Darkness, pitch black darkness was all Lorelei could see. No noise, no touch, not even a smell of any kind. It was a silence that would irk even the most wicked of villains.
"Lorelei, Lorelei, where are you?" a woman shouted. Calm with a hint of concern.
"Come out dear."
A faint warm light seeped in through a narrow slit that opened. It was sudden yet somehow so comforting to her. It was so familiar.
"Oh, here you are! My, you do love hiding don't you?"
Delilah Everly...Mother... Mother?..
Her mother was more beautiful than in the painting, hair pulled up in a high ponytail highlighting her almond eyes the color of sage. She wore a beige long dress soiled by flour that decorated her from head to toe.
"Come out now darling, you are in charge of the frosting, remember?"
She gently grabbed Lorelei's dainty hand and led her out of the cabinet. A smile never leaving from the sight of her only daughter.
She set down a small wooden stool in front of the little girl's feet. "Stand on here, so you can easily frost the cake."
Lori immediately listened to her mother's orders and grabbed onto the bowl of buttercream frosting her mother finished making. As Delilah turned the rotating cake stand as she gleefully smeared the frosting all over it. Enjoying the satisfying view of the cream evening out perfectly.
Then just as the two topped the cake with cut up strawberries, the door opened.
"Where are my two precious girls?"
Felix Everly...
"Welcome back dear, how was work?"
He hung up his coat and exhaled, "The studio was less crowded than usual, so I was able to finish two paintings I was working on."
"That's wonderful dear. Come, Lorelei and I just finished our cake."
A glint of adoration appeared in her father's eyes as he raced to his daughter and lifted her up into his arms.
"My little girl helped her mother bake a cake?"
She responded with a quick and eager nod.
"My Lorelei is growing up too fast!" he pulled her to him tighter and feigned a cry. "Don't ever grow up, stay like this forever."
Delilah rolled her eyes and whacked his shoulder with the spoon. "Don't be so dramatic dear, now let's enjoy this dessert."
Together, they sat on the dining table and enjoyed the delectable cake. The frosting complimented the vanilla batter with a spongy tendency. Everyone enjoyed the dessert with a mixture of jokes, tales and laughter.
The sun sank below the horizon before they could even notice. The stars and moon began to make their debut; a truly brilliant sight.
As their banter began to die down, Lorelei let out a faint yawn.
"It's your bedtime Lorelei, let's get you ready shall we?"
Another nod, though slower than before.
Delilah held her hand out to Lorelei and kissed her husband on the cheek before walking to the bedroom with her daughter.
The room was the same except with the excessive amount of porcelain dolls placed on top of the bed. The room was lit only by the handheld candle in her mother's palm, guiding her to the dresser.
After Lorelei changed into her nightgown with the assistance of her doting mother, she lifted herself onto the bed that is slightly too tall for her and settled into the cushioned mattress.
"Would the princess like a song before going to sleep?" Delilah asked as she tucked the covers around Lorelei.
"Yes please."
"Very well."
And so she sang...
"In the woodlands low, born of ice and snow
There's a maiden weeping tonight.
Snow falls softly 'neath the winter moon.
Forest bare and white, she dwells there by night.
Listen to her cry sorrow's song.
Tears fall softly 'neath the winter moon..."
Her mother's soothing voice quickly lulled her into sleep where she dreamed of comforting this unknown maiden.
Bang, Bang, Bang...
Bang, Bang...Screams...
Lorelei's sleep was disturbed as her mother lifted her into her arms with pure fear. Delilah shielded her daughter's head and hastily pulled a cloak over the both of them.
Outside the room, she could hear her father gasping for air; struggling on the ground with a man dressed head to toe in black apparel. A dagger at her father's throat.
"Felix!" her mother cried.
"Leave, Run!" He held on for dear life. "It will be okay! I love you both...forever and always..."
And with one slice from the hooded man, her father would never be able to speak again.
He was killed...
Tears filled her mother's face, but she had to save Lorelei. Without second thought, Delilah raced out of the broken door and fled into the dark forest.
"Mommy...what's going on? Where's daddy?"
"Don't worry. We will see him soon...we are going to go on a small trip okay?"
"Okay..."
Hours... hours pass by and Delilah is still running with Lorelei tucked under her cloak. Her legs are starting to give out and her endurance is quickly depleting.
She decided it was safe enough to rest for a moment.
"Mom... I'm hungry..." Lorelei whispered.
" I know dear, please be patient, we will find something once the sun rises, okay?"
"Yes Mother."
Sounds of footsteps can be heard from the distance, each movement becoming louder than the last.
"No..." Delilah exhaled.
She quickly turned towards Lorelei and whispered. "My beautiful angel, I need you to run away. Please, don't stop and don't look back."
"But will you come with me?"
"Mommy will catch up to you okay? Hurry and go. Never trust anyone. People do nothing but lie and scheme. Promise me you will do that."
"Yes mommy."
"No matter what, my love for you will never fade."
"I love you too mommy."
"Now go."
Hesitantly, Lorelei rose to her feet and ran deeper into the forest. Never looking back and never stopping just as her mother instructed her to do.
As Lori was out of view, a group of hooded men spotted and attacked her mother. Two of them grabbed onto both of her arms and one stood in front of her waving a knife around.
"This wouldn't have happened if you had just kept your mouth shut. Poor Delilah, you had so much potential yet you wasted it for "moral" sake. Good riddance."
Her mother didn't struggle nor put up a fight against the men. She just hung her head low and let out silent sobs.
"I shall see you in a moment my dear Felix...Lorelei...I love you My beautiful Lavender."
Those were her mother's last words...
In a monotone tone, the killer looked at the other men and inquired,
"What happened to the little girl?"
"I don't know." one member spoke.
"She couldn't have gotten far. Let's just get this over with and return home. I'm exhausted."
After a few moments, someone spoke. "I- I already killed her, we don't need to worry about her."
"Great! Let's go home and celebrate."
The men walked back to their horses and returned to where they came from. However, in the middle of the thick forest, a little girl hides inside of a small cave. Starving, cold and worried, she occupies herself with singing her favorite song.
"Love made my heart soar, you're the one I've waited for.
Stay with me forever.
She cried softly 'neath the winter moon.
In the snow he stayed, from my side he did not stray.
My hands could not warm him.
He died softly 'neath the winter moon..."
Lorelei woke up with an excruciating headache, the cold floor also didn't help.
"Why am I on the ground?" she rubbed her head while trying to remember what happened.
Memories of Jay's confession and distress flooded in and her heart sank. Why did you leave? Did she do something wrong? What happened?
A wolf's howl echoed from deep within the forest interrupting her stream of unanswered questions.
"I should go to sleep..."
And that was the last sentence Lorelei spoke before she fell asleep, tossing and turning throughout the night.
*****
The corridors in the palace were quiet as Phillip walked towards the royal kitchen, his eyes were bloodshot red with dried tear streaks.
As he stood in front of the kitchen door, he noticed the sliver of light shining through the door crack. But with his emotional turmoil, he couldn't care less.
He slammed open the door without any regard to his surroundings and grabbed the nearest wine bottle he could grasp. Gulping the contents down at an ungodly speed.
"Okay look, I can explain. You see this cake was just left outside and it would have been a waste for it to just expire so i just did what any sane person would and- Phillip did something happen? Do I need to beat someone into their senses?"
He then gasped. "Did that Princess Cece or whatever hurt your feelings?"
"First off, her name is Cecily. Not Cece and no she did not hurt my feelings."
Hastings wiped his mouth with a napkin, "Then what happened?"
"Well-"
"Can you boys shut up? The guards will hear and I want to eat fruit in peace. Thank you very- Phillip, what happened?"
Cecily was in a robe as she walked in on the prince and his head guard conversing.
"I-"
"Who are you?" Ambrose asked.
"Im Princess Cecily Beaumont." She genuflected, "And who might you be?"
Hastings stood up and mocked a bow, "Oh greetings and salutations your highness, I am Sir Ambrose Iris Hastings, head guard and best friend of Prince Phillip." he ended his introduction with a playful chuckle.
"...Iris?"
"My mom wished for a girl."
The two laughed hysterically and Cecily felt comfortable enough to loosen up around the two.
"So...Phillip, why don't you place don't that bottle on wine and tell us what happened."
And so, as the three sat down and listened intently as the prince told them of what took place between him and Lorelei that night. Every now and then Cecily and Ambrose added gasps and sounds of disapproval.
"And then I came here."
"May I be completely honest with you?" Cecily questioned politely.
"Yes? When are you not?"
"True. but as i was saying, how dumb and selfish can you be?"
Phillip quirked his brow in confusion, leading Cecily to explain further.
"You confessed to her, correct? Then without even listening to what she had to say, you ran away like a dog with his tail in between his legs. Honestly, I could treat her better than you ever could. And I have never met her!"
Ambrose nodded his head, agreeing with her statement while shoving more cake into his mouth.
"But we are to wed soon, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Lorelei without her knowing my true feelings towards her."
"Oh really? Well now you left Lorelei without a farewell and instead left her in a state of confusion. You men call us complicated yet you do this."
"Hey!" Hastings intervened.
"Iris, you are the exception now, go back to eating your cake."
"Okay..." he listened to her orders without question and Phillip was slightly confused with their interaction.
"Fine, I messed up. But how will I fix this? The soiree has already been set, we don't have much time."
"Come closer and listen carefully, I have a plan."
____________________________
Hello everyone!
I apologize for everyone who waited (very patiently might I add) for this chapter. Thank you for all the love for my story and I hope I can continue to entertain you with my writing.
P.S. the video linked on the top is the song that her mother sang to her, I listen to the album while writing for inspiration and thought it was fitting for the story.
-Mia🖤