Entwined Paths ~*~ chap 1 part 3 ~*~ {pg 13+}

[ishaah]

Chapter One – The Diaries
Part 3
~Serenity~
Locket

~*~Seven years old ~*~

Today is my seventh birthday, I got this diary. I don't know really what your meant to write in a diary but my aunt who gave it to me told me I should write in it what I do or how I'm feeling and anything interesting whether its bad or good. I don't have a very interesting day to day life, mostly I dress pretty and stand around and smile, so I figure I will write in it on the same day once a year, that way I will have a whole years worth of things I can put into each time a write in here, since I got this for my birthday I will write in it on my birthday every year, I guess I'll start now with some kinda of introduction of my life up until now.
My name is Serenity Lockheart, I am princess of Verneesa, the main Elfin village in Westionia, Mystic Australia. I live in a castle with my mother, father, sister and many other people who work for my family. My sister Tranquility is older than me by four years, she loves being a princess, she loves bossing people around, especially me but mostly she loves bossing everyone else around, she goes into town and expects everyone to bow as she approaches and give her things for free even though we have more money than the whole village could use in ten lifetimes and the people in our Village work night and day just to live. I am seven, many would say I am to young to know what I want from life, to young to know what is right and wrong but I do not believe this to be right. I snuck out of the castle when I was six, it's a very hard task but I managed because my sister was having a party and everyone was to busy worrying about her to notice me, I wore a cloak to cover my looks so no one would recognize me and it worked very well. I was just walking around pretending I was normal when I bumped into this old lady, she had rags for cloths and no shoes but she had this smile that was so friendly and true, something I had not previously seen, she apologized for no reason, and I told her it was my fault then I wandered around the town with her for the rest of the day, she told me it was her day off from work and that she liked to just walk around and take in all the beauty of Verneesa, that she worked seven days of an eight day week so she could feed her family and pay her bills. I asked her why she didn't ask the king and queen to give her money when they had so much and she told me that it is not allowed for a townie to address the royal family. At that time I did not know this so I was very confused but I did not say anything about it nor did I ask the lady to explain. After I had finally realized that I was away from the castle for the whole day and that there was no way it wouldn't have been discovered I said goodbye to the lady then I ran home and snuck back in. My mother and father were very angry at me, not because I was missing though, because we had visitors and my not being there made them look bad in front of our guests. This is how my life works, I was born to the crown and for that I am bound to be a doll for show for the rest of my life, my sister will take on the crown when it is time to pass it on, I shall never be queen unless by marriage, I don't want to get married I don't even like boys but my aunt says that will change when 1 get older, but for right now, I will smile and stand still and not talk just like I have for as long as I can remember. I am seven, but I know that one day I will make a difference, I will make a change and I will be free.


~*~ Eight years old ~*~

Well it has been a whole year since I last wrote in here, again not much happened throughout the year as a whole but I did manage to sneak out again and I also got in really big trouble for embarrassing the family again on two separate occasions.
I will start with the day I snuck out again, its was three whole weeks after my seventh birthday, I had been thinking about it ever since I wrote in here on my birthday. I waited until my sisters birthday when I knew everyone would be far to busy to notice me again, then I snuck out and went to town, I looked everywhere for the old lady but I didn't find her, maybe she was working, I'm not sure but I did meet someone else, someone my age, Her name was Verity and she was attending a public school with other children our age, she guessed who I was straight away, I asked her how she knew and she told me that at her school they were teaching all about my family, can you believe that? My family is a subject in public school. Varity and I spent the whole day together, she showed me all her favorite places in town and she brought us both a chocolate milkshake, my first chocolate milkshake ever, I'm not allowed to drink such things at the castle, I have to drink fruit juices and water, that way I will stay pretty to look at. I had a really great day with Varity, she did not treat me like I was important, she treated me like I was equal and I reveled in it, it was the first time I ever felt truly happy and before I left we made a plan to meet at the same place next year when I could sneak out, then I left and returned to the castle, this time though no one had even noticed I was missing all day, I had made my appearance to show the guest how 'perfect' I was before I left so I had known I was pretty safe from being found out.
The day I got in really big trouble started just like any other day, Dayla and Frean our maids woke me early and dressed me, then I was taken down to the first floor for our formal breakfast, after which I was taken to change my clothes again then I was brought down to the second floor where I had to stand and smile while people from town would address my mother and Father on this allocated day and ask for help, Each person would have to state why they wanted help from the crown then they would have to tell exactly what they would do with any assistance given. It was terrible, out of around each six different people one would get a minimal amount of assistance even though all of these people needed help, and no one was not of vital importance. My mother and Father do not care for other people, they just care about looking good and being the best. I stood there with my fake smile for hours, watching person after person leave in tears because they could not get help. It was when a lady came and she asked for so very little, just enough money to be able to get her baby the medical attention she needed after the harsh winter, my parents denied this and I guess I snapped, I stepped out from my showcase and I told the lady I would h\give her money to help her baby, my mother, father and sister were dumbfounded, though no one else could see it through there rock solid fake poses. The lady thanked me and tears came to her eyes as I handed her the money, she left and I had this feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. My parents were mortified that I just gave away the amount of money I just had and you would think they would tell me off for there displeasure, but they had one of our butlers take me to the study hall and write out twenty thousand times that I will not waist the family money on peasants, it took me two whole days to write it all, I could only sleep and make appearances in between my writings but in the end it really was well worth it.


~*~ Nine years old ~*~

Another year past, I lost the key for this diary it took me almost all day to find it, of course it was right where I left it. Last year I did a few things that were out of the ordinary for my life, I'm finally understanding that I may not have all the time in the world to do the things I wish I could, but I have all the time in the world to dream of the things I can.
I went to meet Varity as we had arranged, its was really nice, Varity was waiting for me when I got there, she told me that she was hoping I would be able to make it and she grabbed my hand and dragged me off, she said she had been planning all the things she wanted to show me for the whole year and things for us to do, I was happy to just do everything that she wanted to do with one acceptation, it was really funny the look on Varity's face when I pulled a big bag of money out of my bag, I told her I wanted to use it to make a difference and she just smiled and told me she knew the perfect way I could and be anonymous at the same time, she wanted to go to the lake to swim first though, but my disguise would have drowned me if I wore it in the water, Varity told me no one would notice I am the princess if I was wearing normal clothes then she handed me a bathing suit she had in her bag. I got changed into the bathing suit and we went swimming, its was great, people joined us for a while and no one treated me like I was special, I was normal just like everyone should be, an equal and I never felt more free. After the lake Varity gave me a dress to change into and we went to a cafe for lunch and a coffee, at the castle I'm not allowed to drink coffee because it might stain my teeth, my parents think looks and money are everything, I think there is so much more to life and there missing it all with there shallow hearts and one day I will be free of my obligations free to make my own choices and most importantly free to leave the castle and take my own road. I told Varity that is how I felt and she smiled at me weirdly and she told me that she knows I will make a difference and that I will leave the castle and take my own journey, sometimes Varity is a little strange but I don't care, she is my friend and that is all that matters really. We spent the rest of the day just running around town from place to place just doing whatever we felt like at the time. Just before I went back to the castle Varity grabbed my hand and we ran to a place just through the forest a short way, I small village in my town that I didn't even know about, all the people who lost everything had made there own village with sticks and mud and other things they found around the forest, Varity told me that these people have nothing and that my bag of money would make a huge difference to there lives, I could see she was right. We snuck into the village and they had a small church they had made, we went inside and a young holey man was standing at the end lighting candles, he herd us and turned around, I got nervous but Varity took my hand and dragged me to the front, to him. The holey man smiles, he knew who I was, he never said it but I could see it he knew, I pulled the bag of money out and I placed it on the table where the candles were and told that man to please use it for whatever he thinks would help the town and Varity told him that I wanted to keep anonymous. The holey man smiled caringly and agreed not to tell anyone where it came from, he also told me that I will see him again in a few years and he will have something for me, I didn't want something in return but I also know that sometimes when a holey man says they have something for you it does not necessarily mean something with a form, it could be anything like a blessing. After the holey man stopped talking to us I realized I was very late, someone would notice if I wasn't at the castle for dinner so I had to go, I hugged Varity then I teleported home, and lucky thing I did, the butler came in to get me for dinner not even a second after I appeared in my room, I was kind of excited because that was the first time I had teleported, my sister did it all the time but I hadn't my mother wont allow me to use my magic and she has a block on me so I can't, good thing for me teleporting isn't part of my magic its part of everyone's and can't be blocked. Its weird Teleporting seems so easy, one minute you are in one place and the next you are in another far away, just like that, but its not, you have to visualize where you want to be, then you have to want to be there enough to actually teleport to that place, good thing I've had a lot of time to perfect concentrating well enough to teleport easily, but I would really hate to have to learn if all from the start!
~*~ 10 years old ~*~
Wow I can't believe I'm Ten years old already, oh wow I did so much with my parents this year, my sister went on a holiday for almost the whole year, she's back now but it was nice while it lasted, I actually felt like my parents cared for me, though as soon as she came back It was back to being ignored again, I haven't really got much for this year to write though, nothing worth writing anyway, I didn't meet Varity, she wasn't there when I got to our meeting place, I was late though and I looked for her almost all day but I couldn't fine her, I really hope she is alright, I'm not sure what I would do if something has happened to her, but I am going to make sure I am bright and early for our next meeting, that way there is no chance of missing her.


{continued in reply due to size limit}

[ishaah]

~*~ 14 years old ~*~

Four years, its been four years since I last sat here and wrote in my diary, after I wrote last I decided to try and find Varity again, though this time mother wanted me while I was gone, she sent the guards out to find me and when I got home she was extremely angry, I did not even have a chance to go to my room and pack, mother had the maids pack the bare necessities of my belongings, they were already packed and there were two guards waiting to take me to boarding school, huh! Boarding school, it was more a school that would make me how mother wanted me to be, like my sister, proper I think is the term they used. I Hated it there, the whole four years all I wanted to do was come home, only problem is, a home is a place where you should feel safe and happy and loved, I feel none of that here! Well I'm gonna write the bits and pieces of my stay at Boarding school that are worth mentioning.
I arrived at the school with the guards and I had to sit for about three hours and wait for the headmaster, when he finally came out to see me he said very few words at all, he said "You're a princess, you will learn to act accordingly" then he left again and I was directed to what was to be my new room for the next four years. The room was small, it had a small bed made from wood, I chest of draws and a desk and that is all, The guards un packed my bag and put my clothes in the draws and my shoes at the foot of the bed and then they left, I had nothing, no toys, not diary, no freedom nothing. I tried to teleport out but the school has something that blocks the ability to teleport away from it, that was the first time I realized teleporting could be blocked and I hated it, I was stuck with nothing and no one, in an awful place to mould me into something I never asked to be. My bed was hard, Extremely hard, apparently a hard bed will improve ones posture and my room melt like wet animal, it was awful. I was made to stay in my room until the next day. When the guards came to get me they spoke not even a single word, they just directed me to a room with tables lined up all in neat rows with other girls who looked as sad as I felt, it was silent, not one girl was talking and anyone who slouched there backs or had there legs in the incorrect manner would be scalded for it. I was directed to a chair halfway up the room and I had to sit there and so nothing, sit perfectly still, upright, strait with my legs neatly tucked under my chair for three hours, every time I would move to get comfortable I would be yelled at and more time would be added to how long I had to sit there for. After the extremely long four hours was up the guards, two assigned to each girl took us all to a dining hall, one extremely long table where we were all seated and made to sit still and quiet for another two hours before food was ready and presented, then we had to eat how the director at the end of the table told us to, if we didn't we would be made to eat all over again, some girls ended up having about four times the amount of food they needed, luckily for me I already knew how to eat like a princess, there are a lot of things I don't like to do, but eating right I have no problem with, not at all. After lunch was finally over we were directed to a different room where we had to do exercises to work off the food we had just eaten, it was dreadful, there were signs around the room saying things like "No prince wants a fat wife" and things like that, it actually made some of the older girls cry, personally I was nine, I could care less what a prince thought of me, and even now, I would much rather fall in love with someone who was nice and caring and loved me not my title, though its doubtful I will ever get that option. The exercising lasted for around two hours then we were actually given an hour to relax, though we were not allowed to talk to each other, the guards made sure we couldn't. The time we had to relax when so fast and before I knew I was being taken to another room, this one had tables like the first room and we all had to sit and listen to how we should pronounce things properly and how we had to write, my hands hurt so much after that I'm so happy to be able to write in my diary again in my own way. That is basically what I did for four years, no contact with anyone other than my guards, siting, eating, exercising, writing and pronouncing, oh yeah and grooming, how could I possibly have forgotten grooming, even to shower the guards were there making sure I did it properly, it was humiliating and embarrassing, I went from a girl to a young lady being watched the whole way.
Well that is basically the last four years of my life, Now I am a young lady, I'm fourteen, I have everything a fourteen year old should have and I can act as perfect as I have to act though it will never be me. The whole time I was away I missed Varity, I still miss Varity, I hope I can find her again one day. But for now I have to go pretend I'm perfect for Mother and Fathers friends.
~*~ 15 years old ~*~
Its been a long year, firstly I found out that when I turn seventeen I have to marry, some prince will pick me out of a group of girls who actually want to marry and I will be stuck with him and his family for the rest of my life, this is probably the worse fate I could think of. I still haven't found Varity and I also went to find the holey man but he was not anywhere to be found either, actually come to think of it, none of the people I had met were around, I'm starting to think something has or is happening that I'm not being told about and it worried me greatly, I wish there was something I could do, some way I could find out why my friends are missing, why the town is so quiet and most of all if it has something to do with my family. I am going to make it my goal to find my friends or at least some answers by my next birthday.


~*~ 16 years old ~*~

I FOUND THEM! I found Varity, and the holey man and the other people hiding with them, I'll get right into it.
It was easier to leave the house now, I just told the maid I was going into town and that was all it took, I teleported to the normal place I use to meet Varity and she was nowhere to be found, I was really annoyed my magic was still blocked, it would have made it so much easier to find Varity, but a little thing like time was not going to stop me! I walked around the town looking for someone to talk to and I found nothing for almost all day, it was just before dark when I bumped into a girl, she would have to have been the same age as me, she was wearing all white cloths and she looked like she was waiting for me, I had no time to ask her anything, before I could even open my mouth she smiled and said "You will find Varity on the dark side of the lake" I was stunned, I looked at this girl but I was to happy to have the first clue in six years as to where Varity might be, I asked the girl who she was and she said "My name is Annie, one day you will hear about me but not today, I am just here to guide you, to tell you that your an amazing person and that one day you will see more amazing things than you could imagine" I asked her how she knew so much, how she knew where Varity was and how she could possibly know what my future will bring, she smiled sweetly and said she was not here to give me answer to the questions I wanted to ask, she said she was here to give me an answer to the one I don't, I asked her what she meant and she said that when I want the answers there is one place to look and several to remember, she also said that I was special and for me not to fight who I am when the time comes, to look past the Darkness. She wished me luck after that and she disappeared in an amazing light, it was so bright though it didn't effect my sight at all, I have no doubt she was an angel. I took a few minute to just let everything that had happened sink in then I teleported to the dark side of the lake, a place I have been warned my whole life not to go for the dangers that lay beyond the lake are said to be terrifying and unstoppable, but if Varity was there then why should I be afraid, I just wanted to see my friend again. I appeared near the waterfall and there were eyes of creatures all around me and noises I doubt I will ever forget, it was terrifying but invoking at the same time. I walks around a ledge that lead to under the waterfall, I kept going despite the fact that I would get saturated by water by going underneath the waterfall and when I got halfway I found a cave, inside I could hear voices of people talking I took a deep breath and then I walked into the cave and as quietly as I possibly could I walks until I could see light from a fire, I moves close enough to be able to make out who was standing around the fire, and I was so happy when I was Varity and The holey man, they were telling a story to some children who were sitting on the other side of the fire, other adults and teenagers were around as well enjoying the story, I couldn't control my own reaction, I ran out and hugs Varity before she could even react to my footsteps, She laughed and hugged me back and told me how much she missed me, she also said that she was glad I had finally come as if she had be expecting me, I was to happy to care for such things so I just let it go and hugged her again. Varity let the holey man continue with the story and she took me away from the group, we talked until the daylight came through the water and into the cave. I told Varity about everything that had happened over the last six years and she told me the same, she said that something was coming, something she could feel though she didn't know when it would get here or what it was exactly but she just knew it was bad, she told as many people as she could and those who believed her moved to the cave with her and those who didn't stayed in town, I didn't know what to think or say at first when Varity asked me to stay and join them, but eventually I told her 1 could not stay, if I was to stay someone would come looking and if I was found everyone who lived in the cave would get blamed for my being missing, so I said that I would come and visit as often as I could. Varity and I spent the whole next two days together just talking and having fun, and just before I was to head home Verity handed me something, she said she missed six years of my life and this is a gift she would like me to keep forever, it was beautiful, a silver locket with hand carvings on it, She told me that I should put someone special in it one day, not her though, she was clear about that. I put the locket on and I hugged Varity then I said goodbye to the others and I teleported home, I told mother I had been to another kingdom meeting with a prince to explain my absence and that excuse has worked for every time since that day that I have been to see Varity and the others since.


~*~ 17 years old ~*~

Well I'm sitting at my desk for possibly the last time, I'm about to blindly go on a journey and I'm not even sure where I am going or what I will do when I get there. This will also be the last time I write in this diary, so I'll start from the day after my last birthday, the day everything changed.
I woke up as I normally do and got dressed for the day, and when I got to the dining room my mother, father and sister were waiting along with a prince, my fiance The man who I was to marry, I was so shocked I just sat down silently and listened as I was told all the plans for the day after my seventeenth birthday. After breakfast was over I had to spend the whole day with the poppas ass who was to be my husband, I had never herd anyone talk about themselves that much in my entire life, and living with my sister that is saying something! As soon as I was freed from him I ran to my room and I cried for what seemed like hours before I fell asleep. The next day was the first day I was to be dragged to his castle, I had to stay there for half a year, get use to his way of living. The prince's Mother was mean and she would always make comments about me just loud enough for me to hear, I has to sleep in a bed that was far to soft and the worse thing, I had to follow the prince around so he could show me off like some kind of jewel, it was more humiliating than showering at boarding school, actually I would take boarding school over being with him any day! The time I spent at the prince's castle was long and horrid; I just wanted to go home the whole time. When I finally could go home I don't think I had ever Teleported away from anywhere so fast, but I didn't teleport back to the castle, I teleported to the Cave and I cried to Varity for hours about everything I had to do and how I didn't want to marry this man. Varity told me to stay at the cave but I refused again, I did not want to risk their freedom for my selfishness. I did however come over a lot more often; I would always bring tones of food, drinks, blankets, toys and anything else I could possibly
think of to make the people living in the cave happier. I was happy in the most part for the next few months, I spent a lot of time at the cave and with Varity, I was staying two or three nights a week at a time but I would come back to the castle long enough to keep suspicion down. It was a week ago today that I started to feel lost and afraid again, Tomorrow I am meant to marry the prince and a week ago all the preparations began, today was the only time I had been able to go and see Varity all week, today was the day the holey man kept his word, he said that he would give me something in a few years time when I was nine and today he gave me something though I'm still not sure what to do with it. The holey man took my hand and we sat out on the edge of the lake and watched the fish swim around, he smiles and he said "Serenity, you know what to do in your heart, you must not ignore what your heart is saying" I looked at him and I was clearly confused, I asked what he meant by that and he said "When you want the answers there is one place to look and several to remember, you are special, don't fight who you am when the time comes, Your path is your own, though you will share it with others along the way, others like you"
I asked him what he meant and he looked at me and smiled and said "You have to figure that out alone" then he got up and went back into the cave. I sat for a while and just went over his words in my head, after a while something just clicked. I got up and ran into the cave and I hugged Varity again, I told her I had to leave and find my own place, she asked what I meant and I just smiled and told her I had know idea what I meant but I knew It was what I had to do, I gave Varity my bracelet and my coat and told her that I would never forget her and hopefully I would see her again. Varity understood what I had to do and she was happy for me, I knew I would miss her very much and we spent hours just saying goodbye, both of us in tears, then I said my last goodbyes to everyone and teleported home, this is where I came in and started writing so I am right up to date, I have packed a small back with my necessities in and I am just about to leave, I have no idea where I am going or what I will do when I get there, but I have no doubts it is the right decision.