Aaron's Point of View
I was in the ballroom along with Illèa's elite. They danced upon the floors as I did, some giving me a bow of their head as they saw me around the dance floor. I stepped to the music, not thinking or contemplating my next step, seeing as dancing came naturally to me.
I was currently dancing with Kiara. She wore a blue dress that looked amazing on her, and her blonde hair shined in its elegant style. We talked lightly about some things, politics, the selection, and Olivia.
The song came to an end, and I gave Kiara a swift kiss on the cheek before retreating to my seat. I sat by Marlee, who was watching the people dance as well. One person dancing stood out in particular, because it was her fifteenth birthday. She was the only one to wear red.
Olivia danced out on the floor with Illèa's finest young men, and a few royals from other countries. The French, Italian, and Irish princes were here, along with a few of their brothers and sisters.
One of them seemed interested in Marlee, but she immediately shied away from him. I believe he was the Prince of either Ireland or Italy, but I didn't know definitely. Olivia looked like she was having the time of her life, and so was everyone else here. Even I was enjoying myself.
I was odd not to have Elisa. I couldn't have said she was 'the one,' because I loved a few of the other selected. None of them stood out as a burning passion except for a few, which Elisa was one of those. My mind would often drift towards her when I saw Midna, or heard piano music, or even the color violet.
It hurt that I could only see her through videos, and most of the time they brought bad news. The most recent was two weeks ago, which meant I only had one month until she's still legally mine.
Everyone cleared out the ballroom floor for the Illèan waltz, which only the Illèan royals could begin. Olivia chose to dance with the prince third in line for the Swendish throne. I felt a hole in my heart, seeing as the only selected who could dance this was Elisa.
I instead took Marlee's hand to dance. The music started at a quick pace, and Marlee and I began taking to each other.
"You look happy," she commented with a smiled.
"I'm trying," I replied with a smile. Marlee's hair was near the color of mine, but had much more auburn in it from Mom. Her tiara was embedded in a braid across her head. "So who was that up flirting with you?"
"He was the Prince of Italy," she replied. "The eldest, Lucca."
"You know what that would mean, right?" I asked expectantly. By now the Illèan waltz had stopped, and we danced at a slower pace.
"What are you talking about?" She asked as I spun her out, her red dress spinning.
"If you married him, you would have to move to Italy because you'd be an Italian Princess," I responded. Her eyes widened and she laughed.
"Who said anything about marriage?" She giggled. "I'll be seventeen in December, I'm far too young for this!"
"Elisa's getting married," I blurted.
"What are you talking about now?" She asked. "We haven't heard from Elisa since she was kidnapped."
"Actually," I began. "We received a letter and a few broadcasts. They showed her sister dying, and now she's getting married. Only me, you, and our parents know."
"How could you keep this from me? She was my friend!"
"I didn't want to," I whispered through gritted teeth. We began drawing attention to ourselves so I quieted down. "She's getting married in four weeks."
"To whom?"
"The leader of the CPA's son. I'm not that sure about him, but Elisa doesn't seem to like him all that much," I explained.
"What are we going to do? We have to save her," she whispered desperately.
"She gave me a code. We just decided it recently, and they're under South Lake City somewhere. Probably either under the farmland or the state reservoir, since there's a subway system underneath the buildings. We're getting her out."
"Will it be in time?" She asked worriedly.
"I hope so. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she married someone else."