Post by Maddie♥ on Jul 11, 2009 9:23:53 GMT -6
This is a story I originally wrote to share with just Scribblers Abode. I decided that I wanted to play nice and share it with you guys too, so here it is. I'm hopefully gonna start on the third part later today.
Chapter One
Elisabeth took a deep breath. She walked slowly through the double doors that led into the massive ballroom of Carinthia's royal palace. She plastered a fake smile to her pale face when she entered. Elisabeth hated parties, and this was the biggest party of the summer. Her twenty-first birthday. Being Princess Elisabeth was so unpleasant. What was wrong with just plain Beth? And important-sounding man announced something and most of the guests (which included the vast majority of the kingdom) turned and looked at her. She was a very pretty girl. Brown hair in a perfect bun with little curls framing her face, emerald green eyes, a long burgundy ballgown that ballooned out in front of her. None of it mattered to Elisabeth. The only person in the room not looking at her was a young man in the corner, who couldn't be much more than her age. She made her way carefully across the floor, heading towards him.
"What is your name?" she inquired with a gently smile.
"I am Demetri. And you are?"
"My name is Princess Elisabeth of Carinthia." Elisabeth smiled at the young man.
"Would you like to dance, Princess?" he asked politely.
"Yes, I would."
He took her hand and they glided out onto the dance floor, moving around to the cheerful music the orchestra was playing. They began to talk to each other shyly. Discussing what they liked and their ambitions.
"So, Demetri, where are you from?" Elisabeth asked suddenly.
"Well, Elisabeth, actually I'm from...," He paused for a moment, "....I'm from Aridia. My real name is Prince Demetri of Aridia." He answered. The boy didn't seem to care that he was speaking to the princess of a rival country. Unfortunately for them, the king heard, and he did care.
Chapter Two
"Seize him!" King James yelled, pointing a long finger at the princess and her new friend. Elisabeth gasped and let out a half-scream as two bulky guards emerged out of no where and grabbed Demetri, dragging him down to the cold, damp dungeons.
"How could you?" Elisabeth yelled at her father as tears began to run down her cheeks. She sprinted from the room, lifting her long burgundy skirt so she could run easily. The princess ran upstairs and collapsed onto her luxurious bed, where her fourteen-year-old sister was lounging around, waiting to hear what the party had been like, being fourteen and not allowed to attend the grown up's celebrations.
"What's wrong, Bethie?" Annabelle asked with concern when she saw her usually cheerful sister's tear-streaked face.
"I met this wonderful man at the ball. But he was the prince of Aridia, and father heard! He was so angry. The guards took him away to the dungeons!" she cried out in pure despair with tears still running relentlessly down her face..
"Aww, Bethie, please don't cry." her sister whispered soothingly, trying to comfort her distraught sister.
"Just leave me alone," Elisabeth whispered, aiming a feeble kick at Annabelle. Sensing trouble, Annabelle walked out of the room and left her sister to cry. Elisabeth stayed that way, face down on her bed, constantly crying, for a few hours. When her eyes had finally ran dry, Elisabeth was hit with an idea like a slap across the face. Her parents always left the keys to the cells where prisoners were kept downstairs, on a small stand across the room from the prisoners. She was small enough to hide herself completely in a cloak and sneak down there. She could set Demetri free. Elisabeth grinned widely then, feeling a sudden hope. She snuck across her room to the wide armoire standing against the wall and grabbed a long black traveling cloak she had made. Quiet as a mouse the princess maneuvered through the huge castle, completely disguised. There was hardly anyone around, they were all at the party or patrolling the grounds. And her younger sisters were in bed. When she finally got down to the dungeon, Elisabeth almost regretted it. The passage was cold and dark, and unfriendly prisoners glared at her through the bars in their cells. Only one looked happy to see her. Her wonderful Demetri. She grabbed the keys and unlocked his door, throwing it open and kneeling down next to him. He already looked like a mess. His nice clothes had become dirty from the disgustingly filthy stone floor, and his hair looked disheveled from being handled roughly by the royal guards. There was a bruise starting to show up on his face.
"Demetri," she whispered, pulling him into a hug.
"Elisabeth," he whispered back, wrapping his arms around her. The two had only known each other for a few hours, but already they were in love.
"Now, I snuck down here to rescue you, and I'm not letting it go to waste. See that window over there? I'll lift you up, and I want you to climb out of it. When the coast is clear, run for it. Leave Carinthia, and don't go back to Aridia. If you can make it to the mountains you'll find a small village. The people there will give you shelter, and you can stay there until I come and get you. As soon as I can, I'll run away. And we can be together. Now, go!" Elisabeth said everything in a whisper. She gave the prince a leg up, groaning under his weight, and pushed him through the window. Elisabeth stretched up on her toes to watch him run across the grounds, climbing a tree so he could climb over the palace walls. As soon as she was sure nobody had noticed him yet, Elisabeth dashed back up to her room, still unnoticed. She went to sleep peacefully, confident that Demetri was safe.
Chapter Three
Elisabeth woke up the next morning with a serene smile on her face. Everything had gone according to her plan. Demetri was safe. She dressed quickly, pulling on a simple sky blue dress and pulling her hair up into a bun. The met up with the twins and they walked down to breakfast togther. Their father was fuming.
"I don't believe it! I locked him up in a cell and he escaped!" King James bboomed. Queen Alexandrina looked down at her plate, trying to to be embarasssed.
"Good morning my dears. Take a seat." the queen said quietly has her husband continued to complain. Everyone was silent.
"Maybe I be excused to go for a walk in the garden?" Elisabeth enquired when she finished her meal. Her mother called for someone to take away her plates and Elisabeth went outside to the small garden. Elisabeth could stay out in the sun for hours. She checked to make sure no one could see her and sat down, lying on her back after a few seconds. She stayed outside for a few hours; eyes closed, with the sun warming her face, she was perfectly content. She heard a rustling noise suddenly, and it was followed by a muted thud. She heard more rustling noises. A tall, handosme man emereged from the bushes. It was Demetri. Elisabeth bolted over to him and jumped down behind a bush, dragging him down with her.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"I cam back. The only way to get to those mountains was trhough Aridia. Do you know how many people they have trying to find me?" Demetri whipsred.
"What if someone comes out here and hears us?" Elisabeth whimpered.
Her lip was trembling and Demetri could tell she was going to cry. He pulled her into his lap and rocked her back and forth gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck, esting her head on his shoulder.
"We won't get caught." He whispered. Elisabeth though about that for a moment. She suddenly realized that this could be the last time they ever saw each other if they were caught. With that thought in mind, Elisabeth kissed him out of the blue. They pulled back after a few seconds, and both were grinning. Unfortunately King James had just come to look for her, and had seen the kiss. When Elisabeth looked up at him, the expression "if looks could kill" came to mind.
Elisabeth took a deep breath. She walked slowly through the double doors that led into the massive ballroom of Carinthia's royal palace. She plastered a fake smile to her pale face when she entered. Elisabeth hated parties, and this was the biggest party of the summer. Her twenty-first birthday. Being Princess Elisabeth was so unpleasant. What was wrong with just plain Beth? And important-sounding man announced something and most of the guests (which included the vast majority of the kingdom) turned and looked at her. She was a very pretty girl. Brown hair in a perfect bun with little curls framing her face, emerald green eyes, a long burgundy ballgown that ballooned out in front of her. None of it mattered to Elisabeth. The only person in the room not looking at her was a young man in the corner, who couldn't be much more than her age. She made her way carefully across the floor, heading towards him.
"What is your name?" she inquired with a gently smile.
"I am Demetri. And you are?"
"My name is Princess Elisabeth of Carinthia." Elisabeth smiled at the young man.
"Would you like to dance, Princess?" he asked politely.
"Yes, I would."
He took her hand and they glided out onto the dance floor, moving around to the cheerful music the orchestra was playing. They began to talk to each other shyly. Discussing what they liked and their ambitions.
"So, Demetri, where are you from?" Elisabeth asked suddenly.
"Well, Elisabeth, actually I'm from...," He paused for a moment, "....I'm from Aridia. My real name is Prince Demetri of Aridia." He answered. The boy didn't seem to care that he was speaking to the princess of a rival country. Unfortunately for them, the king heard, and he did care.
Chapter Two
"Seize him!" King James yelled, pointing a long finger at the princess and her new friend. Elisabeth gasped and let out a half-scream as two bulky guards emerged out of no where and grabbed Demetri, dragging him down to the cold, damp dungeons.
"How could you?" Elisabeth yelled at her father as tears began to run down her cheeks. She sprinted from the room, lifting her long burgundy skirt so she could run easily. The princess ran upstairs and collapsed onto her luxurious bed, where her fourteen-year-old sister was lounging around, waiting to hear what the party had been like, being fourteen and not allowed to attend the grown up's celebrations.
"What's wrong, Bethie?" Annabelle asked with concern when she saw her usually cheerful sister's tear-streaked face.
"I met this wonderful man at the ball. But he was the prince of Aridia, and father heard! He was so angry. The guards took him away to the dungeons!" she cried out in pure despair with tears still running relentlessly down her face..
"Aww, Bethie, please don't cry." her sister whispered soothingly, trying to comfort her distraught sister.
"Just leave me alone," Elisabeth whispered, aiming a feeble kick at Annabelle. Sensing trouble, Annabelle walked out of the room and left her sister to cry. Elisabeth stayed that way, face down on her bed, constantly crying, for a few hours. When her eyes had finally ran dry, Elisabeth was hit with an idea like a slap across the face. Her parents always left the keys to the cells where prisoners were kept downstairs, on a small stand across the room from the prisoners. She was small enough to hide herself completely in a cloak and sneak down there. She could set Demetri free. Elisabeth grinned widely then, feeling a sudden hope. She snuck across her room to the wide armoire standing against the wall and grabbed a long black traveling cloak she had made. Quiet as a mouse the princess maneuvered through the huge castle, completely disguised. There was hardly anyone around, they were all at the party or patrolling the grounds. And her younger sisters were in bed. When she finally got down to the dungeon, Elisabeth almost regretted it. The passage was cold and dark, and unfriendly prisoners glared at her through the bars in their cells. Only one looked happy to see her. Her wonderful Demetri. She grabbed the keys and unlocked his door, throwing it open and kneeling down next to him. He already looked like a mess. His nice clothes had become dirty from the disgustingly filthy stone floor, and his hair looked disheveled from being handled roughly by the royal guards. There was a bruise starting to show up on his face.
"Demetri," she whispered, pulling him into a hug.
"Elisabeth," he whispered back, wrapping his arms around her. The two had only known each other for a few hours, but already they were in love.
"Now, I snuck down here to rescue you, and I'm not letting it go to waste. See that window over there? I'll lift you up, and I want you to climb out of it. When the coast is clear, run for it. Leave Carinthia, and don't go back to Aridia. If you can make it to the mountains you'll find a small village. The people there will give you shelter, and you can stay there until I come and get you. As soon as I can, I'll run away. And we can be together. Now, go!" Elisabeth said everything in a whisper. She gave the prince a leg up, groaning under his weight, and pushed him through the window. Elisabeth stretched up on her toes to watch him run across the grounds, climbing a tree so he could climb over the palace walls. As soon as she was sure nobody had noticed him yet, Elisabeth dashed back up to her room, still unnoticed. She went to sleep peacefully, confident that Demetri was safe.
Chapter Three
Elisabeth woke up the next morning with a serene smile on her face. Everything had gone according to her plan. Demetri was safe. She dressed quickly, pulling on a simple sky blue dress and pulling her hair up into a bun. The met up with the twins and they walked down to breakfast togther. Their father was fuming.
"I don't believe it! I locked him up in a cell and he escaped!" King James bboomed. Queen Alexandrina looked down at her plate, trying to to be embarasssed.
"Good morning my dears. Take a seat." the queen said quietly has her husband continued to complain. Everyone was silent.
"Maybe I be excused to go for a walk in the garden?" Elisabeth enquired when she finished her meal. Her mother called for someone to take away her plates and Elisabeth went outside to the small garden. Elisabeth could stay out in the sun for hours. She checked to make sure no one could see her and sat down, lying on her back after a few seconds. She stayed outside for a few hours; eyes closed, with the sun warming her face, she was perfectly content. She heard a rustling noise suddenly, and it was followed by a muted thud. She heard more rustling noises. A tall, handosme man emereged from the bushes. It was Demetri. Elisabeth bolted over to him and jumped down behind a bush, dragging him down with her.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"I cam back. The only way to get to those mountains was trhough Aridia. Do you know how many people they have trying to find me?" Demetri whipsred.
"What if someone comes out here and hears us?" Elisabeth whimpered.
Her lip was trembling and Demetri could tell she was going to cry. He pulled her into his lap and rocked her back and forth gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck, esting her head on his shoulder.
"We won't get caught." He whispered. Elisabeth though about that for a moment. She suddenly realized that this could be the last time they ever saw each other if they were caught. With that thought in mind, Elisabeth kissed him out of the blue. They pulled back after a few seconds, and both were grinning. Unfortunately King James had just come to look for her, and had seen the kiss. When Elisabeth looked up at him, the expression "if looks could kill" came to mind.