"Attention to the people, soldiers and royal guests of Yandestine!"

My father stood at the massive balcony - the main one centring and overlooking the entrance of the palace - as everyone began to eagerly gather around the pair of stairs leading to the balcony.

My sister and Rhea were among the many people that craned their head to look at us, both of them wearing tense and curious looks of equal intensities.

I breathed and started counting the seconds I had to stand here.

"We humbly welcome you to the auspicious ceremony celebrating the last night the Prince of Yandestine - lives as just a Prince. My son is hours away from becoming something so much more special to all of us and I couldn't feel more at peace."

I blankly stared at the tallest pillars supporting the central doors of the palace, tightly locking my hands behind my back.

I breathed again. Twenty seconds.

The King of Raglezia stood next to my father, standing with a similar duplication of my posture, but the only difference was that he looked so much more proud, confident and prepared.

I held in a bitter chuckle.

Why wouldn't he look like that?

"This night has been a point in time I've been looking forward to since the very day my son turned eighteen, and now the passing of three years has flown through us like a strong and knowing wind; the leaves and sharp branches that pierced us along the way being every bit worth resisting."

I forced myself a few inches forward and gripped the cold railing. A sour fierceness crawled between my veins and it was almost pinching my nerves, starting to prod unfamiliar wounds.

"The harsh breeze has now finished its course and here we are; blessed with a beautiful aftermath, where the perpetual pouring of rain has stopped and a ray of slow sunshine comes creeping upon us."

A quick glance near the stairs and my eyes immediately picked out Lia grinding her teeth together. I could read her thoughts from that scornful look itself, in which she was unquestionably loathing my father's dire need for the verbal theatrics.

"That sunshine is not only about to bring a new king for the throne...but also someone extremely special to stand behind him."

I stopped breathing.

I stopped counting.

I stopped and I couldn't go back to the painful rise and falls because I knew exactly what was about to be said.

A wave of probing euphoria hurtled towards every living soul in the area and I simply could not bring myself to shift my stare downwards to see their expressions.

I can't do this.

My father smiled at the burst of commotion he caused and put up his hand - silencing everyone. He slowly took a step back and placed his arm around Marquand's back.

"The King of Raglezia - Marquand Xale Grairian - has glorified the beginning of this ceremony by accepting our invitation, and to honour the beginning of our Prince's reign, he has generously decided to share the equipment, weapons and soldiers exclusively used for the wars of his kingdom, with us and us only."

Gleeful cheers and lively gasps reverberated around the room. All of them, so oblivious and so innocent.

He resumed with a contented look as the crowd quietened down again. "A bond of strength, compassion and friendship has been formed between Yandestine and Raglezia, and the very last element to tighten this knot once and for all-"

Raised heads, curiously fisted palms with many sets of eyes that followed, became struck between the two Kings.

I froze the picture surrounding me for a few seconds in my head, wishing this was a moment I could somehow reverse, proceed to change the colours of every paint finishing it and bring an entirely different landscape.

What would I paint instead?

A pleasing canvas without a trace of such agony.

I cleared my head as the suffocating seconds of reality rolled together again. They became clustered within eachother as they yanked me back to an unfortunately moving present again.

Three-hundred seconds.

"-once and for all, is the only daughter of King Marquand and Queen Sofine, the Princess of Raglezia - Rhea Narnine Grairian."

A familiar iciness suddenly wheezed itself into me, compelling me to let go of the railing.

To perhaps even let go of everything.

A harsh pity that I was allowed to do anything but that.

I realised Rhea wasn't standing in the blissfully howling crowd anymore when she came to stand beside me on the balcony. She wrapped her hand around my upper arm, while her other hand travelled down to weave itself in between my fingers.

"I'm here for you, Eli. I'm right here." Her voice fluttered near my ears.

Lia walked forward to place herself on my other side with a knowing gaze of understanding. Her eyes struggled to stay in one place as they flickered between me and Rhea.

She tensely pressed her lips together with a whisper that was loud enough for me to hear. "You have to wave, Elijah."

I nodded absentmindedly and lifted my left hand, letting a dull movement leave my arm.

I slowly turned my head to the side, forming a painlessly empty contact with my best friend's eyes.

The second I did, I immediately discharged my hand from hers, as if a poison was lurking between the calluses on her fingers.

Because the emotion blatantly floating in the small circles of her eyes - it was something I knew I could never handle. Not from her.

It was hope.

And I didn't want to stay another minute to find out what else shadowed it.

I spun around and hurriedly descended down the flight of stairs at the back that lead straight to a corridor, containing a route to my chamber.

The strength of my steps sunk bit by bit, as I passed down each stair - really just wanting to completely pause and stay rooted to the edge of a stair for hours and hours.

What are you going to do, Elijah?

Bunches of servants polishing the floors rapidly shot up, endowing me with massive congratulatory smiles and greetings as they repeatedly mentioned the words 'engagement' and 'your queen'.

The distressing genuity was chased by many more when soldiers stepped into my path with respectful nods and strong handshakes that entailed their best wishes.

"Did you hear that Princess Rhea is going to be crowned the Queen of Yandestine along with Prince Elijah, in his coronation tomorrow?"

"The way that beautiful female carries herself - all hard-headed and never looking back - she's definitely going to be the perfect queen for our kingdom."

"It makes sense why our King chose her to be Prince Elijah's bride - the two have known eachother since such little age, and how wouldn't a companionship like that turn into love, right?"

"It's basically a flawless love story. I wish I had it that easy with my love life."

I quickened my pace, because I just didn't want to hear another wretched word out of these chattering mouths anymore.

There was exactly an hour till the clock was going to strike seven.

I needed an ugly and temporary solitude - until the pre-coronation ceremony was to officially begin.

Where I would be flung around the halls, meeting royalty to royalty, with my 'future queen' on my side.

Why did that thought make me so miserable?

She's my best friend. This won't be a difficult process.

I headed straight towards my chamber once it came into full view, but just as I was about to grasp the doorknob, I stopped midway.

The corner of my heart felt like it had caught onto something my sight couldn't.

I turned around haltingly, desperately wishing she wasn't there.

But there she was, facing me, with a strong and uptight posture as her arms rested against the pillar behind her.

Our eyes met and for one, one extremely little moment, they stayed against each other - firm and unbreakable.

When the moment washed away, their request for closeness was immediately rejected.

The reins were back in our hands, and I didn't know how to pick it up.

I didn't know how to let go of it either.

"Z-Zya," I tried to take a step forward, but my feet hopelessly faltered even before they started to move.

I couldn't even take a mere glance at her.

"Look at me. I can't do this if you won't look at me." She breathed, as a crumbling melody trembled within her voice.

I instantly looked at her, my gaze pulled straight to the tiny stars in her eyes that seemed to have lost their usual twinkle.

We both didn't exchange a single word while several moments passed.

Zyanna appeared so unusually lost, an emotion I had never seen in her, even after she woke up after the attack.

She transferred her stare to the plain floors, before she quickly snatched it back to herself, and her face directly encountered mine again.

She folded her arms and swiftly tucked her hair behind her ears. I blankly stood there with no response, not even through a simple action.

I didn't see it coming.

I didn't think it was possible.

A knife suddenly hovered near my heart, timidly swept near the surface holding it all together, and in one, impenetrable second - it came inside with a cracking slash.

One of the four chambers rushing with blood cracked open, and it left a permanent mark.

All because she did one thing, and it was enough to make me come undone.

She smiled.

***
Well. Well, what do you think?

Why am I doing this?

What would you do if you were in Elijah's shoes?

As always, stay blessed and happy with a contagious smile,

OceanaCamerons 🌹🌹🌹