It was a cold winter night in the year of 1641. The wolves were howling not far beyond the riverbed as Michele slowly got number with every second. The minutes passed by quicker and quicker until eventually she slipped into a deep, cold, slumber of death.
It was the year 1640 in a land not to far from stone hedge. This town was full of suspicion and belief of supernatural. Michele was a young princess and the time with her mother, father, and half-brother. She had never enjoyed living in the castle yet had developed a secret love for her half-brother, Joseph. Joseph had not lived with them long but had joined his father after meeting him for the first time in war. The two had been separated for 13 years when Joseph’s aunt abducted him believing that his father was evil.
It was mid-day before the annual family ball. Michele was up in her room that overlooked the garden preparing for the ball. Finally, when she was all dressed up in a beautiful blue gown, she decided to make her way through the corridor to the main hall where she was to meet Joseph. About ten paces from the main hall, she noticed him in his best dressed appeal. He was wearing a dark navy suit with a black satin tie.
‘Wow Michele, you look beautiful’, he called to her when he heard her footsteps leading up to the hall.
‘Not to bad for yourself’, she replied, and then took his arm as they walked towards the ballroom.
As soon as they arrived outside the door, they heard the music playing, and then halt as the entered through the door. When they were in the room and the towering doors closed behind them, and a man stood on the stage to make an announcement.
‘Now to announce, Prince Joseph and Princess Michele’ he said when all turned towards the two beautiful people in the doorway.
When the announcement was made, all the townspeople (all of the upper-class) in the room applauded and then the music began playing once again. Not long before them, their parents had arrived and greeted the many guests that were there. The ball lasted for about three hours as the guests tired and began to leave.
When the last person left, including her parents, Michele made her way out to the balcony attached to the building. It was a beautiful, warm night. The wind was slightly blowing the tree branches and her hair. As she slightly tilted her head back, admiring the weather, she heard footsteps behind her. Quickly, she turned to see that it was Joseph coming to stand next to her.
When Joseph halted to a stop next to her, he turned his head to her and said ‘Such a beautiful night.’
Michele just nodded her head and sighed in agreement. Deep inside she felt a warmth grow just knowing that he was besides her seeing the same sunset in the distance.
Joseph turned to her and when she looked back, he took her hand, looked her in the eyes and said, ‘I know this is wrong and against the code, I also don’t know if you feel the same, but when I first met you I felt a deep connection that I knew could never be broken.’
Michele smiled and looked him in the eyes and asked, ‘You really mean that?’
‘No’, he replied, ‘I mean more. Michele, I love you’
Her eyes began to tear as she looked at him and said, ‘I love you to. Really, I’ve loved you all along. I never had the confidence to say it, but I love you to.’
Then, Joseph held her face in his hand, smiled, and slowly bent his head. With every second, their faces god closer and closer until they met in a lip locking kiss. When their lips unlocked, and she rested her head on his chest, he put his chin on her head thinking of what they would have to face, for their love was unwelcomed to family. Both of them knew what would happen if their parents found out that they were in love.
The next day, Michele awoke to a knock on her door. Slowly she arose from her canopy bed and made her way across her room to the door. Her room was white with elegant satin curtain that draped over the large windows on the opposite side of the room. The room was large and directly in the middle was her bed with two side tables on opposite sides. When she opened the door, Joseph was there to bring her to breakfast in the garden, just the two of them. Every morning, they went to the garden to eat their breakfast with a cup of the finest coffee. When she was finished dressing, she opened the door, took his hand, and together they walked to the garden.
The garden was full of all forms of beautiful flowers. There were roses, daisies, tulips, and many more. In the center of the garden, there was a small table surrounded on every side by elegant fountains. Two of the butlers were by the table waiting for them. When they sat down and were served, with a flick of the wrist, Joseph dismissed the two so they were alone in the garden. When they were done with their meal and began to drink their coffee, Joseph looked at Michele and placed his cup on the table.
‘What are we going to do about last night?’ he asked.
‘What do you mean?’ Michele replied confused by what he said.
‘How are we going to hide what happened last night from our parents?’
“I don’t know,’ Michele said, putting down her empty coffee cup.
Standing up, he took her hand, knowing that it was time for their daily horseback ride. Everyday, the two went for a ride through the fields to a secret pond that no one knew of. Whey they arrived, the pond was reflecting the sunlight in all directions like a light show. The fish were hovering near the top of the pond trying to catch the insects that flew silently above the water. Beside the pond sat a small bench big enough for two people, handcrafted from the finest wood. Both sat down on the bench, side-by-side.
‘I was thinking during our ride here about what you said before. Joseph, you know that it would only be wrong for our love to be in our land where people know who we are. In other lands, they don’t know of us.’
‘Your right. We have to run away, as far away as possible. Come with me, to a land long from here, where we can be together forever.’
‘But when will we leave?’
‘In a week. We will go by night, when no one will see. Flee by horseback.’
After a while of sitting and talking about what to do, the say was now darkening with every minute that passed, so they decided to head back to the castle before they sent someone searching for the two. The ride home felt shorter than usual, for there was no conversation, and they arrived home not long before they left the pond.
‘Meet me in my room about midnight, then we can talk more about this,’ Joseph told her as he walked off to meet his father. When he closed the door behind him, Joseph’s father pulled up a chair next to him and ushered for him to sit down.
‘So how was the date?’ his father asked.
‘You don’t have to joke.’
‘I’ll take that as she believes that you truly love her. This is perfect! In one week, that horrible step-daughter of mine will be gone, and my son, my own son will take the throne and rule the land in my place.’
‘Are you sure this will work? What if someone finds out? What will we do when the body is found?’
‘I can see your worried, don’t worry, it will all work out as planned, and when someone finds the body, all we have to do is morn the horrible loss.’
‘Yes father. And then the job will be done.’
Joseph then stood and walked to his room to sleep a little before Michele would arrive. He had only gotten one hour of sleep when a knock at the door aligned with the chimes of the clock to signal midnight. He knew exactly who it would be, so he called to the door, ‘you may enter, and please lock the door behind you.’
‘Did I wake you?’
‘No, I was just lying down to rest my head. Come sit next to me.’
‘I’m glad I know I can trust you,’ she said sitting by his side.
‘What do you mean?’ he replied wrapping his arm around her.
‘I’m glad I can believe what you say.’ When she rested her head on his chest, she told him, ‘I know you would never lie to me. I love you,’ she said wrapping both of her arms around him.
Kissing the top of her head, he told her in a soft whisper, ‘I love you more than anything in the world.’ For the first time, meaning what he said, a deep passion began to grow within him, knowing that he could never let her go or face losing her. He also knew that he couldn’t hurt her, that fear began to grow, not knowing what he was going to tell his father. Lying there together, both drifted in to a silent slumber, tired from the long day before then.
It was a cold, dark night in a town not that far away. When Michele looked, there was nothing but a dark black sky, like the covers over your head when your older brother told you of the monster in your closet. Suddenly, there was a huge crash sound like a branch snapping in a storm during the winter. When she turned her head to see what the noise was, flames began to engulf the area that she was in, and through the flames stepped a solder, sword up in his hand, ready to attack. When Michele tried to turn and run, all she saw on every side were soldiers like the other with their swords drawn. Every way she turned, another appeared. She was surrounded, but suddenly she heard a voice call her name out. When she turned, there was Joseph, standing with his hand out for her to guide the way out. These soldiers weren’t there to hurt her, put to help her, but when they made it out of the circle of fire, nothing was to be found, just a blank place with no one else but them. When she turned to look Joseph in the eyes, he suddenly stabbed her in the heart with a dagger, she was dead.
Michele woke with a jump, also waking Joseph. Holding her head and beginning to sob, she moved away from him in a quick bolt.
‘What’s wrong? What happened? Was it a bad dream?’
Still in tears, ‘it was a bad dream, that’s all, it just scared me,’ was all she could manage.
Wrapping her in his arms, he said, ‘do you want to talk about it?’
‘It just scared me a little. I had a dream that there was a huge fire, and when you brought me out, you stabbed me with a dagger. I just really don’t want to talk about it other than that, I’m sorry, but I should be heading back to my room before the others awake.’
‘Alright, I will see you later then. I love you.’ Kissing her goodbye, and wiping the tears form her face, he helped her out of bed and to the door quietly so no one would hear.
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