Far From Never

“Are you ready?”

“For my death yes, for my future, never” I take as deep of a breath as the dress will allow.

“That’s the problem with our society” Langston hands me my mask.

“What do you mean?” I ask securing the mask onto my face.

“We’re taught how to face the end but not how to face the road there” he places his silver mask onto his face as well. The color of the mask represented status, gold is the highest reserved for kings and princes, silver was for a select few of close, trusted individuals, and black and white for everyone else.

My mask was ornately carved but thankfully was lacking the frill of feathers and gems. Most of the women’s would be decorated with such, their feather plumes rising feet into the air. The crown on my head was heavy by itself and did not need the assistance of dyed and powdered accessories.

“Your father and Victor are already in the hall by now; the entire party is waiting for you to make your dramatic entrance” Langston jokes.

“Not as dramatic as I would like it to be” I roll my eyes.

“And what would make the entrance to your liking?”

“Some thunder, maybe a bit of lightning” I turn my face towards the sky dreamily. I look at him out of the corner of my eye and burst into laughter as he tries to hold his in.

A knock on the carriage door draws our attention. Langston draws back the curtain and a frightened footman stands in the night.

“Yes?” Langston demands in an intimidating tone.

“Her lady’s presence is demanded,” he says meekly.

“By who?” Langston sounds as if he’s trying to give the little man a heart attack.

“Her father, the Dark King” the footman scampers away as soon as the words are out of his mouth.

“I guess we better go than” Langston holds out his hand to me as he leaps out of the carriage in one motion.

I refuse his hand, step down from the enormous carriage in a much more elegant manor, and keep on walking toward the enormous castle doors, my head as high as my heels. He rushes to catch up with me, knowing that if I walk in alone, unescorted by him, father would be very angry. He slips his arm in mine, slowing my pace as we reach the doors. We enter onto a balcony, above the rest of the party goers.

Then, out of nowhere, my brother appears and takes my other arm as Langston steps back and bows out. My confidence grows with my brother by my side and I look around slightly, trying not to look too interested in my surroundings.

“Are you ready?” he whispers in my ear.

“Never” I take a deep breath.

“To bad cause here they come” he laughs a little. I look across the way and on an opposite balcony the doors begin to open.

***

“It’ll be okay Davvy, trust me,” Izaiah said to his sister.

She squeezed his arm tighter, “Are you sure?”

“That’s what I’m here for” he smirked, “Besides, look at the way he treats his sister. He seems to be trying to comfort her as well.”

Davina Adelina finally looked across the open air to the other balcony and at first can’t keep her eyes off the bright red dress that clothes her soon to be sister-in-law. It was definitely a statement piece. She thought her dress would be pushing the limits with its tight drop waste but Princess Morgan’s dress was tight from bust to ankle.

As Davina dismissed Morgan’s attire, her attention was drawn to the enormous man across from her. He stood right next to Morgan meaning that he was Prince Victor, her fiancé. His shoulders were huge and she could practically see the toned muscle wanting to burst free from the constricting clothes. Her eyes traveled up his face and slowly traced the little scars that lined his jaw. The fear grew in the pit of her stomach as she imagined all the stories and tales that accompanied those scars; tales of ferocity, violence, and wildness. As her eyes settled on his she saw him looking directly at her and not at her body; he looked her in the eye and she couldn’t look away.

***

Victor, knowing slightly what Princess Davina looked like, thought he was prepared and at first had a stern look on his face. He was trying to appear passive and to not look anxious for the sake of his people but as soon as he caught a glimpse of that pale pink dress he was lost.

At first, like any man, he was lost in how the dress made her look, and then he realized that it was the other way around. He was entranced by how she made the dress look, like it was designed for an entity, a spirit of grace and demeanor. He found his way to her face and although he saw her eyes searching him he saw the way she held her head high as if accepting her fate but not becoming a victim of it.

The soft skin of her cheeks looked as if they had rarely seen the bare sun or harsh wind, her hair was an intense black and, hidden in her eyes, he could see the intensity, an intensity she didn’t know she had. Her eyes locked with his and he couldn’t even blink.

***

The blazing red dress drew my attention immediately and I knew that was exactly what she wanted to happen. She wanted to go out with a bang and I would have been upset with any less. It was skin tight but I feel it did her little justice. She just didn’t look at ease in the dress; she looked as if it had been a last resort.

Her hand was grasped onto her brother’s arm tightly as if she was afraid she was going to run if it wasn’t. The tight grasp showed her sleek, toned muscles, like those of a cat ready to pounce. I followed her arm up to her shoulders and her neck then up to her face and noticed not a single scar despite her rumored, violent hobbies.

Her long blonde hair flowed freely in loose spirals and her black mask matched in its simplicity, making her stand out even more. Her careless attitude was evident in the very air around her. Our eyes met and for a moment before they turned to glass is saw emotion, an emotion I thought was fear.

***

He was tall, so tall. He made his sister, whom I knew to be about five feet five inches tall seem short. He was slender as well but in a lean sort of way. His shoulders were not nearly as broad as Vic’s but I could tell there was muscle there. His skin had a tan to it, not the dark tan of someone who spends their time in the open sun but of someone who spends it in the patterned forest shade.

He was a lot more handsome than I had prepared myself for so I was taken aback at first. His face didn’t look like that of a spineless jellyfish and the scar by his left ear told me that he wasn’t one to sit back and let others fight for him. His black hair was curly and looked slightly unkempt like he was in a rush when he arrived but at the same time he looked completely in control.

As his eyes met mine a rush of how unprepared I was hit me and I could feel my eyes grow wider with fear. In one small breath, though I turned them back to cold emotionless glass, no longer a window to my thoughts.

“Come on Eli” Vic gently pulls my arm towards the staircase. My gaze breaks away from my future husband as I turn to follow my brother.

“I can walk myself down the stairs,” I whisper harshly. I pull my arm away from Vic and straighten my gaze.

“There’s no need to show off dear sister, we all know how stubborn you are” he teases but allows me to walk by myself.