by Julie Eads
Chapter 11
Taya was the first one to get ready. The pink dress she had chosen looked just as amazing as it had when she had first tried it on so we decided to tie her brown hair into a twisted bun but left a few curled strands to fall around her face. Carefully I put make-up lightly on her and finally she was ready. As she stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a few moments she seemed to stare at her reflection. Just as I was going to ask her if she was okay she declared whimsically, “I wish I was as beautiful as you.” She let out a small breathe and then shaking her head she said, “Sorry, this is your night as well; let’s get you ready.”
I could tell that her smile was forced and so I felt a tug at my heart strings. She was so kind that I hated to see her seemingly so down about herself. Whatever she thought she had a simplistic beauty about her; perhaps not someone who would be classed as a gorgeous woman but she was certainly far from being an ugly one. Placing my hand on her shoulder I simply replied, “But, Taya you are beautiful.” Looking at me she smiled and I felt as if I had done a good job by reassuring her of her worth and beauty.
Making the decision to do my make-up and hair first as I didn’t want to mess-up the delicate lace of my dress I started to get ready? Taya stood in the background claiming how excited she was and how she couldn’t wait to see Declan open my gift. Strangely enough I had butterflies in my stomach as I hated how our relationship was a spectacle for the whole village to judge and gossip about.
Having chosen to straighten my unruly curls I let my hair flow flawlessly down my back. I wore a dark grey eye shadow, which appeared almost black just along the bottom of my eyelid. Then I used the black eye liner to give myself the appearance of ‘cat’s eyes.’ I had seen a lot of girls back home do their make-up like this, and whilst some of them had failed horribly, others had managed to capture their eyes in a way that made them look fierce and enticing; which was what I was hoping to achieve. Staring at my reflection whilst going over the last few details I wondered which category mine would fit into, however, before I could ask Taya what she thought Maggie walked into the room.
Standing at the bathroom door staring at me Maggie declared, “Wow! You look hot!” As she said it Taya laughed and stepping closer to get a better look at me she said, “Yeah you are going to knock Declan on his ass.”
After laughing so hard I felt as if my stomach hurt. Then I looked at Maggie, who was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. “Are you not going tonight?” I asked as I pointed to her clothes?
Maggie smiled and replied, “Yeah, but as Willow is training me I will be wearing a robe not a dress.” I couldn’t tell if she was happy about that or not; she just always seemed indifferent about becoming a healer, and that made me worry for her.
I wanted to ask her what she really wanted to do with her life, but as of yet we hadn’t become that close and at the moment I didn’t have the time to ask such a personal question. Quickly picking up my dress I chose a pair of black wedge heeled shoes that I hoped wouldn’t kill me. To be honest I had never been the best when walking in heels; I would rather have gone bare foot so I could feel the soft ground beneath my feet. With Maggie’s help I slipped the dress on and stood looking at myself in the mirror. She went on and on about how beautiful it was but I told her laughingly that she was biased. Once I was ready Maggie walked us out of the room and down the stairs. Instead of heading to the large ball room where the party was being held, the same as my welcoming party had been, Maggie headed outside and off to Willow’s house, announcing over her shoulder that she would meet us later.
After Maggie’s departure we headed towards the party. I was thankful for Taya’s company; it felt much better having her with me. Entering the ballroom we found a table close to the stage. Music was playing, which we discovered was coming from an iPod dock. It was a song I hadn’t heard before, but I found myself enjoying the melody. Shortly after we had sat down a waiter came to our table asking us what we would like to drink. Taya surprised me when she ordered a glass of wine. Smiling at me she leaning over and whispered in a quite tone, “If you order with confidence they don’t question your age; besides drinking ages are handled much differently here, compared to where you have lived.” Never being much of a drinker I decided that bottled water would be just fine for me, besides I would hate to be slurring my words when I handed Declan his gift.
Not knowing how they celebrated birthdays here I was curious so spent my time looking around a lot. Perhaps it was going to be different than a regular party, especially as on your actual birthday you would possibly be spending it alone and maybe in pain. The room was getting more and more packed. Finally, I saw my parents make their way into the room, looking as much in love after all of their years together. My father smiled down at my mother, as if she was truly the only woman he could see and the sight made my heart grow warm as I realized I hadn’t felt this happy in such a long time. Slowly they made their way to our table and not long after Taya’s parents also joined us. Rose told Taya and myself that we both looked beautiful.
Looking round for Knoll, who I hadn’t seen in a while, was linked arm in arm with Maggie, and standing next to Willow in the corner of the room. I thought the two women looked a bit ridiculous in the heavy, red robes draped across them. Suddenly I wondered why they were wearing the robes when the actual animal ritual wouldn’t take place for two more days, or so I had thought. But, as Liam informed me, they were going to do it after the party because Willow had mixed her days up, and tonight would be the only night the moon would be full and at its highest. Suddenly I felt bad for Declan; he wouldn’t even have a whole night to celebrate his birthday.
Not long afterwards Declan walked into the room. He was wearing black dress slacks with a grey button-up dress shirt and a black tie hanging from his neck. Although dressed simply he still managed to knock the very breath from my chest. Walking in behind him were his mother and sister, both of whom were dressed in beautiful ball gowns; both black, and silver, matching Declan’s clothes. They both looked beautiful but I only had eyes for him. Stopping, he began scanning the room, as if looking for someone, and when his eyes settled on me I couldn’t fight the wide smile that quickly spread across my face. My heart began to beat faster as he stood looking at me and me at him. Eventually his mother must have cleared her throat and pushed him forward as everyone around the room began chuckling and muttering; which made me feel embarrassed that our private moment had been witnessed by them all. Taya smiled at me and giggled. My father looked at me as if he wanted to say something but was stopped by Willow turning the music off and heading towards the microphone.
“Greetings everyone,” her raspy voice echoed around the room. “I welcome all of you here tonight to celebrate another one of our young embarking on their animal journey. Let this night be a reminder to all of us what a gift we have residing inside of us, and to make sure Declan has a wonderful night.” Then she called my father up onto the stage which was something I hadn’t been expecting. As he made his way everyone stood and waited until he motioned for them to sit.
Taking the microphone from Willow, Liam said, “We all know Declan is a remarkable man. He has taken on the responsibility for his own, and worked harder than many men I have ever seen.” Pausing he looked at Declan then continued, “And so Declan, tonight may you have a good time, and forget about the sadness and burden that has been laid upon you. We are all so proud of you.” As he finished speaking everyone stood and clapped as my father left the stage. As I looked to Declan it seemed as if he wasn’t enjoying himself, in fact he looked saddened by my father’s words and I wondered if that had been the best thing for Liam to have said to him; especially on a night of celebration.
With the music back on people started to dance and Liam and Eleanor excused themselves, and took to the dance floor. As I watched them dance I was happy that they had each other unlike poor Willow, who would always have a burden in her heart. My thoughts were cut short when Eirnan approache
d our table.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said, making a light bow. He wore a nice pair of jeans and a white button-up shirt under a blue blazer; he looked quite handsome. Taya must have thought so too as she suddenly had a way about her after he had approached the table; sitting up straighter and smoothing her dress out. Eirnan stood for a moment as if unsure of himself, before surprising me by asking Taya if she would like to dance, extending his hand like a gentleman before leading her onto the dance floor. I was left sitting with Rose and Kevin; they had decided to eat before heading onto the dance floor. Between bites of food they both beamed over at Taya as she danced with Eirnan; her mother swearing she could see the start of a light glow around them. Kevin, however, assured her it was just her bad eye sight plus the fact that she wanted Taya to find someone so very badly.
Looking at Taya and Eirnan, I agreed as sure enough they were both laughing and as they danced I thought they looked amazing together. Taya’s simple beauty suddenly turned into something remarkable as she appeared to glow, causing other couples dancing near them to stop and stare for just a moment. But, in the heat of the moment neither Taya nor Eirnan noticed anything. The sight of the couple made me wonder if that was the way I looked when I was near Declan. My heart jumped at the thought of his name, as I longed to have his arms around me. In a way I hated it that he hadn’t even asked me to dance, so I got up and made my way to where he was sitting with his mom and sister.
“Hello,” I said as I arrived at their table. For some reason I felt more nervous than I thought I would, as well as feeling stupid standing there. If he had wanted to dance with me then surely he would have asked me.
Finally his mother broke the silence, “Hello, Carmina you look amazing!”
I looked at her, saying, “Thank you.” Then I looked at Declan, asking, “I was just wondering if you would like to dance?” Waiting for his answer it seemed he smirked as he stood up.
“I thought you would never ask,” he responded laughingly as he led me onto the dance floor. I realized that his laughter filled me with so much joy that it was the one sound I wanted to hear forever. As he placed one hand in mine and his other against the small of my back the sensation sent chills all over my body. Leaning towards me he whispered softly into my ear, “You are so beautiful. That dress is perfect on you and you are the best birthday present I could ever ask for.”
Looking into his stormy eyes I searched my mind for something to say in response to one of the sweetest things I could ever have hoped to hear. I wanted to pull him into a heated kiss but was aware that everyone’s eyes were on us.
“I got you something for your birthday,” I whispered; again just loud enough so only he could hear.
“You shouldn’t have,” he told me, seeming reluctant to let me go as I led him to the table to give him his gift. Holding the present tightly he motioned for us to step outside and I was glad that he would be able to open his gift in private as I hadn’t really liked the idea of everyone being a part of such a private moment.
As soon as we got outside he pulled me into a tight hug and I wrapped my arms tightly around him, enjoying the moment for as long as I could. But I couldn’t fight the excitement of wanting him to see the ring. As he ripped open the paper I watched him, biting my bottom lip in anticipation of his reaction. Finally he held the ring in his hand, twirling it around so he could see the intricate design carved on it. After reading the inscription inside the ring he looked at me intensely for a moment before saying, “It’s perfect. I love it.” Then grabbing my hand he lightly caressed my face before pulling me into an embrace and giving me a deep and meaningful kiss that held so much passion in it that I let out a small moan.
Quickly pulling away, I was for a moment ashamed of the sound that had escaped my lips, but Declan just looked at me, his eyes filled with a hunger I couldn’t describe. I could tell by the way his hand was trembling that it was taking him a moment to pull himself together and regain his full composure. Then he kissed me softly once more. “I have to tell you something,” he finally said, “I know that it has only been a short while and to most people it may be too soon to say this.” As he hesitated he kissed me once more; then looking into my eyes he announced with conviction, “Carmina, I love you.”
My knees went weak, and warmth that I had never felt before started spreading through my body. I radiated with happiness as he bent down and whispered softly, “I love you; my pulse, my heart.” I was surprised that the saying on the ring had been so true for him as well as for me. When he spoke the words out loud it seemed as if my heart had been yearning to hear them. A small tear escaped my eye, it was all so wonderfully overwhelming and it seemed that I had lost so much, in order to gain much more. Declan wiped the tear from my face before suggesting we had better return to the ballroom. We both knew we had been very lucky to have gained these few moments alone. Soon someone would come looking for us, and sure enough Willow was on her way to do just that.
After we had returned to the ballroom Willow led Declan to a group of people, motioning for me to take a seat. I hated leaving his warm embrace, but knew we would always have the memories of those few precious moments we had just briefly shared. Willow walked across the room with Maggie trailing behind her and, even though I had now grown to like Willow, for some reason I found myself becoming angry with her. My sister wasn’t her assistant or a lap-dog, she was a person and I realized that if Willow didn’t start treating Maggie better I would feel inclined to step in and say something.
The room began to quieten down as everyone made their way back to their seats from the dance floor. Taya was the first to reach our table. She had a smile spread across her face and as she looked at me she whispered, “He is so wonderful. Who would have thought all this time he was right in front of me?” I couldn’t help but feel joyous for her; she deserved to be happy.
As we waited for the others to reach our table, Taya again leaned over and said, “I want the goods about you and Declan,” then smiling she bumped her leg playfully against mine. I was glad that I had someone to share the experience with, because it felt as if I couldn’t contain the happiness I felt within me. Finally my parents reached the table and settled down in their seats along with Taya parents; all were laughing, happily.
Looking around the room I realized that everyone was having a wonderful night, except for a commotion taking place in the corner of the room. Thora was stood yelling something at Eirnan, whilst he just stood there taking all her anger. Then she raised her hand and slapped him hard. Suddenly I knew I couldn’t sit there and allow that to happen so rising I quickly dashed across the space between us. Walking in large strides I arrived by her side just as she was about to strike him again. Reaching out I grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn towards me. Stepping directly in front of Eirnan, who appeared to be speechless at my actions, I looked her directly in the face and, not knowing where the anger came from, I spoke. “Do not touch him,” I roared; the sound making everyone turn and look at us, their eyes full of surprise. But I couldn’t care less as I had grown tired of Thora’s attitude and I certainly wasn’t going to allow her to treat anyone else with disrespect, just because she wanted to. Thora looked at me with her usual look of disgust spread across her face. “How dare you?” she started to say, just as my mother joined us.
Saying nothing my mother glared at Thora for a moment, then just as she was about to speak again she used quite a different tone saying, “I am sorry Majesty. I do not know what came over me.”
Eleanor looked fierce, and when she spoke it was with such conviction. “Why did you hit him?” she asked, looking at Eirnan who still stood directly behind me.
Before answering Thora looked at me and then smiling a wild grin she answered, “Because he was dancing with that cow over there.” And I saw she was pointing directly at Taya. Then she went on to say, “I simply cannot allow my guardian to keep such company.” That was all it took.
By this time I had taken so much of Th
ora’s crap. Ever since I had arrived at the village she, for some reason, had deliberately singled out, not just me but also the people I cared most about. Enough was enough; and before I could stop myself or think of the consequences, I hit her straight in the face. It wasn’t one of those girly punches or one of those slaps across the face. Oh no, it was a full of force punch right on her nose. Suddenly blood started to pour out of it. In fact it looked a lot worse than it really was; but still she screeched in pain, as if I had shot her.
My mother turned on me, trying to hide what looked like a smile. “Go to your seat!” she instructed me before turning back to help Thora.
Suddenly Thora yelled out, “This isn’t the end of it!”
As mother started to lead Thora out of the room she looked at her with a fierceness I had not seen before and severely said, “You would dare threaten my daughter; in front of me?”
Realizing her error Thora quickly began apologizing but my mother threw her hand up, “No Thora. Do not speak; you should do your best to heed your own words. That is your princess you are speaking to, and if I ever catch you saying so much as a wrong word about her again, I will banish you from the castle! Forever!” Everyone gasped with shock and as soon as the two women were out of the room they began chattering amongst themselves about what they had just witnessed.
Slowly I made my way back to the table, holding my hand which was now sore. My father was sat quiet but a moment later he voiced his displeasure by saying, “You will not behave like that again; is that clear?” Shaking my head I was surprised that the sweet man I had known since I had gotten here had, in a manner struck out against me. He went on to inform me that before the night was over I was to get up on the stage, explain my action and apologize for behaving in such a manner. Despite that his attitude at that moment, made me want to hit him too.