The Necklace

Author's Note: Some would say it would be a risky move to put quotes as my story summary, but I felt that it was the best way to describe my main characters' relationship. This story is set in the late 1400's in a universe/kingdom that I (somewhat) made up. I don't own Volterra or any of the characters since this is just a fanfiction. The ideas, however, are all mine. The dialect is mostly modern. I think it's extremely hard to write in Middle English and to read it is a different story. Therefore I'm writing them to speak like we would today. This will undoubtedly be a wild ride. Jacob is a stableboy and Bella is the daughter of a wealthy lord. It's not going to be easy, but remember the promise I made for you all. I always write happy endings somehow. Their love will be beautiful. Please enjoy and leave a comment for me to read at the end :)

Summary: "We could live in a little fishing village off the coast where no one would know our names or who we once were," he whispers to me softly, stroking the side of my face gently. "Titles wouldn't matter. All that would matter would be us, and our love. Just say the word and we'll go. I'll be yours forever and you'll be mine." (AU/AH, J/B, set in the late 1400s.)

Chapter One: Stableboys and Wildflowers

A sunny day here is somewhat hard to come by. It's nearing the warming spring weather and the breezes are still borderline chilly. The wispy clouds in the sky roll through the open blue, tumbling past the shimmering sun. The winter is still lingering on the cusp of my town's edge. This place is best known for its rain, and grayish tinted skies.

I sit in my room and stare out through the tall window at the little rows of houses dotting the village around me. People bustle out on the streets, driving their horse-drawn wagons with their minds driven with work. I live in a place called Forks, a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom Volterra. I'm the only child of Charles and Reneé Swan, the wealthiest lord and lady in all of my village called Forks. My father was a good friend to King Aro, as he'd served as one a member of the kingsguard in his younger years.

My maid Celia touches a bit of powder to my jaw. I turn my head to give her more access and she smoothes the powder over my jaw. "He likes pale white, I hear." Celia whispers in my ear, a hint of humor in her home. She pats more powder onto my face. "Whatever he wants, we'll give him. That's a motto you should always follow, Isabella."

I grimace a little. Today I'm meeting with Lord Edward again. He's the son of the Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Carlisle Cullen is the only doctor living in Forks. When the king had been sick, he'd traveled up to Forks and was the only doctor out of many selected that could find the key to restoring the king's health. In return, King Aro pledged his protection and some of his wealth to Carlisle.

Everyone in town knows who the Swans and the Cullens are. They know our rank and friendship with the king, and they respect us greatly for it. To them, we are like the faux 'rulers' of Forks. The Swans and the Cullens are the wealthiest in Forks, the two reigning families of the north.

My father has pledged me to marry Carlisle's son Edward by the end of the month. This would be the second time I'd be meeting with him within two weeks. Father says that Edward has taken an interest in me and wouldn't object to calling me his wife.

However, he hasn't exactly asked me my opinion in this. To my father, it wouldn't matter.

A knock comes at the door and Celia and I both look to see if the door would open. It doesn't. "Lord Edward has come, milady." A servant's quiet voice comes from behind the other side of the door. Celia hurries throws some rose colored powder on my cheeks "just for good measure" before I'm able to stand.

"Oh, you look beautiful," she whispers to me. "I can tell he likes you already. You need to go out there and impress him some more. It will all pay off in the end." And she kisses my forehead, rubbing my arms with encouragement.

I stand from my seat, feeling rather uncomfortable in this tight kirtle and long silken dress. It's not like what I normally wear and the new dress makes me feel stiff and unhappy. I can barely breathe with the kirtle that was tied two sizes too tight.

"Come, come!" Celia whines, clapping her hands to get me to move faster. I put a hand to my hair, swept up in a crystal snood and make sure that everything stays in place before I descend down the staircase. Celia made sure to put in extra pins so that it wouldn't fall out on the ride there.

And with that, she pushes me out the door. I smooth down my gold dress and make my way hastily down the long spiral staircase that leads to the great heart of my house. I can hear Edward's deep voice talking with my father from there. My heart pounds in my chest.

My father says that this marriage could change everything. If Edward chooses me, I will have had set up the rest of my life. I would be adorned in precious silks and never have to worry about a scrap of money. I'd have a big house and servants to take care of my every need. In my father's eyes, it's the perfect decision for me...and for him.

And there he is, with his auburn hair, sea green eyes and tigerlily freckles. He is dressed in a white and red cotton doublet with red hose and a white shirt. He wears black leather boots and a black cape over his doublet on one shoulder. "Good day."

"Good day." I whisper it back ever so softly.

He gives me a pleased smile, flashing his pearly white teeth. "There she is," my father exclaims, clapping Edward on the back with a hearty laugh. I reach the bottom of the steps and present myself towards him. Then I bow my head and curtsey politely.

He nods his head at me. "You look simply stunning, Isabella." Edward compliments me with a smile on his face. He seems somewhat uncomfortable, but much less uncomfortable than I am. I don't think that I could feel more uncomfortable. "It's such a pleasure to be able to court you this afternoon."

My face turns red. Edward's a few years older than I am. I've seen sixteen summers, whereas he's seen twenty six. My seventeenth birthday is coming up soon and my father thinks that I'm much too old to stand unmarried still. My mother wanted to marry me off when I was younger even than now, for she was married young and lived her life in glorified sanctitude while bathing in rubies and sapphires.

"Go on," my father says. "There's a coach waiting outside for you both. Edward's going to take you into town while the sun's still shining. Damn Him if it rains before you're both home. This sunlight is a nice change."

Edward opens the front door of my house for me and nods his head towards the carriage. "My lady," he murmurs. I curtsey again before stepping out of the house and making my way down the pebblestone path to the horse-drawn carriage.

Edward shuts the door behind us and follows me out towards our ride. My heart is still pounding. I'm nervous. I'm scared that this day with him won't go as well as the last one did. Last time he took me out for a picnic in the meadow. We talked about practical things like the weather.

He sits in the seat across from me with his white shirt open about three buttons. He looks peaceful, his bright white smile flashing as he nods his head at the bystanders waving in greetings. His auburn hair whips in the wind as we go sailing down the path. I study him. He loves the attention, the feeling of feeling important to people considered lesser than we are.

It doesn't take us long to get to the middle of town. The carriage parks on the edge of the busy cobblestone street and Edward jumps out of the carriage, readjusting his pants and flashing more smiles at the peasant women on the streets. My, I think. He's a dazzler. He gives me his hand to make sure I don't fall face first onto the stone while stepping down from the coach. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm an unusually clumsy person. I'm planning to keep my clumsiness hidden for as long as possible.

He looks back at me with a small smile. "What to do first? Any preferences, my lady?" I chew my lip momentarily. I remember what Celia said to me. Always give him what he wants, never refuse him, give him what he likes all the time…

I clear my throat and shake my head. "No. Anything you would like to do, I would like to do as well."

Edward seems to like this answer, as he beams brightly at this statement. "Very well. What do you say you and I go to Nina's bakery for a pastry? And then we'll go tour some of the other shops and I'll buy you some gifts. How does that sound, milady?"

I nod my head and bite my lip. Never refuse him. "It sounds...lovely."

Edward clasps his hands together. "Perfect. To Nina's?"

I nod my head again. "To Nina's."

0o0o0o0o0o

Edward takes a bite of his cinnamon pastry and vanilla icing slides into the corner of his lips. He wipes it away with his thumb and then licks said thumb. I watch with surprise as he then proceeds to lick his pointer finger and middle finger. He pulls out his cloth handkerchief and wipes his sticky fingers upon it. I can't help but think he's rather sloppy for high ranking nobility. I make a displeased noise and he notices, raising his eyebrows as if to question the noise. I smile to assure him that it was nothing.

I finish up the rest of my chocolate pastry as we move onto the next set of gems. "You like the sapphires, Isabella? I think they'd look ravishing against your beautiful, pale skin." Edward comments with a large grin. He reaches out and runs his fingers against the back of my hand. I shrug my shoulders. The rubies caught my eye much more than the sapphires did but I wouldn't dare tell him that. After all, it's not about what I thought.

So instead I opt for a meagre, "Alright," and Edward picks out a ring with a large blue sapphire on top of a silver band.

The gem shop is on the corner, a few blocks away from Nina's. Edward had seen it and insisted we go inside. It is dark in here, lanterns hanging from the ceiling rafters and a fire by the paying counter. We stand by the few sparkling colored gems in the shop. Only people like us could afford to buy such a gem.

He slips the ring onto my ring finger to make sure it fits. Then he looks at the shop-owner. The portly gentleman comes over to us and inspects the ring. He looks at us and nods his head. "Alright. Ten gold pieces." Edward snorts and fishes into his pocket for the coins. Instead of ten, he throws the man twenty. The shop-owner's eyes widen as he takes the pouch of coins. "Take anything you like," he says and rushes away into the back with it.

Then Edward turns back to me and grins. "How about a promise ring 'til I buy a real one?" he asks.

My eyes widen now. I don't know what to say so I just feebly nod my head and let him take my hand in his. His lips touch the sapphire ring on my finger and he smiles again. Then he pats the back of my hand and lets it drop.

Now it's official. I know that Edward wants to marry me and I should have the rest of my life set up for me. But it feels like I know nothing about Edward Cullen and that there's something else to him that I might be missing.

0o0o0o0o

Edward drops me off at my home later in the day. I was becoming somewhat bored of him after a few hours of talking about money and sales and many more boring things. He'd taken me to dinner at a nice inn. We had chicken and roasted red potatoes with a side of fresh wine from their backyard vineyard. The sky was beginning to darken when we'd opted to leave.

He takes me hand and walks me up to my porch. "I hope you had as much of a nice time as I did," he whispers. I smile weakly. He's a nice man and I'm undoubtedly going to marry him, but it's going to take a little more than spending two days with him for me to enjoy his company.

Then he leans down to kiss me but I flinch away. I don't want him to kiss me right now. It feels too sudden, too rushed. He pulls back and looks puzzled. I begin to mentally freak out. I don't want him to think that I don't want him. I need him to marry me. Right? "I saw a wasp there," I lie quickly, my voice faltering. It's such a bad lie that I grimace.

"Oh." Edward responds. He seems wary, like he suspects that I lie to him. "Might I kiss you now?"

I inwardly groan but plaster a smile on my face anyways. "Why, of course." I turn my face to the side, hoping that he'd kiss my cheek, but instead he grabs ahold of my jaw and turns my face towards his, kissing my lips sloppily.

My eyes widen. It's my first kiss with a man. My friends from in town, Jezebel and Angeline, said that first kisses were the most magical things that a girl could possibly experience. However, I felt nothing when he kissed me. Maybe it's normal to feel nothing at first.

Edward leans down and kisses my forehead this time. "I will see you tomorrow, perhaps," he says.

I nod my head quickly, backing up against my door with my hands twisted behind my back and my fingers interlocked so tightly that it's almost uncomfortable. I place my hand on the doorknob and open the door. "Yes, yes, of course. Tomorrow."

I rush inside of the house and shut the door behind me. There's loud classical guitar music echoing through the house. Mother likes the servants to play her songs once and a while. The guitar music stops when she hears me and she comes rushing into the room. She looks at me expectantly.

I don't say anything. My mother becomes impatient, like she always does. "And?" she says, holding out her hands in front of her and showing her palms to me.

I look down at the floor and hold out my hand for her to see. Mother sees the ring on my finger and shrieks in delight. "It's just a promise ring," I mumble. I don't know why she's so thrilled, it doesn't mean anything yet. At least not to me.

"Just a promise ring?" Mother cries. "That's your ticket to a long and wealthy life, my dear. A life of money and parties and high rank."

I frown a little. "What about love, mother?"

She stops her chattering. "Why...love? You don't need love for a successful marriage. I didn't love your father when I married him but love came eventually. Love came even more when I had you, my precious daughter. And look at me, darling. I have my life very much together."

"Why wouldn't love matter? I could spend my whole life in precious silks, bathed in money and still not be happy." I reply, my face reddening. "I think if I were married that's the one thing I'd truly want-"

Mother shakes her head. "It doesn't matter what you want, my dear. It matters what Edward wants. And I know you'll give him that. Love should be the last thing you're worried about. It will come eventually."

With that, she dismisses me and goes back into the other room. A moment later the classical guitar music is spread about through the house again. I look around the empty room, clutching my skirts in my hand. This dress is much too uncomfortable. I make a quick dash towards the staircase and fly up the steps to my room.

Luckily for me Celia isn't there and I don't have to explain my day with Edward to her again. The last thing I need is someone telling me that I need to marry Edward. I already know that fact.

I tear off the dress and throw it into my wardrobe, opting for something much more comfortable. I want to go riding. It's the sole time when I feel comfortable and free. I kick off my fancy white boots for muddy brown riding boots. When I open my door in a casual blue frock, I run into Celia. "Isabella!" she gasps. She thought I would be glowing in my new dress instead of the rather short frock that reaches the bottom of my knees. She yells at me to put on something much more decent.

I ignore her and race down the steps.

0o0o0o0o

My heart stops in my chest and I draw in a quick breath as I walk back from the stables and hide behind a wall. Behind my horse there's a man. A naked man. My horse covers him fairly well, so only his torso is exposed to my wandering eyes.

I poke my head out from behind the wall cautiously to see what this man's doing. He douses his tan, muscled body with water, shaking the beads of water from his hair and face like a wet dog. He's got shoulder-length black hair tied back into a ponytail. None of the other stable boys look like this one does. If I remember correctly, James was the previous stable boy and he had hair as gold as the sun and skin as pale as snow.

This man is most certainly not James.

This man grabs a pair of brown trousers from the rack next to him and slips them on quietly. Suddenly, I hear my name called from the background. "Isabella Marie!" It's Celia and my mother. They hate when I go riding through the forest, especially after the sun has begun to slowly set. Mother claims that it's unladylike, my attire being downright disgraceful. And the forest, with the light bleeding out from the sun as it set, possesses a danger.

With a touch of adrenaline and the will to remain unseen by their searching eyes, I rush into the horse's stable, startling the new stable boy half to death. He cries out in shock at first but I slam his massively tall body against the wall and clamp a hand over his mouth. Just then, Celia goes running past the stable. I gasp and yank the stable boy down to the ground with me.

I can't be seen. I won't let Celia, or this new stable boy ruin my ride, which I so desperately need. "Be quiet!" I tell him with a hushed voice and widened eyes.

She peers into the stables but doesn't see us, just to my luck. She calls out to my mother that she doesn't see me in the stables and that she suspects that I'm in the west wing's library. And with that, Celia moves on back the way she came. Once I'm sure they're completely gone, I remove my hand from the stable boy's mouth. His youthful brown eyes widen and his eyebrow shoots on up on the right side.

When I realize how terribly improper this position is, with my chest squashed against his and my legs wrapped around his waist with trying to hide us both, I scramble away into the corner. "God above, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you like that," I apologize like a blubbering fool. I'm so embarrassed that I'm sure that I've already turned as red as a ripened tomato in the summertime. "I just...I just didn't want them to see me."

He shakes his head, wisps of black hair falling into his eyes. "No, it's alright," he replies softly in some sort of foreign accent that I know didn't originate from Forks. "You in some kind of trouble or something?" He says it in a tone of voice that leads me to believe he's worried about my well-being.

I laugh and shake my head. "Something like that." He grins back at me. I study his face. He looks young, just like me. Maybe about sixteen summers or just a few years more. I'm not very used to seeing males my age. All of my suitors are a good ten years older than me, some even older than that.

His eyes are dark just like his hair and his skin is unusually tanned. The people in Volterra don't get much sunlight here, and in return, the people here are pale. Like milk. Like me.

His cheekbones are rigid and tall, and the cleft in his chin is prominent. He's attractive, I decide. Very attractive. He doesn't look like someone from Volterra. He doesn't sound like someone from Volterra. And I'm instantly curious about this stable boy and his name and where he came from.

"Who are you?" I ask him in curiousness, tilting my head.

He puts a piece of hay into his mouth and begins to chew. He doesn't bother getting up at all. He seems quite comfortable with me on the ground. "Jacob Black. I'm the new stable boy here." He sticks out his hand in greeting and I stare at it. It's dirty. Mud cakes his skin and callouses grace his fingertips, cuts and bruises on his knuckles. I don't want to be rude. I tentatively slip my hand into his and he squeezes my hand tight.

"Ay," I whisper, pulling my hand back and wiping off the dirt from his hand onto my old frock. "And your home?"

"Andapor. Well, it used to be Andapor." Jacob replies, sighing. That explains the accent, I think to myself. Andapor is a land across the Blood Sea with sand and lots of sun and golden palaces galore. "I came to Volterra looking for work and a little change of scenery. Lucky for me, I found this village, Forks, and Lord Swan hired me yesterday to take care of the horses."

I look up at Poppy, who chews on a bit of hay, just like the stable boy. Just the sight of her makes me smile. "And you like horses, Jacob Black?" I question.

He shrugs his shoulders, the muscles jumping in his toned arms. "Sure I do," he replies. "I have to. Swan says I need to take good care of his daughter's horses or he'll have my head." He laughs at this. "Is it bad that I believe him?"

I break out into a smile. "Of course not. My father's very intimidating in some cases. Sometimes he turns so mad and red in the face that I think he might pop." I laugh at this, thinking he'll laugh with me. But his face is drained of all color and he spits the piece of hay that he was chewing on out of his mouth.

"I...I don't think I know your name." Jacob says shakily.

At first I'm surprised by the question but then I realize my state. I'm dressed in something a maid would wear, not something that a wealthy lord's daughter would wear. But it seems like he already knows the answer. "Isabella Swan," I say with a smile. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Black."

Jacob's eyes nearly fall out of his head at my exclamation. He jumps onto his feet quickly and bows to me. "My lady, my deepest apologies for my actions-"

I hold up my hand to stop him. "Don't," I say with a smile. "You did nothing wrong."

His face reddens and he looks down at his half-naked body. He gives a groan and rubs his forehead. Then he begins to frantically search around for his tunic, or something to cover his naked torso. He is still wet, droplets of water running through the ridges of his toned stomach. He is a beautiful man, indeed.

I cock my head. "What are you doing?" I ask him.

"I do not wish to offend my lady." Jacob mumbles under his breath, lowering his eyes to floor. This makes me frown. I hate that he feels that he must talk to me differently now that he realizes my class.

I spot the tunic laying on the floor by my feet and pick it up. "Naked skin will never offend me, Jacob. 'Tis none but natural." And I hand him his shirt and he takes it into his hands, gritting his teeth. Then I look at my horse, Poppy, standing in the corner of the stable. "She's a beautiful beast, isn't she?"

Jacob looks up at my brown horse and nods his head curtly. "She's strong and real healthy. I bet she's a good runner," he says. "Could take you places quick."

I smile and nod my head. "She's a very good runner. And you're right. She takes me places faster than the speed of the wind!" I open my arms to the embrace the gust of wind that floated into the stables. I grin and feel it on my skin.

He cocks his head. "You ride?"

I huff a little. "Of course I ride. Most would assume that a lord's wealthy daughter would stay inside all day and knit by the fire or read books or sew things. But it's not me. I prefer to be outdoors and with her." I pat Poppy's side.

He grins and nods his head. "I would have never expected that from someone like you," he admits.

I bite my lip and breathe out slowly through my nose. "Most people wouldn't." I reply, nodding my head slowly. Then I ponder the statement: I never would have expected that from someone like you. Someone like me?

I decide not to get too caught up in it. "And you?" I ask him quietly. "Do you ride?"

He fiddles his hands awkwardly and nods his head. "Yes, my lady."

I frown at these proper titles. "My lady? Just call me Isabella." I smooth the coarse hair on Poppy's back and lean my head against her neck. I can feel and hear her strong breath.

Jacob nods again, casting his eyes towards the ground. I frown again. Why does being a high ranking noblewoman have to be such a bad thing to the commoners? I'm not some monster that stomps on their whole entire class. "Yes, my lady," he says again. Then he corrects himself. "Isabella."

I cast a glance towards Poppy, who winnies in the corner of the stable. "Might you saddle her for me?" I ask. He doesn't respond verbally. He grabs the leather saddle as fast as he can and throws it gently over my horse, strapping her up tightly. Once he's done, he helps me up onto the horse. His hands touch me on my hips and run up against the sides of my upper torso.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel the tension between us at that very moment. Improper, unladylike feelings, but they were real.

I stare at him, my face reddening slightly. He seems just as embarrassed as I am. "I am sorry," he whispers. He looks like he doesn't know what to do with his hands. He looks away from me and back down to the ground where the hay is scattered against the cold, hardened mud.

I shake my head. "Do not be sorry. I thank you for your help in hiding me today, Jacob Black." I laugh and smile brightly at him. He stares at me like I've just sprouted a second head from my left shoulder. Then, slowly but surely, a smile appears on his features. It makes me feel a sense of accomplishment.

I gesture towards the smaller black horse in the corner. "Is that your horse there?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Ay."

"Do you ride well?" I question.

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'd like to think so."

I begin to contemplate something in my head. I lean against Poppy and smooth down the coarse hairs with my hand. I hadn't gone riding with someone since I was a very young girl. That was when cousin Christian came down from his home in Seronat ten summers ago.

I bite my lip and grip Poppy's reins again. "You should come riding with me, then." I nod my head. I don't think I would be making a bad decision for inviting him. A riding partner would do me some good.

He gives me a funny look. "Ride with you? I cannot. You are Lady of the House and I am a stable boy. I do not want to lose my job on the first day I get it." He winces at the harshness of his own words and shakes his head, casting his eyes back towards the ground once more.

I find myself frowning at this statement. "You will not be fired," I protest. He still looks very hesitant. Fine. If he thinks I'm such an authoritative figure, which I'm not, I'll use my power over him to force him to ride. "Saddle your horse, and ride with me. I won't ask again."

His eyes widen slightly and his mouth opens to protest. But as soon as its opened, it is closed. The faux authority in my tone tells him that he must obey without hesitation or objection. He does as I ask and saddles his horse. Once he's on his horse, I dig my heels into Poppy's belly and lead him out into the pasture. "Come on. Follow me this way."

He obliges and urges his horse out of the stables, following Poppy's tracks. "And again, you're sure this is alright?" he asks, sounding somewhat afraid. His eyes dart around the estate, trying to catch a glimpse of one of my father's men, or even my father himself.

I want to roll my eyes. If he is with me, he is safe. "First thing's first, Jacob Black," I say loudly. "If you're going to work here on my father's estate you have to know who to trust and who not to trust."

His black horse strides up alongside of mine, his hot breath curling away into the breeze. Jacob's beast is beautiful is well. He nods his head in understanding. "Alright. Who then?"

I give him a smile. "Me." I tell him triumphantly, tipping my chin up a little bit. "You must trust me."

He smirks. "I think that was made clear." I dig my heels into Poppy's belly and direct her off towards the open fields ahead of us. I look back to see him shocked, urging his horse on to try and catch up with me.

"Keep up!" I call, laughing. Poppy gallops forward into the oblivion of nature.

Soon he's right by my side on his horse, spurring the black steed onwards. Our horses are neck and neck. We race over the long hills, horse hooves thundering against the dirt and cool spring breezes whipping our hair and faces.

I make a right and Poppy goes tearing down a winding path, stamping the multi-colored wildflowers into the ground. Jacob follows with ambition in his eyes and pursuit on his mind.

In the distance I can see it. My meadow, my sacred place to unwind. Wildflowers litter the place like people would a busy street. Birds sing their unique, beautiful songs, signalling that our march into my tiny kingdom has brought their queen back to her landing.

I carefully bring Poppy to a slow trot. Jacob, who was once behind me, catches up with ease. He exhales loudly. "That horse can run."

I laugh. "I know." His black hair has fallen out of his ponytail and hangs freely by his shoulders, wind-blown and silky ebony.

He looks around at the beautiful meadow in awe. "This place…" He can't seem to finish his sentence. He squints into the dimming, golden sunlight, feeling the cool spring breeze on his face.

I slide off from Poppy's back and tie her reins to a nearby branch on a tree, letting her graze the sweet green grass there. "It's my not-so-secret hideout." I tell him. "I've been coming here since I first learned to ride."

He dismounts his horse and ties him by Poppy. He walks through the wildflowers with me, running his fingers along the soft petals as they touched his skin. "What do you do here?" he questions.

I shrug my shoulders. "Not much," I admit with a sheepish smile. "It...provides as an escape during one's busy life."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "You have a busy life?"

I sigh. "I am sixteen. I am at the age where they are rushing to marry me off to some older man."

Jacob's eyes widen. "Oh."

"It's very stressful," I reply matter-of-factly. "I do not like any of the suitors my father selects for me. They are old...and they are boring."

He walks with me, looking out towards the trees. "I couldn't imagine. I've never courted a woman."

This shocks me. "Never?"

He gives me a look. "I'm a stable boy."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "Titles do not matter," I tell him. "Even the poorest of the poor fall in love and marry. What say you? Not even in Andapor?"

"No. Not even in Andapor."

I bite my lip and play at my dress with my fingers. "Men are always falling at my feet," I whisper to him.

He makes a noise and then looks down at the grass and flowers under our feet. "I'm sure they are."

My face burns right red. "I...I've been courted multiple times." I splutter, the words just falling from my mouth.

He nods his head and his lips twitch a little. "I bet you have."

Jacob lifts his eyes and stares at me with a certain sort of intensity that makes me squirm. The way he looks at me makes me feel uncomfortable. "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask.

He jumps at my tone. "No, it's just…"

I soften my tone, realizing that I sounded a bit harsh. "Just what?" I start to smile a little at his obvious discomfort. I hadn't meant for him to become squeamish, but now it was amusing.

"You are beautiful. Really...beautiful," he blurts.

Silence hits us both for a few moments. I tilt my head and stare at him blindly through the blazing, golden beams of sunlight. "Thank you, Jacob Black." I tell him. We continue to walk through the flowers. "Does your parched throat desire a drink to quench your thirst? There's a freshwater stream in the woods over there." I point towards the wood, which is slowly darkening by the minute.

His face is red and I can tell that he's uncomfortable. But I can also tell that he meant what he said. I like Jacob Black. I really do.

He nods his head and follows me through the flowers to the tall trees that mark the edge of the forest. He follows me in to the forest a little until we reach the cool stream bubbling over smooth rocks. I bend down and cup my hands to trap some water.

Jacob does the same. I can see our reflections in the water when I pull back. I nudge him to get his attention. "Look into the water at our reflections," I tell him. "Have you ever heard the story of Narcissus?"

"If I did, I can't say that I remember…" he mumbles quietly. A petal from a blossoming tree falls into the water, rippling our reflections.

I lick my lips. "Narcissus was a man who fell in love with his own reflection." I say to him, scrunching my nose up.

He gives me a funny look. "How is it possible for someone to fall in love with their own reflection?"

I gaze at myself through the water. "Narcissus was very vain." Wisps of my hair are falling out of my snood. I bend down and place my lips to the water, watching our reflections tremble from my touch.

I look back at him in amusement. But I'm surprised to see something different. He looks at me with deep interest and intrigue. And dare I say it? Strong attraction.

I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion. He shakes his head, casting his eyes away from me. He bends down and takes another drink from the stream.

"Shall we return?" I ask him. He doesn't say anything. He only gives a curt nod. He proceeds to follow me out of the forest and back into the meadow. The horses are fine. They continue to graze on the vegetation there.

I feel so free in my meadow. My secret little haven, my queendom. I dart forth into the flowers and leave him there at the forest's edge. I encourage him to come after me, to play with me.

But no. To him I must be like a ticking bomb. He must believe that if he should hold me the wrong way, our friendship, our trust could blow up in his face. He stands there and stares.

I'm not a bomb.

Just a neglected doll, perhaps.

So I stop running and wait for him in the middle of the meadow, the wind blowing through my hair, swirling the sweet aromas of wildflowers through the air. I wonder why he doesn't come when I welcome him with such open-armed generosity. I stare at him, waiting for him to do something.

A few moments tick by.

Slowly, he begins moving towards me. He makes his way through tall daisies and orange tiger lilies and yellow daffodils. He stops in front of me and wraps his long, nimble fingers around a tall stem, plucking a particularly beautiful flower out from the ground. It's a pale violet, one of my most favorite colors.

He chews his lip. I watch him intently, my eyes sparkling with interest. He offers the flower to me hesitantly, twirling the stem in his fingertips.

I accept the flower. I'm surprised at first but then I see how his face turns red underneath the sunlight and how his hands twitch at his sides. "It's beautiful." I tell him, clutching the flower in my hand. "Thank you."

He swallows a lump in his throat and sheepishly nods his head. I tuck the flower into my hair and secure it behind my ear. I show off to him, making a funny face to encourage playfulness. He chuckles softly.

I stand up straight. I end up giggling like a little girl, something I'd not done in a very long time. My reactions to him were even surprising me.

I don't know what it is about Jacob Black that has me so intrigued...or the fact that the gift of a simple wildflower meant so much to me. But this moment would undoubtedly be one I'd remember for a long time.

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And this marks the end of the first chapter. I hope you guys liked it, I really do. This is only a little parcel of what I have in store. Please review. They really do matter. Hopefully more very soon! :)

Courtney xx