Madeline's Transformation
Chapter 7
Two days later, Madeline was off the learn how to fly a plane. Will explained that they needed someone to fly him in case of an emergency, someone from inside the palace. Madeline was to be a spy, almost, or a secret agent. She was different from the other people, she got special privileges and didn't have to live with the other people training. Before she could even get in the cockpit of a plane, she had to learn to parachute out of a plane. She and Will were going to do it together. They went up on a bright and clear morning in August and got ready to jump.
'I don't want to do it.' Madeline said, looking at the ground.
'Why not?' Will said laughing.
'What if my parachute doesn't open?' Madeline was freaking out.
'It's okay, it will.'
'Okay, I can do this, focus.' Madeline looked down at the field's many feet below. 'Will?'
'Yes?'
'Can you hold my hand when we jump?'
'I guess I could.'
'Okay then, I'm ready.' Madeline said taking his hand and then they jumped and, just as Will had assured her, their parachutes worked.
After that, Will started teaching her how to fly a plane. They worked together well as pilot and co-pilot.
After four months of flying, Madeline was finally ready. An hour before the departure parade, Madeline received her uniform. She tried it on and looked in the mirror. Her reflection was joined by that of an officer. She turned to see Will standing next to her.
'You look magnificent.' He said.
'Thank you.' Madeline said.
'We'd better go now, the rest of my people are waiting for me. You'd better go join them for the parade.'
Madeline left and joined the other pilots she had trained with, all wearing uniforms identical to Madelines. She was talking to a friend of hers when she noticed something was different about her uniform than the rest. Madeline had something everyone else didn't. She was going to ask Will about it later, but she was sure it was nothing. It probably meant she wasn't as special as the rest because she wouldn't actually be fighting. She was wrong.
'Lady Madeline Hathaway?' The man arranging the parade said.
'Yes?' Madeline said.
'Okay, you are going in the front here.' He said pointing.
'Why am I in the front?' Madeline asked.
The man looked confused. 'Because,' He said looking surprised and insulted at the same time yet somehow disgusted. 'His Royal Highness wants it that way.'
'Okay.' Madeline was confused. She needed to talk to Will; she had so many questions for him.
Madeline waited for the parade to begin. She was looking for Will, but she didn't see him. Finally, everything was ready and the parade began. All they had to do was march somewhere and then people would look at them and then they get on the boat. They reached their first destination and there were a lot of people watching them. It was a dull November morning. There were a lot of people getting on the boat other than Madeline and her pilots. Madeline looked for Will, and at last she saw him. He was riding on a white horse. Madeline thought he looked very handsome all dressed up.
He looked very serious as he rode toward her. She was looking at him but he wouldn't look at her. Madeline was getting kind of mad at him. What was he not telling her? He rode up to Madeline, she was in the front on the left. He got off of his horse and started yelling at them. They had rehearsed this several times, but Madeline had only been to one of the rehearsals, so she didn't know what to say. She just pretended to know what she was doing. Will was walking along the front of the row and when he got to her he stopped and stared right at her and she looked up at him.
Madeline was mad at him, like really mad, because he said something to her and she didn't know what to say, so she just said 'Yes sir', even though she hadn't been paying attention to what he said.
After that, he got on his horse and rode away, in the opposite direction of the boat. Then Madeline and the other pilots marched to the boat and got on. Then it left. Madeline didn't know what to do. She looked for Will, but he wasn't there. She went to her room and just sat there. She was so confused. Had this been a trick? Some way to get rid of her? Madeline almost started crying. She was lying on her bed, wishing she were home, when someone knocked on her door. She opened it and there was a man.
'I have a message for a Lady Hathaway?' He said.
'Yes, that's me.' Madeline said drying a stray tear from her eye and took the paper he handed her. She closed the door and sat on her bed again. She opened it and recognized Will's handwriting immediately. His letter was short, it said:
"Madeline:
I'm sorry for not talking to you about this earlier, but it was important that I not be seen getting on the boat or anywhere near the boat. I need you to fly back tonight and get me. You will receive further instructions from someone else this evening.
-William"
Madeline was frightened. She had only flown on her own once, and now Will was asking her to leave and get him, she had never flown off of a boat before.
That evening, Madeline got ready to fly out to get Will. She got in the plane. Everyone was there, watching her like she was some kind of hero. Madeline climbed into the plane and prepared for takeoff. She looked up at the gray November sky and said a prayer. She was ready.
Madeline took off and flew into the dusk sky back towards London. Flying over London, Madeline realized how beautiful it was. When she landed, Will was there to meet her. She got out of the plane and ran towards him.
'Will!' Madeline said. 'You scared me. Don't ever do that again.' She said jokingly hitting him. Madeline looked around and realized that Will was not alone. Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Philip, and the Queen were there. 'Oh,' Madeline said quietly looking at them.
Harry came up to Will and hugged him. 'Good luck.' He said. 'And you,' He said to Madeline. 'Watch him, keep him safe.'
The rest of his family said goodbye to him and then he and Madeline climbed into the plane. Will was flying this time; Madeline knew she wouldn't be able to land on that boat, so she was the co-pilot. Once they had taken off, Madeline began asking him questions.
'Will, I have so many questions to ask you.' Madeline said.
'I bet you do.' He said smiling.
'No, it's not funny.' Madeline said, thought she couldn't keep from smiling. 'Okay, first question. What is this?' She said pointing to her uniform, she and Will were still wearing their parade uniforms.
'That is a medal.' He said without even looking at it. 'I gave it to you ahead of time. You have a higher ranking than the rest of the pilots.'
'Really?' Madeline said smiling. 'That's cool. And what did you say to me at the parade?'
'I asked you if you were ready to go to war, but I worded it differently.'
'Oh, good because I hadn't really been paying attention to what you said. We hadn't rehearsed that.'
'We had, you weren't there.'
'Last question: Why didn't you tell me about this before?'
'Two reasons. Some of my advisors were afraid you would back out of it, but I knew you wouldn't. And, it is very important that no one knows I am in the Middle East. I knew you wouldn't tell anyone, but it would have been easier for it to leak to the press and then it would have been over. I didn't like keeping this from you, I wanted to tell you this morning, when I saw you looking in the mirror I knew I could trust you. But it was who might have been listening that I was worried about.'
'Oh William,' Madeline said, sighing. 'I'm so sorry.'
'For what?'
'I was so mad at you, you wouldn't talk to me and I thought you were trying to get rid of my by sending me off on a ship to get killed.'
'I feel terrible about putting you in danger like this.'
'It's okay Will, we're not going to die. Harry was fine, I'm sure we will be too.'
They were about to land, everyone was on the boat to welcome Will. He landed the plane beautifully and when he and Madeline got out, the pilots and sailors cheered.
The next few weeks they sailed to the Middle East. It was planned that Will would not fly once they were there, but stay on the boat. But he had other plans, and since he was in charge, the first day they flew out, he and Madeline were in a plane together. This continued for three more months. There was an awesome New Years party, celebrating the New Year of 2011 and at midnight Will kissed Madeline.
'I don't want to do it.' Madeline said, looking at the ground.
'Why not?' Will said laughing.
'What if my parachute doesn't open?' Madeline was freaking out.
'It's okay, it will.'
'Okay, I can do this, focus.' Madeline looked down at the field's many feet below. 'Will?'
'Yes?'
'Can you hold my hand when we jump?'
'I guess I could.'
'Okay then, I'm ready.' Madeline said taking his hand and then they jumped and, just as Will had assured her, their parachutes worked.
After that, Will started teaching her how to fly a plane. They worked together well as pilot and co-pilot.
After four months of flying, Madeline was finally ready. An hour before the departure parade, Madeline received her uniform. She tried it on and looked in the mirror. Her reflection was joined by that of an officer. She turned to see Will standing next to her.
'You look magnificent.' He said.
'Thank you.' Madeline said.
'We'd better go now, the rest of my people are waiting for me. You'd better go join them for the parade.'
Madeline left and joined the other pilots she had trained with, all wearing uniforms identical to Madelines. She was talking to a friend of hers when she noticed something was different about her uniform than the rest. Madeline had something everyone else didn't. She was going to ask Will about it later, but she was sure it was nothing. It probably meant she wasn't as special as the rest because she wouldn't actually be fighting. She was wrong.
'Lady Madeline Hathaway?' The man arranging the parade said.
'Yes?' Madeline said.
'Okay, you are going in the front here.' He said pointing.
'Why am I in the front?' Madeline asked.
The man looked confused. 'Because,' He said looking surprised and insulted at the same time yet somehow disgusted. 'His Royal Highness wants it that way.'
'Okay.' Madeline was confused. She needed to talk to Will; she had so many questions for him.
Madeline waited for the parade to begin. She was looking for Will, but she didn't see him. Finally, everything was ready and the parade began. All they had to do was march somewhere and then people would look at them and then they get on the boat. They reached their first destination and there were a lot of people watching them. It was a dull November morning. There were a lot of people getting on the boat other than Madeline and her pilots. Madeline looked for Will, and at last she saw him. He was riding on a white horse. Madeline thought he looked very handsome all dressed up.
He looked very serious as he rode toward her. She was looking at him but he wouldn't look at her. Madeline was getting kind of mad at him. What was he not telling her? He rode up to Madeline, she was in the front on the left. He got off of his horse and started yelling at them. They had rehearsed this several times, but Madeline had only been to one of the rehearsals, so she didn't know what to say. She just pretended to know what she was doing. Will was walking along the front of the row and when he got to her he stopped and stared right at her and she looked up at him.
Madeline was mad at him, like really mad, because he said something to her and she didn't know what to say, so she just said 'Yes sir', even though she hadn't been paying attention to what he said.
After that, he got on his horse and rode away, in the opposite direction of the boat. Then Madeline and the other pilots marched to the boat and got on. Then it left. Madeline didn't know what to do. She looked for Will, but he wasn't there. She went to her room and just sat there. She was so confused. Had this been a trick? Some way to get rid of her? Madeline almost started crying. She was lying on her bed, wishing she were home, when someone knocked on her door. She opened it and there was a man.
'I have a message for a Lady Hathaway?' He said.
'Yes, that's me.' Madeline said drying a stray tear from her eye and took the paper he handed her. She closed the door and sat on her bed again. She opened it and recognized Will's handwriting immediately. His letter was short, it said:
"Madeline:
I'm sorry for not talking to you about this earlier, but it was important that I not be seen getting on the boat or anywhere near the boat. I need you to fly back tonight and get me. You will receive further instructions from someone else this evening.
-William"
Madeline was frightened. She had only flown on her own once, and now Will was asking her to leave and get him, she had never flown off of a boat before.
That evening, Madeline got ready to fly out to get Will. She got in the plane. Everyone was there, watching her like she was some kind of hero. Madeline climbed into the plane and prepared for takeoff. She looked up at the gray November sky and said a prayer. She was ready.
Madeline took off and flew into the dusk sky back towards London. Flying over London, Madeline realized how beautiful it was. When she landed, Will was there to meet her. She got out of the plane and ran towards him.
'Will!' Madeline said. 'You scared me. Don't ever do that again.' She said jokingly hitting him. Madeline looked around and realized that Will was not alone. Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Philip, and the Queen were there. 'Oh,' Madeline said quietly looking at them.
Harry came up to Will and hugged him. 'Good luck.' He said. 'And you,' He said to Madeline. 'Watch him, keep him safe.'
The rest of his family said goodbye to him and then he and Madeline climbed into the plane. Will was flying this time; Madeline knew she wouldn't be able to land on that boat, so she was the co-pilot. Once they had taken off, Madeline began asking him questions.
'Will, I have so many questions to ask you.' Madeline said.
'I bet you do.' He said smiling.
'No, it's not funny.' Madeline said, thought she couldn't keep from smiling. 'Okay, first question. What is this?' She said pointing to her uniform, she and Will were still wearing their parade uniforms.
'That is a medal.' He said without even looking at it. 'I gave it to you ahead of time. You have a higher ranking than the rest of the pilots.'
'Really?' Madeline said smiling. 'That's cool. And what did you say to me at the parade?'
'I asked you if you were ready to go to war, but I worded it differently.'
'Oh, good because I hadn't really been paying attention to what you said. We hadn't rehearsed that.'
'We had, you weren't there.'
'Last question: Why didn't you tell me about this before?'
'Two reasons. Some of my advisors were afraid you would back out of it, but I knew you wouldn't. And, it is very important that no one knows I am in the Middle East. I knew you wouldn't tell anyone, but it would have been easier for it to leak to the press and then it would have been over. I didn't like keeping this from you, I wanted to tell you this morning, when I saw you looking in the mirror I knew I could trust you. But it was who might have been listening that I was worried about.'
'Oh William,' Madeline said, sighing. 'I'm so sorry.'
'For what?'
'I was so mad at you, you wouldn't talk to me and I thought you were trying to get rid of my by sending me off on a ship to get killed.'
'I feel terrible about putting you in danger like this.'
'It's okay Will, we're not going to die. Harry was fine, I'm sure we will be too.'
They were about to land, everyone was on the boat to welcome Will. He landed the plane beautifully and when he and Madeline got out, the pilots and sailors cheered.
The next few weeks they sailed to the Middle East. It was planned that Will would not fly once they were there, but stay on the boat. But he had other plans, and since he was in charge, the first day they flew out, he and Madeline were in a plane together. This continued for three more months. There was an awesome New Years party, celebrating the New Year of 2011 and at midnight Will kissed Madeline.