Finding Heathcliff

Two

Whether it was because her mind was still preoccupied with the approaching trial, or rather her close encounter with the mysterious man, Astrid didn't know. However, the girl who had been discouraged from asking questions by the stubborn silence she always got as answers, could not keep quiet while Arabella helped her to prepare for the ball.

"Arabella, why am I never allowed to go out on my own, or visit any other town but Starling?" The castle itself, with its towers, parks and gardens was bigger than the town huddled under its walls, but... It wasn't enough, it wasn't the real world. Astrid hadn't been able to name the thing she missed until recently when she had stumbled upon the most fitting word in a book-- she craved freedom.

It was a simple question to start her interrogation with, one she had asked before, and her lady-in-waiting didn't pause in lacing her ball gown as she recited patiently, "Other towns are simply too far. It would take very long to reach them, and it wouldn't serve anything. It is your uncle's duty to worry about the kingdom and the people."

"But uncle Arcturus hardly leaves the castle, and never travels farther than Starling. How can he know how our people fare?"

"His guard patrols the country. If there was any trouble, they would dispatch a message, and Regent Arcturus would send his army. You don't need to worry about this, Astrid," Arabella said in the same monotone voice, lacing Astrid's corset so tightly that it took the girl's breath away momentarily.

"There's only one year until the trial. Then I'll become the queen and I know nothing about the kingdom!" Astrid said, still struggling to refill her lungs even as she felt her temper rise.

"All you need to know right now is in your books, Princess," Arabella said, pushing her gently into a chair and reaching for a hairbrush. "The rest you'll learn at the right moment, like all the queens before you."

She adjusted Astrid's mirror and candelabra so the girl could see her candle-lit reflection better, but the princess didn't care about what her lady-in-waiting did to her hair as long as she concealed the single strand of platinum growing on the right side of her head, just above her forehead, under the mass of her golden curls. Why no one was supposed to see it and why it grew back each time when Arabella tried to cut it off at her uncle's order, was yet another mystery.

Her very life and world seemed to be spun of annoying mysteries, Astrid mused angrily, glaring at a thick sheet of coarse, off-white paper lying on the dark wooden table in front of her. Its edges quivered and melted slightly before they took a darker shade of caramel, then turned brown as the sheet started to smoke. Grabbing it, she jumped from her seat, then ran across the room to dump the smoking paper into the fireplace.

She watched it turn into ashes as she calmed down, then turned back to Arabella who was observing her from the other end of her chamber, eyebrows drawn together in disapproval. Astrid's strange powers made her feel even less appropriate for the role of the queen. Queens didn't do magic. Sorceresses did. And even though her uncle's sorceress was treated with respect and admiration, others were burned at the stake in the country too often... Or so she had read.

"I saw your mother do similar things," Arabella muttered, looking grave. "It.. didn't bring her luck...You must learn to control yourself."

Astrid rushed towards the woman and pulled her in an embrace-- a thing she hadn't done since she was a little girl. But this was the first time that Arabella spoke about her mother without nagging and the memory she chose to share with Astrid apparently wasn't a pleasant one.

"Arabella... Did my mother have magic?"

Even as she looked up at her lady-in-waiting, her sky-blue eyes wide and pleading, Astrid knew that the rare moment was over. Arabella wouldn't speak about forbidden things anymore tonight.

"Sit down and compose yourself, Lady Astrid," Arabella said, peeling the girl's arms from around her slim waist. "The ball is about to start. We need to hurry."

Astrid drew a shaky breath, feeling defeated. She had so  many other questions but she knew Arabella well enough to understand that this wasn't the right time to pester her, that would only make things worse.

"Thank you, Arabella," she said the moment they finished a silent meal a maid had brought for them once Astrid was dressed, and someone knocked on the door.

She knew it was Orion even before she saw him-- her fiancé was the most precise and reliable person in Astrid's world, another trait that would make him a perfect king.

Arabella simply nodded and piled their used dishes onto a silver tray while Astrid walked out of the chamber and surprised Orion with a tight embrace. She didn't do that often, but today she couldn't resist. She needed to feel someone close.

"Ooh! This is great. How did I deserve it?" Orion asked, letting his large, warm hands travel up and down her back, pulling her closer to his body.

Too close.

At the age of nineteen, Orion was tall, dark, handsome and regal, making Astrid feel... all sorts of emotions she couldn't classify. But he was attractive, exceedingly attractive and eager for any sign of interest from her-- a thing she normally hid.

"You didn't," she said coolly, slapping his curious, exploring hands away. "I was just feeling... I don't know." She shrugged, feeling her off-shoulder dress slip lower, then laced her arm around his as she added, "Let's go before Uncle sends his guard to look for us."

"As you wish, my lady," he agreed, kissing her hand. "Just let me say that you look wonderful tonight," he added, whispering in her ear, his warm breath caressing her skin making her shiver as they rounded the corner and entered a corridor well-lit by a multitude of torches, which led towards the ballroom.

His words made her look at the gown Arabella had made her wear properly for the first time. It was a magnificent creation of multiple layers of some bright, semi-translucent fabric and white and golden lace. She wished now that she had looked into the mirror at what Arabella had done with her hair... But she would have enough occasions to catch a glimpse of herself during the ball, the walls of the chamber chosen for the monthly night of festivities were lined with mirrors. No one was supposed to look outside tonight, Astrid thought, frowning, as Orion led her past a long line of shuttered windows. Her uncle... was hiding something beyond them.

"You seem very thoughtful tonight, Astrid," Orion said as they stopped in front of a tall, arched, closed door, watched by several men wearing the black cloaks of her uncle's guard.

While her fiancé placed his fingers under her chin, tipped her face up and bestowed a chaste kiss on her lips, Astrid's mind raced towards the stranger she kept meeting in the library. His cloak was so similar, and yet different somehow from those the guards wore...

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the moment when Orion's lips touched hers. It was... so pleasant... And yet he never made her breath hitch, or set her cheeks ablaze, like the other man did every time their paths crossed.

"Door," Orion said to the men standing in front of them.

He wrapped his arm around Astrid's waist, then led her into the Mirror Room, flooded by light and music, the instant the guards bowed and the door was opened for them.

~~~
Word Count: 1311

(Parts One and Two 2707 words in total)