THE ORACLE

Discoveries

Ever since Ariana had been a little girl, Silas had been worried who she would get married to. Even though he had never shown his concern, like every other father he had hoped that she would find somebody who was brave and who would love his daughter more than anyone else. Ryan fit his requirements. He was powerful, determined and handsome. Also he wanted Ambrosia almost as badly as a child wanted candies. If he could lure Ryan into marrying his daughter, it would be beneficial for both the Kingdoms.

"Get Martha!" he ordered.

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Ariana did not know what had made Ether so pale. The last thing that she wanted to find out was that Michael was some hoax of a man who was upto no good. It was almost as if she hoped that Ether would approve of him even though she didn't even know him.

After a dramatic pause of about four minutes, Ether said, "This man that you met, is immune to my magic."

Ariana looked at her with a frown on her head.

"What do you mean?" she enquired.

"Ari, I can't tell you much about this man because he is immune to my magic. I can't get in his head or even trace his location. The only thing that I am certain of as of now is that he could be pretty dangerous. So I would advise you to take full precautions and avoid meeting him till I can gather more information about him." Ether said with a dismal look on her face.

Ariana nodded her head. Somehow, she knew that Ether was dead serious about the restraints that she had to put on herself and even though a part of her was sad, almost heartbroken, she wouldn't do anything that could harm her or her father. Or so she thought.

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King Silas had prepared Ambrosia for the probable entry of a suitor. Although he hadn't told Ryan of his direct intentions, everyone in the Kingdom knew that it had to be a special visit.

Ryan could see Ambrosia from afar and as always, he sighed at her beauty. Sometimes he felt jealous of Silas, sometimes he laughed at himself for thinking he'd ever be able to snatch it from him, sometimes he just gasped at how it looked. Ryan had come unarmed. Deep down in his heart he knew that even if he did carry arms, he could be easily defeated in the land of magic. He reached the palace entrance.

King Silas stood there, his arms wide open in Ryan's welcome. Ryan couldn't believe that a man who he'd try to conquer would treat him with such joy. As he entered he gaped at the hallways. They weren't like the usual ones that could be found anywhere. The finest marbles adorned the floors, the most beautiful pearls were embedded on each pillar, the courtroom was huge and has a big, round, well-lighted chandelier in the center. He could only wish to have this palace for himself.

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Poor Martha. As soon as she'd found out that the King had invited a suitor for his little girl, she'd started to believe that this man was the reason for Ariana's sudden interest in grooming.

Ariana, on the other hand, was baffled why her father would be so eager to find a match for her so soon. She has planned that she'd fall in love, have romantic getaways, a proper love story of her own before she got married. But here she was, being dressed in the finest frills that she'd ever worn, waiting for a man to like her enough to marry her.

As soon as Ariana entered the courtroom, Ryan and her eyes met. This was the man from the woods. The sexist, rude boy who'd refused to fight with her. Immediately she made a stern expression.

Ryan couldn't believe what he saw. In front of him stood one of the finest woman that he'd seen, dressed like a queen, and yet somehow uncomfortable in the attire that she was wearing. He felt like he has seen her somewhere but couldn't place her exactly.

The King cleared his throat. "This is my daughter Ryan. I'd like you to meet her. Her name is Ariana and she is pleased to meet you. "

Ariana glared at her father. She wasn't pleased at all. She had better things to do than to get married to a sexist man.

"It is a pleasure to meet such a lovely girl Your Majesty." Ryan said politely.

Silas carried on, " Now that the peace truce has been signed, you might as well get to see my palace. Ari shall take you around on a tour." He stared at Ari. This was her cue.

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