"Her Highness, Crown Princess Elina."
The guard announced as I entered the meeting room. Julian followed me close behind. I wasn't sure if he would be allowed to be with me but I was too nervous to do it alone and wanted a familiar presence that I trusted. Derek really wasn't an option right now. To my relief, nobody said anything as we made our way to the middle of the room where a long table stood covered by a deep red tablecloth with trimmed gold lace border.
To my surprise, Derek wasn't there at the table along with the Guardians. I mentally thanked myself for deciding to bring Julian along to the meeting. I felt their sharp stares before I saw their faces. The Guardians really made me nervous for some reason. There were four of them present. Three men and one woman.
They were clad in matching thick velvety maroon cloaks with their hoods up. When they saw me however, they pulled it down and stood up, bowing their heads lightly. I did a short but graceful curtsy that I had managed to perfect, thanks to Melissa.
The Guardians looked fairly young like middle aged adults but I heard from Hailey that they were notorious for masking their age with glamour. It was a high level magic that was not commonly used.
I took a seat near the head of the table. Julian stood protectively a few feet behind my chair. When the Guardians stood patiently without sitting down themselves, I realized they were waiting for my approval.
"Take a seat." I offered graciously. "His Royal Highness is running a little late I see."
I was met with silence. I wanted to shrink away from their scrutinizing stares but held my chin high.
Princess. You are the High Princess of this country. Act like one.
"Can we have some tea and biscuits for our esteemed guests, please." I called to Alfred, who stood near the door, his gaze fixed on the wall before him.
"Certainly, Your Highness." He bowed and left the room quickly.
I sucked in a small breath and dabbed my sweaty palms on my dress.
"I was taken by quite the surprise when I heard that you wished to meet me. I wonder if this is about our meeting from yesterday?" I said. I sounded confident even though I didn't feel like it on the inside.
"Not necessarily. You handled the situation very well. We are very pleased at how much you seemed to have learnt despite all the situations you were put through." One of the men answered. His voice was like steel. Sharp and cold. His face betrayed no emotion. In fact, they all had the same stoic expressions.
One thing that stood out from their features that were different to the rest of us was their obsidian irises. I learnt by now that a person's magic ability was reflected in the colour of their eyes. Shades of blue and violet meant a water affinity, hazel and brown means an air affinity, red, orange and yellow meant a fire affinity and green meant an earth affinity- either flora or fauna or rarely both. But these people had eyes as dark as the starless night sky. Hailey hadn't mentioned this little bit of information.
Or maybe she doesn't know it herself to tell it to me.
I slightly glanced at Julian to see if he had noticed it too but he was looking straight ahead.
"I'm glad to hear that." I said politely.
The double doors opened just then and three maids entered, pushing carts with closed silver platters and a porcelain teapot with sparkling transparent crystal teacups and saucers. It had been such a pain to learn the etiquette required at the table but now I mentally thanked Melissa for putting me through that torturous process. The maids quickly arranged the table and poured in glasses of piping hot tea. The smell of fresh baked biscuits and buns wafted around the room along with the heavenly aroma of the strange light pink tea.
After a few sips of the aromatic tea that calmed down my nerves to a great extent and a still missing King, the meeting began. The Guardians introduced themselves as Petunia- the woman, Harlow-the man who had spoken earlier, Stephen and Berk.
"We couldn't help but notice the obvious affection you have for Crown Prince Aiden Lockhart of Avrael at the meeting yesterday." Petunia began. Knots formed in the pit of my stomach. Aiden had always warned me of the issues the Guardians would have with our relationship from the start but I thought all that was over when Isabella perished. "Were you aware of the relationship he possessed before you were brought here?"
"Yes." I answered calmly. "I am also aware of the type of person she turned out to be."
"Yes, that was very unfortunate." She paused and I saw her gaze slip to the bond mark in the crook of my neck. My amulet flickered as if feeling my unease. That seemed to shift her attention back to the matter at hand. "Well, I don't prefer to beat around the bush so tell me Princess, are you also aware of the relationship you possess with His Royal Highness, King Derek?"
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I felt a seed of anxiety spread its roots in my mind.
"I am not sure what you are talking about. My relationship with His Highness?" I said.
"Indeed. You are his betrothed."
It felt like somebody just doused me in a bucket of ice cold water.
Betrothed. Betrothed!
The word echoed in my head like the ringing of a bell. I tried to say something but my head was too disoriented for me to think of a proper response.
"It was decided by both your parents a few months after you were born. There was an official ceremony where it was documented with the official royal seals of both kingdoms. You are expected to marry the King. Not his brother. As a matter of fact, I advise you break off any kind of relationship you possess with the Crown Prince of Avrael." Berk said.
My chest tightened with each piece of information.
"Prince Aiden is my bonded." I said finally. "Look, I do not know what this betrothal with His Highness is about but I will not break the bond bestowed upon Prince Aiden and I, over a betrothal. It is inhumane for you to even ask us to do so."
"It is not inhumane. It is the law. And as the High Royal, you absolutely cannot disobey the law yourself. Now, I understand that it is hard to break a relationship with your bonded but considering that the Crown Prince and you haven't known each other for very long, it should be easy to-"
"Easy?" I snapped, cutting Berk off mid sentence. "We are talking about an emotional connection between two people here. Bonded to each other out of all the people in this damn universe. Do you understand what that connection feels like?" I said sharply.
Harlow opened his mouth to say something but I continued.
"Aiden is my other half. I can feel his emotions like their my own. I can feel his happiness, his pain, his sorrow. Our bond is entwined with the love we have for each other. Our lives are forever tangled together. Asking us to break that precious bond is barbaric. I cannot believe you-"
"Enough, Princess." Stephen who had been quiet this whole time, ordered sharply. His obsidian orbs glinted in annoyance. It was the first emotion I had remotely seen on one of their faces.
"This decision of your betrothal was taken by the their Majesties, the late Kings and Queens of Corona and Avrael. We will absolutely not entertain your disobedience to their decision. We believe they knew what was good for both the kingdoms when they took the decision. Disobedience to that decision is breaking the law, which has the highest penalty. Penalty that applies even to the Royals who make the law." Stephen said.
"Now I understand, you aren't completely familiar with the ways of this world, given your upbringing after you left this place." Petunia said.
My...upbringing? What?
"That is alright. You can always learn it again. After all, it is in your blood. But, this decision is not negotiable. Guardians are given the power to break the bond. It is a dangerous process but I assure you that if it goes well, neither you nor the Crown Prince will face the aftermath of consequences nor the pain, if you're afraid of that. This is for the best interests of both the kingdoms." She said.
For a moment, I had the largest urge to slap somebody. My body shook from the anger that filled every fiber of my being. It was so fierce that it began to affect my surroundings.
"Your Highness, are you listening? We can have a meeting with the Crown Prince and His Majesty as well and come up with a date to-"
All the candles in the room extinguished. The crystal teacups trembled in their saucers, causing a tittering noise. The thick floor length curtains flapped wildly against the windows. I saw Julian take a step forward from the corner of my eye and held up a hand. I stood up suddenly, the chair almost falling on its back. My eyes flashed and I felt a serene feeling wash over my senses. My amulet glowed brightly. It's warmth was felt on my skin.
"IF it goes well? What is that supposed to mean?" I scoffed. Damn all the ladylike mannerisms.
"If it doesn't go according to your plan, then one of us or both will die! Do any of you honestly understand what it is that you are asking of us? Tell me, what will go so wrong with both the kingdoms if I marry Aiden? He has much more worth than any man in all the kingdoms combined. Even my betrothed !" I said.
My voice sounded an octave lower and was filled with such coldness that it even surprised me for a second.
"With all due respect to both our parents, I'm sure they had our best interests in mind but they're not here anymore. The weight of the whole situation this place is going through rests on my shoulders alone. And Aiden being there is the only assurance keeping me sane and what gives me hope. Yes, I grew up in a place very different from here but I will absolutely not sit back and let you talk about my family like that. They were there for me when none of you weren't! They kept me alive when my own biological family almost killed me. Is still trying to kill me for heaven's sake!"
The silence in the room was deafening. You could practically hear every heartbeat in the room.
"The betrothal took place before a lot of things happened to this kingdom. The situation has changed and so has my fate. I believe it is within my power to void the betrothal if both His Majesty and I are in mutual agreement. Because of the respect I have for Guardian Agatha, I'm going to let this disobedience slide from all your parts. Guardians or not, you are still under my rule and you really do not want to test my patience right now amidst all the chaos we are in. I'm ashamed on behalf of all of you for even suggesting this. But I swear to all things holy, one more word about breaking the bond and I won't be so patient next time. This conversation is over. Have a good day. Alfred see them out safely, please." I said, making sure to look at each of them in the eye.
It could have been just me but I swear I saw a hint of fear cross their features. Just a tiny sliver of emotion before it was masked. I walked out of the room with my head held high. Julian went slightly ahead to hold the door open for me.
I walked to my room in silence. My body was still coming down from its high. I clasped my hands tightly together to prevent them from shaking.
What have I done? Am I even allowed to talk to them that way? Skies!
"Would you like to finish the rest of your tea here, Princess?" Julian asked once I was in the safety of my room.
"This is bad, isn't it? What was I thinking? Argh!" I muttered a few curse words under my breath and paced around in the room.
"If you don't mind, can I tell you something honestly, Princess?" Julian asked slowly, like he was testing the waters. I paused my pacing and waved my hand for him to go on.
"I agree that nobody ever speaks to the Guardians that way. They're considered to be most powerful beings after the Royal families. It's rather disrespectful to treat them in such manner."
I made a sound in between a whimper and a groan and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"But, I think what you told them in there really made a lot of sense. Guardians as they are, it was uncalled for even them to address the betrothal in such a way. Having a bond with somebody is not something you find common and breaking them is, well to me at the very least, an extremely stupid decision. Nobody is ever the same once that bond is broken. Sometimes it even leads to the death of the person or makes them extremely ill. So, what you told them in there is right. Even though the circumstances and the way you addressed may have been slightly disrespectful. But as you said Princess, every person of the seven kingdoms come under your rule and as long as that is present, they are obliged to listen to you whether they like it or not." Julian said.
"I really hope you're right." I sigh. "Do you think Aiden would have known about this?"
"I highly doubt it. I'm sure Prince Aiden will have talked to you about it if he did know." Julian answered.
"Yeah. I think so too." I said. "Alright then, let's keep this a secret for now and not tell him anything about it. We can figure it out once the issues at hand are taken care of."
"Are you sure about that, Princess?" He asked, looking rather troubled. I nod my head.
"He has a lot on his plate already. I don't want him to worry over such trivial things right now. We've got bigger problems to keep us occupied." I said.
"As you wish. I'll take my leave then. Do you wish for me to ask the butler to bring your tea?" Julian said, repeating his earlier question.
Before I could answer, the door opened and in entered Melissa, Hailey and Jase. Melissa and Jase had plates of food, a jar of juice and several glasses in their hands while Hailey held the door open for them.
"Well, if it isn't pretty soldier boy!" Jase exclaimed, smirking at Julian.
"Good day to you Chief." Hailey nod her head at him with a warm smile.
Melissa mumbled a small hello and settled the plates down. Julian moved to help her and I saw the tips of her ears turn pink.
"Thank you." She said softly. Hailey gave me a look obviously noticing the reaction as well and I bit my lip to hold in my laughter.
Jase rolled his eyes and nudged Julian aside, dumping the juice bottles on the bed. The bottles made a clinking sound as they brushed against each other.
"Move along now. We haven't got all day and I'm hungry." He said.
Julian rolled his eyes but moved aside nonetheless. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath but Jase seemed to hear it without a problem.
"Would you like to check for yourself? I am sure I can take you down without breaking a sweat." Jase challenged, one hand on the hilt of the sword, dangling from the sheath attached to the belt on his waist. Julian glared and reached for his own sword.
"Can you both get out? I haven't eaten since yesterday and I am hungry enough to roast either of you for dinner." Hailey said.
She narrowed her eyes when they didn't back down and flicked her wrist. Two vines erupted from the carpeted floor and wrapped around their legs causing them to lose balance and stumble. One tendril even sneaked up Jase's torso and popped a flower as it wrapped around his hair. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. At least he looked adorable with a pink flower springing from the top of his head. Melissa giggled, almost choking on the piece of fruit that she was munching on.
"You look even prettier than me now." Julian smirked.
"Shut up."
"Ah these are the times I miss my phone." I sighed.
Hailey waved her hand and the vines disappeared only leaving the flower, safely tucked into Jase's hair, behind. Julian got up and offered his hand to Jase. He looked at it for a few seconds before clasping it in his own and pulled himself up.
"You're welcome."
"Whatever." Jase grumbled. Julian smiled to himself, his forest green eyes sparkling in amusement.
"Here, eat this. Alfred said you didn't eat much before." Melissa said, offering me a fruit bun.
I nod my head in thanks and took a bite, savoring the taste in my mouth.
"What was the meeting about?" Hailey asked. I stilled for a moment but forced myself to appear normal. Julian glanced at me but said nothing.
"They just wanted to check up on how I was doing. Wanted to know about Nana and things like that." I said.
"Did they ask anything about you and Aiden?" Melissa said. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
"Not really." I answered looking away. I feigned an interest in my fruit bun.
Melissa looked like she wanted to ask something more but refrained herself. The conversation veered off to another topic and I asked Julian to stay and finish tea along with us. We were almost done when somebody furiously knocked on the door.
"Come in!" I called. A frantic guard burst in, his eyes wide and chest heaving like he had just run a few miles. Julian got up from his chair at once, eyes alert. The guard took a moment to gather his wits.
"The search party has arrived. They found the missing people and a few more."