White Midnight - Short Story

Hi all,

I got a bit bored and not really in the mood to do anything so I decided to write a short story to fill my bored time. lol Anyway, it's the kind of 'Guess your ending' story. It has no particular ending but it's a romance. Not sure if I am pleased with the result, but here goes.

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White Midnight

To begin, let me introduce myself. My name is HEATH DE CHANDRA. I come from a rich noble family in Venice, Italy. You may think I am one of those snobby people but fortunately, I am certainly not. You might laugh at me for it, but I am only a shy gentleman who often gets courted by young ladies from around the city.
My parents, LORD LYSANDER and LADY CLARA, are faithful servants of the royal family. They are very well known and treated. Like usual, we would have to attend a lot of parties and I would have to dance with beautiful young ladies. You might think I have a girlfriend already but unfortunately, it’s not true. As much as I would have liked to have a girlfriend, none of the city’s ladies interested me. It was more of a boring life, as I would say.
One day, my mother talked to me about it a talk which I am not sure whether I was glad with or not. It was a day when my life began to suddenly change.
‘Heath, my dear, ‘she said, ‘I see the ladies are going after you lately.’
‘Yes, mother,’ I replied,’ but it’s not troubling me much.’
‘My dear boy, can any of us live without a part of his soul?’ She asked me with a gentle expression.
‘I don’t think so, mother.’ I replied politely.
‘It’s impossible, my dear,’ she replied, ‘each of us has to find his soul mate one day.’
I understood what she meant then. She meant love and marriage. I certainly had no objection for that but where could I find the right woman?
Ever so politely, I replied, ‘My dear mother, I certainly understand but where can I find that soul mate?’
My mother had a look of astonishment and replied in a tone of surprise, ‘Oh between all those beautiful ladies, my love, haven’t you found one that could possibly interest you?’
I shook my head to her and replied, ‘Unfortunately no, my dear mother. I am sorry to say so but I am afraid that almost all the ladies in Venice are the same.’
My mother did not seem to be pleased with what I said. At that moment, my father, Lord Lysander, entered the room where I and Mum had been talking.
‘My dear husband,’ my mother said to my father, ‘would you like to tell your dearest son how have we met twenty five years ago?’
My father smiled widely and replied, ‘How have we met? Indeed, this is one of the most beautiful memories I have ever had, Heath, dear. It was when I was still only a young man like you are now. Then I met your mother at one of the parties I attended one evening. Her beauty and graceful ways made me fall in love with her.’
‘Oh, my love,’ my mother replied, sweetly looking at my father, ‘and I still love you to this very moment.’
I coughed a bit and replied, ‘That is very sweet, Dad, but I wonder why you are telling me this.’
My mother looked at me and replied, ‘Because, my dear boy, I only want your own good. If no lady is interesting you in Venice at all, who would you marry and you are the son of Lord Lysander? I am worried for you, my son.’
I shook my head with a smile. ‘Dear Mum, please don’t say that. I am sure that one day, I will find the woman of my dreams.’
‘Good luck with that, son,’ my father said, ‘I am sure you wouldn’t find a woman as great as your mother is, though.’
I smiled at my father and replied, ‘I am sure of that, father.’
I am not sure whether I liked the conversation or not. I did not like that my mother wanted to marry someone so soon but I was happy that they cared for me. I decided to have a walk in the local park for sometime after it. It was a beautiful park with lots of flowers and roses of many kinds. It was my favorite park and I loved it going to it. While I was walking, though, I happened to meet my good faithful friend, LADY AGNES.
‘I am glad to see you, Lord Heath,’ she said shyly.
Agnes was a very beautiful lady. She had a beautiful brown hair and wore a beautiful blue dress. She had a calm, kind nature that made her a bit shy.
‘I am glad to see you, too, Agnes. It’s a good day, isn’t it?’ I replied with a smile.
‘It is indeed, sir,’ she replied, her cheeks going a bit red, ‘perfect for a walk, too.’
I nodded and then we walked together around the park and talked. Agnes was a good friend of mine but none more or less.
My mother would speak to me a lot about her and praise her much, and I certainly agreed. But sometimes, I felt that Mum only tried to make me like Agnes. She perhaps wanted her to be my wife, but Agnes for me was only a friend.
‘So sir, are you going to the party held by the king and queen tonight?’ Agnes asked me.
‘Why, sure I will. My parents won’t let me get away anyway, you know.’
She giggled a bit and replied, ‘Oh, sir, I realize. Have you got a companion for the party yet?’
I thought about it for a second. I did need a companion or a partner but I haven’t decided yet. I was sure I could take any lady as my companion and they would be more than pleased to, but I thought about taking Agnes as my partner. We danced a lot together and we are used to it. After all, someone you know is better than a stranger.
‘Well, I haven’t actually asked a lady yet,’ I replied, ‘but I am thinking of someone.’
I noticed a look of hope in her eyes and she looked at me hopefully.
‘Really, sir? May I ask who is she?’ She asked.
‘Well, I would like to ask you, Agnes, to be my partner in the party.’
I saw a look of joy in her eyes and she looked happy that I asked her to become my partner. I didn’t have trouble having her as my companion, but I would have sure liked to get my own girlfriend to be my companion.
Later that evening, I and Agnes were dancing together in the ballroom at the castle. It was a quiet evening with slow music playing and couples dancing. I was used to such evenings but I did not quite like it. I thought it was rather boring without dancing with someone you actually enjoy dancing with. Of course, it didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy dancing with Agnes but I did not really love Agnes more than being a good friend.
Soon the music stopped playing and everyone stopped dancing. Gentleman and ladies began eating and talking then and taking care of other stuff. I felt a bit uncomfortable then and wanted sometime alone, away from the noise and the royal atmosphere.
‘Agnes, would you mind if you stay here alone for a while?’ I asked her, hoping not to upset her, ‘I’d like sometime alone in the garden.’
‘Of course, sir.’ She replied with a smile although I could feel a sad tone. ‘But please come back soon.’
I nodded and said I would. I then managed to sneak out of the party and soon enough, I was in the garden. It was almost midnight then and the moon was beautifully shining. The garden was as beautiful in night as it was in morning, except for no birds singing.
I was surprised, though, to suddenly hear a beautiful female voice singing a melodious song. The voice was so beautiful that I wanted to know who had that charming voice. I quietly followed the direction of the voice, hoping that I would find its owner. It led me outside the castle but I still followed. Soon enough, I found myself watching a beautiful, blue-haired maiden who wore poor clothes, perhaps one of a maid or something but I didn’t care.
She was very beautiful and had calm, serene blue eyes. Her hair was long and looked silky. She was sitting by the fountain and playing calmly in the water by her hand, moving it right and left. She seemed to have her own beautiful light, which was even more beautiful than the moon’s light.
I wanted to talk to her, to get to know her and know who she was. But as soon as I stepped forward to go to her, the clock struck midnight and she seemed to be alarmed. She quickly got up and left running, leaving me desperate.
I was disappointed and I wished I came earlier so that I could have talked to her. But I soon remembered the party and Agnes whom I have promised to come back soon. I went back to the party but somehow, I was sad-hearted.
The party was fun for the rest of the night and my parents were pleased when they saw me with Agnes, treating her well and gently. But my mind – or my heart – could not let me forget that lady I’ve seen at the fountain. For some reason, I was sadder than I would have been.
But that was not the end as I intended to see her again, by someway or another. I guessed that her favorite place was the castle’s fountain since she has seemed to be enjoying it very much. It was a surprise for me, though, since I have been to the castle several times and I hadn’t seen her before. I wondered whether she was new or what.
The party eventually ended and everyone soon returned home in their carriages. I rode the carriage with my parents, while Agnes rode her parents’ carriage.
The next day, I spent the day normally, doing my best to show that everything was normal. I was still somehow upset about the last night but I did not want anyone to know that I was I in short, interested in that girl; especially that she did not look rich.
At night, around about 11 PM, I decided to go to the fountain again. I hoped that with little luck, I would be fortunate enough to see her again. I arrived there but I saw no one. I thought that perhaps I came too early, so I hid somewhere nearby, making sure that I was unseen.
I waited for about half an hour and at last, I saw her appear again with her beautiful, long blue hair. She again sat by the fountain and began to sing quietly with her melodic voice. I waited for a few seconds, not wanting to disturb her or stop her from singing. At last, when she finished singing and her voice died down, I went out of the bushes I was hiding behind and slowly stepped forward to her. She seemed to hear my footsteps, though, and she turned to me, looking at me with a scared look. She looked as if she wanted to run away, but I quickly said, ‘Beautiful voice you have.’
But even though I tried my best to be gentle and calm, she seemed to be scared still. I was approaching her slowly and she was stepping backwards. Faintly, she replied, ‘Oh please, sir, stay away. Please don’t cause me trouble.’
‘I intend to cause no trouble for you, lady.’ I replied, shaking my head, ‘but I’d like to get to know you. Your voice was very beautiful.’
She looked a bit comforted although there was still a look of fear on her face.
‘I-I cannot stay for long, sir;’ she replied,’ I have to get back home soon.’
‘Then please stay with me even if it’s going to be a very short time.’ I replied with a smile, ‘perhaps we can be friends.’
‘Oh sir, I cannot know anyone I see,’ she said, looking a bit fearful, ‘plus, sir, I am only a maid and you are a noble lord.’
‘Please do not mind the names,’ I replied kindly, getting closer and closer to her, ‘let us treat each other normally. What is your name?’
‘FIONA, sir.’ She replied.
“Fiona”, I thought, ‘What a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!’
‘I am very pleased to meet you, Fiona,’ I replied, kneeling forwards to kiss her hand gallantly, ‘my name is Heath.’
She quickly stepped backwards and had a look of fear- or perhaps even a surprise.
‘Please don’t kiss my hand, sir!’ she replied, ‘I am only a maid and do not deserve to have my hand kissed by a lord of honor like you are, sir.’
‘Oh, my lady, but you are more than beautiful to be kissed by ten gentlemen.’
Her face showed a beautiful red color as she blushed.
‘Sir, you are not flirting with me, I hope?’ She asked with a pretty look of innocence.
‘Of course not, my lady,’ I replied, a bit surprised, ‘you are as beautiful and pretty as I say.’
Again, she blushed and had that beautiful red color on her cheeks. We sat down together by the fountain, talking to each other. She had the sweetest tone I’ve ever heard, the loveliest little laugh and the cutest little smile.
‘Where do you live?’ I asked her.
‘I-I work for a kind old lady called LADY ROSE. She is very kind and nice to me and she takes care well of me. I do housework for her and do the shopping with her.’
‘I see. Do you come here every night?’
‘My lady allows me to have a free time at night. I love coming to this fountain. It’s very calm and quiet at this time and the water is so soothing.’
We continued talking for a while but then she said she had to get going. I told her that I quite enjoyed the time we spent together, and she agreed to meet there at that spot, every night.
And so, we continued meeting every night at around 11 PM by the fountain. It was usually quiet at that time in Venice, so we could have our own private time. I realized that I was getting fonder and fonder of her, though. I did not know but I felt very happy when I was with her. In the morning, I would be unable to wait for the night to fall down so that I meet her and talk with her. We continued on for like more than a month by a little, and I soon realized that I was in love.
After sometime, I decided it was time to confess my love and see if she could possibly feel the same. I knew Fiona enough now, and I loved her very much. I could tell by the beautiful feeling I felt inside my heart, that I have never felt before.
I arrived that night and she was already there. So I went up to her and we began talking as usual.
‘I missed you, Lord Heath,’ she said shyly, looking down in an innocent way. ‘I hope I can say that.’
‘Of course you are,’ I replied with a smile, ‘have you forgotten what I said? Friends should have no formality between them.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ she replied, ‘but I am afraid that the word ‘lord’ will be always on my tongue, if you don’t mind, of course.’
‘Whatever you please, will please me.’
I wondered how to begin, how to confess my love for her. But I decided to do it as I would go. I had never declared love for a lady before so it was kind of a new task for me.
‘Fiona, have you ever...loved before?’ I asked her, hoping it would be a good beginning.
‘Why, sir, I think I have been,’ she replied with a look of surprise, ‘but I cannot tell his name.’
I am not sure if that gave me hope or not, but I decided to go on and not let anything stop me. I don’t know how did I do it, but I did it in a second. I took her in my arms and began declaring out love words for her. I told her how much I loved her, how much I cared for her and how much I felt happy when I was with her. I said very tender things, things I didn’t expect to say. All of them were from the deepest of my heart.
Fiona looked very astonished and I don’t know, but perhaps scared, too. She trembled and wept softly. I didn’t know whether that meant if she was happy to hear it or not, but I soon found out for myself.
‘Oh, sir,’ she replied at last, wiping her tears, ‘I am very touched that Lord Heath is in love with me.’
‘And do you, I hope, return his love, dear Fiona?’
‘Why, sir, I am very happy, very happy to hear it,’ she replied, ‘and even happier to say that...that I have loved him from the first moment I saw him.’
Nothing could have made me happier. I felt so happy and my heart felt overflowing. I have finally, after long, felt what love was like and found the woman of my dreams. What a beautiful feeling it is, to be in love, and fly like a free bird with your love by your side!