Chapter 6

• TWO DAYS LATER
• SELECTION PARADE
• Arabella's point of view.
• We've all (the eligible girls) gathered at the entrance of the Wizardry Forest, this is the road leading to the beast king's palace -weird right?
• Our families were standing besides us, consoling us and giving us advises about how to behave when we get to the palace -what to do and not to.
• Every girl was staring at the Wizardry Forest with great fear, in fact, one can tell how scared they are from how they're trembling.
• I'm not scared of going through the forest because I've gone through it before, I'm just scared of what's gonna happen at the beast king's palace.
• "Are you even listening to me?" Mom's question snapped me back to her.
• "Yeah" I answered.
• "Don't talk to anyone when you get to the palace, don't ask too much questions, in fact, don't ask any questions at all -because I know you too well" she said sternly.
• I nodded.
• "And don't run about, the king is very ruthless to rule breakers and he kills for fun"
• "Hm" I hummed.
• Mom sighed and pulled me into a hug, she pat my head gently.
• "I know the moon goddess wouldn't pair you with him, I just can't help but worry though" she said.
• I smiled.
• "I'll be fine, mom" I pulled away from the hug and held her hands. "I have a way to make them disqualify me from the selection parade"
• "What?"
• I nodded.
• "Let's get to the palace first, I'll make sure I get disqualified" I assured her.
• Mom glared at me but didn't argue with me, she leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
• "Just be careful and come back to me in one piece" she said.
• "I sure will"
• Arthur cleared his throat and stepped forward, he stared at me for a moment.
• "Well, I'm praying you die there because I'm not gonna miss you..."
• Mom smacked the back of his head for saying such words, but I simply smiled because that's exactly what I was expecting him to say -but I know he's indirectly telling me to come back safe.
• "... what? If she comes back alive she's gonna disrupt my plan of becoming the alpha's son" he said.
• "Hush"
• Mom hushed him and quickly looked around to check if anyone heard him, fortunately, everyone's minding their business right now.
• "I can play the matchmaker between you and alpha Jarek when she's gone" he grumbled further.
• I reached forward and ruffled his hair, but he quickly slapped my hand away and frowned at me.
• "Not the hair, please"
• "Don't worry, Arthur, I'll come back intact" I told him.
• He scolded and shoved his hands in his pocket, he leaned against a tree as he tried to keep a cool expression.
• "I don't care wether you come back intact or not, I'm not gonna miss you anyway" he said.
• I laughed and shook my head.
• "I love you, Arthur"
• He scoffed and looked away, but I heard him grumbling "I love you too, sis"
• Mom and I exchanged looks and laughed at his naughtiness. I hope I'll come back to my happy family, I don't want them to be sad because of me.
• "Alright, it's time to leave, everyone be on a straight line" a man dressed in some sort of uniform commanded -an army uniform I guess.
• Everyone (I mean the eligible girls) started lining up at his command, I also leaned forward and gave mom a goodbye kiss on her cheek when I saw Daphne rushing towards me.
• Mom pat my shoulder and gestured me to join the line, Daphne who's already got to us linked our arms and smiled at mom.
• "Bye for now, Mrs Humphrey, we'll be back real soon"
• "I know, dear" mom replied.
• Daphne and I hurried up to get in the line too, I groaned when I realized the girl standing at my front was Ingrid.
• "Humph, some people don't know where they belong" she said.
• "I know, right? Like I'm too hot and too sexy for that old beast, I might ride him to death" I replied in a whisper, putting emphasis on riding him to death.
• She turned and glared at me.
• "You're such an uncultured swine"
• "Oh, thank you" I replied.
• She scoffed and didn't say any more words to me, Daphne tapped my shoulder and I leaned back to give her my attention.
• "She's scared of you"
• "She's supposed to, I'm a wolf and she's just an ordinary elf -I might bite off her long ears if she step on my tail again"
• Daphne cringed.
• "Remind me not to get your bad side"
• "I'll keep that in mind" I assured her, we laughed briefly.
• Soon everyone's done lining up, some men who were also dressed in the army uniform moved around and shared a piece of cloth to each of us.
• "Now up on your blindfolds" the man who commanded us to line up earlier, commanded us again.
• We all obeyed him, we quickly put on the blindfold and waited for his next words.
• "Hold onto your neighbor's shoulders and start walking ahead" he said.
• We quietly and obediently did what he told us, I quickly told Arthur and mom a goodbye through our mind-link before we embarked on the journey.
• ★★★★★
• 50 MINUTES LATER
• KING'S PALACE
• "Stop and take off your blindfolds!" the army man commanded after walking for a very long time.
• Without wasting time I took off my blindfold and looked around me, my eyes met with two big gates.
• I raised my head to take a proper look, I couldn't help but awe because the gates are incredibly tall -I never thought they're so tall and I have never seen any gate as tall as these -though it looked like one of those ancient gates.
• Which made me wonder how old is the King exactly?
• "Ara" Daphne whispered. "What do you think we're gonna face behind these gates?" she asked lowly.
• "An old beast" I answered.
• The army man cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
• "We're about going inside, just set your gaze on me alone as I lead you in and don't look around or..."
• He trailed off, his eyes moved around which we all followed, only to find guards standing beside each of us.
• "...or these guards won't show you any mercy" he said.
• I gulped and cursed mentally, here I was thinking of how to rub mud on my face to make me look ugly and get disqualified -how am I gonna do that now?
• "Come with me" the army man said.
• The gates slowly open up and we troop in after him, I wanted to look around but remembering the army man's warning wouldn't let me.
• ★★★★★
• We stopped at a door after walking down countless hallways, he pushed the door open and stepped in before inviting us in too.
• I had too a sneak peek at some of the hallways on our way here and strangely there are no portraits of the King, which kept me wondering.
• Why are all the hallways so plain? Where are the beast king's photo? Why isn't there any portraits of him? Is he that ugly and too unpleasant to the eyes?
• "Your majesty, the girls are here" the army man said with a bow.
• I looked to the front and saw a man sitting on a small chair and a small table in front of him -though his back was facing us.
• "Hm" he hummed.
• Is he gonna keep backing us like that? But my thoughts were interrupted when he turned around.
• My jaw dropped in shock, isn't this that handsome stranger from the Wizardry Forest?
• What is he doing here? How did he survive the beast King? Wait, was he captured by the beast King and taken to his palace to be a slave?
• That's right, he was captured by the beast King, I must find a way to rescue him -after all, he saved me that night and that's why he was captured.
• I cautiously took a few steps back and moved away from the others to a position where he can see me, then I waved at him.
• "Hey" I whispered yell, but he didn't hear me. "Hey" I whispered yell again, but he still didn't hear me.
• A few girls heard and gave me weird glances, but I quickly muttered sorry and they turned their gaze away from me.
• Is he ignoring me? Or he really can't hear me? Maybe I should just continue waving, until he looks my way.
• I started waving at him, but I quickly gave up when I realized he's not sparing me a glance. His attention were on the other girls, maybe he's scared of the beast King.
• I couldn't come up with any good plan even after much thoughts on how to rescue him from her, I felt a sudden surge of frustration and I couldn't help the next words that left my mouth.
• "My darling!" I blurted out very loudly.
• All heads turned towards my direction and my eyes grew wide like a deer caught in daylight, embarrassment swallowed me and I felt like disappearing into thin air.
• Daphne rushed towards me, she grabbed my arm and leaned closer to my ear.
• "Why did you call him your darling?" she whispered.
• "I.. I.. I know him" I answered her, loudly.
• "You know the King?" One of the girls from the crowd asked.
• My head turned back to the handsome stranger, I took a closer look at him and I started taking notes of things I had overlook before.
• The chair he was sitting, it might look small but it's made of gold, his extravagant clothes and his posture -he look so majestical.
• "He's.. he's the King?" I stuttered quietly.
• "Yes, that's the King" Daphne answered.
• I pulled Daphne closer to me.
• "You mean he's the beast King?"
• "Yeah" she answered.
• Then I recalled how the army man had addressed him earlier "Your majesty". I also recalled his words back at the Wizardry Forest "looks can be deceiving".
• It's over.
• My legs suddenly became jelly and I found myself falling to the ground and was instantly drowned into the abyss of darkness.