Till We Meet Again, Alpha

Just as I approached an appropriate distance a few feet away from the last man in line, I felt a light gust of wind being stirred from behind me. In the same instance I decided to swivel my head in the direction I had just come from and spare a glance or two.

The carriage disappeared almost as if it managed to vanish in thin air within the few moments my back was turned.

I also had somewhat forgotten that there were guards positioned on either side of me to assist with carrying my dress. As quickly as I had come to the realization was as hasty as my decision to swirl my head back around to what was ahead of me once more. I became overly aware of everything I was doing and suddenly felt a tinge of guilt for making it harder for them by randomly making extra and sudden movements.

Awkward.

Although I had the opportunity to watch as the vehicle rolled away just a minute ago, I hadn't thought the carriage would've been able to cross the distance from this side of the courtyard to another so quickly. For some reason I had inwardly hoped to lay my eyes on the vehicle one last time before continuing forward and on into the ball. As supportive as Ruth had been, I still hadn't grasped the idea of entering an unfamiliar palace all alone.

I found myself absentmindedly fidgeting with the seams around my waist as I stared toward the ground.

The closer you were to the royal entrance of the ballroom is the more you'd be able to hear the sound of the door clicking and setting in and out of place. They looked and sounded just as heavy and thick as the rest of the walls appeared to be on this enormous castle.

The amount of time that passed between the door opening and closing for each entry must have been longer than a few minutes since it didn't seem to be occurring as quickly as I had assumed. Although I was a bit thankful for the opportunity to calm myself, I wasn't sure if it helped my already unsettled nerves at all.

If anything it just gave me more time to anticipate what was to come after my own entry.

Almost as soon as those thoughts crossed my mind I noticed the man standing in front of me in line slowly turn around to face me. I couldn't help but let out a small breath of air as I took a hesitant step backward in confusion.

My face fell toward the floor involuntarily as an attempt to make myself less appealing or inviting.

I didn't really want to talk right now.

"My oh my, what a wonderful surprise! I hadn't expected anyone to show up any later than me, let alone have the pleasure of it being a woman as beautiful as yourself."

My brain wracked through what I could possibly say in response whilst I found myself gulping uncomfortably.

Although we hadn't made eye contact it was like I could feel the weight of his eyes staring down at me.

"Ah th-thank y-y-you," I stuttered as I barely managed to scrape the few words from my vocal cords.

Nothing.

This prompted me to glance up and meet his eyes right on time to see a strange grin beginning to stretch across his face in apparent amusement at the sight of my discomfort. His smile lacked any warmth and appeared to be plastered on his face as a means to add some sort of charm that wasn't working on me.

I couldn't help but pinch my eyebrows together and glare into the dark eyes of the man before me.

The corners of his mouth turned from a smile to a smirk at the prospect of a challenge; one of his eyebrows lifting with an arch while the other pushed toward the center of his face.

"I haven't seen you around here before. You're not from here are you, kitten?"

"Don't call me that," I nearly barked back at him.

"Feisty are we? Perhaps a nickname as innocent as kitten wouldn't suit you after all then."

"Perhaps not."

He chuckled and took a step towards me as his head cocked from one side to another as to crack his neck but in an odd and rapid manner. His eyes were still locked on me, yet his mind seemed to travel elsewhere as his eyes seemed to begin to darken many shades deeper than they were just moments ago.

Upon noticing his advance, I took more than one step backward as to retreat from his large frame and the shadow it threatened to cast over my own. I briefly flickered my gaze from my dress to my feet hoping I didn't step on my gown or maybe that the earth would somehow open up and swallow either of us within its depths.

As long as it was me or him.

All of a sudden and completely out of nowhere it was like a switch had been flipped. I watched as he took the time to straighten his back and relax not only his facial features but also his stance and form. This caused me to narrow my eyes as I squinted at him with suspicion.

"Maybe we've gotten off on the wrong foot."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You are about to enter the ballroom from the royal entrance completely alone and you're obviously new around here so you'll need someone to show you around."

"I'll figure it out myself."

In a few short strides he was able to cross the distance between us and I couldn't help but gasp in shock at the way he decided to approach. As he stood just a foot away from me his frame was able to cast a dark shadow over half of my dress. The heat of his breath greeted the surface of my forehead as he leaned over and began to search for the words he was looking for so he could present an offer to me.

I was in utter disgust.

"Or you can enter the ballroom with me and you won't be as nervous anymore. I can faintly hear how fast your heart is beating right now."

"Maybe it's because you won't take no for answer," I heard a rough voice say from behind the man that currently leered over me.

"Let the human speak for herself," the man just inches away from me said as he rolled his eyes.

"Face me as I speak to you," the other man sharply commanded clearly ignoring his remark and nearly speaking over him.

I could tell he was becoming irritated.

The man in front of me sighed and turned his body halfway around as if he was going to confront whoever intervened the encounter, but instead he ended up freezing in place entirely. In that same instance I was able to watch from the last place in line as the two of them began engaging in the same silent conversation I've seen other inhabitants of the Cove have with another before.

"Only those that are mated or meant to be are permitted to enter through the royal entrance as one."

"It's a possibility," said the boundary crosser as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"A highly unlikely one at that," I heard the other man remark lowly as he stood eerily still.

"You're just as uptight as your sister."

I could only observe as the man who interrupted our conversation rapidly lurched forward as he reached for the collar of the creep's suit with one hand whilst using the other to grab one of his shoulders. I watched as he yanked him towards the spot he was holding in line with a deathly vice grip that caused ripple like crinkles around where his fingers grabbed at the suit.

In response the weirdo seemed to shiver in fear and breathlessly attempt to shake the man's hands off of him. I watched as the man then took one hand off of his shoulder to find solace in squeezing his neck with a grip that turned the skin surrounding his hand red then white then purple. I wasn't even sure if the guy could breathe anymore and I maybe somewhat almost felt bad for him. I could barely watch as he struggled to move the hand away from his neck or his collar but I knew from the sound of footsteps that the pair shuffled from one space to another as they fought.

Well, as one of them fought.

Somewhere in the midst of the scuffle I heard a loud crack that caused me to wince and close my eyes. From ahead of me immediately after I could hear voices and footsteps of more people presumably coming to step in between them and separate the men from another.

"I suggest you take heed of where you choose to step, I'd hate to see the wrong foot lead to your fall."

I hesitantly pried my eyes open to see what may have occurred as a result of their disagreement, but was instead greeted by the sight of the man who just got dragged and swirled around like a rag doll laugh as the guards prepared to open the doors for him. His laugh didn't last for long as it turned into a cough in which from behind him I could see blood probably from his mouth or his wounds fall on the ground in a pool much to my distaste.

Just a few feet ahead of me yet several behind the creep was the man who helped me out. He just stood there wordlessly watching the man he just pummeled mere seconds ago look down at the puddle of blood between himself and the wide double doors.

"Excuse me?" I said as I tried to catch the attention of the man just a few steps ahead of me.

In unison to my actions I just barely noticed the guy mutter something to the guards, in which I heard a clack and then the drag of the double doors beginning to open. For some reason I found myself looking toward the man as he entered, and to my surprise he spared one last glance at me and flashed me a wink with his bloody signature grin. Although it wasn't intentional on his part, I found myself immensely repulsed by the sight and I nearly threw up everything I ate today. My body lurched forward and I turned to the side just in case I did vomit so it didn't fall on my dress.

How could they let him in looking like that?

I hadn't noticed that the man in front of me had turned around upon hearing me attempt to address him until I began to straighten my back and catch my breath. I accidentally let out a loud gasp of fright since I hadn't expected him to be so close. My mouth couldn't help but remain agape once I also reached the realization that it was the man on the horse!

Yet for some odd reason he still looked a bit familiar.

I wasn’t sure how it could even be possible, but I definitely recognized his features from somewhere and just couldn't put a finger on it.

In the same moment that I heard the double doors click and slide closed I found myself remembering that the man on the horse was indeed the second to last man in line the last time I checked.

"I wanted to thank you for-" I started to say before the words fell from my tongue.

Instead of listening to what I had to say the man just simply turned back around and walked toward the double door entrance as if nothing happened.

My entire face scrunched together upon beholding the peak of his rather odd and unpredictable behavior.

How rude.

I grabbed my dress as to assist the guards in following me and also continued forward myself. As soon as my finger was about to tap his back I heard the guards announce they were ready and seen the man nod. Both men on either side slowly began to open the doors for him.

Without much time to waste, I pushed my finger into the material of his shoulder and tapped him three times. He didn't say anything nor move a muscle.

"Hey! Who are you?"

Nothing.

"What's your problem dude? You literally just helped me out not even a few minutes ago!"

Nothing.

"Jeez, I'm starting to think you're an asshole too."

The double doors were now completely open.

As close as I was to my turn and as many times as I had seen the door open and close, I still wasn't able to see what was supposed to be awaiting inside. It was very dark even with the doors open and even with the bright glow that carried throughout the courtyard and adorned the castle walls.

All I could see on the inside from the outside was the clothes on the back of the person next to enter before the darkness would completely engulf their frame.

The mere thought of what might happen once I enter those doors sent shivers crawling down my spine like a group spiders had fallen off of their webs and onto me.

As soon as his figure disappeared into the pitch black darkness the guards began to close the double doors once more. Once the doors had clicked together and each of them could confirm they were completely shut, both guards made sure to quickly return to their respective positions on either side. Neither of them disregarded me but neither said a word to greet or inform me of when I was to approach either.

Just silence.

And in the midst of emptiness my mind suddenly became consumed with thoughts of seeing Leo again.

"Excuse me miss?" I heard one of the guards ask rather softly.

Upon hearing him speak I was broken away from the feelings of longing that scratched and prodded at the strings of my heart and thrust back into fits of curiosity and anticipation.

I offered a small smile to the man as I met his eyes.

“You may enter when you are ready.”

I inhaled a shaky breath before releasing a deep sigh.

The two guards shared a look of understanding before each of them reached for their respective door. It was then that I was able to clearly see and admire the tiny engravings and carvings on each door as they carefully pulled them open as wide as they could go. Since each door opened outward the closer they had gotten to me I could see the gold colors thinly etched into most of the engravings. I also hadn’t noticed before but there were floral patterns that wrapped around the edge of the heavy doors before it began to fall in line with the crest that was centered in a design that reminded me of something similar as to what was currently on my gown. Gold seemed to outline and emphasize certain parts of the design and I enjoyed looking at what seemed to be just another handcrafted and man made work of art.

It really made me wonder who this castle belonged to and how long it must have taken them to construct this magical monument.

I haven’t even entered the building and I was more than aware of how much amount of time, expenses, and detail that must’ve been put into each and every part of the castle and the courtyard. Everything was surreal. Perfect almost. Too good to be true, even.

I couldn’t help but to begin to imagine the beauty of what the interior decor may look like considering the exterior already reminded me of one of the tall tales they used to tell us as kids. One of the fairytales in my old storybooks that I’ve only visited in my dreams and figments of my wildest imaginations.

“I’m sorry to ask, but how will I be able to see where I’m going once I’m inside? It doesn’t look like there’s any source of light in there from here.”

And not to mention I’m already clumsy enough as is.

“No need to worry madam. The pathway in this entrance was designed with motion sensors that detect your movement and will illuminate the room as you enter.”

Everyone else just walked right on in and here I was questioning the guards like any of this directly has anything to do with them.

“Thank you,” I said to each of them with a nod and a quick bow.

The pair turned to look at another in obvious surprise before each of their faces began to redden like ripe tomatoes in a lush garden. I hadn’t noticed many of the guards share or display any emotions whilst traveling around town today, so whenever I do I can’t help but feel joy when participating in the interaction.

Alike those that serve this kingdom, I also have to uphold a shell of myself until I return home.

Thankfully mostly everyone I’ve encountered has made it easier to accept that for the time being.

Now feeling somewhat a bit more settled in my current reality, I looked at each of the guards and flashed them my real smile before I turned to face the darkness ahead.

I stared into the depths of black that crawled as far as it could toward the light ass possible before it crammed into edges, hinges, and reached toward a peak. Not even the first step into the room would I be able to see anything at all, not even the floor itself.

In a way it felt like I was facing my fears.

Like a child trying to go to sleep without a nightlight.

Like running up the stairs after turning off the light and hoping the monsters don’t catch you.

I was facing my fear of the monsters of the night, and hundreds if not thousands of them awaited me past the darkness ahead.

“Are you alright miss?” The other guard asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

And with those final words I began to walk toward the royal entrance with newfound bravery.

I’ve come to face the monsters just as day will come to conquer the night.

I will become one with them both.