Chapter 20
Arabella sighed as she glanced down at the recently washed linens. The day was going by slowly. To make matters worse she was certain that’d she’d have to leave the citadel soon and venture off into the forest so she could change into a wolf. She just didn’t know how she would go about it.
She could use her mother as an excuse but Arabella stubbornly refused to consider it after the last time she had spoken to her mother. In the mood her mother was in Arabella didn’t know if she could her mother to back up her story. Perhaps she could say she was going out to collect herbs for Alistair. Satisfied with that plan she picked up the basket from where she had set it.
She had felt the need to take a moment to herself to think things over and so had gone into Alistair’s tower. He was out at the moment seeing to a patient and the quiet of his tower was just what she needed. No one would look for her here unless they really needed her. She brushed her black hair behind her ear and then left the tower. She had to drop off the freshly washed linens in Eleanor’s room so she didn’t forget.
Thoughts of her mother’s threat nagged her as she walked and she bit her lip. She was doing as her mother asked but would her mother carry out the threat regardless? She didn’t know her mother anymore; she wasn’t sure what her mother would do. She was a completely different person.
She moved the basket to her side and held it against her hip with one hand. The other hand pushed open the door to Eleanor’s room and she gasped at sight of Eleanor and Rowan kissing. Surprise and hurt mingled together until she could no longer tell them apart. Her fingers clenched on the woven basket as she pondered her feelings. Somewhere along the line she must have started having feelings for Rowan. What else could explain the waves of emotion washing over her until she felt numb? Her mother was right in warning her away from Rowan, but it had come too late. She had already fallen for him. She couldn’t believe it, her, a werewolf falling for a hunter. That was doomed from the start.
At her entrance they broke apart but by then Arabella had already schooled her features to appear neutral. Rowan’s eyes widened and he looked ashamed at being caught but Eleanor looked happy. The clues clicked together in Arabella’s head. Rowan was the guy Eleanor liked. Arabella felt sick as she remembered that she’d encouraged Eleanor to take matters into her own hands and find out if the guy she liked, liked her back.
“Arabella, don’t you knock?” Eleanor laughed. At this moment her joyfulness irritated Arabella. All she wished was that she’d never walked in on them kissing. It made it hard for her to consider Eleanor a friend and even harder to act like everything was normal and okay.
“Sorry, my Lady,” Arabella replied her eyes downcast. Rowan cleared his throat breaking what would likely have turned into an uncomfortable silence.
“I think I should go,” he said softly. Eleanor smiled and nodded but when Rowan passed her Arabella didn’t even acknowledge him. She just bowed her head slightly to avoid looking at him directly. Rowan sighed softly and left the room.
Eleanor stared at Arabella and Arabella stared back. Feeling uncomfortable standing there with the basket against her hip she walked over and placed it on the stool. She bowed and then walked to the door hoping Eleanor wouldn’t want to talk about what had transpired between her and Rowan.
“Where are you going?” Eleanor asked. Arabella halted and shut her eyes. She took a deep breath before turning to Eleanor. “What have you been up to today?” No, she didn’t want to get into this; she knew they would end up talking about what Eleanor had done today.
Arabella shrugged. “I’ve been busy doing things. I see you’ve been busy too,” she said feeling annoyed that she had to talk to Eleanor.
Eleanor frowned. “I don’t like your tone.” Arabella barely restrained herself from laughing bitterly.
“Oh I’m sorry,” Arabella said sounding sincere but she could feel tears threatening to spill and suddenly she didn’t care anymore. “Why don’t you just spend time with something you do like,” she suggested. “Go spend time with Rowan.”
“Is that was this is about?” Eleanor said placing her hands on her hips. “I’m sorry you walked in on us, it must have been awkward but there’s no need to be mean about it. Plus, it was your fault anyway for not knocking.”
Arabella gaped at her. “My fault, you’re never in your room this time of day. How was I supposed to know you would be kissing Rowan?”
Eleanor sighed, unimpressed. “Next time knock.”
“Next time?” Arabella retorted. “You’re betting on a next time?”
“Well of course,” Eleanor replied coolly. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror before replying. “It was obvious he liked it. He didn’t push me away. We stopped only because you intruded,” she told Arabella in a harsh tone.
“Well next time I’ll try not to intrude. I wouldn’t want to walk in on something worse,” Arabella responded in kind.
“What are you implying?” Eleanor asked narrowing her eyes.
“I’m just thinking that your uncle might not approve of his niece dating someone not important,” Arabella said thinking out loud. Her comment got the desired effect, it just made Eleanor angrier.
“You don’t know what my uncle would approve of. He’ll accept it after a while. He wants me to be happy,” Eleanor answered.
“If you say so,” Arabella said innocently. “Everyone else might not be so understanding. I wonder what they will think. Lady Eleanor likes someone below her status, royalty and a hunter. A hunter is technically no better than a servant. They have no titles after all.”
“Oh well I wouldn’t worry about it,” Eleanor snapped. She crossed her arms and studied Arabella.
“I don’t think that liking a hunter is the best option for you,” Arabella persisted. Eleanor frowned as comprehension dawned in her eyes. She didn’t respond right away making Arabella’s uneasiness grow.
“Oh really, like a hunter is the best option for you either,” Eleanor said sarcastically. Arabella tensed. “Kind of ironic, really,” she commented. “You liking Rowan, a hunter. How did that ever come about?”
“What are you talking about?” Arabella asked, her voice a whisper. Eleanor tilted her head; the gesture seemed full of pity.
“You don’t really think Rowan could ever like you back, do you? He is a hunter and if he ever found out about your secret I imagine the first instinct he’ll get is to kill you.”
Arabella stumbled back towards the door unable to believe what she was hearing. Eleanor knew her secret? She’d always acted as if she didn’t suspect a thing. She met Eleanor’s eyes, the truth was written in them. Arabella flung open the door and ran. She just hoped that Eleanor wouldn’t tell anyone, but with the state of the friendship currently, nothing was for certain.
She didn’t stop running until she had reached her room. She locked herself in it and slid to the ground. Her mind was reeling, if Eleanor knew who else did? The wise decision would be to run and leave this place behind but Arabella just stayed in her room.
She found to her frustration that she couldn’t cry those tears that had threatened to fall earlier. She clenched her fists and dug her fingernails into her palms. The pain brought some clearness and she got into bed. What she wanted more than anything was for this day to have never happened but that was wishful thinking.
Time passed slowly much to her dismay. She had insomnia. Her restlessness wanted her to leave the room but she paid no attention to that. She didn’t feel like leaving the room. When morning came she still hadn’t emerged from her room. What was the point? Staying in her room was much better than facing the world after yesterday.
Finally around noon her eyes drifted shut and she dozed off until a knock interrupted her sleep. She growled in annoyance as she stared at the door. She didn’t want to open it. She rose to her feet and went to the door but didn’t open it.
“Arabella, let me in,” Alistair said. With trembling hands she opened the door. “You don’t look so good my dear,” Alistair said sadly after taking in her red puffy eyes, messy hair and wrinkled clothes. “What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it but I’ll tell you one thing I discovered yesterday,” she replied. “Eleanor knows what I am.” Alistair’s eyes widened. He looked around and then shut the door so no one would overhear them.
“How?” he asked. Arabella shrugged. “I think you’ll be fine. You two are friends, she won’t tell your secret.”
Arabella shook her head. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Something else happened yesterday, she’s mad at me, I’m mad at her.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Alistair reassured her.
“You don’t understand,” Arabella said. Alistair waited patiently but no more information was forthcoming.
“I can see that you won’t talk about it,” he said sounding hurt. “I came here to see if you were going to the ball tonight. It’s open to anyone, you know.”
Arabella shook her head. “No, I couldn’t show my face there, not after what happened yesterday.”
“Well then you’re in luck,” Alistair laughed. “This ball is a masquerade; you’ll have a mask to hide behind.”
Arabella looked up and then frowned. “It all sounds great but I don’t have a dress to wear or a mask. I can’t go,” she protested.
“In the many years you have been living in the castle I have grown to think of you as a daughter. I guessed that you wouldn’t have a dress and so I took the liberty of getting a dress for you. I have the mask part covered as well. Before you say no you should know I’m going to make you. You deserve some fun.”
“You didn’t have to do that but I wasn’t going to say no after all you’ve done,” Arabella told him. She was surprised that he had gone to such lengths for her. She smiled at the thought of him thinking of her as a daughter. “Will you be attending the ball too?”
“I’m afraid not. I don’t attend to events such as these,” he explained. Arabella nodded. “Now come on, your dress is waiting for you in my tower.” Arabella hugged him in thanks and he chuckled. “The ball is starting soon, you need to get ready.
Arabella glanced outside and realized the sun was setting. “It’s that late?” she asked. Her eyes widened. “Will I have time to get ready?” Alistair merely nodded and ushered her out of the room. Arabella kept her head down as she quickly walked through the halls and hoped she wouldn’t run into anyone she didn’t want to see.
Soon they were in the physician’s tower and on one of the patient’s cots lay a purple dress. Arabella slowly walked over to it, admiring the rich colour. She hugged up the dress to her body and looked in the mirror.
Its sleeves were a see-through lighter purple than the rest of the dress, the fabric that made up the sleeve felt weird to her touch. The neckline exposed a bit of skin underneath her throat but go near her chest. It was modest but not modest like other dresses were with fabric up to their throat. The dress cascaded to the floor in waves of fabric and around her waist where the waves first started was a silver sash. The bodice of the dress was embellished with beans and lace giving it a unique feel.
She went into the other room to change into the violet dress, sighing as the dress brushed her skin. It felt so comfortable. When she came out again she discovered Alistair was gone. Thinking nothing of it she located a brush and started untangling her messy hair. The humidity had caused her hair to curl slightly. She braided a piece of hair on each side of her head and then tied them together behind her head. She was gazing at her handiwork in the mirror when Alistair returned.
“You look lovely,” he said smiling. She laughed and turned away from the mirror to see he was hiding something behind his back.
“What are you hiding?” she asked.
“Close your eyes,” he instructed. Arabella obeyed feeling anxious. Alistair grabbed her hand and put something in it. Feathers tickled her palms and she opened her eyes to see a mask of a darker purple then her dress. Plum coloured feather’s rimmed the top part of the mask and the lower part sparkled drawing a gasp from her. She put the mask on; it covered most of her nose and a bit past her eyebrows.
“Thank you,” she whispered overwhelmed with happiness. Alistair waved a hand.
“It was my pleasure, now go, you’ll be late.” Arabella hugged him and then left the tower. She carefully lifted up her skirts as she went down the stairs. People in the hallways gave her curious look and she was relieved when they didn’t know her identity.
When she got to the ball room she saw many people were already there. Tables draped in gold clothes were pushed against the wall for those who wanted to sit but she could see no one was doing much sitting. They were either dancing or talking to others. Barely any light came in from the windows so the room was lit up by torches and other luminary devices.
Not knowing what to do with herself she moved to the side and lingered near the table set out with food. In the middle of the table was a roast big with a shiny red apple stuffed into his mouth.
She frowned and wondered what had possessed her to come to this event. It would have been different if she and Eleanor weren’t fighting. At least then she would have someone to talk to. She bit her lip and started walking towards the door when someone caught her wrist. Her heart beat sped up as she turned to him. She struggled to keep her disappointment to herself when she saw that he had blonde hair instead of brown.
“Where are you trying to go?” Alexander laughed adjusting his shiny dark blue mask. She kept her eyes on his navy blue jacket with golden buttons and didn’t say anything. “Care to dance with me?” as if on cue the musicians started a slow song. Arabella nodded. She placed her hand in Alexander’s and let him lead her onto the floor.
“How did you know it was me?” she asked as placed one of her hands one his shoulder and the other in his hand. They danced began to dance slowly in time with the music.
“I’ve known you for a long time; I can recognize you in a mask. You look beautiful,” Alexander praised. Arabella smiled in response. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming, I kept looking around the room but no one in the room was you.”
“Were you bored?” Arabella guessed. He sighed and shook his head making Arabella feel like she was missing something. She avoided his eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes caught sight of golden blonde curls and her stomach twisted at the sight of Eleanor. All she could think about was Eleanor and Rowan. Eleanor’s blue dress fit her perfectly; it was fitted at the top and then flared out into a ball gown. Her mask was beaded and adorned with gems. It was just one of the perks of being royalty.
“No,” he answered as he spun her around distracting her from her thoughts. “I just wanted to dance with you.”
“Why, did other girls not want to dance with you?” she teased.
“No, Arabella,” he said softly. “I wanted to dance with you because I like you. I have had feelings for you for a long time.” Arabella froze as the words he was saying registered. Alexander stared at her in silence, his smile slowly slipping off his face.
“Oh, Alexander,” she exclaimed sadly. His eyes hardened as he realized what she was going to say next. “I have feelings for someone else,” she said hating herself for hurting him in the same way she recently had been. The silence stretched between them and the song changed. More people went onto the dance floor and Arabella’s heart sank as she saw Rowan and Eleanor dancing together. Unable to take her eyes off the two she watched as Eleanor laughed and smiled playfully at Rowan.
She turned back to Alexander feeling sick with jealousy and saw that he looked as if he was about to say something. He didn’t get the chance to as the song called for a change in partners. In moments Arabella found herself dancing with a middle aged man with blonde hair that reminded her too much of Alexander. She didn’t say a word and soon her partner changed again. She looked into his medium dark grey eyes with flecks of silver and almost groaned. His silver mask was a simple one, it only covered the area around his eyes but it made the silver flecks in his eyes much more noticeable.
“Arabella?” Rowan asked in surprise. His black jacket with silver accents fit him well. His eyes widened as he took in her appearance and she tensed. She forced a smile onto her face even though she felt like doing anything but. Across the dance floor she spotted Alexander, he was dancing with Eleanor. Now why couldn’t Eleanor like Alexander? They looked like they would be a good couple.
“Yes,” she sighed, feeling the need to answer his question. “This mask isn’t really hiding my identity very well.
“Not to people who know you well,” he replied. She became uncomfortably aware of his arm around her waist and wished that they could change partners again, but of course her luck wouldn’t allow that.
“Oh, you know me well?” she inquired bitterly. Rowan frowned at her.
“Are you mad Eleanor kissed me?” he guessed. She glared at him and shook her head wanting the conversation to end. Rowan stared at her. “Could you let me explain?”
“What is there to explain?” Arabella snapped. “Eleanor kissed you and you did nothing and just kissed her back. I don’t care about who you like.”
“I was just about to break the kiss when you came into the room,” Rowan explained. Arabella froze and studied Rowan to see if he was telling the truth. “I don’t have feelings for Eleanor.” He brushed a piece of her hair back into place.
“So I’m to believe you have no feelings for anyone?” Arabella asked feeling bold. Rowan sighed.
“No, I do have feelings for someone,” he admitted.
“Oh,” she said. Part of her wanted to know who it was and the other part wanted to be kept in the dark. “Who?”
“I’ll give you a hint,” he whispered. “She’s in this very room.”
“So you do like Eleanor,” Arabella accused breathlessly, she felt the need to joke to hide her feelings. Rowan rolled his eyes.
“So you need another hint?” he laughed. Not trusting her voice she nodded slowly.
“She has black hair and the most amazing blue-green eyes,” he replied. Arabella froze and stared into his grey eyes needing to know if this was a joke. Perhaps Eleanor had planned this to hurt her feelings even more. She discarded that thought; she didn’t think Rowan was lying.
Feeling giddy she said, “is it me?” Rowan laughed. His eyes twinkled in amusement as he brought his head closer to hers answering her question. Arabella’s eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do. He smiled at her reaction and brought his lips to her.
Her spirit soared at the knowledge that he had feelings for her as well. The rush of happiness was intoxicating. Her hands found her way into Rowan’s hair, it was so soft. Pull apart they discovered the song had ended and they were just standing there.
A blush crept onto Arabella’s cheeks as she and Rowan left the dance floor. They stepped towards the table filled with food and in a daze of glee she looked around the room. Some of the bliss disappeared as her eyes met a pair of angry and hurt blue ones. Arabella looked down so she wouldn’t see anymore of Eleanor’s reaction.
Just then servants went around the room; on the trays in their hands they had glasses of a pinkish bubbling liquid. They went around the room and everyone took a glass and held it as the King and Queen, wearing matching outfits of blue and silver. Both of their masks were identical, half of the mask was blue the other half silver. It was obvious they were the King and Queen because they had kept their crowns on.
“Thank you for joining us at this ball,” The King said in a deep baritone voice. Feeling uneasy Arabella smelled the drink, it smelled familiar but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “I would like to propose a toast, to ridding Amstia of werewolves.”
The people cheered and held up there glasses. As the King brought the glass to his lips almost everyone else did as well. Feeling suspicious of the toast Arabella waited. She was right to be wary she realized as people started moaning and collapsing to the floor. Arabella looked at a few of them and with a sinking feeling she realized they were all werewolves. Only one thing had the power to do that to a werewolf, there for the pinkish drink in those glasses passed around to everyone must contain a form of wolfsbane.
She was faced with a hard decision. If she drank the liquid they would know she was a werewolf, if she didn’t they would still find out she was a werewolf. After all who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone not drinking the liquid? They would come to the conclusion that she was a werewolf anyways. She looked at the table of food and sighed quietly. She located where the nutty aroma was coming from and picked up the dessert.
She downed the liquid and then stuffed the small rounded dessert into her mouth. Swallowing it she immediately began to feel the effects. Her body hurt from the wolfsbane concoction but her throat began closing from an entirely different reason. She clutched at her throat as spots appeared before her eyes and then lost consciousness.