“Remember what I told you,” Jesse says while lightly dragging me towards the castle door. “Just follow my lead and only speak when spoken to. Are you okay? Please don’t throw up on me because that’s gross.”
That makes me smile. “I’m fine. I’m f-fine. Just a little shaken about this whole thing. Your Dad will be in there, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll be sitting right next to King Alexander.”
With one last look at Jesse, I take a deep breathe and walk into the castle with him at my side.
“What is the reason for your entering?” A man, about eighteen, asks, coming out of no where and preventing us from entering the castle. His eyebrows are raised while sparks of irritation flare in his dark cold eyes.
“I’m here to inform the King of our arrival. We just landed in Argatha and according to the law, which I’m sure you know and were forced to study in the first grade, we must notify the council. So if you could kindly get the hell out of our way, I won’t call the King out here to make you move.” Jesse’s eyes don’t leave his face.
”You can’t talk to me like that Dalton. I’m a knight. You’re just a mere schoolboy. I can have you put on trial for this,” he sneers.
”For what? Sassing you?” Jesse laughs and walks around the boy and pushes open the castle doors. “Oh Jules, you continuously suprise me every time I see you. Oh and next time, lay off the hair gel. It’s not a good look for you.”
When we’re inside I spin on my heels and hit my palms against his chest. “Why in the world were you so snippy to him? Jeez Jesse it looked like you were ready to murder him on the spot if you had the chance. He just asked what we were doing.” I whisper furiously. We are standing in a softly lit corridor with nothing but the torches on the walls to witness us.
He throws his head back and laughs. “That’s Julius Santiago. He’s a whore.”
My eyes bug out and I’m speechless until I realize he’s joking. Laughter comes in waves until we are both sighing and leaning our backs on the tile walls. “Okay seriously. Why do you hate him? And don’t tell me ‘because he’s a whore’ again or so help me, I'll walk out of here by myself.”
“Okay like I said, that’s Julius Santiago and yes he’s a whore, but he’s much worse than just that. Basically, he’s a guy version of Heather Winslow, just a tad bit worse. He used to live next door to me in Oregon and he’s hated me since birth. In pre-school he spit on my arm and I punched him in the face, since then it’s just been a continuous battle of stupid pranks and crap. Until my Dad told me he was like me, he belonged in this world. So now we see each other all the time and it totally sucks ass.”
I laugh and shake my head at such a simple yet stupid answer. “So that’s why Julius Santiago is a whore? Because he spit on your arm in pre-school?”
“All in all yes. That is exactly why Julius Santiago is a whore so are his friends Keegan and Jude. Oh and he’s gay by the way. I found that out the hard way we he kissed me in eighth-grade. That’s a totally different story for a totally different day, however.”
“Wait just tell me the story. I love some Argatha gossip. Soothes my nerves,” I joke, though I am actually interested in learning about Jesse kissing a boy.
The right side of his face quirks into a smile and the crinkles around his eyes define his jaw line as he leans against the wall and takes a deep breathe. “Okay so you know how he spit on my arm in pre-school, and how we’ve hated each other since forever? Well he thought it was all a scam, a cover-up basically. He thought I had feelings for him. So when I lived in OregonI was at our school football games. I was walking to get my girl-friend a pretzel when he, like, totally pushed me behind a bleacher where no one could see us. His eyes were frantic and wild and he was yelling at me to just ‘say it’. I was confused at why this stupid hoe that I’ve hated all my life was suddenly screaming at me in private with such a weird look in his eyes. It was weird look dripping desire, because he wanted me. Though I didn’t realize until like two days later. I thought he was going to kill me to be completely honest, because I had just put caterpillars in his gym bag a few weeks prior. But when I was about to blurt out an apology he kissed me for a pretty long time. And ho-ly-shit; that was the most awkward experience I’ve ever had. Then he pulled away and ran, and we haven’t spoke of it since. He’s still a jack-ass and I’m still a bigger jack-ass, but at least it’s not awkward between us. That would be even worst. We’ve just come to a mutual hate at this point. And by the way we need to get a move on, time is ticking.”
What the hell? “What the hell? What the fucking hell Jesse. Are you gay?”
“No I’m not gay Scarlett. I’m six-thousand percent straight and have no interest in that category, but thank you for asking. But we must go right this second. Now we’re about to go through that door down there, that’s where King Alexander is. You ready for this?”
“Let’s just get it over with. I don’t even care I just want to be done with it.” This balls of nervousness that previously ate at my stomach have dissolved and now I’m just anxious and a little frazzled from that story. I want to look around more and drink in the beauty of Argatha. I don’t want to have to associate myself with a king.
Arms linked we stroll down the corridor and push open the door of the ballroom.
The King is was actually not that bad looking. His eyes shone from where she stood and crinkles wrinkled his tan skin. He sits atop a golden throne decorated with silver spikes outlining its stunning features. His laughter can be heard from the pavilion outside the castle, shaking its sturdy quarters. Crimson sauce of some sort stains his beard as he shovels forkfuls of food into his open mouth. The council room is small and hot with men surrounding the king on benches. Quite chatter is whispered throughout the hall but mostly it’s silently besides the King’s bodacious laughter. Nobody pays any mind to us as we stroll in.
Jesse clears his throat and bends his knee. He gives me a sideway glance and I do the same. “Your Grace. I am honored to stand before you.”
The King looks up from his plate down at us with warm but piercing green eyes and a shaggy beard. “Rise. Speak your name child.”
“I am Jesse Dalton and this is my friend. We are here to inform you that we have just entered Argatha through the northern portal approximately thirty minutes ago.”
The King stares at Jesse and then turns his attention to me. “And what is your name sweetling?” he asks me.
“Scarlett.” I stammer. “—Your Grace, I meant.” Jesse specifically told me to address him properly. Heatflames at my cheeks and my hands shake, scared witless of what he’s going to say.
The King drops his fork creating utter silence of the room. Everybody turns to look at me including Jesse. The council members’ eyes burn holes in my face.
“Jesus Scarlett. How could I have missed it. The eyes, the hair, the attitude. Dammit you were right in front of my face, oh my god.” Jesse backs away from me his eyes as big as apples. “Scarlett. Scarlett Anderson, it all makes sense.” he whispers.
Nothing makes sense. Why is everyone staring at me? “What are you saying?” The entire council is staring at me, there jaws next to their ankles. “Your Grace what is—” Breathe escapes me and my stomach rolls on the floor behind my feet. I sink to my knees and tell myself to breathe but I can’t. It’s impossible, the air has been sucked out of the room and I’m suffocating. I heave over and over while black dots sprinkle my outer vision. All I remember is my Dad lying in the casket while I sat by him and cried until my heart ached unbearably. My Mom sleeping for days and days on end; too weak to tackle her grief. The funeral. It was closed casket. I never got to see him. God Bless I never got to get one last look at him. I look up and see a man with green eyes. Green eyes I haven’t seen in years. Green eyes with bronze hair that matches my own. Green eyes that are supposed to be closed in a wooden casket fifteen feet under the ground. “Daddy,” I choke out. “Dad what is going on?”
YOU ARE READING
Eversweet ♥
Teen FictionScarlett Heywood really just can't bear society. Her best friend is in love with her, and the new guy she likes doesn't even acknowledge her existence. But when she finds out she belongs to a different world, another universe. Is she willing to give...
