A Gentleman's Curse

The Gathering

"Quiet," a commanding voice echoed, cutting through the noise in the room like a knife as its owner stood up from his grandiose wooden throne. "I am Cullen, the King of this cluster young man. And you are Damien of the Humans, soon to become family. Are both parties and the mortal witness ready?" the Fae King asked.

He stood roughly twenty feet away and five feet higher than Damien, a royal dark purple cape resting upon his small shoulders as black and red checkered shorts covered his lower half. Eight colorful wings were stretched to their fullest as he showed them off with a knowing smile.

The King's entire person, what little he was, radiated a confidence Damien was sure he could never mimic. Short hair blacker than night, a handsome, sharp face, and the same black color for his eyebrows all demanded admiration and attention. Even with the strange outfit and miniature disposition, his toned body and blue eyes still brought everything together to a model image of a man in his thirties.

Jade shook her head in the negative while groaning, breaking Damien out of his staring contest with the King's abs. He neither responded in the affirmative nor did he shake his head to answer as he was still confused about what was going on, but definitely beginning to connect the dots.

"Excellent," the King said, pulling a silver plaque out from a black hole he conjured. "Do you, Seria, ta-"

"NO!" Jade, or Seria as the King called her, screamed out, interrupting the King.

He didn't seem to mind though and only chuckled as a green mist floated out from Seria's mouth, echoing the word no as it traveled toward the silver plaque in the King's hands.

"Ope, can't let that happen now can we?" the King said with mirth, snatching the mist from the air with a hand before it touched the silvery tablet in his hand. "Now then just a little... tweak and... there we go!"

Damien watched as the mist writhed around in the King's grasp before it changed from green to red and flowed into the plaque. Seria's name then slowly etched itself into the top portion of it, deep maroon in color. Her face seemed to pale upon watching the spectacle as she clenched the podium with her hands, gouging a chunk of wood out from it.

Damien's body shuddered at the thought of that strength being turned on him. He didn't understand just what the hell her problem was, but perhaps saving her was a mistake.

"PLEASE! I don't want to be tied to a Human! Can't you pick someone else?!" Seria begged with upturned eyes to her King, launching the piece of wood into the side of Damien's head as she pointed at him.

'What's so bad about Humans,' Damien asked himself as he looked down at his hands then back up, breaking out of his wandering thoughts.

Now was definitely not the time to ponder the endless list of things that were indeed bad about his race.

"Well, no one else wants to, for one, and it is your punishment. So no. Now then," the King said, turning to Damien. "Just ignore everything she's said, my boy. Damien Tearen, do you t-"

'NO!'

"Apologies for interrupting your eminence but... are you trying to marry us?" Damien asked.

"Marriage? What?" he heard Alexa say behind him in a tone that made him very much not want to turn around.

Damien didn't want to interrupt a King but he didn't exactly want to be married off either. If Cullen forcibly changed his answer to the positive like he did the fairies, Damien would be stuck with that evil witch for life. Selfish, rude, mean, threatening, stupid enough to almost get herself killed, not at all thankful... Damien would rather marry a Grask, which was apparently a terrifying combination between a spider and an elephant.