Undone by a Broken Angel

38.) Grand Entrance

“You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.”

-Psalm 45:1

Abigail:

Abe pushes the doors open with a great heave as they swing inside.  Most of the room is red- a decorative red wallpaper.  Lanterns hang off the walls and give the surrounding area a golden glow, while a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling gives off a white light.  The floor is a golden brown wood, shiny from just being polished.  The long table sits in the center of the room, four people already seated and staring at me.

The men, sitting stiff in their formal attire, suddenly stand and smile at me with awe and admiration.  They, however, look stunning together.  All of them look very different- as people should.  They all look like angels with their wings poking out from behind them.  I see tan wings, brown wings,  and auburn wings.  Unfamiliar faces look at me in astonishment and I look back at them with a placid expression, trying to keep the anger that boils within me at bay.

Abe pulls me along and seats me at the head of the table.  We all sit at the same time.  The plates and utensils are all made of silver and the glasses are crystal.  Nathanael had taught me to keep my hands in my lap until the food was on my plate, his words repeating themselves in my mind as a reminder.  I do as they say, trying not to draw more attention to myself.  

I notice David first, he looks just like Abe, since he’s sitting directly across from me at the other end of the table.  He didn’t leave a good impression with me earlier today with all the dirty things he said to me.  Even now he’s looking at me and there’s something in his eyes that tells me he’s thinking of something he shouldn’t be.  The other three have an obvious difference in age.  The red head looks to be the youngest, while the oldest looks to be in his sixties.  The last one has light brown hair and he’s in about his forties, but he’s extremely handsome.  These are the men I’m supposed to choose a husband from?  I try not to appear disappointed or intimidated.

That’s when Dianna makes her entrance.  There are service doors behind me and I hear her push a cart as she makes her way into view. “Good evening, everyone,” Dianna breaks the silence.  “I trust you all have had a wonderful day thanks to the beautiful and talented Abigail Grace.”

The old one twitches at the mention of my name.  Am I really that important to them?  I suppose so considering that they were spread about the continent looking for me..

Dianna carts around our meals and begins placing them on our plates.

“Princess Abigail, may I introduce you to everyone?” Abe asks.  He doesn’t wait for a response.  “This is Joshua,” he says, pointing to the youngest one.  He looks really close to my age.  “He is our artist.  He’s been working on restoring some paintings in Eden against Nathanael’s wishes, but he has currently been working on his own work, trying to keep our culture alive.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Joshua says, his grey eyes shining at me.

I smile at him and then nod.

Abe points to the man on David’s left who has the light brown hair.  “This is Samuel.  He’s a loyal and brave soldier that guarded many women and children back during the height of the war.”

I think he’s too shy.  He nods and flashes me a quick smile.  His blue eyes avoid me, but I know it’s only because he’s bashful.

Dianna places my meal on my plate last.  “Enjoy,” she whispers.

Abraham addresses the old man seated next to me on my left.  “This is Paul.  He was an Admirable of the main army, so he will be by your side whenever you travel.”  He certainly is fit for the job.  Despite his age, he is hands down the strongest man in the room.  His muscles are showing through his shirt.  For some reason he reminds me of something now that I take a good look at him, and he’s looking at me with incredible awe.  It’s much different than how the others are looking at me.  This is like a look of unbelief.  This looks and feels like unconditional love and I’m not sure how to accept it.  I squirm uncomfortably in my hard chair.

“And you already know David,” Abe interrupts my thoughts.  “He’s our magic specialist, as you know.”

“I hope your hands feel better,” David smiles at me.

I nod and show my appreciation.

“You came here injured, Princess?” Paul asks.  His voice is gruff but pleasant.

“Yes,” I say nervously.  “Unfortunately Abraham and I had a run-in with some reapers a few days ago.”

“Well what happened?” David demands to know.

“Yes, dear, please tell us.  I still haven’t gotten the whole story,” Dianna insists, sitting down next to Paul.  This suddenly feels like how a family would sit down to eat and it abates my anger for a second.  I haven’t sat around at a table with a family in years.  I didn’t know I missed it so much.

And then the feeling passes when their request computes.  They want me to tell the story?  Everyone looks at me, but I have to tell them in order to show that I am capable of being their future queen.  I swallow my fear and relate the story to them from start to finish, leaving out the charged moments between Abe and me.  Abe, sitting across from me on the other end of the table, looks relieved.  “And now,” I say.  “I’d like to hear how you arrived so ill.”

They all looked at each other for a speaker. David takes the role.  “We were all followed, rounded up like cattle.”

“In a lonely place.  No human settlement anywhere.  All the reaper groups that had been following us combined, leaving us gravely outnumbered.”  Paul continues, taking up the story with ease.

“We barely made it out with our lives,” David continues.  “We had to get back here sick, but we made it.  We could feel the illness building in our systems.”

Joshua’s young voice chimes into the story, “We didn’t know what they wanted from us.  They took some feathers before infecting us with whatever disease they had bottled up.  They left us to die tied up.  Thankfully, David still had some strength left.”

Abe sighs, “He’s always full of determination, whether or not he has the energy for it.”

The group laughs and I smile at their comradery.  It’s nice to see them together finally.

I don’t like hearing, however, that their feathers were taken.  What could that mean?  What would they want with them?  Abe had mentioned on the way here that the reapers evolved.  Could they be planning on doing that soon?  A negative chill runs down my spine.

“We need to get back to the village as soon as possible,” I say, fear and anger coursing through my veins.  Eden is the only safe place for us.  The bunker can’t keep us here forever.  

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Abe replies, a hesitant expression on his face.

Nothing ever is.  I’ve grown tired of asking why.  I’ve forgotten about my food, so I take a bite and take delight in the simple pleasures of life.  How long will I be protected in hidden places?  How long will I be able to rest in one place without worry?

Dianna gets up and takes our plates away, replacing them with a dessert.  I poke the cake with my fork, my mind too loud to enjoy it.  Why did my music help everyone?  Would it be helpful in front of reapers?  Would it harm them?  How can I take a piano with me?  I can’t exactly carry one around on my back.        

“What’s wrong, Abigail?” asks Paul.

I look up at him and brighten my face up.  “I’m just thinking,” I reply with a phony smile.

Everyone looks at me, their eyes pleading for a better answer.  I don’t have one.  They know more than I ever will, but they’re relying on me.  How can my music help, then, besides casting away demons?  I can’t think with all of them staring at me.  I don’t know what to do, what to say, how to act.  It reminds me of the day Abe came to my ballroom.  Only then, I had escaped with him.  I feel incredibly trapped here, with all these eyes sealing me to my chair.  I fight the urge to flee.   Maybe I just need to be away and take a moment to think.  How could I think I was ready for this?  They all think I can do something incredible, but I don’t know enough about myself to even start.  And now Abraham is leaving me and it’s all too much for me to handle.

“So,” David directs at me, clearly changing the subject.  “Would you like to court me first?”

My fork slams down and I’m suddenly on my feet, the chair skidding against the floor with a clatter. 

The room is deadly silent.

How dare they demand romance from me so soon.  How dare he, a man clearly almost twenty years older than me, try to lay claim on me moments after I make my grand entrance.  There’s so much rage rolling out of me that the entire room looks at me with wide, scared eyes.  

“I am not a toy!”  I yell, my voice growing into a scream the more I reprimand.  “I am not a prize for you to fight over and I certainly am not going to let you pull me around.  I’ll stay single until I’m an old decrepit lady before I give thought to marrying you, David.”

He doesn't look sad or angry at my outrage.  Rather, he has a glint in his eyes that makes me even more irate.  I can’t let him look at me anymore.  I can’t be in the same room as him.

Before I can do any more damage to my image, I storm out of the dinning hall and retreat to my room, looking for complete silence.  I need peace.