Amelia stood thinking that her son had just had a birthday that she missed. She thought about what he looked like now that he was a young man. She knew he looked a lot like his father before he aged up, only to imagine that he was more like him now. How she longed to just see him if only for a brief moment.
Annabell was a beautiful young woman that resembled her mother. Annabell got to experience things that her mother was not allowed to do at her age. Annabell still thought about the horrible things that had happened to her when she was younger but tried to erase the images out of her mind. The dungeon and banishment were now replaced with quiet horseback rides and playing in the forest.
Annabell walked into the room to find her cute little brother cooing at her from his basket. Reaching down, Annabell picked little Jamie up into her arms. Amelia didn't realize she was pregnant when she was kicked out of the castle with Annabell.
Annabell's mom had named her little brother Jamie in honor of her late husband, James. Annabell could see several features of her father in Jamie's tiny little face, but it was clear that Jamie had his mom's eyes like hers. He was even cursed like her and her mother. Jamie brought joy to both of their lives, but there was an empty hole that remained from Arthur being ripped from them and her father's death.
Annabell adored her little brother; she helped her mom a lot with little Jamie. He was a really good baby, only crying when hungry. Annabell felt close to her little brother, knowing that he was just like her. Their skin the same, their eyes a golden brown like their mother.
Amelia enjoyed the simple life away from being escorted by ladies to having nurses to care for her babies. She got to enjoy stuff she had never got to do with Arthur and Annabell.
Amelia tucked Jamie into his basket, seeing he was tired. She was getting ready to tell Annabell what she needed her to gather when she went out.
At night when everyone was slumbering in their beds at night, Annabell would head to the woods to gather fruits and vegetables. She even did some hunting to help put food on the table. She came across a strange-looking fruit or vegetable, not really knowing what it was. She had never seen it before and could resist not picking it. "I will check it out later," she thought as she placed it in her bag.
She always enjoyed the night time, she had time to think. It was pleasant, the cool air with only the insects chirps to fill the air.
As Annabell had just finished picking the last apple, she heard a noise behind her. She stood frozen, knowing someone was looking right at her. She didn't want to turn around, fearing that she had been discovered by her grandmother. She didn't fear for her life, knowing she could take down anybody that stood as a threat against her if it wasn't her grandmother's army.
"What do you want?' she asked, not even turning around to see who stood silently behind her. Then a voice broke the silence, "Hi, my name is Nolan; I have noticed that for many nights you have come here, I know what you are, and you need not fear me," he told her.
Annabell turned to see a young handsome man standing before her. His eyes deep green, and his smile could melt anyone. But she knew not to trust his looks, he still could be lying to her. She was unsure what his intentions were, but she was willing to listen as she kept her guard up.
He stared into her golden eyes as her skin glowed in the moonlight. Her beauty was breathtaking. He had only seen her from a distance, with curious eyes. He knew he could help her. He knew her past and what had happened to her family, truly a really sad story for anyone to hear.
"Are you not afraid of me?" Annabell asked. "Why would I be afraid of you? I knew of your family before your father died, and your grandmother split you up. We all thought that she killed you and your mom when you guys disappeared without a trace, until now," Nolan explained. "My grandfather is a nice man; he freed my mother and me before she could do anything to us," Annabell said.
"I know you are really bitter from it all and that the queen, your grandmother is an evil person that I, along with others, would love to see fall to her own demise, Nolan told her. "What does that have to do with me?" Annabell asked, now curious where he was going with this.
"I think with my help, we can reunite you with your family and restoring you to your rightful place. "I could never do harm to someone," she said. "If you just think about all the things that she has done to your mother, your father, you and your brother, it should give you the strength to do what is necessary," he told her. "Meet me here tomorrow night if you want me to help you. I'll wait here for you," he told her.
The next night she went to the same spot they had met before. Nolan leads her to his house hidden in the woods where no one would think to look. He wanted to show her a bit of what he had learned over the years. He kept this secret from everyone in fear that the higher courts would use him for his knowledge. He stood before a big pot made of metal, with a fire the burned from below. He added several things from his shelves and began to pour them into the pot. A pretty pink mist rose from the pot as he swirled it with his hands. Taking a deep breath in, he scooped up the potion and placed it into a bottle. "This will give you energy next time you get tired," he told her as he handed the tiny bottle to her.
Next, they sat down at a table with a large glass globe situated on a metal stand. He picked it up and began to mutter a few words that she didn't understand. Annabell watched in amazement as the glass ball began to glow. "I can see some images of you in the future, "he added. "You will do great things," he started as Annabell let out a gasp of amazement.
He leads her back downstairs to a wooden stand that held a big book that looked old and tethered. He opened it and began to scroll through the pages.
Annabell walked over and peered over his shoulder to see what he was reading. "It's really simple, but you have to make sure you do them right, or it could backfire on you. "I'll teach you some things that will help you. I can make you very powerful if you want to learn," he told her.
"I would love to learn," she said with excitement as he stood aside to let her look at the book's words close up. "Just don't recite them out loud until I teach you what they mean," he made sure to instruct her.
She grabbed her bag and pulled out the strange fruit that she had found in the woods the night before. "Do you recognize this fruit," she asked as she handed him the red, almost glowing fruit. "No, I've not seen this type of fruit before, but we could look through my spellbook and see if it says anything about it. Let's also check to see if we can find a way to allow you to walk in the sunlight."
