Chapter 4: Something Hidden Beneath the Surface

From the crisp winter sun, it enveloped the room as soon as the door burst open. Its wind flew through the whole home turning the final flames of the fire to ash and stood in the doorway, the sun reflected the shadow of my aunt walk through the door. She kicked the door behind her with great force before moving towards the fire place holding massive logs cradled in her arms. Her gaze switched between the fire place and me emitting a wide smile across her face "Didn't expect to see you today Willow, considering the events of the day...speaking of which, you brought a friend?" she questioned her statement as her gaze wandered off from me and onto Alex who sat next to me. His posture stiffened slightly, a motion of not knowing how to react. "This is Alex, he's the new suitor," I told her trying to sound enthusiastic in my speech but instead just ended up sounding very sarcastic. She finished placing the logs into the fire before setting it a flame; she stood with great delicacy, wiping her hands in her skirt before waltzing over towards us both.

With her polite attitude, she welcomingly held out her hand for Alex to shake "Nice to meet you Alex, names Yvette," she shared her heart warming smile with him; I watched as his body relaxed from his stiff position and shake the hand back willingly including the smile. Yvette soon motioned onto me; she wrapped her arms around me with immense comfort and we held each other tightly for a long while before letting go. "Let me go get changed, then you can tell me everything between you guys and what's been going on lately, alright?" I nodded at her just as she departed for the spiral staircase. I looked to see Alex following her steps before looking back upon me "She seems nice," he complimented her just as I nodded "But please tell me we aren't performing as a couple who are actually taking this marriage thing seriously?" he slammed his eyes slightly at me hinting at the idea of worry. All I could do was laugh; I pushed myself up from the seat and headed towards the kitchen, he turned his body round to watch me through the gap in the wall which connected us from each other. "Trust me Alex, we definitely aren't doing that, she knows what I'm like and most importantly knows that I would never go through with another marriage situation, so don't worry, we aren't acting as we are a pair," at the end I couldn't help but shake my body at the thought of performing that scenario. "Alright good," Alex obviously shared the same relief as I did.

I took three glasses out from the cupboards and poured water in each of them before taking them back into the seating area neatly placing them down on the table which lay in front of us. I picked one up and handed it to Alex who took it without hesitation before picking up my own. His face just showed complete utter belief and shock to the nature he was seeing come from me. Thoughts running through my brain were how much he did see in princess nature because my nature certainly isn't part of his categories. I shared a small smile with him just as Yvette started to come back down the stairs. She was wearing her usual outfit; she wore her burgundy top covered by her fur jacket followed by her long skirt. She had blonde hair like me closely followed with the blue eyes but her hair was shorter and her eyes were lighter than my own. She made sure that her hair was clipped behind her head with only little strands falling down by her cheeks. If you compared her to my father you wouldn't actually think they were related.

She came and sat next in the chair across from the seat that I and Alex were sat in; she crossed her legs and sat back in the seat after picking up the water which I put on the table. "So I see that you two have gotten close, much closer than she has ever gotten to anyone beforehand," Yvette let the conversation thicken before it even actually had a good starting. I felt my cheeks actually heat up and it soon escalated all the way round my body; I lowered my head trying to hide the embarrassment. I wasn't entirely sure why I was embarrassed about her sentence because Alex was aware; at least I'm pretty sure he was, that I'd rejected every man my father put in front of me. Until a laugh was heard, I look to my side and see Alex laughing; I did a quick take between Yvette and Alex and just saw that they were both smiling. "We aren't actually taking it seriously, we both don't want to start anything between us," I lifted my head fully after Alex's words and looked towards Yvette "You got another escape there Willow, good for you," I let my body relax, smiling wildly at her. "Your father is probably going to kill you again you know that right?" I just shrugged pushing the matter away from me because it was old news not new.

For some reason, something felt off with Yvette. She always has a happy and light attitude, she always had something to say which would make peoples day. Right now though, she looked more tense than usual, having made sure that she was slouched in her seat, her fingers kept tapping on the glass which she was holding and her gaze was always looking down. Beyond that gaze I could see a faint expression of thinking. And she was thinking long and hard about something but what it was I couldn't and wouldn't be able to figure out? "Am I able to use the bathroom?" Alex piped out from the silence. Yvette immediately nodded answering "It's upstairs on the right," even her voice. It was so low and emotionless with no enthusiasm and light which was always present. Alex got up following her instructions carefully which left me alone with my aunt. I was afraid to ask if there was anything troubling her because I didn't know whether or not she would decide to tell me and I mean what if it is something personal which she doesn't want to discuss with me. I went ahead and asked anyways.

"Yvette...are you okay? You seem a bit down," Her gaze looked slightly up at me and now it was easier to identify the sorrow and sadness that she felt within herself. I watched her hesitation from her movements; that's when she decided to push herself out from the chair. Placing her glass down delicately on the table she made her way over to sit next to me. Her arm moved behind my back and she pulled me close into her chest; my whole body was held against her own, she would rub her hand up and down my arm as if she were trying to soothe me but was it really more for herself? I could hear her heart beat at a steady pace but the way it pumped it sounded as if she was dying to tell me something. "Willow has anything happened these past few days or possible weeks?" I stopped my thoughts from spiralling and lifted my head to look up at her "What do you mean?" Her eyes glistened towards me as I looked at her but it still didn't deny the desperation of secrecy. "As in anything unusual, something different..." I just shook my head at her, unsure with what she was trying to explain, in a way she was starting scare and worry me. "Yvette, why are you asking me this?" It was my time to ask questions.

"No reason Willow, forget I even mentioned it alright; just promise me you'll be safe..." I could hear the hesitation within my aunt's voice and I couldn't understand where she was going with all this talk. "Yvette what are you talking about? You're starting to scare me..." she pushed me up from the seat and turned me round to face her taking my hands into her own with our fingers intertwining with each other. I looked up at her deeply as she did the same towards me; her eyes were meaningful and serious and I knew that she wasn't joking about everything that she was saying "No promise me Willow, and when the time comes you won't be afraid, and know that I'll always be right here when you need me," I couldn't deny the fact that Yvette also seemed scared, the tone of worry was evident in her voice and her grip on me was tightening with each word she would say. "Okay...okay I promise," My voice wouldn't stop but stammer as I replied to her followed with a slight clench in my heart. Yvette pulled me close to her, wrapping her arms tightly around me and I couldn't help but do the same back with her words running through head repeatedly. Why did I need to be safe and what time will come which will make me afraid?

"Did I miss something?" immediately our bodies separated from each other; the reflexes in my hands moved to wipe the tear away from my face which I didn't even know was there before we both looked upon Alex who stood there confused at the scene. "No, you didn't miss anything," Yvette spoke for me because I couldn't find the words to talk. She took the glasses off the table in front of us and headed for the kitchen "You'd better get going Willow, it's getting dark and my brother will start wondering where you are," I nodded at my aunt before pushing myself off the seat. I headed back towards the door just as Alex grabbed my coat handing it over to me. He opened the door and left straight back out into the crisp wind. But I didn't move from my spot, my eyes wandered back over to Yvette as all she did was nod at me. Sighing heavily, I walked back out through the snow and caught up with Alex.

We didn't speak at all the whole walk back to the castle and I wasn't being very secretive about it either. I was walking a little further ahead of him because that's what happens when all I can hear is my aunt's voice screaming in my head. I looked on ahead and noticed my father standing between the doors to the castle speaking with the guards; his head turned around a bit frantically I must say until it landed on me. His expression changed from worry to anger and his eyes were pierced into me hard and I knew what he was thinking. It changed automatically though because of this soft texture intertwined within my hand. I looked to my side and saw Alex standing there; he gave me a genuine smile before whispering into my ear "I won't let you take the fall from your father," I pulled away slowly and actually put a wide smile on my face when I looked at him "Thank you." I looked back up to my father whose expression no longer wore anger but more relief to my actions, or in this case Alex's actions.

His conversation ended with the guards and he headed back inside so I and Alex's separated our hands from each other. "Thank you for doing that for me," I turned and faced Alex; he shrugged it off her shoulders and didn't let that bother him. "You deserved it Willow, especially after today. I don't know what happened at your aunt's place but I could tell that it upset you or at least that, and I didn't want anything to make you feel worse," he came in towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I stood there frozen in my spot not really understanding how I should be reacting. Slowly, but surely, my arms made their way around him as I hugged him back. We pulled away immediately and I pushed my hair behind my ear "See you later Alex," he nodded as I headed back inside the castle. I took my coat off as I walked through the halls and as I cut the corner to the hallway of my room I crashed right into my sister, Corinne, "Where the hell have you been?!"