Midnight City (boyxboy)

|Thirty Five: Young God|

"The news?" Claudia repeated, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "What news?"

Everything about her father's expression pointed to death, something he lived for. Pure evil and power shone in his golden eyes, clearly sparked from something dark buried deep within his soul. Her father had never scared her before, not truly, not until now.

Their identical eyes locked, his saccharine smile never faltering as he descended the stairs. It was as though he floated, his poise and grace unnerving due to the chaos that surrounded him. Her gaze wandered to the exquisite crown that sat atop his head, having lived there for centuries.

The one the princess often wore was similarly made, sapphires, emeralds and rubies embedded into the gold. The decorations were the reason for its heavy weight, possessing the ability to throw her off balance despite her immortal strength.

When he finally reached the bottom, he moved his hands in front of him, his long, bony fingers clutching her crown. Slowly and carefully, he placed it atop her head, her dark waves falling beneath it. It was heavy, pressing down on her shoulders, but she didn't allow them to hunch, keeping her back as straight as possible.

Sentinels flanked her father, keeping their eyes straight forward as they had been trained to do. She had no doubt she would be guarded too, judging by the amount of security in the foyer alone, lining the walls and the staircase. At least two guarded each door that she could see, and as she looked further into the manor, she could see at least four outside the throne room.

"We have a guest." The King placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her into the throne room. Each click of her heels on the wooden floor became louder and louder in her head, like the countdown to a planned explosion ready to destroy anything in its path. There was an eeriness to the air, something in it thick enough to cut with a knife. And as she neared the throne room, she found herself feeling dizzy with it, her brain clouding slightly. She sniffed the air, heart dropping to her feet. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Groaning painfully, the towering, arched doors of the throne room swung open on their rusted hinges. It was rarely used, this room. Meetings were held in a conference room if there were any, or the King travelled to Midnight City. Its ceiling was domed, painted with images of the moon and stars, and then the sun. As a boy, Cassius had been mesmerised by them, using the ceiling as a distraction when he was forced to play Prince. But Claudia had always been serious about her role when she was a child. Standing by her father's side, she would keep a straight face, wearing her crown proudly like she had been taught to do.

It was just as she remembered, though it had been years since she'd been forced to stand beside her father's throne. Events took place in the Grand Hall. This room was... This room was her mother's, as she had learned. Her mother had sat on a throne beside the King, before herself and Cassius were born.

One golden throne sat atop a dais, thorns that would kill a human if they were impaled by them decorated its arms and back. Sentries lined every wall, trying to blend into the shadows, but she knew they were there, eternally loyal to the King. And to herself- she remembered. And to Cassius, the Prince, loved by his subjects despite his dismissive attitude towards his duties.

She was shocked at chairs that sat in rows on the tiled, marble floor, which were polished to the point of the ceiling's images of the sky reflecting in it. At that moment in time, she was glad she was unable to see her features twist in shock at the guests that sat in the rows- an audience. For what, she wasn't sure. But they were eagerly waiting for a spectacle.

In the front row she pinpointed Sebastian, his mate (and wife) sat next to him- both of the couple in human form. An aisle had been formed by gaps in each row, and on the same row across the aisle, were Theo's parents- Ingrid and Marcus.