[ E D I T E D ]
♕✿~♕✿~Chapter 34//: Family Reunions♕✿~♕✿~
I smooth my hands over the plain white dress I first wore when I came to the palace. For some reason, the thought of seeing my family again after so long made me nervous. Would they see me in a different way? Would they think I had changed?
My maids notice my nervous twitching but don't comment on it. They smooth back my hair once more before Sam smiles at my reflection in the mirror. I feebly smile back.
"You look lovely, miss," Sam comments. Tiffany snorts. "Of course she looks lovely. We did prepare her for today after all." Some of the tension leaves me as I laugh a little at Tiffany's words. I was grateful for this small distraction.
But it wasn't long enough as a knock came at the door. When Lacy went to open it, I saw the dark hair of Caroline Iral.
"The families have arrived. Lady Madison is to report in the foyer immediately, along with the other girls."
A murmuring from Lacy, and she turns to look back at me. She beckons me over, and I inhale and exhale before standing up on numb legs to go meet my family.
I follow Caroline down to the first floor, the atmosphere around us tense with awkward silence. After trying to find a way to start a small conversation with her, in an attempt to do something, I finally give up.
When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I see that the other girls are already there. Alexis is dressed in a navy blue and white dress, representing her family's House colors. Emily stands next to her, quiet in her simple blue and green dress. Penelope, in a blue and gray garb, is chatting with Nina. Olivia stands alone in a black and white dress that represents the simple yet powerful ability her family wields.
I feel like I did when I first arrived at the palace. The girls take note of my arrival, and most of their looks turn calculating. Although I might've felt like i was growing closer to them, it all disappeared with the competitiveness of the Choosing expanding.
A presence comes to stand next to me, and I start as I see who it is. Ahren smiles at me warmly, making my already nervous heart beat even faster. He was dressed in a simple black shirt and black slacks with red stripes going down each pant leg. It resembled his training clothes.
"Nervous?" He asks me. I shake my head a bit.
"That, but excited. It's been more than a month since I've last seen my family."
One side of Ahren's mouth quirks up in an encouraging smile. "I bet your family will be ecstatic to see you again."
I'm about to answer him when the front doors of the palace are opened. The chatters between Penelope and Nina silence immediately. I look up in anticipation as families start to come in the door, passing by the silent guards.
Blue, green, grey, black, white. It's all I see from the people who enter. Alexis rushes to a man with graying brown hair and a woman who looks like an older version of her. I assume they're her parents. To my surprise, there's a small girl of maybe 10 who has shoulder-length brown hair sandwiched between the adults. She rushes to Alexis, smiling wildly, as Alexis smiles back and picks her up, playfully tossing her in the air. The little girl screeches in delight. I'm surprised at the behavior of this hidden side of Alexis.
Next, Emily moves to gently hug a man and woman, and an elderly woman. She smiles tenderly as she sparks up a conversation with them immediately, looking animated as she updates her family on everything that has happened. Her parents smile warmly at her, which makes me feel shocked; I've never seen Silvers smile so...gently. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. All parents have a caring side to them reserved just for their children.
Olivia calmly walks over to a man who has auburn-colored hair just like Olivia's and a women who has hair as black as a raven. Throughout the competition, Olivia has been an epitome of perfection. Even seeing her family after such a long time of not seeing them, she is calm and poised. I notice that her parents are the same way, her mother just planting a quick kiss on her daughter's forehead, and her father pulling her in for a hug.
Nina forgets formality and runs at a large group of people. A man slightly older than Nina sweeps her up in a loving hug, and they laugh together. I feel a pang of envy; Being the oldest sibling my entire life, I've never known what it felt like to have someone watch over you. Nina lets go of her brother, and goes to hug the many family members she has invited. I was guessing her mother, father, grandparents, and some cousins were there. Nina looked like she was enjoying being in the company of so much of her family.
"Pennie!" Penelope turns at the sound of her name. I start as I see her run towards someone who looks nearly identical to her. She has a twin. I watch as Penelope and her look-alike hug, both smiling energetically. They both have the same dark hair, the same blue eyes, the same complexion. I'd be surprised if anyone would be able to tell them apart. Penelope, at least I assume it's her, lets go of her twin for a moment to hug her parents tightly. They all smile as they embrace each other.
My eyes scan the doorway, watching for the arrival of my family. I feel Ahren slide his hand in mine, squeezing it. I squeeze his hand back gently, glad for his presence.
Finally, I see them. They stand out from the fancy clothing the other families wear, though they're wearing the best clothes they own. I recognize the blonde hair of dad, the graying brown hair of mom, and the chocolate-brown hair of Sydney. At the same moment, we all meet each other's eyes. Without thinking, I let go of Ahren's hand and rush to my family, not caring how I look. They do the same, running towards me, Sydney the fastest. We bump into each other and fall into a giggling heap on the palace floor. Around us, the Silver families look slightly aghast, but I couldn't care less at that moment what they thought.
Without me realizing it, tears were streaming down my cheeks. Sydney was crying as well, her hiccups loud in the vast hallway. Mom and dad reach us, and they fall down to the floor to hug me as well as Sydney. Together on the ground, we cry in happiness. I hadn't realized until now that I had missed my family immensely. All this time spent without them had finally taken its toll.
After a few more minutes on the floor, crying, mom was the first to get her senses and she quickly stood up, motioning for us to do the same. She dabbed at her eyes to get rid of the remaining tears, trying to look presentable in the home of the royal family.
Dad is quick to dry his tears up, but it takes me and Sydney a while longer to get our composures back. My breathing finally returns to normal, and Sydney's hiccuping stops.
I hug my family once more, so glad they were here. "I've missed you all so much," I whispered.
Dad placed a hand on my back. "We've missed you too, kitten."
Suddenly, mom gasps as she looks behind me. She falls into a curtsy, which makes the rest of us severely confused. But then my dad's eyes widen and my sister's mouth falls open as a weird sound escapes her mouth.
I glance behind me to see Ahren, who looks uncomfortable like he just intruded on something personal. He made eye contact with me and mouthed "Am I interrupting?" I shake my head, smiling a bit as he relaxes.
"Mrs. and Mr. Williams. It is a pleasure to meet you." Ahren shakes my dad's hand and kisses mom's hand, which elicits some girlish giggling from her at the court greeting.
Ahren looks at Sydney, who's mouth is still wide open. "And you must be Sydney," Ahren assumes with a small smile. Sydney turns her mouth-opened expression towards me, perhaps shocked that Ahren knows her.
"Your Highness, I'm honored to be in your presence," dad says, though he looks slightly suspicious of Ahren. Mom and Sydney stare at Ahren, mom inspecting him while Sydney still gawks at his presence.
Ahren smiles charmingly. "I'm so glad I can meet you all. It's been a pleasure getting to know your daughter these past two months." As my cheeks heat up in embarrassment, my mom looks at me in approval while dad purses his lips, still indecisive on whether or not Ahren is a boy who has not hurt his daughter.
I glance at Ahren, who glances at me at the same moment, and I can't help but smile at the childish-like grin on his face. He genuinely seemed happy to be able to meet my family.
Ahren gently grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on my knuckles. A choking sound comes from Sydney. Ahren turns back to my family, bowing slightly. "I must go meet the other families. I hope we can talk much more at the gathering." Giving me one last smile that made my heart ache more for him, he turns to greet the other families.
Once he turns away to greet Olivia's family, Sydney turns to me, a grin stretching across her features. "He kissed your hands!" she whisper-screamed at me. My own smile comes on my face.
"Such a charming boy!" Mom comments, still smiling. "He'd make a great son-in-law!" She turns to me, either not noticing my flaming cheeks at her recent remark or choosing to ignore it. "Have you at least been trying to earn his affection?"
"Mom!" I whine in embarrassment at her blatant question. She looks at me innocently. "What? I did nothing wrong," she tells me, shrugging her shoulders. I laugh, realizing how much I've missed this easy-going atmosphere with my family.
Soon, the king and queen enter. The king welcomes us all, though I see he doesn't make eye contact with me or my family. I know he still has his hatred for me buried in him. I just hope none of my family members will realize it.
We are dismissed after the quick greeting, and I lead my family up to the second floor where they'll be staying in the guest rooms. When we walk into the room they're supposed to be staying in, Sydney lets out an excited squeal as she takes in the lavish bed. She immediately jumps on top of it, while mom immediately chastises her, and then chastises me as I jump on the bed.
I forget the door is open, and so I'm a bit startled when I notice a figure standing in the doorway. I recognize the dark hair and the green eyes glittering behind the mask the members of the King's Guard wore.
Lucas seems a bit surprised to see my sister jumping crazily on the bed. When she notices him, she stops and falls down onto the bed, cheeks reddening.
A small smile is on Lucas' face, dimples appearing there. I'm surprised at the arrival of Lucas' rare smiles. "Please, by all means, don't let my presence stop you from having fun," he tells Sydney, who smiles abashedly.
My parents look at him in confusion, and I jump up from the bed. "This is Lucas. He's my guard," I explain quickly. My parents look a bit confused but nod in understanding. "Nice to meet you," my dad greets gruffly. Lucas nods respectfully.
Lucas turns to me. "Just to let you know, I can't babysit you all day tomorrow at the gathering. His Majesty wants me to be stationed outdoors in the garden to watch out in case of rebels. I know, it's such a shame I can't be there with you all day," he says drily as he sees my gleeful look.
I shake my head, smiling. "Of course, it's such a shame, Lucas. Your presence always enlightens me, you know," I say jokingly. A corner of Lucas' mouth quirks up. He pushes himself off the doorway frame. "Well, I should be going. His Majesty wants to go over the details for tomorrow." He bows. "Good day to you all."
In a second, he's gone as quickly as he came. I know my parents are wary of him, still not sure what to make of him, but Sydney is still fiery red.
"Does Sydney have a crush?" I say in a sing-song, snickering as her blush deepens. "N-no!" she denies, chucking one of the pillows on the bed at me. I duck as it sails over my head.
"Good. He's too old for your Sydney," my dad says, his fatherly protectiveness coming out.
I grab Sydney's hands. "Anyways, why don't we do something while mom and dad unpack?" Sydney smiles, agreeing.
"If I remember, you're supposed to tell me everything's that happened," my sister reminds me. I grin.
"Ok. Then let's go to my room and I'll tell you everything." Sydney looks at me pointedly, an eyebrow raised. "Yes, I'll tell you if we kissed," I sighed in defeat as she smiles triumphantly. She runs out of the room and out the door, but then comes running back to ask, "Where's your room again?"
Chuckling, I go to follow her, showing her where my room is. Even though I was nervous before, I was glad my family was here. They were like a warm blanket, keeping me safe from the cold world of the Silver monarchy.
And I was grateful for the sense of safety, though I had a feeling of dread that it wouldn't be enough.
♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~
I'm so sorry guys! I am legit the worst writer ever. After my last update, I had school events over the weekend, which didn't allow me much time to write. Then, I had an AP Unit Exam to study for, along with a series of quizzes afterwards. It was impossible for me to finish this book before King's Cage came out. I was also having some indecision; I wasn't sure what this next chapter should be about. I finally decided on this. I am planning on updating once more tomorrow, or maybe two chapters, since I am not busy at all this weekend.
Have a great week!
Glass_Sword