Giselle

"What is this?"

After browsing through some of Ryan's belongings, Hilarion found a long, skinny item that was covered by a purple velvet cloth in his trunk. Lifting it carefully, he untied the golden drawstrings and the cloth fell to the ground, revealing a shiny silver sword. "A sword? Why does he have this?" Lifting it in the air, he angled it in different directions to get a better view of it. Hilarion had a hard time trying to figure out why Ryan had a sword in his house, but soon then figured out its mystery. Slipping it back into the cloth and tying the strings tight, he carried it out of his house and began to walk back down to his own. But before he could get inside, trumpets began to sound through the air. Everyone was running outside of their houses to see what was going on while Hilarion went inside of his house so nobody could see the object in his hands. He peered out the window to watch the scene. Coming into the village was a duke and the countess Bathilde with their noblemen and ladies following them. Hilarion spotted Giselle and her mother approach them and curtsied. Their clothing and extravagant clothing amazed Giselle for she had seen nothing like them before.

"Tell me dear," Bathilde started talking to Giselle, "what is your name?"

"Giselle," she responded politely.

"Giselle, what a beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"So, Giselle, what is it that you like to do?"

"I love to dance," she smiled with pride.

"Do you have a dance partner?"

"Oh yes," she began. "He is the sweetest, kindest, cutest, most wonderful boy you would ever meet."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Would you care to dance for me," Bathilde asked and of course Giselle couldn't say no. She looked around for Ryan, but he was nowhere in sight.

"I can't seem to find my partner."

"It's ok, you can dance by yourself." Giselle nodded, beginning to dance around like earlier today for the countess. After yet another dance performance, everyone clapped and began to go about their regular lives, Ryan emerging from the crowd. She spotted him, smiling, and began to run over to him, but Hilarion got in the way.

"Excuse me, Hilarion, but I wish to go see Ryan." Ryan began to walk over, while Hilarion glared at him. Once Ryan came up to them, Hilarion pulled out the sword and put it in between them. "What is this," Giselle questioned.

"Why don't you ask Ryan," he said with a smirk on his face, looking over at Ryan. Giselle took the object away from Hilarion and began to unwrap it, Ryan's eyes growing wide. She dropped the covering onto the ground, revealing the sword before her. Her mouth opened a tiny bit in confusion as she looked at both sides of it.

"Ryan, why do you have a sword," she said, looking in his eyes with depression.

"Because, he isn't a villager like the rest of us," Hilarion answered for him. Tears stung Giselle's eyes as she looked at Hilarion and then Ryan, shaking her head.

"No, you're lying, Hilarion, you're lying!"

"Then I will prove it to you," he said going back inside his house and grabbing his hunting horn that was given to him a few years ago by the nobles. "Look at the crests on them." Giselle looked closely, seeing that the crests matched. She gasped, covering her mouth and looked at Ryan, who looked sympathetic. Hilarion blew his horn, grabbing the nobles' attention and Bathilde grew a confused face.

"George? Count George is that you? What in God's name are you doing here?" She began walked over to Ryan, but Giselle stood in between them like Hilarion did.

"I’m very sorry, Bathilde, but this is Ryan, my love that I was talking about to you earlier."

She began to laugh, leaving Giselle with the confused face. "Ah, Giselle, sweet little Giselle, move aside and talk to me when you finally get things." She pushed Giselle out of the way and moved closer to Ryan, but then Giselle began to fight back and pushed Bathilde back.

"Leave Ryan alone," she screamed. "He is my lover and we will get married." Bathilde laughed again.

"Silly child, his name isn't Ryan, it is George. He is a count and we are scheduled to be married soon."

As her tears began to cascade down her cheeks, she lashed her head around and looked into George's eyes. "Is this true? Please tell me she's lying, Ryan, please!"

"I am so sorry, Giselle, but she isn't lying.”

Something inside of Giselle's mind cracked, as she began to run around. Her tears blinded her as she looked at everyone watching her, from George, to Bathilde, to Hilarion, to her mother, and to the rest of the villagers. Seeing the sword that laid on the ground, she touched the tip of it, her furry and heartache making it appear like a snake in her eyes. Giselle shrieked as she continued to have distorted reality, until she collapsed on the ground, dead.