The Majors, Rebuild and Reunite (Book 3)

Chapter 10: Pearlescent

~Scott~

"—welcoming King Andrew, King Jesse and Princess Pearl." 

I fidgeted in my spot, twisting my rings around in my sweat-glazed palms as Maddie loudly called out the names of our visitors. The doors to the throne room slowly creaked open, pulled by two members of the àraid, leaning back to put their weight onto the handles to drag them out from their closed state (they didn't have the cool, fancy, door-opening magic the royal family had, unfortunately). A dozen more of the crown guard lined the carpet leading up to the dais we were stood in front of, the dais the five thrones were seated upon.

Xornoth nudged my shoulder gently, upper arm brushing my own. I forced myself not to flinch. I could still feel the cold of the lower dungeon-like halls, the bubbling feeling of unease that something was out of place. Like a puzzle piece askew, forced into its slot the wrong way. 

Because my mother was here now, stood next to Rohan and in a gown of blue and gold, like she had never come to visit me earlier this afternoon. It only added to the confusion. But I couldn't speak to her right now, not in front of everyone. Besides...she wouldn't even look at me.

The last thing I wanted to do right now was present myself in front of the royals. 

Oh right. And Pearl's family. 

The first to enter were two men. The taller had light brunet hair that could have been mistaken for gold in the evening sun that was streaming through the large floor to ceiling arched windows on either side of the hall. His blue eyes twinkled with a sort of mischievous confidence that I recognized well. Like if challenged he could most certainly hogtie your ankles and wrists together and hang you from the ceiling like a Lost Empirian Wedding Piñata. Set on his head was a wreath of sunflowers, each petal crafted from the thinnest sheet of metal and jewels. King Andrew. One of Pearl's dads. 

I remembered him vaguely; I had only seen him once or twice. Before he was killed in the Fret Wildfire of 10,012, a year before my own parents met their fate. 

Pandora gave him a rather...odd look. Like she had been expecting something else, lips pursed.

Next to the King was his husband, Jesse. His brown beard was flecked with streaks of grey, small crinkles around his brown eyes giving the impression that he smiled a lot. He wore a simple golden circlet over his forehead, the image of a sunflower like those Andrew wore burned into the center. 

And following them was their daughter. 

Pearl stepped into the room, chin held high, just as I remembered her (although it had only been a couple of weeks since I had last seen her). Her hair was pulled up at the crown of her head, the ponytail loose to let cascades of brunette hair and blonde highlights fall down her back in waves. The edge of her green, flowering dress was pinned up above one of her knees, her leather-brown boots covered in silver buckles and straps. Over her shoulders was a woolen shawl, due to the fact it was early November, embroidered with little images along the edges, just above the tassels. 

Her gaze instantly met mine. 

Her eyes flicked upwards above my head, brow twisting in the vaguest sense of confusion, before to my left and right, at Xornoth and Phoenix.

That's when she really looked startled.

I resisted the urge to follow her line of sight towards my siblings, watching as her eyes widened in quickly hidden shock. Her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline.