Fan Fiction ❯ Earth's Reflection, My World ❯ Welcome Ball ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten:

Chaos at the Welcome Ball

Neouri wore the periwinkle dress Reyana pointed out. Personally, Neouri hated periwinkle. But this dress- oh my God! It made her look like a goddess! Standing before the mirror, she studied herself.

Her hair was loose, floating about her shoulders like a black cloud. She had little pins in her hair that winked, and made her hair look more like a night sky. She studied the earrings that dangled. Creations of silver, and diamond. Her face didn't have makeup, and her eyes seemed so. . .a shade she had never seen before. It was blue, but there was violet and a fine shroud of silver. The dress. . . It dipped to reveal her cleavage, a sun kissed cleavage that Neouri hadn't even know was there! The material hugged her waist, and flattered her flared hips, where on the left side, a slit divided the gracefully falling skirt, and revealed a finely toned thigh. Her feet, were placed in slippers that tied up her calves with the same periwinkle ribbons.

Staring in awe at the beauty before her, she had only just realized that was her.

She couldn't believe that was her, but with every movement her body made, she was grace personified in this dress. The fluid movements her body made before looked like an intricate dance she performed for free.

She was still standing like that when Xel opened the door to his room, and was nearly just as shocked as she was at the sight of her.

But then again, his carnal side knew she was a beauty, and he had to fight it so that he didn't rip off that lovely dress and sensuously assault her. Even if his human side had been called to attention at the sight she made.

Then she turned around to face him, and she gasped with appreciation.

Neouri looked Xel up and down.

He looked like a prince!

He wore no armor, but he wore delicately designed shoulder guards of deep blue lines with gray , a royal blue cape fell around it from the front, covering his wide shoulders and his back. His front was covered with a matching long sleeve, pins lined on the right, one of them a deep blue gem carved in the head of a wolf, gems of amethyst blazing for eyes. Other pins were like flags, or dark stones that blended with his long sleeve shirt. He wore a belt of black, that had a dark blue sapphire in the center, surrounded by tiny little silver balls. His black pants looked snug, and showed his rippling muscles that moved beneath her stare.

He cleared his throat, and her eyes traveled back to his face. His hair looked even more wild than usual, and a lock was between his eyes that made him look young and boyish. A circlet of silver on his head, a deep sapphire in the center. Then she looked into his eyes.

That was what made her gasp.

His eyes were darkened over, the slivers of light glinting in them made it look like a dangerous thunderstorm raged in them.

Her heart began to race, she could hear it pounding in her ears as the scent of wind and rain distracted her. She felt her heart running, she could even hear the pounding of her footsteps, and the might howl that erupted ahead of her. She knew she was lost, lost in the storm that was his eyes. But it felt so real, this sensation felt familiar. . .She glanced to her side. It was dark, then lightning flashed.

Xel moved towards her, and she lost the vision.

She blinked to clear her head. He offered her his arm, his voice was gruff as he asked, "May I escort you to the ball?"

*****

Keurai massaged his temples in agitation.

His father, and four of his legitimate brothers that came to his ball, stood before him, his step-mother siding with her husband.

They did not believe Neouri had the right to be claimed by him.

"How do we know this is not some ploy to get her to be in line for the throne?" His brother, Keeran asked. Keeran wore the red for his section of the kingdom, and a golden circlet with a ruby in the center. His brown hair and shocking lime green eyes were wild as he glared at his younger sibling. "You may be crown prince, but you better make better decisions!"

"Housing a young, and uncultured girl?" His younger brother by a year said shaking his red head. He looked up, and Keurai noticed the golden circlet with an opal in the center. Devian's gleaming gold eyes gave him a look.

"It's not like that!" Keurai said blushing. "I believe she's my sister you pervert!"

Marvolo, Keurai's senior by two years stared at him in that puzzling way he had with those hazel eyes. He brushed a lock of his dirty blonde hair away from his yellow diamond in the center of his golden circlet. He wore yellow clothes for his section, and sighed in thought.

Threnin, Marvolo's second in command, but the most destructive out of the twelve princes of Tiare, looked over Keurai, his younger brother by a year. Threnin then looked at Marvolo. His cold blue eyes and silvery blue hair seemed at odds with the warm yellow he wore.

Threnin spoke his mind. "I'm meeting her on my terms. Until then, I won't except her as my sibling in any matter."

Threnin was the cold hearted, and meanest out of them. He wouldn't physically hurt Neouri, but he could make a girl cry. . .and in Neouri's case, provoke her into a fight that Keurai didn't know who would come out victor.

Keurai shook his head. "Threnin, you have to meet her on my rules if you won't meet her by dad's."

The king looked at his son, his youthful eyes of warm blue darkened over.

King Derrin was a man not used to being argued with, much less by Keurai. His sons were all obedient, and trusted his judgment. He was a youthful looking man with dark black hair, and eyes of blue. Though he was actually old enough to have been made a great grandfather, he barely looked old enough to father twelve legitimate sons, and who knows how many illegitimate children. He wore a golden crown upon his head, that was etched with leaves, and other designs of his Kingdom Tiare. At the center were the twelve stones of his twelve sections in his kingdom.

His queen looked just as young. She had auburn hair that fell in waves down her back, and dark green eyes. She had elf ears, and the delicate features of her race, she was tall, nearly in height with the king. She was described as fair, and defensive of her stepsons. None of them were her actual children, but she loved the twelve sons of Derrin just the same.

"We will all meet her." Derrin said with authority. "If you ever want your place back Threnin, you stay here. If you want it a long while later, you meet her on your brothers grounds."

Threnin tossed off his circlet, and stalked out of the meeting room. "I'm borrowing clothes, alright, Keurai?"

Derrin sighed. "When do you want us to meet her?"

Keurai grinned. "After the ball."

*****

Neouri whirled around the dance floor for the fifth time, this time in the arms of some mysterious guy who looked like Adonis.

When the dance was over, she laughed, and moved to the side with the Adonis. "May I get you a drink, miss?" He asked, his face eager for more than a drink.

Neouri smiled. "No thank you, I think I'll socialize for a bit. But she," Neouri pointed to a lovely young imp looking girl who was mooning over the Adonis look alike. "Looks like she could."

With hat obvious dismissal, the man went to her bidding, and Neouri watched as he actually became flattered by the imp's loving gaze.

With a smile, she headed to the corners of the ball, where she found Cerin talking heatedly with another young boy who had long dark furry ears sticking out from where his usual ears should be. A golden stump stuck out from his head, and a black tail that matched his black hair was swishing back and forth as he argued heatedly with Cerin.

Neouri gasped, and assaulted the boy, feeling his ears, and his hair, and rubbing his golden stub on his forehead. "What is this? Wow! it's so soft! Your tail is kind coarse. . .Oh! I was petting the wrong way! Why do you have a little horn? Are you a galdi-"

The boy pulled his tail away from Neouri. "Don't call me a galdilore!" The boy snapped. "My name's Mori, and I'm a bloodhunter!"

Cerin guffawed as Neouri asked him question after question, and moved around to inspect him.

Mori huffed away, his face red from the attention of such a pretty female, and the way she scratched his ears that made him want to just melt in her arms.

Cerin wiped away tears of laughter as Neouri sighed. "You made him uncomfortable! You proved me right." he said in gratitude. "I'm glad you did that, Neouri."

"Was that what you were arguing about?" She asked puzzled.

Cerin nodded. "Now come, the guest of honor shouldn't have to be over here in a corner, come meet the young girls of Tiare."

Neouri pulled him back. "I don't want to right now." She said with a smile. "Let's go meet some other people."

And she did.

She went all along the edges of the room, and met a variety of people and creatures. She met other bloodhunters, other galdilores who gave her fake names, humans, half bloods, and elves.

She was talking to one of the people about Keurai when a man swooped her up in his arms, and took her onto the dance floor.

Facing him in his arms, she studied him.

His eyes were a bright, shining blue. An unusual blue, swirled with white or silver. His hair was silvery blonde, and his face was pale. His shoulders were wide, and his chest was broad, narrowing to slim waist and trim hips, and long ,legs. He was tall, about a head taller than she was. He wore black coat, and black pants. The dark setting of his lighter features.

She smiled politely at him. He didn't hold her uncomfortably close, and his hands never strayed anywhere on her body.

Yet.

Neouri actually enjoyed his dancing. He was graceful, and quick on his feet as he move with her, leading her around on the dance floor, twirling her when necessary, and moving with her when he had to.

The song was reaching it's climax when the man moved his hand to her bottom, and gave it a rough squeeze.

Neouri's face flamed, and she tried to extract herself from him. He reacted by holding her closer, and whispering in her ear, "Is it because I am not the prince that you do not allow me such liberties?"

Neouri gasped, and bit back a whimper for the trouble she suddenly felt she caused her dear brother and his friends. When she tried to turn away again so that she could release her fury elsewhere, like on the training fields, he grabbed her again, and tried to roughly apply his lips to hers.

She only remembered a brief surge of anger before her hands curled into a fist, and she swung it into his jaw silently, the blow making a sound loud enough to catch the attention of everyone around them.

He staggered back from the impact, a string of curses leaving his mouth. "Bitch!" He said finally talking to a pissed off Neouri. "Dare you lay your hands on the king's son!?"

Neouri's eyes widened. This was one of Keurai's brothers? There was no telling. By attitude, or by look.

"Dare you lay your hands on an unwilling woman?" She snapped back.

"If I was the prince you-" He started.

"What the fuck you know about me!?" Neouri roared, causing him to step back, and away from her fury. Everyone had gathered in a circle around them. Neouri was aware that Xel, Eede, and Cerin were trying to get through. Someone had called for the crown prince, or the king, but she didn't care.

When the man before her didn't answer, she continued. "That's right," She said. "You don't know jack shit about me! And just because I live in this mansion with the prince, you think I'm his whore? His fiancée lives here for God's sake, and I see him as my brother you sick bastard!" She realized another insult, and grasped onto that. "And how dare you think my brother would even think of being unfaithful to his intended!? If I hear you utter such insult to me and mine again, kings son or not, no power will stop me from kickin' your ass mutha fucka!" Neouri watched his reaction to her anger, and spun on her heel, gracefully avoiding a physical conflict.

Eede broke through the crowd first. Neouri admired him for a moment, with his cape of deep purple and his shoulder guards of silver gray, and matching breast plate. His black pants, and blue long sleeve shirt with pins and a wolf's head like his brother made her smile. Then he spoke. "What do you think you are doing!?" He whispered with worry. "That was King Derrin's eighth son!"

Neouri rolled her eyes. "Make sure his highness doesn't touch me again or I'll castrate his balls!" She hissed, and continued walking, when Eede whirled around to talk to Threnin.

Xel appeared next, stopping her in his tracks. He glared at her. "If I have to catch hell over what you just pulled, I will make sure you don't leave your room until I make a hut strong enough to hold you in it!" When she snorted, he added. "If I have to chain you down, Neouri, I will. So value what freedom you have left because when this is over, you might not have it. Only a room with a bed, and me chaining you to it."

Neouri laughed dryly, her anger still there. "Kinda kinky for you, ain't it Xel?" But she knew he would, and that scared her. Fear and anger made her frustrated, and bitter, which only resulted into more rage.

Xel blushed, and followed his brother to make sure his lecherous highness was alright from her little love tap.

Cerin appeared by her side. "If he touches you again, he will regret it."

Neouri walked up the winding staircase, Cerin following after her, down the halls and into her room.

She locked both doors, Cerin seating himself on her bed. Walking towards the dressers, she ripped off her pins and dress until she was naked.

Cerin blushed as he saw her golden skin, and turned away. He heard her pull out the drawer roughly and shove on a night gown.

She tossed him a shirt she had found, on that was large enough for him. When he changed into that he saw her on the balcony.

"I'm changed." When he uttered those two words, he found her on the bed, face down.

"Fuck everyone!" She screamed into the bed. It was muffled, but Cerin heard it clearly.

He watched her body wrack with sobs, shaking the bed violently as she swore at everyone; the man who danced with her: Threnin, Xel, Eede, the king, Reyana, but what scared him most was when she screamed. "And you know what's worst!? I wanted to live instead of dying and letting them have the gem!"

"NO!" Cerin shouted his denial, and pulled her head onto his lap, covering her with his smaller, younger upper body. He shivered as he thought about her death. "Don't leave me."

They stayed there like that, Cerin holding her, and her crying.

Finally, he felt her stop. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you, or anyone else." He got off of her, and she leaned up on her arms to look into his bright sapphire eyes. "But if Threnin touched me, or talks any about Keurai, I will kick his ass."

Cerin smiled weakly, yet he still looked pale. "I know." He smiled, the first evil smile Neouri had ever seen from him. "He's just lucky I wasn't there. I would have done much worse." His face fell, and he looked like the frightened child Neouri had never seen before. "Just promise me you won't leave me. Ever." He looked so frightened, so alone, so lost.

Neouri pulled him close to her and whispered. "I won't ever leave you, Cerin."

They fell onto the bed, Cerin leaving her to bring the blankets around them. Pulling him back to her, he snuggled against her breast, wrapped his arms around her waist, and fell asleep curled against her body. He felt Neouri wrap her arms around his back, and tuck his head under her chin, curling her legs around his body so that they slept closely, sharing their warmth.

*****