Chapter Three

“It is with great honor that we present to you your fiancé, George Howard, son of the Earl of York. He will make a fine husband, and you will both live in abundance and bliss.” So proclaimed the queen on the day of Ileana’s return.
“I thank your majesties, and am honored to accept this betrothal”, Ileana said, bent in a curtsey.
George Howard was a fine man, tall and good looking. He was never known to be rude or pompous. But Ileana did not know him. She could not love him, but hoped that she would learn to like him. He only smiled at her, a boy himself really, being only seventeen. He was uncomfortable, that she could tell.
“It’s done then!”, cried the king, “You shall be married within a month’s time. For now, let us feast! We shall be happy if you would sit in places of honor at tonight’s banquet. Think of it as a birthday present for you, Ileana! Now that you are engaged, you may wear matching colors. You must make a good impression on the court, and your families”.
“Yes, your majesty”, George and Ileana said in unison.
They looked at each other, both scared, both nervous, both wondering what in the world their future together would look like.

It was grand banquet, full of dancing and revelry, merriment and laughter. Ileana and George sat in places of honor, near the king and queen. They both wore scarlet and ivory, George’s family colors. The king and queen had given Ileana a new set of writing things for her birthday, for that very night she turned sixteen. The entire attendance smiled at them and many commented that they “were a good match.” Ileana could do nothing but smile back, even though she felt with an increasing dread that she was losing herself, giving up who she was for a marriage that she did not want. This was true, as it was with most women in those days. Hardly were any matches made for love, only for money or position. Ileana knew that the son of an earl was a great marriage, but she did not want it. She missed Westhall already, and could not escape her thoughts of it.
Then she felt it. It was the same feeling she had felt that distant day in the woods, where the deer rose before her after being shot by her arrow. She felt the same energy, the same power. She felt a stare. Someone was watching her. She shivered, and scanned the room desperately, searching for the pair of eyes that must be on her.
And there they were.
It was a man she had never seen before, tall, pale, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He stared at her for what seemed like ages, with an expressionless face. Ileana could not take her eyes from him. Was she under some sort of spell? The feeling was strange to her, for she could not understand what possessed her to continue looking at him. He suddenly turned and rushed from the room, not once looking back at her. He walked away smoothly, but with purpose, as if something dire called for his attention. Ileana excused herself, and followed him.
When Ileana entered the empty hallway, the man was no where in sight. She ran down the hall, peering down every corridor and into every room, but he was no where to be found. Then, she saw a bit of his green tunic disappear down the steps to the gardens. She rushed quickly after him, running to keep up with his fading figure. He led her into the garden furthest from the palace. It was dark, and she could hardly see a thing.
“Hello?”, she called out, “Is someone there?”
There was not a sound. She called again, but still there was silence.
She walked around the garden, feeling her way along the stone wall so that she would not trip over anything. The crickets chirped in the grass, and the moon was small in the starry sky. Then, suddenly, the wall was gone, and she was falling. She screamed, but no sound escaped her throat. Darkness, consumed her and she remembered no more.