SQUARE ONE
Michael stared at Juli and wondered if she had been drugged. Juli knew he wasn't from around here since she recognized him as Mary's brother, so why on earth was she pressing him about Zarah instead of questioning Zarah herself?
He decided to test his suspicion. "Juli, did you drink anything recently? Because I'm thirsty."
Juli laughed. "Oh yeah, I did have some tea before you came back. Zarah gave me some."
Michael nodded, while Zarah shivered inside, knowing her secret had been uncovered so quickly. Michael started laughing, initiating his fake backstory.
"Well, I was born in China, then got slapped to Britannia, and now I've spawned in the royal palace. Hope my story was convincing. A lot of people tell me I'm lying, but really, I'm just a victim of a slap."
Zarah frowned while Juli laughed. "Don't worry, Michael. I believe you, and I will stop all those slappers before they get to you."
"I have something to attend to, Juli. I'll be back." The moment Zarah shut the massive double door, Michael ran to Juli, pulled out some seeds from his pocket, and threw them into her mouth. As she chewed on them, her eyes, once full of joy, reverted to their cold, numb, and painful nature. She looked at Michael, who was holding her like a fallen princess.
"Ben, why are you holding me?"
Michael looked at her intently. "Well, you got drugged by Zarah. She gave you true tea, a concoction with herbs that force one to speak the truth in a very childish manner while obeying the one whose blood was in the tea. Luckily, I had the antidote. You should be alright now. Just don't be so gullible as to take tea from a stranger, even one brought in by Elara."
"But you were brought in by Elara," Juli pointed out.
Michael felt a surge of frustration but couldn't bring himself to show it. He loved her too much to harm her, even if he'd never admit it. Juli chuckled, knowing Michael couldn't hurt her. As the two were getting close again, an interruption came, and it was none other than Zarah.
"The Queen has something to tell you, Juli. Benjamin, stay."
The look Juli and Michael shared was one of pure despair; they knew it was all over if they weren't together. Even in the face of Elara, who could toy with both of them at once, Juli had no choice but to follow Zarah down the hallway. She wished the hallway would extend to infinity, for she couldn't fathom what Elara wanted. Lost in thought, she didn't even realize she had arrived at her destination. She stared at the big door to Elara's throne room.
Zarah patted her on the shoulder. "Go in, friend."
Juli did not understand why Zarah called her that, but she went in. What she saw made her eyes darken, her head fall, and her mind crash. Elara and her guards were engaged in debauchery, a seven men versus one woman situation. When she looked at Zarah, who jumped onto Elara's bed to join in, Juli broke down further. The guard behind her nudged her with a smile full of lust, but for some reason, Juli didn't want to give up as usual. She felt like her body was for someone, and one person only. It may seem delusional, but her delusion was what she was banking on.
When the guard noticed that Juli wasn't doing anything, he shouted, "Have you forgotten your work, slut?"
Juli nodded as she bent to her knees, pulling down the man's underwear. He smiled, but the next thing heard was a blade slash as Juli brought out a knife from her maid attire and slashed the man's groin off, causing him to wail in pain. Elara looked at the sight in horror. What gave the girl she had shattered to bits the motivation to fight? It reminded Elara of Mary, which made her angry. She stood up in her naked form.
"Call all the guards you can and kill her!"
Juli quickly ran out of the room only to find Michael in front of the door. "Juli, run!" Michael and Juli ran through the hallway, the dazzling chandeliers a blur as they raced for their lives. Michael stopped suddenly, dragging Juli into a side closet, holding her close to his chest. There was no space to even move their hands in the closet. The guards were running past, but Juli had to let out a big breath. Unable to cover her mouth, Michael pressed his lips against hers until the guards went past. Juli's eyes widened in shock, but she felt warm and fuzzy inside—a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. Even Michael felt the same but had no time to show it. He quickly dragged Juli, and they ran straight. As they saw the end of the hallway, their hearts skipped beats, and with guards rushing behind them, they had no choice but to run through the dungeon door and lock it.
There were seven metal doors, and Michael bolted them all, locking themselves within the dungeon. As he bolted the last one, he collapsed on the floor in exhaustion, as did Juli. Despite the danger, they smiled at each other, finding solace in their togetherness.
They both stood back up. "Okay, we need to think of a plan. Those guards know we are here and will do anything to get us out or kill us. Let me see if there are any weapons," Michael said.
He walked around the dungeon, only to smell blood. He called Juli close in case of danger, ready to shield her. As they reached the last cell, they found a head on the floor, the body wearing Scotland's royal attire. Michael knelt down, picked up the head, and looked at it.
"Uncle…"