18 Chapter 18

-EDITED-

As Ember walked out of her room, she felt like she was about to suffocate from the amount of stress that had just hit her. She clutched her chest as she took breaths to fight off the panic attack that was developing fast. She felt her chest seizing up as she quickly made her way to the throne room for practice. She couldn't let this hold her back from helping the resistance. She wouldn't allow herself to just fall in the hands of fate as a puppet. She was ready to cut the strings that held her and walk on her own. Down the path she chose. She was ready to work for what she wants. So if she had to pretend to be still on a string, she would. But she wouldn't allow the Queen to be her puppeteer this time. Not after centuries, eons of being used for slave labor, the insults and being granted no mercy or justice.

She pushed the doors open to see the Queen standing with two men, nearly twice her size. But she was short. She had to keep in mind that the higher they are, the harder they fall. She pushed forward. "My Queen." She said and did a small crusty in front of her. Despite her stomach and pride protesting at being what the Queen wanted from her. The thing she hated most of the people who gave up, being docile. But she swallowed her pride and the food that threatened to rise in her throat.

The Queen's smile widened across her sunken face. "This is a great start already." She grinned. "But your curtsy is bit unbalanced, but that's an easy fix." She smirked to herself. Ember shuddered at what was going through the Queen's mind that made her smile so endearingly at fixing her. Ember kept her head down, refusing to break eye contact or lack thereof on the floor.

"Well, stand you ditsy Neko, there are two males here for a reason. He'll be teaching you many things." She said, "Such as proper eating manners and just about everything else." She said, "It will be a long night, so I hope you got a lot of sleep last night." She said and walked off with the other male. Personally, Ember felt confused about why she needed two men if only one was teaching her. There was the chance that the other male was her husband or one of her many play toys.

"Miss Ember, first we fix that curtsy of yours. It's simple and I'll show you how to do it properly." He said the first thing Ember noticed about him was his dullness. As if he was being forced to not only do this but the entire job. He was a plain-looking, brown hair, brown eyes, tannish skin, no freckles, moles or anything to give him being unique. Other than his genetic make-up. Even his voice was monotone and his eyes held no emotion and looked like they hadn't for years. Ember swallowed.

Not that she didn't trust this man. Okay, she wouldn't trust him with a spec of dirt that was just her trust issues speaking. But he was so weird. Emotionless, empty, as if he held no meaning in life other than this. And even this was meaningless. She doubted he was being paid much. She doubted even more that this was his first pick at jobs, but the one he got stuck with. Normally, she didn't feel sorry for humans, as they were drunk with privilege, but for this one. She truly felt sorry for him.

"Well, get back into your curtsy stance and I'll fix what needs it." His voice flatly said. Now that she heard him for the second time, he sounded depressed, but in the 'the world is nothing and I am nothing with it but a cog in a machine that is barely functioning as it is.'.Ember got into her stance and he said nothing. He grabbed a ruler and poked at areas that needed straightening until she felt like she was a wooden board. She felt so stiff, but according to him and the smile she saw on the Queen's face when she had glanced up for a moment, it was correct. So act like an emotionless puppet, be stiff in literally everything and don't speak your mind.

That was the information she was gathering from this man and the Queen. "Now, we shall teach you a simple ballroom dance." He droned and held out his hand. When she touched him, he didn't even feel alive. "Follow my lead." He said.

He danced her around the throne room. It was a stiff dance; it took both of them all they could to not run away from each other's touch. As they finished the dance, he bowed, and she curtsied. Using his technique of being as stiff as possible when doing it. This was boring, and it felt like the life of her was being sucked out of her very soul every second she spent doing this.

"That will be enough, seeing as it will be all that the public will see from her." The Queen said, "I dismiss you all." She said and walked out and 20 minutes later, Ember left, her main goal was avoiding people as much as she could for the duration of her walk to her room where she found Astarte in her room.

"What are you doing here?" Ember asked as she closed the door behind her. "Aren't you supposed to be saving the Fisguioun?" She added.

"I said I couldn't make it back to the hideout and save the people at the same time. But with a bird and 6 people to bring them to our hideout without drawing attention, it left me with some break time." Astarte explained.

"But are you worried about being caught?" She asked.

"Oh please, they didn't catch me when I watched you ball dance and they will not catch me now." Astarte laughed.

"You watched me ball dance?" Ember asked, "Do you know how embarrassing that is?" She asked as her pale cheeks heated.

"Awe, is the chosen one embarrassed?" Astarte teased as Ember wished she had long hair to hide her face.

"N-No, I'm... it's just boiling in here." She said, pulling at her dress collar, fanning herself lightly pretending as if it was hot when in all reality she unbothered by the hot summer night.

"Yeah, uh-huh," Astarte said, crossing her arms.

"Really! It's boiling in this dress." She said.

"Is that so? Then I guess you don't want to join me." She said with a shrug.

"Join you at what?" Ember asked, perking up at them hanging out. She enjoyed Astarte's company very much. She was so easy to talk to, so carefree or at the very least laid-backed about a lot of things. She was nothing compared to the stress of having to pretend to be a mindless drone.

"A walk in the garden, maybe show you how a real person ballroom dances." Astarte laughed.

"I'm up for that," Ember said, looking forward to the thought of being with Astarte, just dancing the night away.

"Why, then why didn't you just say so," Astarte said and grabbed Ember's hand and walked her to the palace gardens. It was just like she remembered, refreshing, large, and beautiful. Something she hadn't gotten to appreciate before she had to chase after Astarte the first time she found her way out here

"Would you accept this dance m' lady?" Astarte asked, bowing slightly and Ember grinned.

"Why I do," Ember said and grabbed her hand. Astarte's hand was soft compared to her father's. Ember smiled at Astarte as Astarte pulled them together and began dancing loosely with her.

Ember paused for a moment before remembering that this wasn't the man she was dancing with earlier. This was Astarte, the laid-back rebel Nighean. Ember danced with her with a smile growing on her face and the blush. Ember wasn't the only one who was showing signs of blushing. Ember smiled happily at Astarte as they continued dancing as Astarte spun Ember around, Ember's green dress spinning out with the newfound wind. Ember laughed as Astarte let started to dance weirdly.

"Astarte, what are you doing?" She asked.

"What I want! There is no point in being a resistance member if you don't break free from the bonds holding you down." Astarte said.

"You know what? You're right!" Ember said and began to dance weirdly, letting her metaphorical hair down seeing as her hair was too short to swing out of the ponytail with beauty and grace. Ember laughed as she paused as she got a head rush.

"Don't you see how much fun this is?" She asked Ember.

"Yeah, I do, it's nice to relax about this." Ember grinned.

Astarte grabbed Ember's hand once more and brought her closer herself, bringing Ember in and hugging her tightly.

"I've got to go, but I'll be in the parade's crowd tomorrow. You should head to be now because if you don't then you'll be very cranky in the morning." Astarte grinned and let go of her and walked over to the fence and hopped over it. Ember sighed softly, her heart beating widely from the hug from Astarte.

But she was right, Ember did a have a long day ahead of herself tomorrow, so she better head to bed before she forgets how to get there and has to sleep on the grass. Which although she wouldn't mind, she would rather not have her skin dyed green from the grass.

Ember walked out of the garden with a smile as she made her way back to her room, passing out quickly as her head hit the pillow.