A Chosen Path

First Impression

    Arthur led them all through the great mahogany doors and into the foyer. The interior of the castle was even more amazing than the exterior. There were many stairs that led to the uncountable levels of the castle. Four people stood on the stairs facing the front doors. There were two girls around the age of nineteen, a young man in his twenties and an imposing-looking man in his sixties. The latter was wearing a crown on his head, which made James sure that he was, without a doubt, the High King. He did wonder though which one of those two girls was his betrothed.

    The first to descend the steps was the High King. Alistair came up to him and hugged him. It surprised James at first the way the two greeted each other – he didn’t think the King hugged anyone – then he remembered that Alistair was one of the King’s most promising students back in the day.

    Alistair then proceeded to introduce the rest of them. “Your Majesty, may I present to you my wife Adriana, our eldest son Christopher, our beautiful daughter Anabelle and our second son –”

    “James” the King cut him off. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you young man. I’ve heard wonderful things about you”, he said offering his hand for James to shake it. He took it and said “The pleasure is all mine, your Majesty.”

    “Please, call me Michael”, the King said with a warm smile on his face. “And these are my grandchildren, Elizabeth and Eric. And this young lady is Aurum; she’s part of our family as well. Unfortunately Michaela wasn’t able to make it. She seems to have come down with something. But I assure you she will be present at the banquet tonight. For now I shall let you rest. Rupert here will show you to your quarters.” He indicated a man that was standing in the furthest corner in the foyer. Rupert showed each of them to their chambers, where they found their luggage awaiting them.

    After being led to his room, which was incredibly spacious, James felt bone-tired. Even though it was still well before the afternoon, he laid down on his bed without even bothering to unpack. He woke up later on to find that he wasn’t asleep for more than an hour. He felt so hungry that he couldn’t possibly go back to sleep. He tried to remember the indications Rupert had given him to navigate his way around the castle. He got out of his room, trying to find the kitchen, but instead got lost and ended up in what appears to be someone’s sleeping chambers. This place was extravagantly well-furnished; one could say it was fit for a queen.

    “What are you doing here?” a female voice said from behind him. He turned around to see a beautiful girl stepping into the light. She looked about sixteen years old. She had wavy jet black hair that reached her shoulder and clear blue eyes, framed in a breathtakingly mesmerizing face. She wore plain clothes: grey sweatpants, a white hoodie matched with white converse. She wasn’t dressed as a royal so James assumed she was most likely a maid in the castle.

    “Forgive me, it seems I got lost and ended up here by mistake.” James said running his fingers through his golden hair. He felt extremely nervous, though he couldn’t tell why exactly. “By the way, where is here?”

    “These are the High Princess’s private quarters”, the girl asked with curiosity in her eyes. She was probably wondering who the strange guy standing in front of her was. James felt he should at least introduce himself.

    “Well my apologies again. I’m James by the way.” Instead of replying, she merely looked at him in wonderment, as if he was supposed to know her identity. “Don’t you have a name?”

    “My name is Arianna”, she answered matter-of-factly.

    “Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl” James said taking her hand and kissing it lightly. Even though she was probably just a maid, she was the most beautiful girl he’s ever laid eyes on.

* * *

    Ella still couldn’t believe that the guy she was trying so hard to avoid was standing right in front of her, in her own chambers. And he had no idea who she was. Unlike Ella herself, he clearly hadn’t done his homework on his betrothed. She still couldn’t believe that she told him her name was Arianna, but at least now she could get an insight on what he’s really like. So far, all she gathered was that he was extremely charming, and clearly liked to flirt with every girl that caught his eye. When he kissed her hand, an odd feeling went through her; a sort of tingling sensation that started where his lips touched her skin and sent sparks to all the nerves in her body.

    “So tell me”, he said looking at her with those big green eyes of his, with a wide smile spread across his face. “What’s your position in this household? Are you the Princess’s personal maidservant or something?”

    At first, Ella was offended that he would think her a maid. Then she looked down at her clothes and realized that she wasn’t wearing anything fancy or expensive-looking. She decided to play along, though she didn’t know where this lie would lead to.

    “Yes I am, actually”

    “You must know her pretty well then. What’s she like?”

    “Well…” Ella was about to reply when James answered his own question.

    “I bet she’s all kinds of conceited. She’s probably just a pompous, arrogant, spoiled brat who’s used to getting everything she wants. And now, I’m stuck with her for a lifetime! She probably orders you around like you’re beneath her just because you have no title. She must be a dreadful person.”

    Ella was about to tell him who she really was when the doors to her chambers opened and in came a tall guy with brown hair and hazel eyes. Ella recognized him as Christopher, James’s adoptive brother.

    “Where have you been?” he asked, clearly addressing James. “Father’s been looking everywhere for you.”

    “I got lost and ended up here, I guess I just lost track of time. Oh, that reminds me. Christopher, I’d like you to meet Arianna. Apparently, she’s my fiancée’s personal maid.” James said the word “fiancée” with such disdain it made Ella absolutely furious.

    “Pleasure to meet you”, Christopher greeted her. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to go. We have important business to attend to.”

    “Of course”, Ella said, curtsying to the two of them as they turned around and left the room. Not long after, Aurum came into her room so they could start preparing themselves for the feast.

    “Was it my imagination, or did I just see two amazing-looking guys leaving your chambers?” she asked with an amusing look in her eyes.

    “It appears that was my fiancée and his brother. Such a charming guy”, Ella said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

    “He paid you a visit?” disbelief colored Aurum’s voice. “He must be extremely eager to meet you.”

    “I wouldn’t say that”, Ella replied while rummaging through her closet trying to find the perfect dress for the banquet. She wasn’t trying to impress James; she couldn’t care what he thought about her. But she should at least try and impress her future in-laws, seeing that James’s adoptive father, Alistair, was her father’s best friend.

    “You sound disturbed. Did he say something to annoy you?” Aurum asked.

    “He started out as charming, and then turned into something completely different.”

    “What happened?”

    “Let’s just say he knows how to make a first impression”, Ella said. “But trust me; he’s in for a surprise at the banquet.”