Only You

Chapter Two

There is not a duplicate of you in the whole wide world- Lou Austin

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Fai's P.O.V

After the messenger left. Everyone starts to gossip again. Some ladies started to fix their appearance, some quickly went home, some broke it off with their lovers, and some were crying. 

"I don't want to compete to meet a tyrant"

"I hear he doesn't talk to anyone"

"Why have this competition? I thought Royalty married Royalty?"

"He's probably hideous and is doing this competition because he can't get anyone?"

"The late king was"

"Maybe he got his mother's look, the late Queen was beautiful?"

"I don't know what such a big deal about marrying him, isn't he a bastard child who killed his family for the throne?"

What?

"The Phoenix is a great king. Without him we would still be in war, respect him"

"Bastard? Murderer? Great? I don't care, I just think about being a Queen. The money and power, imagine" 

With that, I walk away from the crowd. I walked into the meadow near my house, laying down to finish the book I was reading. 

"Fai, come to the kitchen," my mother yells out making me groan. 

I was so close to finishing the book too. 

I walk to the kitchen, to find my mom, dad, and aunt with her two sons at the small table with food on it. 

"What's all of this for?" I ask while walking around the small kitchen, greeting my family with a small hug. 

"It's a farewell dinner, before you go to the maiden house for the competition." Mother says with a great big toothy smile. 

"Which you will win, if you love your family," My aunt says with a teasing smile, while my father just rolls his eyes. 

"I'm not going to win there's no point in going" I sigh, fixing my plate, waiting for the overreaction to begin. 

"Why do you say that?" Mother says, looking so distraught as if I disrespected her. 

"Look at me mother, I am not the same as everyone here. Why would the King pick an outsider to be his Queen?" I say stating the obvious, pointing at my dark skin and everyone's light and fair skin. 

When I was a baby, the enemies came to my village killing everyone in my tribe. My mother was friends with my real parents and adopted me since she and my father could not have kids. I don't remember anything from my tribe or my parents at all. I was raised by my parents and greatly accepted, and am eternally grateful for the fact that they didn't hide my past from me. 

The town eventually manages to accept me. At first, I am confident they were weirded out but my tribe was liked and the stares I get are mainly stares of pity. But I am also aware that I am different, and that even if I am accepted, there are limits, such as having the audacity of wanting to be Queen. 

"Sweetie, is this about Ray?" My mom says, looking at me with sad eyes. She hates when I point out our differences.

"Mom, I told you Ray and I are history. None of this is about him." I roll my eyes. I hate when they bring him up. 

 "That doesn't matter. You're beautiful and The Great Phoenix would bow down to you when he sees you."

"Looks have nothing to do with this mother. I should know my place,"  I say. 

She doesn't understand, I could look better than most goddesses and it would not matter. I am different and that's okay. 

"You can still be as stubborn as you want. You still have to go, or you will have to face the consequences" My aunt says, giving my mother a look that I cannot read. 

"Consequences?"

"Yes, consequences," My mom says, taking a deep breath, not looking me in the eyes.