Rejuvenation

Chapter 3

The sky was filled with the colors of sundown as the blonde walked her way to the castle. Her curls bounced slightly as she walked her flats making almost no sound as she

admired the scenery. People scoffed at her from their carriages as they drove past, yelling obscene things that she wished not to repeat. She came from a family of four; her, her two brothers, and her father. They could not afford to have a carriage or the work that comes with taking care of horses, but she did have a miniature dragon named Malcolm that her mother had given her before she died. As she walked the castle came into view and she gasped, she hadn't been on this side of town since she was little so she barely remembered the castle. It was bigger than she had ever imagined, it had a sort of intimidating elegance. Vines and plants seemed to cover everything on the outside but the windows and roof, beautiful flowers bloomed on some of the walls. A huge bronze dragon sat on the roof its green eyes glowing and a goofy smile on it's face as it rained flowers onto them. She made her way up the castle stairs Malcolm flying above her. A man stood by the door giving directions so she walked up to him to ask where she was supposed to go but before she said anything the man began talking to everyone around him, the chatter hushed immediately. "There is a sanctuary in the back of the castle so please send your dragons there and then follow me inside, Miss Lilith will most likely give a speech shortly. Enjoy your time" and with that, the doors slowly swung open. This time she was not the only one who gasped. No one had ever been to a rulers castle and there was a good reason for that. This castle was the definition of exclusive.

Glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling throwing light in every direction, as well as glass tables and chairs. A red carpet ran from the front door down to the tables, stopping as soon as it met the floor. Everything was a pristine white, not the kind you'd find in a hospital but the kind you'd see in crystals. At the very end of the room, there was a balcony with two staircases on either side which wrapped down to the front where the tables were, the carpets on these stairs were charcoal black but something about them made everything stand out more. "Malcolm, you heard him. To the sanctuary please" she said patting his head before watching his small body fly off into the sky.

Stormcloud eyes surveyed the room as the petite girl looked for a place to sit, she wished not to sit with the rich people who looked down on her like she was skum of the earth, there weren't that many of them considering that if they did show their true colors in public Lilith and Falos would show them no mercy. The blonde liked that about the rulers, they were fair and heard both sides of the stories. There was one table toward the left that no one was sitting in so she chose to sit there. Above on the balcony, two people stepped out, the room fell into an awed hush. Lilith on the right and Falos on the left. Lilith wore a long, sleek, emerald dress that hugged her curves beautifully. Her black hair was curled to perfection and when she stepped forward it was an effortless gliding in her silver heels. Falos had on a suit that was raging with the storms of the ocean, his eyes glowed slightly as he looked around the

room. "Thank you all for joining us this evening" Lilith spoke stepping up, eyes glowing green with power. "Tonight's ball is for a special occasion. Ten of you will be chosen for a special task, and should you accept to compete you will be living with us for a while" she said glancing around the room.

Storm clouds met the rainforest and the small blonde shivered as she felt a small hint of fear. Finally, Lilith looked away from her as she stepped back, Falos stepped forward. "If you accept, there will be no backing out, and you will be rewarded for your choice. We will have another announcement when we've found the ten we want. Until then enjoy the night" he said winking and raising his glass. You could hear the girls below squeal and giggle, it made the small blonde want to be sick. A god would never like them, the sooner they realized it the better. The gods descended the stairs talking in quiet tones.