Aveline’s POV

As I walk through the forest, no animals come to greet me.  Everything is so quiet, which is unusual.  It’s scaring me.  Maybe I should turn around and go back to the castle.  No, I need to see Lorand.

But the forest is so scary today!  Are there wolves in these woods?  Bears?  Is that why everything is so silent?  What if I get attacked?  I shouldn’t, as long as I’m slow and as quiet as my surroundings.  But what if I do?  Do I run or hide?  I’ll climb a tree.  No, bears can climb trees too!

I’m relieved when I see the familiar cottage.  My home now.  Lorand is here, waiting for me!  I run to the door, but as I raise my fist to knock, something seems horribly wrong.  No, I won’t be afraid now.  Lorand is on the other side of that door, and this is my home.  Nothing is wrong.  I knock.  No answer.  Maybe he can’t hear me?  I knock again.  Still no response.

“Lorand!” I call out.

I wait.  Nothing.

Something is wrong.

I cautiously open the door and step inside, looking around.  The place is clean except for a few dirty dishes.  I see a book on the table.

“Lorand?”  Is he here?

Then I look down.

A boy with auburn hair is lying on the floor.  He’s not moving.

It’s Lorand!  I fall down next to him and scream.  There’s no way this is real!  I’ve come to be with him forever.  He can’t be…

I grab his wrist.  It’s so cold.  No pulse.  Trembling, I tilt my head and put my ear on his chest.  Please, just give me a heartbeat, a breath, some sign he’s alive!  But again there’s nothing.

The only boy I’ve ever loved is completely lifeless.

I curl up next to him and sob.  Why did he have to die?  He was the sweetest, kindest, bravest person I ever knew, and I loved him.  He had always been my best friend.  No one cared for me like he did.  My fingers intertwine with his, and I think of how much I wanted to marry him someday.  Now he’s dead.  He’s dead!  The world around me crumbles apart, because without him, I have nothing.

“Aveline?”

The voice isn’t Lorand’s, so I don’t care.  I snuggle up closer to him and continue to cry.

The golden evening light washes over me as the door opens.  Although my face is in Lorand’s chest, it’s still somewhat blinding.  I hate it.

Charlotte screams.

“My God!” Lilac cries.

“Lorand?” Nellie whispers.

Martha goes to my side and shakes me.  “Is he dead?”

Everyone stops to hear my response.

“Y-yes!” I want to control my voice, but it quickly becomes a wail.

“My baby!” Millie screams.

The panic continues.

“Stop!” Ruth commands.

For the first time in hours, I look up.  As my eyes adjust,  I see that Ruth’s face is streaked with tears, but she’s still calm and able to maintain order, the only one who can keep us from completely losing our sanity.  However, I think I’ve already lost mine.

“We’re all going to miss our dear Lorand,” she says, sniffling.  “He was special to all of us.”

He was more than special.

“But we’ll never get anything done if we just stand around and cry.”

“He wouldn’t want us to cry,” Lilac says, wiping away her tears.

“No, he wouldn’t.  We’re going to have a funeral for him tonight.”

A funeral.  My stomach churns.  A funeral for Lorand.  If there’s going to be a funeral for him, then there’s no way he’s going to return.  I hear a scream.

“Poor Aveline!” Charlotte wraps her arms around me.

Five others rush to comfort me, yet I still feel so lonely without Lorand.

“Hey!” Gladys shouts.

“What is it, Gladys?” Ruth asks.

“I think I know how he died.”

How he died.  He died.

“Look!”

I move my head slightly so I can see her.  She’s holding up an apple with a single bite in it.  Poison!  Gladys drops the apple and covers her face with her hands.  And suddenly I know exactly who killed Lorand.

“Morden!” I yell.  He’s an evil king and even worse stepfather, apathetic toward anyone but himself, the greediest man on earth, and willing to destroy a life just to be the best.  Therefore I hate him, I despise him, I loathe him!  He murdered Lorand!

“Aveline, stop!” Lilac says, pulling me up.

And I feel the pain.  My knuckles are horribly bruised from punching the floor.  I fall into Lilac’s arms and let her hold me.

“What’s going on?” a new voice demands.  “Lorand!”

Harriet falls to the floor next to him.  Dane backs up into the corner, filled with silent grief.

“He was practically my brother,” Harriet whimpers.  “He was my brother.”  She turns to Millie.  “Was there any other way?”

Millie just makes some sort of choking sound.

All of a sudden, Dane bursts out crying.  Martha tries to comfort him, but he pushes her away and runs outside.

Harriet stands up.  “Should I go after him?”

“No, just let him grieve for a little while before the funeral,” Ruth replies softly.

Our attention goes back to the boy on the floor.  The sight of him just wrecks me.

“I’ll get a blanket,” Nellie whispers and goes upstairs.

“I’ll get a shovel.” Lilac lets go of me.  She walks outside.

Harriet sniffles.  “I’ll get Dane.”  She hurries out after Lilac.

“Let’s get dressed,” Charlotte says to the rest of the women, and they all head upstairs, leaving me alone with Lorand.

His face is pale.  His eyebrows are raised in terrified shock, his mouth barely closed.  He must have been so scared when he died.  It breaks my heart to picture him so afraid.  If only I was there to save him, or at least calm him.  Soon I’ll never see him again.  Without thinking, my lips touch his.  I really loved him…

“Aveline?”

No, it’s not him.  It’s my mind playing tricks on me.  That’s all.

“Don’t cry.  I’m here…”

I open my eyes.

“...and I love you.”

Lorand is staring back at me with those beautiful green eyes I never thought I’d see again.  He smiles gently and reaches for my hand.

“You’re alive!” I whisper.