The Tyto Alba

She awoken at the sound of gunfire and shot straight up in her bed, her breath caught in her throat. Her heart thundered in her chest and she forced herself to inhale deeply. She tossed aside her covers and rushed downstairs. "Mother!" she screamed. "Mother!" She pushed passed half a dozen servants before finding her mother perched on the arm of her father's plush armchair.

The sunlight glinted off the mother's spectacles as she turned to face her daughter. She rose at the sight of her frightened face. "Arabella, what's gotten into you? We have guests arriving soon and you look as if you've just woken up!" The daughter's lips parted as she fought to find the right words. Her mother waved her hand dismissively.

"I heard a gun..." Arabella said softly, looking down at her bare feet shamefully. The mother sighed audibly, placing her head in her hands.

"That was your father. He's getting everything ready for today's hunt." The voice was not sweet nor was it kind. It was harsh and cold like a mid wintery breeze. "Now go dress. Harold and his family will be arriving soon." Arabella inwardly rolled her eyes at the mention of the name and turned, stepping back into the foyer.

She whispered back up the stairs and closed her door firmly behind her. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she spotted the clothes her mother had laid out the night before. A simple yet elegant knee length gown, a dark blue to accent her honey blonde hair. A pair of black tights laid folded up beneath it. They were for "protecting her modesty" while she rode on the back of a horse as her mother so lovingly had put it the previous evening.

She dressed quickly and stepped into her ensuite, running a brush through her locks. A knock at the door and she peeked her head out. Savannah, her handmaiden sauntered in, an impassive look on her face.

"Savannah?" Arabella called out. "Are you alright?" Savannah's eyes shot over to her and she gave her a sweet smile.

"Nothing, Bella," she replied. "Just not ready to have to skin whatever poor creature your father and his friends manage to shoot today. Your mother sent me to braid your hair. Arabella nodded her head in response and stepped back into her bedroom, taking a seat at her vanity. She watched in the reflection as Savannah came up behind her, taking another brush in her hand.

She brushed through Arabella's hair again and began to separate the hair into three sections. Savannah was silent as she began to braid Arabella's hair, but Arabella watched her with observant eyes. She knew something else was amiss. Something was going on in that mind of Savannah's.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" she asked again, feeling that deep knotting feeling in the pit of her stomach. Savannah looked up, but her fingers continued to braid. She faked yet another smile.

"Yes, Bella, I am fine. What I am dealing with is entirely personal and not something a child such as yourself should be dealing with." The words stung Arabella and she took in a deep breath to keep herself from saying something equally hurtful back. The braiding was finished within a few minutes and tied back with a dark blue ribbon.

Arabella rose from the chair and adjusted her skirt. Her mother would be fuming if she came downstairs with a wrinkled skirt.

"Are you happy?" Savannah asked in a soft voice. Arabella could see she was fidgeting with her fingers in the reflection of the mirror. She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I suppose," she replied as she took the braid over her right shoulder. "I don't understand why Mother prefers my hair in braids, but whatever keeps her happy is better for us all I suppose." Savannah gave a heavy near silent sigh.

"I was actually referring to Lord Byron's family arriving today," she said, her voice quaking with nerves. "Your mother mentioned it to me in passing. Harold is supposed to be coming today. I believe your parents will want to discuss further your engagement-"

Arabella turned on her heel, cheeks red with anger. "I will not be marrying that pompous overbearing know-it-all Harold!" Her voice was stern and her lips pursed in frustration. Before either of them had a chance to say anything further, Arabella's bedroom door was opened and in sauntered her mother.

Her mother's eyes glared at Arabella through her spectacles and her lips were pursed. The two could be mistaken for twins other than the fact that her mother's body was more defined than hers. Arabella's mother shot a look at Savannah.

"You're dismissed," she said firmly. Savannah gave Arabella a pitiful look and exited the room with sad eyes. The door closed silently behind her and her mother unleashed. "How dare you speak of Harold that way? He is a perfectly nice boy and you're approaching the age where you should be married and maintaining your own home! We've had this talk plenty of times, Arabella, and I will not stand here and listen to you speak rudely of your future husband! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Arabella pushed in the chair to her vanity and leaned against it. "Mother, I am barely seventeen. Why are you and Father so worried? I can find another suitor who actually makes me happy. Why do you get to say how I spend the rest of my life?" Her mother scoffed in response and folded her arms over her chest.

"Arabella, I am your mother. If anyone gets to decide what is best for you, it is myself and your father. This isn't up for discussion. You know what's expected of you and I will be damned if you're going to ruin it for the rest of us." Arabella gave a frustrated sigh and looked down at her feet.

"You've gotten to live your life," she said sadly. "so why can't I live mine?"

Her mother rushed over to her like an angry wind in the storm and gripped Arabella's chin in her hands, forcing her to look into her steel gray eyes. Arabella attempted to turn her head away to escape, but her mother's grip tightened.

"I am your mother," she said in a low mean voice. "Therefore, you have no business questioning my authority. You can live your life with Harold and when you have a daughter of your own...I can only hope that you can then begin to understand wanting what is best for your own child." Arabella felt tears begin to sting her eyes.

"If I have a daughter," she began with a shaking voice. "I would only care for her happiness. Damn society's pious standards." Her mother stared at her incredulously and dropped her face.

"You'll think differently when the only other life for your daughter to live is in squalor," she said as she stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Arabella winced as the door slammed and took in a deep calming breath through her nose. She exhaled through her mouth and approached the large window that overlooked her family's estate.

She could see their winding drive as it seemed to stretch outwards for miles. She groaned to herself at the sight of the approaching carriage and made her way down to the foyer again, making sure to slip on a pair of sensible flats. Her mother's biggest expectation was the entire house was to greet the incoming guests.

She stood beside the banister of the staircase and folded her hands in front of her. Her mother came around the corner and was halfway through calling Arabella's name when she spotted her. She averted her eyes from her and stood at the entryway to the dining room.

"Chins up, everyone! Smiles, please. This is a very big day! Martin, please get the door and greet our guests," her mother announced, casting nervous glances towards the back of the house where Arabella's father was still cleaning his firearms, unaware their guests had just arrived.

Martin, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit with coat-tails, rushed to the door. Peeking through the window, he timed it perfectly to open the door just as the guests were stepping onto the last step.

"Lord Byron and Lady Celeste! Please do come in!" Martin announced as he stepped out of their way. The guests entered with amused smirks on their lips and they eyed each other as if they had just shared the funniest joke before entering the house. "Oh and Masters Harold and Elijah!"

Harold and Elijah both looked at Arabella. Harold with a bemused smirk like his parents while Elijah gave her a kind smile and a quick wave. Arabella tipped her head respectively, glancing at her mother as she approached Lord and Lady. She shared a friendly embrace with them both and made comments about how their sons were "becoming strapping young gentlemen," as she lovingly put it.

Arabella forced back the bile rising in her throat as Harold approached her. "Miss Arabella of the Van Hatten family," he greeted her with that cocky smirk. "How glorious it is to see you again. How are you?"

Arabella forced a smile, biting her tongue to hold back her witty remarks. "Oh I'm doing quite alright, Harold, thank you for asking," she replied. She glanced around behind him. "Where is your sister?" Harold shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, she managed to fall off her horse. She's back home nursing a sore tailbone or something," he replied dismissively. He glanced around the house. "Now where is your father? I was hoping to speak with him about our engagement." Arabella chuckled sarcastically.

"My father is out cleaning his firearms in the back garden," she replied. Harold's cocky smirk faltered and he almost seemed to sweat a little bit. "I'm sure you'd be welcomed to join him. Do be careful though. Would be a shame if he accidentally shot you." Harold raised a surprised brow and glanced towards their parents, who hadn't heard a word the pair had been exchanging.

He leaned rather closely and his lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he whispered, "I would suggest you get that tongue of yours under control. We wouldn't want to upset the parents by calling off this engagement because you couldn't keep your childish comments to yourself now, would we?" Arabella emitted a low growl.

"You're barely two years older than I am," she stated through gritted teeth. "Perhaps if you were more of a gentleman, this engagement would go along more smoothly." Harold chuckled coldly.

"Perhaps if you resembled a lady this engagement would go along in the first place." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek before stepping back, the cocky smirk returning. Arabella watched him as he walked over towards his brother and she dared a glance at her mother, who ignored her sad looks.

Arabella held back tears as she excused herself from the foyer. She was making a bee-line for the back door when she was practically knocked aside as her father entered the house, covered in grease and smeared with gunpowder. He even had some in his beard she noticed as he gave her a big smile.

"Ah, my beautiful angel!" He exclaimed sweetly with warm verdant eyes. He stepped forward to wrap her up in a hug, but stopped himself. "Ope! Better not ruin your pretty dress. Your mother would have my head. Speaking of your mother, where is she?" Arabella pointed towards the foyer.

"Lord Byron and his family have arrived," she stated sadly, her eyes darting between the foyer and the door. Her father leaned over to her.

"She's pretty ticked I wasn't there to greet them, wasn't she?" Arabella nodded her head. "Rats! I hadn't meant to take this long, but can't have a firearm jamming up in the middle of a hunt now, can I? Listen, Lord Byron didn't bring that Harold boy with him, did he?" Arabella nodded her head again, eyes glued to the door. He whistled through his teeth as he shook his head. "I know you're engaged to him...but I've never quite liked that kid."

Before Arabella could plead her case about cancelling the engagement, her father strolled off towards the foyer. She could hear his thunderous laughter as he greeted everyone and she slipped out the door. She scurried down the stairs and walked briskly towards the trees. She needed just five minutes. Five minutes to herself so she could think without that pompous prick Harold creeping over her shoulder.

No one would notice for awhile she was gone. Her own father had barely noticed her presence when she was standing in front of him. A few tears snuck down her cheeks at the thought and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She sat beside a tree and leaned her head against the bark. She kept her ears opened incase someone were to come calling for her.

Arabella sniffled and froze when she heard the sound of feathers rustling together above her. She slowly tipped her head up, wiping away the tears obscuring her view, and gasped softly. On a branch just above her head, was a beautiful little barn owl. Its face was almost a perfect circle of pure white. The feathers were a beautiful mixture of gold and caramel brown.

The owl kept its face nestled in itself, surely for warmth. Arabella's curious mind was fast at work and she slowly rose to her feet. The owl's branch was still a foot too high for her eye level, but she continued to stare up at it nonetheless.

"You're beautiful," she whispered. A soft breeze drifted through the trees and the owl's head twitched almost as if it had heard her kind words. "You must be so lucky. Able to fly wherever you want, whenever you want. It must be nice to have wings...to be free." The owl opened its eyes and looked down at the curious young woman staring back at it. Arabella felt her heart begin to race as she reached out to touch this majestic creature.

Just as her finger was about to make contact with the owl's soft feathers, it flew away. Arabella felt herself getting all choked up again. Once more, she was left alone and her sadness overcame her. She sunk to her knees and cried into her hands.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked, making her scream in response. She jumped to her feet, already backing away when she saw Elijah standing underneath the canopy of leaves. He raised his hands and took a step towards her. "My sincerest apologies. It was not my intent to scare you."

Arabella sniffled and pulled her braid over her shoulder, fiddling with it. "How did you find me?" she asked cautiously, her eyes darting from Elijah back towards the house. She hadn't even heard the back door close. He chuckled softly in response, slowly lowering his hands.

"Your mother was getting all antsy wondering where you'd run off to. Your father mentioned you might've come out here. I just wanted to be sure you were really okay before you got back in there. My brother can be a real ass sometimes. So, I can only imagine what he must've said to you." Arabella snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well...my father says sometimes sons act a lot like their fathers," she said jokingly. Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized the blunder she had made. Her eyes met Elijah's again. "Oh...I am so sorry that wasn't what I meant. You don't seem to be...well like them I mean."

Elijah chuckled and waved his hand. "Oh you don't have to worry about offending me," he said kindly as he took a few more steps towards Arabella. "I don't tend to take everything to heart unlike my parents and brother." Arabella heaved a sigh of relief and gave him a sweet small smile.

"Thank goodness. I don't know if I could handle having two Harolds in my life."

"You know," he said, leaning against the tree just a mere foot away from her. "Neither could I." His voice was calm and sweet. They both chuckled at the remark and Arabella felt her cheeks growing warmer by the second. "Was that a tyto alba you were just talking to?"

Arabella cocked in her and stared back at him in surprise. "You know...about owls?" Elijah chuckled and looked away bashfully.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an expert or anything, but I do love most things avian." They shared another laugh.

"Uh...well yes. I was talking to the bird...because well I'm a little jealous of it." The heat of her blush snuck up on her cheeks and she wrapped her braid around her fingers. Elijah raised a confused brow and gave her an almost bewitched smile.

"You're jealous of an owl?" he asked with a teasing tone. Blush heated up Arabella's cheeks and her eyes darted away for a second before she nodded her head.

"I'm jealous of the freedom it has," she admitted bashfully, meeting Elijah's eyes. "I don't even get a say in who I want to marry...it's always about what my mother wants, but never about what I want. I'm not allowed to go riding on my own and I can't even read certain books. I want to travel and see the world, but my mother is so worried I'll wind up like my sister and live a life of wonderous bliss." The last part she spoke with an irritated eye roll.

Elijah chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I can understand the feeling," he admitted sadly. "My only escape from my parents is books. They think I have an obsession with wanting to learn about animals, but...what I haven't told them yet is that I aspire to one day be an animal doctor." Arabella's jaw dropped slightly, a few of her heartstrings being plucked.

"I think you'd be wonderful," she said in hushed voice.

"Arabella!" They both jumped at her mother's call. "Arabella, where have you gone off to?!" The two shared a saddened expression at their conversation being interrupted and trudged back to the house where their parents were wanting. They plastered faux smiles on their faces while they began to saddle up.

An hour into the hunt and Arabella was dreadfully bored of riding side saddle behind the Prince Charming want-to-be, Harold, whom was riding at a brisk pace to keep stride with the others while also distancing them from Arabella's father.

"I cannot believe you'd choose to run off into the woods," he chastised her in an angry whisper. "It's entirely improper. You made me look a fool." Arabella rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please," she responded back. "you're beginning to sound like my mother."

"Well at least she has some sense."

"Then why don't you marry her then, hm?" She felt his back muscles tense against her front and he tightened his grip on the reins.

"You'd do well to bite your tongue," he said in a cold tone. With another eye roll, she began to gaze off into the distance when Harold slowed the horse. Arabella gazed around frantically, searching for the deer, only to find there were none.

"What are you-"

"Silence, woman!" Harold commanded in a hushed tone. "You'll scare away the bird." Arabella's eyes immediately darted to the tree-line and they widened at the sight of the little barn owl. A tingle went up her spine as Harold began to carefully remove his firearm and began to take his aim.

Her heart leaped into her throat as her stomach sank to its pits. As Harold raised the weapon, preparing his arm, Arabella sprang into action. She grabbed the horse's reins and pulled, sending it off at a near gallop. Harold, whilst jostled, fired once, twice into the air. Everyone ducked and Arabella's father fell from his horse as his arm was grazed by a wild bullet.

Harold dropped the firearm to the ground and grasped the reins, jerking them from Arabella's grasp. With such finality, he brought one of his arms back and shoved her off the horse. She landed hard on her back, the air knocked from her lungs.

While she gasped for air and stared up at that beautiful blue sky, the owl, awoken by the commotion, flew away in search of safety. "Arabella!" Elijah called as he launched himself from his horse and sprinted to her side. He slipped a muscular arm beneath her and slowly sat her up. With the other hand, he grasped hers tightly.

Arabella's mother was at her father's side, tears falling from her face as Lord Byron and Martin aided her wounded husband. Arabella's lungs finally began to fill with air and she let in a shocked gasp at the sight. "Father!" she screamed as she scrambled to rise from the ground. Harold had dismounted his horse and stormed over to them. As Arabella and Elijah rose to their feet, Harold snatched her arm in his hand, giving it a rather tight squeeze.

"Look what you have done, Arabella!" he shouted, drawing the attention of their mothers. "How dare you grab my reins?! You've ruined my hunting rifle and now your poor father has been grazed by a bullet! How could you be so stupid you insolent-"

Elijah pushed Harold back, catching him by surprise and causing for him to release Arabella's now sore arm. "Don't speak to her that way, Harold!" he shouted angrily. "It was your fault, not hers." Arabella's mother and her shared a confused look and she rose to her feet, approaching the quarreling young men.

"What is he talking about, Harold?" she asked as she came to stand between the two. Harold scoffed and glared at his brother with a reddened face.

"Lady Virginia, your daughter pulled my reins causing for me to not only miss my shot, but to graze your poor husband. I am just so sorry. I can promise you that once we are married an instance like this will never happen again," he explained in one rushed breath.

Arabella glared at him and stepped in front of Elijah. "How dare you?" she asked in a mystified voice. "We came out here to hunt for deer. You were going to shoot at a harmless owl! I merely grabbed the reins to keep you from killing the poor creature. Perhaps if you weren't so obsessed with your pride, you'd have remembered that one of the many rules about hunting is that you dismount your horse before taking aim!" Elijah snickered softly behind her and hid his joyous smirk behind his hand. "My father was shot by one of your bullets, because you were in such a big rush to kill something."

Harold glared back at her and almost out of thin air, Lady Celeste appeared at Lady Virginia's side. "Harold, is that true? You were going to shoot at an owl?" Harold huffed and waved a dismissive hand in Arabella's direction.

"She doesn't know what she's even talking about!" he exclaimed rudely. "She's just a woman and knows nothing about hunting. Why I would wager she made that rule about dismounting your horse before taking aim out of thin air!" Lord Byron cleared his throat and the lot turned in his direction. He and Martin were helping Arabella's to stand. He had a bloodied bandage wrapped around his right forearm.

"Actually, Harold," his father said in an unimpressed tone. "Arabella would be correct." Harold's eyes widened at his father's words. "You are to never shoot from a horse. You could startle them which can lead to more damage than what you've already caused. I've taken you hunting plenty of times. How could you not know that?" Harold glanced from his father back to Arabella, who gave him a confident smirk.

"I've read up on the hunting guidelines every year since I was twelve," she stated matter-of-factly. "That rule has never changed."

"Arabella, that is enough," her mother said sternly. Arabella turned towards her and took a deep breath.

"You're right, Mother," she said in a calm voice. "This is enough. I refuse to marry Harold. He is rude, misogynistic, and a complete tyrant. If I am going to marry someone, it should be to someone I love like you and Father did. If Harold cannot remember to do the basic things such as getting off a damn horse before firing a gun or ensuring he is hunting the correct creature, then how can you trust him to take care of your daughter?"

Lady Virginia stared at her daughter incredulously, her mouth hanging open. The rest watched with surprised eyes and Arabella's father cleared his throat. "Perhaps this is not the best time and place for this discussion," he began, drawing his wife and daughter's attention from each other. "but she's right, Ginny. Our parents didn't make us get married. We chose each other. I think Arabella should get to choose whom she spends the rest of her life with. If we were going to choose for her, I'd pick anyone that wasn't Harold. No offense, Byron."

Lord Byron laughed heartily. "Believe me, my friend. I, too, think my son could learn some respect for women before he gets married," he stated as he turned his gaze to Harold. "Young man, when we get home, I'm going to ensure you find some respect for women. I didn't get your mother to marry me, because I was a disrespectful baphoon." Harold glared at Arabella and Elijah.

"I hate you both," he stated before stalking back towards the horse.

"Harold!" His father called, stopping him dead in his tracks. "You may walk back to the Van Hatten's estate. I think you've traumatized that horse enough for one day." Harold stomped his foot and stormed off, uttering a thousand curse words beneath his breath. "Alright, old chum, let's get you back in the saddle." Elijah brushed by Arabella to assist her father, ensuring he gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he went by.

Arabella stood awkwardly before her mother as Lady Celeste sauntered over to attempt helping as well. Lady Virginia did not gaze upon her daughter at first, but Arabella would've sworn she saw tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you, Mother," she said in an almost too soft voice. "I...I just couldn't go along with it any longer. I know it's not what you wanted...but I hope this doesn't push me too far from your good graces. I don't want to be another child you don't speak of." Lady Virginia's head perked up and she turned to her daughter with eyes colored with shame.

"Oh, my sweet, Bella," she said as she took Arabella's hands in hers. "It is I who should be sorry. I should've known better about Harold...and as hard as it is going to be for me to do it...I'll allow for you to choose whoever you wish to marry. As long as you are happy...that is what matters." Arabella's eyes welled up with tears and she gave her mother a surprised smile.

"Thank you," she whispered before stepping into her mother's embrace, allowing herself to be held tightly. Lady Virginia planted a soft kiss against Arabella's temple.

Later that night, when the rest of their guests arrived, Arabella sat gazing up at the stars in pure wonder. She hardly heard Elijah as he walked over. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. Arabella smiled up at him and nodded. He crossed his legs as he joined her on the grass and slipped off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

She hadn't realized how cold she had been until the body heat trapped within the jacket sent shivers through her arms. They sat together in silence, marveling at the constellations. Arabella felt Elijah's fingers lace with hers and she glanced down at them. When she looked up, Elijah was looking back at her, his shaggy brown hair obscuring his eyes.

"You should consider cutting your hair," she said, reaching out with her free hand to see his eyes. "You have such beautiful eyes. It's a waste to hide them." Elijah chuckled softly and took her other hand in his.

"You're quite good with your words, Arabella." She shrugged her shoulders and turned away bashfully.

"Thank you for today," she said kindly. "It takes a real man to stand up for a woman...especially against his own brother." Elijah rolled his eyes and gave her hands a comforting squeeze.

"It was well deserved," he stated. "My brother was being an ass. He has no business speaking to a beautiful woman in such a way." Arabella looked at him with wide eyes.

"You think I'm...beautiful?" she struggled with the last word, never having heard a man refer to her in such a way. He chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yes," he whispered, holding one of her hands against his chest. Her palms suddenly grew clammy as she felt his heart beating. "I...was curious. Since you aren't betrothed to my brother anymore...perhaps you'd like to go out with me instead?"

Arabella's mouth suddenly turned dry. "Are you...asking to court me?" Elijah laughed nervously and nodded his head.

"It would be my honor if you'd say yes." Arabella bit her lip and gave a soft giggle.

"Then it is my honor to say yes."

"Would it be dastardly of me to kiss you?" Arabella's heart fluttered in her chest as she shook her head as words escaped her. Elijah leaned forward, his lips meeting hers gently. Somewhere in the far-off distance, a tyto alba hooted into the night as the two's connection began to grow.