Everyone in the room falls silent at my aunt's voice. It was like a poisonous viper had slithered into the room. No one dared to say anything to her.
"Please, I lost control of myself, I didn't mean to disrespect your niece!" He pleads as his arms wretched into different positions that are unnatural for the arm. But his plea falls on the deaf ears of my aunt, she seems like a vengeful spirit.
Her mouths twisted into an evil smile as she continues to inflict pain on him. Blood tears began to pour from his eyes. I'd cooled down a little at this point, and I could see the horrified expression on the face of Kieran and his mother.
Kieran's eyes are watering, and he looks on with an expression of disbelief on his face as his father's being manhandled by a woman. His mother was gnashing her teeth together, as she watches her husband.
The two had very different reactions to the situation that was unfolding in front of their eyes.
Looking away from the two of them, I look towards my aunt. She's gotten him down on his knees with his arm twisted nastily behind his back. There was no escaping from her in that hold, he was completely pinned down by her.
"Isn't this shameful, I'm sure that you didn't want to show your son this disgraceful appears. But no need to worry, it would be distasteful to ruin everyone night by relieving you of your throat here and now.
However, let me make one thing very clear at this moment in time. Never shall you ever raise this hand or any other towards my niece. If I found that you don't listen to my warning, you'll find out just how painful one's death can be," she whispers lovingly into his ear, as she places a sweet kiss onto his face.
A blood-red kiss mark appears on his cheek, the bloodied tears running out of his eyes look pale in comparison to the red of that kiss mark. It was almost like that kiss mark was a brand that would never fade.
After kissing his cheek and giving him a warning, she releases his arm and he stumbles backwards. The others that had stepped forward in support of him, looks like they wanted to vomit blood. They'd miscalculated, I honestly wonder if they were evening thinking to begin with.
Why would they step up against me in the first place? One shouldn't try to make hasty advance if they weren't assured of victory.
"I'll ask that you excuse yourself, I'm sure that you know the way. Please see yourselves out of my family's home," I say moving towards my aunt.
She stood strong like a poisonous flower that wouldn't yield. Kieran and his family had mixed emotions on their faces, for the most part, it consisted of embarrassment and shame. But I couldn't help but catch the look that the mother cast my way as she helped her son to his feet.
The look carried enough venom to kill, but she quickly masked her intentions and began to usher Kieran out of the room. The crowd made a part and quickly moved out of the way. No one wanted to get caught up in the bad company.
Kieran's face reflected a great deal of embarrassment as they left. His eyes are bleeding blood red blood. Soon, they'd vanished, and the room's eye turns towards me. However, there were none that looked at me with contempt or disgust or anger about what just transpired.
Instead, it felt like everyone was properly pleased with themselves over everything. But that could also be because my aunt was standing right next to me, like an imposing knight.
"Now, little niece," her voice echoes in my ear and I felt a chill run up my back.
"Auntie," I murmur softly.
"What were you thinking, you shouldn't have done that without one of us around. What if he'd hit you, we'd have to behead him on the spot, that isn't proper for a party. We'll not a party like this," she states as she bends down and brushes a hand down my face.
That sinking feeling in my stomach just vanished, and I remember that there was something illogical about my aunt, to begin with.
Actually, in terms of logic, maybe, I was the illogical one. Everything was different, I wasn't in the same world as I had been in. I was a child in a world, that was vastly different from the last. Maybe, it was time that I recognized that I needed to apply the logic of this world, instead of my own.
"I'm sorry auntie," I say lifting my head to face her.
A brilliant smile blossoms on her face as she pats my head slightly, being careful not to disrupt the clear flower in my hair.
"I don't mean to scold you on your special day darling," she tells me with a nod of her head.
Before I could respond, the sound of a door being thrown open destroys the moment. Looking to my right, I find that my Mother and Father, along with Silvyr's family are making their way forward.
My mother was leading the head of the pack. A hard to read expression on her face. Soon she was right in front of me. Silvyr and the small human child had moved closer to me at this point, as well.
"Where is that vile man?" My mother asks.
"I sent him on his way," my aunt replied.
A peeved look set in on my mother's face, but she quickly wipes it away. Sucking in a deep breath, she turns to the rest of the crowd.
"I'd like to thank everyone for coming, and I realize this cuts the party short, but I'd like for everyone to leave," she sounds like a ruler. "The butlers and maids will show you the way out."
Everyone begins to leave, except for Silvyr's family. Who stays firmly plants where they are next to my Mother and Father.
The little human girl begins to walk away, but my mother raises a hand.
"Not you little one, stay right here," her tones soft but the poor girl shivers and stays next to Silvyr.
As the crowd flows out through the doors, I can see Herma leading a woman and man over towards us. Behind them is another child, however, this one is much older looking than us.
They're all dresses the same as the little girl.
"Cecily!" The woman cries softly as she beelines to the little girl next to Silvyr. The girl quickly darts into the woman's outstretched arms and snuggles into them. Tears as clear as water drip down the woman's face.
The woman was a beauty. Long silvery grey hair stretches down her back in waves and waves, woven into her hair are little jewels that glint and sparkle when the light hits them just right. Besides that, she had similar golden-brown eyes like her daughter. Her skin was a creamy pale white, it was almost sickly looking.
On her flesh she has the similar tattoos as her daughter, however, her tattoo's stretch around her face, to create a beautiful pattern of lines, that run down from her eyes to her lips and around her face.
The man places an arm on his wife's shoulder, and she looks up towards her husband. Her husband was dressed in a simple suit that's a warm brown. He doesn't wear a shirt, and I can see that tattoo's that stretch over his torso and up his face as well. Unlike the woman's face tattoos, there are harsh and thick, eliciting a stronger and more impactful feeling.
Since his flesh was a warm and rich brown, his tattoos had been depicted in a white ink. Just behind the man stood the son, he looks almost identical to his sister.
"Pardon my wife. I'm Arrio, this is my wife Myrina, our daughter Cecily and our son Ekon," the darkly handsome man says pointing to each of his kith.
Cecily pops her little head up out of her mother's chest and looks up at us all. She was a darling little thing; it was like a small cherub of a little one.
"You're all nomads of the Sage tribe?" My Father asks as he moves an arm around my shoulder. He pulls me closer to him and my mother.
"Yes, I'm the leader of the Sage tribe, and my wife was originally from the Winter tribe. We've just arrived our daughter was at the ceremony today, and we're eternally grateful for you having invited us.
I'd also like to thank you, Young Miss Hollis, for watching over our daughter. She'd wandered off and we've been looking for her. I'm sorry for any trouble that will ensue from your stepping up for her," Arrio says, giving a small bow.
Cecily looks to open her mouth to say something, but her Mother quickly covers her mouth. I give her a wink and turn my attention to her Father.
"Pleasure to meet you all. There no need for you to thank me, I did what any good hostess would have done when their guest was threatened," I state simply.
A huge smile is birthed onto Cecily's face as she hastily pushes her mother's hand off of her mouth. In the same breath, she hastily jumps out of her mother's arms and makes her way towards me.
Reaching out she grasps my hand and has a resolved look in her eyes.
"I didn't get the chance earlier, but I wanted to ask you, if you'd be my friend?" She says quickly.
Her little eyes twinkle as she looks up at me. Her brother looks a little shocked by his sister behavior. I can see out of my eye that my Father looks rather excited.
"I'd be thrilled to have you as my friend, you should ask Silvyr if he wants to be your friend, as well," I tell her with a cheeky wink.