I'm Finally In Love...with the wrong person!

I never knew why I couldn't sleep much past twilight, the whole castle would be asleep when I woke up. My eyes were instantly drawn to the beautiful scenery outside my window. I never got tired of staring at it.

You may be wondering who I am, and what my story is about, well here goes.My name is Rosalind Arnauld, (which means a flame that never dies but brightens with the passing of time) and I was born in the year 1860, in a small, beautiful town.

I was just a baby when my father died. The King was grateful to him for what he had done (I had absolutely no idea what, no one ever spoke of him) Since I didn't have a mother, he took me in, left me to grow with one of his most loyal servants, whom I guess you could call my mother.

She raised me, and sacrificed so much but I couldn't help feel as if something was missing. There were so many things I did not know about my life. And I never thought to ask before this.

I didn't like to look back at my past. Before I could stop my self, I grabbed a shawl and went out of my room. I took a lit torch from the wall and made my way down the staircase in the servants quarters which led me to a dark alley.
It was cold, and I found myself shivering.

Finally I came to the end of the alley and I crept under the archway which signaled the end of the castle grounds, hoping the guards wouldn't see me. I have never gotten caught, they're asleep most of the time anyway. As soon I set foot out of the grounds, I felt free as if a weight was lifted off me. I had to control the urge to run as far I could and never come back, but that would be wrong. After all Meredith had done for me, now when she needs me, I couldn't leave her.

After walking for a while, I reached a stream, with water so clear you could see right till the bottom. As I walked along it, the trees around me started to thicken until it was so dark, I could barely see anything even with the first lights of dawn breaking across the sky. Only the sound of the water guided me. Finally the trees thineed and I came to a large clearing. The stream had widened until it was a huge river and at the end of the clearing was a magnificent waterfall. Bubbling and roaring, uninterrupted, the splashing waters create a steady pattern of endless rhythm. Like a wall trying to block out the sounds of the world behind the waterfall, it roars louder and louder. The waterfall painted a scene so perfectly. One true picture perfect moment that I have captured many times before.

I sat down and dipped my feet into the water and threw my head back, as a light breeze caressed my skin. I cupped some water and splashed it onto my face feeling a chill spread across my body.

I tried to avoid looking at my reflection in the water but I couldn't help. In this faded cream coloured servants dress, I could see that I had lost so much of weight. The sleeves hung lose of my arms and the dress slid down my shoulders. My high cheekbones were flushed. Although I had a high nose and fair skin, I never really considered myself as pretty. The only thing I was contented with was my eyes, dark and big framed with thick lashes. My black hair flowed to my waist and curled slightly at the bottom.

I sighed thinking of all the work that lay ahead. Now that Meredith had fallen ill, I felt it to be my duty to take over her responsibilities. Meredith was a servant for the King's ward, Veronique Coleridge. Meredith never complained but I could see that she wasn't treated very well. None of us were. It was supposed to be my first day tomorrow.

I was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry and scream out. I've felt numb for so long, as if life had no meaning and I wanted out. But I couldn't, and I was so frustrated with myself. I've been doing the same things over and over for years. I've lived 19 years and I have not smiled genuinely since...since forever. I just wished that I'd catch some sort of break.

The only thing that kept me going was Meredith and well...this little thing that I had kept secret for so long now. I lifted my palm and place it just inches shy of the surface of the water. I took a deep breath and a ripple spread across the water and instantly all was still. The flowing water came to a stop and the silence was deafening. Even the waterfall froze in its place. I waved my other hand around in the air and thousands of leaves picked themselves off the ground and danced following my hand.

I started to feel dizzy and so before I passed out, I let everything go. The last thing I heard was the crash of the water on the rocks and the roar of the river.