The Bride of the Zodiac King

Chapter Five

“ Ella ... Ella”, Ella heard her name being called in a whispering tone. She tried to open her eyes but to avail.

“I’m over here..”, the female voice said in a whispering tone and Ella saw herself dressed in a long white dress walking around in the most colorful and beautiful flower garden she had ever seen in her life. The tulips were as white as snow, the sunflowers were as tall as her, the roses did not have thorns and what amazed her the most was how they looked like they were bowing when she walked past them. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, her favorite smell the earthy fragrance mixed with the fresh flowers filled her lungs and she smiled. She felt at home , surrounded by what she loved the most ,fresh air and flowers.

Ella knew she was dreaming,but it all felt so real! Walking down a foot path making her way  through the flowers ,she squinted her eyes as she  looked up , the sun rays filtered through the tree canopy and  as they brushed against the flowers , the golden rays turned into what looked like little golden fairies. She was surprised when she realized that was what they actually were , when they flew past her giggling.Ella stood there and watch everything in awe! The fairies ,the flowers , the sun on her skin and the breeze playing through her hair like a pair of hands ,made her wish that she would not wake up from this particular dream, she rather live in this fantasy than to be back in that dungeon with those ruthless men or beasts, she couldn't really say what they actually were. Ella heard the sound of running water and she walked towards it and the closer she got to the sound, the place grew darker  and she was surprised when she looked up to see a half moon and thousands of  twinkling stars in the sky. She turned around looking towards the flower garden and was shocked to see over there , it was still daytime!She would never have guessed ,that one day  she would be seeing  day and night together in one perfect picture.

'Where m I?' ,she softly asked herself.

'You are home my child ', the same voice which had called her name earlier answered her question.

Ella looked around her hoping to see who that soft voice belongs too. She heard what sounded like  tiny voices whispering happily all together  ' It's the Queen, It's the Queen', she looked around worriedly as she wondered who the Queen was. She wondered what kind of world she was stuck in , who are all those royalties she was having the pleasure of meeting.

' You are finally home. Welcome to the Kingdom of Taureans. Do not be afraid we are of the same blood, we are family', the voice calmly said from behind her, she turned around and saw the most beautiful woman she have ever encountered in her life.

Long  hair  as black as the night, her skin was as white as snow and her lips as red as a red rose. Her eyes were the same color as the emerald stone her father gave her for her sixteenth birthday, which was also the same color as her eyes.

' The color of divine knowledge', her father had said to her.

How could I be related to this beautiful woman !? I don't even have a quarter of her beauty!, Ella said to herself.

' Who are you?', Ella asked.

'I'm Queen Venus, the ruler of the second house of the Zodiac world,but not everyone can see me ,because I only choose to appear to those I want. You see..', the Queen said , she paused  and came to stand next to her .

Ella noticed that she was even more prettier up close.

'For many,  I actually don't exist anymore. My own people found a way  to get rid of me from my own Kingdom..but that story is for another day', the Queen said and Ella could feel the sadness in her voice.

'Why m I here?', Ella asked .

' To marry the King of Zodiac', the Queen answered without hesitation.

'What?! But...', Ella was saying when the Queen put a finger on her lips indicating for her to be quiet and she looked around them with narrowed eyebrows and a worried look clouded her face.

'I think its time for you to go.. hurry .You can't be seen here ,nor me..hurry. Don't worry we will finish this conversation  on another day.Now hurry back..and Ella don't tell anyone you met me ' ,the Queen urged her to go but Ella didn't want to leave without the answers to  the thousands of questions she had going around in her mind.

Ella heard what sounded like horses neighing from a distance and she turned to look towards the garden . As she turned to speak to the Queen she was no longer there.

' Hurry back..' Ella heard the Queen's worried voice and she started to run back towards the flower garden . Her white dress got caught in the branch of a small blossom tree and she pulled it tearing part of it . She bent to pick it up,but upon hearing the sound of the horses neighing closer to her,she left the silk fabric and hurried towards a door which she had not seen earlier. As she opened it ,she could see herself sleeping on a king size bed in a large bedroom. Ella looked back towards the flower garden and wondered why couldn't she stay there ,instead of heading back to the hell she came from.

Because there you know what fate awaits you..here you don't even have a clue what is beyond this estranged world . A world where even its own Queen is insecure.. Ella said to herself and quickly jumped through the door.

As the door disappeared turning into flower petals and blown away by the breeze, three masked men dressed in black reached the flower garden on horseback , sniffing the air.

' Smelled like a stranger was here!Find whoever it was ..!' one man said in an angry authoritative tone and the two other men obeyed as they separate , one taking the left  and the other one the right.

A tiny little fairy which was hiding from those masked man among the Marigolds, noticed the piece of white  fabric which was stuck and floating  in the breeze of the branch of a blossom tree close to her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands for the masked man not to hear her.  She knew that if the gate keepers saw what she as looking at, they will definitely take it back to King Harold and Queen Lima. They will be proving that someone was here in the old Kingdom and if they were to trace the owner of the fabric, she could be asked what she was doing there and reveal that their Queen was still around.The fairy realized that she couldn't do anything but silently pray that the gate keepers would  return back to their King and Queen without that piece of evidence. Luckily for her ,her prayer was answered when the remaining gate keeper galloped away. She breathed a sigh of relief and when she noticed he was very far away ,together with a few friends ,they flew towards the branch and removed the piece of fabric from  Ella's  dress.

' Phew ,that was close', the tiny fairy said and her friends agreed.

Ella stirred in her sleep and quickly sat up, breathing heavily. She pulled her legs to her chest and looked around the room. Ornate sconces lined the walls, bringing the bedroom into flickering illumination.The room was as big as her two bedroom house back in New York. Reality hit her once more, she was no longer in her home , or even in her world ,she didn't even know where she was and then she remembered the woman from her dream, Queen Venus.

'It was just a dream.I'm taking a piece of everything I'm going through and somehow my brain is inventing its own story!, ', Ella said to herself and got out of bed.

As she stepped on the cobblestone floor she noticed that she was no longer wearing her black dress, instead she was wearing a long silk nightgown.

'What is this? Who got me changed?!', she almost shouted as she wondered what those two men did to her .

She couldn't remember anything after seeing that old man turn into what looked like a fairy with long white wings. How she ended in this bedroom ,wearing a white nightgown, but one thing she remembered was that whilst running in her dream ,her dress got caught in a branch of a small blossom tree and it tore. She quickly  lifted the hem of her dress and to her surprise part of her dress at the back was missing.Ella  took a few steps backwards and almost tumbled in bed, she sat down on the edge of the bed lost in thoughts .

'Then it wasn't a dream.  I did see that beautiful woman. Queen Venus..and she said ..I'm here to marry the King of Zodiac!..whoever that is .', Ella softly said and then she closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks