A Lonely Lily in the Valley
Created January 20, 2010 – Revised July 30, 2012
“I love Blake so much. Do you think we'll be together forever? ” As I stared out the wide expanse of green fields of lilies, Alice whispered, “ I don't know, only time will tell.”
Alice and Ceci were the best of friends, until Alice disappears from the Lily of the Valley and reappears at the Phantom Lord Matt's castle. These two best friends and eight other girls will be competing to win Lord Matt's heart, to become his queen. The lucky girl who is chosen, gets three wishes granted and to be loved by his lord forever. However, this lord has some secrets of his, he won't tell (He's the King's brother, a fallen angel, and he has some pretty nasty company he keeps). But why would Ceci participate in this competition, she has Blake who loves her and she loves him. It seems that the beautiful Lily of the Valley may not be safe from the Phantom Lord unless someone wishes it so.
I was waiting for Alice, but she still wasn't here. An hour had already passed by. We were going to pick lilies together. I was so zoned out as I wondered why she was late, that I didn't notice the rider on a horse. I suddenly realized this stranger was too close and was too stunned to run away. He had the most mesmerizing golden eyes, like melted honey on a warm summer day.
“Hello,” said the man with golden eyes. His smile almost radiated the sun's warm rays. All of a sudden, he grabbed me by the waist, and I shrieked. Amusement flickered over his face, and he spoke in a low tone, “ I was hoping that you would be able to help me on a simple matter at my castle. And whether you agree or not, you will be coming with me.”
My face flushed as he pulled me onto the saddle while still holding my waist. This stranger was going to drag me back to wherever his home was and possibly murder me after he was finished whatever he had to do. This adrenaline rush and fear inside me, suddenly started thrashing and kicking, trying to get away from this man. But his strong hand on my waist moved to my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “If you continue to struggle against me, you are going to fall off and possibly break your legs. So I advise you to stay still.”
Shivers creeped down my back, whether from fear or the way his voice tickled my insides, I did not know. I turned still as a board, while the man set off to “his castle.” We passed by many fields of lilies, and even the sight of them, could not calm my nerves down enough for fear of what might happen when we reach our destination.
When I set eyes on the man's castle, I was literally shocked. It really was a castle within the Lily Valley. This was the rumoured castle of the Phantom Lord. The one Lord that never appeared at the social gatherings or the King's banquet, where the most prestigious men and women all over the country get to see the King once a year. (Alice's father and mother are high class people, so they are invited to this event every year)
The man set me down on the ground and jumped off his horse. An ugly man with horns on his head appeared and took the horse away to the stables. I gasped when I saw him, but the ugly man only turned away and walked off. The man with the golden eyes smiled at me, a heart-warming smile said, “Bet you didn't know that demons work for me.” I was shocked because I never knew that they existed. I thought they only existed in books and bibles to scare humans into being good.
The man with the golden eyes walked into the castle and I followed. Inside was a ground hall with a beautiful grand staircase. I saw several beautiful women, all poised and graceful, however when they glared at me, their faces twisted into something sinister, like they wanted to strangle me. I quickly averted my eyes and followed the man. We walked up the stairs and down a dark hallway and gestured for me to follow. There seemed to be a hundred rooms in this castle, we walked up more stairs until I believe we were on the fifth floor. This floor was beautiful, the walls were decorated like a palace from the Renaissance. One could overlook the balcony, into the great hall where the grand staircase was. When the man unlocked one of the doors, the one beside a beautiful large door, he walked in. I followed him, seeing as he hadn't done anything hugely dishonourable to me yet, other than drag me away from my home forcefully, he seemed safe.
“This is your room, “ he said, “Feel free to do whatever you want with this room, a maid will be quickly up to help you dress before the banquet tonight. See you later!” He left in a hurry and shut the door.
A maid entered right after he left and introduced herself quickly. Her name was Dinah, and she was a really efficient maid. She created a bath for me, and she warned me not to soak in it for more than 20 minutes so that my skin wouldn't become all wrinkly. While I was soaking in the bath wondering what the man had meant by the banquet tonight, I didn't know I had come to this castle to attend a banquet. By the time I was out of the bath, Dinah has already chosen a lavendar gown with matching accessories and shoes.
After I put the outfit on, Dinah brushed on my make-up. I asked Dinah about what she knew about the man who had brought me here, and she had nothing but nice things to say about him. He had taken Dinah in, when she was only ten years old. He had given her a home and job here, and she could not thank him enough because she would have died of starvation by now without his kindness. My heart warmed a little as I heard these things about the man. He was a kind soul, and he had given a young girl like Dinah, a chance to live in a world filled with poverty.
I had never had anyone take care of me in this fashion. My family wasn't rich or influential like Alice's, so I had never been pampered like this. By the time Dinah was finished with everything, we still had half an hour to spare before the banquet began. I profusely thanked and praised Dinah on everything, and she smiled, a tiny sweet child-like smile. Dinah helped me down the stairs to head for the Banquet hall to socialize with others.
There were only two girls in the Grand Hall, and none of them were glaring at me like the beautiful women this morning. They were friendly and greeted us sweetly. One of them was the maid, dressed in her usual attire, and the other girl was dressed in pink. Though she looked like a sweet little girl in her attire, she was actually 18 years old. I was shocked cause she was a year older than me, but she looked younger than me. We made chit chat and slowly the Grand Hall began to fill with other girls. When we were heading into the Banquet Hall, there were six of us already in the Grand Hall, and everyone had dressed in a different colour. Lola Wynne, the sweet one, was swathed in pink, Vera, the smart one, was wearing a yellow dress, Elsie, the funny one, was swathed in green, Rania, the athletic one, swathed in brown, and Violeta, the artistic one, dressed in black.
As the grandfather clock struck 5 o'clock, and the five bells chimed, I was walking slowly up the grand staircase to Lord Matt's room. I approached the doors, and an ugly demon manservant appeared and opened the doors. The whole room had been changed. The bed and sheets and curtains looked like they were made of lush red velvet, rather than soft white cotton. The floor was covered by red carpet, instead of the usual plush pink carpet. The walls and ceilings were a soft olive green. The manservant lightly pushed me into the room and pointed at a door I hadn't seen because it blended in with the rest of the wall. The manservant closed the door silently, and I heard his shoes click away. I looked around, breathing in Lord Matt's smell, envisioning his being inhabiting the room. I walked slowly towards the door and found that a there were stairs leading down. The candlelight flickered as I walked downwards to the mysterious Lord Matt.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, my breath was caught in my throat. My eyes saw the most elegant layout of a table for two. A white lacy tablecloth and napkins was lain beside the silverware and wine goblet on either side. A few small and large candlesticks were all around the table and on it, casting the room into a warm, comforting glow. The room felt surprisingly warm and was filled with romantic music that softly flowed around the room into my ears. A bottle of red wine sat on the middle of the table beside a large beautiful White Lily.
I finally noticed another presence in the room. I turned around quickly, and saw Lord Matt, standing beside another door that had not come from his room. He smiled warmly at me, as if I were a precious person, that he loved all his life. He held out his hand, and I accepted it. We danced and swayed to the music for a while. Just being held by him, felt comforting and safe, something I hadn't felt in a while, since being in Blake's arms. We eventually sat down, and his manservants came out of nowhere, with two silver platters, stuffed with soups, meat, cheeses, vegetables and fruit. It was amazing how much food could be placed on such small platters. I ate until I was full because I felt at peace, not being afraid that the other maidens may attack me or fearing what would happen if Matt had not chosen me to be his wife. I loved him so, and if he had not chosen me, I would not have known how to live the rest of my life, knowing that I needed to be around him. I was a lily that needed his attention, to be cared for by him.
When the silver platters were whisked away, we began to drink the wine that was on the table. I had never drunk wine and had never wanted to. But that first sip tasted so fruity, like spicy juice. It was sweet, spicy, and it burned down my throat like warm fire that did not scald me. After that, I dared not to drink anymore of the wine. I knew that temptation could taint even the innocent and drag them to regret later, so I would not dare allow myself to destroy the perfect love I held with Matt right now. As I got up from the table, Matt held out his hand, and I took it. He lead me up the stairs, and I followed, like a lovesick fool.
When we got to his room, we walked out his bedroom and continued down the grand staircase. One of the manservants at the main door, took out a large key and turned the lock. He then handed the key to Matt and opened the doors for us to leave the castle. I took in that breath of fresh air and tried not to look surprised. We walked for about five minutes, to a small clearing with grass. The sun still shone in the evening, and I was looking out into the Lily Valley. It took my breath away as I drank in the view. I felt like it was impossible because I thought I would never see my home again.
My shocked expression must have been a good sign to Matt because he gave me his warmest smile and gestured at the Lily Valley.
“My dearest Ceci, this is my gift to you. The most beautiful view I could find, and the freedom to come here whenever you please,” Matt said as he smiled into my eyes.
This sudden burden, felt like a light weight on heart. He loved me as deeply as I loved him, and he had granted me something I yearned for, freedom. I could never have dreamed that such trust and love, could feel so comforting.
“I love Blake so much. Do you think we'll be together forever? ” As I stared out the wide expanse of green fields of lilies, Alice whispered, “ I don't know, only time will tell.”
Alice and Ceci were the best of friends, until Alice disappears from the Lily of the Valley and reappears at the Phantom Lord Matt's castle. These two best friends and eight other girls will be competing to win Lord Matt's heart, to become his queen. The lucky girl who is chosen, gets three wishes granted and to be loved by his lord forever. However, this lord has some secrets of his, he won't tell (He's the King's brother, a fallen angel, and he has some pretty nasty company he keeps). But why would Ceci participate in this competition, she has Blake who loves her and she loves him. It seems that the beautiful Lily of the Valley may not be safe from the Phantom Lord unless someone wishes it so.
I was waiting for Alice, but she still wasn't here. An hour had already passed by. We were going to pick lilies together. I was so zoned out as I wondered why she was late, that I didn't notice the rider on a horse. I suddenly realized this stranger was too close and was too stunned to run away. He had the most mesmerizing golden eyes, like melted honey on a warm summer day.
“Hello,” said the man with golden eyes. His smile almost radiated the sun's warm rays. All of a sudden, he grabbed me by the waist, and I shrieked. Amusement flickered over his face, and he spoke in a low tone, “ I was hoping that you would be able to help me on a simple matter at my castle. And whether you agree or not, you will be coming with me.”
My face flushed as he pulled me onto the saddle while still holding my waist. This stranger was going to drag me back to wherever his home was and possibly murder me after he was finished whatever he had to do. This adrenaline rush and fear inside me, suddenly started thrashing and kicking, trying to get away from this man. But his strong hand on my waist moved to my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “If you continue to struggle against me, you are going to fall off and possibly break your legs. So I advise you to stay still.”
Shivers creeped down my back, whether from fear or the way his voice tickled my insides, I did not know. I turned still as a board, while the man set off to “his castle.” We passed by many fields of lilies, and even the sight of them, could not calm my nerves down enough for fear of what might happen when we reach our destination.
When I set eyes on the man's castle, I was literally shocked. It really was a castle within the Lily Valley. This was the rumoured castle of the Phantom Lord. The one Lord that never appeared at the social gatherings or the King's banquet, where the most prestigious men and women all over the country get to see the King once a year. (Alice's father and mother are high class people, so they are invited to this event every year)
The man set me down on the ground and jumped off his horse. An ugly man with horns on his head appeared and took the horse away to the stables. I gasped when I saw him, but the ugly man only turned away and walked off. The man with the golden eyes smiled at me, a heart-warming smile said, “Bet you didn't know that demons work for me.” I was shocked because I never knew that they existed. I thought they only existed in books and bibles to scare humans into being good.
The man with the golden eyes walked into the castle and I followed. Inside was a ground hall with a beautiful grand staircase. I saw several beautiful women, all poised and graceful, however when they glared at me, their faces twisted into something sinister, like they wanted to strangle me. I quickly averted my eyes and followed the man. We walked up the stairs and down a dark hallway and gestured for me to follow. There seemed to be a hundred rooms in this castle, we walked up more stairs until I believe we were on the fifth floor. This floor was beautiful, the walls were decorated like a palace from the Renaissance. One could overlook the balcony, into the great hall where the grand staircase was. When the man unlocked one of the doors, the one beside a beautiful large door, he walked in. I followed him, seeing as he hadn't done anything hugely dishonourable to me yet, other than drag me away from my home forcefully, he seemed safe.
“This is your room, “ he said, “Feel free to do whatever you want with this room, a maid will be quickly up to help you dress before the banquet tonight. See you later!” He left in a hurry and shut the door.
A maid entered right after he left and introduced herself quickly. Her name was Dinah, and she was a really efficient maid. She created a bath for me, and she warned me not to soak in it for more than 20 minutes so that my skin wouldn't become all wrinkly. While I was soaking in the bath wondering what the man had meant by the banquet tonight, I didn't know I had come to this castle to attend a banquet. By the time I was out of the bath, Dinah has already chosen a lavendar gown with matching accessories and shoes.
After I put the outfit on, Dinah brushed on my make-up. I asked Dinah about what she knew about the man who had brought me here, and she had nothing but nice things to say about him. He had taken Dinah in, when she was only ten years old. He had given her a home and job here, and she could not thank him enough because she would have died of starvation by now without his kindness. My heart warmed a little as I heard these things about the man. He was a kind soul, and he had given a young girl like Dinah, a chance to live in a world filled with poverty.
I had never had anyone take care of me in this fashion. My family wasn't rich or influential like Alice's, so I had never been pampered like this. By the time Dinah was finished with everything, we still had half an hour to spare before the banquet began. I profusely thanked and praised Dinah on everything, and she smiled, a tiny sweet child-like smile. Dinah helped me down the stairs to head for the Banquet hall to socialize with others.
There were only two girls in the Grand Hall, and none of them were glaring at me like the beautiful women this morning. They were friendly and greeted us sweetly. One of them was the maid, dressed in her usual attire, and the other girl was dressed in pink. Though she looked like a sweet little girl in her attire, she was actually 18 years old. I was shocked cause she was a year older than me, but she looked younger than me. We made chit chat and slowly the Grand Hall began to fill with other girls. When we were heading into the Banquet Hall, there were six of us already in the Grand Hall, and everyone had dressed in a different colour. Lola Wynne, the sweet one, was swathed in pink, Vera, the smart one, was wearing a yellow dress, Elsie, the funny one, was swathed in green, Rania, the athletic one, swathed in brown, and Violeta, the artistic one, dressed in black.
As the grandfather clock struck 5 o'clock, and the five bells chimed, I was walking slowly up the grand staircase to Lord Matt's room. I approached the doors, and an ugly demon manservant appeared and opened the doors. The whole room had been changed. The bed and sheets and curtains looked like they were made of lush red velvet, rather than soft white cotton. The floor was covered by red carpet, instead of the usual plush pink carpet. The walls and ceilings were a soft olive green. The manservant lightly pushed me into the room and pointed at a door I hadn't seen because it blended in with the rest of the wall. The manservant closed the door silently, and I heard his shoes click away. I looked around, breathing in Lord Matt's smell, envisioning his being inhabiting the room. I walked slowly towards the door and found that a there were stairs leading down. The candlelight flickered as I walked downwards to the mysterious Lord Matt.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, my breath was caught in my throat. My eyes saw the most elegant layout of a table for two. A white lacy tablecloth and napkins was lain beside the silverware and wine goblet on either side. A few small and large candlesticks were all around the table and on it, casting the room into a warm, comforting glow. The room felt surprisingly warm and was filled with romantic music that softly flowed around the room into my ears. A bottle of red wine sat on the middle of the table beside a large beautiful White Lily.
I finally noticed another presence in the room. I turned around quickly, and saw Lord Matt, standing beside another door that had not come from his room. He smiled warmly at me, as if I were a precious person, that he loved all his life. He held out his hand, and I accepted it. We danced and swayed to the music for a while. Just being held by him, felt comforting and safe, something I hadn't felt in a while, since being in Blake's arms. We eventually sat down, and his manservants came out of nowhere, with two silver platters, stuffed with soups, meat, cheeses, vegetables and fruit. It was amazing how much food could be placed on such small platters. I ate until I was full because I felt at peace, not being afraid that the other maidens may attack me or fearing what would happen if Matt had not chosen me to be his wife. I loved him so, and if he had not chosen me, I would not have known how to live the rest of my life, knowing that I needed to be around him. I was a lily that needed his attention, to be cared for by him.
When the silver platters were whisked away, we began to drink the wine that was on the table. I had never drunk wine and had never wanted to. But that first sip tasted so fruity, like spicy juice. It was sweet, spicy, and it burned down my throat like warm fire that did not scald me. After that, I dared not to drink anymore of the wine. I knew that temptation could taint even the innocent and drag them to regret later, so I would not dare allow myself to destroy the perfect love I held with Matt right now. As I got up from the table, Matt held out his hand, and I took it. He lead me up the stairs, and I followed, like a lovesick fool.
When we got to his room, we walked out his bedroom and continued down the grand staircase. One of the manservants at the main door, took out a large key and turned the lock. He then handed the key to Matt and opened the doors for us to leave the castle. I took in that breath of fresh air and tried not to look surprised. We walked for about five minutes, to a small clearing with grass. The sun still shone in the evening, and I was looking out into the Lily Valley. It took my breath away as I drank in the view. I felt like it was impossible because I thought I would never see my home again.
My shocked expression must have been a good sign to Matt because he gave me his warmest smile and gestured at the Lily Valley.
“My dearest Ceci, this is my gift to you. The most beautiful view I could find, and the freedom to come here whenever you please,” Matt said as he smiled into my eyes.
This sudden burden, felt like a light weight on heart. He loved me as deeply as I loved him, and he had granted me something I yearned for, freedom. I could never have dreamed that such trust and love, could feel so comforting.