[h2]Marabella[/h2]

Bella has somewhat recovered from her whole being kidnapped ordeal, but it still bothered her greatly. As everything began to get underway, the servants and handmaidens crowded Bella to help her get ready. As they got her ready, she couldn’t help but wonder what this other big announcement was, and it caused her to sigh heavily. When she had been dressed in a royal purple and gold gown and her hair styled where it was half up, they all stepped away from her warm smiles on their faces. “Lovely as usual, my lady.” one of them said. Bella gave a weak smile in return, then looked into the mirror. 

Her eyes fell upon the bruise on her cheek. She brought a hand up and touched it as she closed her eyes, as the memory of how she got it played behind her closed lids. She sighed, then let her hand drop, shaking her head to rid herself of the memory. Opening her eyes, she looked back into the mirror, her eyes falling on her wolf ears on top of her head. She took it upon herself to hide them as she normally did from those she didn’t know. Then she slipped on a pair of gloves to hide the bruises on her wrists left by her bindings. Looking into the mirror one last time, she stepped away from it and headed out of her room. 

She knew she had to go out and join everyone, even if she really wasn’t feeling up to it. As Bella walked down the halls to the ball, she breathed deeply to get herself in the right state of mind and to clear it. Once there, she put on the best smile she could and entered. She could feel many eyes on her as she walked in and greeted the nobles she passed warmly. She stopped in her tracks when she heard the outburst, wondering what could have caused it.