(Character image: Orpheus Akos)
The room grows very silent. Without needing to look, I know that the rest of my friends have also directed their focus onto the small man with horns. On the other side of the table, he surveys his audience, and I see that one side of his lips lift ever so slightly, but it is gone before I can blink. I resist the urge to furrow my eyebrows. This dude is suspicious, and I don't like it. Not one bit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Elves and Goblins and all other beings that I have not mentioned welcome to the meeting The Crown of Elysium have requested. They were quite impatient to have this assembly, you see, so I would like to welcome them and suggest you listen carefully to their essential news. I'm sure they will gladly enlighten us all," he says with an air of sarcasm. Can I wipe that smirk off his face with a slap? Would I be able to get away with it? I was about to roll my eyes not-so-discreetly when what he said next under his breath was something I hope my paranoia made up. I would have surely ripped his head off of his neck otherwise. "Such important news that they should send a bunch of teenagers to deliver, I suppose," and then a following arrogant chuckle.
I could feel my jaw tick, and I had to squeeze my fists under the table to keep them from flying and 'accidentally' landing on his face. From the corner of my eye, I see a movement to my left and snap my head, not quite managing to contain my irritation.
To my surprise, Nyx locks eyes with me and nods his head ever so slightly, and as his black irises meet my pale blue ones, I hear his voice in my head.
Get yourself together, Gywn. You can't just beat whoever insults you to a plump whenever you get angry. You have an important message that will blow their asses off their chairs anyway.
The thought of wiping that smirk off horn-guy's face with a badass line eases my annoyance. A little bit, though.
Before turning back to face the front and verbally beating them, I secretly thank Nyx for preventing me from doing something stupid.
Take a deep breath, Gwyneth Diana Raven. You are a princess-ambassador, and you are here to tell these good-for-nothing-pricks that their world is about to be turned upside down.
All eyes land on me, just in time as I hastily push my chair back and stand up. I am not faking any emotion on my face as it is full of concern for billions of lives, yet I still can't keep the poison dripping from my tone when I mention the 'gentleman'.
"Thank you all for gathering here on such short notice. I would have liked to meet with you under better circumstances, but as the kind gentleman stated beforehand, I come bearing grave news. I hope you understand the sheer importance of the message I will now deliver because it could possibly shape your and everyone in all realms' lives. And I warn you; I am not simply saying this because I enjoy seeing your faces shocked. Rather, I am saying this because it is true." I pause. "The Three Goddess Bridges, Sera, Alev and Eris, are collapsing."
On que, nearly all faces in the room reel in a stupor. Only the Nocens remain unshaken because they already know. They found out at the same time I did. I have to add though; we were extremely shocked too. Gasps and breaths are taken, and hands are lifted to cover people's mouths. Yeah, they definitely weren't expecting that. The horn-guy even falls off his chair very ungracefully right onto his ass. Just as the idiot is nursing his rear-end, I hear a snicker to my left, and I look over to see Nyx covering his mouth with a fist, trying to disguise his clear amusement with a cough. To my hilarity, I also look to the other side and try to compose myself.
Meanwhile, everyone in the room is recovering from clearly the biggest shock they have ever experienced; I hear a deep voice I wasn't expecting. This time he doesn't speak into my mind.
"I told you, Princess. You knocked them right off their damn chairs," he murmurs, only for me to hear with amusement still lining not only his features but his tone. He slightly leans towards me while his eyes are still trained ahead. Beauty is etched into his face with a gracefulness only royalty can achieve after years of training.
But I obviously won't let him know that. Nevertheless, enough messing about.
"I'm sure you are all shocked and want answers; however, I cannot give them to you. I can only say to you that the rest of Nocens and I will be tasked to repair the gates and The Three Goddess Bridges, as all realms and their leaders have agreed. I promise you upon my family, honour and my own life that I will prevent these bridges from breaking. I know how important it is for every living being that these bridges of life are kept away from danger. Therefore, I hereby make an oath to prevent the demise of The Three Bridges of Life that connect all realms as we know them. Until there is no doubt that the gates are steady and the bridges have no possibility of ever breaking, I will not rest". I plaster a smile on my face and make it seem as real as possible. It's not that I'm trying to trick them, I'm trying to convince myself too, that it will all be okay. "Thank you for your audience. I hope you place your faith in us because we will all work hard to ensure no harm comes to anyone. Now, if you may, please excuse us. We mustn't waste a minute of our time from now on."
One by one, my friends stand up. I bow slightly, and I can already feel Valaeri's eyes scanning the room for any threat, should people decide to do something stupid. As I walk out of the room, I thank the guards by the door. You can never be too kind, right?
When morning comes, I call for a private meeting inside a secluded room in a friendly inn that we decided to crash in. It had a considerably cosy room and very age-beat at the same time. It has yellow tacky wallpaper and old sofa-chairs and a small lamp, but it will have to do. Once Miss fussy (aka Yrene) finally enters the room after fretting over her current potions that are brewing, we can start the meeting. Her experiments aren't more important than her best friend asking to chat, right?
I had literally opened my mouth to start talking when Orpheus raised his hand and shushed everyone in the room. He got up and silently padded around the room with his fluffy brown hair bouncing.
I can't help it, okay? I always tease him about his hair that reminds me of fluffy puppies. He hates it, and I can see it scratches at his man-pride, but I enjoy getting kicks out of him. He still loves me, of course.
After five minutes of walking around the room, clearly looking for something, he speaks.
"Clear."
"What's clear?" Yrene asked before I can. Word thief.
"The room. I checked if there were any listening devices or magical auras, creatures, beings, objects and stuff like that. Luckily we're clear," He lists while putting a finger down on one hand.
"Oh," Yrene says, looking like she had just been enlightened. Same here, bestie. I can't help but also notice the tinge of pink on her cheeks and the tip of her ears.
Oh. Then it clicks. Orpheus was showing off his excellent tracking skills in front of Yrene again. To impress her. And it worked. Ugh. Get a room you two.
"Good one, brother." Aether quirks and I narrow my eyes at him.
"What?"
Clearing my throat I shoot him a withering glare saying 'if you are up to no good, brother, I will steal and scratch your oh-so-precious blades'.
"Does anyone else want to ensure that we are safe and sound with cosy blankets and books to read?" I ask sarcastically.
"A book would be nice right about now. I'm already getting bored and it's been five minutes," Nyx mutters.
This time Valaeri intercepts me before I speak. What is it with interrupting me before I even start speaking, today? Is it world 'Interrupt Gwyn Before She Can Speak' day?
"Here." She simply says. She grabs a book and considerately hands it over to him. The way she hands it is so calm and senile. I sense something fishy. My angel senses are tingling.
Nyx takes the book and takes a look at the cover, and the room around suddenly gets darker. As if something, someone, is suffocating the light out of it. Through the hazy mist, I see Nyx tense up and his knuckles turn white. I'm instantly worried if the book is okay. And the reason why myself and no one else is worried for their lives is because this is an often occurring with Mr Shadows here. That's Nyx. Anger issues and all.
While assessing the condition of the book (meanwhile, it is still in Nyx's hand, and I'm still sitting across him), I see its cover.
How not to be an annoying prick. An everyday guide to finding your inner beauty.
Despite the mood, I burst out laughing. I look over at Valaeri, and she's already buckling over like me. I waddle off to her seat and sit on the arm of her chair. By the time Valaeri and I have enough air in our lungs to physically start breathing again, the haze has cleared, and we find Orpheus, Aether and Yrene looking at us, bewildered. And then a furious Nyx. I guess he really can't control his 'dark side'.
Literally.
