Haunted King

TEN | my wine

Gabriel smiled as he watched Melody basically breath in her food. Roasted chicken, an assortment of vegetables and side dishes. A nice glass of wine. Not too mention the fresh apple pie and vanilla ice cream. 'Is this heaven,' a lone tear rolled down her cheek. The last time she ate food this fancy was when she lived at her parents place, but even then the flavor was always lacking.

Gabriel noticed how thin Melody was. 'Does she eat properly?' He had so much he still wanted to learn about her. But he had time to learn it, if his plans worked out.

Gabriel reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Have I told you I love you?" Melody didn't answer. She had been silent since he called her his queen. Her brain went blank every time she tried configuring a sequence of words together. Any sentence of response crumbled away when he touched her cheek or said something sweet. 'He is making this so hard for me,' she mentally sobbed as she chewed her bite of apple pie.

The sound of a small bell rang in their minds. They looked at each other in confusion. Bright white numbers danced over their heads. Melody had forgotten about the affection meter, and she wished it had stayed forgotten. The number that danced and glimmered over Gabriel's head sent shivers down her spine.

'115%'

'The meter can go over 100!' She remembered the words of her cousin. "He sounds like he is a little bit obsessed with you. I have a feeling that choosing him will only mean putting your self in a prettier cage than before.'

Melody swallowed the food. She realized he hadn't eaten anything since they had sat down for food. She looked down to the glistening pie on her plate. "Gabriel. What did you do to my food?" Her voice was low and serious. She was starting to become conscious of her surroundings. 'There isn't a single knight in this dinning room. Not a maid in sight.'

Gabriel grinned, "well I didn't make it personally. But from my knowledge there is cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg-." Melody glared at him. "You know that's not what I'm asking."

Gabriel made an 'oh,' with his mouth. "You're asking if I drugged your food?" Melody didn't answer, she was hoping it was just paranoia. That it was just her mind playing tricks on her. But the smile on his lips was dwindling that hope with every second they sat in silence.

Gabriel leaned against his arm, "I didn't drug your food." He sighed. Melody felt the knot in her chest loosen.

"But I did cast immobility magic on your wine," he finished. Melody dropped her fork. Tears pricked her eyes. "I realized you leave when you fall asleep," he explained. "So I've been trying to create a spell that keeps a person from falling asleep. I thought I would have more time, but then you didn't come back for four days. I realized there might come a time when you never come back."

He stood up and walked over to his chair. Melody tried standing up but her legs were completely numb. She couldn't move at all. "I can't live without you Melody." She looked into her favorite pair of blue eyes. But all that stared back at her was his manic gaze.

'a prettier cage.'