Charming: Part I - 5. Chapter Five

It had been a week since those events that caused Lucky to be sent to a hospital and now he was sitting at a table located on top floor of a towering building with his princess-to-be sitting right across from him. She was a beautiful woman he could not deny that, with delicate facial features and golden hair that was so long that it covered the floor like an endless line squiggled on a piece of paper. However, judging by the expression her face, she would rather be anywhere instead of eating lunch with a man she was arranged to marry. She was not alone since Lucky wanted desperately to continue his search for recreating the Magic Mirror. Instead he was forced to eat with a woman who did not love him and who he did not love either.

Lucky sat there in his chair as he watched Violet play with her half-eaten salad with her fork, looking so bored, suggested by her head propped on the side with her other hand. There was nothing else that got his attention since the entire floor was empty, reserved for just him and Violet, so they had a chance to know each other without disturbance. Except for the waiter who came by now and again to refill their glasses and to tell them that their meals were almost ready, they were all alone with only the repetitive scrape of Violet’s fork on her plate providing any sort of distraction.

Pulling on the collar of his suit that was embellished with a cape that flowed to the floor from his back and a cowl that was gathered loosely at on his chest, Lucky was feeling constricted by the choice of attire that his father wanted him to wear for this “special occasion” as he called it.

However, it was pointless on what Lucky wore since Violet acted as if he did not exist at the other side of the table. She was not like the women who were screaming and tearing their hair out at the front entrance of the building when they saw him, the newest heir to the Prince Charming title, step out of his car and did his fake, trademark smile that, no joke, caused a couple or more women to faint. Lucky was at least fortunate that Violet was not like that, however a little recognition would not have hurt either.

After ten minutes of boredom, the waiter finally came with their meals in his hands that provided a much-needed distraction. However, after he placed their meals in front of them on the table, the waiter swiftly left as if he too was aware of the awkwardness surrounding Lucky and Violet and did not want any part of it. Lucky had the braised lamb, while Violet had what looked a fancier version of the salad that she had as an appetizer. She must have either not liked the other options on the restaurant’s menu, or she must have been on a strict eating regiment, not uncommon for soon-to-be princesses.

As Lucky began cutting his lamb with his knife, he noticed that Violet had finally taken her eyes off her plate that mostly contained décor than actual food and at his own plate with hunger in her eyes. And judging by the subtle sound of a stomach growling, he knew that she must not have had a decent, filling meal in a while.

Placing his knife and fork down, Lucky said, “Do…Do you want some of my lamb?”

Violet closed her eyes and sighed. “I loved to, but…”

Lucky simply nodded. “I understand.”

“Do you really?” Violet asked with skepticism.

“Well…I hope so.” Looking at Violet who looked completely unconvinced, Lucky sighed and said, “Look, Violet. I know you don’t want to be here right now. Neither do I…but we should at least look like we’re enjoying each other’s company, so we have something to tell our fathers after this date ends. Then maybe they could get off our backs.”

“But then they’ll think that we’re somewhat compatible and try to push us together even harder,” Violet argued.

“I know, I know.” Lucky rubbed his forehead with a hand in frustration. “Either way we’re screwed.”

“Yeah…” Violet mumbled, her eyes looking down once again. “Lucian…?”

“Just call me Lucky, Violet. I know we don’t each other that well, but…I want to at least to get to know as a friend since we’re both suffering under both our fathers’ rules,” Lucky explained.

“Yeah. The one thing that we have in common,” Violet said with a slight chuckle. Looking up again, she then said, “Lucky…if you and I weren’t forced into this arranged marriage…who would you want to be your princess instead?”

Lucky scratched the back of his neck, not knowing where that question came from or whether he should tell her the truth about himself. “Uh…I don’t…”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Violet clarified as she swirled her finger in her glass of ice water. “I only asked because you seem to show no interest in me. The other princes my father had set me up with previously could not wait to declare their love for me with music and poetry with the hope that they could simply bed me. You though… Is someone else in your life that you’re hoping to live a happily ever after with…or are you just not that interested in women in general?”

Lucky’s eyes widened from that question, particularly the end part where she basically asked if he was gay. “What-What are you—?”

“So, you aren’t interested in women?” Violet asked with a raised eyebrow.

Grumbling, Lucky leaned back against his chair and said, “So, what?”

Violet scoffed. “What do you mean ‘So, what?’ If I’m going to marry someone, I want them to at least feel sexually attracted to me. And this is not fair for you either since I’m not a man who, if you haven’t noticed yet, cannot grow hair anywhere else other than on top of her head!”

Lucky, despite the seriousness of Violet’s voice, could not stop himself from chuckling from that statement.

Violet rolled her eyes and said, “I glad you find this amusing.”

Chuckling again, Lucky said, “I’m sorry, it’s just that…how did you know I like my men hairy?”

“I didn’t,” Violet said, pushing her chair back a little. “I was just stating an example of why it’s not right for us to marry. Not once did I think you were into bears.”

“Well, not bears in particular,” Lucky said, thinking back to his encounters with Zev the police officer who he was confident was a wolf hybrid like those men who attacked him just a week ago at that parking lot.

“Care to explain?” Violet asked, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. “You’re not attracted to wolves, are you?”

“Well…”

It was Violet’s turn to chuckle at Lucky who narrowed his eyes at her, thinking she was mocking him for his preference in wolfish men that he did not know he had until recently. “I’m sorry, but…I just find it amusing that the newest Prince Charming is not only gay, but is thirsting for the Big Bad Wolf.”

“Interesting way to phrase it, but you’re wrong about him being the Big Bad Wolf,” Lucky corrected.

“Oh, so it’s not just wolves in general. It’s a particular wolf who managed to take your breath away,” Violet said, chuckling again.

“You’re real annoying, you know that.” Violet just shrugged and Lucky continued by saying, “He’s actually a police officer, presumably part of the police’s newest K-9 unit. He was the one who saved me from drowning and healed me after I got hit by a car driving at full speed.”

“Godmother! Where was I when all this excitement was taking place?” Violet asked with renewed interest.

“I’m assuming stuck in a tower while waiting for her Prince Charming to rescue her,” Lucky joked that earned him a cold look from Violet. “Sorry, I had to.”

“Well, what happened that caused you to almost drown and get hit by a car? Come on, tell me!” Violet begged, tapping her hand on the table in response.

“All right, all right. Patience is a virtue, you know?”

Before Violet had a chance to make a quip, Lucky started recounting his adventure to obtain an ingredient to recreating the Magic Mirror. He explained with extra detail about how he explored the flooded stadium at the downtown area of the city where he met a witch who almost killed him before he was saved by Zev to when he got hit by a car after defeating the men attacking Zev with his key that transformed into his sword. As he talked, he could tell that Violet was very entertained by the story that happened only a week ago and when he finished, she started clapping like she just watched the world’s best play.

“Now that’s a prince who I’m willing to have my hair tangled with, but alas, he is already taken by the Big. Bad. Wolf. The end,” Violet said dramatically with a hand raised above her head.

Lucky snickered. “Why do I have a feeling there was a double meaning behind that statement?”

“So…you haven’t been taken yet is what you’re saying…in both meanings of the word?” Violet asked with a cock of her head.

Lucky bowed his head in attempt to hide his blush before saying, “I just haven’t met…Mr. Right yet is all.”

Violet sighed before leaning back against her chair and placing her heeled feet on the edge of the table. “So, you’re a hopeless romantic, waiting for the day that your own Prince Charming lifts you off your feet and takes your hand in marriage.”

Lucky just shrugged, feeling embarrassed. “I guess… I don’t you have the same dream.”

Dropping her feet to the ground, Violet leaned forward on the table said, “I would. But when you spent your whole life stuck in a penthouse tower and only eating Rapunzel salad with my only hope being a prince who will never truly love me, you tend to become pessimistic of the world.”

Lucky frowned. “I’m sorry, Violet.”

“Don’t be, Lucky. My fate is already sealed and I shall live the rest of my life waiting for my own Prince Charming who will never come,” Violet proclaimed, raising her glass of water into the air before taking a sip.

Lucky still felt sorry for Violet, a woman who truly did not need rescuing, but needed to fulfill her own destiny and live her own happily ever after. He felt that she could become great friends with Cindi and Cheri, two women who fulfilled their own destinies despite the evilness of the witches who cursed them both. Cheri managed to use an oil extracted from roses that helped preserved her youth which she used on herself before she fell asleep for a hundred years. And Cindi managed to rise from the ashes of her deceased mother, both figuratively and literally, and transformed herself into a princess even before the intervention of her fairy godmother.

If only Lucky could fulfill his own destiny, which involved avenging his oldest brother’s death and maybe even falling in love with his own prince after all of it was over. However, he always screwed things up, like with the witch back at the flooded stadium, getting arrested by the Big Bad Wolf and getting hit by a car among other things. He felt very unlucky, despite his nickname and sometimes he thought he was cursed. That was the only explanation that he could think of that did not involve him just being a screw-up as his father had referred to him as on more than one occasion.

Yet, Lucky still wanted to make his father proud of him since he still remembered who his father was before the death of his beloved wife and Lucky’s loving mother. And if he could not screw up again, or at least not as much, maybe he could regain the father that he lost, return him to the once warm, loving man he once saw all his hopes and dreams on as a child.

“Are you okay, Lucky?”

Returning to reality, Lucky looked at Violet who had a concerned look her face. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking is all.”

“Thinking about your wolf friend?” Violet said with a smirk.

Lucky rolled his eyes at that statement. To be honest, he did not know what to think of Zev. The man arrested him, arrested him again and threatened him with his sword. But then he was there for Lucky as he cried after his father left, allowed Lucky to release everything onto his chest and he comforted Lucky through that. Then he disappeared again after Lucky woke up from a dream where he was with Zev, holding hands and enjoying the Sun as it set on the horizon.

As Lucky sighed to himself and was about to take a sip of his water when the doors flew open and a familiar figure came running inside. Lucky stood up from his seat when he recognized the figure was Zev, not wearing his police uniform, but a pair of faded, denim jeans and a beige, wool sweater, its sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was breathing heavily as he looked around the room, and when his eyes locked with Lucky’s, Zev came running towards him with a panicked expression on his face.

“Lucky! Fuck! There you are!” Zev said, stopping in front of him and resting his warm hands on either side of his face.

“Zev! What the hell are you doing here?”

“You’re in trouble, Lucky! I need to get you out here now!” Zev warned.

Lucky did not know what was happening, and Violet looked just as confused as she began gathering her hair into her arms. Then screams were heard not too far away, which prompted Zev to run back to the doors, close them and move a table against it to block whatever was coming towards them.

“Shit! What’s happening, Zev?” Lucky asked.

“No time! We need to get out of here now!” Zev announced, running to the windows and opening them. “Over here!”

Lucky walked quickly to the Zev’s location with Violet right behind him.

“This is the only way!” Zev said, looking at Lucky with wide eyes.

“You’re crazy! That’s more than fifty stories below!” Lucky tried to explain.

“Well, we can’t go back with them out there!”

“Who’s them?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Let me!” Violet said, pushing both men away before tumbling her hair through the window. “Climb down!”

“What about you?” Lucky said to Violet.

“Don’t worry about me! I can take care of myself. Now go!” Violet ordered.

“You heard the lady!” Zev said, stepping onto the window sill and grabbing a hold of Violet’s hair. “Come on!”

Lucky looked at Violet one more time before stepping onto the window sill and climbing down her hair with Zev right below him. As he climbed down, he heard banging noises from above and Violet’s voice shouting at them to hurry down. Zev gave him a nod before sliding down her hair. Lucky followed and they soon were at street level with many pedestrians looking at them with confusion creased on their faces.

Zev then motioned his hand to Lucky to follow him to his car parked only a few feet on the side of the street. Zev grabbed a parking ticket on his windshield that he crunched in his hand and tossed away as walked to the driver’s side of his car.

Lucky walked to the passenger’s side and was about to enter the car when he heard screams from the pedestrians who were all looking above in horror. Lucky followed their gazes to see a woman, Violet, falling towards the street at full speed. He watched helpless as she continued to fall to her inevitable demise. But a miracle happened, her hair got hooked by an arm of a statue that jutted from the building’s façade and like a makeshift pulley, lowered her to the street unharmed.

Running to her aid, Lucky pulled Violet back onto her feet as the rest of her hair came tumbling down next to her.

“Are you okay, Violet?” Lucky asked.

“No! Of course, I’m not!” Violet exclaimed, her hands propped onto her knees as she breathed heavily.

“Come on, you two! Get in the car before they come!” Zev shouted.

Lucky and Violet looked at each other and with a nod from Lucky, they both started gathering as much of her hair into their arms as possible before they got into the backside of Zev’s car. Closing the door, the car’s engine immediately howled to life and Zev slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. The car began speeding through the street as Zev masterfully dodged other cars with Lucky and Violet sliding from side to side on the backseat.

Zev made a hard turn to an adjacent street and his car soon followed the appropriate speed limit with the remainder of Violet’s hair trailing behind. Zev adjusted the rearview mirror and then turned his head to face Lucky and Violet who both looked frazzled from what just happened.

“Are you both okay?” Zev asked as he made a more gentle turn to another street.

“No! We’re not!” Lucky exclaimed. “What the hell was that?”

Gripping tightly on his steering wheel, Zev said, “Vampires.”

Taken aback from that one word, Zev leaned against the seat and looked at Violet who looked just as shocked as he was.

Vampires? Just my lucky day.