Here is my scene that inspired the Silent Communication Contest. You can read about the rules and how to enter
here.
It's a long scene (apparantly I can't post short ones!) from my novel "The Faery's Tale: Part One". Hopefully it works well since during this rewrite, this part was added fresh - so it's the first draft for this scene.
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Cadmus watched Bel run away and wondered what he had done wrong. He went over to the buffet table and poured himself a drink. He did not understand what had just happened. He replayed the night over in his mind. They shared whispers over dinner. He was willing to admit that her breath on his ear caused tingles down his spine. They danced but he tried not to get too close or hold her too tightly. She seemed to be having fun. He got lost in her eyes as they danced. He asked her to go on a walk because he wanted to stay in the mood. The melancholoy music and greyed under water world depressed him but in her eyes he saw brightness and color.
What made her skin pale and her eyes widen in fear? She could have simply said no. Yes, he would have been dissappointed but he would not push the issue. It was just a walk.
He looked across the room to where Drache and Rosyani stood, their head tilted toward each other in coversation. They were never outwardly affectionate toward one another but he could see the passion between them. Drache noticed him and raised his glass. Cadmus raised his in return.
He sighed and strolled out of the great hall. Without someone to talk to, he had no desire to stay at the celebration. He returned to their wing in the castle and wondered where Bel was hiding. He poked his head into Drache's room. Karina was sleeping peacefully on the bed and Sari dozed in the chair. He smiled and quietly shut the door.
He turned around and noticed Bel's bedroom door was cracked open. He put his ear up to the door and froze before he knocked. He could hear Bel's choking sobs. What had he done to make her cry?
Should he go in and make sure she is all right or leave her in peace? He stood there for a few moments trying to decide. He felt awful for making her cry, even though he was not sure of the reason. He finally decided to check on her. He could not stand to hear her choke on her tears.
She whirled around with a gasp when he stepped into the room. "Prince! I'm so sorry! I'll come back to the celebration, I just need a minute."
He shook his head.
"What? But I just...left you there!"
"I don't care about that, Princess. I was only worried about you."
Bel turned away from him and put her head in her hands. Cadmus shut the door and sat down in the chair. He leaned forward and held her shaking hands in his. Unsure of what to say, he merely sat and held her hands. He thought to hug her but was certain she would reject the affection. He tried to look her in he eye, to search for what pain he may have caused. Her eyes darted about the room as she tried to control her emotions. She took her hands from his and wiped at the tears that did not seem to stop flowing.
He noticed her eyes had changed. In the soft light that came through the window, he saw that her normally pale blue eyes had turned to a stormy hue. Her full lips, usually set in a small smile, worried between her teeth. He felt distanced from her wondering what he could do to calm her. With no knowledge of what he had done to cause her to break down in the first place, he was at a loss at what to do.
Her hands gripped the edge of the bed as if she would float away if she did not hold on to something. She rocked back and forth, shaking her head. Her eyes would shut tightly, like she was trying to blot out a memory.
He laced his fingers in hers and moved to sit next to her on the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut and moved back as if she was expecting him to hit her. He quickly sat back down in the chair but kept hold of her hands. His face must have showed his confusion for she took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.
He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb to say it was all right but she shook her head in disagreement.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took another deep breath. "It was my twenty-first birthday. My Mother threw a ball to celebreate. I danced with only one faery - Tenier, Duke of Barque." Her eyes looked far away as she whispered her story. "He was the most powerful faery in the kingdom after my brother. I was so taken with him. He was older by fifteen years. He knew so much. I was entranced when he spoke. I wanted to learn everything he knew." She paused and Cadmus feared what she was going to stay next. Already his mind had a whirlwind of horrible possibilities. "The night of the ball he..."
Cadmus squeezed her hand. He did not want her to feel she had to explain anything to him. He was not embarassed or angered that she left him on the dance floor or about the celebration. He only wished to make the choking sobs stop, to end her pain.
She nodded. "He asked me to go for a walk. Of course, I said yes. So stupid! He asked me to be his wife. Without warning, all of a sudden, he just asked. I wasn't ready to settle down. He got so angry! Said he had been waiting to have me and that he was going to have me regardless." Her voice cracked but she continued, the words tumbling from her mouth. "He drug me to the bushes, ripped my dress. I couldn't even scream! He was trying to...his hands were all over...I said no but he didn't stop!"
She put her fists against her head. Cadmus sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She clung to his shirt and sobbed hysterically into his chest. He smoothed her hair and noticed that his own hands shook with rage. He was ashamed to be a male. He could not understand how any one would do such a thing. His brain quickly filled with visions to hunt down Tenier and kill him as slowly as possible. Cadmus never leaned toward violence but in this situation, he was more than willing to make an exeption. Tenier needed to suffer for a long time for what he had done.
He forced her to look at him. He brushed her hair away from her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She was beautiful, even when she was upset. "Princess, I..." He was not sure how to phrase what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to save her, protect her, comfort her - but how? He could not put his feelings into words and stuttered to find the right ones.
"He's never going to hurt you again," he whispered. She shook her head wildly, apparantly not believing his words. The tears flowed again and she looked down at her trembling hands.
"He's dead."
Cadmus was a little dissapointed. Tenier needed to suffer. He hoped the faery's death was a slow and agonizing one. She repeated the statment in a whisper so soft, he was not sure she actually said it. Something in her body language made the gears in his head start to turn. After a horrifying experience of someone taking advantage of her, she still allowed him to hug her, be close to her - why? Was there a hidden meaning in her words? He began to think that she caused the faery's death. He shook his head. Surely a faery as meek and gentle as her could not kill another - could she?
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked back and forth. Their eyes locked and for a few moments her body stilled. Her eyes said it all. Cadmus's body stiffened as her silent words filtered through his rage filled brain. His mind threw different scenearios at him of all the ways she could have done it, but he never expected the words she said next.
"The knife from his belt. Before he..." The tears starting flowing again and she angrily wiped them away.
All the pieces fell into place. He could clearly see the scene in his head. Her fear, fighting him, and the knife her only saving grace to protect her innosence. She was not to blame but he could tell that she felt shame and guilt over it. She did what she had to do, to survive, to protect herself.
He reached out and gripped her chin, forcing to her eyes to gaze into his.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He may have been a horrible being, but what I did was wrong," she whispered.
"No."
She looked at him in shock. She honestly thought he was going to hate her for what she did. He could not believe it. It pained him to know that she had lost a bit of herself anyway. That in trying to save her innocense, she lost it at the same time. How is that justice?
He hated that she had to live with the thought that she took another creature's life for the rest of hers. He was certain it would haunt her forever. He wished he could lesson the pain of it, even just a tiny bit for her. It was not fair that she had to deal with so much pain.
He tucked her hair behind her ears and was glad to see the stormyness in her eyes slowly fade away. He knew that talking about a painful experience can be theraputic, but actually seeing it happen surprised him. She looked lost now as if she did not know where to go next.
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I didn't post the whole scene as there is more, but I didn't want to make you read forever! Hope you like it! I want to see what you can come up with so go learn about the
Silent Communication Contest!
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Anastasia is an author of High Fantasy novels enchanting adults to remember their imagination isn't gone just because they grew up.