* * *
The next day Arlana sat in the carriage staring out the window as the countryside passed by. She thought about Bernadine and her father. It would take a day to get to her new home and she was terrified of what awaited her. She had hoped she would be able to ask Monsieur Bedel more questions about her soon to be husband but he opted to sit outside next to the driver. Christina hummed a faint tune from her childhood. As they rode further and further away from her childhood home the clouds grew gray. Arlana felt as though the weather knew her heart and sympathized with her. She felt like crying but knew that she had to be brave. Her father’s reputation was on the line with this union and she had to play her part well. She knew nothing of the man she was now betrothed to but she prayed that his name represented his demeanor. Seraphin was a word used for angels. Her father taught her that angels were good beings that watched out for her since her mother could not. She hoped he was right.
As the hours passed her heart grew heavy. She tried to not think of how much she would miss her father and her friend but she couldn’t do anything but think of them. Christina had tried many times to distract her but she was unsuccessful. The clouds finally let loose their sadness and rain poured onto the carriage. It was not a light rain but one that poured harder than any she had ever seen. Could she be the cause of this down pour? “This cannot be safe. I think I shall ask the driver to stop while it passes. It would not be good if the horses slip and we tumble over.” Christina said trying to keep alarm out of her voice. She rapped on the ceiling of the carriage. A small door by her head slid open. The driver looked in and asked “Yes Mistress?”
“Perhaps we should stop while the weather passes. “ Christina replied.
At that moment Arlana heard someone yell and then everything spun around her. She heard a horse screech and then the carriage tipped over and rolled several times. Arlana was flung to the roof and then back to her seat. The second time the carriage rolled over Arlana hit the roof of the carriage and heard the sound of something snapping like a twig breaking in half. Then everything went black.
Arlana woke to the sound of wailing, she went to sit up but had to stop as an incredible pain shot through the back of her neck. She opened her eyes and looked around. Why am I back at my house, she wondered to herself and what am I doing in the barn?
“She died! Her neck, it broke at such an awful angle! Why wasn't it me! How will her father survive this, she was all he had left!”
“Calm down Christina! You are hysterical. Why did you guys put her in the barn?”
“Monsieur Bedel thought that he should speak to her father first, before we brought her in. He wanted to prepare him for what he was about to see.” Christina continued weeping.
“I don't think we should just leave her there, I will go check on her and make sure everything is ok.”
“Oh Mari, don't go in there, what are you doing here anyway?” Christina sobered herself.
“I heard that Josephine was getting married and I just stopped by to see if it could be true, and to give my well wishes of course, but I guess I'm too late.” A slight smile curled the edges of Mari's lips.
“Oh no, it is too late,” Christina broke out into hysterical sobs again. She didn't notice Mari heading out towards the barn.
“I have got to see this,” she muttered under her breath.
As Mari entered the barn she saw Arlana lying across a pile of hay. “A proper burial for such a cow,” Mari chuckled to herself.
“What are you talking about?” Arlana slowly set up with a groan.
“AAAAAGGHHH!!! You're dead!”
“No, I am obviously alive, what are you talking about Mari? Why are you at my house?” Arlana looked around puzzled, “And why am I here?”
“You, you're dead, you were dead... why are you alive? You, you, you are a witch! A witch! I, I'll tell everyone! Witch!” Mari ran out of the barn screaming.
“What is wrong with that girl?” Arlana spoke to herself. She walked out of the barn towards the house. Her neck was still throbbing but it did feel a little better than before. She wondered what was going on and why Mari said she was dead. All she could remember was traveling along towards her betrothed's home. As she neared her house she heard her father shouting.
“I entrusted her to your care! She is not even with you a day and you say she is dead! That is not acceptable! Where is my daughter?”
“I am so sorry, we will get her.”
“Where is she?”
“We placed her in the barn, just until we could tell you.”
“In the barn! You put my precious daughter in the barn! She is hurt, why didn't you bring her directly to me! I will kill you!” he lunged at Monsieur Bedel.
Arlana threw open the kitchen door, “Father, Stop! I'm alright.”
Monsieur Bedel gasped and looked like he was about to fall over. Her father stopped abruptly and ran to her.
“Josephine, my precious Josephine, you are here, you're alive!”
“It, it is a miracle!” Monsieur Bedel walked towards them. “I, I don't understand.”
“I don't know what any of you are talking about. I just remember riding along and then suddenly I am lying in the barn with a horrible pain in my neck. And then Mari starts screaming at me.”
“Darling, you were hurt, very badly. They thought you were dead.”
“I'm here father, I'm alright.” Arlana wiped a tear from his cheek.
“If she is alright than she will come with me to my employer as planned.” Monsieur Bedel spoke frankly as he composed himself.
“You're head must have got hit pretty hard in your carriage accident if you think I will let her go anywhere with you!”
Monsieur Bedel pulled a paper from out of his coat pocket, “We have an agreement and here is the contract that you signed, I will take her with me or you will find yourself in prison.”
“Father, I'm alright, I will go with him.”
He looked at Arlana intently and then his straight posture slowly crumpled, “So be it. But you will not take her, I will take her. We will leave only after she has had a good rest and a healer has come to see her. I'm sure your employer would want his future wife to be healthy when she comes to meet him.”
Monsieur Bedel conceded. “Very well, but see to it that the healer arrives no later than tomorrow. My employer is a very busy man and he was planning on her being there later today. I will send him word of what's happening when I go into town to find lodging.”
Arlana's father did not stop him, he did not even bid him farewell. He was known as a hospitable and generous man, but he did not feel very welcoming to Monsieur Bedel at the moment.
Arlana felt sorrow as she looked at her father. “It will be alright father,”she put her fingers under his chin and lifted it until his eyes met hers.
“You are so beautiful my daughter, I can't believe I almost lost you. I fear I may have made a mistake sending you off some place so far. I am sorry.”
“I know you did what you did out of love, I will be strong for you.” Arlana wrapped her arms around her father and he pulled her in close. Arlana felt she needed to be strong for her dad even though she dreaded the thought of going someplace so far, and of losing her father, her best friend, and her freedom.
“You are a brave girl, and so forgiving, just like your mother.”
Arlana enjoyed it when her father spoke of her mother. She never knew her and she treasured any glimpse of her that he was willing to share. She knew sometimes it pained him to recall her because he loved her deeply and she was taken abruptly from him.
“Oh father, there is something I forgot to tell you, when Mari was here she was calling me a witch, she seemed very upset when she ran out.”
“She was calling you a witch? What was she even doing here? She never comes out to the country, I thought you two didn't get along well.”
“I don't know what she was doing here. She thought I was dead, and then she was screaming.”
&nbs
p; “That is unfortunate, maybe it would be good to get you to your new home, and soon. Where is Christina?”
“I don't know, is she alright?”
At just that moment the kitchen door swung open and a red cheeked Christina came rushing in. She looked from Arlana to her father and back again.“What, who, how?” she muttered and then fainted.