Chapter 3: Engaged?!
Everything slowed down. My eyes flickered about, watching everyone's slowed bodies. Seeing as it was the only thing on my body I could move, suddenly I was plunged into darkness. No sound, no light, no feeling, as if I'd been frozen in time. After what felt like forever, a single space ahead of me lit up and again beside me, then the other side, and then behind me, and then my entire surrounding was alight once more. All the feeling came rushing back into my body like a torpedo. My vision is a bit blurry; I blinked a few times to aid my eyes in seeing clearly once more. When my vision finally did clear up, I found myself standing in a garden in front of a huge throne. A man sat perched on the throne, staring out into the distance with a distant look in his eyes.
The man has dark brown skin, green eyes, and long, kinky black hair pulled back into a ponytail. He is clearly tall, seeing how big that chair is. He's got a good physique, not like those bodybuilders, more like those lean and tall K-pop idols. He has killer facial features, a stoic face, and a glare to match it.
"Nice chair." I say, trying to get the man's attention.
…
After a few seconds of awkward silence, he begins to shrink; along with the chair, his cold eyes snap to me.
"So you are the holder of his soul?" The man says, looking me over; he then clicked his tongue and looked away, annoyed.
"How disappointing; fate is cruel to these people indeed." He said, his eyes snapping to me once more with distaste.
"I didn't ask fate—"
"To choose you. Yeah, yeah; I've heard it all before, child." The man responds coldly, looking off into the distance once more.
"You'll have to do; his soul had you choose you for a reason after all." He said with a sigh, falling back onto his throne, crossing his legs.
"Ahem, anyways, back to the situation at hand, you and Zapherian are going to get married." He said, icily, staring me down as if daring me to refuse.
"Wha—?"
"No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This is your destiny, child." He says, cutting me off.
"Screw destiny, I make my own destiny, and you and nobody else are going to tell me what to do." I responded back, my words sharper than a knife, and I meant every last one of them.
His eyes widen for a split second before schooling back into his cold, stern expression.
"I've heard that one before too; let's see if you can." He said, standing up once more, tossing me a ring. It's made purely of sapphire, blue in color, with words written in a language I couldn't understand carved on the inside.
(Pov: Strange man)
I stand up from my throne, staring off into the field of flowers. Time forever frozen in this beautiful moment.
"You called me a coward once; maybe you were right. Nonetheless, there may be hope for them yet."
(Pov: Rean)
The world went dark for me once more, the feeling of lost sensation returning back to my body. When the world lit up again, I was back in the real world, I guess, my lips once again pressed to Zapher. I feel the feeling of sensation being shot back into my body once more. My senses overloaded, the smell of perfume, soap, food, flowers, and Zapher. They all hit me at once, causing me to grimace slightly against zapherian's lips
"Ar-Are we kissing😱?!" I thought to myself as I stared wide-eyed into Zapher's big blue eyes, his slightly flushed cheeks, and his thin, perfectly arched eyebrows. Just like his brother, he has silver hair and pale skin. His lips taste of strawberries…jelly maybe. I quickly pulled away from Zapher. He and I both quickly stood up, scrubbing our lips with our sleeves.
"You good." I asked, turning to look at him.
"I'm going to murder that bastard." Zapher said, seething, a murderous expression etched on his face. He summons his sword from thin air and charges towards Vander.
"Okay, have fun…. Get a slice in there for me while you're at it. I'll find us something to snack on; all that murdering will take a lot out of you, and just being near you already takes a lot out of me, so I'll need extra." I say, turning to run down the stairs. trying to escape as fast as I could to get to the food. Jack grabs my arm, stopping me before I can get away. I let out a long, disappointed sigh. "I was so close," I thought to myself.
"Sorry, your majesty, as much as I hate to admit it, no can do. You must stay near…near…Z-Zapherian during this sensitive time." Jack said, barely able to get the words out; his brows were furrowed, a fake smile plastered on his face.
"What are you talking abo—?"
"ZAPHERIAN NO!!!"
Just as I was about to ask Jack what the heck was going on, I heard Zard yelling at Zapher. I hear the sound of swords clashing; I can only assume that to be Bellazard and Zapher. I quickly whip around, watching the scene. Sparks fly as Bellazard defends Vander from Zaphers' attack; their arms shake as they try to overpower one another. Eventually Bellazard overpowers his younger brother, pushing him back.
"Why are you defending that bastard!?" Zapher spits out venomously.
"I will not allow my brother to become a ruthless murderer, no matter how upset he is. Accept your fate and stand beside his majesty now!" Bellazard's voice boomed across the ballroom, with the tone and aura of an army general.
Zapher bit his bottom lip as his sword dissipated into a silver light before vanishing entirely; he walked to me with his head held down.
"I…pledge," Zapher spat out, begrudgingly.
"I pledge my heart to his majesty Rean Knight-hart, the 28th king of Wonderland… I-I vow to love him wholeheartedly and…give him what his heart desires, be it my death or his pleasure. I-
"WHAT! Hold on, someone explain to me what is going on right now!" I shout, confused and annoyed.
"Well, you and Zapher kissed on the night of the crescent moon, the night of the marriage ceremony, so he's now your fiancé." Bellazard said calmly, but I could tell under that calm demeanor he was worried for his young brother.
"Can't he just decline or something?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck, becoming increasingly annoyed.
"That's not exactly how this works, your majesty." Bellazard replied sadly. "If this was a normal marriage proposal, that would be different, but this is a pledge of destiny; it must be done, or bad things may befall both you and the kingdom."
"This destiny sh*t again? We make our own paths with our own hands; how many times do I have to say it." I stated, annoyed. Just then the entire castle began to shake as if to disagree with me.
"Your majesty, please." Bellazard pleaded. Worry was laced in his voice and eyes.
"Fine." I stated, annoyed, and the castle immediately stopped shaking. As if it were happy with my decision.
"What must be done must be done." Zapher said coldly, glaring at me.
"I guess so." I say, glaring back at him. "I won't give him the ring until I know more about what it is and what it's capable of." I thought to myself as I stared into his eyes.
"Well then, that brings the ceremony to an end. Please enjoy the food and have a great rest of the night." Bellazard says, trying to ease the crowd of anxious nobles.
I would have forgotten about these people's existence if it weren't for Bellazard speaking to them.
Zapher storms out of the throne room on his own. I decided to do the same; as I began walking towards the throne room doors, a red-haired stranger blocked my path.
"Hi, your majesty, the name's Zeke." The red-haired man said with a silly grin on his face.
"And I care because…?" I asked, coldly.
"Because I'm the prince of a neighboring country who's come to sign a peace treaty."
I rolled my eyes and pointed to Bellazard. "You see silver hairs over there? Go and talk to him, okay, Red," I say, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walk away, leaving him behind. I walk out of the ballroom and down the long winding hallways; the doors pass me by as I lose myself to my thoughts. Finally, after what felt like forever, I found myself at the door to– my room. I suppose. I quickly stepped inside the room, shutting the door behind me and locking it. I place my back against the door, sliding down onto the floor. Tonight's been an eventful night. I think to myself.
Finally, after a while, I stood up from the floor, unbuttoning my suit jacket, taking it off, and tossing it on a nearby chair. I kicked off my shoes and fell face-first onto the bed, exhausted. I rolled around a bit, getting under the cover and finding a comfortable position. Finally I closed my eyes and fell asleep easier than I usually do.
The next morning a stream of light poured in from the window, casting a glow on my face. I scrunched my eyes annoyed, turning over, trying to go back to sleep. I toss and turn a few more times before finally giving up. I opened my eyes with a sigh, closing them once more, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, while I pushed myself up. I dropped my hands at my sides and took in my surroundings. "So it wasn't a dream." I say, pulling the cover from over my legs and climbing out of bed.
As I stood up and stretched, the events of last night replayed in my mind. The sudden appearance of the green-eyed man in the garden, the unexpected kiss with Zapher, and now the news that we were engaged. It all felt like a whirlwind, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
I walked over to the mirror and stared at my reflection. "What am I supposed to do now?" I muttered to myself. The weight of the situation was sinking in, and I knew I couldn't just ignore it.
I needed answers. I needed to understand the significance of this ring and what it meant for both Zapher and me. I can't just blindly accept my so-called 'destiny' without knowing the consequences.
To be continued.