Astoria

f i f t y - f i v e

When tragedy strikes, people are changed. At first, the change comes as a horrible shock. It hollows out pieces of a person's heart, reshaping that person...for better or for worse.

Eventually, however, life, once disrupted by whatever horrible event occurred, eventually falls into a sort of rhythm. From the outside, people affected by a tragedy might appear that everything has simply achieved a new state of normal. They might seem fine on the outside...when really, on the inside, they will never be the same.

After a month of searching and grieving, King Antony of Astoria finally made the official announcement to the people of Astoria that Princess Isabella had been captured and that, as of yet, they had not been able to find her.

Kade seemed to take the loss the hardest of anyone, for he had loved Isabella so greatly that it had struck him deeply. He was possessed with the desire to do nothing but search for her, throughout the day and even going so far as to accompany his spies during the night.

Antony, for the most part, remained out with the army, preferring to keep busy in order to escape the palace, for King's Palace was somehow different without his cousin. Aside from that, he would rather not see Meredith, for seeing her dredged up all the old feelings, and everything he wanted to say but didn't, everything that he kept inside and pushed away. Sleep was a stranger and fatigue a constant companion. He spent most of his time accompanying Kade. On the few times he returned to the palace, he sequestered himself away in his study.

Therese spent her days in her room, the curtains closed and the lights dimmed. It was an altogether depressing atmosphere. Olivya was her shoulder to cry on most days.

Meredith, now that Isabella was gone, worked in the kitchens with Ramona, whose frequent attempts to cheer her up were to no avail, but did not go unnoticed. Jade remained at home in King's City with Samantha and Prissy, grieving the loss of Evan. Meredith found herself looking out the window more and more frequently, wishing that she might see Antony come home, but, at the same time, dreading how she knew she would feel if he did.

Isabella spent her days, waiting, tense, in the rear of her cell, dreading the return of the jailkeeper every night. She tried to remain grateful that he only partook of rough kisses and caresses, but the night came where his drunken stupor drove him too far and Isabella was too weak to prevent his advance. Now she spent her days dreading the day Kade and Antony found her, for she knew she was unclean. Defiled and broken. She cried when she pictured herself having to tell Kade. She spent the majority of her nights, simply weeping.

Another month passed, and most everyone had given up. Most people in the kingdom had given up the princess for lost.

Her birthday arrived and citizens across the empire lit candles to grieve for thier lost princess. For no matter how short Antony's reign had been compared to the collective reigns of his grandfather and uncle, no one had any doubt that a new age had arrived for the House Westerholme. The people thought there could be no better way to honor their new young king than to grieve with him the loss of his cousin, who they viewed as someone equally worthy of honor. Nightfall saw a candle in a window of almost every house in most towns.

That night, Antony found himself at the East Wing Window, unable to sleep. Upon seeing the flickering lights from the lower town, he leaned his forehead against the glass and wept.

Meredith tended the candle in the window of their small house for most of the night.

Isabella, unable to tell the passing of time from her dark cell, spent her birthday in ignorance to the fact that she was a year older and that, outside of this prison, there were people who mourned her.