A LIFE UNSEEN

THE OUTCAST

"It was great spending time with you," Rufus said to Annabelle as he returned to the workshop.

"I should go and check up on my father, and maybe tell him we'll love to meet him together this evening," Annabelle replied, with a warm smile.

Rufus was excited and hoped her father would look forward to meeting them that evening.

The other apprentices and blacksmiths had arrived and started working. He was about to join them when he heard Gracie calling.

"Gracie? That's strange; she doesn't love to come around here," Annabelle said, puzzled at Gracie's presence, as she also heard her voice.

Rufus rushed out of the workshop with Annabelle following closely behind him.

"Oh, Annabelle, you're here," Gracie said, feigning surprise, still on her horse.

"You know I come here all the time, especially when I'm less busy," Annabelle said with a smile, though it couldn't conceal the uneasy feeling.

Gracie turned her attention to Rufus, who waited for her to finish her conversation with Annabelle.

"Well, my husband has seen all your efforts and invites you to our home for dinner," Gracie said with an air of significance.

Rufus, believing his prayers had been answered by the gods, was excited and expressed his gratitude as she went away.

Rufus noticed Annabelle's concern as she looked uneasy and unhappy.

"You don't look happy. Can't you see our prayers have been answered?" Rufus said.

Annabelle replied she was happy but only felt it was weird to hear her father send Gracie instead of a servant.

Rufus held her hands and pleaded she let go of her doubts and not let her emotions get the best of their happiness.

Annabelle saw the excitement in Rufus' face and forced a smile, trying to shake off her worries, and said she was also excited.

Annabelle got on her horse and made her way back home.

That evening, Rufus arrived at Annabelle's home. The table was set, and the cooks served dinner. The aroma of the delicious meals filled the atmosphere.

He took a seat and noticed no one else had arrived at the dining room. He called one of the maids and asked her to inform Annabelle he was there.

The maid went away to relate the information immediately.

"Why can't I see my father? I just want to talk to him before dinner," Annabelle asked Gracie, who was hurrying downstairs with Amira by her side.

Gracie was annoyed by Annabelle's continuous questions and unwillingness to give up. She stopped immediately, and Annabelle, trying to catch up behind, was taken unawares and bumped into her.

"I'm sorry," Annabelle said immediately.

Gracie was disgusted but remained calm.

"I hope you're satisfied now, get out!" Gracie said coldly.

Amira, who was beside Gracie, moved closer to Annabelle and said, "If you try this again with my mother, I will hit you."

Annabelle felt insulted and pleaded to speak to her more respectfully because she was older, but then Gracie and Amira burst into laughter and walked away.

Annabelle sighed with relief, telling herself she was used to their annoyance.

The maid walked towards her and whispered, "Rufus is around."

Annabelle thanked the maid and joined him downstairs.

**************†*******†**********

Gracie arrived at the dining table and was pleased to see Rufus already seated. She smirked, knowing her treachery was about to unfold.

"Rufus, my husband wants to speak to you in private; you'll have to meet him upstairs, as he opted for bed rest not quite long," she instructed.

Annabelle got to the dining room and overheard Gracie's information. She was about to question her, but Rufus opposed immediately.

He looked at Annabelle, assuring her there was no harm in meeting her father alone. Annabelle was reluctant but nodded in agreement.

Rufus made his way upstairs, accompanied by the maid. When he reached the bedroom, he knocked on the door, and Annabelle's dad responded from inside.

"Sir, you asked to see me," Rufus said as he stepped inside.

Annabelle's father stood silently, without uttering a word. Rufus waited for a while, feeling nervous.

He still didn't hear him utter a word, and suddenly, there was a change in the atmosphere. He felt a cold breeze and a strange sensation in the room. Something was wrong, and didn't feel okay.

Rufus decided to move closer to Annabelle's father, calling unto him and counting each step he took. He turned around and looked at the mirror and noticed a figure—a woman with a dagger in her hands.

Just then, he screamed and tried saving Annabelle's father, but everything suddenly changed. Before he could understand the situation, he heard Annabelle's father scream for help.

Rufus found himself kneeling on the floor, with Annabelle's father in his left arm. He found himself holding a dagger, and blood was everywhere.

He panicked and screamed for help.

"Help!" the maid screamed as she walked into the room after hearing his call.

Annabelle, Amira, and Gracie, who were at the table, hurriedly went upstairs.

As they all rushed in, Annabelle's father lay lifeless on the floor, with a dagger in Rufus' hands.

"Murderer!" Gracie screamed, ordering the guards to be called.

Annabelle's world crumbled before her; she couldn't believe her eyes. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she walked closer to her father, who lay lifeless.

"Anabelle, I didn't do it," Rufus said, dropping the dagger and pleading in tears.

"I saw something in the mirror—it was a woman with a dagger. I promise I didn't do it," Rufus continued to defend himself.

Annabelle collapsed to her knees and screamed in tears.

Rufus' mind kept reeling with disbelief.

"I didn't do it, I promise; I could never harm him," Rufus continued.

Amira sobbed quietly, continuously staring at her mother, who stood quietly without uttering a word.

The guards arrived and grabbed Rufus, who was still pleading his innocence.

His hands were bound behind his back; his heart raced as they dragged him to the protector's court.

Everything that happened kept echoing in his mind—Annabelle's tears and the death of a man who was more like a father to him.

The news had spread round the kingdom, and everyone had gathered to hear Rufus' fate.

The crowd continuously called him a murderer and wizard.

His heart pounded continuously as he was forced to kneel before the protector.

"Rufus, you're accused of killing the blacksmith; he was a good man and didn’t deserve this cruelty. I don't need an explanation from you because you were caught with the dagger and the lifeless body."

"I hereby pass my judgement: You're banished from Gassel into the Forbidden Forest," the protector said with fury in his eyes.

"May the gods have mercy on you," he continued, making his way out of the court.

Rufus' pleas were silenced by a gag, and the guards dragged him away.

Rufus was thrown into the Forbidden Forest.