Options
1180 Words
I was awakened very early, Paul wanted me to get ready and head to the grand hall. As I headed to the grand hall, I could hear all of the handmaidens running around nervously.
"We will have a grand ball tonight," Paul said.
"Why?" I asked.
"To celebrate you of course," Paul said. I didn't believe him at all. He gave him this suspicious smile and told me to prepare myself. Venus and Samantha led me to the grand bath and helped me get clean. Soon, after they helped me get dressed. It was a light blue one shoulder long sleeve gown. Venus put my hair up and then they both got dressed. We walked out, right as the ball had gotten into full swing. Paul was standing with three young men.
"No," I cried out.
"Don't worry, this is still only your choice to make," Maze said. "You just have some options now."Paul was signaling me to walk towards him. I hesitated but Maze grabbed my hand and led me to where Paul and the young men were.
"Alexandria," Paul said."This is Edmund of Alia, Aero from the planet Nix, and V from the planet Nem. I looked them all over and I couldn't deny they were all extremely handsome. They all kissed my hand and kept this sincere smile on their faces. I tried to smile back but I knew that if anything intrigued them about me it was nothing compared to my phoenix spirit. We all talked together for a bit before Venus and Samantha came to get me. I was so happy to get away from the four of them. Venus and Samantha had surprised me by inviting my friends Mina and Stelle. I was very happy to see them. We talked almost the entire night, in between having to dance with the three you men Paul introduced me too. Paul, seeing I was ignoring my new options came to speak to me.
"Alexandria, I need you to choose one of these men as your king," he said.
"Excuse you, he would be my queen," I said. "Why them?
"They were from important and noble families," he told me.
"So there is no one else?" I questioned.
"The first choice would have been someone from the high council but there is no one suitable at the moment," he explained. "So, these young men are the next option." I knew why Len and Red weren't suitable. They were a lot older and both were considering removing their spirit bond but what about Cloud. I didn't want to ask Paul about Cloud but I was curious why he wasn't an option. He is older, obviously but he has stopped aging so he looks around my age still. My mother was way younger then my father so it seemed okay in that sense. I thought about it over and over. "Should I ask about Cloud." I left it alone, once and for all.
The grand hall was spectacularly decorated for this event. I began to admire the lights that looked like stars on the palace ceiling. Every minute or two they flew to a different spot. Some even fell and landed on another side of the room. I was following one that had just flown from the ceiling and as I turned to see where it would land when I saw the deep blue eyes of the man I had been thinking about all night.
"Who is that?" Mina asked me.
"Huh?" I asked. I didn't quite hear her as I wasn't paying attention to anything other than Cloud's handsome face.
"That guy," Stelle pointed.
"Stelle, why would you point at him," I said.
"Well, who is he?" they both asked.
"His name is Cloud, he is the high council member for Caligo," I said. They were impressed but sad because they knew they couldn't approach, let alone have a future with a high council member. I think Cloud knew we were talking about him because he would smile at me whenever I looked over at him. He was always good looking but lately, all I thought about was his chiseled face, strong toned body, and blonde hair. He always had an intense stare like he was always ready to fight but he was kind and I knew he was caring. He cared about my mother and the stories she told me about him made me love him. I always thought he was like my brother the way my mother spoke of him but I knew the minute I saw him, I would never see him as a brother. After a few glances, Cloud came towards us.
"Hello," he said softly. His voice was gentle but I have heard it when he gets angry. It changes into this fierce and harsh deep tone. I was more scared of his gentle tone, that voice could make you weak and vulnerable all at once.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked me.
"Sure," I said very low. I thought he might have not heard me but he did. He took my hand and led me to the center of the grand hall. The music playing wasn't slow but it was mid-tempo and soft. It sounded peaceful and tranquil though. He took my hands and looked into my eyes. He guided me and I followed willingly. At one point he leaned me back and circled me around until I came back up. My hands went over his head and then I placed them on his cheeks. I noticed we were standing much closer now. We swayed along with the music and I felt like I was flying. Once the song was over Paul approached us.
"It's nice to see you Cloud," Paul said sounding a bit sarcastic.
"I'm glad," he said with his smooth unaffected tone.
"Well, Alexandria, I have arranged for you to spend the next coming days with Edmund, Aero, and V," Paul said to me.
"Great," I said through my teeth. Paul then left and Cloud took me outside.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, most days I am but I miss them every day," I told Cloud. "How do I live my life without them. I wonder how my father did it when he killed his father."
"It's not like he actually killed him," Cloud said.
"Felt like it to me," I told him. "How would you know anyways."
"You did a ritual that both of you knew and agreed upon even if it wasn't what you really wanted," he said. "I know what it is like to kill your father and take their life for no purpose what so ever, other than you being a monster and a murder," he said with a bit of anger coming from his voice.
"You killed your father?" I asked him still unable to believe what he just said.
"Not just him but my entire family. My mother and my little sister," he said. "I guess your mother didn't tell you everything about me."
"I guess not," I said stunned.
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