Crowns and Daggers- Completed

Thirty Seven.

I walked back into the room and immediately started looking for him. Or Percy. Percy was the first one I saw. I smiled, walking over to him as he spoke with some other important people I didn't care enough to learn the names of. 

"Sorry." I did a small giggly laugh. "Can I borrow you for a minute. In private?" He looked at me, then back at Bash who was behind me. 

"Is it urgent?" 

"Kind of. I can ask you here but I need you're ear." He rolled his eyes slightly bobbing down. "Have you seen Chris? I've decided." He looked at me, slightly taken aback. He looked towards the side of the room Theo had called his own and I shook my head, which just made his eyes grow wider. He returned to my ear. 

"He came looking for you out the side door behind me. He's probably out there still looking." I nodded and turned back to the group. 

"So sorry for interrupting." I turned to Bash. "Sebastian I need a walk." He nodded and we took out of the other doors, opposite where I had left the room before hand. 

I couldn't wait to see his face as I told him I'd decided. I didn't want to mull it over. I didn't want to think about it. I knew. In my bones, Chris was it. Theo only confirmed that. He didn't want me as a partner, he wanted me as an attachment, to look pretty on his arm whilst he did the work for us. I wasn't about that. I didn't mind it don't get me wrong, but my loyalties didn't lie with him first and foremost. It was this crown, this family. My family name. Not his. 

The thought of my brother dying and his instant reaction being, would you give it to your cousin, it would be tough for me to handle that too. As well as my own crown, because you couldn't do it. He was like my father. I could see it now. He was a good man, a great man even. I knew I'd be safe with him, maybe even happy. But I'd never reach my full potential. Not like I could with Chris. 

I looked both ways as we reached the end of the building. Where would he have gone. Where would he have thought I'd go. Okay let's try this way. I took the left turn, down the stairs. 

I stopped when I saw him. Well his back. I smiled. Just the thought of him being mine was making this the best moment of my life. 

Did he just giggle? 

What? No. 

I took a slight step to the side, trying to get a clearer look. 

"Christopher." Another giggle, definitely not him. Oh hell no. 

"Are you fucking joking?" I snapped. and he spun around. "In my fucking castle, at my brother's fucking ball." 

"Ana, it's not what it looks like-" He lunged forward, Bash standing in the way. "Move Bash." He didn't I turned on my heels. Fuck this. He wants to try and embarrass me. Fucking let him. I'll show him. 

Pig. 

God, I don't think I've ever hated a man so much in my life. 

"And to think I came out here to tell you I made my fucking decision and here you are with your tongue down another girls throat." I walked up the stairs stopping at the top and looking over the edge at him. "Don't you even think about coming around here again. I swear to god I'll make Bash put a sword right through you if you do. I won't even give you the pleasure of me doing it for him." I turned back around, moving back towards the party. 

"Ana. Ana what's wrong?" I was grabbed by a pair of hands, pulling me into a hug by the door. "Darling, talk to me. You're shaking." I shook my head. I wasn't saying it. Not to him. 

"Anastasia, please. Let me explain. It wasn- Bash let me fucking go." I dug my head deeper into Theo. Looks like I was just born to be his accessory after all. At least I'd be happy I guess. "Get the fuck off her Theodore." 

"Not a chance Christopher. You've obviously hurt her. Again. I knew this would happen eventually. You don't love her like I do." His grip on me tightened. "Come on Ana. Let's get you somewhere warm, you're frozen." He let me go, grabbing my hand and pulling me back into the castle. He didn't drop me, not even for a second. Walking through the ballroom, out the doors, up the stairs and straight to my favourite library. 

He closed the doors behind us and picked me up . 

"Do you want to read beautiful? Read on me in front of the fire. I'll keep you warm. I've got you now. He can't hurt you again." I didn't want to read. I just wanted to sit. In his arms where I knew I was the safest. He was right. He had hurt me. Again. I knew it was coming. I was expecting it from Christopher. That's one of the things that made the choice so difficult right? That he was using it for a power move, that he was going to use it to break my heart and laugh at me. He was saying all the things he knew I wanted to hear, lying with every single breathe. Just so I could fall for him deeper. And then exactly what had happened would happen. 

I knew it. I was expecting it. So why did it hurt so fucking bad. Why did I feel like my heart was being ripped in two and I now had to sit there and pull it from his grasp and stitch myself together. I'm a princess. I'm not supposed to get my heart broken. Not by someone I'd class as my best friend. 

"Ana?" I looked up at him as he got comfortable in the chair beside the fire, sitting in his lap with my legs over the edge of the chair. "Dress up tomorrow. Now that it's over beautiful, I have something to ask you."