"I want to learn how to fight with a sword," Sophia cried, a grim expression settling on her face. "Yes, I want to do that."

Colette looked up from the bed, her eyebrows raised at her sister's declaration.

"You wish to do what?" Colette replied, wondering if her sister had lost her wits. The past few days, Sophia had sulked around the house, much like the undead, so it seemed entirely possible her sanity had deserted her.

"I said I want to learn how to parry with a sword. I refuse to sit around and mope that I have lost Blake. I have done my part of moping in my life, and I am tired of it. Sick and tired. So, I want to learn sword fighting to ease my mind off of it." Sophia jutted her chin out in defiance challenging her sister to oppose her.

"Sword fighting is so old and dreary. Shoot with a rifle instead, if you insist on being vigilant and fierce," Colette countered, refusing to rise to the bait. Sophia deserved to at least make some voluntary choices in her life, ever since Colette and her father started stripping them away from her.

Sophia harrumphed. "Very well then. Take me to someone who can aid me if you know any from your time in society, or help me find a respectable lad." Sophia made a move to exit and then paused and whirled around, thinking the better of it.

"But before we leave, can you please tell me about your recent and odd behavior?"

Persistence and Sophia were married from birth because Sophia clearly did not let things go.

Colette earned to spill all her secrets, but her lips were sewn shut by the promise of Conway's thereat., Jumping up eagerly from the bed, she grabbed Sophia's arm and dragged her towards the door.

"It's nothing! Besides, we mustn't dally on older matters. We'll find you someone at once to help fulfill your violent desires, though I cannot fathom why you would think I knew anyone." Colette desperately tried to divert the topic, earning her a frown from Sophia.

Sophia's lips parted to protest at Colette's divergence, but Colette silenced her. "Hush now, sister. We must help you recover from your heartache and loss. Hurry now. We must part at once, for it is very hard to find a gun keeper who may teach you as you are a woman."

Sophia could only follow as Colette dragged her out of their home, unable to resist any further.

Arrows, arrows, arrows.

They thudded against the wood as they flew from Blake's fingertips. The string hummed against his skin, thrumming like the strings of his inconsolable soul.

They may have it their target in front o him, but the arrows felt much more lodged in his heart, twisting and turning till the target lay raw and splintered.

Every waking thought was filled with the image of a raven-haired beauty, flitting in and out of his mind like a butterfly that refused to be caught, yet teasing him with its beauty.

Thwack.

Another arrow hit the target with a satisfying thud, yet Blake felt anything but that. All he could feel was a cauldron of rage and sadness, all wrapped into on undeletable mess.

Heartbreak was a foreign word to Blake, never before striking his life with reverence, but it appeared he was swimming in it now, slowly being dragged to the bottom of its oceans.

The past few days had been hell for him. Perhaps even hell would have been and up from where he was now. Every fiber in his heart throbbed in pain, and all that he wanted was Sophia back. He either furiously dueled with his friends, or cried softly or did a mix of both over the past few days.

Nothing else even mattered.

Nothing else could possibly ease the pain that nursed his heart.

The other day when he had gone to his friends, the Duke of Cambridge's house, he had met his friend's mistress who looked eerily like Sophia.

Ice had frozen Blake's heart at that moment and cut with its shards into his spirit. He could not bear to look at her for more than a few seconds. She was the devil placed there to taunt him so.

He had to conclude his business with the Duke early simply because everywhere he looked, he saw crystal blue waters that swam in the circle of life, and curly ink hair that whipped in the wind like tendrils of night.

Melancholy was Blake's new friend. They walked hand in hand all day, as storm cloud rained upon his head more sadness.

A part of earned to chase after her, win her back, but she had asked to leave her out of respect. Blake had broken his promise, not kept his word so many times in the past, but he must try once for distrust not to rear its ugly head.

Though it was as impossible as asking the sun to come to play in a winter storm.

Everywhere, Sophia popped up at him. From the clumsy curtsy of servants to laughter that sounded like the chimes in wind.

Every single thing about her was with him.

Except for Sophia herself.

The man looked at her sternly as he twirled his mustache with one hand and rubbed his paunch with the other.

Sophia stared at him back with a ferocity of a lioness, her eyes narrowed with vehemence and determination.

"You wish to do what, miss?" He grumbled, his voice sounding like a low thunder that rumbled across the sky during a summer storm.

"I wish to learn how to shoot a gun. Preferably a derringer*, though any would suit fine," Sophia replied, smiling a stiff, prim smile at him.

"I am sorry, miss, but we cater to men here. This is an establishment for all the men who wish to be trained in the art of gun shooting, especially for hunting."

She hissed under her breath.

Sophia had had it with men shoving her around. Grabbing the fleshy arm of Mr. Roberts, who was a good foot shorter than her, she put her face up to his and murmured, "You listen to me, mister. The love of my life was kicked to the boot and my betrothal just fell into ashes because of my father. Now I suggest you hand me a gun at once and teach me how to use it unless you want to see the wrath I have been holding onto come unleashing onto you."

Mr. Roberts made a move to speak but Sophia shushed him and grasped his arm more firmly. In the small gun house where pistols could be purchased and tried out, a few men were present. They had looked up when Sophia and Colette had entered and then gone back to their business, but not looked at the three with avid interest, whispering among on another.

"You don't want that do you, Mr. Roberts?"

Like a scared little dog, he shook his head, his jowls jiggling with fat.

Releasing his arm at once, she smiled sweetly up at him. "Well then, we have understood each other. Shall we move to the target zone, sir, after I purchase the derringer you will show me now?"

Mr. Roberts just looked up at her with dumbfounded eyes and then when she gave him a fierce glance immediately bowed his head and gestured her to follow him.

Sophia gestured to Colette, who was standing by her and watching the exchange silently. The pair, after purchasing Sophia's new pistol, set off into the back gardens.

It was a large, spacious ground, bordered by a hunting forest. In front of her, spanned a huge field of grass on which plenty of targets were hitched.

A green field.

Green like Blake's eyes.

No. No, she had to let him go. She couldn't think about him.

After a few minutes of explanation on how to work the pistol, Sophia could finally feel the metal against her palms, the cool touch of it contradicted to the warmth f her skin.

When she shot the first bullet, the recoil made her jump back and drop the gun, like it was scalding hot fire. But slowly after practice, she felt the metal molding into her skin, becoming a part of her, an extra hand, though she missed most of her shots.

With every bullet that touched the rim of the target, which was the best of her ability, Sophia felt the anger that had spiked up in her slowly, inch by excruciating inch drain away, though it still felt like much of it still persisted. The anger at her father, her sister, even Blake for coming back into her life.

Bang.

Why did she fall in love?

Bang.

Why did it have to be Blake?

Bang.

Why did everything in her life have to fall into a deep dark well?

Bang. Bang. Bang.

She didn't even realize she was crying till hot tears caressed her neck and the top of her chests. Angrily she swiped it away but more of their friends just took their place.

The day Blake left, her heart had been ripped from her chest, and she had thought every last tear shed. But now they just came spurting down as streams, blurring her vision. She didn't know when the gun dropped from her fingers or how she ended up on the ground, rocking back and forth.

She felt Colette's arms around her but barely really registered it.

She no longer wanted to cry at the tragedy of her life, but how she could possibly now when her life itself seemed to hold barely any meaning? Despair played games with her soul.

Suddenly the faintest pain clutched at her stomach and Sophia yelped, causing Colette to scramble backward.

"Sophia, Sophia! What happened?" Colette cried, panic widening her eyes.

Suddenly Sophia turned to her side and retched, the contents of her lunch gurgling out. She retched and retched till there was nothing left. She was sure the gamekeeper would yell at her when he saw her nasty mess of his clipped, cut grassy grounds, but all she could think about was the queasiness in her stomach.

Sophia groaned when her stomach started to turn again and she felt abnormally light headed. She slowly, much like in a dream-like trance fell backward till the expanse of the sky spread out before her eyes.

"Sophia! Sophia!" Colette cried, shaking at her sister. Seeing the gun dealer sitting under a tree waiting for them to finish target practice and pay him his due for using his target region, she hollered out to him. "Fetch a physician at once!".

It appeared he was snoring under the canopy and upon hearing her shouts, looked left and right in panic.

He fat body could not immediately spring into motion, and he had to roll up in order to stand. Colette clutched Sophia's hands in hers. Sophia tried to mumble something into Colette's ears but it was incoherent. Gesturing her to speak up, Colette leaned over Sophia trying to catch what she was trying to say. Colette thought Sophia would ask her to fetch her water or such or loosen her corset to allow more fresh air into her lungs.

The next few words cracked Colette's world and twisted the entire game of chess her life had turned into.

It blew apart every plan her father made.

Everything Colette unwontedly agreed to.

"Col...Colette. I think I am pregnant with Blake's child."

*derringer: small-sized handgun

A/N: 0.0 What do you think about Sophia's predicament? Will she keep the baby without a father or give it away?

Readers! Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter! Be sure to vote, comment and share it with others! Every single thing means the world to me! I love you all!