Chapter 3: A Stormy Night

Her room was cold.

In the last hour, the distant cackle of thunder had woken her more times then she cared to count. The soft patter of rain on her windowpane would have soothed her, had it not been for the wind that shook the silk curtains and the trees that cast distorted shadows on her walls. With only a small candle on her bedside table to expel the darkness, the princess felt awfully exposed. Her blue eyes were drawn to brilliant flashes of yellow in the fields beyond the palace, where crooked lines seemed to touch the tips of their crops. Thunder rolled, and the princess burrowed deeper into her blankets, her pillow drawn round her ears to block out the noise.

The candle offered a harsh flicker, before the fire dimmed under the pressure of a cool breeze. Her room was cast into darkness. The windows rattled, and the princess remembered a few hours before, when the maid had asked if she had wanted them closed. Melody had said that she had wanted to watch the storm. Now, she worried that she wouldn't be able to make her way to the far wall to close it. Her feet know the way, but with each cackle of thunder she becomes less and less concerned with wood rot and more concerned with sleep. If only the pillow was thicker! Then, she could find rest.

BOOM!

The yellow streak was closer now, almost to the window. It reminded her of a whip, the way it licked across the fields and destroyed all in its path. Its latest endeavor had cost Mrs. Henson her rose bushes. The thunder rolled, and as it became louder it seemed as if it was seated overhead. After a few minutes, the splash of rainwater on wood was all that could be heard. Melody, certain that the worst of the storm had passed, released the pillow and loosened her hold on the blanket. She soon found a comfortable position, with her face pressed into the pillow and her form half off the bed…

BOOM!

The princess stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her powder blue dress, before she slipped her feet into the flats by the side of her bed. Her fear behind her, she marched over to the window and slammed them in. The panes shook with the force, still slick from their three hours in the rain; her hand trembled as she slid the silver hook over the small knob. There! That wasn't as difficult as she had made it out to be. She turned, walked back to her bed, and was halfway beneath the blankets when she heard a distinct rattle come from the direction of the window. Melody watched for a moment as the silver hook bobbed up and down, before it came unlatched and flew across the room. It imbedded itself into the wall above her vanity. The windows rattled, before the force pulled them back into the courtyard.

There weren't many options with a broken lock on your window… Melody knew that there was a manual lock on the bottom of the window, but the maid had the key. What she knew for certain was that she wouldn't be able to sleep with the constant racket the storm provided. So, she climbed out of bed once more and tucked her feet into the flats. She would take a quick walk around the palace to clear her mind, maybe spend what was left of the eve in the nursery. Her childhood bed was still down there, ready for Athena, Ariella and Harmony. It was quiet and warm, and the windows were practically barred. It was perfect.

BOOM!

Her bedroom was on the third level, while her parent's room and the nursery were on the second. The stairs between the levels were old, marble, and freshly-waxed. The worst obstacle for those who ventured downstairs at three o' clock. Her determination firm, she steadied her hand on the rail and scampered down. It all happened so quickly, the momentum so fast she didn't have time to fall. Now, steady on the second level, she turned left. The hallway was almost deserted at this hour, but she knew that people were fast asleep behind the doors. The nursery was only a few more doors…

The candles outside of the nursery were lit, almost as if someone had left them there to illuminate their way back. A soft voice could be heard inside… her mother's voice.

"… her name was Athena… married to Triton… never knew much about her… heard wonderful stories. Would you like to hear one?"

Melody felt a soft smile form upon her lips, for she could remember when their mother told the same stories to her. Her mother had always avoided questions that centered around her fate. It had been a question that lurked in the back of her mind – but she had been too afraid to ask. Her mother twirled the babies's little hands in her own, before she continued.

"… Triton's closest friend… companion… his only love… taken from him. Athena swam… the rope was inescapable… he was inconsolable…"

BOOM!

The smile faded. Now she understood why her mother had never spoken of it before, the story must have been much too painful. Still, as Melody peered into the crack between the door and its frame, her mother offered a wry smile to the babies in her arms. The rocker creaked beneath her as she sunk into the words of a lullaby. Suddenly, the storm seemed less prevalent. The rain wouldn't hurt her, and what was thunder? A loud crack in the distance that disturbed her sleep… no more, no less. Melody returned to bed with this in mind, and slept soundly.