Hellan
Alex pushed me onto the dance floor and Shin held my hand and led me under the spotlight. If it was intentional I don't know but judging from his shocked facial features he was also played. Everyone's eyes were glued to us, we immediately stepped onto the spotlight after the emperors' dance. This sent a very strong message, a message I didn't want to send. After staring at me for a while he gained clarity held my waist and pulled me closer, I instinctively put my hands on his chest and as he started swaying side to side I followed purely out of practice. I place my arms around his neck and made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were a deep bluish-purple. A deep colour that pulled me in trapped me. They were unfocused, Unmoving as if they dong really get used. He blinked but his irises were still unfocused, Staring and nothing really
'Your majesty?' I started softly, more of a whisper to his ear. His eyes still unfocused but he brought his ear slightly closer to me. He was blind. I knew all of the Keel's couldn't really see but Shin neither had a blindfold nor did he move around like other blind people I've seen. Now that I thought about it, this was a stupid thought. I tried throwing the thoughts out and instead focus on not stepping on royalty's toes but I just couldn't keep my eyes oof his eyes. He was taller than me but I managed to look into his eyes and hold his beautiful irises. His skin was a bit darker than mine but had a sort of warmth to it I had to actively fight the urge to lean on him. My breath stated coming in pants and my heart started to act wildly.
It suddenly hit me, how could I have been so dumb not to notice before. The glamourous cloths, the makeup, the jewels and the fact that Alex was actively keeping every male including the prince from advancing closer to me. I was getting matched made. My brain was about to roll in on itself but when I looked at those purple irises I calmed down and matched his next step. I mean the whole getup was useless when trying to attract a blind man and I didn't really say much to him anyway until he started a conversation with me.
'My lady, I never really caught your name' His baritone reverberated in my bones sending happy jolts all over.
'And yet here your are holding my waist' I unconsciously forgot to play my part as a prim and proper lady. He laughed lightly and brought his lips closer to my ear. His breath tickling my ear made me weak in the knees.
'Hope am holding tight enough?' there was a mischievousness in his tone as he brought me closer forcing me to lean on his chest. This feeling was addictive.
'It could be closer' I liked this game so I played along with a smile feeling his heart beat.
'I forgot to introduce myself, I am not your majesty, you can call me Shin' His voice was low such that only I could hear him. 'I'll let you call me that since you've stollen my first dance' Again he had a mischievousness in his tone. I lifted my head from his chest and looked into his eye.
'I can steal more' I was liking this game more. He smiled a dazzling smile and I couldn't help but return it.
'Am afraid if you do that our princess will burst a vein' He laughed again and I turned to look at our surroundings for the first time since we started dancing. The floor was devoid of people only the two of us were left swaying in the spotlight. All eyes were on us, they had stopped their socializing to watch us. I looked at a certain corner where the prince who'd approached me early was watching, confused at what was happening. At another part of the hall, princess Layann was standing staring daggers at us her killing intent aimed at my back. At another part, my sisters and Shin's cousin were happily chatting away clinging their glasses as if they just closed the biggest deal of the year.
'You'll protect me right?' I joked and he increased his grip on my waist pulling me even closer. This was starting to get dangerous.
'It'll depend' He whispered and stroked my hair.
'You can call me Hellan your majesty' I tried drawing a line but the mischievous smile on his face told me the game was far from over.
'Hellan?' He mused. 'Beautiful name. Who gave it to you?' He didn't miss a step. Continuing this conversation was not going to end well for me.
'Your majesty should be aware of the scheme at play here?' I asked with a serious voice trying to change the conversation.
'How could I not be aware? My father and uncle both went through this play. I knew it was a matter of time for my grandma to put on her show for me. And even after knowing she'd strike soon I was still caught off guard. But no matter at least your beautiful' The last part of his rant was something I didn't expect.
'How could you know I am beautiful you have yet to see me?' Keeping up with his steps was starting to become a chore but he would adjust saving me from making a complete fool of myself.
'One doesn't need eyes to see.' He placed his hand at the back of my head and gently brought me onto his chest. 'Your first instinct wasn't to flutter me with lies. That is beauty to me. And I also like your figure.' For a moment he spoke deep words then tried to hide it with a cocky joke. I wanted to ask how he could tell I wasn't lying when the music stopped and we had to part. The crowed clapped as we bowed to each other and walked out of the spotlight together.
After we danced, we parted ways. The party went on at its snails pace and after painfully long the emperor started the main event of the party. Layann was showered with presents. My sisters and I gave an extravagant necklace that was paired with bracelets and earing. She was angry at me but hey it was humanly impossible to care any lesser. After we were done praising somebody for taking our extravagant present we passed by Shin and Grey both heading over to give their gifts with their kin and attendance in tow. Shin smiled at me and I bushed against my own will. Alex looked at me and smiled wildly as she sipped her drink.
'You already miss him that much?' Alex who had a little much to drink started teasingly. 'You'll get to see him tomorrow my dear' These two vixens had clearly set their traps right. I may deny it but was it so bad that I wanted another dance.
Morgan
I had a small window to make this work. The bast...My benefactor had given me an impossible task and a reward so good I could really use. The night after he told me what he wanted my targets stepped into the city. I called my entire clan and as the rulers were busy dancing, the roan hills, a city with thick defences that no army could ever dream of capturing, was infiltrated by an army. Due to our curse, we could only walk in the night but my benefactor was kind enough to let us borrow his power, so my clan, some from across the sea arrived at the same night in a room in the tavern with no name.
'Are you an idiot, the last time you made a deal with that bastard we wound up like this' One of the three people around me shouted. She was my younger sister, beautiful she could have easily won the fancy of a noble. The other two were my cousins, brute men who only depended on their strength and speed.
'I didn't have much of a choice' I whimpered. Ever since we got "immortality" she'd been scary.
'What did he offer you this time huh!' She screamed.
'Sleep. He offered me sleep' I answered simply. 'I don't know whether its a trick but I am willing to take it either way.' I could see her facial changes. None of us has ever slept for the past twenty years too scared of the same people we were now planning to reattack.
'Isn't this what we've been avoiding for the past twenty years? If we take the incitive walk into the devils maw what was the purpose of suffering for so long!' She was on the verge of exploding. I looked at the three of them and at the thousand clans men we had downstairs drinking. All of us were just mere cowards, if we were truly brave then we would shamelessly sleep let Keel's dreamers find us, let the Keel's brake us. But here we are cowards who cannot even sit on a bed due to fear.
'If we can finally get to rest, ill take it' one of my cousins spoke. 'I cannot take it any longer. We act as if everything is fine but we're dying. I am not dying before I sleep.'
'He just wants another head? Then lets give it to him and immediately he pays up we split up and hide.' I wanted to laugh at the thought that they wanted to hide. They all started to contemplate.
'Ill isolate him' my other cousin started after a while.
'ill open an escape route' cousin spoke up.
'I'll make sure the soldiers aren't detected' my sister reluctantly added. 'Make sure you get his head fast the last thing I need is to face more than one keel at a time'
'I heard our target is a formidable warrior, be careful' After the meeting was over they started disappearing into the night one by one each off to look for a place to hide before the sun rose. we were just a band of bandits who took too big a job for an insane reward. We lost two thirds our number but got the job done and our reward paid. But that same night we realised our reward was more a curse than a blessing. We'll stay immortal as long as we do nothing but breath and eat, everything else became a sharp sword pointed at our necks daring us to move.
I sighed as I audibly exhaled and got angry just remembering that bastard that I didn't even know his name. I've never even seen his face before, he always covers himself in a dark ski mask. I wanted nothing more than to smash his entire face in. In the end even though I was some sort of immortal, I was still nothing compared him. I just hoped I was insignificant enough to be left alone. How many of my kin was I going to loose to the Keel's tomorrow all to collect a head.