The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 19

I really don't know what to do here. Sorry if it sucks ;)

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We stopped in front of the palace gates in wonder. It was the most massive structure I had even seen, and its size only increased the closer I got to it. We were, on the way, joined by three other groups of people captured. Almost everyone was accounted for by now, except two teenage girls that we could only assume were still out there. The gaurds opened the outer gate for us and we were marched inside.

Entering a whole different atmosphere, I gasped. Marble surrounded us. The walls, ground--everything in the inner courtyard of the palace was made of pure white marble. It was blindingly white, but I still could not take my eyes away from it. All too soon, we were whipped right through the courtyard without a chance to pause and admire.

The trainers took us to yet another heavily gaurded door in which we were whisked right through. I glued my eyes to my feet in nervous habit. As soon as we were inside, I was stopped in my tracks by a girl about my height. I lifted my eyes to meet her and I stopped dead, frozen in my tracks by her stunning eyes and satisfied smirk. I knew immediately who this must be. Ariadne, princess of Crete, whom I had heard so many rumors about. Certainly I had underestimated her beauty.

Ariadne was beautiful. A breathtakingly beautiful girl, who looked about 16, however, her eyes had a wise, knowing look about them deep within. She had a pale, white face with large, striking, glittering, sharp deep blue eyes, and flowing, satiny, curly black hair that reached all the way down her back. I noticed that her lashes were dark, lush and long, too long to be true. Perhaps she had put some sort of makeup on. She also had silvery dust on her eyelid, something that, though I had never seen or heard of such thing, was so alluring on her, as it brought out the silvery flecks of light in her eyes. Her eye color appeared to change in different light, from dark blue, to light blue, to gray, to greenish, back to dark blue again. She was tall and as slender as a blade of grass, and her delicate white hands were so dainty and graceful, I was amazed. The rumors of her beauty had not been made up. Her dark brows were thin and they swept across her face so they looked like the wings of a graceful bird. A sparkling, bejeweled tiara was balanced so effortlessly upon her flowing black hair, and she gave us a welcoming smile as were herded into the palace doors. She did not introduce herself, but we all knew beyond a reasonable doubt that this was indeed the gorgeous princess they all talked of so vainly. She wore a light, flowing, silken deep blue, shimmery garment, with jewels embroidered in on the neckline. It was a blue that matched her eyes exactly, changing color in the light in time with her eyes. She was bewitching. She was barefoot, however delicate silver and gold chains were wrapped in an artful way around her ankles, and it was obvious they meant to be some form of jewelry. Gold bangles sparkled and clanged lightly with every movement of her hand, as if she were so important that she had to be heard when she made the slightest movement. She was the most beautiful human being I had ever seen. I never even knew such intense beauty could be in a person. Her amazing eyes swept over us all, making us shudder when she did so. Her eyes seemed to settle on all of us at the same time, and she smiled a bright, cheerful, warming, but yet effortless smile. My heart seemed to give a lurch when she looked at me so intimately, as is she was my friend. But I had to remind myself that she wasn’t my friend at all. She was my enemy. One of them, who was going to kill me.

“Welcome to Crete!” she said, with a light, pretty voice that made me think she must be a very good vocalist. “I heard we had a bit of trouble on the way, yes?” she asked us, her eyes brimming with something that reminded me of mocking. A bit or trouble! If only she knew. Her words were met by icy silence from the Athenians. Unfazed, she continued, keeping her gaze locked with mine. I narrowed my eyes warningly, showing her that it was not wise to play these types of games with me. “Well, now you’re here, so we must forget the past. Enjoy yourselves! You will each be given staterooms in the palace, a wardrobe of clothing, and delicious meals three times a day. You may go anywhere you wish within the palace and its grounds,” her eyes glittered dangerously, “except the royal living quarters.”