Scorn and Devotion

Chapter 18

warnings - Mentions of religion, mentions of death and heartbreak, uncomfortable comments from older man to young woman.

A/N - I'm obviously not going to use Timmy's real dad for this fic because the King isn't the best guy.

I felt my heart began to thump erratically. Natalie was speeding over to me with a piece of parchment. I knew she would probably be following me around like a fly. I also saw the other girls enter the room. They all looked magnificent.

I decided I would greet them first, after all, they would be some of the people who were rating me on this event. I made my way over to them through the crowd.

"Welcome," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

"It is so beautiful in here," Juliet complimented, spinning around in a circle.

Juliet's dress has a high collar and was a deep spectacular golden color. Designs swirled in the embroidery all over the gown. From her ears hung a large cluster of stars. On her head, she wore a large starry headpiece. Her hair, for the first time since I had met her, was straight and not curly. She looked powerful, as if she actually had the ability to command the stars in the sky.

"Thank you, Juliet, you look amazing by the way," I told her truthfully.

"I am a star," She said with an easy smile. "You must be an avenging angel, it suits you."

I thanked her and moved on to Katherine. She looked very different from normal. Her usual pastel loose-fitting ensembles were gone. She wore a long-sleeved glittering black dress. It shimmered everywhere the light hit it. Her hair was slicked back, and her eyes were surrounded by glossy black powder. She too, looked very powerful, like she could command armies.

Her scarlet lips parted to greet me. I gave her a small hug. Though she had not stated it one way or another, my guess was that she was the night sky.

"Vangelina, welcome," I said kindly. Vangelina had not even looked in my direction once. It seemed everyone was going for a look that was different than how they normally presented themselves.

Vangelina wore a flowy dress colored a warm yellow. I would have expected her dress style from Katherine or Odessa. The sleeves were just barely attached to the dress and flowed down to nearly the floor. The sweetheart necklace made it possible for Vangelina to wear a large necklace made of round citrine gems. It looked heavy. Other pale yellow gems in the shape of the sun decorated the bodice. The biggest statement piece, however, was her headpiece. She wore a tall golden piece that was in the shape of a sun. Her hair had somehow been made to stick out in a graceful way, making it look like the red strands were rays from the sun on her head.

Vangelina gave me a curt nod, obviously scanning for Timothée within the crowd. She didn't say another word as she walked off into the sea of people who were admiring the decorations.

Odessa stopped herself from following Vangelina just in time to see me. She must have decided it would be impolite to not greet the host, because she curtsied and said hello.

"Your outfit is very interesting, what are you?" I questioned.

Her outfit was definitely the gaudiest of the group of girls. It was pure white silk, almost blinding to the eye. All over it was sewn pearls of different sizes, making interesting patterns that almost looked like they moved when you stared at them for too long. On her shoulder was a stuffed snowy owl, its glass eyes staring down at anyone who glanced its way. On her head was a very large bonett type headdress, also strewn with an overabundance of pearls.