Nineteen years ago, when the King and Queen were blessed with Selene, they were happy but unbeknownst to her fate. They named her after the Goddess of Moon and she did justice to it with the beauty and the aura she possessed. When she was little, the King called a known prophet who had previously revealed the fates of Bellicus and the King's other children. The prophet was never wrong in his calculations and all his prophecies had come true.
As the prophet lay a hand on Selene's head to reveal her destiny, the first set of words which left his mouth left the Cromwell family in great shock.
"a huge desire, bloodshed, sorrow, a period of dark, transition" These words were just a mere set of syllables but for the Cromwell family, they have wiped the smile off their faces, replacing their merry expression with confusion and gloom.
According to the prophet, Selene was doomed to submit to her desires and make a wish, a wrong choice that will turn her world upside down and will bring her chaos and sorrow.
After that incident, the Queen went into a shock and tried everything in her power to protect Selene from the ill fate while the King called for other prophets from other allies but each one of them predicted the same thing.
The principle concern of Artemis was never the weapons or the activities that Selene engaged herself in, but the prophecy which had blanketed half of her perception and always blinded her whenever it came to Selene. The relationship between the mother and daughter was strong and firm but it continued to weaken through the years as the bothers of Artemis spiked up. For some reason Artemis couldn't help but think that letting Selene train as a hunter was something that was leading her towards her ill destiny.
Themiesto on the other hand have always wanted the best for his daughter. There was never a time in his life when he didn't pay attention to Selene's demands, for he had always gladdened her by fulfilling all her wishes. All his other children before Selene were brought up differently, the boys were taught to be tough and strong while the girls were taught to be patient and kind. But when it came to Selene, his youngest child, she was given the liberty to choose what she wants and she decided to become a great hunter like her father and her other ancestors.
As the sun finally bid goodbye to the horizon,Selene walked out of her room and began taking hurried steps towards her sister's room. She was troubled as to what dress she must choose for the ball. Selene wasn't some ordianry princess who would dress up in expensive dresses and jewels and would spend her day picking flowers and walking around. She was the kind who spent most of her time among swords and other weapons, training with soldiers. But whenever it came to balls and dresses, she always took advice from her sister, since she had no clue how to deal with such things.
"Sister Ariel!" Selene spoke in a troubled voice, "Help me with tonight's ball!" She said as she strode inside her room.
Ariel Cromwell, the third child of Themiesto and Artemis, who had been sitting in front of the mirror, stood up and dismissed the maids who have been dressing her. She then turned towards her sister with a smile on her face.
"What is it that troubles you sister?" Ariel's asked, her voice sweet like honey.
"Sister!" A gasp left Selene's mouth when she saw Ariel, "You are an absolute enchantress." She complimented.
Ariel was dressed in a wine colored gown and her blonde hairs were partially tied, leaving the rest of them open. Her hair reached down to her waist. She was petite and the gown accentuated her form. It wasn't just Selene who thought that her sister looked beautiful, every other person in the Kingdom of Bellicus was aware of Princess Ariel's beauty.
Ariel laughed, "You're so funny sister! So. . . what is it you needed help with?" She repeated.
"The maids have been flooding my room with the dresses and I can't decide what to wear. Please help me sister before mama finds out that I'm still not ready for the ball. And I believe you're already aware how she will react to this." She whined, making Ariel laugh more.
"We still have time sister, come let's get you ready for the ball." She encouraged.
An hour passed, and as the evening advanced the royal members left for the ball in their separate carriages. Themiesto and Artemis were in the first carriage while the children were in other carriage.
"Brother Callisto, I still cannot figure out who this person is sitting next to sister Ariel." Tethys said as he poked fun at Selene.
Everyone laughed while Selene rolled her eyes. She was wearing a purple satin silk gown along with pearl jewelry. Her hair were tied leaving only a few strands to fall on either side of her face.
"I believe you should not tease our sister too much Tethys." Ariel spoke in her defense.
"She is our sister?" Tethys pretended like it was some groundbreaking news to him. "Are you sure?"
"If you have any doubts Tethys then I can prove you tomorrow when I'll again beat you in sword fighting." Selene snapped.
Everyone laughed again including Tethys.
"See now that's our Selene, always being rough and wild." Tethys commented again.
"Don't mind Tethys. You look beautiful tonight." Oberon remarked. Oberon Cromwell was a quite person. He spoke less and only when necessary.
"I truly agree with Oberon." Callisto joined in.
"Thankyou brother Callisto and brother Oberon. As for Tethys I always had a doubt he had a weak eyesight." Selene replied smugly, tilting her chin high.
*****
This book is participating in WSA 2022, please support it by voting with your powerstones and if you like it then please add it to your collection! thank you all for reading.