May Death Do Us Part

23 Chapter 23 : I’ll protect you from your past

“Ella...”

“Ella can you hear me?..”

“It’s me Jillian, wake up Guinevere. Let me see your beautiful face one more time. Oh how I’ve missed you...”

“Mmmm Jillian?..”

His voice was distant, almost inaudible but Ella had no doubt in her mind that it belonged to Jillian. He was calling out to her, where was he? She couldn’t see a thing.

“Jillian...”

“Jillian!”

Ella’s eyes shot open and she bolted upright on the bed. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was racing wildly in her chest, where was he? The woman shifted her head from side to side, scanning the room she was in for the man who had been calling out to her. Where had he gone? She had heard him just now.

The girl was going into a frenzy when two hands firmly gripped her shoulders. “Ella calm down, I’m here!”

.....

Ella blinked a few times before looking up at the silver haired prince before her. “N- Nathan?”

“Yes Ella, I’m right here.” Nathan pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly, gently stroking her hair and burying his head into the soft fluffy locks.

“I was so worried about you Ella, thank the gods you’re okay.” Nathan spoke.

There was genuine worry and concern in his voice, what had happened, Ella’s memories were a little fuzzy.

Over Nathan’s shoulder she could see that they were back in their little room at the cottage and judging from the warm dim rays of light that were sipping into the room through the large window, the sun was about to set. How long had she been out? Had she fainted? But why?

~Guinevere~

Nathan felt Ella’s body jerk in his arms, he pulled away and studied her face, worried she might pass out again.

“Do you need water Ella?” He questioned, “Or something to eat?”

Ella shock her head slowly, her mind was too all over the place to think about food. Just now, she had heard his voice in her head, she had heard Jillian’s voice.

“What happened?” Ella looked up at Nathan who was holding her protectively, as if she was a priceless piece of fine China that he could not afford to drop and break.

“You fainted Ella,” the prince responded, “back at the knighting ceremony.”

“The knighting ceremony...”

Suddenly a flood of memories filled Ella’s mind like a large wave crashing against a rocky shore. She recalled what had happened, after Nathan had stood up to take prince Adam’s place at the podium, she had heard Jillian’s voice call out to her. When she looked up she felt her heart stop when she locked eyes with him, prince Adam looked exactly like Jillian. His deep brown hooded eyes, his dark tasseled hair and even though he looked much older, Ella had no doubt in her mind that prince Adam was in fact Jillian. But how could that be? Jillian was dead!

“Prince Adam!” Ella blurted out, earning a rather dejected expression from prince Nathan.

“I need to see him, it’s important!” Ella added on

Nathan’s eyebrow twitched, why was she asking to see prince Adam all of a sudden? Why the sudden interest?

“Why do you want to see him?” Nathan kept his voice calm and his face inscrutable, not wanting to show Ella that he was far from happy about her sudden request to see another man when he sitting right next to her.

“I...” Ella pursed her lips and lowered her gaze to the silky blue sheet that was covering her, she was sure she was going mad, seeing a dead man and hearing his voice in her head. But she needed to be sure that the prince indeed wasn’t Jillian, and that her mind was just playing tricks on her.

“I think the prince may be Jillian Foreman.”

Nathan narrowed his eyes at the blue eyed woman, Jillian? That name, he remembered it form years ago when Ella had first told him about her past lives. He was the reason she was so closed off and didn’t want to open up to love again. He vividly remembered her telling him how he was the first man she’d ever loved, and how she wanted to marry him and have his children. Back then, those words only made Nathan a bit jealous, but now, especially considering that this Jillian fellow was still alive, it made his blood boil.

Nathan couldn’t let prince Adam take Ella away from him, not after he’d invested so much time and patience into their relationship. Ella belonged to him and him alone, the only way any other man would have access to her, would be over his dead body.

Jillian lightly trailed his fingers over Ella’s cheek and smiled warmly at her. “Ella, my love, I know you’re feeling a bit dazed right now, but Jillian is dead. You told me so yourself.”

Ella shook her head violently and grabbed Nathan’s hand. “But I saw him! I heard his voice in my head Nathan, I’m not crazy!”

Nathan took a deep breath, his worst fear was suddenly becoming apparent. What if she really did see and hear him, what if prince Adam really was Jillian, what if Adam was a jumper, just like Ella and him.

Nathan pulled Ella into his embrace once more and hugged her. “Okay I’ll talk to Adam.” He spoke, his voice calm and comforting. “But promise me that you’ll get some rest first.”

Ella nodded, “I will.”

Nathan pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Rest now, I’ll go to the palace and fetch Adam. You can talk to him when you’re awake.”

Ella smiled at prince Nathan and nodded her head. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you Ella,” Nathan spoke as he gently stroked her cheek with his fingers, “Anything for you.”

*

Back in the Gavarain royal palace, prince Adam was pacing his room back and fourth mumbling to himself. What had just happened back at the knighting ceremony had really affected him a great deal.

After he had locked eyes with the beautiful red headed, blue eyed woman, he had experienced a sudden flash of memories that he never thought he even had. All the dreams he’d been having, all the nightmares, they didn’t feel like dreams anymore, they were now vivid memories seared into his mind. He could clearly remember it all, his past life in Mirine, his brothers, his parents, Guinevere, everything!

What was going on? Was this dejavu? Adam couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him. All he knew is that this sudden realization was because of her, Guinevere, the redhead he’d finally met after gods know how long. He needed to see her, he had so many questions that needed answers, so many feelings that needed explaining.

Adam hastily turned around when he heard the large door of his room open.

“Your grace?”

Julia Boleyn walked into the prince’s chambers and stood in front of him, her eyes curious.

“What happened your grace? After that woman fainted you just stormed out of the hall without any explanation. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Julia.” Prince Adam responded before resuming his pacing.

Julia sighed and forced a smile on her face. “I can see that you’re distraught and stressed your grace, allow me to help you relax.”

The girl stretched her arm out in an attempt to touch the prince, but was taken aback when he swiftly jerked away from her like she was infected by some deadly ailment.

“I said I’m fine Julia!” He roared.

The green eyed woman clasped her hand to her chest and stared at the prince who was breathing heavily and staring daggers at her. What was wrong with him? This wasn’t the cool and collect prince Adam she knew.

Adam turned away from Julia before sending her away as politely as he possibly could. “Leave... now.”

Julia curtsied and turned away from the prince, when she reached the doorway she turned her face to him and glanced at the tall dark haired man before exiting the room, and closing the door behind her. Why was he suddenly so agitated, was it because of the incident at the ceremony?

The green eyed woman halted in her tracks. “Is it because of that redhead?”

*

Willam rushed to Nathan’s side when he saw him leaving the little cottage. “How is she Nathan?”

“She’s fine William, she’s resting now.”

“Oh thank goodness.”

William had almost lost his mind worrying about his sister, when she had fallen and passed out at the ceremony, he had felt his heart drop and completely froze in place. Luckily, Nathan had managed to carry her all they way to the cottage where a physician had examined her.

“What kind of knight will I be.” William spoke, his voice strained and filled with shame. “How can I ever hope to serve the crown when I couldn’t even help my own sister? I’m such a coward!”

Prince Nathan placed a firm hand on William’s shoulder and gave him a comforting smile. “You’re human first before you’re a knight William, that was a totally natural reaction. She’s your little sister after all, it just shows how much of a soft spot you have for her.”

“Your words are kind my prince.”

“How is your mother doing?” Nathan questioned William.

When Ella had passed out, her mother had also done the same, probably in fear that something terrible had happened to her only daughter. Lord Morrell was in a frenzy not knowing what to do in that dire situation, but after seeing the prince carry his daughter away, he took the opportunity to tend to his wife first, and carry her to their cottage so that a physician could take a look at her as well.

“She’s still unconscious but she’s stable, father is by her side and refuses to leave till she wakes up.”

“I see.”

Nathan found that very admirable, a man who would drop everything and be by his woman’s side to make sure she was alright. He should probably take a page from lord Morrell’s book and be the same with Ella. He was not going to leave her side, and he was not going to let memories from her past hurt her. He was going to protect her from them, protect her from Jillian.

“William, I need to ask a favor of you.”