solace // a cinderella story

♚ Chapter One ♔

"Isa, where are you?"

Isabelle's heart jumped when she heard the voice from somewhere behind her. She wove through the straight rows of trees, breath heaving from having been running for so long. The orchard seemed to go on forever, which was in her favour because it lent much space to search. What wasn't in her favour was that the rows of apple trees were so uniform in their spacing, plus the fact that the branches began to spread far above her head. No places to truly hide.

She could only run.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, my girl!"

Somewhere inside she knew that he was running much slower than he could to make the chase more fun, but she paid no mind to it. She shrieked when two strong arms scooped her up from behind and a nose nuzzled into her hair briefly.

"Aha, I am victorious once again!"

She giggled at her father's theatrics and became limp in his arms.

"I can't go on, for I have run too long," she said, hiding a smile. "I let you catch me. If I wasn't tired, you would never have found me."

"Ah, of course. I thank you for your generosity, my liege."

Isabelle giggled again as her father lifted her small, 9-year-old body up onto his shoulders. She reached out to the side to pick an apple off of a nearby branch. It resisted, so she had to use two hands and nearly toppled over. Good thing her father had such good balance. She shined the apple on her dress and then held it in front of her father's mouth.

"Why, thank you. You are very generous today, Isa."

"Of course, papa." She smiled widely and interlocked her fingers before holding onto her father's forehead for balance as he walked them back to the house. "Can we go to the sea, papa?"

"I will take you someday," he told her after taking the apple out of his mouth, "but not today."

"Why not?"

He bent down so she could climb off his shoulders—which she did with a pout—and handed her the apple before brushing some of her hair off of her forehead.

"Because I have to go away again."

"So soon?" Isabelle looked down at her feet. He had only been back for 13 days.

"Look here, Isa." She didn't. "Look at me." When she looked up at him with sad eyes and a disappointed frown, he wanted to stay at the house with her forever. Her disappointed face always made him want to stay. "I'll come back. I always do. And you'll have Alicia, Guillaume, and Camille to stay with you while I'm gone."

"I know but you should stay anyway."

"You know I can't, my darling girl. But I'll bring you something like I always do."

"A book?"

"If I find a good one. Would you like a new book?"

She nodded. It had been a good long while since she got a new book.

"I'll bring you three."

She dug the tip of her shoe into the ground for a couple seconds before launching herself into her father's arms. He hugged her tight, one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head. After a few moments, he lifted her up and walked the rest of the way back to the house with her legs hanging free.

"Mr. De Marigny?" Camille was waiting for them by the front door. "A letter came for you. I put it on your desk in your study."

"Thank you, Camille."