If you've made it to chapter 4, congratulations, this chapter is going to please many readers. It might make you cry, scream, or throw your phone at the wall. Thank you for reading my story, I really appreciate it. This chapter contains over 2000 words!
Enjoy! "The truth is what I make it, I could set this world on fire, and call it rain."
After about five minutes, Kilorn comes back with the new and mysterious drink. He says it's called coffee, and can help you wake up in the morning. I take a look at this foreign liquid, then smell it.
"Why on Earth, would I drink this discussing drink?" I ask, in a repulsed tone.
"My mother drank coffee quite often. I tried it once in awhile, and after a few times, I began to enjoy it."
I take a sip of the coffee. If there had been a garbage can nearby, I definitely would've spit it out. So instead I downed it. I shook my head, and stood up to leave.
"I'm mad at you for making me try this. If I wanted to taste dirt, I could've drunk water from the Stilts."
"See you at the meeting, Mare. You better drink some more coffee, so you're wide awake for discussion," he says in a mocking tone.
I had about an hour until the meeting, and Cal was right, we did have to talk eventually. I splashed water on my face and ran my fingers through my hair. After all, I must look presentable while speaking to the Crown Prince of Norta.
I walked up to the fourth floor, and contemplated which door I should knock on first. I really wasn't in the mood to see former Queen Lerolan, so I knocked on the door closest to last night's burn marks. After about fifteen seconds, no one answered. So he was either being stubborn or wasn't here at the moment.
Back home, in a life that seemed non-existent now, I had only pickpocketed, I had never broken into anyone's house. But I suppose you could call this a different situation.
In less than a minute, using two hairpins, I had managed to break into the Prince's bedroom. I now feel bad for scowling at that window on the fifth floor several days ago. I wonder whose bedroom that was.
Honestly, I shouldn't be calling any room that is on the fourth floor or above a 'bedroom.' This single chamber, meant for one person is as large as my old home, which housed seven people at one point.
The room has a queen-sized bed, a large kitchen, and a table that could simultaneously serve as a dinner table or a meeting table.
I wandered over to the balcony, looking out. The balcony, as well as the room itself, were double the size of mine. Looking out, I could tell his room faced the opposite direction as mine. At least on that day I had gone running, I had scowled in the right direction.
Just then, I heard the door close. I didn't bother turning around and continued to look out the balcony.
"I see the Samos's have been quite generous in you living accommodations." I blurted, still looking away from him.
"How did you get in here?" He asked quietly.
"Two hairpins."
"I don't appreciate you breaking into my room, and snooping around," Cal stated.
I finally turned. "Do you think I appreciated when you went through my things back at Notch? When you read Maven's notes for me? Sorry, Cal but sometimes we don't get everything we want in life." I snarled, turning back to face the outdoors. Cal hesitantly walked up beside me, keeping his distance.
" I don't get everything I want in life either. I don't get you, my brother, my father, my mother."
I looked directly at him for the first time in what seemed like so long. "At least you still have your throne."
At this, Cal bit his tongue very hard, seeming to be controlling whatever emotions were in there right now.
"You don't understand," Cal blurted. He was about to continue, but I interrupted him.
"I understand well enough to know you still value silvers over reds. Still value your crown over me. In a way, it's like déjà vu. Back in Archeon, what seemed like eons ago, I asked you to pick me at that bridge. At least back then I wasn't heartbroken at your decision."
"So we're both going to be miserable for the rest of our lives because of this?" Cal asked.
"I'll be. What about you?"
"Content, at most. But never the way I was with you."
"Good to know I made you more than content," I muttered.
Cal took a sharp breath in before speaking. "You're right, you made me more than content. When we're not in battle, and you were in my arms, there was no moment in my entire life I'd trade for that one," he stated, like it was the most solid fact to exist.
A tear ran down my cheek, but it was gone before it could go very far. Cal wiped the tear away slowly, his thumb against my cheek.
A sensation I hadn't felt in many, many days. I took his hand before he could draw it away.
His eyes darted to my ear, the red earring clear as day.
"You kept it."
I looked down at my boots. "I just found it in my pocket last night, if I had found it any sooner, it would've been melted by now."
"Why's it separate from the others?" He asked
I scowled at his question. "Ask yourself, Cal. I don't think it's an impossible question to answer yourself."
"I don't deserve to be with the other earrings. I'm different." I nodded as he explained. Cal was every way different from the rest of the earrings. His blood was silver, he was raised to be a general, a king. Not a worthless red rat, another pointless soldier for the pointless war.
I sank to the floor of the balcony "Did you really choose me, or was I just the best option after the guard took you?"
"Damn it Mare, do you actually believe that?" He yelled. "I love you more than anyone else I've ever met, and no I don't think of you as my best option. You're my only option. The only one I want," he said, sinking to floor, to be eye level with me. But I can't look at his eyes. So instead I stare at the marble floor.
"What life would you choose?" I ask him.
"What do you mean?" he asks.
"Prince Tiberias, or Cal," my Cal. I say the last part to myself. He looks at the marble floor with me, thinking.
"It must be hard choosing between royalty and the apparent only girl you love." I sneer, getting up to leave. But just as I'm leaving, something catches my eye. A simple photo frame, with a photo of the night of one of our dance lessons. It was the dance lesson we first kissed, I could tell by the dress I was wearing. "Where did you get this photo?" I calmly ask.
"I requested one of our infiltrators get it for me. It's just from the security camera. No one was watching us that night."
"You put one of the guard members at risk just to get a photo?"
"It's not just a photo, a memory."
"I don't need a photo to remember it. Although it was over a year ago, I still remember as if it was yesterday."
"Maybe it was yesterday," Cal responds. "Sometimes the days blend together, you forget how many days you've been here."
"I don't keep track anymore, do you know the date?" He looks away, and blushes silver, while shaking his head. I take the photo in my hands, examining it. Mareena, pale as ever looked so happy, for one brief moment, she had no care in the world. Then there was Prince Cal, who was staring into her eyes, also looking as if they were the only two people still alive.
I gingerly put the frame back in place. "Goodbye Cal," I say as I exit the room.
He still loves me, I think to myself as I walk towards our meeting room. Today it will be a small meeting, just the Colonel, Farley, Cameron, me and a few other newbloods. I take my place at the round table, in a work chair that I could've easily fallen asleep in. Surprising, the Samos's have not made everything in their home of metal, the walls are made of a different material, as are the floors. They must like comfort just as much as we do.
Farley starts speaking right away. If I had arrived a minute or two later, there would have been questions asked. There is a very strict tardy policy here, and I'd rather not tell the entire room where I was ten minutes ago.
"Progress report on Archeon," she mumbles, looking at a paper handed to her by a newblood soldier. "As of a few days ago, we had an operative as a maid of Maven's. Today she managed to get herself killed. No, he didn't order to have her killed because she was found to be a Scarlet Guard member. She was killed because she gave him the wrong type of tea."
I roll my eyes when she says that. The sad thing is, it doesn't seem like a completely crazy thing for Maven to do. Although I would've guessed banishment or a jail sentence, I suppose he's gotten much more severe after my departure. Farley continues with her report, appearing far off, thinking about something else. A couple of the newbloods who had gone to Archeon in search of help have, quote 'mysteriously been found dead.' This wasn't a surprise for me. Ever since Maven got a copy of that list, he's been set on killing every last one of them. In the beginning, he killed them for me, but now, he and his silver court are scared. The silvers are scared of newbloods. The silvers are scared of me.
After a while, I zone out just as always. But for once, something interesting happens. I snap out of my haze, just as Farley seems to finally snap out of her's, and speaks loudly.
"On a much more interesting note, everyone at this table should be very excited. In one month's time, I need to build the perfect army of newbloods. A group of newbloods who can defend Miss Barrow in time of need. After the words came out of her mouth, I thought to myself Oh shit, what do I have to do this time? A few newbloods perked up at this. The first interesting piece of information we have had in weeks. "Mare, I'm going to need you to drastically improve your dancing skills and etiquette."
"I've gone to balls before, and I've survived, what's so special about another ball? Will I have to use my dancing skills to shimmy away from one of the Samos's metal spears?" I say sarcastically.
Farley walks over to me and hands me an envelope, already open.
"Sorry we opened it, but we had to check the envelope for bombs, tracking devices and so on."
The envelope was very thin, and I was confused how a bomb could possibly fit inside. But nowadays, you really didn't know who was capable of what. I took the elaborate card out of the envelope. The card was gold encrusted, and scrawled out on the front side of the card, read "Mareena Titanos"
I paled. This wasn't a card for a Samos ball. This was a card from Maven himself, handwritten and all. I opened the card and began to read the message Maven wrote.
A Night to Remember, Masquerade Ball
November 17th, 6 p.m.- Midnight
I ask you to come alone, I'm already aware plenty of Scarlet Guard members walk the palace floors. If only I still had Samson or my mother to find where the loyalties lie of the citizens of Archeon. I don't want to see Mare Barrow or the Little Lightning Girl in my palace. Both of them are far too annoying, and most often make large messes of blood, and break furniture. Mareena Titanos can be quite pleasant, I should know, after all, I was engaged to her once upon a time. If you don't come willingly, I promise, I will take you myself.
P.S. I truly hope things work out between you and Cal, Mare. Such a shame to see such a beautiful romance break all because of a crown Cal will never touch.
Until then, King Maven the First.
I drop the letter, as a wave of sickness washes over me. November 17th is my nineteenth birthday.