God's Game

CHAPTER 11: Festival of Faux

CHAPTER 11

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As mother approached us, I could sense that she is fuming mad about Ahry's choice of attire for this occasion. Ahry always did what she wanted, and I have always admired her for it. As long as she is in the right, she will stand her ground even if it means going against mother and father such as her choice of clothes. Even though I am her big sister, I look up to her when it comes to being fierce and firm.

"Mother." Ahry greeted with a teasing smile plastered on her face. Her eyes lingered on Ahry as she calculated what she is going to say. She knows Ahry did this on purpose and Ahry knows mother would be annoyed by this because the higher class is supposed to wear something formal.

Mother smiled, "Ahry, what are you wearing?" She said through gritted teeth. "Did I not ask Arlette to send you an assemblage of clothes?"

"She did, and she helped me stitch this," she gestured at her half-suit half-ballgown "beautiful raiment." she smirked.

"Disrespect me all you want, Ahry but not in a public gathering such as this one." Her eyes burned through Ahry yet she tried to remain calm. We are in the middle of a crowded place after all.

"This is not disrespect, mother. What's disrespect is you saying that my choice of clothes is inappropriate because you deem it to be." Ahry remarked while raising an eyebrow. Mother seemed offended by that statement.

"Alright, that's enough." Father stepped in before mother could utter another word. "It is too late now to make her go back to the temple and change her clothes, don't you think? Just let it be, Aurelia." Father calmly said to mother. "And admit that your daughter made a gorgeous dress."

Mother looked at him in shock. Father raised his eyebrows at her in response. Realizing that there is no changing his mind, she gave up and exhaled while closing her eyes. "Ahry," she said confidently. "that dress is indeed stunning."

"Thank you, mother." Ahry shyly smiled back.

"Father told us about your decision." I decided to step in. Mother turned to my direction. "We are agreeing to it, but if something bad happens to father" I took a step forward so I can look her in the eye. "Do not consider me as your child anymore." I whispered just enough so she can hear me clearly.

She remained stern. "I assure you Arla, your father will succeed on this diplomatic mission" she turned to father and smiled "like he always does."

"You heard her kids," father clapped his hands together in an energetic way. "trust your mother like how you trust me."

They are not wrong. Father always succeeds in these missions and he always comes back in one piece. However this one is different. This is Havendell we are talking about; a Havendell that was left in ruins after the guild was annihilated and the Unseen was casted out. Story has it that The Hand decimated it in anger after they rebelled against him.

The rumor that the guild resurfaced adds to our worry as well. Also, what Ahry and Nicolous claim that they saw in the cells under the temple is making me anxious. Right now, I am standing in the middle of a crowd in my maroon long dress trying to contain my paranoia.

"Please promise us you will do everything to make it back to us." Nicolous held father's hand. Father look down to him and held his hand tighter.

"I promise." He said and smiled. Nicolous seemed satisfied with father's word and smiled back.

"Alexander, you will be filling in General Forbisher's seat at the high council as the head of defense while we are away." Father announced which made Alexander's eyes widen in shock.

He blinked a few times, trying to process what father just said. "You are not joking, are you?"

"I am not. You are in the appropriate age for it, not to mention you are a great tactician. I have total confidence in you." Father shrugged.

Alexander looked back and forth at mother and father in awe. He was lost for words "I will do my best." He promised.

"Don't just do your best, do what you can. We'll be proud of you either way." Mother remarked. Alexander nodded and mother smiled at him.

"Arla," she turned to me. "you will take your father's seat in the high council while he is in the diplomatic mission."

My eyes were as wide as Alexander's now. "Really?" I had to ask to make sure and I got a nod in response. I'm beyond flabbergasted. We may be the youngest members that will be a part of that council, even if it's for a short while.

The council is a big deal because they make the decisions for the entire empire. They are in charge of resources, defense, establishments, education and even alliances and trades with other empires. To be part of it is both an honor and a responsibility. Right now, I feel honored.

"We will not disappoint you." Alexander swore.

"We will always be in our A-game." I said still in shock about the news.

They both smiled in comfort. Even though I have not completely agreed with mother about sending father on this mission, their faith on us mean a lot to me. They raised us to be independent, smart and fierce like them and this will be our chance to prove that they raised us well. Our bloodline has been leading Hustasia since it was established after the great war, this is the time that we exercise our responsibilities so we could prepare when it is our turn to run this empire.

You will slay this like always, Arla. I thought to myself.

This may be the first big task that they have given me. Alexander on the other hand has been tasked to bleach a lot of abandoned cities near our empire which he did thoroughly. Even though I am the eldest, we both have to be matured to look after our younger siblings and be prepared to take on mother and father's seat in the council when the time is right. What I like about Alexander is that he never seems to be pressured by our parents. He always comes through when it comes to the tasks that they give.

I'm pretty sure men and women in our empire try to get in his pants every time he is out of the temple. He is indeed eye candy. Just right now, a lot of guests have been turning their heads around looking at the chest-exposed Alexander. At times, he could be a flirt too. But that's our secret since our parents are expecting a lot from him.

"Follow me and I'll introduce you to some of our guests." Mother gestured us to follow her.

The Festival is an annual celebration and each time, the main empires send their representatives to celebrate with us.

We followed mother to one of the booths where we saw a lady straight drinking a mug of ale. She is a young looking woman with an average height. Her hair was blonde with black ends. When she put the mug down, I noticed that she is pretty as well.

"Rylene." Mother called. "I would like you to meet my family." She gestured at us.

"Oh my!" She exclaimed as she wiped the stray ale at the corner of her mouth "greetings to all of you! I am Rylene Pollock, a delegate from Thanatos." She shook our hands one by one. I could feel her hands were wet from the ale. "Oh my gosh, you are so lovely. I like your dress, it suits you perfectly. Plus those gold accessories ugh, girl you are slayin' it!" She stopped to scan me from head to toe.

The way she talks made me giggle; her Thanatos accent was evident. "Thank you. You are equally stunning, I like your hair."

"Oh please, it's nothing. I had it dyed last week. You should visit Thanatos so we could dye your hair too! Sunset orange would suit you, I can feel it. May I know your name?" She asked.

"Rylene, this is Arla, Alexander, Ahry and Nicolous. Kids this is Rylene." Mother introduced us. She did not get a chance to talk when Rylene babbled about.

"Oooooh Alexander." The tone of her voice dropped to sound flirty. "Are you single?" She asked which made Alexander shy.

"He is, and please Rylene, not my children. Utilize our brothels while you're here." Mother cuts in before Alexander could even talk which made Rylene roll her eyes.

"Oooh you're a cute one, Nicolous, was it?" She leaned closer to Nicolous and gave out a hand.

"Hi. Yes, my name is Nicolous." He shyly said and shook her hand.

"Cool. I like your suit. I'll buy you ice cream later, just don't tell mommy okay?" Rylene gestured to be quiet and Nicolous' face lit up.

"Rylene, you know that I'm standing right here, right?" Mother said which made Rylene laugh.

"Yeah I know, I just wanted to meet the kids." Her smile was erased when she saw Ahry. She looked down to her and noticed that Ahry seem to be reading her.

"Ahry, was it?" Rylene pointed at her. "I love that dress, did you make it?" She leaned in closer to Ahry who followed her with intense gaze. Ahry nodded in response. "I like kids who are creative." She gave her a smile and a thumbs up but Ahry doesn't seem convinced. They were staring at each other intensely.

"I'll be visiting Thanatos soon." Father interjects. Rylene gave Ahry a smirk and looked up to father.

"I heard. You will be sitting in the council for a while, I assume?" Rylene took another mug full of ale and drank it.

"Yes, general Forbisher and I will be at a few council meetings for a while."

"Good. Take care, Aegon." She said, staring at father's eyes. He gave a small nod in response.

"Well, we should get going now, Rylene. We have other guests to entertain." Mother declared.

"Oh could you please leave Alexander here. I don't want to get lonely, he can comfort me. Right, Alexander?" She purred in a flirty way.

"No, Alexander is coming with us. See you at the feast, Rylene." Mother waved her goodbye and Rylene gave her a nod without leaving her eyes off of Alexander.

Alexander gave her a flirty smirk before turning around to follow us which surprised me. "What was that? You aren't seriously thinking about going to bed with that woman, are you?" I whispered to him.

"I wanted to try someone from Thanatos, Arla. I heard they're great in bed." He chuckled which made my lips part in shock. Realizing he was serious, I just ignored his statement and turned my attention to Ahry.

"Ahry, why did you acted like that around Rylene?" My question made her turn around and look at me.

"Nothing. I was just trying to see if she was faking it." She shrugged. It was a typical thing Ahry would do. She never trusts someone instantly and never lets her guard down, which is perhaps the best thing to do in a world full of misleading people that could end up as your enemy.

"Calla, welcome to Hustasia." Mother greeted at a curly white-haired woman. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean and she looks as if she is soft spoken.

"Thank you, Aurelia." She softly said. I was right, she is soft spoken.

"Calla, I would like you to meet my family." Mother introduced us one by one and she also softly smiled at us one by one.

"A pleasure to meet you all, I am Calla Martyn from Atlantoss." She introduced herself. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. She travelled all the way from Atlantoss which must have taken weeks if she travelled by ship. "Lovely country. I've been here for a few days and I must say that I am enjoying myself."

"Thank you. I hope we could pay a visit to Atlantoss sometime." Mother told Calla.

"Yes, Atlantoss is equally beauteous. Please do visit it in your lifetime. The Nasiers are welcome there." She smiled and clasped her hands together.

"We will." Mother smiled back "Let's be at the table now, Calla. I will be giving my felicitations anytime now. Come let us escort you."

We were walking towards the long table when I noticed that the sky has turned. Earlier, it was a bright and sunny day, right now dark clouds reign in the sky. It looks like it is about to rain. I pray it won't because the people are enjoying themselves and the event hasn't even started yet.

As we were walking up the steps to the temple, a cold breeze touched my bare skin. I look up once again only to see that the remaining sunlight has been completely covered by dark clouds. I looked around and smiles were still flashed on the people's faces and their laughter were still competing with the loud music. They aren't noticing the darkness that is slowly engulfing the skies above them.

"Ahh, Sir Florent. I see you are already enjoying yourself." Mother greeted as we reached the long table. Sir Florent was already sitting next to Rylene who were both drinking mugs of ale. Calla took the empty seat beside him.

I was about to sit down when someone pulled the seat for me. "Let me get that for you, my lady." Said Zev, with a smirk on his face who was wearing a beige trench coat and a black turtle neck.

I giggled in response to his quirky attitude "Thank you, Zev."

"Not a problem, my lady. I must say that you look ravishing tonight." He complimented which made me giggle even more.

"Ravishing? Come on you can do better than that." I joked.

"My apologies. Your look is alluringly prodigious tonight, my lady." He corrected and held my hand to kiss it.

"Ugh gross." Ahry scowled from behind me.

We both look at her in surprise. "This is a feast, please do your flirting somewhere else and let us enjoy the food." Ahry remarked which made me embarrassed.

"Ahry!" I scolded.

Zev tilted his head in amusement. "It's okay, my lady. My apologies, Ahry."

"Why are you apologizing to her, brother?" Kanna butt in from behind Zev. "She still hasn't apologized to me for my hand." She showed us her cast which clashed with her pink dress and blue sapphire necklace.

"And why should I apologize to you, Kanna? You were asking for it. You should be grateful I didn't let Hibiscus bite you in the neck. Unfortunate because she loves the necks of bitches who don't know when to shut up." Ahry raised an eyebrow to tease Kanna more.

"Why you—" Kanna was about to attack Ahry but Zev stopped her.

"Enough Kanna. Sit beside mother and father already." He motioned her to leave. Kanna rolled her eyes at Ahry who was wearing a teasing smirk on her face and left. "I'm so sorry for my sister Ahry, she could be a brat at times"

"You mean most of the time." Ahry coldly replied as she took her seat.

Zev seemed to agree "Most of the time. I'm sorry, my lady. I'll make sure to correct my sister." He turned to me.

I nodded at him and he bowed his head in embarrassment before leaving.

As I took my seat, I looked at Ahry with glaring eyes, "you just had to push him away?"

"I don't like him." She said without looking at me.

"You mean you don't like his sister." I rebutted which made her turn to me.

"That," she raised a finger. "And the fact that I don't like him for you."

I was about to respond when mother rang her bell signifying that she is about to give her felicitations and formally start the festival. The grounds went quiet and the band stopped their music.

"Tonight, we are not only celebrating the end of a prosperous year and welcoming a new one, but also commemorating the founding anniversary of Hustasia." I watch as the crowd look up to our table as they listen amain to mother's speech.

"Tonight we show our gratitude to Lord Levi for watching over us and forgiving us for our sins. We give thanks to him for we still have roofs over our heads, food in our mouths and water when we're parched. We celebrate in his glory, and let us all remember his name as we dance in front of his temple. May he bless us more in this coming year." She raised her goblet of wine and drank it all. "Ladies and gentlemen, I now command the stalls to give out the foods and ale as the band serenades us. Praise be to Lord Levi."

"Praise be to Lord Levi." The crowd echoed, clapping their hands.

She gestured for the band to take center stage and start playing and the band obliged. The band played a calming music as the foods were being served.

The food on our table were served as well. Steak, roasted chicken and the like were served across our table. I glanced over to my right and saw my family and our guests enjoying their meal. To my left, the council and the Hudson family were already satisfying themselves with the food that were served for them.

I smiled when I caught Zev staring at me. I shyly waved at him which made him chuckle. His radiant smile and chocolate brown eyes made my heart flutter. The dimple in his cheeks appears whenever he smiles, one of the million reasons why his smile captivated my heart. I blushed when he winked at me and I shyly look away from him to avoid his gaze.

When I turned my head in front, I noticed a woman in a white robe was dancing to the soft melody that the band was playing. Her face was covered with a black cloth leaving only her eyes exposed. Her eyes were blank with dark circles underneath, and they never left our table as she continue to sway to the soft beat of the music. She was just looking at us with no expression at all.

"Who is that?" I leaned to Alexander to whisper him.

"No idea." Alexander shrugged as he took another bite of the steak.

The woman took off her mask and revealed her thin and pale lips. As she was dancing, I noticed that she was as pale as her white robe as if she had lost a lot of blood. She was also carrying a bag over her hips that had a huge bulge.

I glanced over mother who seemed to be entertained by the woman. Maybe she is part of the band. I reasoned to myself and look back at the dancing woman. The crowd seemed to be indulging in their food to notice the woman; the band was too occupied to notice that someone was dancing to their melody; and the guards were looking amused as they watch the woman.

When I looked back, she grabbed a dagger from her bag and danced with it. I became uncomfortable now and lost my appetite when I noticed that her blank eyes and unexpressive face never left our table. I started getting chills once again when a cold breeze touched my skin. I looked up and the gray skies had turned to black, the rain was waiting to fall.

I looked down once again when the crowd gasped in horror and the band stopped playing when the woman held the dagger over her open mouth as if she was attempting to eat it. She stopped when she realized everyone was staring at her and gave a wide smirk. She slowly turned her head in our direction once again but this time her eyes showed an expression—

madness.

Her eyes had an intense anger in them. Her pale lips were pursed now and the dagger was dangling above her head.

I turned to mother who became uncomfortable and started to motion at the guards to detain the woman who appears to be hostile.

I was puzzled and at the same time frightened with what is going on. Questions were lingering my mind as guards were walking towards the woman. The band's slow music did not help to calm me down either; my heart disobeyed the beat the band was making and pounded faster. Another cold breeze sent shiver down my spine.

Just before the guards could get to her, she threw the dagger to my mother which made everyone shriek in horror. I squealed when the loud thud of the dagger reverberated near me. Relief flowed through my body when I saw that the dagger had only hit mother's chair. Mother became stiff and pale in horror.

"You caused this!" The woman roared in anger. Her calm dancing was replaced with pouring madness. Her teeth gritted as she opened her bag.

The crowd gasped in horror and my stomach turned when she took out a decapitated head from her bag and threw it on the ground. The head rolled like a ball to the end of the staircase.

"You caused this!" The grounds were filled with murmurs as the screaming woman was dragged away by the guards. "You caused this!" She yelled, this time with pain in her voice.

The rain poured hard as I watch the woman get dragged by the guards and the head of the decapitated man staring at our table.