Betrothed to Jack Frost: Fire's Fury **SOON TO BE PUBLISHED**

13) Unexpected Invitation

"Get Lucky" by Daughter
(I have no idea why this song is stuck in my head.)
Happy Reading!
-Alycat
***

There was nothing to do but wait. Having someone else to confirm her thoughts brought Elle to the realization that there was something strange about her newfound family to have locked her and Lucy inside the bedroom. For hours there was nothing. No noise. No one came to greet or explain things to them. It was impossible to tell what time it was given there were no clocks or dials in the bedroom, spare bedroom, or the bathroom. They were left in rooms of luxury, but it was confining nonetheless. The large bathroom and the bedrooms were stupendous in both size and glamour, but it didn't take away from Elle that it felt like they were prisoners of Fire's Kingdom more than anything else.

"They didn't say anything to you about...Being locked in?" Lucy finally asked. Another hour had passed. Elle proceeded to fill her in on anything she might have been curious about regarding her long story. Lucy finally seemed caught up for the most part, although confused with how things now worked in the world.
Elle shook her head. She wanted to reply that if her 'family' had indeed said anything, Elle wouldn't be so curious as to why they were now locked in. But her sarcasm wouldn't have been kind, and it wasn't Lucy's fault that she was dragged here. Elle pondered whether it had been all that wise to drag her friend to this kingdom without knowing if her family had ulterior motives...
The door finally started to creak open, causing both Elle and Lucy to sit up at once. In hobbled a new trio of goblins, these ones no less ugly than the ones Elle had seen previously. Although, these new ones seemed to be female with their clothing. They wore small, unappealing brown dresses that looked to be made from pillowcases. Their stubby toes were misshaped, and their toenails were clawed and curved from what seemed to be years of neglect.
"You are not changed," rasped the smallest of the female goblins. The trio watched the two of them disapprovingly. Although Elle had explained to Lucy what and who the goblins were, that didn't stop her from looking petrified. Elle was mildly surprised the goblins were able to speak in a language that wasn't garbled grunts.

"We were locked in and not given any instruction," said Elle in explanation. "What were you expecting us to do?"
But the two other goblins said nothing as they went to a wooden door that was across from the large fourposter bed meant for Elle. They simply opened the door to reveal a walk-in closet that looked to be the same size as the bedroom. It was already filled from top to bottom. Elegant or dazzling dresses were on hangers. Some were hanging up by pins alongside full-length mirrors. There was every type of heel possible, some chunky in size while others were pencil thin. The heights ranged from less than an inch to over five inches. Elle couldn't help herself walking into the closet to look around. She noted some of the dresses shimmery material was near see through while others were knee length.

"You were expected to prepare yourselves," said the goblin sternly. It glowered at her. The look made Elle remember how horribly servants had treated her at winter's kingdom.
"Don't give me that look," Elle scolded. "Maybe you guys should be a little more specific before you lock someone in a room for a few hours."
The goblin seemed to be trying her hardest to slip a more polite expression on. "My apologies, Queen Evangeline. Shall you and your bondservant need assistance? Quartro, draw a bath!"
The tiniest goblin hurried towards the direction of the bathroom. Her tiny feet padding loudly along the way. A few moments later the bathtub's water could be heard running.
"Bondservent?" said Lucy, offended. The goblins hissed towards her direction. "You do not address castle keepers, girl!"

"And you don't insult my guest, you little toad," said Elle harshly. "Apologize." Although Elle wasn't quite sure what she expected commanding this, the little goblin respected her request. It turned and gave what appeared to be a half curtsy. "My apologies." It then hurried and went back to picking out dresses simply to avoid having to look at the two of them again. While the third goblin motioned for Elle to move towards the bathroom, the leader of the trio had a dark brown colored dress she threw towards Lucy's direction. Shoes came tumbling after a few moments later.
"How kind," said Lucy, having had move out of the way before the second shoe clubbed her forehead. Elle meanwhile was shoved towards the bathroom. It was only once she told the goblins that she didn't need their assistance was she left alone. They only came back into the room to drape a long ruby red gown on the back of a door. Sparkling and stylish red heels followed as well. A small velvet box was left in the room. When Elle investigated, inside was a long silver chain with a ridiculously sized ruby hanging at the end. Silver tear drop ruby earrings were along to match.

Elle only got into the lavender and vanilla smelling bath to get rid of the congealed blood left after the encounter with Fenrir and Jormungand.
When she was done, Elle dressed herself in a conservative red gown. There was a deep sweetheart neckline, but it was concealed in long sleeved red lace. The dress flowed a few inches behind her. It was either that dress, or a not-entirely-modest knee-length dress with a ridiculously plunging neckline.

By the time Elle and Lucy were finished dressing, the goblins had returned to rebandage Elle's wounds -which for the most part were healed- and then motion for them to follow. As they walked down the corridor they had originally been brought from, Elle noted that Lucy had picked a medieval looking brown gown that stopped just at her ankles. Black ballerina flats covered her feet. Although it wasn't an ugly dress, it was nowhere near as elegant as Elle's.
Lucy noticed her questioning look as they continued to follow the goblins. "This was the dress I was given," she explained sheepishly.
"Why did they give you that?" Elle didn't mean to sound insulting. It was simply a dress that looked nowhere near as elegant or as regal as the one she was wearing.
"A handmaiden can never resemble royalty," said the goblin sternly as she eavesdropped.
Elle's teeth grit together. "You can address her with respect, or you can keep your mouth shut." If not for Lucy's insistence that the dress was perfectly acceptable, Elle was very close to turning them around and demanding Lucy be given a dress just as lovely as hers.

The goblin said nothing else to her or Lucy, only mumbling incoherent things under her breath that had to be in another language. By the time they were led bad to the throne room of Alaz, Elle found the room looked incredibly different. There were many round tables and dazzling chairs that looked to be decorated in fake flames off the back of them. Each centerpiece had a ginormous volcano sculpture that had more of the fake flames shooting out of the top. It was impossible to tell what time it was given there were no windows in the throne room, but everything was decorated for a party.

Elle found herself amidst a sea of opulence and extravagance, surrounded by women adorned in exquisite dresses that spoke of royalty and affluence. Among them, men donned tuxedos, regal robes, or shimmering golden armor, each attire reflecting the status and origins of its wearer. The atmosphere crackled with an air of grandeur and sophistication, mingled with an undercurrent of intrigue and power. As Elle surveyed the scene, she recognized familiar faces she had glimpsed at Winter's throne, although they remained strangers to her personally.
Then there were faces that Elle did recognize. There was Artemis, dressed in her usual hunting attire. The goddess moodily leaned against a pillar, seemingly analyzing everything that was going on with sharp eyes.
There was Poseidon and his regal wife Amphitrite. They wore matching attire even though they were both entirely different. Amphitrite wore a silver and seafoam green mermaid gown with a classy neckline. Poseidon was dressed in silver and green armor, looking prepared for possible battle. The same for Zeus and Hera. He wore a gladiator assemble of armor in a pristine gold, while Hera wore a gorgeous golden gown that accented her slender feminine features. The latter spared Elle a sweet smile and a very ladylike wave. Although Elle wished to go over and greet her godmother, Zeus and Hera were currently engaged in a conversation with Pele and Kane. Not every Olympian was here, it seemed to be a smaller affair then the ones Elle had bore witness to at Winter's kingdom.

Then there were a few faces that Elle recognized but didn't care for. Jack's brother Zetes and two of his wives were here. The women were dressed in gowns of silver and white while Zetes was dressed in matching silver armor. The wives help onto the arms of their husband, the polygamy on full display this evening. The trio smirked at Elle. The look unnerved her.

"Why are they looking at you like that?" wondered Lucy.
"They're probably ready to gloat that Jack and I are divorcing," said Elle in a low voice. Although, there was no need to be quiet about her explanation. Immortals had excellent hearing; they could hear her across the room. Zetes' smirk only grew upon her words

"Wow, that is so rude," said Lucy as she looked back at them. She looked offended on Elle's behalf. "Do they know that you can shoot fire out your hands?" She kept her glare plastered on her face, and it was enough to unnerve one of the wives to quit looking at them. Elle nearly grinned at her friend's remark. She didn't look at Zetes or his wives as she answered.
"Yep. I accidently blinded one of his wives, once."
The look on Lucy's face next was comical. "You...what?"
"Not important," said Elle with a wave of her hand. As unpleasant as Zetes and his wives were, she didn't like reliving the memory of being out of control with her powers. Lucy accepted this response for she was too busy soaking in every moment all around her. "This is incredible," she said aloud, her eyes looking exclusively at the decorative chandeliers that seemed to be enchanted. Orange and red flames seemed to be sparkling around them, floating midair.
"Yeah," said Elle noncommittedly.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked worriedly.
Elle shot her a look. There were quite a few things wrong for Lucy's point of view as it was, it was funny she could alone point out that Elle wasn't satisfied with something in the midst of everything being strange for her already. "It's all too weird," she admitted to Lucy. "I'm starting to feel there was an ulterior motive for bringing me here."
"But aren't these the er...good guys?"

"Yes, Elle," came a voice so familiar it sent shivers down her spine. "It's ironic how you're starting to sense an ulterior motive, even after Artemis and I tried to warn you." Jack Frost stood before her, as striking as ever. Dressed in navy-blue pants and a matching blazer, his white button-down shirt gleamed beneath the jacket, complementing his frosty hair. Despite her heels, Elle still felt small in his presence. Lucy, too, seemed to recognize him without introduction, her cheeks flushing as she lowered her head in acknowledgment.

"Hello, Jack," Elle greeted, deliberately avoiding eye contact as she kept an eye on Hermes across the room. It was typical of her godfather to gravitate towards the buffet table, but what wasn't typical was his cautious demeanor, evident as he gingerly held a turkey leg under another immortal's nose. It seemed as though he wanted someone else to inspect it, as if he distrusted the food.