Twenty-four: Otreg

I heard the castle doors open and knew Zargis was back. Disappointed, I went to greet him, knowing Thelia wasn't going to be there. He had given up on himself the night he hurt her, and then took her back to be a slave. It was all I could do not to intervene. He loved her, whether he admitted it to himself or not. I knew it. So did Thiebaut and Cam. Thelia…well, if she'd given him a chance, she would have known.

There was, however, no way I would have guessed that when Zargis left Thelia, he'd bring back Unda. My shock was evident when he greeted me with a smile and said he was going to bed. I was stunned. I was horrified. I couldn't believe he would fall for her so easily! Normally I knew he didn't truly fall, but this time I knew he had to be crazy!

I stormed up to Thelia's room and stared at where we played cards, where we sat on the couch and talked, where she stood and yelled at Zargis. I remembered when I threw her into the fountain after the Winter Solstice and how she screamed that she'd kill me for it. She was always pissed off, but when I told her about our history, she became curious and intense.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a soft knock. I turned and saw a maid there. "Yes?"

"The chef would like to speak with you. She says it's urgent."

I nod and begin towards the kitchen. I didn't really notice my surroundings and absently greeted people on my way past. When I got to the kitchen, I went directly to the chef. "What is it?" I ask.

The chef, a big woman with a stern look about her, pointed to a door. "The servants need help with the carriage the King rode in."

"What kind of help?"

"Beats me!" she barked and went back to chopping something up.

I strode out of the kitchen and into the stables where shipments to the castle were taken and could easily be carried into the pantries. As soon as I looked at the servants, they pointed to the carriage. I sighed and opened the carriage, not understanding why I was being led from one place to another.

As soon as my eyes fell on the girl sitting within, I smiled. "Thelia, what are you doing?"

She smiled back. "Otreg, I need your help."

I helped her out of the carriage, and to my surprise, she hugged me. I pull back and stare at her. "What happened to you? What was that about?"

She shrugged then I heard someone else come out from the kitchen. Thelia grinned. "Cam!"

"You're back!" the girl cried and the two hugged.

When they pulled away, I gave Thelia a questioning look. She sighed. "First, I need to get to the attic."

"The attic?" I say, confused. I didn't think the castle had an attic.

Cam smiled. "We'll show you." She looked at Thelia. "I thought you were staying with Citron?"

"I'll explain later. I need to get upstairs without being seen."

Cam thought for a moment, but I already had an idea. "Follow me, and be careful!"

I led the two girls back inside and through the kitchen, then, making sure no one was about, opened a portion of the wall to reveal a secret passage. Ushering them in, I closed the wall and led them up floors upon floors until we couldn't go up any further. Once we came out of the walls, Cam took the lead and we ended up at a door I had seen but never really noticed.

We got inside and Thelia sat in a chair near the only window. I looked around and wondered what stuff could be here. Then, saw Cam hugging Thelia and got closer. "What happened?" I asked.

Thelia sniffed and brought out a piece of paper from a book that was on the floor. I took it and read about some kind of love potion. I blinked and had to read it again. "Why is this your problem?"

"Zargis let me look in Unda's room the day after I got better from being sick," Thelia said. "I found some of her lipstick in a hidden compartment of a jewelry box on a table and wondered why someone would hide something so useless. So I asked Cam and she told me some people make things to have multiple uses."

"And her lipstick had another use?" I ask.

She nods solemnly. "She somehow has a potion inside the lipstick that makes whoever she kisses love her. Their memory kind of is lost only to her. They see and hear nothing else. When either the potion is worn off or the said person snaps out of their trance to some kind of trigger, they are lost, doesn't know what has happened since before the kiss."

I nod. "But why would Unda use these means to seduce him?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Thelia commented. "I thought at first that she lacked the confidence in herself to catch someone's eye, but she's beautiful. I'm sure she catches the eyes of many men. Then I thought that Zargis was the only guy she was interested in." She laughed harshly. "That thought was soon forgotten when we landed in Sellan."

At first, I didn't understand and Thelia gave me a knowing look. Then, I understood. "You're joking!"

"Nope!" She shook her head in wonder, then continued. "So, I've come to the conclusion that she wants the crown. It seems reasonable since she lives in the richest kingdom I know and could have it all if Zargis married her. Who wouldn't want that kind of money?"

"Not me," I said. "I mean, I like being rich, but I would hate to have all that to be responsible for."

Thelia nodded. Cam asked, "So, how did you get back without them knowing?"

"The hidden compartment under the bench," Thelia said with a wide grin. "The only piece of luggage we had was mine so I was able to fit."

We sat there, Cam and I in awe of Thelia's achievements, and Thelia lost in her thoughts. After some time, I had a thought. "What does this mean then?" Thelia gives me a questioning look. "Are you going to help Zargis then go back to Citron?"

She smiled and shook her head. "That's something else I kept from all of you. You see, after looking in Unda's room and questioning Cam, I did research. It's why I didn't go the Solstice with you, Otreg. But late in the night, I found answers and wanted to confirm them." Her smile widened. "You gave me the opportunity I needed to make Zargis believe I wanted to leave."

"But it didn't work," I say.

"No. I was really mad at him about it too and was trying to find a new plan. For months, I was out of ideas. Then, the unexpected thing happened." She frowned now, looking guilty and regretful. "Zargis found me with Switch and it was the scariest I had ever seen him. I hadn't meant for anything to happen with Switch, but when he hit me that night, I knew he was guilty. I played on that guilt and asked to go home."

"You are clever, but seriously?" I say, still unable to believe what I've heard. "Couldn't you have warned someone about this? Like me?"

"I didn't think I could trust anyone," she whispered. "Until I knew for certain that both of you were telling the truth, I kept all of it to myself. I kept it from Cam because I knew you guys questioned her about me."

Cam shrugged, unaffected. I sighed, taking in everything. Then I ask, "So, how do we save our king from making the biggest mistake of his life?"