CH 2: Aribella Voss

Charlotte POV

A soft knocking thuds in the recesses of my mind.

“Go away,” I whined, grabbing a pillow and covering my face. The pounding in my head is excruciating.

My nose twitches when an unfamiliar scent floods my senses. Is that lavender?

Wait… I’m supposed to be dead.

My body rises like a zombie, my eyes snapping open as I take in my surroundings.

“What…. The…. Fuck?”

This isn’t my room. This room is as big as my entire apartment with Stephan. I’m lying in the center of a wooden four post bed, complete with thin white tulle curtains. A large vanity sits opposite the bed, and everything looks like it’s from the Victorian era.

Soft whites clash with deep shades of crimson throughout my space while gold accentuates the two vastly different colors.

My fingers tremble as I raise them to my throat, but what I find is…. Smooth, uncut skin.

I’m wearing a hideous nightgown with lace frills settled against my thighs, which look much shorter than I remember.

Tossing the blankets to the side, I rush over to the vanity, bending down to stare at my reflection, and a scream bubbles in my throat, but I slam my palm against my mouth.

Moving closer, I stared into the round mirror, blinking rapidly. Before, I had dulled brown eyes, but now, my eyes are a vivid shade of green. It’s almost unnatural. Chestnut-brown hair falls in soft waves over my shoulders and past my breasts, which are fucking enormous.

Closing my eyes, I braced myself, slapping my palm across my cheek. Pain blooms from the contact, and when I open my eyes, I’m still whoever this person is, just now I have a red, blotchy cheek.

“Miss Aribella,” a soft voice calls from outside my door. “Is everything okay in there?”

“YES!” I squeaked, still staring at my new reflection.

“You are due in the stables soon. The horses need tended to and the Grand Duke will be by with his horse later this evening,” the woman spoke before the sound of her footsteps grew further and further away.

I breathe a sigh of relief now that she’s gone and didn’t barge in here. The redness on my cheek has bloomed to an angrier color and is hot to the touch. I fall into the dainty chair in front of the vanity and try to piece together what the hell is going on.

The last thing that I remember was fighting with Stephan. He was angry about my helping a man at my job and lashed out. I was cooking dinner… chopping vegetables, and then he hit me.

My hand flew to my mouth, “I stabbed him. Oh my god, I stabbed Stephan.” But… he slit my throat. I died.

I most definitely died.

Serves his ass right.

So…… what is this place? My eyes pan the room. There is no way that this could be hell. Maybe a pause in the afterlife?

The woman at the door called me Aribella, and said that Mr. Voss was already in the stables, so my name is Aribella Voss.

Why does that name sound so familiar?

I quickly braid my longer hair, ruffling through drawers until I find something more suitable for tending to horses, and crack open the door.

Outside, there is a long hallway with dark colors that appear brighter in the sunlight. Large windows make the space look less intimidating, and I take in all the photos hung on the walls. They appear to be family portraits, showcasing a growing version of my current self.

“Aribella, you are terribly behind this morning. Come now,” the same woman from before walked up to me, placing a hand on my back, and practically pushing me through the rear doors.

She was an older woman with graying hair spun into a tight bun. The wrinkles on her face make me think she’s in her fifties or sixties, and she’s wearing a long, plain white dress.

“I’m sorry. I had the worst nightmare last night.”

It wasn’t technically a lie, just a little exaggeration of the truth.

“Nightmares do not excuse tardiness,” she arches a brow, and I’m taken aback by her attitude. “The Grand Duke will be here tonight, and you need to be done with your daily chores before he arrives.”

“I’ll work extra hard to make up for it.”

“Your father is waiting,” her voice is less threatening, but my words seem to have pacified her.

As I step outside, I see endless rolling hills full of bright green grass pastures, and horses mingling around. Wooden gates keep the horses inside the pastures, as well as leading me to a large barn.

The sound of a deep neigh drags my attention to the furthest stall, and I see a man sitting on a metal bucket, scraping at a horse’s hooves.

“It’s about time Aribella,” he doesn’t turn his head, but from his side profile, he appears to be tanned from days in the sun. His muscles flex as he drags the shaving tool over the horse’s hoof, and after a pause, his shoulders fall, and his head snaps towards me.

Holy hell, this woman’s dad is hot.

He has similar piercing green eyes that mirror my own, and deeper brown hair that is longer, and tied off in the back.

“Are you going to watch me work all day or are you going to start gathering hay?” he arches a brow, but his lips quirk into a lopsided grin. “You’re always daydreaming, Ari.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, stunned. “I didn’t sleep well. I’ll busy myself.”

“Peyton is around here somewhere. Once he’s done cleaning the stalls, you two can work on getting water taken care of while I trade out the horses in the pastures. Since we have important visitors tonight, I want to make sure everything is prepared before they arrive,” my father resumes scraping the horse’s hooves, and I dismiss myself.

I don’t know a lot about farming, but there is a barn full of loose hay, and I grab the wheel barrel near the entrance, filling it with hay, and busy myself filling each of the stalls.

“And the help has finally arrived,” the man I assume is Peyton smiles a toothy grin at me. “Are you too busy dreaming up ways to run away again?”

So, Aribella wasn’t happy here.

“I think I’ve changed my mind about running away,” I toss a smile over my shoulder as I continue my work.

Speaking to men never used to intimidate me, but after living with Stephan for so long, I feel like there will always be eyes on me, and a shiver rolls down the length of my spine.

“Are you sick?” Peyton yells out from a few stalls down. “You’re always dreaming of a leisurely life. The kind where you never get your hands dirty and live in luxury while someone's feeding ya’ grapes.”

Oh god, did this girl really think that would be the life?

“I guess I’ve decided to change my tune.”

A few hours passed, Peyton and I were working side by side. He seems comfortable around Aribella, and I’m trying to answer him with short, inconspicuous responses. I don’t know the type of person Aribella Voss was before today, but I certainly don’t think we’re anything alike.

“Any chance I can get you two to bring in a few of the horses?” my father drags a rag across his forehead, “The Royal family will be sooner than we thought.”

“You got it, sir,” Peyton responded, and I simply nodded, heading towards the field.

“You’re awfully quiet today,” he nudged my shoulder as we walked. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Were these two secretly dating? Was this a one-sided relationship?

“I had a nightmare that I died last night, and it felt so real, but when I woke up this morning, and everything was fine, I just…. Didn’t feel like myself.”

“I have dreams like that all the time,” he smiles, showing off a crooked row of teeth that was kind of endearing. “Makes you feel icky all day. I’m sure after you eat, you’ll feel better. Food cures the soul anyway.”

“You’re probably right,” I smile, ignoring the fact that he’s absolutely wrong, and I’m in the body of his old friend, which means everything will not feel alright after a proper meal.

Peyton wrangled the horses with ease, but my last horse, a nearly black horse with black eyes, was being an absolute menace.

“Come on, you asshat,” I snarl, furrowing my brow at the horse. “This is my first day on the job. Cut me some slack.”

“Mimic can be a real pain, but he’s usually not a problem for you,” Peyton comes out, raising his hands to the horse as if he were surrendering, “Come on now, Mimic,” he slowly reached into his pocket, holding up a tiny sugar cube. The horse only hesitated for a moment before happily accepting the cube and allowing Peyton to lead her back to the stables.

“That was rude, Mimic,” I muttered under my breath, making Peyton laugh as we entered the stalls.

The sound of multiple voices caught my attention.

“I’m not sure what’s come over her, but she’s been fighting anyone who dares try to ride her,” a deep voice spoke.

“It’s no worry,” my father chirped, “We’ll get to the bottom of whatever is going on and have her back to you in no time, your highness.”

So the Grand Duke has arrived.

I peered around the corner, watching silently as a young boy, maybe sixteen, stumbled from the carriage. His fingers trembled as he attempted to unlock a large aluminum stall that I assumed carried the ill horse.

“You useless peasant,” another man snarled, his voice different from the first. He gripped the boy’s upper arm, tugging him back to his feet as the young man muttered out apologies, “Can’t even get a damn horse out of it’s stall without eating shit. All of your kind are pathetic.”

I’d heard enough.

My feet moved on their own accord, and I waltzed right up to the man, “You must have a seriously small dick to be speaking to a child like that.”

The boy’s eyes widened in fright as the man spun around, glaring down at me. He was impressive in height compared to myself, with deep brown hair, and nearly black eyes.

The man’s demeanor reminded me so much of Stephan, I wanted to shrink away into the ground, but I’d already come this far.

His lip twitched into a snarl. “Do you know who I am?” he stepped closer, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I’d seen that look before many times in Stephan’s eyes, and normally, I’d cower in fear and beg, but he’s not Stephan, and I’m no longer Charlotte.

“I don’t care if you’re God himself, you should treat people with respect.”

“Mael,” the first man spoke, his voice smooth like velvet, “Leave it.”

“Rhory,” Mael snarled in a condescending tone, “She speaks of respect while displaying none to a royal. Are you going to let that slide?”

“We have things to attend to and an ill horse that needs treatment,” Rhory arched a brow before turning to the young boy, “Please proceed with your duties.”

Rhory was even taller than Mael, but had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. He didn’t scream asshole, so that was a pleasantry, but I’d just offended the royal family with a few short sentences.

Standing nearby were three men dressed in all black tactical-like gear, the lower part of their faces covered in an interesting mask.

One stood in front of the rest, and despite not being able to see his mouth, his bright, golden eyes appeared to be smiling.

Something about all of this seemed so familiar, I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“Aribella,” my father’s voice was tight, “Leave this instant. Your duties are finished for the day.” I could hear my father apologizing as I disappeared, “Please accept my sincerest apologies for my daughter, Mr. Whitehall.”

Whitehall. Mael. Rhory. Masks. Horses.

A lightbulb went off in my head…. But how could it be?