They Say I'm Home |Jay x Reader|

Chapter Twenty-Two, Cotillion

Y/N sat on a royal blue sofa with yellow pillows with the royal family's crest on it in a royal blue colour. Her arms were crossed across her chest as she anxiously tapped one of her fingers on her bicep. As the sunset and the stars covered the night sky, Y/N could feel the anxiety creeping up her spine.

After a few minutes had passed - although Y/N could have sworn it felt like hours - footsteps and the chatter of the guests filled her ears. She started nibbling on her nails slightly as her knee started to bounce up and down. The event was getting closer and closer, this was sign number one that it was only an hour or two away.

Y/N placed her hands down on her moving leg. She was letting her nerves get the best of her again. She knew everyone there, there was nothing to be afraid of. Everything was going to run perfectly fine and nothing bad was going to happen. This entire event was being broadcasted across the kingdom on live television so as long as she doesn't mess up everything's going to be fine.

Music was the second sign that the event was almost here - thirty minutes to be exact. And it was just her luck that she heard the DJ make his introduction before blasting his music for entertainment while everyone waited. Y/N glanced over at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Yep, she was right, thirty minutes left until her inevitable doom.

Y/N couldn't tell seemed to have sped up in her mind or slowed down. She glanced over at the clock every minute or so, her neck started to hurt from the number of times she craned her neck to check the time.

Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry as she heard the explosions of fireworks go off just above them with the combination of music playing and people talking, dancing and laughing. Ten minutes left, ten minutes before her fate would be forever sealed. Ten minutes away from forever becoming the Guardian of Auradon.

No. No, she can't think that way. She fought Chernabog months ago and won. If she was able to do that then she could definitely make it through a four to five-hour event.

Hopefully.

A knock on the door broke Y/N out of her trance. She turned her head towards the wooden door and watched as Nakoa stood up and answered it. His hands were shaking slightly as he reached for the gold doorknob. Nakoa took a deep breath before exhaling as he opened it, a smile appearing on his face as he made eye contact with the man standing on the other side.

Lumière smiled as he saw Nakoa open the door. He bowed slightly, "I've come to retreat you all, the Cotillion will commence in just a few minutes," he said as he held out his hand. Lumière was wearing a white suit that complimented his eyes and made his smile look even brighter. "Captain Nakoa will be the first introduced, followed by Guardian Y/N and then Lady Mal. King Ben will join you all once Lady Mal has settled in," he explained as he started walking down the hallway, the group of teens following right behind him. Lumière stopped walking before turning to face the teens again, "Wait here until I introduce you. Once I do, you need to walk down the steps and join the crowd."

"Got it," Nakoa responded with a nod as Y/N and Mal just stayed quiet.

They were processing everything that had happened and everything that was going to happen within the next few hours. Their lives were about to forever change and they wouldn't be able to go back after that no matter how hard they tried. Once they stepped out into the spotlight in front of everyone there was no turning back. They couldn't run back to the Isle again, they were stuck with these responsibilities until they died.

Y/N scrunched her face in discomfort. Something felt off and it came out of nowhere. She sensed a magical power near her, somewhere on the boat perhaps. Usually, this was never a good sign, but both Genie and Fairy Godmother were both here so she highly doubted that anyone would be crazy enough to attack them. Maybe she was just overreacting, this was the first time she's ever had her bracelets out in the open. Maybe she was sensing the power of the magical barrier from the Isle.