Ruby Locket #2: A Grand Wedding

CHAPTER 2- A Blooming Flower

"That's not right. Extend your feet. Immerse yourself into the message. It's not just dancing steps. You're retelling stories and embodying these beings that at first glance are too fantastical to dream of.", the ballet master cried.

This ballet thing was not working out in her favor. Not at the very least. Her mother was bent on making her the paragon of womanhood. Stressed and out of breath, they took a break on the hardwood floor of the dance room. Isabelle stared right out the window and lost herself to the morning sun and cool breeze. She tucked a strand of her now bosom-length hair behind her ear. She lost herself in the glorious scenery and took in a sigh of relief.

This feeling. She hadn't felt it for a long time. The last time was when they were little kids. Everything was nearly perfect back then, she thought. Memories of her childhood of endless freedom she so desperately yearns for now saturated her being with jealousy. The days when she and Amari would just play. It wasn't immaturity that riddled her mind. It was a longing for freedom. Her mother had tied her to expectations and ideals of how she should exist. Why couldn't she just...exist?

" Lost in thought again?", came a deep voice from behind.
"Monsieur?" she blurted shockingly.

"How many times do I have to remind you not to call me that? We are the same age. It's just Pierre", Pierre, the ballet master, said as he made his way toward her. Doing her best to keep her eyes off his muscular build and seductive face, she regained her composure.

"Not everyone our age is a dance prodigy. Besides, calling you Monsieur has a nice flare to it", she giggled as she tickled his nose. Pierre reached for her waist and tickled her vigorously which a now overwhelmed Isabelle was not ready for.

Tired and out of breath, they lay flat on the floor side by side. As if on cue, they turned to face each other almost touching lips. Both were mesmerized by the other.

" I-", he began but quickly jolted up feeling flustered.

ꕥꕥ

" Elaine, have you seen Isabelle anywhere? I can't seem to find her" Mr. Rosegoode asked his wife as he walked into the reading room.

"She's at her ballet class", she replied as she went through a long list in hand. The parchment was crumpled signifying how much a distressed-looking Elaine needed it.
Painted on his face, was a mix of worry and confusion.

" I thought she hated ballet... Did you force her into it?", he asked.

" What if I did?", Elaine blurted. "Robert, I have no time for this. I have much more important duties to manage. Why are you so disquieted about her in ballet, anyway?" She said as she shuffled the parchments in hand.

"I thought we'd spend some time together today", Robert answered. That was when Elaine noticed the fishing rod in his hands. She took a prodigious sigh and rolled her eyes.

" Robert, I'm not going over this any longer. Why can't you let her grow into a woman? Stop filling her head with all these filthy things", she raged about the fishing rod. Isabelle had always had a fondness for dismissing her mother's incessant urge to make her a proper woman. What was a proper woman?- and most importantly, who was deciding who a proper woman was?

"These aren't filthy! Indulging my daughter in activities she's happy to do does not stop her from being a woman. If anything you're the one stifling her"

Elaine scoffed, slightly gaping her mouth. Although not lived in Armedea her whole life, she quickly picked up cues to make herself blend into the posh hegemony.

"I don't expect you to have a morsel of what it takes to be a woman or womanhood. This conversation is over. I forbid you to force my daughter into these heinous activities" yelled Elaine as she made her way to the stairs in her stiff bodice.

" She's my daughter too. You can't forbid me.", Robert yelled.

"Well, I just did", Elaine snapped.
Bewildered would be an understatement. Robert could not fathom what had just happened.

ꕥꕥ

The bed was soft and silky. Lyanna enjoyed the bliss of delusion as she basked in the life she almost had. The castle bedroom was a grand sight to behold. The walls were made of richly colored wood, polished to a shine, and adorned with intricate tapestries. At the center of the room was a large four-poster bed, the posts, and the canopy made of deep mahogany and carved into ornate designs. The bed itself was covered in an impressive array of luxurious linens and richly colored velvet pillows. The floor was made of marble, with a large rug in the center of the room. On either side of the bed were two ornate nightstands, each with a candelabra, and a large wardrobe stood in the corner. The air was filled with the scent of burning incense and the comfortably warm fire in the fireplace.

Her fun was cut short by the sound of the creaking door. " What are you doing in here?", Amari asked. He had just returned from a long history lesson. "I asked a question", he yelled.

Lyanna remained silent and stared at him sinisterly. The chill of unease crept up to his throat.

" Get out!", he ordered. She simply stood up and walked out but stopped at the door.

"You can wear the fanciest of clothes or the heaviest of titles but nothing will ever hide the stench of your measly and repugnant pansy nature", she whispered then walked out.

He let out the breath he unconsciously held and clutched his pearls.

ꕥꕥ

As Lyanna walked down the halls she bumped into the head maid. The head maid grunted in disgust and raised her nose to speak.
"Are you done with, his grace, Amari's bed chamber?", she asked.

Lyanna let out a small chuckle and replied yes. "Then follow me. I have more work for you"
Lyanna frowned as she trudged behind her. The head maid led her to the Royal Library. She pointed to the large crescent of shelves in the back of the hall. "Dust all the books on those shelves to the top", she said.

"You must be delusional. This will take the whole day to finish", she said.

"You must be delusional to think you'll even finish", she laughed as she made her way out. "I'll be back at sundown"

The frown on her face grew deeper. She got started on the dusting which resulted in much sneezing and coughing. Her radiant red hair was now covered in dirt and her nose was almost blood-red from all that sneezing.

Suddenly, a book fell and hit her right on the head as she was trying to reach for her fiftieth book to dust. Picking it up, she realized it was an old cautionary princess tale she used to read as a child. A wave of sentimentality splashed in her core. It was the story of a young girl who lost her mother and was essentially mistreated by her father. One day, she sang so loudly that a prince who was wandering heard her sweet melody and was even taken aback by her beauty. Her father refused to let her go and out came her fairy godmother who helped put her father into a deep sleep long enough for the young girl to marry the prince, become queen, and have three children.

The life she wanted. This was the life she dreamed of every night and she almost had it. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Where was her happily ever after? After a long stare at the page, she realized something. A faultless girl cast into countless hurdles. She resonated with the girl on the page. They were both victims of their story so why did one meet an unfortunate end?

That's when it hit her. She was made out to be the villain in this story. That's why the supernatural force came to the aid of Amari. That wasn't fair, she thought. She had done nothing wrong, she thought. Her fate was written out in the stars before she even stepped foot on this earth so why must she suffer in this deceitful game called life?

Her mind zoomed through all the similarities between the story and how her life turned out. In a way, she had been put to sleep just like the father in the story. Her life had been stopped from progressing. The only way for her to have the life she wants was if someone else "became the villain", she whispered.