Hey people! Here is chapter 13, the longest one that I have written yet!!
Just as a warning, for all of my readers who are guys (though I don't know how many of you there are =P) this chapter is the ball, and so of course I had to go into some description about that. So there are some, for lack of a better word, "girly" parts here. Luckily for you, there are also some very not girly parts later on in the chapter. Not saying any more than that though =P
This chapter is dedicated to my awesome little buddy AzyFish, because I don't know if any of you have noticed, but my story now has a description for it, which she helped me to write. Thanks bud!!! ♥
Anyway, please enjoy chapter 13!
Don't forget to vote and comment when you're done!!
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Chapter 13 - The Ball
The morning of my eighteenth birthday dawned bright and clear. The rising sun shone brightly, painting the sky a bloody red. I got up and walked to my balcony, resting on the handrail and looking out at the beauty of my kingdom. Somehow, on this still morning it seemed harder to appreciate. My mind was caught up in a snarl of thoughts, worries... of fears.
A strange sense of foreboding had settled on me, and I found it hard to shake off. I'd had no dreams last night. No mysterious spirit, no terrifying darkness; not even Jay's presence penetrated the peacefulness of my sleep. And yet, I was uneasy. The lack of dreams felt not like a peaceful break from the madness that had so recently consumed my life; no, it felt to me like that eerie moment of calm before a coming storm. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath; waiting for something. I did not want to find out what that something was.
The soft padding of Evreth's paws stirred me from my thoughts. Her warm body pressed gently against mine, in a way that was comforting and familiar. I felt her thoughts connect with mine, and she immediately picked up on my worries.
"What is it about this morning that you fear?" I stared blankly at the landscape surrounding us for a moment.
"That's the problem... I don't know," I replied, "A nameless fear, a growing presence of evil and Darkness. Something just seems... wrong today." She looked at me; her eyes knowing.
"I feel it too." So I wasn't going crazy. For some reason this knowledge did not come as a relief. The fact that Evreth too felt this foreboding only made the feeling stronger, more real to me. I was about to ask Evreth what she thought it meant when all of a sudden I was hit from behind by something very forceful, not to mention strong.
"Adelle! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Lisimi shouted in my ear, all the while hugging me exuberantly.
"Ugh... Thanks Lis, but could you let go? You're killing me here!" I replied, struggling for breath. Who knew this girl was so strong?!
"Oh, sorry!" She let go, beaming at me while I was gasping for breath.
"Anyway, do you have any idea what time it is? We need to start getting ready! After all, there is so much setting up left to do, not to mention you should eat something, after all it's going to be a long day and you need to keep your strength up. And then we need to get ready for the ball, and you have to look absolutely PERFECT, which is going to take at least three hours to do, and then-"
"Slow down Lis! Can I at least get dressed first?" She paused, took a breath and looked me over.
"That's allowable. But hurry!!"
~♥~
I spent the next several hours feeling like a worker bee in a hive. Lis and I were constantly moving about the castle, occasionally giving people orders and correcting things that they had done wrong. Even I had to admit, everything was starting to look pretty amazing. The Great Hall, where the actual ball would be held, was looking especially amazing. The once slightly dusty space now resembled something straight out of my book of fairytales from Earth; crystal chandeliers with thousands of lights hung from the ceiling, making everything in the room sparkle. The hard-wood floor had been polished; there were tables, fountains and ice sculptures everywhere. It was amazingly beautiful, and I found myself almost looking forward to the ball.
At three o'clock in the afternoon Lis pulled me back to my room so that we could start getting ready for the ball. It didn't start until seven, but she insisted that we would need the four hours to get ready and make me look "perfect," because it was my ball after all. I must admit, I found it fun getting ready with her. I had completely forgotten this morning's worries, and was now completely focused on Lisimi's hair.
"Stop it Addie, that's good enough!" I sighed, and she rolled her eyes at me.
"Sometimes you are such a perfectionist. Besides, I thought you didn't even want to have this ball in the first place." She turned towards me and raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"I didn't - I don't, I mean, I-" I stammered, while she laughed at me.
Grumbling, I went into my on suite bathroom to change into my dress. I would never admit this to Lisimi, who had chosen this dress for me, but I was actually thrilled to be wearing it. It was long, form-fitting until it reached my waist, where it flared out slightly - not so that it was pouffy, but enough to allow me movement. When I walked, the long silky skirts flowed around me. It had a halter-style top with straps that went around behind my neck and then crossed over on my back leaving some skin showing, but not too much. It was a light turquoise colour, one that matched my eyes perfectly. My long blonde hair was curled, twisted and pinned up in places so that my curls cascaded down my back. On top of my head sat a simple yet elegant tiara, a sign to any who didn't know that I was the Crown Princess of Midoria.
I took a deep, slow breath. In just a few hours, I would be eighteen. I looked on it as though I was becoming whole. For my entire life thus far, I had been incomplete, but now I would become my true self; I would receive my full power, become more focused and more balanced. I could ask for nothing more for my birthday. Today had started out strangely, but had turned into a much better day than I had expected. And for all of my whining and complaining about it, I was excited for my ball.
"Are you done in there yet?" Lisimi asked from outside the door, "It's almost time!" She sounded irritated with me, but her tone held an undercurrent of excitement and joy that I felt as well. This was going to be a night to remember.
I stepped out of my bathroom finally and looked over Lisimi. Her dress was simple and elegant, a soft green colour with a sweetheart neckline. It was light and flowing, and her dark curls fell loosely around her face. She smiled happily at me and said, "Wow! You look absolutely amazing!" My only response was to flush a deep red, which made her laugh at me. A soft knock on my door interrupted her laughter, and we both turned towards it.
"Come in," I said, looking nervously at Lis, who smiled encouragingly back at me.
Blue Jay opened the door and stepped into the room, his eyes widening as he took in my appearance. He was dressed in a black suit with a black undershirt, wearing a blue tie that perfectly matched the colour of his eyes, making them all the more stunning. I smiled shyly at him, and he beamed back at me.
"Forgive my interruption your highness, but if we don't leave now, you'll be late for your own birthday ball," He told me.
Lisimi slipped past him at the door mouthing, "See you down there," at me as she went.
Jay offered me his arm, and together we walked towards the Great Hall, not particularly hurrying. We were silent most of the way, as I had just remembered why it is that I dislike balls and social events so very much: the public. I love my people dearly, but seeing them all crowded together in one place, staring at me makes me feel self conscious, not worthy of them and I end up becoming flustered and terrified. My grandfather jokingly referred to it as 'stage fright,' my grandmother called it a phase. Either way, I did not want to go out into that crowd of people.
We stopped in front of the massive doors to the Great Hall, and I heard someone announce my presence. By this time I was practically hyperventilating, and Jay had clearly noticed. He looked at me concerned for a moment, before smiling crookedly.
"Relax, Princess," he whispered softly to me, "Take a deep breath, I'll be with you the entire time."
With that, the doors opened, and we walked slowly into the room. The beauty of it took my breath away, and as Jay led me gently down the stairs, music began to play. We walked onto the floor, where the crowd had made a clearing for us, and Jay put his hands on my waist. We paused for a moment, and I looked up into his shining eyes. They were filled with some indescribable emotion, and he smiled softly at me.
"You look beautiful" he whispered. I smiled, and with that, we began to dance.
Soon other couple joined us as we whirled around the dance floor, but I took no notice of them. I let myself melt into those beautiful eyes, rested my head against his strong chest and just enjoyed the moment. Whatever fear I had previously felt had melted away, replaced by a whole new emotion, but one just as strong.
We danced for what seemed like hours, though in truth was only one or two songs. It didn't matter; I was having such a great time. The music changed from being lively and fun to something softer and slower. Jay pulled me closer and I put my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat almost in time to the music. Relaxing, I closed my eyes and let him lead as we danced around the room. When the song ended, I kept my eyes closed until I heard a hard voice break through the sounds of the crowded room.
"Can I cut in?"
I looked up at Daniel, standing behind Jay, his gray eyes unreadable. I turned my focus to Jay, and saw his eyes tighten, the light and happiness that had been in them just a few moments before dimming. He returned my gaze for a brief moment before nodding at Daniel, releasing me and walking off, looking hurt.
Daniel quickly took Jay's position, placing his hands gently on my waist as the next song started. We danced in silence for some time - Daniel was avoiding my eyes, hiding some emotion that he did not want me to see. I knew that something was on his mind, and from past experience, I knew that it was better not to break the silence until he was ready to tell me what it was. Finally he looked at me and I saw what he had been hiding: anger, hurt and betrayal.
"How dare you come here with him?" he demanded angrily.
"What?" I replied, my surprise clearly showing in my voice.
"You heard me Adelle. You know I don't like him, you know that I don't trust him. And yet here you are, with HIM as your escort?! How could you be so foolish?"
"Foolish? Daniel, Blue Jay has never once given me a reason not to trust him. We've been over this again and again. There is no reason for you two to dislike each other so much."
"Dislike? Addie, I don't just dislike the guy, I hate his guts! I can't believe that you would betray me like that!" His angry words cut through me, and I took a deep breath and stepped back from him. I had tried to keep my voice calm before, but I couldn't keep my composure with an accusation like that. My voice rose and I felt tears begin to sting my eyes.
"I didn't betray you Daniel, there are no sides! And if you really wanted me to come to this stupid ball with you, why didn't you just ASK ME YOURSELF?!"
I couldn't stand here and listen to him anymore. Without even waiting for his response, I turned and walked away. I didn't care that it was the middle of a dance and I didn't care that the people around us were staring. I practically ran across the dance floor and out of the room, fleeing to the adjoining balconies. The clean, fresh air helped me to clear my mind and I took deep full breaths, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall.
"I'm sorry."
I turned around angrily, expecting to see Daniel standing there. Instead, I found Jay holding out a handkerchief to me, a worried and saddened look in his eyes.
"Why should you be sorry?" I asked bitterly. He turned away from me and looked pensively out towards the night sky.
"Shouldn't I be? After all, it is my fault that he's mad at you. If it wasn't for our rivalry, things between you two would be fine. I'm sorry for that, Adelle. I'm sorry that I'm ruining your friendship. But... I can't help it. I just want, no it's stronger than that; I NEED to be near you. I can't even explain it."
This last part he said more to himself than to me. I blushed deeply and took a nervous step towards him. He looked at me, smiled and stepped closer. He leaned towards me, and I had a pleasant sense of déjà vu. We were close enough that our lips were almost touching when that pleasant sense turned to a fearful, all too familiar one.
I pulled back, whipping my head around to take a better look at the night sky. There were no stars, not even the moon shone through. Thick dark clouds hung ominously over the sky, making it seem an oppressing black. The normal sounds of the castle gardens were nowhere to be found; there were no birds singing in the night, no crickets chirping and no frogs croaking. In fact, aside from Jay's and my breathing, there was no sound at all.
"Jay," I said, my voice sounding worried even to me.
"What is it, princess?" he replied.
"Does it seem... quiet?" He looked around us too, his face turning from curious to grave and alert. I watched as he turned from a relaxed boy to an attentive guard. His body stiffened and his eyes scanned the night, as though he was trying to tell what was hiding out there.
"You're right. Something is not right at all."
The inky black darkness surrounding us had a sinister feel to it indeed, but suddenly something far worse caught my eye. Just on the horizon, down past the castle walls, was the only source of light in the entire countryside. A flickering, blazing light that could almost be mistaken for a bonfire. That is, if bonfires were the size of an entire village.
Now that I saw it, I could also hear it: the screams of terrified townspeople as they ran for their lives. I shivered as I imagined them trying to grab loved ones and important possessions in order to save them from the deadly flames.
The light of the burning town also revealed a large group of moving shadows; slowly but purposefully making its way up from the village towards the castle.
Heian.
"Jay!" I shrieked, pointing.
"Princess, get inside, right now!" He yelled at me, not waiting for a reply but grabbing my hand and dragging me inside himself. We immediately headed for my grandmother, who conveniently happened to be talking to Lord Marcus, the head of the guard. Jay wasted absolutely no time at all with formalities. He ran right up to my grandmother and Marcus, not even taking the time to bow, and announced, "We're under attack."
My grandmother went pale, and asked us if we were quite certain. I found myself unable to speak, full of fear for the poor people in that town, and for us here in the castle. Jay however quickly and calmly relayed what we had seen to my grandmother and Lord Marcus, who nodded curtly and set out to inform the guards and prepare the castle's defenses.
"How long do we have before they reach us?" My grandmother asked, calm and poised even in this grim situation.
Jay shook his head dejectedly, "Not long. They were almost at the outer wall when we saw them, and moving at a steady pace. Mostly Heian, but I think I saw at least one Schatten with them too. As far as I could tell no Midorians, but they were a fair distance away so it's hard to be certain."
"Very well. At least with this knowledge they haven't taken us completely by surprise, but we mustn't get our hopes up. One Heian alone is difficult enough to handle, let alone an army of them. And Schatten are even worse. Jay, I want you to make sure that Adelle gets somewhere safe. I am trusting you to ensure her safety tonight. If you find Daniel, get him to help as well. I know that you two don't hold each other in your highest regards, but you will ignore that tonight. Your only duty is to protect our Crown Princess, do you understand me?"
"Yes, your majesty." He replied immediately, looking serious and determined.
"Good. Then go."
Jay grabbed my hand again and pulled me from the room. As I looked behind me at the Great Hall, I saw my grandfather rush to his queen's side. I frowned. My grandfather was an amazing fighter, but he wasn't as young as he used to be. It relieved me though, to know that my grandmother had him with her, and I knew that they would be surrounded by the strongest of our guards soon. I turned and kept running with Jay, watching as a group of soldiers ran past us. One turned to Jay and shouted, "They've breached the walls already! You'd better get her somewhere safe!" He didn't acknowledge that as we ran, but picked up the pace, tightening his grip on my wrist and pulling me faster. Not that I minded, I trusted him with my life, and knew that he would keep me safe. I was surprised though, when he suddenly stopped, and I ran into his back.
"Shit!"
"Jay, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.
"I'm not armed! There's no place for weapons in formal clothes," he growled in frustration. "Adelle, stay right here okay? Try to keep out of sight, the weapons hall is just down that corridor. I'll be faster if I can run without pulling you behind me." I gave him a dubious look.
"Jay, are you sure? You heard that man; they are already almost inside the castle. What if-" He stopped me mid-sentence with a look, and pressed his warm palm to my cheek.
"Adelle, I would never let anything hurt you. Trust me, okay? I'll be back soon. Keep your mind open for me; if anything happens call me with your spirit and I'll come back right away." He didn't even wait to hear my protest, but ripped his hand away from me and was gone. He was right; he ran much faster without me.
I quietly pressed myself against the wall, trying to stay completely out of sight. I closed my eyes, held my breath and started counting slowly, hoping to calm my nerves. I heard numerous footsteps run by me, and the shouts, screams and clashes of blades as the battle raged on near me. Then the air suddenly got colder, not to mention much more disgusting smelling, like rotting flesh and blood.
I knew that smell. Slowly, I raised my head and opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was what I knew to be a Heian. With a mainly human body and a grotesque and misshapen head, it stood a good two feet taller than me, its black skin rotting in places. It was without a doubt the most terrifying creature that I had ever seen, and it let out a monstrous roar, paralyzing my body.
This was how it hunted. A Heian's roar caused its prey to become immobilized, and then it could proceed to rip them apart as it pleased. From what I've heard they enjoyed making the deaths of Midorians slow and painful, because they felt animosity towards us for having what they had already lost and could never regain.
This was the death that I was currently facing. I was screaming in my head for Jay, but I could feel that he was already occupied; facing two attacking Heian by himself. There was no way that he could reach me in time. I couldn't scream or run away; I couldn't even close my eyes as I watched my death stalk closer to me.
~♥~
I ran frantically past groups of soldiers fighting renegade Midorians, Heian and even a few Schatten. Bodies now littered the floor, and blood was splattered across the once pristine walls of the Great Hall and the corridors that led to it. Whenever I came up to a body, I felt my chest tighten, fear raging inside me, and I prayed that it wasn't the body that I was searching for. Thankfully, none of them were.
Where was she?! I had searched the whole Great Room, and run through several hallways already, with no sign of her. I only prayed that Blue Jay was with her. I might despise him, but I had to admit that he was a damn good fighter. As long as she was still with him, she would be relatively safe.
Gods, I was such an idiot! Why had I yelled at her like that? She was right, I should have asked her to come with me first, instead of letting Blue Jay beat me to it and then feeling anger when I finally did get the chance to dance with her. And now this!
Twelve years had passed since the last attack on this castle. Of course it had to be tonight that things would fall apart. But this was far worse than even the last time; Midorians fighting alongside the monsters that were our worst enemies. Monsters that were the only thing that stopped this country from being completely peaceful. The only other time in our history that this had happened, as far as I knew, was in the time of Kamen's reign of terror. Things couldn't be that bad again, could they?
I shook these thoughts from my head, and focused again on finding Adelle. I ran faster, despite the weight of the weapons that I carried. I burst into the corridor that led to her room, but turned back immediately - it was swarming with monsters and men, there was no way that she would be there. Not if she was with Jay; he wasn't THAT stupid.
I ran back the way that I had come, before remembering something that Adelle had told me. The castle responded to thoughts. Maybe if I thought of her hard enough it would lead me to her? It was worth a shot. I focused on her face, her smile, and prayed that I would find her soon.
I heard the roar of a Heian and put in some specially created earplugs, designed to protect me from the danger of its roar - fighting it was hard enough, if it paralyzed me I was done for. I ran towards the sound and came into a hallway that I recognized as leading towards the weapons hall. There it was, the disgusting creature, and behind it stood Adelle, her eyes wide and frightened. Clearly she had already heard its roar, because otherwise she would likely be screaming I thought grimly to myself.
Then I stopped thinking altogether and let instinct take over my body. I had been training to fight monsters like these since I could pick up a practice sword. Glad that I held a real one now, I pulled it from its sheath and thrust the blade into the Heian from behind. It had been so intent on Adelle that it hadn't even noticed me come up behind it, which gave me an easy advantage, for I was able to wound it before we even began to fight. It roared in pain and turned around, swiping a dangerous clawed hand at me, and though I jumped out of the way, it caught me on my shoulder. I grimaced in pain, but refused to loose my focus. Dodging a second attack, I rolled to the right and parried its other arm, managing to slice it off. It screamed at me and I managed to stab it near the eyes, hopefully blinding it. It stumbled around and swiped blindly, almost catching Adelle who still stood paralyzed with fear. It paused and tried to reorient itself, and I seized my chance. I ran towards it, swinging my sword in a broad arc. The blade ripped through the Heian's neck, decapitating it, but causing blood to spurt out at me. Its dead body crashed to the ground and Adelle finally moved, jumping back to avoid it. She looked at me, her eyes wide and whispered, "Thanks."
"It is my job to protect you, after all." I replied, smiling tightly. She took a deep breath and nodded. I looked down at my blood covered body, disgusted. It was definitely one of the downsides to fighting, especially Heian, who could only truly be killed by decapitation. Their undead bodies would keep fighting no matter what wounds you inflicted on it, until its head was severed from its body. I turned my attention to the Adelle, looking to make sure that she was uninjured. Where was that idiot Blue Jay? He was supposed to have been with her!
Her eyes suddenly widened and she screamed, "Daniel, behind you!" I turned just in time to see another Heian - how many were there?! - about to attack. There was no time to even lift my blade, all I could do was close my eyes and wait for its blow to reach me.
But it never came. Instead I heard a grunt and a low oath, and I opened my eyes to see that Blue Jay stabbed it in the shoulder, effectively making the creature miss me. Unfortunately, the blade was thrust in deeply, and the Heian's continued momentum had caused the hilt to be ripped from Blue Jay's hands. Angered, the monster turned to the now weaponless boy. Rolling my eyes, I lifted my blade and clanged it against the wall, causing a distraction and confusing the beast. It whipped its head back and forth and I took the opportunity to flip over it, striking it in the back and grabbing Blue Jay's sword in the process. I landed and threw him his sword, which he promptly caught and used to cut off both of the Heian's arms in one swing. With the monster rendered defenseless, I jumped forward and quickly slashed its head off. Two down - God knows how many to go.
However, I couldn't resist turning to Blue Jay and saying, "That's two that I've killed so far. Who's the better warrior now?"
He smirked and replied arrogantly, "Ah, but I'd already killed two on my way over. So that's just you getting caught up. Besides which, that one," he nodded toward the carcass of the Heian we had just slain, "was a joint effort. Without me, you would be monster meat." I glared at him - he had me there, and he knew it. He glared back, but Adelle broke the tension by bursting into laughter, sounding too relieved to be angry with us for fighting again.
"You two are so ridiculous! Only you could keep up a grudge in a time like this!" A roar from down the hall alerted us to the presence of another monster. Blue Jay and I looked at each other, wordlessly deciding that it was too much of a risk to fight this one. He was closer to Adelle, so he swept her up into his arms and took off running; with me hot on his heals. As we ran, he shouted, "Where should we take her? I have no idea which rooms will be safe!" I didn't either, for that matter. As far as I could tell, enemies were everywhere.
"I know!" Adelle said, "Jay, turn down that corridor there. Go through the first door on your left!" I ran ahead, opened the door and made sure there were no monsters on the other side before stepping out of the way to let Blue Jay and Adelle through in front of me. We were now in a long hallway adorned with stained-glass windows, but it was too dark now to see what images they showed. At the other end of the hall there stood a large door and we ran through it and shut it quickly.
Inside we came upon a room I had never seen. There was a girl with long dark hair sitting in a chair, pointing a notched bow and arrow at us. She lowered it when she saw Adelle, and stood up and hugged her tightly.
"Lisimi! I was so worried about you!" Adelle cried, returning the embrace.
"I was worried for you too, though I figured that you would be with at least one of your knights," the girl - Lisimi - said. She turned to Blue Jay and I, "How bad is it out there? Are there still many monsters left?"
"From what I've seen, yes. There are bodies everywhere, from both sides, but I think that overall we were better off. After all, the guard was doubled for the occasion of the ball. I don't think the enemy was expecting that," I replied, though truth be told I wasn't entirely sure that I was right. Still, the girl looked relieved, and I figured that even if I was wrong it was better to give them some hope. Adelle looked like she needed it; her eyes were filled with worried tears. She hated fighting of any sort, and I knew it was hard on her to know that so many were dying here, and partly for her sake at that. Her eyes met mine, and I knew that I was right.
She closed those beautiful turquoise eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I felt her power flow out from her, as she brushed my mind and supposedly the minds of everyone else in the castle.
"So many dead..." she whispered softly, and a tear dripped down her face. Then her eyes snapped open and she shivered.
"There are more out there," she said, nodding toward the door, "At least five. Maybe more."
I turned to Blue Jay, who nodded at me. It was time to make ourselves useful again. We opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, closing it tightly behind us. There were definitely more than five. At first glance, I counted about ten. Taking a deep breath, I called on my element, feeling the air in the room quickly form into wind. I turned this wind into a wall that separated us from most of the group, so that we could fight them without Heian attacking us from all directions.
Blue Jay unsheathed his sword and closed his eyes for a moment. The blade suddenly burst into flames, and he turned to me and grinned.
"How about we make this a little more interesting?" he asked mischievously.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked, a smile forming on my face.
"Whoever kills more gets to be her knight." He replied. He must be joking! I had way more experience fighting these than he did! There was no way that he would win this! But whatever, it was his loss.
"You're on kid!" I told him.
"Better start counting!" He said, winking at me.
I laughed.
"Let me show you how the real knights fight!" I shouted, and with that, I launched myself at the nearest Heian.
Let the battle begin.
~♥~
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Thanks for reading!! I hope you all liked this chapter, please comment and vote, and become a fan ♥