The sunrise
They took a few more steps and arrived at their destination which was at the edge of a cliff and Gabrielle was in awe with the sight before her. Below the cliff was a beautiful valley blessed with different trees and flowers. It had both deers and rabbits running around and a glistening pond in the middle. It was a pleasant sight to see. "Wow. This is amazing. I never knew this kind of place exists in our village" Gabrielle said smiling happily as all the fear in her heart had dissipated and was now replaced with joy.
Sir Thomas grinned widely after seeing how happy she was. "The best part is yet to come" Sir Thomas said as he gently made Gabrielle sit as the edge of the cliff. "What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked as Sir Thomas sat beside her. "Any moment from now, you'll see" He answered still smiling.
They sat there for some minutes watching the deers and rabbits until they started to notice the sun slowly rising. The sight was truly amazing. With the beautiful valley below and the sun rising in all its glory, anybody would find the view perfect. They both watched as the sun rose above the horizon and it's light shone on the valley beautifying it more than before. They enjoyed the scenery for while and Sir Thomas turned to Gabrielle and said "If you accept me Lady Gabrielle, I will make sure you smile like this every single day. No matter what it takes". Gabrielle turned to the man and smiled "This is really wonderful Sir Thomas but you have to do more than this". Sir Thomas stared at her beautiful face for a while before saying " Then tell me Lady Gabrielle, what should I do? Tell me what pleases you". Gabrielle giggled inwardly because of how much effort this man was willing to do anything to have her. "My sister. If you show me that you care about Mirabelle, I'd open my heart to you fully" Gabrielle answered. She knew that Sir Thomas cared about every member of her family but she was curious to see what he will do after she told him this. "Well then, I'd do as you say my lady. Let's head back now, you still have things to do" Sir Thomas said as he helped her up and Gabrielle admired the place one more time before she walked away with Sir Thomas.
They took his carriage and went to Gabrielle's home. Getting there, Sir Thomas insisted he wanted to meet with Gabrielle's mother and Gabrielle agreed. They walked into the house only to hear Mrs Nolan scolding Mirabelle. "Please sit. I'd be back" Gabrielle said offering a wooden seat for Sir Thomas to sit on. She walked into the kitchen where her mother and sister were and asked what the problem was. "Your sister hurt herself! I was sitting outside waiting for the pastries to be evenly baked then I got thirsty and decided to come for for drink when I saw your sister's burnt hand." Mrs Nolan said, both annoyed and concerned. Gabrielle walked up to Mirabelle and saw her bruised hand. "C'mon, let's go put some water on this" Gabrielle said as she led her sister to their backyard and she made Mirabelle sit on a stone while she fetched water from the well behind their house. She poured the slightly cold water on Mirabelle's hand and they walked back inside the house. Their mother was still fuming and unaware of the guest they had in their home. Arriving in the kitchen, Gabrielle asked Mirabelle how she got injured. "I just wanted to boil some water to take my bath but then I tripped and my hand touched the hot kettle." Mirabelle explained. "You see mum, it was just an accident" Gabrielle said to her mother. "She shouldn't be doing things like that when no one is around. When are you going to learn that things aren't the same as it was when you were seven years old Mirabelle? Ask for help, it won't kill you" Elizabeth Nolan said as she stormed out of the kitchen. Gabrielle sighed and went to see Sir Thomas who was in the living room. "I'm sorry but now isn't the best time to see my mother. Another day" Gabrielle said and Sir Thomas stood up and said "No problem milady, I understand. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but take care of Mirabelle's hand" Sir Thomas bowed and left. Gabrielle sighed as she knew that he had heard everything. Sometimes her mother overreacts and the only person that could clear her head and make her calm again was her father. "They fit so perfectly" Gabrielle said in a low voice as she thought of her parents.
She walked back to Mirabelle who sat unmoving in the kitchen. Gabrielle stared at her sister with pity. She knew Mirabelle was bottling a lot of emotions inside but she didn't know what to do to make all this stop. She only wished Mirabelle wasn't blind. "I'm sorry about mum. You know how she is so please don't let it get to you. She's get worried about you but shows it in a wrong way sometimes. So don't worry Mirabelle, Kayden and I....We are here for you if you need anything. Especially if you need to talk your feelings out" Gabrielle said as she wrapped her arms around Mirabelle. "Thank you. This means alot" Mirabelle said smiling. "Of course. I think the water is hot enough for you to take your bath." Gabrielle said as she turned off the stove and poured the water into a bucket before carrying it up to their bathroom.