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IMPRESS.

Chapter Sixteen: A Memory Of Death.

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Last night when I got back to my room, my mirror was no longer covered in blood and I mentally thanked that the person practically haunting me had somewhat of a heart.

Also, last night when I came back I found another note that was left by the same person and written on the note was the name Oberyn.

Who was, Oberyn?

I was completely lost on why the person had left me a piece of paper with this name on it but when I turned the note over to see the words first step to bitter revenge, I almost dropped.

The person wanted to help me find the individual responsible for my parents' death even though I suspected them as the killer.

That was when I became conflicted.

Did the unknown person really want to help me? Or just wanted to steer me off the right track to finding out the real person responsible.

Today I decided to wear a long, flowy and cream dress, something easier for me to be able to move in.

I wore golden sandals which reached below my knees and matched perfectly with my dress and hair that my handmaiden Claudia had beautifully braided into one single, thick plait fifteen minutes ago.

"Pick a colour?" Evelyn asked as she displayed over twenty differently coloured ribbons in front of my eyes.

We were in a room surrounded by every accessory and every type of clothing you could think of from top to bottom.

I was astounded that this room existed and was excited when Alexander told us that every girl still standing in the competition had to pick a colour to represent them.

"Uhhhmmm," I tapped my chin as I analysed the colours that Evelyn held up at me, "how about black? I like black."

Evelyn nodded in agreement, "black is a safe choice, good pick."

I smiled happily at the fact Evelyn was praising my decision to stick with black.

Alexander wasn't here with us right now because he was apparently setting up some kind of practice for me for the next stage in the competition.

My brother had told Xander what the next stage was and I was still clueless on what the second stage was about so, whatever Xander sets up for practice will surprise me.

Evelyn suddenly clapped her hands, destroying my thoughts and making me concentrate on her, "we have less than two minutes to get you to the dining room, we have to hurry. The prince and his family will be judging your every move from now on."

At the mention of the 'prince' I almost choked on air, remembering the events of last night.

I don't even know how I am going to act or be like in front of the prince after last night.

Speaking of last night, I made sure that the man I saved, who I learnt is called Viktor is being kept company by my ladies.

I will visit Viktor and my ladies later actually.

"Oh..." I cough twice, "we better get going then."

Evelyn gave me a weird look as I brushed past her and made my way to exit the room.

***

"Do your best," Evelyn rubbed my shoulder in encouragement after sitting me down in an assigned seat at the long table, opposite Meredith Dyer, the only human in the competition besides me.

I didn't have time to thank Evelyn for the extra support as she hurried out after greeting all the important Lords and Ladies seated the dining table.

Lord Hilbert was seated at the table beside Lord Gilman further down the table so I couldn't communicate with him verbally without accidentally coming off as rude since I would have to shout across everyone.

At the back of my mind, I had the name Oberyn playing over and over and I really wanted to speak to Lord Hilbert and my brother and ask who this Oberyn was.

I was sat in my usual seat at the table at the end where the royals were going to be seated.

"Hi, I'm Natalya," I extended my hand out to Meredith who looked at my hand and then at my eyes with confusion as if to say I was trying to prank her, and as if the feeling was foreign for her for someone to actually want to make conversation with her.

Fortunately, Meredith composed herself and stripped the confusion from her face as she shook my hand and lifelessly smiled. "I am Meredith."

The food at the table was smelling absolutely divine especially the well-baked bread that sent a heavenly smell right into my nostrils.

"The food smells really good, don't you think?" I licked my lips as I rubbed my hands together hungrily.

"I guess," Meredith replied with a dry and bored voice which clearly implied that she didn't want to speak to me, so I completely brushed her off and diverted my attention to Rose Clarke who gracefully approached the seat next to mine.

Rose Clarke sent me a warm smile as she sat on the chair on my left and greeted the other nobles. Personally, out of all the girls including my cousin, I thought Rose had all the right attributes to be a queen.

Her elegance, beauty, personality and everything was just perfectly royal. "Yes, the food does smell amazing unless I am just smelling your blood," she joked. "You are Natalya Ascelyn, correct?"

Rose Clarke faced me with a genuine smile, taking a sip of the glass of blood that had been poured out for her, "yes I am, and of course, you are the Rose Clarke. You are really pretty by the way."

I complimented her using my hand to motion at her beautiful, silky, pale pink dress. Rose placed her hand over her chest, flattered by the compliment as she awed at me, "thank you, you are stunning too must I add, I envy your beauty, I really do."

Her compliment made my self-esteem hit a new high, "thank you, but you have nothing to be jealous about. I mean it. You are classy, pretty and nice."

I caught Meredith rolling her eyes after overhearing our conversation but did my best to ignore her.

She was trying to intimidate me and I wasn't going to let her succeed.

Rose Clarke was friendly compared to Meredith and before my conversation with her could kick off, Cassandra Pierce and my cousin Ella Bourne arrived at the same time, together! Through the same entrance!

Ella was already becoming great friends with a untrustable competitor.

I don't feel very good about Cassandra either. I do not get a positive vibe from her at all, she always looks like she is silently plotting the unexpected.

I eyed them both as they exchanged words with their mentors, greeted the important vampires at the table and then took their seats opposite me and Rose beside Meredith.

Cassandra arched her eyebrow challengingly at Rose Clarke who balled up one hand into a fist and used her other hand to grip onto her glass of blood. Whilst this was going on, Ella smiled at me and mockingly rolled her eyes at me after glancing at Meredith.

I held back laughter sinking into my seat a little.

However, when the doors re-opened a moment later disrupting nothing but the intense silence between us five girls, I adjusted myself in my seat so I was sat upright again.

Like almost every morning, four guards who were all very familiar to me: Thomas, Roger, Derek and Alaric walked in an organised formation with the royals following after.

We all had to stand at the table including Lord Hilbert and the rest of the ladies and lords.

My eyes connected with Derek's brown ones and I instantly shielded my face when I remembered why he was looking at me like that. He should have never seen what I had worn for the prince, BIG mistake.

Cassandra suspiciously glanced back at me for a second and I shrugged at her.

Princess Cathryn stepped into the room wearing an off-the-shoulder, long and fine white dress. Her hair was in a braided bun and a thin, diamond crown sat on top.

She looked like an angel which was just ironic since she was a royal, cold-blooded vampire with special abilities that she could use for her own selfish gain.

Anyone who Cathryn's eyes landed on bowed their heads, but when her eyes landed on me she sent me an exuberant smile which I didn't have to bow or curtsy at. I just smiled back at her.

Everyone was most likely thinking I was mad but, Cathryn had told me I could treat her like a sister, and as a sister, I will not treat her like she is a princess.

Cathryn went to stand in front of her seat beside mine on the right, after nudging me lightly in passing and sending me another smile.

When I was about to smile back, Queen Melisandre walked in, in a refined manner. Her steps were so polished and she looked exquisite with her auburn hair sleeked back into a tight ponytail.

Melisandre's eyes hold so much judgement as she scans us girls but when her eyes land on Cassandra, she begins to smile and I feel a sudden pang of jealousy consume me as I curtsy with the rest of the girls.

I clench my jaw slightly and exhale to calm myself as the King enters the room. King Creon strides in, taking big steps whilst holding his strong self up. Creon proudly nods his head once at everyone, goes to stand beside his seat picking up his golden chalice, raising it in the air and then taking a big gulp from it.

His brown beard is well-trimmed and combed into a neat mess. Creon sent me a little wink when he noticed the way I observed how he drunk the blood from his chalice.

I couldn't help but think maybe that wink had a double-meaning. I felt slightly sick.

Melisandre noticed the small interaction and narrowed her eyes at me enviously as I pursed my lips and darted my eyes to the entrance where Zac was about to walk in from.

Everyone else shuffled in their positions and on their feet uncomfortably and I knew many eyes were on me, judging.

The black witch had trailed behind the King like his own personal shadow and I almost did not acknowledge her presence, until my necklace buzzed against my skin.

Finally, Zac entered and I clasped my hands as a sign of anxiousness. I was scared of how he would treat me because of last night.

I hoped he would not mention anything from last night in front of everyone.

I didn't move as I watched Prince Zac irresistibly walk over to his seat with a very sinister but alluring smirk.

Zac wore a long-sleeved, navy blue tunic (medieval) with a black leather belt and a suede jerkin overtop.

To finish off his reserved look, he wore black pants that he had tucked into his combat boots.

Zac was simply mesmerising and his dark eyes sparkled with silver streaks.

When his enticing eyes locked with mine, I almost lost my balance as I curtsied like the other five girls.

It came to the point where I was the one who had to break the intense eye contact between him and I.

Why does he do that? He was the one who told me not to ever look him in the eyes since I am a human, yet, he doesn't seem bothered when I do unless he is really angry.

He must not be angry.

Once Zac sat down, we all had permission to sit back down too.

***

Derek was sending flirty eyes my way throughout the breakfast and although I was satisfied I was also at the same time uncomfortable.

I wanted to engage in the flirtation but I was in a very awkward seat where I was facing many people I knew like my brother Alaric, my cousin Ella, Cassandra Pierce, Meredith, Queen Melisandre and Prince Zac.

So I just kept clearing my throat, trying to suppress the heat rising to my cheeks by drinking water everytime he would wink, smirk, grin or nod and raise his eyebrow at me.

I began to focus my attention on the piece of bacon I was bringing towards my mouth when my concentration on my food was broken.

"You seem very quiet, Natalya. Tell us a story, I am sure as a human you've been through quite some challenges?" Queen Melisandre cut into her omelette with her knife and fork, eyeing me with a nasty smirk on her face as she picked her fork and placed the piece of omelette into her mouth.

I dropped the strip of bacon I had between my teeth back onto my plate by accident as I was taken back by her question.

A couple of Lords from far down the table chuckled at me whilst the Ladies disapprovingly tutted my way, unimpressed by my disrespectful and ''disgusting'' table manners.

Clearing my throat in an attempt to imply I was not ready for that question, I hesitantly replied, "I don't- I don't really have any exciting stories to tell."

My eyes flickered to Alaric who's face was screaming say something interesting, I then glanced at Ella who was smiling for me to tell a story and Cassandra who had the tips of her fingers touching her lips as she giggled at me.

Meredith blankly looked at me as I felt Rose Clarke and Princess Cathryn both nudge me from either side of my body. "I'm sure that isn't the case darling, everyone has at least one memory in their lives that they can perfectly recall."

Queen Melisandre wasn't giving in, it was almost like she was testing me.

This was the hardest test to pass for me seeing as the only memories I could remember were not exactly happy ones, especially the main memory roaming my mind right now, the death of my parents.

And, personally, I didn't want to give the woman who I suspect to have killed my parents, the satisfaction she was yearning for.

"Mel, the girl clearly doesn't have a story to tell," The King intervened in an attempt to save me from any further pressure to say anything about my life in Icilia.

However, my luck didn't last long enough, "no, I want to hear a story," I drifted my attention to Zac who was holding a silver chalice with a zig zag pattern around the rim, his lips lingered at the rim of the chalice as he demandingly said, "tell me a story about your parents."

At the mention of parents, I nearly lost the function to swallow my own spit and breathe.

I furrowed my eyebrows slightly when Zac drank from his chalice whilst his eyes observed the change in expression on my face.

When I darted my eyes up at Alaric who was stood beside Derek behind Zac's seat, he had his eyes lowered and focusing on the ground in clear bereavement and sorrow.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the black witch stood beside the King and saw as she placed one hand on the head of his chair, clearly interested in the subject of my parents.

I was pretty certain the colour from my face had been stripped and I was pale as the cream-coloured plate I was eating from. I felt sick and had to purse my lips and bite back the tears threatening to stream down my face.

Did Alaric not inform them about our parents? Why would he not mention it? I thought he had.

"My parents are dead," I released the fork in my hand and let it rest at the side of my plate before picking up the glass of water in front of me, trying to keep myself distracted from the thought of crying.

A silence rose at the table as I felt Cathryn's hand rub my lower back.

Zac leant forward resting his arms on the table like this was somewhat of an interesting topic to him, "then tell us the story of how they died, I like a good old story about death."

Really? Did he just really say that?

"Zac! Don't be so heartless, Alaric is also right behind you, remember." Cathryn exclaimed in mine and my brother's defence.

So maybe he was aware of the death of my parents. Yet, wanted to see me suffer by forcing me to tell the awful memory.

"Shut up," Zac dryly ordered as he stared straight into my stinging eyes, "tell us the story or you will be punished, it is that simple."

"Father," I heard Cathryn say to her father, King Creon urging that he do something to stop me from being threatened by his son but, the King muttered something along the lines 'he is in control of the competition and girls, I can not intervene'.

I swallowed hard and after receiving a pitying look from everyone but Cassandra, Meredith, Zac, the black witch and the Queen, I decided to tell the story.

"It isn't a long story, it is more of a summary but," I inhaled, "I will tell it."

I blinked a couple of times to get rid of any upcoming tears, "there was a fire in one of the villages in Icilia, the poor village which so happened to be mine and I was in my house, unaware of the fire that had started outside, I smelt smoke and began to cough, only to realise I was trapped in my house which was beginning to burn down."

I sniffed up lowering my gaze to my plate, "I almost died that day."

When I felt a bit of wetness on my cheek, I wiped the tear away quickly.

"But, my best friend saved me and brought me to safety. However, when I went to find my parents who had been in our house with me, they had gone," I frowned, "they had gone to save another family from the fire and unfortunately they didn't make it out of the burning house..."

I painfully forced a smile... "and, well yeah... They are dead now. Gone, forever..."

I hadn't realised that I was crying and my words were coming out almost incoherently, "if you'll excuse me..." I didn't even wait for Zac who had an amused smile on his face to excuse me and was already out my seat and halfway towards the exit of the room.

Points would definitely be getting knocked off me for just departing without permission like that but, to be completely honest, I didn't really care.

What kind of sick ass forces someone to talk about the death of their loved ones? Against their will?

The sadistic prince that is who.

Infuriated I ran the halls of the castle and surprisingly into the arms of Alexander?

Strange how I fell straight into his arms, like that. "Why are you running?"

I stepped back and freed myself from his arms, quickly wiping my eyes since I didn't want him seeing me crying like the baby I was.

"Breakfast did not go well, did it? It was my brother, wasn't it?" Alexander questioned with concern plastered on his face when he saw me wipe my eyes with the back of my hands.

Wiping them was useless as they would be left red and puffy anyway. I shook my head sadly and buried my face in my hands before falling into Xander's chest and allowing him to comfort me.

I cried in his chest and felt our environment change as I did so.

He had flashed us inside a bedroom.

His bedroom.

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NEXT CHAPTER SOON!! VOTE AND COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ZAC?

Q: Do you think Zac purposely made Natalya cry? Do you still like him? What do you think of the other girls, Derek, Alaric and everyone else?

Love you and thank you for reading!!

- Natasha xx