Short Story: The Bracelet

There was once a lovely young couple who were madly in love with each other. They would sneak out at night and take walks along the riverbanks, enveloped in each other and totally absorbed in their own world. He loved her so much, he would climbed the highest mountain and fight the fiercest sea's. She in turn would do anything for him, even preparing to give him her life. When he was out of town, they felt like they were worlds apart. She would sit by her window every night, looking and praying for his safe return. Then once he did, the first thing he would do was to find her and present her with the most beautiful flower. But as he told her once, no flowers can be compared to her beauty.
There's just one problem for them. Their statuses were a world apart. He was the son of a politician and she was just the daughter of a blacksmith. His parent's resented the thought of having a poor peasant to be their daughter in law, they did everything to break their relationship. Being in the Victorian era, the man was to marry his own cousin, a vile and vain young woman. Despite that fact, he was determine to make her his bride. He promised, no matter what it takes, he will return to her.
 Finally, he was prepared to face his parents disapproval and propose to her. Since he could not gain his mother's inherited ring, he decided to custom make a bracelet as an engagement present. However tragedy struck when he was making his way back from the jeweller. He fell down a steep hill and suffered serious injuries including brain damage.
When he regained consciousness, he lost his memories. He couldn't remember anyone including his beloved but miraculously, he remembered that there was someone very important to him. He questioned everyone in his family and his vile cousin took advantage of his situation to claim that she was his lover. He was skeptical but since everyone was telling him that, he believed them. 
The girl heard of his accident and was so worried, she fell ill for days. To make matters worse, she heard that her love had forgotten about her. Her world was now plunged into despair. Every attempt to reunite with her lover was stopped by her parents and his family. When his family announced his wedding to his cousin, her heart stopped beating. She has lost hope on everything and wanted to jumped into the sea.
Meanwhile, he waited for the days that leads up to his wedding to his cousin. He couldn't help but feel nervous and worried about what he had forgotten. Occasionally, a odd girl would try to enter his family grounds and calling his name. She was usually removed before he can talk to her. When questioned her identity, his family claimed the girl was mad. He did not ponder at first but when she started sneaking in at night, his suspicions grew. One night, he finally manage to ask her name before the guard caught her.
'It's me! Beatrice, your love! Why don't you remember me?!'
That information shocked him, yet a warmth feeling crept into his heart. Then the girl stop showing up. The feeling that something was lost was eating him and he couldn't shake it off. He decided to take a stroll down the street.
The jeweller saw the young man and rushed to him. 'Sir Reginald, your bracelet is done. When do you want to pick it up?'
Curious as to when he ordered a bracelet made, he enquired about it. The jeweller told him he made it before his accident and that it was made specially for someone he loved dearly. He asked if it was Lisbeth, his cousin, the jeweller looks lost. He ordered it sent to him by evening.
The parcel containing the bracelet was send to his home without the knowledge of anyone in the family and he opened it. Inside a box, a shiny new gold bracelet encrusted with emerald, nestled in silk. He took it gently out of the box and examined it under the dim light of his room.
There shone brighter than the fire was the words 'To Beatrice, my love, my life'. Then he remembered. Every details that leading up to his accident. His lost love, the empty feeling was Beatrice. 
Without wasting time, he ran in search of the girl and found her perched on the rocks near the sea. Their reunion was sweet. Like finding water in a dessert. 
On his supposed wedding day to Lisbeth, he presented the bracelet to Beatrice and they eloped far far away where they lived happily together forever. 

Art by my best friend Karen/Chaco Karr