Took a long time to write this. Anyway, hope you like it! Please review, tell me what you like, and what you don't like. I can take critisism, trust me. : )
PureElement
Chapter 3
"Ouch! Jesus, woman! Do ya have ta pull so hard?!" Mara practically screamed at the maid who was lacing her corset.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but if it isn't tight enough the dress won't fit!" the maid said, already terrified of Mara's temper (which, amazingly, was even shorter than Alanna's). Finally, Mara stood in a maroon dress with a fairly low cut -while still being modest- with a ruby pendant hung from a string and matching earrings. A black bodice surrounded her waist. The skirt of the dress did not flare, but clung to her hips and fell gracefully. The sleeves were like those you hear about in fairy tales. They were tight around the arms and came to a point at the middle finger, connecting to the ring that lay there. She had a gun strapped to her hip as the king had said she could. She fingered her black hair, which she insisted be left alone and hanging down her back.
"You look stunning, milady." the maid whispered. Mara turned and smiled at her.
"Thank you. Oh, and I'm sorry for yelling at you so much, earlier. Um, while I'm here, would you like to be my personal maid?" she said. The young maid's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, yes, yes! I'd love that! Oh, thank you so much madam!" A knock sounded on the door. The maid, who's name is Estrell, went to open it. There stood Sir Raoul.
"Um, yes, hello. I'm here to take Lady Ana-Mara to the ball. Do you know where she is?"
"I'm right here." Mara said as she appeared at the door. Raoul's breath caught. She was the most stunningly beautiful woman he had ever seen, and that included Thayet.
"My Lady Ana-Mara, I am Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak."
"I know."
"Um, yes. Well, come on then, we don't want to be late." Mara took the offered arm as they took off for the ball room.
15 minutes later.
"Announcing, Her Majesty Queen Ana-Mara Julio of the Deadly Rose, of Los Angeles, of California, of the United States of America and Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak!" the herald called. The room went dead quiet, all people rose, even Jon and Thayet. Everyone wanted to see this foreign queen.
JON'S PERSONEL POV
I watched her walk down the stairs, the picture of perfection. She was most defiantly a queen. She held herself regally and had the air of a person used to being in command. She walked up to me, but instead of bowing or curtsying like others did, she just gave a slight nod.
"King Jonathan." she addressed me, her voice ringing throughout the ballroom.
"Queen Ana-Mara, I hope your stay here is pleasant and your standards are met well." I said back.
Then she walked away and soon found herself surrounded by young, hopeful men.
It was only a few minutes into the ball that I felt cold steel against my neck.
MARA'S POV
Mara found herself immensely bored with the young man she was speaking to now. He treated her like a court lady, not the queen of a gang. Suddenly her back started to itch and Mara tried to scratch it but ended up turning in her seat instead. What she saw brought forth the same feeling she had that last night in L.A., utter anger. Two big men were holding knives to Jon and Thayet's throats.
"Jon!" she yelled. This got peoples attention. Some woman screamed and men immediately started for the royal couple. Mara stopped them. If there was one thing she knew how to handle; it was this.
"What do you want?" Alanna asked, as Mara snuck up on the one holding Jon. She had given the gun strapped to her thigh to Raoul and had the one from her waist in her hand.
Swiftly Mara placed the barrel at the man's temple, Raoul did the same for the man holding Thayet.
"I suggest, you put that knife away, yo." she whispered into his ear. The man froze and slowly let go on his grip of the king. Raoul's man was doing the same.
Alanna and another knight, named Gary, bound their hands and set them down for questioning. The lady knight removed all spells meant to keep them from saying anything.
"Jon, may I please be the one to interrogate them?" Mara asked.
"Mara, you're not a knight and you don't work in any law enforcement at all. There are people with more experience than you." Jon told her.
"You have no idea, how much experience I have in this." she said looking away "You have no idea." Her voice bore extreme sorrow, at least for one who's emotions are almost frozen.
Jon was intrigued. "What do you mean?"
"My mom and dad were killed by some people sent by Ninth Street. I was to late to save them, but was able to get some things out of the assassins. The same thing happened to my little brother, he lived though. I've had to deal with these things more than anybody in law enforcement." she said. Jon decided to let her have a go at it, but only if they could watch.
"So what's your names?" she started.
"My name's Lonen." one with blonde hair and grey eyes said "An' tha's Billy." Billy had mud brown hair and green eyes.
"I'm Queen Ana-Mara. And I'd really like to know, WHAT THE HECK YOU WERE DOING IN THERE!" Jon cringed at her voice, this lady was scary when she wanted to be.
"N..nothing, madam." Lonen said.
"NOTHING! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOU WERE HOLDING THE KING AND QUEEN WITH KNIVES TO THEIR THROATS! YOU CALL THAT NOTHING?! NOW WHO THE HELL SENT YOU?!" At this Lonen seemed to remember that he wasn't supposed to talk, no matter how terrified he was.
"That is not for you to know, milady." he said. Mara whipped out her gun, pointing it threateningly at him.
"You tell me, or I blow your brains out."
"Pah, you can't do that. I can't believe we were actually scared of a lump of metal."
"Lump of metal huh?" Mara aimed for the floor right in front of him and pulled the trigger. Stone chips flew. Lonen looked down at the new mark, now realizing how easily he could be killed by that thing. He started to shake. "Now will you tell me?" she asked.
He nodded. "Our employer wanted this to be a warning. He said we were just to scare the court and then disappear."
"What did he look like? Did he give you a name?"
"Didn't see 'is face. But he said his name was Alex something."
"Thank you two very much." then she yelled for a guard "Take these two down to their cells." Jon, Thayet, Alanna, Raoul and Gary entered the room. Where Mara stood, white with fury.
"Good job." Alanna praised.
"It's the same thing that happened to my parents." she whispered. "The same thing. They sent a warning first and killed them the second time."
"Oh, I'm sorry Mar..." Thayet started. Mara cut her off, by shooting a round in the wall, then storming off to her room.
"She's really upset about some thing." Raoul observed, feeling very worried "I'm going to go talk to her. I have a feeling that if we don't some thing bad is going to happen."
When Raoul came to her room, he heard sobbing from inside. Opening the door carefully, he found Mara, just lying in a heap on the floor, crying her heart out. He went up to her, pulling her into his arms.
"I'm sorry, Mara. I'm so sorry."