Smoke and Mirrors : Royal Angels I

Macarena in Atlantis

~Victoria~

Hundred year olds clearly had tinier brains than I did.

It was like watching a horror movie in slow motion. There was absolute silence in the hall, as the Kings and Queens revealed their alliances.

The King of Valkyria was the first to vote.

The pale haired guy looked a little younger than Danny. He lazily flicked open a lighter and said yes, because clearly he had no second thoughts on lighting up a joint or well, the rest of the earth.

I looked at Biscuit. His face didn't betray anything -

But the pulse in his neck was dancing like it was doing the Macarena.

It went on like that for the others and it was quite simply the longest ten minutes of my life.

Until finally, there were three royals saying yes and two, no.

There were only two nations left - one of which was Lirin, the shapeshifter kingdom. Cyril, my sister's hopefully ex-boyfriend, stood beside his elder sister, the Queen of Lirin.

As she looked to the head of the table, it was understood that her vote would back Vetresca's decision.

Which brought all of us back to the fake Prince and his idiot bodyguard.

Darius was looking at Daniel, with a slow smile.

I stood perfectly still, trying to tell myself that it would all be fine. That Biscuit knew what he was doing. That we'd figure it out somehow.

That our little love story was worth this. That I wasn't being selfish letting him do this.

That war wasn't a bad way to go.

Goddämn it, I can't even lie to myself anymore.

"Vetresca votes yes."

Daniel's words were quiet.

And yet somehow, they sounded like thunder.

I was caught up in thinking about the destruction and the sheer number of lives that would be lost. How the human race could possibly survive this time.

Would we sign off America? Africa?

Where the fück were we supposed to live then?

Atlantis? The Jurassic park?

I could practically imagine a nerd in the future studying us as stuffed animals in some fancy museum.

"No."

I hadn't noticed Xavier's hand leaving mine.

I hadn't noticed him leave my side and stand next to his best friend at the head of the table.

"Fück museums." He whispered so quietly only I could hear. "This nerd studied your body alive and screaming, Shortcake."

And I realised belatedly, I hadn't noticed him reading my mind.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Biscuit said, loudly to his confused audience.

It was almost comical how their faces were like the Scream mask. Understandably, it wasn't everyday that a lowlife guardian threw in their two cents on politics.

"Allow me to introduce myself." Biscuit said, looking straight at Darius. "My name is Xavier Anton Grigori, Crown Prince of Vetresca, King Regent of Europe. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

The chaos that followed involved a lot of angry questions, dumb statements and outright violence. The guardians clearly thought Biscuit lost his mind and stepped in to haul him away when he did the one thing that proved beyond doubt that yes -

He was definitely insane.

His blue wildfire wings spread in two great arcs behind his shoulders, singeing his suit in two long slits. I moved away fast and despite that, one of the flames licked the tip of shoulder.

It burnt. But I couldn't have cared less.

As the whole hall was still, staring in awed, respectful silence at a pureblood angel's broken wings, I felt the first pang of pain in my chest.

He was so beautiful, he couldn't possibly be mine anymore.

"But," The King of Valkyria broke the silence, pointing at Daniel and saying what everyone else was thinking. "Who's that, then?"

It took the guardians all of two minutes to figure out what was happening. If Biscuit was the Prince, that of course meant Danny was an imposter.

An imposter who by the law would probably be thrown behind bars or made to eat only tofu for the rest of his life or whatever horrible punishment they came up with.

One of guardians was about to cuff him to that end and he would've succeeded too.

Except for the tiny fact that I shot him in the head.

Daniel was still not over the shock, so I gave him a minute. I fired at the guardians who came at him, and when I couldn't handle them, I shot the chain holding the chandelier up.

The crystal monstrosity fell on the table and shattered to a thousand pieces, buying me a moment. I squeezed Biscuit's hand one last time.

"Take care of him for me." He said, quietly in the madness around him. "And I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I said simply, reloading my guns without skipping a beat.

"Because I think I love you now."

You can't cry, you dumb bîtch.

Tears mess up your aim.

I dragged Daniel off his äss and almost got him out of the hall when he finally came to his senses that he was an angel. Who could do some next level Harry Potter stuff without a wand.

The last thing I saw before we got away from there, I'd remember for the rest of my life.

Xavier was looking at me the same way I was looking at him.

Lost, confused and in pain but knowing that feeling that way meant we were doing something right.

Darius was still and the other royals were startled. Everyone except the Queen of Lirin.

The woman gave the new King of Vetresca a warm smile.

"I vote yes."

***

Victoria : "Vote because WWIV is happening and we need to win."