Child of Ice (Thomas Shelby)

Chapter Twenty Two: Not afraid anymore

'Mother!' the angelic voice of a child called out for her mother, she ran through the juniper coloured grass in a field that went on forever, flowers swaying in the wind, her hair bouncing around her shoulders as her little legs ran as fast as they could. Towards the small cottage with smoke piling out of the chimney. As she pushed the front door open and running excitedly into the kitchen where her mother stood behind the stove cooking their meal for the night.

'What is it darling?' she turned around, the same green emerald eyes sparkles in the morning sunshine.

'Look mummy! I finally found a ladybird, I looked everywhere' her small little hands opened revealing the small little ladybug crawling slowly in the palm of her hands. Her mother watched as her long eyelashes fluttered as she eagerly played with the ladybird.

'It means good luck you know, make a wish and set it free' her mother kissed her forehead passionately waiting for her daughter to make a wish.

'Really?' she smiled as her mother nodded 'I wish that we could see each other again mother, I miss you so much! I want you to hold me in your arms again and never let go' Her emerald green eyes started to glisten as tears started to form in her eyes when she let the ladybird go watching its little wings flutter away majestically. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug she so desperately yearned for. Taking in the very smell of her child twisting her brunette hair in-between her fingers. There was no where on earth she would have rather been...

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'So what's the plan?' Arthur asked as a group of their best men stood around a table in an unusual bar filled with foreigners which they had found as they randomly ventured the new territory they found themselves in, each had a drink and cigarette in their hands preparing themselves for what was about to happen, not mentally put physically preparing themselves.

'Well the wedding is happening tonight, you either sweep in there unnoticed and grab her or we go in guns blazing. The king will never stop looking for you if we just run' John released a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

'She gave me strict instructions if we don't-' Arthur cut Thomas off which earned him a face of annoyance.

'How do you even know if she's telling the truth, what if she's leading you into a trap? After all how can you trust someone you barely know anything about? Okay fair enough you've fallen in love but love makes you blind Tommy. You of all people should know that' Arthur said which made sense to Thomas but his gut instinct told him to trust her and his heart had no doubt.He knew she would never double cross him. He just knew it. He could see their future mapped our right before his very eyes and he knew she felt it too when she looked into his eyes. 

'She's not like that. once the ceremony is complete we can get into the castle that's when we make our move' Thomas said, his blue eyes looking directly into the eyes of his brothers.

'Are you sure about this?' John asked with the cigarette bouncing in his mouth as he spoke. 

'More than I've ever been before...' Tension build in the room around everyone. you could almost cut through it with a knife

'We stick to the plan. Thats the only way we can survive this' Thomas's eyes now piercing into everyone else. They all nodded in agreeance. It was at that moment Arthur and John knew Thomas would do just about anything for Ayla, he would go to the ends of the earth just to make her happy and this scared them but gave them a sense of relief to know their brother had truly found something worth fighting for. 

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When Ayla woke the sun shone in her eyes through the gap in the red curtains burning the side of her face she decided to finally open her eyes which she shielded with her hands, they were still pale and bruised but nothing she couldn't hide with a little makeup.Twisting her hands and making shadows in the sunlight for a moment she forgot about all her fears and worried and she wasn't afraid anymore. Her dreams haunted her which they hadn't done in a long time, her eyes wet from undoubtably crying through the night. Looking around her room she noticed a beautiful tulle dress hanging on her wardrobe door, her shoes and accessories laying closely by on her dressing table along with her perfumes and makeup which she would be covered in later on that evening. There was only a few hours left till she had to marry the man she so desperately didn't want to marry and time was going faster than it normally did all she could do was sit and wait for her life to be thrown away in an instant. Like an old photograph she wanted to burn. 

'Breakfast will be served in 10 minutes your majesty' A maid broke her out of her gaze. She didn't even hear her come in from all her day dreaming.Pushing herself up, sitting upright in her bed. 

'Thank you' she whispered with all the might she had left. Once the maid left she took the liberty of taking a quick shower refreshing her body from last night's memories and putting on a serious face. No time for weaknesses. It wasn't long till her plan would be complete and she needed to stay strong for a moment longer

Dressing herself in some clothes she found in her newly refreshed wardrobe before making her way down the all so familiar hallways of her father's castle, not even forgetting the way to the dining room. She would remember some of the few happy memories she lived in this horrid place. She could almost hear her stepsisters running around the castle behind her as they played tag. Not a care in the world. She would remember how they would giggle as they tried to catch each other, she never realised how much she missed them till now. Its like all she could remember were the bad things and not the good, not that there were very many good things anyway.

When she arrived at the huge dining hall her flashbacks hit her like a ton of bricks without warning.

'Ah finally you've woken, I thought a big breakfast would ready you for tonight' her father said proudly as she sat at the opposite end of the never ending table.

'It really wasn't necessary, you didn't need to go through all this trouble for me' Ayla said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice but a serious face. Although the king didn't clock onto it he smiled slightly at her comment.

'Why so? You will be making me the proudest father in the whole world, this is the least I could do' He smiled which annoyed her even more. The never ending choice of food in front of her made her stomach turn a little most probably from hunger, she wondered what Thomas was doing and where he was. She needed for everything to go to plan if she had any chance of being a free woman. As she picked at her breakfast not knowing where to start first Thomas on the other hand was preparing for a war. One no one would forget. One where he would finally be with the only woman he had ever come to love but would it end there?