Nothing But Bad

Twenty

Arden
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I'm falling to the floor.

My earns are ringing.

My head is pounding.

Am I dying?

Murmurs go throughout the room.

I don't understand what they're saying. I can't hear them. All I hear is the ringing.

A few minutes go by.

"Stand up." I hear a muffled voice demand.

Is he talking to me?

Am I shot?

I look down and scan my body. There's no blood. But it was aimed to my head. Right? I lift my hands up to touch my head and bring them back down. No blood.

"Stand up." The voice orders again, a little clearer. "Guards." He shouts.

I look to my right, seeing them step towards me. Someone beats them to the punch. I'm helped up from someone on my left. Christian.

"You're ok." He whispers. "I think."

Everything starts to clear. I wasn't shot. I was in shock, but not hurt. He missed. Why did he miss? It was to my head, there's no way for him to miss. Unless he did on purpose.

I raise my eyes and look at him. There an amused look on his face. "My son had told me of your idea." He speaks up, "The one about you double crossing your father. I have a new idea of my own. Would you like to hear it?"

Everyone is quiet, confused. Unsure of what their king will do or say. "Yes." I whisper.

His grin widens. "You will be helping us. Your father will think you're following his plan. We will let him believe that, by going along."

"In what way?" I ask.

"A wedding." He smiles. My heart drops. "You'll marry my son."

Refusals break through the room. "No." Will refuses.

"Adam." The queen gasps in horror.

"What?" I was confused.

"You caused us a lot of embarrassment. A lot I didn't know a little girl was capable of." He was still angry. Good. "But as of now, they are rumors. None confirmed or denied. Rumors nether the less, cause doubts. Make us look weak. But with you by the crowns side, they will be diminished. No one will believe a girl crossed the crown and got away with it. Not when she's married to it. You," he lifts my chin up. "Will be our little pretty trophy."

   "No." I yank my chin out of his grasp.

   "Father, that's..." Will's fuming. "Ridiculous." His father turns his gaze at his son.

   "You will do what your king demands." Will reaching for something in his waistband. A gun. That's what he pulls out. His father laughs. "You are going to shoot your father, in front of a room of his men?"

   I look around the room. Everyone's gaze are at the two men. The guards, reach for their weapons. I slowly back away. I should have ran, I could try now.

   I'm almost to the door, just a few steps. I stop dead in my tracts as Will turns and points the gun at me. "You're right." He said to his father. "But I can't marry the dead."

   He slowly makes his way towards me. Pressing the gun to the bed of my head. Don't move, I told myself. He couldn't do it before, but I feel as if it's different this time.

He takes another step closer, he's close. Close enough for me to grab the knife at his side.

He looks down at his chest, with a smirk. "I don't know what types of games you play princess. But a gun always beats a knife."

"Maybe." I smirk back.

"You think you can get to my heart before I get to the trigger?"

"I don't think you'd get to the trigger." I add sarcastically, "My prince."

"You wanna take that bet?" His eyes stare down into mine.

"I'm not one to bet with liar." I dig the knife just a millimeter into his chest. It makes contact with his skin. If he was wearing a white shirt, I'm sure I'd see a little blood.

"Enough." The king's frustration roars through the room.

I turn my head and smile at him. "You aren't having fun anymore?" I ask. "Hmmm, I guess it wouldn't be funny for your only heir to bleed out in front of you."

"William." His father's voice booms throughout the room.

"Yes father?" He smirks at his father.

"This is childish." The king voices. "Drop the gun." He doesn't listen to his father. He instead, presses it deeper into the side of my head. His father marches to one of the guards, and grabs one of their guns.

"Contradicting yourself if you shoot me dead." I say to the king.

He locks his jaw and swallows. "You're right." He turns the gun and aims it at Levi. Both Will and I still, our smirks now long gone. "First I'll start with him." Adam is now the one with a smirk. "Then I heard about your little family reunion." He shifts his gaze to me. "It would be a shame for your sister to die, so soon to you finding out she's alive."

I lower the knife. I knew I could gamble with Will, but I knew not to even try with his father. I move to slip the knife in my back pocket, then slowly raising my arms in surrender. Will drops the gun to the floor.

As much as we hated each other, we had one thing in common. Love for people we would protect, and his father knew that.

"Good." The king smiles. He hands the weapon back to the guard. Then straightens his coat. "So we have a deal?" He raises his brow after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes." I answer.

"Great. William, show your future wife to your chambers." I don't see his expression before he turns and storms out the room. "Go on, follow him."

I huff and do what I'm told.
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