Meeting the King (3)
"Do you both remember the story I told you of how I died in my past life and about the single regret I have from that life?" He asked, and without giving them time to answer he continued, "Well as I was exploring the city today, I happened to bump into a young female who was exiting a restaurant. I immediately started apologizing and checking to see if she was okay. When she spoke, her voice sent chills through my body and seemed to wake up something deep inside of me. When I looked at her face and into her eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This person looked exactly like Alice from my previous life, she even has the same last name save for the Helgard part."
"We got to talking and it just kind of slipped that the King had invited me toto attend a competition at the palace already. She didn't believe me, so I sent her to her father with a message and from what that soldier said, it seems he got my message and wants to meet ahead of schedule. I'm sorry if this messes with our plans, but I couldn't risk repeating my mistakes from my previous life. If she's here, even if she doesn't know me, I will do everything in my power to have her in my life, unless of course she doesn't want that. Even then, I will do whatever I can to protect and watch over her." Jax said, doing his best to make sure his parents fully grasped what he was feeling right now.
This was a new experience for him, actually listening to his heart. He had denied his feelings in his previous life because he knew Mark had feelings for Alice first and had known her the longest. Jax, wanting to be a good friend, kept his feelings to himself, except for that time at her twenty first birthday party when he got drunk and confessed to her. He really wanted to explore these feelings in this life, in fact he was determined to do so, no matter what anyone had to say about it.
"It's alright son, we were just surprised to find a soldier here upon our return and we got a little worried about what was going on. We're not mad at you, and I myself am proud of you for recognizing your feelings and acting on them." Said Sarah with a smile, she was feeling very proud of Jax for accepting what happened in his past life and choosing to follow his heart in this one.
"We all need to get ready; we can discuss everything else later. However, after we get to the palace, we must be very careful not to reveal to much information. The King is bound to have people watching us and trying to dig up information on or about us." Jacob said as he headed towards his and Sarahs room. He was also proud of his son, although he chose to acknowledge Jax with a nod and a smile, he wholly believed and felt that, between men, some things 'need not be said'.
Jax accepts his father's show of acknowledgement by returning the nod and smile, then he made his way to his own room and began getting ready. First, he went through his clothes to find something decent to wear. They didn't have denim in this world yet, but they had a cloth that was similar, and it was called blood denim. Jax preferred to wear this kind of fabric above most others. After a few minutes of searching; he came across a deep blue suit that caught his eye. He pulled it out of the closet and brought it up to his body to see if it was around his size and he wasn't disappointed. After making sure the suit would most likely fit, he decided to take a quick shower and to cut his hair, for it had been far too long of a time since he last had a haircut.
He decided to trim his top hair to where it'd be even with the bottom of his ears, but he wanted to shave the sides and back almost bald, that way he could comb his hair back like he used to in his previous life. Then he took such a quick but efficient shower, that he broke his own record as well; he didn't want to risk being late, so he rushed his shower, but took his time getting dressed. After putting on the beautiful blue suit, there were no other words to describe it but beautiful, Jax made his way to the living area of their suite and took a seat to wait for his parents.
A few minutes later, both Jacob and Sarah emerged from their room wearing an exquisite dress and suit that when paired together made the people who wore them much more attractive to the viewer. Jacob's suit was dark grey, almost silver in color paired with a white shirt and black tie and a red kerchief in his breast pocket and black dress shoes. Sarah was wearing a pair of shiny gloss black, high heeled shoes and an ankle length dress that was light blue at the bottom that gradually began to change to a bright creamy white at the top and her long dark hair was done up in a high ponytail.
"Jax, you look absolutely stunning in that blue suit, it brings out your eyes very well. Jacob dear, you also look very handsome, it's been too long since I've seen you looking so charming." Said Sarah
"Thank you, my love, you also look downright gorgeous; it should be a crime for you to look so beautiful." he replied. He turned to Jax and said, "Jax, I see you've decided to finally use that suit huh, just be careful not to draw too much attention to yourself."
"Thank you, you both look very nice dressed up together, I'm ready to go if you both are." Replied Jax excitedly, he was very eager to reach their destination and see Alice again. He knew he'd have to prove himself in some way to either Alice, the King or maybe even both, but he was ready to do whatever it takes.
"Well, if everyone's ready, let's get this over with." Said Jacob as he takes Sarah's hand and leads her outside. Jax follows his parents outside while locking the door behind him. Once outside, they look around and catch sight of an enormous and beautifully made gold and silver carriage. It was twice as large as a normal merchant carriage and was pulled by four giant black and brown horses. As they made their way towards the carriage, the driver hops down and asks, "Are you the Talen Family? If so, hop aboard, we need to set off or we'll be late, and I want to avoid angering the King if possible."
"Yes sir, that's us. We are ready when you are." replied Jacob before boarding the carriage, they were all shocked by the luxury of the inside of the carriage. It was beautifully decorated with some of the most expensive cloth and intricate designs, and they were speechless about the idea of its cost. It had been about forty-five minutes since the soldier summoned them and they were cutting it close on their one-hour time limit. The carriage driver wasted no time and took off towards the palace. While inside the carriage, Jax and his parents were barely aware of its movement.
Due to the carriage drivers' haste, the normal fifteen-minute drive only took five, Jacob and Sarah were surprised they arrived so quick. Jax however, knew from his previous life's memories of stories he read, that the ruler of a kingdom would usually have the best toys to play around with, and most times they're also given to the ruler's children and loyal subordinates.
Jax and his parents quickly made their way up the stone steps and stopped in front of the large gates that protected the entrance to the palace. An old man, who seemed to be around fifty years old and wearing a butler's uniform, came out a door set inside one side of the massive gates. He approached the trio and said, "His Majesty the King welcomes you all to the palace, please follow me. The King has been eagerly awaiting your arrival in the Grand Hall."
After the butlers greeting, Jacob said, "We are honored to be invited to visit the palace, especially by his Majesty himself! Please, lead the way, we don't want to keep him waiting." The butler nods and says, "Right this way." They begin following the butler, who starts quickly making his way to the Grand Hall.
A few minutes later, they stop in front of a large door that looked to be made out of solid gold. Once there the butler knocks loudly before stepping inside and announcing their arrival to the King and all the other people present in the room. "Your Majesty, your summoned guests have arrived, please allow me to introduce the Talen Family." After that, the butler bows and heads to the corner of the room to wait until he is called upon again.
Before Jacob or the others could say a word or move from their spot a booming, yet curious and cordial voice reached their ears and said, "Welcome to my home miss Sarah and the young man Jax, that my daughter wouldn't stop talking about. Welcome back to you Jacob, it's nice to see you in good health. Please, come have a seat so we can talk about why your here. I'm sure you have many questions, knowing your personality."