indecisive decisions

fourteen; the high priestess

the high priestess (II)
your intuition is always paying attention,
whether you're conscious of that or not

~.~

The festivities where unlike Gwendolyn had ever experienced. Periodically between snack breaks and mingling sessions, there were traditionally honorary games celebrating the union.

Only in her wildest of dreams could Gwen have imagined the king and queen playing beanbags with each other. The liveliness and optimism felt great for the girl who found herself wound up half the time to soak in.

After a final game of tic-tac-toe, Gwen ventured to get another Occeralian delicacy from the table. She was waiting for a socially acceptable time to steal at least twenty of the cream crackers she consumed further.

Finding Harrison by the table, a soft smile graced her face. She abandoned the idea of food for a few moments to strike up a conversation. "Hey, Harrison. I'm surprised you weren't apart of the magical chess game earlier, it was wild!"

Harrison didn't speak and kept his eyes trained on the ground. Gwen's smile quickly turned to a frown at the silent treatment she had begun to receive.

"Who are you here with?" Gwen tried again. He didn't respond, making Gwen's frustration grow to a new level.

"Harrison, can you please just tell me what's wrong?" Gwen burst, unable to contain her agitation. Finally, Harrison looked up at her, and she had to hold in a gasp.

His left eye and nose were a bright red color, contrasting heavily against the sickly pale color of his skin. His right eye was worse; a nice black bruise was covering it, swelling ever so slightly. His lips were bleeding from a split in the middle of his lips.

Gwen placed her hand over her mouth, her anger turning into guilt and worry. Harrison gently pulled her to a side hallway, to avoid prying eyes of other guests.

"I think something is going to happen tonight," He began, his voice lightly breaking at the end. Gwen scanned his face, looking for the cocky boy she had once known. She couldn't find him.

"I overheard two girls talking about it after I left my room earlier; I was going to go get you, seeing as you are closest to the royal family and could warn them. Unfortunately, I was caught, but you could probably guess that" Harrison continued. The anger returned, awakening her once settled stomach to heavy energy.

"Did you at least get a glimpse of what they could've looked like?" Gwen asked, desperate for answers at this point. Flashes of the civilians she had met over her time at the castle get flashing through her head. The Fyodorov family, her new friends, her new reality. "I know that they both had dark hair. One of them had a red dress on with a slit, but the other one was turned in a way that I couldn't see her at all."

Gwen saw red as the cunning smile of Iris McAllister appeared in her head. She didn't have time to focus on the other girl, but just knowing one of the perpetrators was enough for now. Seeing the look on her face, Harrison quickly held Gwen by the shoulders before she could move.

"Gwen, we can't act rash right now. They're assuming that I'm staying quiet, and we cannot have them thinking differently. You need to tell the royal family as quickly as possible, but do NOT make it obvious," Harrison instructed, staring at Gwen with total seriousness. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Walking back to the ballroom, she made her way over to Cordelia who was watching to nobles play a game of some kind. Gently, Gwen wrapped herself on Cordelia's arm to get her attention. Startled, Cordelia looked down at her shorter companion in confusion.

"There's an attack happening tonight, and I think Iris McAllister has a hand in it," Gwen whispered, keeping a controlled look on her face. Cordelia let the information sink in, before slowly nodding her head. "Leave it to me."

"Cordelia, I don't think--" Gwen began, but the princess silenced her with one look.

"Gwendolyn, I have dealt with this more times than I can count because of being a member of the royal family. I promise you, the situation will be under control," Cordelia said in an attempt to reassure Gwen. The girl nodded mutely, but in no way did this calm her nerves.

Gwen's intuition had alarm bells going off in her head. Every cell in her body was hyperaware of any movement around her, making her hair stand on end. wen attempted to calm her shaking hands, but energy made her fingertips feel like pure static.

Failing to calm herself before Cordelia could notice, she looked away from her mentor as she tried to make eye contact with her. Cordelia placed her hands over Gwen's in an attempt to make her shaking less obvious. Warmth emitted from her hands, instantly calming the nerves in Gwen's.

Gwen glanced around the ballroom in an attempt to distract herself. She furrowed her brows, failing to see Harrison's slick backed blonde hair anywhere. Her heart rate shot up, trying not to imagine the worst happening to him.

He may be an idiot and selfish, but he was her idiot and selfish friend.

She bit her lip, triple checking her surroundings, her heart cramping at his disappearance. As the game ended, the party-goers dispersed for another mingle break. Gwen made herself over to Esm, who was lightly conversing with Theo. She smiled as her friend approached. "Hey, Gwen. Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Yeah, I am. Can you go to the bathroom with me?" Gwen asked. Esme immediately nodded, linking arms with the girl, leaving Theo looking utterly confused.

As the two entered the bathroom, Gwen locked the door quickly after checking to make sure no one else was in the room. Esme watched her movements carefully. "Gwen, can you please tell me what is wrong?"

"There's going to be an attack tonight," Gwen blurted out. Esme's eyes widened. "What?"

"There's going to be an attack tonight. Harrison overheard Iris McAllister and some other girl talking about it before they knocked him out. I tried to tell Cordelia, but it felt like she completely brushed me off," Gwen continued, her hands moving rapidly as she talked.

"I don't understand. Are you sure? This wasn't supposed to happen," Esme said, leaning against the sink. Her knuckles turned white as she braced herself.

"What do you mean?" Gwen said, her heart dropping to her feet. Was...Esme in on it?

"They said it wouldn't happen. I did what They asked," Esme whispered almost inaudibly, looking at herself in the mirror.

Gwen stopped breathing, her entire body shaking. She had no time to process her words, watching as They appeared in the mirror behind the girls, a maniacal smile on their face.

That's when they heard the explosion.