Hello! In honor of the upcoming Inhumans TV series (I'm seriously going to die if they don't hurry up with that trailer), I decided to write this story. Enjoy!
Medusalith Amaquelin let a lock of vibrant red hair twist around her fingers as she gazed at the Royal Palace, a nervous habit of hers.
"Stop that," her sister nine-year-old Crystalia muttered, elbowing her in the side. "You know Mother doesn't like it when you do that."
"Oh, right." Medusalith—or Medusa as she preferred to be called—willed her hair to relax as they approached the massive gates.
It was an auspicious day, which caused no small amount of nerves on Medusa's part. She was finally eighteen, the eligible age for marriage, and today was the day her family came to terms with the betrothal of her to a prince of the Royal Family. She was technically part of the Royal Family as well, via a complicated string of marriages she could never keep straight, so she was eligible to keep the Royal Bloodline going.
"I hope he looks nice," Crystal murmured.
"Crystal!" Medusa scolded, her cheeks flushing red at her sister's unseemly words. She was to be proud to be betrothed to a royal prince, regardless of his physical appearance.
"There are two princes, and one of them is locked away because of his powers. Few have ever seen him," Crystal chattered on. "I wonder which one you'll marry?"
"The eldest," Medusa said, "whichever that one is."
She had heard many tales and rumors surrounding one of the princes of Attilan. Uncontrollable power…being sealed away…rigorous training…being exposed to Terrigen Mists in the womb…but they were all rumors. No one knew for sure why one of the princes of Attilan never showed himself.
Crystal grabbed her arm, jerking her from her thoughts and stopping her in her tracks, saving her from walking straight into her father's back. They had stopped, for they were standing at the gates of the Royal Palace.
"My Lord Quelin," said one of the sentries, bowing so deeply the crest of his helmet nearly scraped the ground. "My Lady Ambur, my Lady Medusalith, and my Lady Crystalia."
Medusa and Crystal curtsied automatically, formalities having been ingrained in them long ago.
"And of course, my Lordship Lockjaw," finished the sentry.
Crystal's massive Inhuman dog woofed in acknowledgment from his stance behind the two girls.
The gates were opened, and they stepped into the Royal Palace of Attilan. Medusa felt her heart speeding up as she gazed upon the high arched hallway, lined with murals and various other paintings of bygone royalty. Reality was beginning to set in. This would be her life from now on.
Seeming to sense her anxiety, Crystal slipped a small hand into her own. In that moment, Medusa had never been more thankful for a little sister.
It seemed to take an eternity for them to reach the end of the hallway. Another set of double doors opened up for them, and they entered the Throne Room.
King Agon was seated upon a high dais, sitting straight and tall in his throne, the very picture of kingly majesty. Queen Rynda stood to his left, just as majestic and noble as he, her figure poised with an elegance Medusa could never hope to achieve. To the king's right stood a young man with dark hair and a well-sculpted face, also regal. Medusa felt her heart skip a beat as she gazed upon him. It was obviously one of the princes, but which one? Regardless, his appearance was somewhat pleasing to look upon, despite a strange glitter in his eyes.
"Lord Quelin!" Agon exclaimed, rising from his throne and descending the dais, his family swift to follow suit. "It is good to see you, cousin."
"And you, King Agon," Quelin returned, bowing amicably.
"Surely this is not little Medusalith!" exclaimed Agon, turning his attention upon Medusa. "I have not seen you since you were but a little thing!"
Medusa curtsied. "Yes, my king."
He came closer and looked her up and down with a smile. "My, you have grown into such a beautiful young lady. What is your power, my dear?"
Medusa blushed, disliking mentioning her powers. "Er, just controlling my hair is all, my lord." As she said this, the prince's lips twisted upwards in a smirk, which made her blush all the harder and dick he head in shame.
"I'm not surprised," said Agon kindly. "You always had such beautiful hair." He turned to the members of his family. "Though you most likely do not remember, this is Queen Rynda."
Medusa curtsied again, and Rynda curtsied stiffly in return. Her countenance was much colder and stiffer than her husband's, and Medusa tried to avoid her steely gaze.
Agon pressed a hand to the back of the prince, urging him forwards. "And this is Prince Maximus."
Maximus stepped forward and took Medusa's hand, brushing his lips over the back of it. She blushed wildly, and somewhere began her Crystal made a strangled sound at the unexpected gesture.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, fair lady," he said, his voice smooth and even.
"A-and you," Medusa returned, inwardly kicking herself for stuttering.
"She is to be betrothed to him?" Quelin asked.
Maximus' face contorted into an unknown expression, and he stepped away from Medusa.
"No," Agon said gently. "Our other son, Blackagar, is the Crown Prince and to whom Medusalith will be betrothed."
Blackagar. The name was familiar to Medusa now that she heard it. It was a name whispered in juncture with the rumors surrounding one of the princes of Attilan. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. So Maximus would not be the one she would betrothed to; it had come as a relief to see he was chivalrous and polite. For all she knew, Blackagar could be a horrible person.
"Well where is he?" Quelin asked, a note of confusion entering his voice.
"Unfortunately, Blackagar does not yet seem to have suitable control over his powers." Queen Ronda spoke for the first time, her voice as cold as her countenance. "Until we are certain of his control, he will not be making any appearances."
Her words hung heavy in the air. The rumors were true. Medusa felt a dread coiling in the bit of her stomach. How could she be expected to marry a man who could not control his powers?
"How long will it be?" Quelin asked.
"We do not know," Rynda responded. "But it will be until we are certain he will not pose a threat to his betrothed or otherwise."
"Regardless, we shall continue with the formalities," Agon said. "Shall we?"
Medusa dared a glance at Crystal, who winced in sympathy. She could already feel her life slipping through her fingers.
The parents discussed formalities over dinner, while Maximus sat twirling his fork idly and looking bored. Medusa and Crystal ate quietly, their heads together as they talked, while Lockjaw sat ever present behind them.
"I don't even know when I'll meet him, much less get to know him!" Medusa hissed.
"You know the rumors!" Crystal said. "Weren't you at least expecting it?"
"I had hoped I would be betrothed to…the other one." She sent a swift glance towards Maximus between a small gap in the strands of her hair. "Besides, even if I wasn't, I expected I would meet him today. I'll be stuck here without even knowing the man I came here for!"
"I can fix that!" Crystal said, a gleam entering her eye.
Medusa frowned. "What?"
"Oh, Prince Maximus!" Crystal cooed in her best innocent-little-girl voice.
"Crystal!" Medusa hissed, slapping her sister on the shoulder, but it was too late. Maximus' steely blue eyes fixed upon them both.
"Yes, Lady Crystal?"
She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands. "What is your brother like?"
Something of a sneer worked its way onto the prince's face. "He cannot speak, so it is almost impossible to know."
That took Medusa by surprise, her embarrassment fading away as curiosity took its place. "He cannot? Why?"
"Surely you must have heard of his deadly powers," Maximus said, sounding unenthused.
Both girls nodded.
"The deadly power lies in his voice. One whisper could decimate the Royal Palace entirely."
Medusa did not answer. So she was to be married to a man who could never speak lest he destroy everything around him. The day kept getting better and better.
Crystal, sensing her sister's mood, spoke up again cheerfully. "So what are your powers, Prince Maximus?"
He eyed her. "I don't have any."
"You don't? Haven't you been exposed to the Terrigen Mists?"
"Yes, but," he shrugged, "they didn't work on me."
Medusa felt sympathetic towards him. Having a brother with incredible power would be hard enough, but having no powers of your own was on a whole other level.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Don't be, my lady," he said. "You cannot miss something you never had."
When dinner was finally, mercifully over, everyone retreated to their respective rooms. Medusa's family would stay overnight before returning home in the morning.
Medusa and Crystal entered their room. It was large and ornate, with two oversized beds piled high with fluffy pillows and dressed with velvety sheets. Even Lockjaw had been considered; a huge cushion was laid out at the footboard of one of the beds. Someone had brought up their bags; they were all stacked neatly in one corner of the room.
Medusa plopped down on the bed without the cushion with a gusty sigh, relieved at finally being able to let her hair relax. It spread out across the bedspread in red rivulets.
"Would you like me to comb your hair?" Crystal asked.
"Yes, please." It was a tradition for them; every night Crystal would comb through her sister's hair, relieving the tension and freeing up any tangles that were procured during the day.
Crystal went over to the bags and dug through them until she found the brush, then clambered up onto the bed. Medusa allowed her hair to spread further, separating it into strands for easier combing, and Crystal began to brush gently.
They sat in silence for a little bit, the only noises being the sound of the brush going through hair and the evenness of Lockjaw's breathing, until Medusa spoke up.
"This will be the last time we do this for a while," she murmured, staring straight ahead at the darkened window.
"Maybe not," Crystal said. "I could get Lockjaw to bring me here."
Medusa smiled at the wild notion. "Mother and Father would kill you if you did that."
"They don't have to know."
"Stay home," Medusa said. "Be happy. Soon enough you'll go through the Mists and have powers like me."
The brush faltered. "I don't know if I could be happy without you there."
The pure sadness in her little sister's voice had Medusa swallowing hard. "It's not like I'll never see you. Once I meet my betrothed…maybe we will visit."
Crystal's tone changed from sadness to one of mild annoyance. "I wish you were betrothed to Maximus. He seems nice."
Medusa bit back a groan, having forgotten about the situation until she mentioned it. "Me too."
"I wish I could be betrothed to him…"
Medusa jerked at the muttered comment, her hair shifting. "Crystal!"
Her sister snickered. "What? He is handsome."
"I suppose he is."
"Besides, he can talk."
"Yes," Medusa agreed, "he can talk."
Crystal focused on ridding her hair of a particularly stubborn tangle. "How will you get to know someone who can't talk to you?"
"I have no idea," she said dejectedly.
"Well, you never know," Crystal said, attempting to lighten her sister's mood. "He might be able to communicate with you anyway, and maybe he'll end up being the kindest, most handsome man you've ever seen!"
"But how can he be kind if he can't speak?"
"Kindness is more than words."
Medusa fell silent and remained that way until Crystal finished her brushing.
"Done," she said, letting a smooth lock flow across her palm. "I'm going to miss this." She was hardly surprised when Medusa turned around and her hair enveloped her, pulling her close in a hug.
"I'm going to miss you," she said, her voice thick with emotion.
Crystal put her arms around her sister's shoulders and squeezed, willing the lump in her throat to stay away. "I'll miss you too."
They embraced a moment longer before Medusa pulled away, wiping away a tear with her hair. "It's late. We should get to bed."
Crystal nodded and pushed herself off, retreating to the other bed. When she was situated under the covers, Medusa clapped her hands and the lights shut off, plunging the room into darkness save for the mild glow of the palace lights coming through the window.
"Medusa?" Crystal's voice sounded small in the dark.
"Hm?"
"If Prince Maximus is handsome, his brother is probably really handsome."
Medusa laughed and rolled over. "Good night, Crystal."
"Good night."
And Medusa was asleep before she knew it.