William reluctantly walked down the aisle and up to the priest, standing in front of him. He swallowed harshly as his eyes swept all those who had attended. Last-minute they had moved into the ballroom since the sky began to grow gray.
The dark sky was a mirror of his feelings right now. Any moment Rosalya would walk down that aisle and they'd have to begin the ceremony. He chewed the inside of his cheek to keep himself from showing any other anxious emotion.
He glanced over at the corner of the room where Essa was watching, or was being forced to watch with guards surrounding her. He felt so guilty he couldn't stop it and seeing her look down at her feet hurt his heart.
His eyes glanced over at his father who had a smug expression, feeling rather happy with himself for forcing Essa to watch the wedding. He didn't understand why his father was so cruel and went out to his lengths to make his life a living hell.
He looked toward his mother, who was too ashamed to meet his eyes. He couldn't blame her and felt pity for her. He knew she felt awful about how things turned out and were second-guessing herself. She had always done that when it came to butting heads with Raymond, who got the last say.
He sucked in a deep breath, anxiously looking at the doors. Any moment the doors would open, the music would begin, and Rosalya would walk down that aisle towards him. Vows would be exchanged, they'd kiss then have the ceremony of taking the throne. That was enough to make a person sick, and William was doing his best to not show a single emotion.
Kalirene looked up at her husband, seeing his smug smile hurt. She didn't understand what could cause her husband to be like this. Has he always been this selfish? Had she missed the signs before they married and choose to ignore the red flags? She inwardly sighed, looking towards her son and then towards the doors.
Rosalya stood on the other side of the hedge, her father on one arm and her mother on her other. Her stomach tightened into a knot as she knew this was it. Chandler hadn't found anything to stop the wedding. She was going to marry William and she was crushed. "I can't do this -" She began, only to be cut off by her mother.
Leshay glanced at her daughter. "You will and we will make sure of it." She indifferently said, putting on a smile as the music had begun to play. "Put on a smile and do what you've been trained your whole life to do. Exchange vows, say I do, and kiss William. After that, you can rest easy knowing the hard part is fine then take the crown as queen!" She whispered through her smile.
Rosalya's heart pounded against her ribcage as the doors opened and her parents led her down the aisle. Thank goodness her veil was covering her expression or else everyone would see how terrified she was.
With every step she could, it was as if someone was putting another nail in her coffin, making it impossible for her to break free and slowly suffocating. Her hands trembled but no one could notice due to the bouquet in her hand.
Ezekiel glanced over at his daughter, feeling her tremble. "Stop shaking," He whispered through his smile. "People will take notice. A bride shouldn't be this nervous on her wedding day, especially one who knows where her duties lie."
Rosalya inhaled sharply and let it out slowly. "Sorry," She apologized, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. The only thing she could tell herself to calm down was at any moment Chandler would come bursting in with the documents that were needed.
Leshay was bubbling over with delight at all the happy faces they were passing towards the podium. "Just don't let it happen again. Simply focus on remembering your vows like we practiced and don't mess up." She told Rosalya with a bright smile.
Rosalya's eyes never looked away from William. He was the only one who was keeping her nerves at bay. "I won't." She vowed, knowing they had been ingrained into her since she was a child. Her mother had written them up and had her read them three times a day.
Leshay let go of her daughter's arm and took her place off to the left side and waited for her husband. She watched Ezekiel let go of her daughter's arm and pulled back her veil and mouth something to Rosalya, who put on the biggest, yet fake, a smile was all she could muster as he took his place beside his wife.
William offered out his hand to Rosalya, knowing this was how they had practiced. He could tell she was faking it but was terrified that this was happening. He could barely see what expressions those attending had on their faces, which he was sure were excited or pleased about this wedding.
Rosalya passed the bouquet off to a lady-in-waiting then placed her hand in his and stood in front of him in front of the priest. All eyes were on them and she could feel holes being burned into her flesh. Or at least that was how she felt due to the riding anxiety in her chest. She knew the ceremony wouldn't be too long since the coronation was going to be taking up a great deal of time.
The priest looked around the room and now that the whispering had quieted down he spoke. "Welcome honored guests, you've come from all over the world. Thank you all for attending this historic and momentous event! Today we are gathered here in holy matrimony for the wedding of Prince William Wenuzelle and Princess Rosalya Melbasiah." His voice carried throughout the ballroom.
"This is a day of great celebration and reverence, on which we come together before God to recognize and commemorate the sacred love and dedication shared between these two people. A wedding is a venerated institution, and one deserving of deep reverence. It symbolizes commitment and trust between two people, two fundamental principles that a strong marriage should have, along with communication."
"As the Bible reminds us in Corinthians, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. With love, there is nothing that can come between these two. There is nothing stronger in the universe than love. Love conquers all, and even the coldest of hearts can be thawed by love."
"Let us revel in the joy and love on display here today. May we treasure these memories as Princess Rosalya and Prince William, under the eyes of God, get set to begin their new life together as a wife and husband." He spoke, not knowing that neither loved each other and was only told what Raymond wanted him to know.
William wasn't listening to the priest but anxiously praying that Chandler showed up to stop the wedding. It wouldn't be too long before the vows were exchanged and there was no going back from it. He glanced towards Essa who was looking away, that alone hurt.
Rosalya looked in the direction William had glanced too. It took everything in her not to linger nor gasp seeing Essa watching. She didn't understand what was going on but she could only guess it had something to do with Raymond's smug face.
The priest continued for a while before passing for a moment. His eyes swept those here. "If anyone has cause to object to the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." He had never had someone object to a wedding so he was about to continue when a voice spoke up.
A masculine voice rang out from the back of the ballroom and all eyes turned toward the voice. "I object," Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd as the voice belonged to Duke Morgan. He rose to his feet with a smug smile on his lips, his eyes dancing. "I object to this union."
Raymond's eyes grew wide as he was flabbergasted at what his brother had just done. "Morgan! What is the meaning of this?" His voice boomed. He couldn't believe his brother was objecting to a marriage, this marriage.
Morgan walked out of his seat and down the center of the aisle. "Oh dear brother, still as clueless as ever." He hummed ignoring the looks from those he passed. "I object to this marriage, which is ironic since I orchestrated it all." He proudly declared.
Raymond scoffed. Why was his brother taking credit for something he had no part in. "Don't be ridiculous. You were gone when I found that Rosalya was the only one eligible for my son." He counted, moving towards his brother.
Morgan raised an eyebrow and then fell into a fit of laughter. "Oh Raymond, you fool! I was the one who made it possible that Rosalya was the only one eligible!" He drew a pistol from his coat and fired a shot in the air.
As soon as the shot rang out, Raymond was in full command mode. "Guards!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as they rushed towards Morgan from the outer edges of the ballroom. "You traitor!"
Assassins jumped down from the upper balcony around the ballroom and blocked their path. The guards started to clash their swords with the assassins, doing their duty of protecting those here. The assassins greatly outnumbered the guards and were easily disarming them, rendering them unconscious or injured to where they'd be unable to move.
No one had time to react. The guards rushed towards the exit like a stampede of wild animals. A few assassins who had successfully dwindled the number of guards cornered the foreign royals who had tried to escape along with those up on the podium.
Morgan grinned wickedly as the assassins finally heard his signal. "Perfect, just how I planned." He paced back and forth now that everyone was held at sword point and cornered by his assassins. The smug twinkle in his eyes never said, died out. "It went better than I imagined. No bloodshed," He dreadfully paused and laughed. "Yet."
Mark had no clue what was going on. Here he was cornered with his family. "Duke Morgan, please, let us go. This doesn't concern us." He insisted, not understanding why he was there. He was speaking for his family, who nodded at his question.
Morgan walked over to them and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, this affects you too, although you have no clue why. I do and I must say you will find out real soon, just sit tight." He laughed at his own words, knowing they couldn't go anywhere.
Raymond glared at Morgan, his eyes never removing from his brother, not to even look at the swords being pointed at him and his wife. "You have some major explaining to do, Morgan! How dare you betray this family? This marriage!" He yelled angrily, his eyes narrowed.
Morgan shook his head, pursing his lips and walking closer to his brother. "Ah, yes, I do have some explaining to do." He replied, putting his hands behind his back. "You're probably wondering why I said I made it so Rosalya was the only one eligible for William."
He didn't allow room for anyone to speak as he continued. "Well, it all started the day I found out that my first friend, your brother and none other than Prince Morgan Wenuzelle," He noticed Raymond's bewildered expression. "You still haven't made the connection? I'm not your brother."
Raymond was at a loss for words. How could he not have been his brother? He had known him since he was born and he would have known right? He shook his head. He figured his brother was only trying to get in his head. "Ha, don't be ridiculous. You're trying to make me second guess everything! That won't work." He hissed, narrowing his eyes.
Morgan sighed, looking down at the ground before speaking. "It's true. I killed your brother over forty years ago and took his place. I was James Kaison, bastard son of a prostitute and criminal. I lived on the streets until your real brother showed me kindness. Once I learned who he was, I took the opportunity to kill him and take his place to have a chance at a better life."
Kalirene didn't know what to feel about this all. She felt bad that the real Morgan was murdered and that this man wasn't him but James. "Oh, Raymond -" She began, placing her hand on his shoulder only to be cut off by his anger. She could only imagine how he felt knowing his brother was murdered.
Raymond was furious. He was blinded by rage. The man who he called a brother was an impostor! He had been fooled all these years and he was more so angry at James than himself. "You murdered my brother? How could you-you monster? You tricked us. You pretended to have a claim to the throne! How sick is that! You twisted son of a -"
James cut off Raymond from saying anything else. "Tsk, tsk, I'm not done with the story," He said and then continued. "As time went on my thirst for the throne only grew. I wanted this kingdom for myself and I wanted to take everything from you. I was always jealous of you and your family, wishing that was me and how different my life would have been. Getting rid of all of you and taking over the kingdom has been my dream since the moment I murdered your brother!"
Raymond wasn't going to allow what Morgan, or James, was saying to affect him. He needed to keep his mind clear and focused on getting out alive. "Do you expect to get rid of all of us? Look around. You have three kingdoms here and many witnesses watching from outside!" He was right, so many witnesses.
James had already thought this out, but for the sake of dramatics, he wouldn't let them know that. "That is quite a predicament, huh? I suppose this calls for a change of plans. I can easily have everyone here killed - massacred if you will - then I can figure out the rest later. I could be hailed a hero, trying to stop it but being the only survivor. Tragic but perfect."
Raymond was beginning to think that maybe he had something to do with his parents' death. "Did you also murder my mother and my father too?" He asked, his fists clenched at his side and his jaw locked.
James solemnly shook his head. "Alas no, I didn't murder them. I was thinking about it, but it was risky. Thankfully fate did it for me and it was tragic they passed, but better for me since I had one less thing to worry about." He nonchalantly replied, knowing it was perfect for him.
Raymond's eyes searched the man in front of him. Everything he knew about his brother was false. "You cried at the funeral? Was that all a show? It was just for show, wasn't it?" He growled, pulling his arm away from his wife's gentle touch.
James nodded with a smirk growing on his lips. "Aye, it was. I barely knew them by the time they died and I knew that was what your little brother would have done. Why didn't you cry? Was it because you were the eldest and had to keep it together since you'd be king."
Raymond couldn't answer that. For as long as he could remember, feelings like that never came to him. Sadness wasn't something he ever felt, it was like he was detached. "Unlike you, I didn't pretend like you." He felt he didn't need to justify his reasoning for not showing emotion.
Kalirene's eyes darted around, there was no way they could escape. Even poor Essa was being held at sword point by the assassins. She didn't know what else to do but she knew she needed to get James back on track. "Morgan - er James, you said you had a hand in choosing Rosalya, what did you mean?" She asked softly, keeping her composure.
James nodded, that was right. He had gotten sidetracked and hadn't finished his whole plot. "Ah yes, I'll save the best part for last," He hummed and paced back and forth. "Of all the letters you sent out to eligible young girls, I intercepted them all but for the one to the Melbasiahs. I had done some research and figured they'd be the best for my plan."
"I needed someone who didn't have any loyalties and was more focused on duty rather than the heart. Ezekiel and Leshay were quite a pair, and seeing how shy and quiet Rosalya was, that was perfect. So, I allowed that letter to be sent and allowed it to arrive. Of course, you didn't realize that I wasn't abroad and was here the whole time, well, until after the first meeting between the two."
Leshay was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe she had been manipulated, her family has, and that this union was never going to happen despite what she thought. "I have never -" She scoffed indifferently, crossing her arms over her chest as she cut herself off. "The gull - you disgust me!"
Morgan walked over to Leshay and crossed his arms over his chest. "How does it feel? I must say, seeing you this way is satisfying. How does it feel to know you were never in control, to begin with?" He mockingly asked in a sing/song voice and a chuckle.
Rosalya placed her hand on her mother's arm. Although her mother had been awful, she still didn't want to see her harmed. "Don't listen to him, Mother. He's only trying to get under your skin." She kept her voice gently, hoping her mother would heed her words.
James laughed at how Rosalya, who disliked how her mother had treated her, chose to comfort her? It was laughable to him. "Ha, you're comforting her now? After all, she's done to you, you still care about her well-being?" He never understood what drove a person to do that.
Rosalya glared at James and took a deep breath, collecting herself before she spoke. "She's my mother, despite what she's done. At least I know now that I had nothing to worry about since I was never getting married. I must say I'm relieved, but that doesn't make what you did right." It was a great burden that had lifted off her shoulders.
Ezekiel wasn't in any mood to hold animosity toward James. "She has a point. Yes, it's awful we were never in control like we thought, but that doesn't mean we are giving up." He grinned, dedication sparkling in his eyes.
Leshay didn't want to admit it, but her daughter and husband were right. "I'm not going to let what you've said affect me. It doesn't matter if you orchestrated it all, because I wouldn't change a single thing that has happened." She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Rosalya frowned, that sounded like something her mother would say. "Not a single thing?" She insisted, staring at her mother with a challenging look. There had to be something that her mother would have done differently.
Leshay didn't want to admit it, but there were a few things she could say: have done differently. Neither was anything Rosalya would ever think. "Maybe some." She reluctantly replied, keeping herself in check.
James clapped his hands mockingly at the foreign royals. "That's cute, that's cute. A situation like this can change a person and I'd never thought I'd hear that from you Leshay." He sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes.
Leshay narrowed her eyes and now that she knew he wasn't even a royal, not even by blood, she didn't want him to be informal. "Queen Leshay to you and who said I changed? It isn't any use to continue that line of thinking when it does us no good in this situation." She said with full haughtiness in her voice.
James couldn't deny she had a point. But he wasn't going to let her off that easily. "Point taken." He smirked, and he was no doubt going to try his best to break Leshay by saying all the things that he had thought about her. He truly believed he was different from her when really, they were much alike.
Daiyu remembered her rope dart she had hidden on her arm, in her sleeve. While James and the Melbasiahs were in petty banter, she leaned over to her husband. "Akira, do you have your daggers?" She asked in a whisper.
Akira looked down at her and furrowed her eyebrows. "I do . . . but why?" He hesitantly asked and saw the mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Are you thinking about taking out the assassins?" He whispered, knowing that was what she was implying.
Daiyu smirked now that he had figured out her plot. "Yes. There is enough distance between us that we can easily take out these four assassins, but we need to get more help." She knew it wasn't something they'd do alone because they were greatly outnumbered.
Akira tried to see all the possible outcomes. Most outweighed the good, but there was a chance it'd work. "That's a risky take, but not impossible." He leaned over to his mother and father and slipped a dagger into each of their hands.
Nori felt the cold blade in her hand. She whipped her head towards her eldest son and narrowed her eyes. "Akira?" Her voice was stern even in a whisper. She knew what he was going to do since it was the only reason to pass out a dagger.
Mark silently turned towards his son, keeping the dagger in his sleeve. "Are you going to do what I think you are?" He asked, knowing how mad this was. Yet, on the other hand, he was all for it if that was what they would be doing.
Akira gave his parents a soft, determined look. "I'm not going to sit idly and wait for death when I can fight." He couldn't just go quietly to his death if that was what fate had in store. "We fought the pirates even if we were greatly outnumbered, this is no different."
Mingmei turned her head back to look at them. "Oh, count me in. I bought my sheng biao." She proudly declared in a whispered voice. She and Daiyu had often practiced the rope dart together since it was one thing they had in common when they first met.
Daiyu looked over at her sister-in-law with an impressed look. "So, I wasn't the only one who brought my sheng biao along." She didn't feel so bad that she had brought her rope dart along. "It was beginning to burn my skin, metaphorically speaking."
Nori wanted to groan, but she had to keep herself composed, so she did it within her mind. "You brought weapons to a wedding?" She couldn't believe that they had done something like that. All the possible ways it could have gone wrong. "Just think if we had been searched beforehand -"
Mark cut off his wife by grabbing her hand and gently squeezing it. "Now's not the time, Nori." He chided, knowing they had bigger problems than their children and daughter-in-law bringing weapons along.
Daiyu studied all the assassins around them. Everyone was being held by four, save for the Wenuzelles, who was being held by eight. "If we attack first we can get the others' attention and maybe, just maybe the others will be caught off guard and we will have help." That was risky but not impossible.
Nori couldn't believe this was happening. They were scheming on how to take down trained assassins who murdered people for a living. "I'm not so sure - that is very dangerous and there is a chance people could get killed -" She whispered only to be cut off by Mingmei.
Mingmei wasn't going to hesitate about doing this. She knew the risks and she wasn't going to allow that to stop her. "It's a risk I will take. If we can dwindle their numbers then we have a better chance of making it out alive." She was going to remain steadfast about her decision.
Nori couldn't deny she had a point. "If you are sure you're willing to live with the consequences, then we can try." She knew there was no persuading her children and her daughter-in-law. It was best to be prepared to fight alongside them.
Daiyu nodded and made sure James was facing the Melbasiahs. Her eyes glanced towards William and a little smirk grew on her lips. She could see his furrowed brows before she looked at her family. "One, two, three!" She whispered and took a deep breath.
Mingmei gave Daiyu a nod and they both whipped out their darts and swung them at the assassins in front of them, cutting a deep gash into their legs. The four assassins cried out in pain, dropping their weapons and collapsing on the floor, blood gushing from their legs.
James whipped around as he saw what was happening. The only thing he could think to do was get the other assassins to stop them. "Don't just stand there, stop them!" He cried out, pointing to the Oshiappan royals.
All eyes were on them as Mingmei and Daiyu moved on to the next few that came rushing towards them. They stood back to back and easily drove the darts deep into the shoulders of two approaching assassins, pulling them out swiftly and going for their thighs.
Akira dove in between two assassins that rushed towards him and used both his daggers to slice their Achilles tendon, which both fell to the ground in pain. He quickly got to his feet and whirled the daggers through the air, hitting the chest of two more assassins who dropped to the ground. He retrieved the daggers and whipped around.
Nori and Mark had their backs against each other, ducking the swings of the blades and stabbing their daggers into the assassins. They were a little rusty and at times, had a few close calls, but thankfully the silky fabric of their garments only made it easier for them to incapacitate the assassins, only causing tears in the fabric.
William was impressed and quickly unsheathed his sword, locking blades with an assassin in front of him. With a twist of his wrist, the sword dropped to the floor and he slashed his sword over the assassin's thighs. The assassin dropped to the ground and William quickly grabbed the other sword and locked blades with another one.
As soon as William had locked blades, Raymond took his own out and slashed the necks of the assassins in front of him, both falling to the ground clutching their necks. He stepped back and looked down at them, not feeling a single thing for their deaths.
Kalirene grabbed the young princesses' hands and rushed beside the priest behind the small table that held the golden orb and scepter for the coronation. She didn't want her young daughters to see this so she told them to cover their eyes and not open them until she said so and they obliged.
Samika knew what was going on. She could smell the strong scent of iron in the air and hear the cries of the assassins. She wondered if they would make it out alive, which she had never been as scared of in her life as she was now. She knew that James was hellbent on taking over the throne.
Disha hugged her mother, burying her face into her side. Having her mother's arm around her made her feel a little safer, but hearing what was going on made her scared. She didn't understand why this had to happen, let alone her uncle turned out to not be who he said he was. She always knew there was something off about him.
ShaFarah covered her ears with her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to block out the sounds by humming softly. With every cry of pain, she flinched, shaking like a leaf despite her mother's arm wrapped around her. She wanted this to be a happy day not what it had turned out to be.
Ezekiel wanted in on the battle and drew his sword, driving it into the abdomen of the assassin in front of him as he grabbed the sword from the assassin's hand. He quickly turned to clash both swords with two assassins, his future son-in-law clashing his sword with the other assassin's blade.
Rosalya grabbed Leshay's and Maileena's hands and darted to where Kalirene was. She knew the exits were still blocked by some assassins, so they couldn't escape that way. They could go up the steps but the chance of more assassins jumping down from the ledge was highly possible. It was best to hunker down and wait.
Leshay wanted to protest and go after her husband but Rosalya wasn't allowing it. "Your father is going to get himself killed!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. He seemed to be rather enjoying himself but he wasn't young as he used to be.
Maileena watched her fiancé battle with her father the assassins and he seemed just as gleeful as her father. "My fiancé is going to get himself killed!" She frowned, not wanting anything bad to happen to him. She wanted to be married and have kids.
Rosalya wanted to groan. "They'll be fine. Both are experienced swordsmen and it seems we have the upper hand: the element of surprise which is working!" She softly told them, pointing at how well they were working together and the trail of death and hurt they were leaving.
All of that happened in a matter of seconds apart. It was chaos in the ballroom with the guests helplessly watching outside along with Essa's worried animal family. Essa was still held tightly by two assassins as she watched the battle and whenever an assassin came close to cutting William she closed her eyes.
James could tell he was losing the battle as the minutes dragged on and the numbers started to dwindle. He was not about to let that happen and in his last-ditch effort to gain control of the situation, he grabbed Essa and held a dagger to her throat. "Lower your weapons or Essa dies." He grinned wickedly, knowing they'd have to oblige him. He wouldn't hesitate to slit her throat if it came to that, it would be better for him.
Essa gasped as he grabbed her and then held the cold blade to her throat. This was not happening. She didn't know what to think anymore now that she knew Morgan, who was James, planned everything. "William-" She choked out, terror-filled her eyes as she swallowed harshly.
William froze and didn't hesitate to cast down his sword. He was not going to have the chance of Essa getting hurt. That wasn't a risk he was willing to take. "Don't you dare touch her!" He yelled, knowing there was nothing he could do but comply.
James's eyes sparkled at how much William cared about Essa. It was going to be perfect and more tragic if things didn't go as planned. "Or what?" He mocked, looking at the others who still hadn't cast their weapons.
Essa slowly shook her head or at least tried to. She didn't want him to give up on her account. "Don't listen to him, William! You can't stop fighting." She called to him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
James smirked, pressing the knife harsher, drawing a little blood. "I think it's time you shut your little mouth." He growled in her ear. "I won't hesitate to kill her if you don't put your weapons down in the next ten seconds." Everyone knew he wasn't bluffing.
William looked towards the others and glared at them. "Put your weapons down, now!" He yelled and everyone tossed their weapons onto the floor. The few assassins that were left kicked the weapons away.
The remaining assassins rounded them all up and pushed them all into one big group. Now with no weapons and swords pointed at them, there was nothing they could do now. They almost had the upper hand but since William didn't want Essa hurt, they had to surrender.
Raymond gritted his teeth and glared at his son. "We almost had the upper hand! You want us to comply for what reason?" He yelled at his son, not understanding why he was complying with his demands of James.
William was not having his father undermine his reasons. "I don't care if we were. I am not jeopardizing Essa's life for a slim chance of overpowering them. It just isn't worth it!" He couldn't bear to live with the guilt that his choice led to her death.
Raymond didn't understand it. It was a chance he'd take and if she did die, that was one person and it outweighed the many others who would be saved. "What do you see in her? I don't understand why her life is more important than any of ours when she doesn't even have a family! She's just one person -" He yelled only to be cut off.
William cut him off, boiling with anger. "I love her! That is why Father! I love Essa and would rather die than have something happen to her." He loved her more than anyone would ever know. His father may not understand his reasons, but he didn't care.
Kalirene couldn't believe her son had just said that in front of everyone. "William -" She cut herself off as she extended her hand out to touch his arm, but withdrew. She couldn't help but feel awful knowing what would come next. "Oh, my son," She said sadly.
Samika blinked a few times. Now it was all coming together. 'The reason William spent so much time with Essa was that he loved her. That must've meant she had feelings for him too or else Essa would have been surprised.' She gasped, covering her mouth up with her hands.
Disha clutched her mother's hand, looking over at her father and brother. 'He loves Essa?' She thought, her eyes wide and her jaw slack. She knew it would end badly for William now he had admitted it. "You shouldn't have said that," She whispered, fearing what may come if they did make it out alive.
ShaFarah shook her head, stepping closer to her mother. "This isn't happening." She mumbled, hearing her father and brother fight was unsettling, and then seeing the smug look on James' face, told her this was exactly what he wanted. To divide them into a family.
Leshay gasped, she couldn't believe William was in love with the island girl. "How disgraceful!" She sneered, putting her nose up into the air. In all of her time alive, never had she seen this much disrespect for someone's duty and the sacredness of marriage.
Ezekiel was stunned, his wide eyes darted between William, Raymond, and Essa who didn't even look up at all. "That is unexpected." He whispered, still in shock over what he had just heard. 'William loves the island girl and not my daughter.' His stunned look turned cold. "How could anyone not love our daughter?"
Maileena had finally figured it out. By the look her sister was giving and what William had admitted. She could only figure that was why Rosalya was so insistent about not marrying him. "You knew?" She whispered and looked at her sister.
Rosalya looked down at the floor and played with her fingers. She and Kalirene were the only ones that already knew. "Now's not the time Maileena." She whispered back, knowing that was the least of their worries at the moment.
Leshay glared at the two and wondered what she meant. "You knew? You knew William wasn't in love with you?" She snapped. For the first time in her life, she felt embarrassed that she hadn't seen this before and she could have stopped it. "You didn't try harder to make William love you?" Her voice started to rise.
Rosalya chewed on her lips, still hearing Raymond and William arguing. "This isn't the time Mother, can't you save it for later?" She snapped back, glaring at her family. That shut them up real quick and they turned away.
James shook his head, looking Raymond straight in the eyes. "You should listen to your son. Love is a powerful feeling. You wouldn't want to harm Essa?" He evilly chuckled. "Now, I'm not finished with the story."
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A\N:
This was a difficult chapter to write. I did a lot of rewriting and thinking. It may be a little longer and I'm truly sorry about that, I tried my best to not rush things. The next part will be the last chapter, so I'm so excited.
Chapter Talk:
So, Morgan, well, James, has now told everyone who he is. Now, you may be thinking, why is he revealing this now? He's arrogant and driven by my power that he's blind to everything else. He is dead set on murdering everyone so he can claim hero and take over the kingdom. He may not be mental stable and that may not be logical to us, but to him it is.
Wow, this was intense. The battle may not have been that good, since I'm awful at writing them. I didn't want to draw anything out so I kept it short. You can imagine how the battle played out since I did say as the minutes passed, James knew he was losing. So, minutes would mean anything.
And lastly, anything else I forgot to ask my pals. I am happy to answer anything!
In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.
Thanks for reading!