Chosen- A Selection Fanfiction

Chapter 30

I had never known a week to go by so quickly until I was in my room the next morning getting ready. My dress was backless and strapless, making me feel exposed. It was of a white satin with a champagne layer over it, giving me a glow although I was frightfully pale.

   My hair was pulled back to show my diamond studded earrings that had an amethyst pendant underneath. My necklace's gem dropped below my collarbones, showing dramatically against my open and bare chest. I'll admit that I looked beautiful, but that didn't change the fact that I was extremely nervous.

I'm standing in the mirror, analyzing my image. Did I look strong? Regal? Did I look like some pawn of the King? Will I act like a pawn of the King? My breathing quickened significantly as I began pacing nervously.

"Holy shit, I can't do this," I whimpered to myself. I turned my head back to the mirror and pushed back a stray hair that had escaped my woven knot. I saw my throat move as I swallowed, attempting to push the anxiety into my stomach and out of my system.

A knock sounded at the door, and Jeremy Leger filed in. He stood straight, his grey eyes sharp as he began to speak. "The King awaits your arrival, Lady Elisa," he informed me, but I could detect an absence of confidence in his voice.

I walked towards him. "Relax, Jeremy, it's just me," I joked as I smacked his stomach with the back of my hand, causing him to slouch a bit more from his rigid posture. He laughed shakily, and I took the arm of the young guard.

"When does it start?" I asked as he led me up and down hallways as my right hand began to feel fidgety. I placed it on my stomach to calm the worry, but it didn't work.

"Five minutes, but you go on in twenty. I believe you're last," he recalled, tilting his head at an angle in thought. His dark hair fell a little to the side, yet stayed out of his eyes. I felt my heart jump a little.

"Why am I so late in the ceremony?" I asked worriedly. Everyone would be watching, and I would be the one they'd remember since it would be the most recent in their minds. "Sure it wouldn't take fifteen minutes for the other girls?"

He swallowed before opening his mouth to speak. "Well, Maxon speaks at first, and, um, they usually save the worst crimes for the latter half of the ceremony."

I stopped in my tracks, causing Jeremy to pull me a bit as I stumbled. I put my weight on his arm to support myself. "What?" I squeaked. "Jeremy, I can't do this. I have to see Maxon."

"You can't," he sighed. "He's already inside the great hall for trials. You have to do it, Elisa."

I bit my lip as I looked down. I inhaled deeply through my nose and out through my mouth. There truly was no way out. If I am to be queen, then surely I can do something as simple as this. I'd do anything for Aaron, and now it was time to prove it.

Jeremy and I neared the great white doors, the large structure looming above me. "This is where I leave you. I'm too young to stay inside the ceremony, so I'll be guarding the doors."

"How old are you, Jeremy?" I asked with a tilt of my head. The dark haired boy seemed so mature for his age, yet I remembered that his parents had endured hardships and he was burdened with this job.

"I just turned seventeen," he replied. He smiled a little, his mouth turning a corner at the sides. He walked away with his back to me, and I turned to face the door.

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors to embrace my surroundings. The courtroom was great and vast, and I walked down a long golden carpet to the end where the other Elite waited for me.

Kiara wore a beautiful pale blue dress that hugged her slender frame with falling skirts at her hips. She wore tea-length gloves with one hand gifted with a sapphire bracelet. Her diamond and sapphire necklace was placed proudly on her neck, shining a thousand times brighter than my simple amethyst.

  Danielle was wearing an emerald colored gown of a beautiful silk graced with a black bow at her waist. Her hair was in long curls, something I'd never seen her wear. She looked much more like a Queen with this ensemble than her usual dresses, but it was a pleasant change. She wore a black diamond necklace that held a certain elegance around it, keeping me in a trance as I walked down the carpet.

Lilly's dress matched her fiery personality with an extremely bold red dress. Her hair is in an elegant bun, the red locks a similar color to the rubies on her chest and ears. She gives me an encouraging smile.

I paused in line next to Leila, who was also extremely beautiful. She was always a very quiet girl, but she had a kind heart and loving spirit. I knew this event would be difficult for her, no matter what criminal she had to sentence.

I looked out into the crowd of reporters and cameramen. Bulbs flashed as pictures were taken of us all. Across the room was the a Royal family. It was in order from America to Olivia, with Aaron and Marlee in between. However, Maxon is placed in the center on a regal throne with a crown sitting on his head.

He says a few words before the first criminal walks in. His hands are bound with chains and his head hangs low. I see Kiara sigh from the corner of my eyes as she steps up to the area where we stand.

Time passes and my mind drifts elsewhere. I know that Danielle, Opal, Lilly, and Kiara have already presented their olive branch to the King. I bite my lip and my hands fidget around one another as I can no longer wait for my time to come. I'm nervous and shaking by the time Leila sentences her criminal to ten years in a state prison with a possibility of parole.

She lays the olive branch at the King's feet, and I'm cued to take my place. I exhale through my mouth through a small gap and walk to the center. I close my eyes and wait for my turn to come.

I hear the doors open as the room falls deadly silent. I refuse to open my eyes, but I can hear heavy footfalls. I believe it's a man. You can hear his heavy breaths from far away, even above the clinking of his shackles. I hear a thump as he falls to his knees in front of me.

When I open my eyes, I gasp and widen my eyes. Nothing could have prepared me for this fate, but I was tasked with the hardest thing I've ever done in my life at that moment.