Author's Note: Remember when I said there would be some "naughty goody goodness"? I lied.
So, I think we're almost nearing the ending chapters of the first book of this series... I still don't know what to call it. But anyway, I'm probably planning to end this in a few more chapters after this, maybe at least seven or eight more chapters. But due to that happening, I may make the chapters a bit longer because most of these chapters consist of at least 2500 words or more.
Also on another note, I'm planning to start a new series after this. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole plot since I'm typing it on Keep on my Note 2014 tablet. When I finish this first book, I'll definitely leave some notifications on the progress even though it's still early on. As for the rest of my other series (Come Back to Me, The Wentworth Boys), I'm thinking to discontinue both of them and then later on delete them in the future because I started those without forming a plot whatsoever. I sort of winged them, to be honest and I do apologize to anyone who read those and fell in love with it (if anyone even did).
Finally, I would again like to that those who have voted and commented on A Dance of Princes! You guys are making this journey a very enjoyable one and I'm so glad to almost be finished with my first ever completed story. Just a batch of chapters until it ends with a massive cliffhanger that you'll probably hate me for, but I can be evil! Now onto the date!
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My heartbeat was racing the whole time back to my room. Octavian was taking me on a date, and I didn't even have to do anything. I scrambled my closet through all the expensive urban clothing and I still couldn't figure out what to wear. Should I wear something white? But what if we eat something like spaghetti? Yeah, white's out of the question. Or maybe I could wear a gray v-neck with a dark red cardigan. Oh wait, what if he doesn't like red? What if he hates that color! Gosh, I knew I should've asked him what his least favorite color was.
Two knocks on the door caused me to flinch, grabbing my towel to cover myself up since I was only dressed in my briefs.
"Vince? Everything alright in there?"
"Yeah! I'll be another minute!" I tried to sound as calm as possible, but I was really nervous. No one has ever asked me on a date before. Backtracking to Nathan, we didn't even really go on a date. I got into the relationship out of impulse, and I was a hopeless romantic, I guess you could say.
"You've said that like five times," he deadpanned.
"Just want to look my best."
"I think you look great in anything."
A blush crept on my lips, making me inhale sharply. What was I inhaling? Octavian's utterly sweet and moving words. And he sounded like he wasn't even trying. And he told me that he had never experienced any sort of romance before. Pfft, understatement of the century!
I ended up wearing black jeans, a black dress shirt in which the collar went a bit above my neck and a cream colored suit jacket. Screw it, I'll wear something close to white. Yeah, definitely white since I just remembered that Octavian loves white. I put on some black boots that were comfortable enough to walk in and combed my hair into a formal do, the front bangs swirling downward on one side of my forehead like a thick wave. I stepped out of the bedroom and Octavian was staring at one of the paintings.
"I'm ready," I said nervously, firmly clasping my hands at the small of my back to try and keep myself still.
"Great, let's-" Octavian turned around and stopped. He was gazing at me, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I averted my eyes from him and decided that the floor was just the most amazing thing to look at. I didn't want him to catch me blushing, but he walked over and tilted my head up, eyes exchanging a look of sincerity and heartfelt. "You look amazing, like I can't even form words at how good you look in formal wear. I'm not going to tell you to wear them all the time because that would mean you'd have to change for me, but I don't want that. You're great, just the way you are."
Hhhhnnnnnnnggggggg!!!!!!! Can someone die from blushing???
"Keep talking like that and my face is going to explode," I said, an awkward laugh following suit. He grinned at me and laced his fingers with mine as he guided me out of the quarters.
As we ran towards the elevator, thoughts spun around me head at an impulse. Octavian was probably the greatest guy in the world. I have never met such a man who knew how to sweep me off my feet, catch me into his arms, and then had the audacity to say some clever romantic banter. If this was what it feels like to find someone who is one in a billion - no, probably the only one in this deep sea of hopelessness - then those people who found their One were incredibly blissful and lucky.
I tried to suppress my grin, trying to keep my cool, but it became apparent that whenever I'm around Octavian, he make me unintentionally does things that I wouldn't catch myself doing. His presence alone was enough to make my stomach do a somersault and my heart would beat so fast it would feel as if an EKG wouldn't be able to pick up my heartbeat.
At the foot of the elevator, I wasn't expecting Jack to be standing there. He grinned before he showed what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a blindfold.
"A blindfold?" I asked.
"Mhmm, can't have the surprise spoiled," Octavian said, assured.
Jack walked over to me and began to tie the blindfold over my eyes. I closed them so I wouldn't have to deal with any lashes poking them. When Octavian double checked the knot and made sure I couldn't see from below, he and Jack escorted me through the halls, the only sound being the echoes of our footsteps on the marble flooring and the water flowing in the fountains outside the windows. Those were the only indicators I have since I wasn't really used to the map of the Palace yet and I didn't have exactly a good memory of the routes. I would still get lost and have to ask a guard to point me to the right direction.
I took each step with caution so that I don't fall, even though they assured me that there wasn't anything in my way. I must've looked stupid with my hands reaching outward trying to feel for something with a stupid grin on my face, amused by this whole experience so far.
A set of wooden doors opened and we continued walking before we came to a stop. My hands fell to my sides as I waited for something to happen next. I could hear the sound of flowing water; must've been fountains. I heard doors opening and Octavian and Jack slowly escorted me down a short flight of steps. I wanted to figure out where we were, but I didn't because I wanted to be genuinely impressed and surprise; my curiosity was at a high point because if this was Octavian's first date that he'd ever prepared (or if this his is first date ever), I didn't know what to expect. I kept my expectations low, thinking it would just be a small thing like a picnic with sandwiches while we watch the stars, which I would settled for. Simplistic things that show great meaning are probably one of the best ways to impress someone.
My boots stomped along what sounded like cement, but then the feeling became a little loose. It sounded like rocks or gravel, so I guessed that we diverged from the path.
"Jeez, guys. Are you kidnapping me or what?" I said with humor followed by laughter.
"Just be patient," Octavian said, chuckling softly as he and Jack continued on this unknown path.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that we took a stop. My black blindfold began to illuminate a dim light and I raised a curious brow as I looked around as if I could see things.
"You ready?" Octavian asked. I just nodded as he proceeded to slowly untie the knot. He advised me to keep my eyes shut, so I squeezed them a bit. I could hear water flowing again, but this time it didn't sound like a fountain; it sounded more natural. Octavian finally took off my blindfold, and I was completely blown away by what I saw. I found myself unable to speak.
Bioluminescent butterflies were flying around under the canopy of a tall grove of trees. There was dim lighting from the floating lanterns that floated just beneath the canopy tops, which provided sufficient light to see an open path that would lead to who knows where. The sound of flowing water that I was hearing came from a stream somewhere to the left of us. I couldn't see through the roof of the canopy but when a calm breeze flew by, bioluminescent flowers bloomed right away at the first feel of a cold autumn breeze, which gave the place a more vibrant lighting. I couldn't believe I was seeing. I've only read these in science text books, but I didn't think that I would actually come across such exotic plants and creatures.
Octavian took my hand and grinned. "You like it?"
"I-" I couldn't even speak. I was so taken aback by all of this. It was breathtaking to see right in front of my eyes. He chuckled.
"I'm guessing that's a yes." He turned to Jack. "Thank you very much, Mr. Etterson. You've been a great help."
"It's a pleasure, Your Highness," he bowed before he excused himself to leave as he had some things to do back at the palace.
"Shall we?"
Octavian walked me through this hidden garden. He explained to me that when he was younger he would come here when he wanted to be alone, saying that this place was serene and tranquil. As we walked, a couple of butterflies would fly beside us before changing their direction of flight. Small birds that resembled hummingbirds would soar through the path, their wings also glowing with vibrant colors. This was truly a magical place to be in. He even mentioned that this place was kept hidden as it was only accessible to the Royal Family, but he mentioned that he had permission from Grandma to use this for this specific purpose, which I'm sure she had no problem allowing.
We reached the turn that led towards the end of the path, but Octavian pushed me back and told me to wait around the corner, saying that he needed to check something first. He ran towards the end and disappeared somewhere. I glanced at the end and it looked like there was a lake because of the moonlight reflecting off of its surface. I turned away from the way and explored a bit of my surroundings.
Neatly trimmed hedges that were shoulder length to me lined the sides of the pathway with an occasional lantern floating atop a white column pedestal. Another group of butterflies passed through, and one landed on my shoulder. It glowed more when it landed and I smiled at it for a moment before it flew away. This place was incredible. I may have to show Mom this since she's always dreamed of gardening.
A rustling sound came from the bushes, and I was immediately alert. I tried to pinpoint where I heard the rustling came from, but nothing seemed to be moving in the dim light of the path. I didn't have time to investigate. Octavian came right after I heard the noise.
"Alright, come with me and close your eyes," he said.
I tried to hide my worry as best as I could and tried to be excited. I forced my lips to smile. "Alright," I said with a nervous chuckle, shutting my eyes as told. He took my hand and led me across the path until we reached what felt and sounded like grass.
"Now." He sounded like he was ordering someone. "Open your eyes," he whispered into my ear, his hot breath ghosting along my ear which caused a chill to run up my spin. Right when I opened my eyes, a group of violinists began to play some classical music. But that wasn't the big surprise. The big surprise was that there were now floating lanterns all over the lake. A dinner table set for two was placed on the square pad of the dock, which made me grin like an idiot but I didn't care. This was the cheesiest, sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.
"Avian, you did all this?" I asked, astonished.
"I wanted our first date to be memorable."
"I think anything with you will be memorable," I replied as I hugged his waist. He turned his face away, and I assumed he was blushing but I didn't want to comment. I walked us towards the dock and past the violin group before taking a seat, two butlers pulling out the chairs and then pushing them back once we got comfortable.
I looked around and in the distance I could see the Palace lights so that meant that we were definitely still inside of the walls. I was glad to feel safe; I guaranteed myself that Haven did his best to get the defenses up in case of another rebel attack. A chef came with two plates that were covered. Once lifted, I smelled the aroma of freshly grilled... hamburgers? And French fries?
I looked at Octavian, confused, but he had a boyish grin on his face. I burst into laughter which probably would've offended him but I didn't mean it at all.
"What? What's wrong?" He pouted.
"N-nothing," I said between breaths, "this is the best thing anyone has ever done. Hamburgers, that was a real surprise. I wouldn't want to eat any other thing."
"Thought maybe you'd like something familiar to eat," he said generously as the butlers poured water into our glasses.
"I love it, let's dig in."
We munched on our grilled hamburgers that were topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, evenly sliced pickles and a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup. Added with the salted French fries and barbecue sauce dip, it made me feel like a normal teenager again, and I couldn't help but dwell in that for a moment. It made me feel normal again, which I was glad to be feeling.
Halfway through my burger, I set it down to drink more water to let the food go down. When I placed down the cup, Octavian grabbed my hand and took it into his, smiling at me. His face looked divine in the lantern light; he looked genuine and heartwarming. His blonde hair dangling over his forehead and that perfect toothy grin forming on his face made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.
"I definitely am, this is the best. I can't say that enough." Octavian and I laughed along before we got back to eating. I glanced to the pathway and grumbled under my breath when I saw my bodyguards standing on either side. I sighed heavily. "I still hate being followed around by them. I asked them to give me space instead of hovering over my back. At least they keep distance."
"Don't worry about them. They're just doing their jobs," he assured.
I was about to take a second bite when I heard something zip past me. It was a blue light that flew right by my ear. I felt its hot trail next to it and I immediately cocked my head to the side before facing backward. I had to narrow my eyes to define my line of sight. There was rustling in the bushes in the distance; someone was in there, I was sure of it. And to make my assumption even more correct, a flash of silver, thanks to the moonlight, shined into vision when the object moved before I recognized it: a gun.
"Octavian!" I shouted but the person already began to fire shots at us. The violinists stopped playing and ducked down while ran towards the path, shielding themselves with their instruments and screaming in terror while Octavian made it his sole duty to use himself as a shield to protect me. We both ran into the canopy path while my bodyguards began to send distress calls, alerting the defense troops to find that person who took a shot.
I thought it was over when we went into the pathway, but the shots kept firing at us in plain sight. Blue wisps were left from the blue bullets that were being fired from the gun. The body guards were following close behind us, and boy was I glad for once that they were.
We were almost out of the garden when I felt a sharp pain in my left arm followed by numbness. My arm became so heavy I was already leaning onto the left, screaming in pain as I tumbled into a pile of bushes. Octavian and my bodyguards helped me up and carried me the rest of the way. I didn't dare to look at my arm, but seeing as my suit was color cream, I could already see it. The blood.
My arm felt heavy, which caused me to seat every time I tried to lift it up from Octavian's shoulders. My arm felt like an anvil and I gave up trying to get it to work. I felt my arm pulsing right at the joint where my arm and shoulder bones met. My head began to pulse as well, and my vision was beginning to blur at every pulse. This bullet was weakening me quicker than I had expected. My legs felt like they wanted to give up.
"Mr. Etterson!" Octavian shouted. I wondered why he was shouting Jacks name before I turned my head to the side and stared in horror. He was sat up in between two tall hedges, like he was hiding, with blood coming out from his arms and legs. He looked unconscious because he didn't respond to Octavian.
He ordered my bodyguards to carry me the rest of the way while he went to get Jack. I tried to urge my voice to speak up. "No," I said in a raspy and weak voice, "Octavian, wait."
"I'll see you inside," he said as if promised before he left to take Jack, hoisting up to his back. He followed behind as a couple of more bullets continued to fly past us.
We burst through the Palace doors and my guards honestly sounded like ambulances. "The Prince has been shot! The Prince has been shot!" Butlers and maids rushed into the infirmary room where they laid both Jack and I on two separate healing beds. The nurses there began to push buttons, swipe screens on the holograms, and punch in different codes while reciting different things like procedures.
"Open wound on left arm, brachial arteries punctured. Scheduling immediate cell regeneration. Commencing cell regeneration on the Prince's left arm." The sound of the healing bed whirring to life was enough to keep me aware of my surroundings even though my vision was blurring. The healing bed lit up and closed its lid. It began to scan my body with a red light from head to toe. This light began to move quicker each time it came back from my toes to my head. My eyelids felt heavy and I could already feel something in my arm. I screamed in agony as I felt the bullet ejecting from my arm, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut and bite on my lower lip to prevent any more screams. I heard it fall against the metal border surrounding the bed.
My arm began to feel strange. I felt the nerves begin to work, and the open wound that the bullet made felt like it was being sown back together as well as the inner portions and tissues of my arm. After a while of repairing the tissue, cells, muscle, and bone the bullet did damage to, my arm became as good as new, as if a bullet was never lodge into my arm.
Jack took longer to heal because there were many places where he had been shot. I remembered before we left; he mentioned that he had something to do. What if these people got to him after we left? How did he become able to hide himself for so long with all those wounds? What if Octavian never saw him in between those and he was just left there to die? I began to feel a pang of guilt in my chest as I sat on the healing bed, watching Jack's bed continue to repair his body. A tear flowed down my cheek and I rubbed it with the back of my hand to catch it before it fell. The nurses continued to check their monitors, asked me questions as to how I'm feeling and if my arm felt as it was before the bullet wound. I told them I felt fine, my face expressionless as I stared as Jack's unconscious body.
A few hours later I was taken into the Conference room despite my weakness, where General Haven and a few other high ranking military officers, as well as Grandma, stood. She came to hug me, telling me that she was thankful that I was alright. Because the thing about the situation was, if I had been dead before I reached the healing bed, then there would be a zero percent chance that I would make it out of there alive.
General Haven was furious. "How the hell did we get another rebel into the base?! I demand to know how a rebel crossed our fields without getting mined and shot down by the watch towers!"
"Sir," one of the men said, "the only explanation that we can conclude with is that during the first attack, there were probably some rebels that remained hidden in secluded parts of the inner walls."
"I want the whole perimeter searched, the whole area excavated! I want every last rebel inside the Palace found and I want them for interrogation. We're going to get to the bottom of this, and I'm sure as hell not letting any of these imbeciles off the hook."
General Haven dismissed himself from the room and the rest of the men followed suit. I guessed that they were going to start enforcing his order. Jason came into the infirmary where I laid down on a bed to rest for a while as I wait for Jack's regeneration process to complete. He sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand into mine, planting a kiss on the back of my hand.
"Thank goodness, you're alright," he said genuinely. I could see the concern in his eyes. He must've been worried.
"I'm alright now, thanks to my bodyguards and Octavian," I replied with a weak smile.
"He's perfect for you, you know?"
"What makes you say that?" I was curious as to why he would say such a thing and at a time like this.
"Because I see the way he looks at you when you aren't looking at him at breakfast. I see the way he smiles whenever he's with you. And I can see the effect you have on him whenever you're holding hands. You're like a drug to him, Vincent. A good one, though." He chuckled softly.
"I don't know where you're going with this, but thanks." I kept my weak smile at him.
"I guess I'm still feeling a bit of guilt for what happened in his room. I just want to let you know that I don't plan to get in the way of whatever you guys have. My heart's been taken by Ross; I just hope he takes me back."
I just nodded because I didn't know how to answer that. Reminiscing to the conversation with Octavian the first night I met him about the story of how his older brother Ross and Jason broke up, I didn't want to say anything.
When Jason left, Octavian came and lied down on the bed next to me, pulling me close to him and hugging my waist with his strong arms. "I'm glad you're alright."
"I'm sorry our date's been ruined." I was genuinely sad; I knew Octavian wanted this to work out, and I gave him a huge amount of respect for trying. Everything was perfect. Part of me thought that it was my fault the shooters ruined everything.
"Shh, don't worry. I'll take what I can get." He grinned softly before pressing his lips onto my forehead, leaving an imprint of his lips there. I allowed myself to just surrender to his comfort as my eyes began to feel heavy again. Octavian chuckled lowly at this as he laid my head on his chest. I didn't want to move, I was completely comfortable, hearing the sound of his heartbeat. It was a bit fast, probably because we were this intimately close together. But I didn't care. Knowing that I was having this much effect on him made me feel good inside, made me feel hope. Hope that maybe this could probably work. I let that thought sink in before my body pulled me down into a soundless slumber.
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Author's Note: Jesus, I think this is the longest chapter in the story so far. Hope I didn't bore you! I hope Jack will be alright! Will he? Find out in the next chapter! Thanks for voting!