Her father was gone, which was sort of a disappointment to him. He had been hoping to seem decent in asking his permission to take his daughter's hand, but he would just have to go along without him. Besides, the man was a lunatic, so his thoughts didn't really matter to Jared.
"Bella," he said, pronouncing it just how everyone else did, and sweeping down onto one knee in front of her, pulling a ring from his pocket.
The ring, Bella noticed, was a hideously large diamond. Normally women would swoon at such a sight—that a man would go through all the money for a simple yes or no—but she wasn't like other women, and she saw no beauty in something so large as that. It was simply too big. Even so, she didn't want to be his wife to begin with. Were it a man she loved, she wouldn't have even waited for him to ask, but this was no such man.
Jared searched for her hand, which he wanted to take and slip the ring onto, but the both of them were hidden beneath the cloak she was wearing. Instinctively, he felt the mischievous side of him being drawn forth, and he gave her that wicked grin of his. "What are you wearing under that, if I might ask?" After all, it was much too warm to be wearing such a thing, and he was sure that she wouldn't be wearing it unless she found it absolutely necessary.
Bella produced a bright smile when she remembered that Gregory was standing just a few feet from them and her yard was filled with people, and leaned in closer to Jared so she wouldn't be overheard. "You might very well ask, but that doesn't mean I will answer. Before you move along with engaging in this...event...I think we need to talk first." She turned and strode up to her front door, opening it swiftly and turning around to be sure that she was being followed.
Jared gave Harmond, who was sitting with the three girls, a huge grin, one that was immediately returned. The three girls, however, sulked, all pouting in that eerie way of theirs. Then Jared walked after Bella, striding past her into her home, looking around in satisfaction. He had never been in her house before.
In the little cottage was a furnace on one wall, which was out since it was so hot. There was a table with six chairs around it, along with a vase that was empty of flowers. Candles were put up everywhere for when it got dark, but in the summer it hardly did. There were shelves with books on it, along with a random assortment of things that Bella and her father had collected over their years. There were two other rooms. Her room and her fathers, and a third door that led out back.
"Well, Bella," Jared said as he leaned against the table, which shifted under his weight, and he jerked upright before it could go far enough to knock him onto the ground. When he was settled, he crossed his arms and grinned at his bride to be. "This is a very special day."
"Yes it is," she agreed with a nod, not thinking about the fact that he was trying to propose, but that her father was officially gone to win the contest. In a week's time, he would be back and they would live a happy life and she wouldn't have to worry about men like Jared ever again.
"You know, you still haven't answered," Jared said when he noticed her fading away into her thoughts. He could tell by the way she stared just over his shoulders, as if there was something so interesting just past them, but there was only the furnace.
She looked at him, almost smirking, but managed to give him a sweet smile that didn't fool him at all. "You haven't asked anything."
He thought back and realized, much to his dismay, that he hadn't; then, he scowled at her. "I do believe we both know what my question was. Even an idiot could figure it out."
And only an idiot would say yes, Bella thought as she grimaced, then cursed at herself for thinking something so rude. Any woman would be lucky to have him...if he improved his attitude. Or if theirs' was ruined.
Bella fiddled with her cloak, which she had almost forgotten about, quickly looking over herself to be sure that she was still covered, then looked up at Jared through her thick eyelashes. "I do not wish to marry you." She said this quietly, but her voice floated around the small room, carrying around like a whisper of wind.
Jared laughed, unsure of whether she was being serious or not. Her tone was definitely serious, but just the thought of her saying no was ridiculous to him. Even if he did things that annoyed her. It was what he did, but his manner was that of a mischievous young man. No matter how ill-mannered he was, he was quite attractive.
But Bella saw past all that.
"Do you mind," Jared said calmly, standing up and walking slowly towards her, which resulted in her walking back, "repeating that?" The door stopped her, her back hitting it softly, and Jared walked up to her until they were barely a foot apart.
"I don't think I need to repeat myself," Bella murmured, avoiding his gaze on impulse. But then she gathered her courage and met his eyes. "Admit it, Jared...we're not meant for each other. I am not the type of woman you want, and you are not the man I want to marry."
His eyes trailed down as she spoke, having had noticed that she forgot about her cloak. So, while her hands were pressed flat behind her on the door—the back of her cloak—as if ready to shove herself off, the cloak had slid open to reveal her night gown. This gown was white, and definitely wasn't made for any poor maiden, but Bella wasn't poor. Though, Jared found that he would be interested to know where she had gotten such material.
As it turned out, the gown had been her mother's before she died. She hadn't gotten the chance to wear it, because it was a gift from some stranger who had bid her good luck when he found out she was pregnant, so it was immediately passed down to Bella. Of course, it was with the wishes of her mother because she knew she wouldn't survive the birth of her daughter.
The dress revealed her calves—or, half of them anyways—and also dipped low along the neckline, showing just a fraction of her chest and going just low enough to see a little bit more. Jared could also see that her arms were showing, and he guessed that, where the cloak was sitting on her shoulders, there was more skin showing than just that. He had thought that she would wear something different, that she was, supposedly, a woman of dignity. He liked the thought of her mind being much less innocent than anyone anticipated, and wondered if this was so as well.
Bella noticed his lost attention, and followed where his eyes had wandered. When she noticed what it was, she moved her arms to pull the cloak around her, but Jared stepped up till he was nearly against her, clutching her wrists in that strong grip of his.
"Jared," she said softly, more to keep herself calm than him. His nearness was unsettling and made her heart beat three times more than it ought to have been. "Jared, please step back."
He ignored her, no longer feeling like being generous and a gentleman, sneering down at her and leaning in until his lips brushed her ear. "Most would not deem it wise to refuse me."
"And what would the others deem it?" Bella asked, which wouldn't have been a safe move for anyone else that was in his company. Anyone else would have been unlucky, since Jared had a temper that could quickly be lost. But Bella wasn't just anyone, and he was determined in having her.
"You are soon to be seventeen," he continued, leaning back only a little to look at her face, which was flushed at how close they were. She had never been that close to anyone in her life, except her father when they returned hugs and the such.
But this was not her father.
"Soon you will be too old to be desirable,” Jared continued, “if you are not careful. No one dares touch you while I still wish for you." He looked deep into her eyes, which were wide and dark and confused. "I wish for you, Bella. Don't you wish for me?" He stepped back before she could answer, pulling out the ring and showing it to her. "This is what you will receive if you say yes, and so much more. I'll let you think about it."
She automatically stepped to the side once he glided back, drawing open the door as she did, and she glared at the floor as he moved to leave. But, before he did, he grabbed her face in one of his hands, forcing her to look at him, and her nostrils flared in response—in both fear and anger—to his strength.
; "You will think about it," he told her icily, though his expression suggested that she ought to think about more than just that. Then he let her go and walked out the door into the sunlight that had deceived Bella only moments before.
Frustrated, and wishing she could have appeared stronger than she was, Bella took a deep breath and gingerly shut the door, not wishing to raise suspicion with the strangers in her yard. Women had no rights when it came to men, or almost anything else, and she knew that if she did that, other men would suspect what might have happened while she and Jared were behind her door. Or they would suspect a many other things that she didn't wish them to even dream of. Then Jared wouldn't be the only man that played with her mind like that.
As Jared cleared everyone from the yard—telling them that she wasn't feeling well enough to give a straight answer, she suspected—she watched from the front window, standing off to the side so no one could see her pale face. For a moment it looked like Jared was going to stay once everyone left, but he only turned and grinned at the window where she was standing before following after them, jumping onto a horse that was as black as his heart and racing off into the forest.
When there was no sign of anyone lurking around, Bella hung her cloak back up and dressed herself, though she didn't really have any reason to dress since she had no plans for going into town, much less leaving the house. But plans could change. Besides, chores needed to be done sooner or later. And what time was better than now?
* * *
All morning and noon, Bella pondered over Jared's not-so-subtle proposal, making sure to feed the animals and clean up around them. She had fancied herself in a dress, of course, because her father wanted her to look like a proper woman. He didn't like it when she did the chores, especially in her dresses, but they needed to be done and dresses were her only choice of wear.
At some point, she picked up her book and chose a random spot to start reading it, trying to lose herself over the magnificent details of danger and horror and romance. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about that morning.
Jared's threatening proposal shook her up, so she was distant the entire day. She didn't sing like she normally did, nor dance, or even make another pie. The day burned by like there was no time left, and so it didn't feel like hardly minutes passed before the sun began setting.
And Bella was still thinking about Jared.
Was it unwise to refuse him? He was a powerful man, after all, with an even more powerful father. Who knew what damage the both of them could do together, and all over a simple no. And that simple no would come from Bella, who could possibly help a lot of people by saying yes. So, should she say yes? Or should she take the risk and say no?
Stop thinking about it, she snapped at herself sometime during her dinner as she stared blankly at the table, seeming to almost literally feel the mental slap as her head thrust itself upright and she focused more on her meal. He might give you tomorrow to think it over as well. If not, you could ask, and maybe he would even be kind enough to do so.
Though, Bella couldn't really imagine anything Jared did being kind.
She wondered, then, what the Prince would do, the one who wandered so proud and brave through horrors that seemed never ending. Never once did he flinch in the face of death, though he was often quite scared. He still held his head high.
But, would he sacrifice his own wishes and desires to save a town of people that did nothing but worry about themselves and torment others with lies? Would he gladly take charge and offer his life to save them? Or would he flee and leave them to fend for themselves? Surely he would save everyone, since that was exactly what he did.
But would he do it all over again?
It was then that Bella realized she hadn't once given thought to her father, and guiltily lowered her head in shame. While she had been so selfishly worrying about her own tormented life as Jared's bride, and basking in the glories of her fictional Prince, she hadn't once thought about whether or not her father was alright and safe. Surely he was, if he knew the forest so well. He had never travelled that far East before, but there was sure to be travelers of some sort on the paths he could speak with if he ever got confused. Either that, or he would come across some kind people who would let him stay with them until he was right enough to continue.
Satisfied with her reassuring thoughts, Bella went to bed happy. The only thing that disturbed her and her dreams were those dark shadows lurking in the background, which seemed bigger and darker than ever before.
* * *
It was the screams that woke her up. It was well into the middle of the night, so the forest was well into its sleep. Something else, however, was not.
The screams, Bella noticed when she jerked herself awake, hopping lightly out of bed and racing to the window, were just the chickens, which all sounded like they were shrieking laughter. In fact, it almost seemed the laughter was directed at her. But this was just her imagination running wild.
The chickens were not making a ruckus out of amusement of some ill will they knew was going to happen upon the girl in her home, but merely the fact that danger was lurking about. Not just that, but there was a creature racing about the property, wildly screaming its own song.
This creature was a horse.
Excited that she might possibly have a new friend to keep, or simply a lost animal to return to some new stranger, Bella eagerly ran out into the night, not even bothering to put something on her feet, nor grab a candle for light as she did. The light offered to her came from the moon, which was full and bright beside all the stars, seeming larger than ever. It was the perfect Summer Solstice moon, and allowed more light than was usual.
As Bella drew near the horse, slowly as not to scare it away, it calmed down a little at her soothing murmurs, and finally came to a standstill. Bella noticed, as she got closer, that this horse looked extremely familiar. And this was because it was none other than the horse her father had pull the carriage away the day before.
"Mudo!" Bella cried, picking up her pace and wrapping her arms around the startled creature. His brown eyes, which had been wide with terror, seemed a little calmer now that he was on familiar grounds, and with a familiar person. "Mudo, where's Papa?" She stared at him as if she expected him to respond to her, grabbing his long face and staring deep into his eyes, which looked back with a mix of fear and relief.
There was no sign of the carriage, nor any rope that had him tied to it. That told Bella that someone took it off, because the thought of him breaking through her father's knots was ridiculous. So, Mudo must have been wandering around when he got scared. But what had he been so afraid of?
And what if this meant her father was in danger?
"We have to find him," Bella said, running an absent hand along Mudo's side, who was calm now and grazing the dry grass. "We have to find Papa." She patted Mudo's side, walking forward, and he followed obediently.
There was a howl, and then a hoot, and all night noises came to life once more. The trees seemed alive, whispering along whenever the wind picked up, and stretching their shadows across the yard. Bella was a little fearful that there was some creature out in those trees that would gladly come and kill Mudo while she was inside, but she decided that she was just being foolish and found a rope to tie him to the well, which was just a little ways from the house.
When Bella was finished with this, she went inside and gathered meal enough for one day, putting it all into a bag, and also brought what money she could find and added that to another small bag, which she tied around her waist. After another second's thought, she added a small bread knife to that belt, deciding that it would be for the best to arm herself. Who knew what wandered the woods at night?
On her way out the door, she grabbed her cloak and put it on, deciding that she would rather not take the time to change. Not only that, but it was easier to move in the night gown. She was sure to put on some shoes, though, for the sake of running if it ever came to it. She di
dn't think she would need to since she had Mudo, but one could never be too sure.
So out Bella walked into the warm night, untying Mudo, wrapping the bag of food around him and jumping onto his back, hardly paying heed that he wasn't even wearing a saddle, and together they rode off into the dark forest. At first she knew exactly where she was heading, clutching Mudo's mane as he picked up speed. After about five miles, they came to the area where the road split into three directions. Bella's grip on Mudo's mane tightened as she leaned towards the direction she wanted to go, East.
But then she froze.
On the ground, in front of the post that told travelers which direction was which, was a map; the very map her father had pondered over when looking over their lands.
It was the map he had brought with him when he left Ash.
With a growing sense of horror, Bella hopped off the horse, hesitating when she did, and feeling much more vulnerable on her own two feet. Then she gathered her courage, stepping up towards it and picking it up. On it were scrawlings, lines cutting across places. Johnathon had not only put what plans he had for their land if they ended up staying in Ash, but a note suggesting that the Northern path might have a shortcut to his destination, since the contest supposedly took a turn up North after a while.
"Oh, Papa," Bella murmured, unfolding the map some more and shaking it about, almost as if this would help rid of her fears.
Sure enough, the plans remained in place.
"No, no, no. Please, you didn't do that. You didn't go North."
But he did. In fact, he had hardly even hesitated when he was given the choice. Travelling North was the only way anything bad could have happened. Not only was the Northern path dangerous, but there were tales of what horrors lay there, that being tales of the Fae as well. And though Johnathon was rather open minded, he didn't fully believe that anything would happen to him.
Beauty's Beast- The Light Page 3
