Chapter 12: Preparations

She awoke to a woman in black simple clothes. She brange her breakfast in on a silver tray.

Sarah sat up and looked at the young women. She looked to be about Sarah's age, she had short charcoal black hair that might had fallen to her shoulders if it wasn't pulled up in a bun. Her eyes where a clear hazelnut color, and it looked as if she was extremely kind. This girl had no freckles, no blemishes of any kind on that angelic face.

"Good Morning Miss," she said, her voice sounded like bird song. She had a slight German sound as she talked too.

"Good Morning," Sarah sighed, smiling. The girl walked over to the bed, and sat her tray down on the bedside table.

"My name is Elizabeth, if you need anything just pull the rope in the corner of your room to call me." Smiling Elizabeth pointed to a long golden rope, in the far right corner of the room. She then curtsied, and left the room through the huge double doors on the left side of the room.

Sarah, then got her first real look at the room.

The room was the biggest room she had ever seen! But, it was still smaller than her cave room when she lived with the dragons. She jumped out of the bed, and looked at it. It had a beautiful color for the spread, a deep red color. I think he knew that I like red... The bed looked to be about as wide as she was long.

She turned from the bed, and looked to her right. Almost next to the bed was a window. The window started at her hips, but then touched the ceiling. The ceiling seemed to only be about 10 feet high. There where crimson drapes pulled up over them. Sarah grasped the drapes and flung them aside so she could see outside.

When she looked out, she could see a mountain, in the distance, with rolling clouds coming over it, and it had white tops. It looked as if it was snowing there.

You could also see Thomas' garden under her. She looked up from that, and all the way from the garden, to the mountain.... There was grass. Grass as far as the eye could she. This brought a tear to her eye. This, the grass... The beauty of it, reminded her of her dream... Why Xelis, Why? But, she shook that away, she had to get over him...

She turned from the window, and saw to her right a closet. It was strange, how all the doors here where bigger than any she had ever seen in a house. Luckily these where not the huge doors that lead out of her room. She suspected it was a small clothes closet, or a storage room.

She was right, there was dresses, shoes, and other accessories as far as the eyes could see! Her eyes boggled out of her head, and her mouth dropped open. She quickly straitened herself, and started to walk down the enclosed space.

She ran her fingers down the frilly and extravagant dresses, that were on each side of her. Now that she though, and now that she was inside, it did not look so huge. She stopped almost at the end, looking for something not as gaudy to wear, because everything looked to fancy for her taste.

She knew, if her mother had saw her like this, her mother would be frowning at her. Sarah shrugged, Who cares what my Mother thinks?

Deep in thought, she browsed the room. Then, suddenly she found a dress, that almost looked familiar to her. The dress.... That dress... Embroidered with a red Phoenix on the bottom, the same shape, but a deep sea blue, instead of crimson.

She snatched the dress from the rack, ruffling it into her arms. She hugged it to her breast, smiling. She shook her head, still smiling, and put the dress down so she could put it on.

She slipped the simple sleeping gown that she had worn to bed, onto the floor. Ruffling it off her shoulders and onto the floor.

She shivered in the cold of the early morning, and she quickly slipped the other dress over her head. Adjusting it so it fit tightly around her shoulder and bodice. Smiling, it almost felt like she was back at the cave. But, it quickly slipped away.

She walked out and looked into the mirror standing to the right side of the closet door.

Looking in, she saw herself in the reflection.

The dress looked very good with the tint of her hair, making it seem blonder than it actually was. The dress looked as if it was made out of the waves of the water. It changing colors through out, but it stayed blue. Just different shades.

But, it didn't agree with the tone of her skin, or the color of her eyes. She shrugged and quickly puller her hair in a small bun. The bun stuck up from the top of her head just a bit, and there where small strands of hair, falling out of the bun, but she knew no one but her mother would care.

She walked a little way back into the closet, hoping to find some shoes that went with her dress. She looked on a small shelf just to her left, holding, looking as if it had 50. Only, there was probably only about 12.

She picked a small sky blue pare. There was a small button, the same color as the faberic, on the top of the shoe, where it opened up for the foot to go in. It seemed that Thomas had all things at his dispossal. She shook her head, Of coarse not!

She bent down and set the shoes on the ground. They made a small clanking sound, that almost echoed through the closet. She stood up again, and sliped her feet into them. The inside felt soft, and silky. She smiled, it felt so nice. She walked out, and looked at the rest of the room.

There where large double doors to her right. They went from the floor, all the way to the ceiling. The doors where solid white. She looked around the rest. The walls where also white, but with read roses painted into the walls around the edges, near the floor and ceiling. There was two red chairs and a small side tabel also to her right, in the corner.

Feeling ready, she closed the closet door, and walked over to eat her breakfast. Where, Elizabeth had left her tray, on the bedside desk.

She grabed things off the tray, Eggs and Toast. Well, If you spend all of your money on cloths and furniture, your going to run out by the time you need to buy food. She chuckled to herself.

After finishing, she stood. She slid her hand down her dress, to get the rest of the crumbs from her breakfast off.

She sighed, as she walked toward the door, knowing she could not delay it any longer.

She stroud up to the large double doors. Grabbing the handles of both doors, she threw them open. The air from the corridor blasted her in the face, it was much colder than the air in her room, so she shivered.

She walked out into the hallway, and turned to shut the doors. The doors shut with a loud bang that echoed that filled the halls. She turned to the opposite wall.

The hallway spanded from right to left. It did not go forward. So, Sarah looked right, seeing nothing of interest, she looked left.

She burst into tears when she say him. Phelias, standing aways down the hall. He was smiling, holding his arms out to her. His Emerald eyes shined.

Then, when she blinked, he was gone.

Those eyes...

Those eyes...

"WHY!?" She sobbed as she fell to the stone floor. Her sobs echoed through the halls, and she did not care.

She curled her knees up, pushing them up to her chest. She circled her arms around them. She did not care if anyone found her this way.

But, alas, this was a lie. A lie to herself. She knew, if Thomas found her this way. On the floor, sobbing for a past love, he would think... Well... He would...? Well, she wasn't sure how he would react. But, she knew that he would definitely postpone, if not cancel, the wedding.

She had to pull herself together. Why? Well, for some reason, now that Xelis was gone, this was her encore to the Earth. Making it so she could not flought to the hevens.

She did not love Thomas, oh no, not at all. But, may be someday...

She stoped crying, and pulled herself up onto her knees. She also unwound her hands from them. Laughing to herself, she whispered to herself.

"No, never."

*****

For the next couple of weeks, spanning all the way to November 25th. That day Thomas, And her mother where arguing about the date for the wedding.

And, she never thought about Xelis, she almost forgot him.

Well, almost...

At night, she knew the servants under her, could hear her sobs and agonized cries. She never did, tell her sister about this problem.

You see, she occasionally got leaders from Areala, telling of her happenings in the city. Her new job, and random everyday things that happened to her that day.

Lately they've had a man named Iisac in her letters. This boy was a 'pestering nusence' but, Sarah knew better than to think that. Her sister came back to this subject often, so Sarah new... Her sister was beginning to fall in love with him, whether she knew it herself or not. Though, Sarah would never intervene and tell her that.

Well, on that paticular day, November 25th, Thomas and Sarah's mother where arguing over a date for the wedding.

Thomas insisted that it be in the spring, when it was warm and the Earth was renewing itself. "A wedding for the bride to remember!" he had said.

Her mother on the other hand, wanted it to be as soon as possible... and no one told her mother no.

Sarah had said her peice. She was fine with waiting, but would rather it be as soon as possible.

"Then, we have it!" Thomas' words interrupted her thoughts. "December 6th then!" He smiled as Sarah.

"We do not have to wait much longer to be Married," he reached over and griped Sarah's hand.

Her mother nodded. Sarah was not surprised that her mother had persuaded Thomas to have it closer at hand.

December 6th... only eleven more days...

Her mother, her face brightening, with remembrance. Almost flung at Sarah, and started to drag her off toward the front door. Leaving Thomas alone, surprise etched all over his face.

"Where are we going?" Sarah knew it was hopeless to struggle, so she fallowed her mother.

"We're going to get your wedding dress."