A Few Hours Earlier:
A man kneeled in front of the throne. His head bowed, his eyes closed, he prayed fervently, "Please forgive me Prince Ivruss. Please forgive me."
Even as there were please on his lips, there was a fervent hatred in his heart. He hated Prince Wu Long Ivruss with every fiber of his being. This man had helped his mate be taken away from him. She was now tied to another man! How could he not hate this man! But since the man was a prince, he could not do anything and only kneel and beg for forgiveness. After all he had attempted to kill his love rival but failed.
Prince Ivruss cocked his head and stared coldly at the man on the floor. Adrian was a special planet. Their ancestors were human but the fates that had brought them together blessed each subsequent generation with powers unique to their clan. The Wu clan had long held the power of seeing through a person's mind. For Prince Ivruss, the power was multiplied. As the Planet of Adrian grew in power and people, the fates decreed that they needed people with more power to be able to maintain the current level of Adrian.
As a result, Prince Ivruss was blessed with not just the ability to read people's minds but also to control them. In addition to this, he had the mantle of the three of the five elements that were essential to the growth of their planet. He could control the water, wind and space. To keep the power of balance, his mate would be blessed with two elements, Fire and Soil.
The King, fearful of the news spreading had kept all this quiet and declared Prince Ivruss to have the simple power of handling water. Thus, people like the man in front of him were unaware of how powerful the man was.
Prince Wu Long Ivruss cocked his head and asked the man," Are you begging for your life or are you planning to use this opportunity to kill me?"
The man had indeed started to day dream about killing the prince and was now scared to death that he had been found out. He banged his head on the floor and tried to prove his innocence. "My Lord! You are the future of out people! I could not even dream something so sinister! My Lord, I understand that you don't know the pain of losing a mate but please believe me that I was merely driven mad for a while because of the separation!"
Prince Ivruss' face curled up in a small cold smile. "What mate? Since when dis she become your mate? If my memory serves me right, your mate announcement has never happened.."
The man opened his mouth and then closed it. A confused look appearing on his face. Before he could provide an explanation, however the sweet sound of the flute echoed through the castle and the whole of Adrian. The sound was one that every single man in Adrian longed to hear. The sound of an incoming mate..
People left their chores and rushed outside to stare at the sky where the clouds would part to display the announcement. The males in Adrian had to wait thousands of years before they could get mated. During their wait, they would slowly lose their sense of humors, appetite and even playfulness and the world around them would seem dull and colorless. Having experienced all this for the first hundreds of years ,this would make the males cold and unapproachable and only with their mate's return would they be able to experience life again. Some males who were weak would also give their lives after waiting futilely.
But no one had waited as long as the Prince. A mate was usually found in the first eight thousand years.. But Prince Wu Long Ivruss was already more than ten thousand years..
While the people waited anxiously under the SKY, inside the castle no one reacted. They were in the middle of the Prince's session and dared not move.
Prince Wu tapped his fingers on the arms of his throne, thinking of a punishment. This man was not sane anymore. And yet, his family members had pleaded on his behalf. Snatching someone's mate was something that was a grave offence on the planet. No one in their right mind would dare to do it. Prince Wu Long Ivruss would have already ordered him hanged to death of not for the family members approaching the Queen. Before he could announce the punishment however, a young man came running into the courtroom.
The only man who would have the guts to interrupt the court session, the General immediately kneeled down and brought his hand out in a salute, "General Jin Teng reporting to my Lord. Please accept my greetings."
The expression on the Prince's face softened slightly as if talking to a child, " What has the General in such a happy mood today? I heard the music of fate.. Did they announce your mate?"
"No, my Lord! The news is even more happier than that! They have announced your mate! She will be arriving here this evening?"
Prince Ivruss stilled. A mate? "Jin Teng? Are you joking?"
General Jin Teng shook his head and then with a silent twist of his wrist, opened the ceiling of the castle, letting the sky above show. There, against the slightly pink sky were the words threaded in red.
"Seasons come and Go, The Fates reward those that show,
Patience, Virtue and Trust, Are what maketh a relationship.
The Trust that Prince Ivruss has shown has pleased the fates no end.
As a result, his wait for a mate, is at an end.
The beautiful Bride will come with the moons and reside in the people's heart soon."
Everyone read the beautiful message and soon all the people kneeled down and words of congratulations echoed in the great hall.
But there was no change in the Prince's expression. He simply acknowledged the greetings and ordered," General Jin Teng, prepare the podium.."