing over who would be chosen by Severnshire’s son at the end of the Season.

“He’ll never pick you Annie. You’re too fat” the bony one chided to her sister who was pudgier than she.

“And he’ll never pick you Jane, you’re built like a stick, too tall…”

“See what I mean August? Barbarians.”

“I reckon you’re right my lady Juliette.” My best friend sniggered, taking my arm in his and leading me through the garden littered with blooming flowers of all kinds and back into the stuffy home.

In seconds, the stench of sweaty bodies and excessive amounts of perfume stung my nose and pricked my eyes. Candelabras lined the walls of the rooms, adding heat to the home. People populated every corner of the home, from the smallest seats to even dancing on the grand staircase. Lord Severnshire stood at the top of the staircase, beaming down at his guests through his pudgy face. His son Nathaniel sat in a seat nearby, flirting with my cousin Annabelle.

“I’m guessing your socializing is over tonight my lady?” August asked, his tall frame leaning over to glance at my dance card that I was absentmindedly folding in my hands.

“What do you think my lord?” I trilled, imitating Annabelle and her companians when I knew they could hear me.

August looked down at me from his full height of six feet four inches with an amused glint in his eye.

“Please, never again.” He begged, hands over his eyes in mortification.

“August!” I cried, giggling as I reached up to the tips of my kid slippers to smack his head.

Catching my hand gently in midair, he looked down at me with an expression in his sky blue eyes that I had never seen before.

“I have to talk to you Juliette.” He whispered, using my whole name, something he hadn’t done since the day we met.

“You don’t have to tell me you have to say something, you can just say it August. You know that.” I exclaimed, wondering what on earth was wrong with him. He had been acting strange recently.

“Not here, not now. It’s imperative that we talk though. I’ll come to take you riding tomorrow morning around nine alright? We can talk then.”

“August! I cannot possibly wait that long! Tell me now!”

“Sorry my lady, you’ll have to wait a little.” He smirked with a wink, a mischievous glint in his eye as he swooped down and laid a kiss on my hand. Turning on his heel, he left, leaving me completely and utterly confused.

What on earth was going on?