CHAPTER 2

Harvey sat beside Ella by the table. It seems it was not a formal party, because talking was allowed at the table. Voices were heard everywhere. Ella and Harvey did the same too.

Ella was laughing at something Harvey said, when her eyes ran into Salvador's. It seems he has been watching her for a long time. He didn't budge that she caught him staring at her, but instead smiled and took a bite of his food without looking away from her. 

She felt weird, so she looked away and tried to concentrate on Harvey's voice. But she didn't quite make it, because before her eyes could return back to Harvey's, her eyes caught another. It was as black as the night, then suddenly changed to blue. 

They reminded her of the werewolf she met earlier. He smiled and waved briefly. The difference is, he looked away and continued what he was doing before their eyes met. 

Taking a deep breath, she returned her eyes to Harvey and continued talking. 

When eating was done and dusted by, the party drew to an end. Each guest started leaving one after the other. Each have to say a farewell to the royal household – as the host – before leaving.

Ella greeted them goodbye but not Salvador and the werewolf. Harvey was still by her father's side discussing something.

When all the guests had left except the three, she returned back to the ball room and decided to have a quiet dance of her own. The best part, by herself.

She hadn't danced long, when she felt weird all over. She got this feeling once, earlier at the table, by Salvador! She stopped, opened her eyes in search of him and looked around. But she couldn't find him. She must have been delusional, she decided. She wanted to continue her dance, when her eyes flew into the werewolf's. She wanted to say something, but he vanished into thin air. 

"For a lady to dance alone must mean that she finds the life of a party quite boring and unsatisfying!" Harvey said as he approached. He offered her his hand with a smile.

She reached out to his hand, but felt weird again then saw the werewolf again. She was startled and took a step back.

"Is anything wrong, my lady." Harvey asked as he approached her.

She wanted to take offense to him regarding her so formal but she felt weird and saw the werewolf again. She immediately held out a hand, stopping Harvey in his tracks. The feeling stopped as well and the werewolf disappeared.

Whenever Harvey comes close to her, she gets reminded of the other two. But Harvey is just human, except if he lied about it. Or are they all friends and wants to torture her? Well if that's the case, then they are going to regret it.

"Can I ask you something, my lord?" She asked.

"Yes sure, anything." He replied.

"What do you want?" When she asked this, she didn't mean to only get an answer from Harvey, but from all of them.

"I don't understand." Harvey replied.

"Well I don't like sharing, maybe you can do something about that and I'll tell you what I want." Salvador emerged from the shadows. 

Harvey was surprised but Ella was not. "Did you know he was there?" He asked.

"I want to have what's rightfully mine." The werewolf said perplexed beside a pillar.

"What's going on here?" Harvey asked.

"Well, that's what I want to find out myself." She said to Harvey and turned to the other two and said, "Are you two following me?" 

"No, not at all. But all I know is," Salvador looked at Harvey, "I don't like him around you." He continued. 

"I totally agree with him, but I don't want any of them around you either." The werewolf replied.

"What is going on here?" The king's voice echoed through the walls.

Everyone turned to face the king and bowed as he approached.

"Dad," Ella began, "I met this werewolf once in the woods earlier this morning. And then Harvey and Salvador. You said Harvey and me are to be wedded but it seems Salvador and the werewolf are not satisfied with that motion. Whenever Harvey comes close to me, they don't like it. The point is," she tried to explain it in detail to avoid being questioned afterwards. "I am the only one who feels whatever it is they're doing. I get affected and that's not appropriate for me since I'll soon be wedded to Harvey. Please help me clear it all." She finished.

"Are they harassing you?" The king asked.

"No, but they all claim that I am theirs alone. I can't belong to Harvey and also to Salvador and also to the werewolf." She replied.

"But that's not a bad idea, my dear." The king sounded reasonable.

"I know, but I can't dad." She cried out. She felt frustrated and overwhelmed. She wanted an out.

"But why?" The king asked.

"look at it my way; I only met them all only today. How can I be theirs? And please help me, the worst part of this all is that I don't even know the werewolf's name." She replied.

"I see where your frustration lies, my dear." The king said thoughtfully, to the werewolf he said, "what's your name young man?"

"Prince Felix Walker, my lord." He replied.

"The name suits you so very well but, why are you after my daughter?" The king asked.

"She is my familiar, my lord." Felix replied.

"Not if I have something to say about that." Salvador interrupted.

"Even if you do, there's nothing you can do at this point." Felix replied.

An argument could have emerged but the presence of the king kept them on bay. The main concern was not them, they all understood that, it was Ella.

"Ella dear?" The king called out.

But she was already walking to the table. She pulled out a chair and sat. 

The others came to her side and the king sat on the master chair and instructed the three men to sit opposite his daughter. They did as instructed and waited.

"You know," Ella said in a trembling voice, "I went to pray early this morning. I told God that I wanted to get married, to whom, when and where, I don't care." She smiled and cleaned the tear that ran down her face. "Well now I do care, but it's too late. It looks like he already heard and answered my prayer." She looked at the men in front of her and cleaned her tears as they flowed.

"Three men, one lady, what sort of an answer is that? To me, that is a bit too much." The king shuddered. 

Silence followed by his comment, no reply came by. The king knows that all the three men want his daughter but he also is quite aware that his daughter can't take the three of them.

He sat silently and waited for his daughter's remark. 

"What if I want only one of you, will the remaining two of you kill him or what?" Ella asked suddenly.

"Then we kill the one, survival of the fittest." Felix said.

He seems confident in all he says. That makes his 'familiar' relationship believable, Ella thought.

"Is it always about the fittest to you all?" She prodded.

"Not in the way you look at it." Salvador answered now. He seems thoughtful as he speaks. "Fights are always there but there's always a chance for a peaceful settlement. In this case, you have a couple of choices, one choice to marry but he has to be a convenient one. Two, pick more than one to marry, they both have to be convenient too. Three, marry all and avoid any problem whatsoever. Four marry none and live happily ever after. Four choices." He finished.

"If I marry one that is convenient?" Ella asked.

"Then you have problems from the other two." He replied.

"Marry two that are both convenient?" She patted her hair.

"Same thing from the other one, except he's a weakling." He smiled.

"Marry all three?" 

"Then you'll all be happy."

"Marry none?"

"That's a tough one missy."

"How so?"

"Marry none means marry anyone."

"I don't understand."

"Well, let's look at it from all sides," Salvador placed his hands on the table and ached forward. "Felix here can mark you as well as myself. That's force mating. Except for the Harvey here, he can rape you and if you get pregnant, you belong to him. That's all for marriage. And guess what will happen if all the three happen?" Salvador need not complete his sentence. 

"So what are you insinuating?" Ella asked, trying to ease the pain in her chest.

"The choice is yours. I can't force any words in your mouth, neither can I make the choice for you." Salvador replied.

The way he answered made her pain easy just by his voice alone. This makes her at ease for some reason. She can't feel like this because this makes it unfair for the other two.