Love can often surprise us. I know that it has surprised me many times. Luckily those surprises in love lead to great things and happiness you would never expect. I would not be writing this story if not for the love I have found. This is just one more way to celebrate it. I hope you enjoy.
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That night Amber dreamed of him. She dreamed that they were in a room she had never seen before and, somehow, she knew that it was her room. She saw him walk around the room as if it belonged to him, as if it had always belonged to him. He reached into a small chest. She knew that chest, it was the one where she kept all of her most personal possessions; possessions that she had saved from her life before the palace. Nothing in there was very valuable, but each and every item had some important meaning associated with her; each item was a memorial to a piece of her past. She could not see what he grabbed from there, but she knew she must not let him have it. She ran to him only to realize that she could not catch him; she could not touch him.
She awoke to find herself lying in her bed. She was wearing her normal pajamas. She began wondering whether she had dreamed all of the things that had happened to her the previous night. Her body ached and she felt sore in many places that she had never felt sore before. This was more than enough proof that last night had in fact happened, but she had no idea how she had gotten here.
She felt a pang of loneliness when she realized that he was not going to be there. That he must have had her brought there. She suddenly remembered her dream and forced herself out of bed. She opened her chest. She looked inside of it and saw her father's locket remained, as did the silver chain, the letter, and the pendant. She sighed with relief, at least that much had been a dream.
She then demanded her body to stand. She went to the bath to clean her aching body. Hardly anyone was there this morning and she was glad of it. She needed the privacy today. The water felt as though it were wrapping around her and providing comfort she didn't know she needed. She had always liked coming here whenever something was upsetting her. Nothing seemed to soothe her as the soft caresses of the warm water over her skin. The hot spring that provided the water for the bath was one of the reasons the palace had been built here. It was one of the few things that she truly loved about the palace. She knew no amount of time here could cure her of the pain and trepidation she now felt, but it was a welcome relief if only a temporary one.
After finishing her bath she headed back to her dormitory. As Amber walked she realized that she was not going to have a uniform to dress in as hers had been torn to pieces the previous night. She went to her wardrobe to decide what she was going to where and found to her great bewilderment that her uniform was hanging intact. She once again wondered if all the things that had occurred last night had been merely a figment of her imagination. Knowing that it was not possible for her to have cooked up the experience she could only stop and stare.
After she dressed she started heading towards the dining hall. Amber did not notice that everyone passing whispered when they saw her. She was lost in thought. She knew that he must have done this too, but she didn't know how it was possible. She didn't know how she could have slept so soundly after what he had done. She knew it should not have been possible, but then here she was walking without realizing where she was going.
It wasn't until Amber had arrived at the dining hall and saw Marissa sitting at their usual table that she remembered where she was. She went to join her, trying to look as though nothing was wrong. Instead, Amber looked as though she did not think that anything happening to her right now was real.
"What happened to you last night? I didn't see you at dinner and neither did anyone else. I was worried that something had happened to you," Marissa rattled off with obvious anxiety.
Marissa had always been protective of Amber. It had always seemed odd to Amber that she should be so protective when they were both nearly the same age. Marissa was a little shorter than Amber and self described as much more intimidating. Marissa had thought that Amber needed to be protected since the first time she saw the soft lines of her face. She didn't think that anyone with a face that had such a serene look of tenderness should be allowed to be hurt by anyone. Marissa would fight for her shy friend any time she needed her too even if it was unsolicited.
"I'm all right," Amber said with obvious effort.
"You certainly don't look all right. You look as though you've been up all night. What happened?" Marissa asked this question with a hint of iron in her voice. She was not letting this go.
"I, I will tell you later," Amber said as she looked away from her. Marissa could hear obvious pain in her voice, "Please, just let me pretend that things everything is all right for now. I will tell you afterward."
Marissa stared at her friend. She had never seen her quite like this before. Amber had always been sensitive and Marissa had seen her hurt before, but this was different. The pain that Marissa knew that Amber must be feeling was much greater than anything she had ever witnessed before. Marissa understood she could not help Amber right now, but she felt a great hatred growing inside of her. That hatred was directed at whoever had done this to Amber.
"All right," she said sharply, "but don't think that I will forget."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Amber said with a soft smile. A smile that told Marissa how much their friendship meant to her. She then went on to say, "So, catch me up on the latest gossip."
