A Confortaional Meeting

Letharia’s POV

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I took a deep breath, and Aven was nowhere in the room to be found.  I looked in between my legs to see if he had left anything. I passed out after he gave me that syringe. He didn’t do anything to me, but why? After he was so eager to do so, he left me naked in his bed. I stood up and grabbed one of Aven’s shirts. I wouldn't say I liked his smell and the scent he left on his shirts of rich cologne. I wore one of his shorts. I opened his room door to see a flurry of servants going left and right along with guards outside the doors of the nobles, including Aven’s door. The guard bowed to me as he spotted me. “Hello my lady I am sir Galloway I must escort you to your stylist before your RMC council meeting.” I noticed all the stairways and long hallways and pictures of the kings along the palace walls. I was quite the entire time. Sir Galloway had led me to the room. He then looked at me and said, “I used to look up to your father when I was a kid,” he then closed the door as if he had told me a secret. I then started to cry as I thought about all the hope the rebellion had carried for the people of the slums, and we lost. The maid came into the room with a slim multi-color dress in her hands, and she stayed in the room as I got dressed as we didn't exchange a word. The dress showed my midriff and my bare legs. The maid then handed me a pair of black heels. "Finished?" I finally spoke. She shook her head no as she went behind me, formed a braided bun with my hair, and left two hairs sticking out. Then she wiped the tears off my face. "Now you're finished, please follow me, my lady."

"May I ask your name?"

The maid looked at me, confused. " Please don't report me, mistress. If I did anything wrong..."

"No," I giggled at her facial expression.

I continued, "You have a calming presence, thank you for wiping my tears."

"Oh, yes, I understand. The kings are terrifying. I'm a palace slave, for one, I dread it so. I've had to wipe the tears of many girls who had been chosen to satisfy our king, losing their virginity. But you, you're different; you must be the girl from the prophecy. Stay strong, mistress. My name is Illy; ask the maids for me if you need me, now let's go."

I followed her; she led me into a room with guards and people in robes with marks on their faces sitting onto large wooden chairs. Their chairs were facing a table that had marble chairs around it. There I saw Prince Aven and King Nero. I walked further into the room and sat away from both of them. A man who sat in a wooden chair started to speak in a booming voice," Daughter of Letra, you and the rebels of Xoria have killed approximately 20 innocent people, including guards. How will you atone for the deaths of those innocents"?

I couldn't think; clearly, I stood up and spoke firmly, " I have killed more than 20 . No one in Xoria....no mere child in Xoria is innocent"!

The king stared at me in disbelief. One man took his hood off. "Watch your language in the presence of the prince and king...please continue council member Velis."

The hooded man ignored what I said and continued, " Letharia Vulpine, are you aware your Father will pay for the deaths of these people"? Your sister Lorelei will go into adoption as your entire family is on trial".

I fell silent and questioned in my mind, "my poor sister, she wouldn’t react well if she was left alone; my uncle had found that poor child around the arms of a corpse." I forgot about that thought; then I wrapped my arms around my chest. "If I marry and carry the child of the King and deliver a healthy child, you won't hurt them, and Lorelei won't suffer?"

The man tilted his head. "I can make no promises; as a part of the prophecy, there is a scheduled date to start conceiving the child; there will be trial dates on certain days if you would like to please his majesty, oral and anal sex. Is allowed."

I saw council member Velis's face in the light; he had short white hair with gray eyes. He looked as if he was in his mid 20's.

"If my family suffers, I will not complete this prophecy."

He laughed. "The King and prince will be delighted to witness a family execution, and maybe you would want to be tied down watching Lorelei have a lethal injection. But, you will marry the king, and you might as well watch your family die alongside him since you're so disobedient that could straight you up, don't you think?"

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath; I had to act perfect, weak, obedient, and I had to prove my loyalty, so I could save what was left of my family.

" I accept," I spoke in a loud, firm tone.

King Nero and Prince Aven stared at me wide-eyed, and the council members whispered to each other.

Just then, the doors had opened, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes came into the room. She wore a crown-like tiara. The guards kneeled. She locked eyes with King Nero, and then she glared at me. She then turned and spoke to the council standing in place, "So the daughter of a whore is going to marry my son?"

"How could the King marry a stuck-up, arrogant bitch like you?"

Everyone gasped. But Aven had smiled.

"Shut your mouth, peasant! Everyone knows about your mother but you. Just because you have been chosen does not mean you are queen yet".

She then turned to the council and said: "How could a rebel be chosen, and at much less a peasant."

The man who spoke before looked at her," Queen Eliza, you, yourself were a mere commoner before, the prophecy speaks for itself, I suggest you leave or take a seat, a seat quietly next to your husband."

I smiled as the man in the robe smiled at me as she scoffed and took a seat.

"Head Council member, Velis?" Prince Aven spoke

The man who once spoke before looked at him and said: " Yes, my liege?"

He stood up. "Could you read her mind and tell me everything?"

He nodded and stepped down from his chair; I saw his face more clearly. He was young; he looked so much younger than all the other council members, handsome even. He had a chiseled jawline, just as the Kings, but there was something so different about him. He was cleanly shaven, just as Aven was, but I looked into his grey eyes and stood silent as he stood there staring into my eyes. He put his right hand on my cheek and then his left hand on my other cheek; his hands felt cold. He muttered a few words in Latin, "Ex Dei. Praebueris tua. Ostende mihi puellam ut sit. Da mihi de eius voluntate``(Translation: May the gods lend me the power to show me this girl’s intent). Then he stared into my eyes and commanded me to follow his finger. I did. He then put his hand on my forehead and spoke louder as he stared deeper into my eyes. My life flashed before my eyes, but my thoughts could not be heard nor my voice.

He stepped away and stared at the Prince and King. "I can see her memories, but I can not hear her thoughts; it's a similar skill...I heard that her mother possessed."

"That's impossible," King Nero spoke.

I was confused. But I studied council member Velis's techniques quickly. I put my hand on his forehead. Everyone gasped as the council members rushed out of their seats to help him.

"She wouldn't dare," Aven spoke under his breath.

I closed my eyes and muttered some words. I just let the words leave my tongue. I didn't know if I repeated it right. Just then, I felt a gust of wind, and millions of memories played in my head like a movie, but they weren't mine. I heard voices. I saw people. I heard his thoughts "What is she doing"... "beautiful"... "mastering my technique turning it into her own"...."No"...."stop"..."stop"...

Another memory flashed in my head; my mother was smiling, holding his hand calling his name "Zane," looking up at her as if he was her child.

I pulled back and gasped. King Nero rushed to my side and asked a guard to handcuff my hands, but I pulled my hands away.

Zane fell back and coughed; I saw tears in his eyes, but only for a second. The council members looked at me in shock. "If she is as powerful as her mother, then the heir might be 10 times more".

Another one spoke, " A help to the kingdom."

Zane stood up and walked towards me.

I looked into his eyes again and spoke: " Why don't they know?"

"You can tell them," he calmly spoke.

"How can you see me? Your eyes follow me, but you're blind."

"Why don't you tell them?!" he yelled.

"It doesn't feel right," I whispered.

He scoffed, then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "If you do that again, I will have your head!"

The council members pulled him away from me.

"That's enough," a man spoke; he looked as if he were in his 50's.

"Head Council member Velis is in no condition to speak as of now, Daughter of Letra, you may leave, but we have your word that you will comply with both the prince and the king."

Before I could accept, I turned around to the guard that tried to handcuff me; I looked into his eyes and whispered in his ear, "Your eyes reflect blood in the moonlight, now kill your thoughts and listen to the sound of my voice. How are you bearing the pain of killing the innocent, pain, or pleasure? Accept it that the gods have given up on you. Give me your pleasure and your pain....." I used a seduction spell my mother had taught me.

I panted in his ear; I grabbed his chin and had him face me. "Shit," he whispered. My hands then gilded around his body as he leaned in to kiss me. I smiled as I pulled his sword away from his sheath. I pulled back and swiftly ran past former king Nero. Before they knew it, I had a sword held to Aven's neck.