Prophecies and Lies

chapter 7

The best use of imagination is creativity the worst use of imagination is anxiety.

                                                                                                                       - by Deepak Chopra

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The king. The king was the same man that Ariana had seen the night before. The same man she had hit with a glass bottle and had dirty dreams about.

He walked into the room slowly, wearing a black chiffon attire that was only ever worn by noble soldiers. The royal emblem hanging from his breast pocket.

His power seemed to have a death grip on the room, making the very floor underneath their feet shake. Ariana felt sick as bile rose up in her throat.

He was going to kill her.

She was sure of it, for attacking the king was treason.

The crowd all semerged into a wave of curtsies and bows as people submitted to the King. Ariana, however, didn't feel the need to submit as the need to run away was far greater.

Instead of running, she stood like a pillar of stagnant fear till she felt a hand yank her down into the least lady-like curtsy she had ever performed. Almost tumbling over, she felt the brisk gaze of the King land on her for a short second before moving over.

In that very second, she knew she had to leave, for she had not only broken her promise to her father but also committed treason.

The king of wolves wasn't just the king; he was the descendant of the Moon Goddess. He was like a living, breathing holy shrine of the Goddess's power and benevolence.

To attack the king was seen as equal to attacking the Goddess herself, so before Ariana knew it, she was pulling out of the crowd and walking towards the tall glass doors that went to the courtyard. She didn't feel a hand snake around her wrist until she was yanked back and was facing Nate and Charlie.

"Where do you think you are going?" it was her brother Nate asking with his stern voice and perplexing eyes.

"Oh, leave little Ari alone. She already looks quite pale . "Charlie said, with a knowing smirk on his face.

"What happened last night?" Nathanial asked with sternness in his voice as his hold on her wrist tightened.

"Uu...what! How do you know that I was lying?" Ariana asked, bewildered, knowing well that the truth had to come out at some point and that lying would only make Nate angry and upset with her.

"Know spill," Charlie dismisses, "we have our ways."

"I...I met him, the king, yesterday at the festival. It wasn't the most pleasant encounter, I would say," Ariana said before turning around to leave as she says, "It was nice to meet you anyways."

They almost let her go when Nate asked, "What happened exactly?"

Ariana turns around with a sheepishly fake smile on her face before saying, "Oh nothing, we just had a short conversation that didn't really end in my favour."

"Ariana," her brother said with a stern tone and raised eyebrow as he caught on to the lie.

"OK fine... well...I may have... hitthekingontheheadwithaglassbottle. " Ariana spluttered out as fast as she could, causing Charlie's mouth to fall open and Nate to gape at her.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Nathanial asked.

"I hit him on the head," Ariana said, with a tremble in her voice.

"I'm going to ask you a question: why aren't you dead?" Charlie asked, with his arms crossed against his chest and his eyes narrowed, "Why isn't she dead yet, Nate?"

"Oh, shut up!" Nathenial said, "We have to get her out of here before she really is dead."

"I was just about to do that, thank you very much," Ariana said in a tone that seemed more confident than she felt as she snatched her wrist from Nate and picked up her skirts as she turned away from them.

They followed behind her, " Nathanial I think you should stay back so no one gets suspicious that someone is missing , I'll escort her to your apartment where she can get what she needs and then we leave. " Charlie said as they walked towards the exit.

"Right, we'll meet in the courtyard in half an hour," Nathanial said as they reached the door, just as the other two were about to leave. Nate claws onto Charlie's wrist , "Swear to me if danger ever comes your way, you will fall before she does. Charles, keep her safe. "

"Always, dear brother, you are more family than friend." Charles said the old saying that the two best friends had made when they were boys.

"More family than friend," Nathanial quoted the quote before nodding his head and leaving.

Ariana half jogged and half ran after Charlie as she cursed herself for having a weak wolf. Where were her dammed wolf abilities when she needed them? she wondered to herself.

They made it to the apartments that were dedicated to house Salvare in record time, with Ariana huffing and puffing to reach her chambers.

"I'll wait outside while you get what you need," Charlie said as he stood guard at her door.

Ariana ran into her closet to find her cloak. Fastening it on, she looked through her drawers for jewellery and gems that she could trade for other goods, finding a green emerald locket that she had never seen before She took it and turned to her dresser, where she had put down healing herbs that she had found in the palace gardens.

She turns around to head to her shelves, but stops mid-ride when she notices a tall, dark figure looking through her shelves. The dark, oh too familiar chiffon fabric of the man's coat and the gold emblem that could barely be seen in the dark made Ariana's face paler than it already was.

"You're quite the herbalist, I see," came the dark voice of the man that sent a shudder up Ariana's spine as he turned around to show his oh too familiar dark blue eyes.

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