"To be together, As a Fated Pair"

Crowds gathered around the front of the grand golden gates on the evening of June 12th, eagerly awaiting the commencement of the annual royal ball hosted by the Queen of Montanovaris. This extravagant event provides a rare opportunity for royals to come together, celebrate their kingdoms' successes, and forge new alliances. This year, a pivotal moment awaited as a young royal, having just come of age, reluctantly attended the ball at his mother's behest. As the moon slowly arose from its slumber, it heralded the beginning of a momentous and fateful encounter. The outcome of this meeting remained shrouded in uncertainty, inviting all to follow along and discover the unfolding tale. Will the fated pair become one?

Amidst the bustling clusters of guests, The Hellstrike family sat patiently in their limo, waiting for the gates to open so that they could go into the castle. Cross sighed loudly from the back of the limo, clearly not thrilled about attending the ball. His mother, Kosha, turned to him with a raised eyebrow. He'd been sighing loudly for the past ten minutes, so it should be no surprise he ended up grabbing his mom's attention.

"What's wrong, honey?" Kosha asked, her tone a mixture of concern and annoyance.

Cross looks at his mom, eyes staring coldly at her. "I don't wanna be here," Cross grumbled, his ears pinned back in frustration. "I wouldn't even have to be here if you hadn't forced me to come! God you're so annoying..."

Kosha whipped her head back and raised a brow, "Watch your tone with me, boy!" Kosha scoffs, "You need to get out of that room anyway, you stay cooped up in there like glue to paper!"

Rolling his eyes, Cross leaned back into his seat and stared blankly at the entrance of the castle. Suddenly, the golden gates swung open, prompting Kosha to turn her head towards the resounding woosh. "C'mon, it's time to go in," she announced, stepping out of the limousine and heading towards the gates.

Cross stuck out his tongue and mumbled something under his breath as he reluctantly followed his mother with his hand in his suit pocket. His two younger brothers; Forest and Heartbeat, trailed behind him. "These idiots..." Cross groaned, flicking his head back to glance at them. "Hurry u–" he trailed off upon seeing Heartbeat tugging up his shoe while hopping over to Cross.

"Wait, I'm coming!" Heartbeat yelped.

"Seriously?" Cross scoffed, his eyes narrowing with disbelief as his other brother, Forest, glanced back in confusion.

"Behave yourselves, Jesus," Kosha growled, passing her sons a disapproving look before pushing through the crowds.

Eventually, they manage to get inside the castle. Inside, they find themselves separating. Now that the ballroom was crammed with people from left to right, it would've been more problematic for them to stay close to one another. Cross stood at the buffet, awkwardly putting together a small plate of food to eat while everyone else danced around. He, for one, didn't like dancing... nor did he want to socialize. His eyes flashed across everyone. The obnoxiously large dresses of the girls who gossiped about which princes they'd seek out always caught his eye. Then there were the ordinary black suits that some of the guys would wear, of course, then the rare incidents occurred where he'd see a prince dressed accordingly; from the cape to the crown.

Casually taking a step to the side, Cross settles down at one of the tables, a glass of sparkling water and a bowl full of food accompanying him. He adjusted to fit inside the seat before starting to eat. Seriously, dude, what is the point of coming if you're just going to sit here... all emo? His tail whipped around from behind him, its mouth practically leaking with drool as it waited patiently, seemingly wanting some of his food. Cross scowled, eyeing Harley up and down before sighing and tossing it a bone. He watches as it swallows the bone whole before curling back up behind him.