Chereads / the Brilliant Duchess / Chapter 4 - Chapter 3

Chapter 4 - Chapter 3

Plans

of a Revolution

 

Determined to hear their conversation I pulled the covers

off of me. As I strained myself to get down from my bed, I had to take a quick

breather as the pain was getting to me.

"Man, this is just plain irritating. She said it will

only take a few months but that is just too long." I said to myself as I

crawled over to the door so I could hear what they were talking about.

Ever since I was young in my past life and this one

included, I have always been a curious person when it comes to people and

secrets. It seems that no matter what life or world I'm in I'll always be a

nosey person.

"It's just one of my many charms. Hehehehehe." I giggled

at myself before cracking the door slightly as not to draw attention but just

enough so I could still hear them.

As I strained my ears in order to hear them, I was at

once thrown for a loop by the very first statement.

"The duke of LaRaiya has gotten back to us about the

invasion." Aunt Jeane said as she took her seat at the table with the other

adults.

Everyone else just nodded their heads in acknowledgement

as they were waiting for the news. I on the other hand was completely unaware

such events were going on behind the scenes. As I was scrambling to catch up

with everything, Aunt Jeane continued on by reading the letter she had in her

hand.

"The duke says he'll spare our families under the

condition that we do not leave a designated residence. I vote we all gather

here since we don't know if we'll be able to get Jael anywhere else without

gaining unnecessary attention." Aunt Jeane commented.

Dad nodded his head in agreement with me as his main

concern. Mom instead looked at Aunt Jeane with a deadly serious expression. She

had her elbow resting on the table as she held her hands together pondering how

to broach a subject. Aunt Jeane, seeming to pick up on what she was going to ask,

went ahead and answered.

"I'll bring Sean with me here. Even though he is an adult

he is still family." she said.

Mom seemed pleased with the news since she nodded her

head and let her hands rest on her lap. Her shoulders untensed as dad reached

over with his hand to ease her worries. The look in his eyes was both loving

and sympathetic. Miss Margarette seemed unfazed by all of this and brought up a

question of her own.

"When are we to expect their arrival?" she asked.

Aunt Jeane read the letter again to make sure she was

correct. She looked up with a ghastly face causing everyone to be on alert.

Even me, who wasn't in the room, was getting tense.

"We have seven weeks to having everything ready since

they will be slowly invading in that time. Apparently, they already have people

and connections inside the kingdom." she said as she read off the letter.

Her news shocked everyone, including me, at the fact that

the empire was already setting up to invade and all the adults did was chose

the winning side.

"How were they even able to get inside the kingdom so

easily without help?" Mom asked the same question I was thinking.

"With how volatile and irresponsible the royals and

nobles are it doesn't really surprise me all too much. The thing that bothers

me the most is the fact that we have so little time to get all we need to leave

this kingdom without problems." Dad said as both Aunt Jeane and Miss Margarette

nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean?" mom asked.

"Jael won't be fully recovered by then. Not just that we

are moving three families to the dukedom under the nose of the royals who

already have eyes starting to look our way." Dad answered her as he was trying

to plan ahead.

I began to try to think of a way we could gather

everything and what it was that I could do. I closed the slightly cracked door

gently so that I could focus on my thoughts.

"What can I do to help with me being unable to even walk

more than a few steps without needing help?" I muttered as I contemplated.

If I take everything, they said we have less than seven

weeks to have everything set and ready to move. Let alone there being three

families moving and it being unnoticed from the royals' eyes, we still have a

handicap keeping one arm behind our back. That of course being my inability to

walk long distance. Hell, I can't even move from one room to another in my

current state.

"Looking objectively, I'm the weakest link in this plan,"

I thought aloud, "so if I want to help, I need to recover fully by the time

allotted to us."

How do I go about that though? So, far we have been doing

basic physical therapy just with a somewhat fantasy twist. If I take the

principles behind what physical therapy is for then what I need to do is work

on rebuilding my muscles without over stressing them. In my last life this

would take professionals 4-6 weeks for a pulled

back. Here the medical practices might be more advance, but my body is

thoroughly ripped apart due to the queen.

Images of the queen standing on my head and wiping

started to pop in my mind and sent a cold wave through my body causing the

hairs on my body to stand up. I scurried to my bed and curled up into a ball

trying to hide myself as much as possible. The fear started to weigh on me as

it was hard to catch my breath. My vision started to dim as I could hardly keep

myself from shaking. I can feel my heart beat out of my chest as if it was

trying to run away from me.

I can't move! I'm- I'm dying!

The terror took over my body as if it wasn't even mine to

begin with. My eyes began to fill with tears making it impossible to even see.

My stomach started to twist like one would wringing out a rag. I wept. I sobbed

uncontrollably.

*hic* "I just wanted to help my parents." *hic* "So why does it seem like every time I do,

someone harms me? Did I do something wrong?" I questioned why everything kept

attacking me no matter what I did.

No one came. Even though my parents were in the other

room. Even though the people who care for me more than anyone else in this

world are in the other room, they can't hear me as I relive one of my worst

moments in my life. I may have my memories as an adult and know better, I'm

still just a kid who went through almost dying.

"S-someone please h-help me, I'm scared." I pleaded as I

shriveled. I wanted to scream for help, but the weight of fear kept me from

anything more than a hushed pleas leave my lips. The darkness around me started

to suffocate me as the tears continued to stream down my face. I could taste

the salt from my tears on my quivering lips. 

I'm alone in the darkness all over again.

The sun started to set as I lay in my own tears on the

ground curled up grasping at the sheets draping from my bed. As the sun went

down the room began to be enveloped in darkness. It felt like it would swallow

me whole any second now. As I prepared to lose myself in the abyss once again a

small light flickered from behind me. The once dark and cold room now warm as

if it wanted to comfort me. I turned my head still sobbing to see my mom

rushing over to me with a lamp in her hand. She set it on the ground beside us

as she picked me up in her arms and brought me into her chest for a warm

embrace.

"It'll be okay Jael," she said shakingly while trying to

comfort me. "I will keep my promise to you and protect you from whatever

troubles may come your way. You can give your burdens to me, and I will carry

them for you."

I continued to cry into her shirt as she held me. As she

held me, she started to hum a song to sooth me. She stroked my hair and waited

for me to let out all my worries. A presence of peace washed over me as she

comforted me. All the darkness washed away from her brilliant light of love for

me.

I'm not alone anymore. Now I have a family

who will take on my worries for me.

As I wiped my now swollen and puffy eyes my mom took her

sleeve and wiped away the snot. I started to giggle at the thought of how much

crying I've done causing my mom to tilt her head confused.

"What's funny dear?" she asked.

"It's just that you keep having to wipe my nose like your

shirt is a handkerchief." I answered continue giggling.

"I'm happy to be of help for my little girl, even if that

means being a handkerchief." she said before giggling herself.

We sat there and laughed with each other before dad came

in to tell us dinner was ready. Everyone who was here earlier already left to

their own families' dinners. Once we began to eat dad noticed my eyes were red

and still a little puffy. Worried, he looked over at mom to get a better

understanding. She answered with a gentle smile to let him know everything was

fine and he sighed. Still not satisfied he was very attentive with me for the

rest of the night to make sure I was okay.

As I started to get ready for bed with moms help, she

stopped for a moment while taking my top off. Concerned, I looked over my

shoulder to ask her if she was fine. Her face was stiff with grief as she

looked at my back. I went to ask her, but she just shook her head.

"I'm fine Jael. I just remembered something is all I'll

be okay." she said as she tried to reassure me.

She finished helping me get my nightgown on before

lifting me up on the bed. She blew out the candle and went to leave, but before

she could I grabbed her sleeve. She turned her head to me as I looked at her

with a shaking hand still holding her sleeve.

"Can you sleep with me in my room tonight please? I don't

want to be alone." I asked her.

She smiled softly and gently moved the hair from my face

before she answered, "I would love too."

"Don't even worry about it, Jael, I'll protect you too."

came from dad who was anxiously listening from outside the room. He at once

made his way into the room and plopped himself to my right as mom gently laid

to my left. Dad stretched his arm over us as he laid down. "I won't let you

have to in fear of anything for as long I draw breath, I will fight any of your

demons."

I was at once comforted from his declaration he gave as

he held both me and mom tight. I snuggled my face into his large chest while

mom rubbed my back. I felt so warm that I was in complete bliss.

As I slept, I had a dream of my past life's parents

waving at me from a distance. I ran towards them but as I got closer, they

shook their heads no and pointed to behind me. As I

turned to look, I saw my new parents. They didn't say anything but stretched

their hands out to hug me. I looked back in the direction of my past life parents

to see that they were starting to fade.

"No don't leave me." I called out to them wanting to keep

them with me.

"It's okay Lindsey or should we say Jael," they said as

they both held up a hand to stop me. "We will always love you no matter who or

where you are, but now it's time for them to protect you now."

A large dark figure started making its way towards me,

shaking the ground with its every step. As it drew closer, I noticed it was the

queen. My body began to tremble out of fear. Suddenly I was wrapped in the

loving arms of my new parents. I looked over to the parents of my past life as

they were disappearing.

"You are in good hands now kiddo," my dad from my past

life said, "and don't worry about this." He signaled with his thumb over to the

stampeding queen. "I'll be taking this thing with me." While he was

disappearing, he jumped up in the air like a hero grabbing the queen from the

back of the neck. She struggled as she tried to free from his grasp but was

unable to break from his hold. And they both disappeared with dad smiling the

entire time.

My mom from my past life walked over to me and my new

parents. She bent down and looked over the both of them. "She may have her past

memories, but she is still your little girl as much she is mine." She then

looked at me with a smile. "She is a smart girl who always tries to help

others, but she has a tendency to take on too many

burdens on herself never asking for help all the while. So, I ask that you

watch over her as she grows up in this new life."

Both of my new parents didn't say anything but nodded in

agreement as if to say 'Of course'. Mom smiled reassured from their answers and

then placed her hand on my cheek. I was in the form of Lindsey, my past form,

and the sensation of her hand felt so real that I rested my face against her

hand. I closed my eyes and reopened them now in the form of Jael. She smiled as

she looked at my new form.

"You look so adorable my darling little girl. I know you

have gone through so much more than one should ever go through. I know you are

strong enough to get through this, but always remember you have those who wish

to help you. So, don't forget to lean on them for support, okay?" She started

to become transparent as her time started to run out. She stood up, took a step

back, and pointed a finger at me. "And darling don't ever forget that you are

my brilliant little star. So, I will be leaving you with this little hint. When

one needs to find answers, they just need to look at the whole problem not just

the small question."

As my mom finished having her little theatrical

performance, she gave me a wink before she fully disappeared. I suddenly awoke

as everything calmed down. It was still dark out and both my new parents were

asleep. I felt something warm on my cheek as I noticed a tear drop fall on my

hand. I looked out the window to notice the light shine from the moon and the

stars over the garden. A smile made its way on my face as I felt at peace

thanks to my parents from both lives.

I went back to sleep now feeling weightless with nothing

holding me down anymore. All that is left is getting back in shape and I'll

finally be able to move forward from all the darkness in my life. I have

nothing to worry about though since I have loving parents to lean on through

all my struggles. I closed my eyes and fell to sleep one more time for the

night.