The Sapphire Pendant

Chapter 8

I skipped out of the castle perimeter.

“What don’t you know about this castle?” Josh asked.

“Not a lot,” I told him honestly, “being trapped basically calls for exploration.”  I reached into the bundle that I held putting on a velvet cloak over my plain linen dress.  I slipped off my tiara pushing it into a large pocket inside my cloak.

I looked at Josh reaching my hand out to him looking at his crown.  He handed it over to me.  I put that in the cloak as well.

Reaching up, I pulled my cloak over my head so that the hood rested above my eyebrows.

“We’re going to the Market Place,” I told him smiling brightly.

Joshua

Addy told me we were going to the Market I looked at her like she was going crazy.

“Come on,” she said grabbing my hand again.  I liked that she was able to hold my hand and not scowl.  I followed her to the many bazaars that held freshly ripe fruit, colorful fabrics and shiny weaponry.

“Isn’t this great?” she asked me.

I was waiting for someone to notice us.  One lady walked by Addy looking into her eyes, something registered but she shook it off.

It was true Addy was almost unrecognizable.  Her hair was straighter today, no crown on, finery, or a scowl.  She was walking in Market Day, holding my hand, smiling so brightly.

I looked up at the sky, the clouds were covering the sky like a gray blanket.  There were so many clouds you couldn’t see a speck of blue in their midst.  The sky started to dim as the sun was blocked.

The people started closing up their stands.  Addy turned to me pouting, “Wrong day to go out.”

We walked over to the entrance of the castle.  Rain started pouring in buckets.  I expected the princess to run screaming for cover. 

From my limited knowledge of women, the majority of girls hated rain or any form of water for that point.

Instead, she ran towards the field exposing herself completely herself to the pouring rain.  She twirled around her velvet cloak billowing around her.

“Come on Josh,” she said turning towards me extending her arms.  She was grinning, her smile brightening the dull environment.

I walked over to her taking her arm and waist.  We started slow dancing to the beat of the pounding rain and the thunder.  We revolved around together in the middle of the field.

I looked down at her rain splattered face slightly marred by a bright smile.  She looked up at me, something registering in her eyes like the woman in the market.

Addy slowly slid her arms up around my neck looking at me with serious blue eyes.

She stood on her toes to bring her face closer to mine and parted her lips.  “Is this rain to much for you?” she asked in a whisper heightening my anxiety.  Her eyes twinkled at my bemused expression.  I pressed her closer to me feeling her heart beat slowly at first then start to accelerate.  I felt a sense of pride that I made her heart beat faster.