Before a Once Upon A Time

A Single Lamp - A Worthy Opponent

Story 2 - A Single Lamp

Part 5- A Worthy Opponent

Gene received the notice of the ball that would change everything as he was filling his other paperwork. It was tucked between several other papers and he would have missed it entirely if it hadn't carried with it a strange, overpowering perfume smell that made him pause.

He separated the invitation with a hesitant hand. Could it be someone he had met for a single night had come back to haunt him? They would know that they could never win in any kind of court case - so why was this here? He opened it slowly and sighed. Just an invitation to another silly ball.

But wait. This one was a bit different. What was it about his invitation that set him so much on edge? He had no idea. His only recurring thought was that he wanted the thing away from him. He forced himself to read the neatly printed script within though, to test his own strength and see what could elicit such a reaction from within the depths of his soul.

He gaped at what was printed there and began to chuckle. This was what had made him so afraid? This was what had made his heart ache with pain from his soul and cringe with worry for his fate? No. It was too much. He couldn't help chortling in mirthless release. How ridiculous. How could it have affected him so? Now though, it was a challenge. He must go just to prove to himself - and everyone else - that he could go, though perhaps not that he wanted to.

Even so, a minute later he buried the invitation again, pilling papers on top of it. It still filled him with an unreasonable sense of dread that clung aggressively to him, like hot tar poured on skin. Even with the words hidden from sight they bounced echoingly around his skull.

"Please honor us with your presence at the event of the year -

The Diamond Light Gala.

Hosted in the castle of the illustrious Good Fairy,

With honored guests,

 The Royal King and Queen."

Something about the wording upset him. With honored guests the king and queen? That almost made it seem as though the king and queen were honored to have been invited and not the other way around. He wondered at the power of this person who could make it sound that way and not be in some sort of trouble. If someone had that much power, they might just be even with his power. They might be worth his time. A cruel smile twisted his lip, making his face seem almost disfigured.

He might finally have an interesting game of chase to play. A game with an interesting prey. He began to calculate odds and place bets in his head, something he had become quite good at in the past two years. He was looking forward a great deal to this.

His first real opponent.