Is Love Really Forever?
By: LadyNightSky
A/N: I love all you guys who read this fic, especially those who review. (: I am so, so, so sorry for making you guys wait like, two months, but I am desperately in a rut. Made this one a pretty long chapter. Hate it when that happens. Enjoy.
Chapter Seven: A Marriage, A Prophecy, And An Old Friend
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.
January 30, 2006; Sparxian Palace
Bloom nearly screamed with happiness.
"I take it that means yes?" asked Ares with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, God, of course it means yes!" Bloom laughed.
Every inch of her seemed to be filled with sunshine. She was now officially engaged to Prince Ares Nequam of Asphodel. No one in the universe could possibly be as happy as she was at the moment.
All the suspicious thoughts she'd been harboring about Ares lately seemed to vanish.
Bloom felt almost drunk with joy. She led Ares by the hand to the ancient Northern Courtyard of the palace. The ivy covered walls loomed spectacularly over them as she stopped at the farthest wall on the eastern side. She placed both hands, palm down, on the wall, and gave a little magical push. The faint golden outline of a gargantuan door appeared instantly on the ivy, opening inwardly with a creak.
Ares followed Bloom into the dark passageway, squinting at the carved walls in the light of her handful of flames. Depictions of jewels and orbs, and stern stone likenesses of past Kings and Queens lined the ancient walls. No inch of stone was left uncarved. The art grew more and more refined with every step they took, and more and more intricate.
After about two hundred yards, they reached another huge golden door, identical to the one they had passed through earlier. Engraved on its surface in four inch tall letters was this verse:
Be wary all who Enter here
For who knows what shall Lie in wait
Of a tasty Morsel, a Bloody leer
Crowning the face of a Guard of stone
Big are his Hands
And strong is his Sword
Ready to make you part of the Lands
And if he will not Stop ye
If ye are still Near
Then my Curse will stop all who Enter here
One, you Writhe, you Tremble in Pain
Two, you Shriek a Shriek stinking of Fear
Three, you Die, a horrible Death,
Turned into stone for an Eternity of Rest.
The chilling words sent a tremble down Ares' spine.
"Uh, love, are you sure we should…"
"Oh, grow up, Ares. That little curse-guard-death thing won't hurt us. I'm of the blood." Bloom grinned in amusement. She nonchalantly pushed open the door and disappeared into the darkness of the following chamber.
Ares grimaced, made a mental note that he shouldn't go in here alone, and stepped over the threshold.
He gasped.
The chamber was enormous, tall enough so that the ceiling was invisible through the darkness. It was lined with rows upon rows upon rows of shelves that ran from ceiling to ground, and that ran from horizontal wall to horizontal wall, packed full of treasure. Heaps of uncut, unpolished jewels were gathered here and there along the stone floor, as if they were just unordinarily shiny rocks. Suits of rusty looking armor were ranged against the far wall. A set of silver goblets was precariously tipped over on the nearest shelf.
The whole place had an air of long-lost splendor. The metal was rusty, the jewelry and precious metals stained with age. Bloom felt a sudden pang of loss. Here was her history, a history she would never truly know. She could almost feel the presence of her ancestors, generations of kings that had both destroyed and nurtured Sparx. Suddenly feeling businesslike, she walked briskly to the seventeenth row, where what she was looking for rested.
Ugh. A spider had apparently found this shelf homey. Bloom gingerly cleaned away the webs, then maneuvered her hand to the back of the shelf, feeling around for her query.
Finally feeling the delicate velvet covering of the jewelry box, she pulled it out, accidentally brushing something to the floor.
"Oops, my bad." Bloom bent down to pick the thing up. "Oh wow…"
A glinting gold locket on a golden chain sat in the palm of her hand. It was about an inch wide, shaped like a plump heart, hinges on one side and a clasp on the other. The cover was carved with a strange insignia that she had only once seen before.
She gasped in horror, dropping the locket with a clatter.
The insignia was an ornate sword, and bows and arrows, dripping with…blood.
January 30 2006; Solarian Palace; A FEW HOURS BEFORE…
Stella stretched luxuriously on her quilted bedspread, then checked the clock on her bureau. Seven thirty nine A.M. Early. Huh. She wondered what she was doing up so early on a Saturday morning.
Sudden memory seized her. Bloom. That's why she was up so early. Last night, there had been a news report on some major chemical spill and an earthquake on Sparx. The story was supposed to continue this morning on the eight o' clock news. She hadn't wanted to miss it. Still about twenty minutes to shuffle out to her plasma screen in the boudoir.
Resisting the urge to fall back asleep, she pulled on her fluffy pale green bathrobe resentfully walked over to the sitting room next door.
On the way, she caught sight of herself in a mirror and shuddered. Mucho makeover needed. She made a mental note to book a spa sometime soon. Her hair was starting to feel limp, and her mani needed updating; glitter so wasn't in anymore. Now that she thought about it, her wardrobe could use a new miniskirt or two. And some knee high boots, they were totally back to life. Oh, and a cute little black hoodie from Abercrom bie & Witch. Kinda scary in there, but some totally kissilicious stuff…
She jerked her head away from the mirror. Focus! She ordered herself. Now is not the time to think about some new boots. No matter how much they're needed. She wandered over to the silk and leather couch by the T.V, and flopped down, switching it on. She tuned in to Channel 176, the Magic Around the Dimension station. The screen blinked to reveal Donna Caronna, the anchorwoman. With her petite stature, wind blown ruby red hair and big green eyes, she reminded Stella a bit of Amore gone whacked. The little theme music played, and a brief weather report started.
"…and now for the story of Sparx's big spill. On the eve of January 28, a huge quake rocked the southern end of Sparx, causing a few factories that stored NBr3, a highly explosive compound that is used in the electronics industry, to explode. Those few factories caused devastation to several cities in and around the area.
Even this moment, search and rescue teams are looking for anyone trapped in the debris, and clean up crews are clearing the area. The compound is resistant to all types of magic, so the work is going rather slowly. So far, no one has died from this disaster, though quite a few are injured.
The Queen of Sparx herself, Bloom Archos, is pitching in with her government sent crews, and is clearing debris alongside the citizens of her realm.
" Her Head of National Security and top General, Bellus Ocissor, is live with us in Sparx at this very moment."
Stella watched as the face of a violet eyed woman covered in a surgical mask and cap filled the screen.
" Hello, Donna. The situation in Sparx is getting slightly better by the hour. The work has been arranged into shifts, and half of the affected area should be cleared by early next week. We have thousands of people that have volunteered from all over the dimension to help with the relief effort.
Though many have been put out of their houses and jobs by these unfortunate incidents, hope for a full recovery is bright on the horizon."
A/N: So how do you guys like it? Bad or good or mediocre? I know the verses aren't all that awesome, but what can I say, I'm not cut out to be a poet. Sorry again about the huge gap in updates.
I got the idea of the chamber and part of its description from the book Prince Caspian, from the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. (I disclaim that, not mine); and some of the first verse resembles the verse on Gringott's door in Harry Potter, doesn't it? I didn't mean it that way, but I guess it just came out subconsciously, lol. I disclaim that too, just in case.
(: Bee