19

The uncomfortable silence prevailed and I  only imagined creepy sounds in my head and that wasn't all. I had never been to that part of the palace. I never knew it existed until then.

The horror I felt when I looked down the stairs, the long way downward gave me immediate goosebumps, and the pictures of dead rulers that stared at us felt too real to be considered just a normal painting on the wall. 

The smell of dust filled the air and cobwebs were spread across every corner by hardworking spiders which proved how long that place had been kept a secret to not just me but a lot of people in the palace.

When we got lower, I was tempted to ask questions, and my inquisitive self struggled to hold back, we picked two other torches along the way, and it got brighter but that didn't make me less terrified.

We got to the end of the stairs and my feet were tired, I believed my feet were going to be sore if we went up those stairs. The floor was quite empty unlike I expected, a few chairs and old artifacts were piled up in the corner, and aside from that nothing else but the dirt was on the floor.

I saw footprints scattered around and I wondered what happened there. Adriel reminded us to be quiet when we walked towards a door made of wood with the same thickness as a full-sized brick.

My body shook once again. I saw him pass information across to Allesio in signs that only both men understood, when they were done conversing under my noses without my understanding, they reached for the doorknob.

"My-" I was about to greet the king out of respect like we always did but Allesio placed his hand over my lips and dragged me into the chamber and closed the door behind him.

I panicked because I didn't know why he did that. I struggled to free myself because his grip on me was as hard as it was going to be if something bad were to happen.

"Again, I can't believe you brought her on this trip," Adriel spoke to Allesio and glared at me in disgust.

I stared at them and wondered what I did wrong, but no one spoke. The Queen sat by the corner and sobbed quietly and her handmaid consoled her like I would have done to Princess Agatha. Her eyes were red and swollen and her pale expression caused my heart to be grieved, and I wondered how she was going to take the news of the Princess's disappearance.

"So your majesty, what's the information?" Adriel questioned the King. He held a piece of paper with writing on it and he had no facial expression of good news.

"Listen to me, I shall not divide my kingdom for the sake of a promise made by my father a long time ago," the king uttered and everyone was perplexed except for Adriel.

"But your majesty, the princess is in their hands now, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her if you do not succumb to their request, I have pleaded with you my lord, and I am begging once again, let me go fight them and bring the princess back alive, I swear to you that not a hair on her skin would be touched," Adriel's speech increased my curiosity.

"I shall not take such risks-

" But my lord," the Queen Interjected with her voice filled with agony.

"There is no other way, share the kingdoms and let them have the other half across the Nyle river, or let Adriel fight for our daughter's safety," she begged.

The king suddenly turned to me and Allesio in a fit of rage and said,

"I would have made sure that both are hanged on poles and stoned to death if anything happened to the Princess."

His words caused me to shiver a bit, what could we have done wrong? Besides it wasn't our fault the princess was taken over the night, even how she was taken was still a surprise.

"We apologize sincerely to your majesty, please punish us for our carelessness," Allesio bowed before the King with his knees on the floor while I followed suit and kept my face on the ground. 

"As I said, it was beyond your powers to do anything anyways so I forgive you, next time I may have to instruct you to take some stay-awake potion," he mentioned and I had more questions to ask rather than answers to the ones that were already there.

"As for the princess," he added, "I have given you permission to go Adriel, Allesio you must go with him as well."

" Thank you, my king," both men replied in unison and turned to leave.

Adriel suddenly turned to the king and asked.

"May I go with the Princess's handmaid as well?"

My jaws dropped, "what could he want with me? I have gone through a lot for the day what else does he need me for in this suicidal journey?" I asked myself.

"Take whoever or whatever you need, just bring my daughter back to me in one piece," the king approved his request and my heart skipped a beat. I was nobody to argue with the king but my heart didn't contain the fact that I was going to find myself in a bloody battle. 

"Would you move like a living soul Sage!" he yelled at me.

"Every second counts so I can't afford to deal with your sluggishness," he added and I stared at him disdainfully.

I couldn't react in any way that was disobedient to his command because the king was present so I hastened my footsteps and followed submissively without uttering a word.

We left the king behind and closed the door afterward. Which meant I had to go up that long staircase and I believed climbing up the stairs was going to be ten times more difficult than going down, and with my feet so exhausted, I tried to imagine how I was going to make it through the rest of the day.

"What exactly happened to the Princess? And what was the king talking about?" Allesio took the questions right out of my mouth, and I hoped that Adriel had an answer to quench my inquisitiveness