Fighting Fate

Chapter 3: Raiden's Kingdom

Mira quickly finished her shower and left the bathroom wrapped in a towel. When she opened the door to the bedroom she gasped in surprise. The room was at least twice if not three times the size of her apartment and elegantly decorated. The walls hung with rich tapestries and the king-size canopy bed was draped in deep purple bedding. An emerald green gown lay across the top of the duvet. She gently ran her hands over it, feeling the silky fabric glide between her fingertips. Across from the bed was a vanity, covered with an assortment of combs, brushes, hair pins, and makeup. She wondered if this was some other woman's room or if he had placed these things here just for her. It took her a moment to realize that her hands were shaking, but was it from fear or excitement?

Remembering what he had told her, she hurried to make herself presentable. She only placed on a small amount of makeup, then gathered her hair and plaited it into a soft braid trailing down the side of her neck. The gown fit like a glove, and she took the delicate shawl and wrapped it around her arms. Once she had buckled on her heels, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Gathering her courage, she walked to the top of the stairs.

Mira was not expecting what she saw. The room below was a large ballroom filled with people. Everywhere she looked there were ornate paintings, statues, and tapestries. She could feel her heart racing and she became overwhelmed until she looked down at the bottom of the staircase and her eyes locked with his. I don't even know his name, she thought to herself.

My name is Raiden, little one. She smiled when she heard his voice inside of her mind. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that this should bother her, that it wasn't normal, but instead, an overwhelming sense of comfort and safety at hearing his voice took precedence. She hadn't even realized that she'd already traveled down the steps until she saw his hand stretched out to her.

"Shall we, Mira?" She felt a shiver up her spine when he spoke her name. He smiled at her as she placed her hand in his. She noticed how tiny her hand looked against his, and how pale, but she liked the feel of his skin against hers so she let him lead her past the crowds and into the dining room as several guests stared at her questioningly.

The dining hall was cavernous, filled with several tables. Raiden led her to the head table in front of the fireplace and pulled out a chair for her. Mira noticed that the table was almost cylindrical with only one squared edge, The edge that she was now sitting at. Her chair was ornate covered in velvet and jewels, and Raiden seated himself next to her in a larger version of the same chair. Glancing around the room she noticed that no other table had a head to it. All the tables were in a circular format so that no guest was seated in higher priority than any other; only the seats she and Raiden sat at held any type of distinguished place.

A flurry of servants filled the room, bringing in trays laden with meats, cheeses, and fruits. Others were serving water wine and mead. The entire scene looked like something out of a Renaissance novel, which made Mira wonder even more just where she was. She knew the man sitting next to her was not actually a man, or even human for that matter. Their encounter a few short hours ago more than proved that. Despite that revelation, Mira did not feel like she was in any danger. Ironically, she felt like she was supposed to be here.

She carried on a pleasant conversation with a few of the guests at the table, not really revealing much information about herself or how she even knew Raiden. She wasn't sure what he would or would not want her to say. Suddenly, she had an odd sensation come over her - filling her with a sense of dread, fear, and danger. Mira scanned the room trying to see what was out of place, but it was difficult in a place she wasn't familiar with. Something, or more to the point, someone caught her attention. She noticed a young man leaning over pouring drinks for both her and Raiden. She tried to dismiss her worry at first but then she noticed he was the only servant wearing black gloves. Before she could say anything he had dashed away then she saw Raiden reach for his class without even looking.