THIRD PERSON'S POV
"Now, does the name Alistair Rowan ring a bell?"
As soon as the question left the Sheriff's mouth, Greenwood let out a small laugh. He knew the Sheriff's could not possibly be joking about it but he still found it funny.
"Alistair? The farm hand? You know what, you are right, I do want to hear about this" Greenwood said as he signaled for the men to follow him.
They soon made it to his study and the men relaxed while Lord Greenwood ordered a maid to fetch all three of them some tea. The maid arrived soon with a tray containing three cups of tea that she set in front of each of the men. The tea steamed with hotness.
"Is the tea to your taste? Hoping it can make you too feel a little better considering the weather" Lord Greenwood asks after taking a sip.
"It's very thoughtful of you, although I could also use a smoke" Matias says as he crosses his legs. His assistant shoots him a thunderous glare.
"Don't mind him, the tea is very nice my Lord, thank you"
"Alright, alright. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I need to know how you arrived at my farmhand being involved in this mess"
"Alright then" Matias cracks his knuckles and crosses his legs the opposite way, he continues..
"So the very morning the murder happened and we arrived at the scene, I recovered some prints in the sand leading away from the estate, they were prints from the shoe of a horse. I thought nothing of it at the time, I mean, I am sure numerous people ride past that road everyday. But my lovely assistant here decided to follow up on that lead"
Sheriff Pascal beams with pride as he twiddles his fingers and starts to blush. He adds ...
"I wrote down the initials that were inscribed on the horseshoe and I think you might recognize it" Pascal said as he slid a small notebook towards Greenwood with two letters written on the page.
"H. G" the letters read,
Greenwood clicked his tongue in realization. "Hamish Greenwood, those are my fucking initials" he said as he laughed. "What does this even mean?"
"So.. we knew that led all the way back to Greenwood Manor, so we decided to do some digging. You might not realize this, but my assistant and I have been here a few times now to ask some questions, and all the workers had similar answers. They said you were the only person who had access to your horses and so yes, I must admit you became a person of interest"
"WHAT?!"
"Calm down now. Another name also came up, this Alistair I mentioned. We also noticed some other markings on the horseshoe and this horseshoe in particular wasn't just like any other one. When I asked around I discovered that you had a special one made just for your very special horse that no other horse has"
"Galorian..."
"Yes, and you only trust one of your farmhands to care for this horse and take him for routine runs around the grounds"
"Alistair"
"Exactly"
"But that doesn't make any sense! What does he know about any of this?"
"I am still trying to understand. But whatever the case is, if Alistair was there when Baldwin was killed or perhaps was even the one who killed him, then Penelope knows more than she is letting on"
"You're still going on about this? You think my daughter was somehow involved in this?"
"I'm not jumping to any conclusions just yet. But if you would just let me talk to her-"
"No!" Greenwood said loudly as he started tapping his feet against the ground rapidly to control his anger.
Matias got up slowly and walked to him."Trust me, I understand that you might want to close this chapter on both your lives. But if Penelope is involved in something suspicious she might be in a lot of danger"
"No! I can't have you take my daughter away from me!" Lord Greenwood got up quickly and started to pace around the room.
"I promise you, your daughter is in no trouble. I am trying to protect her, all she needs to do is cooperate with me"
"You don't understand, she's all I have" Greenwood said as he rested his forehead on the wall, taking deep breaths.
Matias sighed. "I give you my word, Penelope is not in any kind of trouble, she is the victim here. I just need to have a little chat with her alright?"
There was a long moment of silence, Greenwood ran his hands through his hair and sighed deeply. He placed his hands on his hips and finally spoke.
"Fine, can you come around tomorrow morning?"
"I'm sure I can manage that"
PENELOPE'S POV
I could hear birds singing above me, leaves falling from trees and unto my head occasionally. A large tree provided shade for me as I sat on the warm grass, reading a book.
Yesenia was not too far from me, she had handed me a cup of tea earlier that I was now sipping slowly. I was so consumed by my book that I did not hear the footsteps approach me until someone was right next to me.
Air left my lungs for a brief moment, Sheriff Matias was standing right above me. I instantly closed my book and looked to the grass.
"Good morning Penelope" he said making me look back at him.
"G-good morning" I managed to get out from my quivering lips.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?"
"Not at all" I lied.
He scanned his surroundings briefly. "Is there a chair around here?" He asked. Yesenia quickly responded saying "No Sir, but I could get one from inside"
The Sheriff sighed and said "Oh never mind, don't let me trouble you with that" as he reluctantly sat beside me on the grass, putting some space between us.
There was a little silence between us.
For the first time his face had some tenderness to it, vastly different from his usual stoic expression, he seemed to be enjoying the environment.
"It's a lot peaceful this morning after that storm last night"
"It is" I said, nervously tapping on my book.
To my surprise, he laughed, don't think I had ever seen him laugh before.
"Oh come on, loosen up a bit will you? I promise I'm only here for a friendly chat" he said as he smiled lightly, it seemed to be a genuine smile.
I cocked my eyebrows, I had never seen this side of him.
"A little friendly chat before I arrest you of course"
My blood ran cold the second he said that.
"That was a joke!" He said laughing, he added "A terrible one at that, it sounded a lot better in my head I swear"
I found myself laughing at his little joke, I was slightly relaxed now.
"Oh, I see you enjoy Vivian's work as well" he said as he took a peak at my book.
"You're a fan of her work?!" I asked eagerly, to my knowledge I was the only person in the world who read her work.
"Yes I am, woman writers are often overlooked, but I find her work to be brilliant. What an outrageous last name she has though"
"It's probably a fake" I laughed.
"How lucky you are to live in such a grand home. Although, I can only imagine it gets lonely sometimes. Do you have any friends to keep you company?"
I took a sip of my tea,"Yes, I do have some"
"Some friends hmm? Is Alistair one of them?"
I nearly choked on my tea, I gently put the cup down and looked away.
"I don't know who you're talking about" I lied.
"Oh come on Penelope, I thought we would have moved past this by now"
He looked at me like he was hoping I would say something, but I kept my mouth shut.
"Look, I get it. Your entire life you've had everyone tell you what to do, you've been trapped in this house. This whole secret you're keeping, this game you're playing, it's the first time you've had any excitement in so long"
"That's not true!" I respond sharply.
"Oh I see, just like the characters in that book you want an adventure, an escape from your current life"
I couldn't tell anymore if he was teasing me or being serious.
"Penelope, I don't know what happened that night, but there's only one thing I can tell you. The best thing you can do right now is come clean about everything, that's the only way I can protect you. Trust me, you don't want to get mixed in this mess. I know Baldwin was a terrible man who did terrible things, but there are still plenty people angry about his death and want to know who killed him and it's my job to find out who did. I know Alistair wouldn't kill Baldwin for no reason, if you tell me what happened I could let you both go on charges of self defense"
I felt myself getting swayed by his words. Maybe he was right, maybe if I just said the truth everything would be better for Alistair and I. But I just couldn't bring myself to say anything.
The Sheriff let out a sigh of disappointment as I remained silent. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me saying "I won't force you alright? But if you ever decide to tell me anything this is the address to my office, you can come in anytime"
I took the small card from him before nodding slowly. He got up and gave me another small smile.
"It was nice talking to you Penelope, and remember, I'm on your side" he said before he walked off.
ALISTAIR'S POV
It was a usual day at Sir Bertram's, I was drinking and chatting with some friends of mine. Through all the noise everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to someone tapping loudly on a glass cup.
It was Rose standing on top of a table at the center of the pub with a glass cup and spoon in her hand. She had now gotten everyone's attention and soon Philippe joined her on top of the table.
"Umm, well, everyone. We have something very important to tell you" Rose said with flushed cheeks. She gently jabbed Philippe in the side with the spoon, signaling for him to speak.
"Alright. So you know, this place is like a second home to me, and you are like family to me. So I knew I had to tell you all about the best thing that has ever happened to me, and trust me-" Philippe was rambling before Virgil cut him off saying,
"Get to the bloody point man!"
Philippe and Rose gave each other a stare before they started counting down with their fingers. They both took deep breaths and screamed together
"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"
The pub erupted in cheers as soon as the words left them. I was overwhelmed with happiness I could almost cry. Philippe jumped off the table and was immediately buried with hugs and friendly punches.
I helped Rose off the table and hugged her tightly.
"I'm so happy for you" I whispered into her ear. She thanked me and hugged me back.
I finally made my way to Philippe and hugged him so fiercely that he lost balance and almost fell.
"Come on pretty boy, you don't want Rose to get jealous" he teased.
"You idiot, I'm actually happy for you" I said as I took off his hat and ruffled his hair.
"In celebration of my daughter's engagement, everyone's drinks are on the house!" Elder Bertram said with the biggest smile I had ever seen him with. The response to the announcement were deafening cheers and celebration.
For the next hour, the pub was bubbling with excitement. Drinks were flowing with ease and everyone had had a dance.
I collapsed into a chair at the counter with exhaustion after dancing for a while. Philippe was on the other side of the counter filling up people's glasses with beer.
I banged my glass to alert Philippe, he turned around and gave me a knowing smile as he took my glass and filled it up till it started to spill over.
Elder Bertram was using what little strength he had left to dance, he was truly happy.
"How did you manage to get him on board?" I asked Philippe.
"Oh it wasn't an easy task. But once he saw how serious Rose was about it, everything was sorted"
I started to drink from my glass but then the door to the pub opened slowly and two figures stood there. The music and noise stopped instantly as they walked in.
MATIAS' POV
"I can't help but feel like we're out of place" Pascal said to me as we both stood at a corner on a somewhat busy street.
Our rich velvet fabrics stood out among the crowd and we would occasionally get stares.
"Don't worry, we won't take long" I told him.
"How are you even sure he's going to be here?"
"I told you already. After speaking to more workers at Greenwood manor, I found out that he likes to retire for the day and spend weekends at this pub"
"Oh, 'Elder Bertram's' you said it was"
"Yes, and that seems to be it" I said as I pointed to a building a couple of feet away with a run down sign that had a few missing letters.
I pulled out my lorgnette and scanned the area for anyone that fit Alistair's description.
I spent some minutes looking but then I finally saw him.
"Oh, that's definitely him" I said the second I saw him. He had a slick coat of black hair that shun even from afar, and just like his description, his deep blue eyes felt like they could put me in a trance.
"Let me see!" Pascal said as he snatched my lorgnette from me and looked in his direction.
"Ooooh, he's cute isn't he?" He asked.
"Oh he's cute. Those eyes..." I said getting distracted.
He was walking with another man with light brown and skin and a flat cap sitting on top of his head. As I expected, they stepped into Elder Bertram's.
"Alright, let's go" I said as I started walking towards the pub, but Pascal held me back.
"You can't go in there now! How can you interrogate him properly when there's so many people in there?"
"Well we can't wait, who knows how long he will be in there?"
"I say we wait a while, who knows, he might step out"
I sighed."Fine, we wait a few minutes". A few minutes soon turned to an hour and I had waited long enough.
"I'm going in. Let me take the lead on this one alright?" I asked Pascal as we made our way.
"You always take the lead!"
"That's not true! We already agreed on this"
"You don't trust me with it because it's important?"
"Enough with this bickering alright?" I complained. I now had my hand on the doorknob and braced myself for what I was going to meet.
ALISTAIR'S POV
Two men strutted into the pub with their heads held high. The first man who I assumed to be in charge was a tall man who wore black shoes with elongated heels. He had a black trenchcoat on, a velvet purple shirt and black overall pantsuit underneath. His short black hair was neatly done with no curl out of place, his silver eyes stood out from his olive skin.
The other man followed closely behind. He seemed to be much younger and had a more friendly demeanor. He had a head full of messy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. He was dressed in a black cummerbund with matching pants and a warm green sleeved shirt and dark green coat on top of it.
Whispers soon filled the pub, everyone guessing who these men were. From their expensive clothing I could tell they were from a much higher social standing than the rest of us and they had no business in an establishment like this.
I didn't even realize when the taller man made his way towards me and sat in the empty seat right next to me. His partner sat next to him.
"Umm... Good day Sir, my Lord. W-what brings you here? Elder Bertram asks the man shakily.
He broke into a smile for the first time.
"Sheriff is just fine, Sheriff Matias. I'm off duty so I'm just here for a drink like the rest of you" he said.
As he announced his position my heart ceased, I knew why he was really here, he was the man Penelope had warned me about.
"Sheriff Pascal here!" The younger man announced cheerfully.
"Isn't there any music around here?" Matias asked.
Elder Bertram shot a glare at the musicians and they all started to play their flutes and bagpipes.
A fast and merry tune soon filled the pub and the two Sheriffs bobbed their heads to it.
"So, will you be drinking anything?" Elder Bertram asked the Sheriffs. Pascal looked embarrassed as he asked for water.
"I'm going to have a little trouble choosing, I've never had cheap beer before so I really don't know what to expect" Matias explained. The Elder clenched his fists slightly as the Sheriff referred to his beer as cheep.
He suddenly looked to me. "Sorry to bother you, but what's your name?" He asked me.
I cleared my throat and responded.
"Alistair"
"Alistair? Gorgeous name"
"Now darling, what do you suggest I get?"
I cocked my eyebrows as he asked the question innocently, this had to be part of his plan.
"Well it depends, what are you looking for?"
"I'm feeling adventurous, so definitely something strong"
"Whiskey then?"
"Whiskey it is"
"Satan's Spit"
"Excuse me?"
"Satan's Spit, that's what it's called"
He laughed."Well that's quite the name. Satan's Spit it is"
As Elder Bertram prepared his drink, Matias started to engage me in a conversation.
"How often do you come here?"
"Very often. Usually after work"
"Work hmm? What do you do?"
"I'm a farmhand. And just like you, I'm off duty so I'm really struggling to understand why you're asking so many questions"
The Sheriff seemed taken back by my confidence, just as he was about to speak, Elder Bertram dropped his drink right in front of him.
He picked up the small glass and inspected its contents. He swirled the whiskey around before placing it down again.
"I like you Alistair. You're direct, so I should be too" he started circling his gloved fingertips around the top of the glass.
"I know you work at Greenwood manor, and I know you know who Penelope Greenwood is"
I took a moment to digest his words and think of a suitable response.
"You hesitated" he said as he gave me a sly smile and gulped down the clear white whiskey.
He began to cought violently. "Christ! That's strong!" He said as he patted down his chest, his partner rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "I'm fine" he told his partner.
"Penelope is the daughter of Hamish Greenwood, the man I work for. So yes, I know her"
"On a more deeper level perhaps?"
"Not at all"
He suddenly shifted a lot closer to me, making me look away uncomfortably.
"Now listen to me Alistair, I know a lot more than you think I do. I know what you did and I know why you did it, but I won't spill any details here. So I'm giving you an opportunity here to come over to my office and we can come up with some deal. What do you say?" He said as he slipped me a small card with an address written on it.
The weight of his proposal suddenly hit me. If he knew that I killed Baldwin and got a confession out of me, he could very easily throw me in a dungeon for the rest of my life or make me hang for my crimes. But if he knew I killed Baldwin because he was going to harm Penelope and truly had some deal to make with me, I could be given a few years at most or even be let go.
I considered my options, I really did, but I just couldn't risk it.
Matias looked at me eagerly, and then I responded saying "I don't know what you're talking about"
He shook his head in disappointment.
"Wrong answer" he added, "It's a real shame though. A real shame I'm going to be the reason you don't get to live out your happily ever after with your woman"
He got up from his seat and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"I thought I should let you know, the dungeons are no place for a pretty face like yours" he said as he gave me a light tap. His partner got up too and slipped a gold coin to Elder Bertram.
"For your troubles" Pascal said to Elder Bertram with an innocent smile.
"Oh I almost forgot, Satan's Spit was quite the experience, thank you for that" Matias said as him and his partner left the pub.
I felt relief as they finally left, but I knew I was in a load of trouble.
"Al.. what was that about?" Virgil asked as he appeared next to me.
"Yeah, is something wrong?" Philippe asked over the counter.
"Are you in any kind of trouble? Rose asked as she got close to me. I started to hyperventilate, the walls of the pub seemed to be closing in on me and there was no room to breathe. I got up from my seat suddenly and finished the last of my beer.
"I think I need a moment" I said as I ran out of the pub. I dashed into the streets, I needed to get away from everyone. I could hear Philippe chase after me but I lost him eventually.
I ran to the only place I could feel safe, the stream. I remembered the last time I was there, I was with Penelope, I still felt at peace, but now everything was going wrong.
I felt some movement in my pouch and remembered it was Lily, I let her out and she started to fly around my head.
"What are you gonna do now?" Lily asked concerned.
"I need to think" I said as I gripped my head tightly. I stared at my reflection in the water, I suddenly remembered Penelope telling me that if you made a wish to a river it would come true.
"I wish everything would just go back to normal!" I screamed. My normal was working at the manor, drinking with Philippe and playing games with my friends. Now I was worrying about being arrested for murdering a man.
I just couldn't imagine being arrested and being left to rot in a dungeon or being executed in front of hundreds of people. I had to make a decision and I had to make it quick.
I had to run away...
It was the only solution to my situation. But how could I abandon all my friends and my whole life? But staying meant I could endanger everyone, I could also endanger myself.
I had made my decision, it was a difficult one but it's what I had to do. Even if it was temporary, I had to leave the capital while the Sheriffs and possibly the whole kingdom were still hot on my tail.
It hurt me but I could not tell anyone about my plans. Not Penelope, not Philippe or Virgil, absolutely no one. I had to leave as silently as possible.
And so the days leading up to Philippe's wedding went by swiftly as I also planned my escape. They were going to get married just a week after they announced it. Everyone was busy with preparations while I mapped out a plan.
I planned to leave the night of Philippe's stag party after spending some time with him. The very next day which was also the wedding day was also the day of the annual carnival, the day that changed my life years ago.
The event always attracted a large crowd so I thought it would be a bad idea to try to escape the kingdom during a time like that. I was sad that I would have to miss my best friend's wedding but I had no choice.
So at night, I gathered a few of my belongings. Clothes, my savings and some food. I also packed my sword,
"Hope I don't ever have to use this" I said to myself. The trickiest part would be taking Galorian from the stables, Lord Greenwood wouldn't be happy when he found out I had stolen his favorite horse. But there was no turning back now, to my knowledge I was already wanted for commiting greater crimes.
I took one last look at the manor, I said a silent goodbye to the manor and all the memories I had made there, I smiled sadly as I said goodbye to Penelope and left on Galorian.
I got to Sir Bertram's and before I even entered I could hear it bubbling with laughter.
I tied Galorian somewhere behind the pub and I urged him to stay quiet. I did a double check on my belongings and I took a small bag with me inside.
"Hey! What took you so long pretty boy?" An already drunk Philippe asked me as I stepped in. The bar was filled with lots of close friends of Philippe, it was his stag night so there were no women allowed.
"Don't mind me, was just finishing up some work" I explained. I sat down next to Philippe and Virgil who was across the counter passed me a glass filled with bubbling beer.
I raised up my glass to toast,"Let's make tonight memorable!
"Memorable you say? You mean as memorable as you wrestling tongues with Virgil?" Philippe asked.
I laughed as I remembered the funny memory from a while ago. It was my birthday and Virgil bizarrely presented me with a sword as a gift and we passionately kissed after that, must have been the alcohol.
"Hopefully even more memorable" I said as we finally clinked our glasses together.
We laughed the night away as we recounted memories from our past. I finally presented Philippe with a gift, it was a flat cap just like the one he always had on, but this one was brown and made of leather. It was quite expensive, had to save up to be able to afford it, but he deserved it, also how else could I make up for skipping town with no explanation?
"Oh Alistair! You sure I shouldn't marry you instead?" He asked as he dramatically hugged me.
"I will happily be your back up plan if things don't work out with Rose"
We all had a good laugh. I put my hand across his shoulders.
"This idiot here, is quite possibly the most important person in my life. He's the most loyal friend any man could ever ask for, and he somehow managed to find himself a woman willing to put up with his shit. I wish you nothing but the best my friend. To Philippe!" I said.
"To Philippe!" Everyone chorused back.
Virgil slapped Philippe playfully as he began his own personal toast. "Looks like you're already starting off your marriage with two children. But I wish you and Rose many more!"
"With his level of restraint, they will have enough children to make an army" I joked.
"I promise you, someday you will have a kingdom suitable to raise your children in" Virgil finished.
"That's alright Mister Politics" Philippe said to Virgil.
It was soon very late and my eyes creased with tears as I realized I had to leave soon. I said my final goodbyes as I silently slipped out of the pub.
I was about to mount Galorian when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around defensively but was surprised to see Philippe.
He stared at me puzzled, he soon noticed Galorian behind me, he still had a glass in his hand that he looked into.
"Wait, isn't that the boss' horse?" He asked confused.
"Yes, yes it is"
"And you brought it... Here?"
"Looks like I did"
He squinted, noticing the bags attached to Galorian's saddle.
"What the fuck is going on?" He asked getting angry. I remained speechless, how could I talk myself out of this one? Philippe threw his glass at the ground furiously making it shatter loudly. He walked towards me and grabbed my collar.
"Stop it with the lies! What's going on?!"
There was no way I was lying my way out of this, I had to come clean.
"I'm skipping town" I admitted.
"What?! I'm getting married tomorrow for fuck's sake!"
"I know, and I wish I didn't have to. But staying any longer puts all of you in danger"
He let go of my collar roughly and started walking away. He turned around abruptly,
"What did you do? I've been asking you this same question but you better tell me now"
"Philippe I can't tell you"
"We used to tell each other everything! Now you won't even tell me what you did. You weren't even going to tell me you were leaving. Did you even consider how I would have felt tomorrow?!"
The guilt finally started to seep into me.
"I promise it's not permanent all right? I just need to leave for now"
"And how long will you be gone?"
"Philippe I don't know"
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"Alright. Maybe a year"
"A YEAR?! Absolutely not!"
"I'm sorry, I don't have time for this" I said as I turned around.
"So you really won't tell me still?"
"It's best you don't know" I turned back to face him, "I don't want to ever bring any trouble near you or Rose alright?"
There was a brief silence between us.
"I'm not letting you leave Alistair"
"Not asking for your perm-"
"Not letting you leave in the middle of the night like some idiot. It's dangerous out there, and there's guards everywhere. Tomorrow's the carnival so everyone will be distracted and all the guards busy. You can slip out unnoticed"
I stared at Philippe completely speechless as I realized he was right.
"And I'm the idiot?" He asked.
I laughed at the fact that I hadn't considered that at all, I was so anxious to leave that I didn't think my plan through.
"You will stay at Rose's for the night. You will come for my wedding day and then you can leave"
"No promises there man"
"YOU WILL COME FOR MY WEDDING DAY! You are my best friend and you will not miss the most important day of my life"
I sighed in frustration, any second I stayed longer put me at risk. But in the end I couldn't refuse Philippe's request, he was too dear to me.
I put my hands up in submission, "Alrighty, you win"
PENELOPE'S POV
The following week was very exciting for me. Father had agreed to take me to the carnival and it would probably be the most exciting experience of my life.
I had heard stories about the carnival. Endless music, people dancing with gorgeous attires and delicious food everywhere. I spent most of the week deciding what I would wear.
I was happy for the opportunity to witness something I had always wanted to and also the opportunity to bond with my father.
My mind however could not stop me from imagining what it would be like to experience it with Alistair. But the problem was, Father had prevented me from visiting Alistair.
I was unsure of what made him make that sudden change, and it really bothered me. I also wondered if Alistair was in trouble or if he had finally been caught.
But since I couldn't get any answers from him directly, I decided to do some investigating myself. It was the evening before the carnival and this was his final chance to get an invitation from me.
Yesenia escorted me outside to the sleeping quarters for farm workers without my father's knowledge. The workers were confused to see me, especially because of the time I was visiting.
"Where's Alistair?" I asked around, but I was usually met with similar responses. They all claimed not to know where he was and that he indeed had been acting strange.
I was very disappointed and I was getting ready to leave, but then a worker called me.
He was an old man, he said "My lady, nobody has seen him around. Infact, nobody is going to be seeing him around for a long time"
I tilted my head in confusion, "What do you mean Sir?" I asked.
"That boy is leaving"
My chest tightened as my mind raced with possible interpretations to that sentence.
"You mean, he is leaving Greenwood Manor?"
"Not just the manor, town possibly"
My head darted behind me quickly to see if Yesenia was listening to our conversation and thankfully she wasn't.
I ran out of the quarters in a panic and Yesenia chased after me worried.
"Is something the matter Penelope?" She asked as she followed closely behind me. I ran to the stables and I felt my heart rip as I saw Galorian was not in his stall.
The old man was right, Alistair was leaving. Alistair was going to leave me all alone in that Manor without even telling me. There would be no more spending my afternoons in the stables with my dear friend.
"Are you alright my lady?" Yesenia asked placing her hand on my shoulder.
I bit my tongue and lied, "Yes I am". I added "I will be returning home now". She nodded as she took me back home.
The second I got to my bedroom and closed the door behind me, I started to cry. I fell into my bed and cried silently, there were so many reasons why it hurt so much.
The fact that I was going to be losing a friend for possibly forever and mostly because he had not even bothered to tell me. I hugged myself as I tried to force myself to sleep but it just wouldn't work.
I soon started to feel pathetic again. I was always crying, always crying and not doing something about my situation. I got up and wiped my tears, my heart started to speak to me instead of my head.
I suddenly remembered me telling myself that I would no longer let anything get between me and my happiness again.
I marched to my wardrobe where I kept my clothes and swung them wide open. I was about to do something very stupid.