What's Going On?

**Natalie POV**

"Scared."

And here I was standing with a fruit knife, ready to kill their Mommy. How could I be so stupid? I was trained better than this. Granted, I never would have guessed I would do this. It went against the basic life I yearned for. And now, the girl who stands in so many ways was right beyond this possibly booby-trapped door.

*"A killer should have some morals. Never agree to assassinate a child or pet. Never kill in front of a kid. And never be the source of a child's trauma. It's the only way we keep a small light of humanity alive.*

It may sound funny, but even a cold-blooded hitwoman can have strict principles. I heard my Mom's handler once complain about all the work she turned down. The money didn't matter if the target wasn't a monster. It was why I respected and looked up to her so much. That and she never pressured me into becoming like her. She supported my dreams of being a baker or a housewife.

Mom. My heart warmed at her memory. She would be safer and freer with me in this dimension. Shiuku, or Diana, could not use me against her any longer.

Music sounded from the other side of the door. Not just any piece, but what resembled a kid's show beat. It had a silly tempo, and the kids hushed to hear. How was that possible?! There was no electricity in this whole castle! At least comparable to my dimension. This entire world was in the dark ages!

"What are assassins known for?" came the princess' strong voice. She spoke with confidence as always.

The child I assumed to be Shion responded boldly despite his fear, "hiding and dressing in different clothes?"

"Exactly… like a disguise." That was a plotting tone. I could almost hear the curling of her lips. I'm sure she would be smirking.

The song changed, and suddenly there was evil chuckling. Not sinister, but like an adult was forcing a devilish laugh in front of kids dressed up on Halloween. There was no malice or true intention behind it. The music was almost legato and sneaky. A few seconds after the laugh, I heard the princess' voice dip and become deep and low, almost masculine. Pairing with smooth and rich instruments.

"Hahahaha, I'm the master of disguuuuiiiiiisssse, I can vanish from your eyessssss!" She was chuckling while singing as deep as her voice could go.

Next, I heard two kids chiming in, also faking baritone, "I can be in different places! With my many funny faces in disguiiiiiise."

The smaller child was trying to keep up with the lyrics. His little singing could only be heard on certain words. It was cute and almost made me forget the reason I had come up here.

What the heck should I do? I wouldn't be able to sleep in peace if I went back on my word. I had to stick up for the knights, or they could be executed on the morrow.

"Let's sing the cake song next!" one of the high-pitched boys chirped.

Cake song? I knew I recognized that other song. She was listening to LazyTown songs! Robbie Rotten sang about how tricky he was. An image of him dressed as granny, complete with glasses and white hair, flew through my head.

Pay attention! This isn't some game!

"My little demon, tell me first how that song applies to an assassin." Aileen kept a calm tone.

Silence for several minutes. Curse my curiosity! I should be running or knocking.

"Assassins are masters of disguise?"

She chuckled lightly. "No matter his disguise, he is always human. Whether a dinosaur, an elf, or a prince. And who always wins?"

The younger one answered, "Good guys!"

I heard a cluck of a tongue from most likely Aileen. I pressed my ear closer to the door, anxious to listen to what the villain would say to that one.

"Sportacus wins not because he is right, but because he trains hard and exercises while Robbie is lazy. Sportacus uses his strength to protect the rights of the citizens. The strong protect the weak, as you two will when you become of age."

The hell? That was DSS' stance, not hers. At least she wasn't setting her children down her insane path. Then it occurred that Trevor is rumored to love his nephews more than anything else in his life. Of course, she would act like an angel towards them. It was the only way to hide her true face from him. Chances were, she tricked Devon the same way.

A child's laughter had me in pain. They had no idea of their Mom's true face.

"Are you gonna tell me about the scary man in my dreams? You promised!"

Man in his dreams? Could he be talking about his blood Father? I could have sworn this dimension was sealed off by another demon lord. There shouldn't have been a way for Demon Lord Shiuku to use his mind ability.

"Yes, when your Dad arrives. He has some things to take care of back home." Oh! This time there was a waver in between her words! Something could touch the Princess of Deception. The truth. "Let's get ready for the banquet. We do not want to keep your stubborn Grandfather waiting. Or those stuck-up nobles."

Assuming she was in a decent mood, I knocked on the door. After all, I did like Sir Ellice. He seemed dedicated and kind-natured. All I had to do was keep in mind I was here to aid her in cutting fruit. I'll be shocked when she has no fruit. A maid misinformed me. Jesus, my own lies sound fake in my own head.

Okay, just stick to the truth, maybe. *Sir Ellice sent me with his humblest of apologies. Oh, this knife? Yes, I was cutting fruit for the celebration. We are welcoming you and Sir Trevor's return.* Okay, I'm still freaking out, but at least I sound convincing now. Just knock. That's all I needed to do.

Curse my nerves and overthinking head! My knock imitated how worried I was.

Three taps on the door and all talking on the other side abruptly stopped. Even the music was turned off.

The door swung open. Princess Aileen stood with a hand in the pocket of her long elegant dress. The fine silk of her dress bunched in the shape of a fist. Her other hand was holding an apple. Juice slipped off the fruit and trickled down her knuckles. A distraction for whatever she was clutching under her dress pocket.

Her eyes narrowed at me, full of suspicion. Her gaze went from my face to my hand in a brief millisecond, still holding the fruit knife. Why didn't I just throw the damn thing! That would have made the most sense!

Wait, she had a fruit!

"What are you doing here? I granted no one permission." One of her children poked his head out. Tiny hands grabbed at her elbow, nudging her down to him. "Go back inside until I tell you it's alright."

The heartless Princess had a soft spot for her kids. Every monster has a piece of light in them, I suppose.

"For you, fruit." I held up my small dull knife.

She snarled, "liar. Why are you here?"

Perceptive. No lies. She'll see through it. I nodded, gulping down bitter saliva. "The table knights. They are sorry for failing to protect their Princess. They fear for their King's judgment when involving his daughter. They beg for their Princess' forgiveness and understanding." I said robotically.

Again she clucked her tongue. "That's the most I ever heard you talk. My brother would be jealous. I have to rub this in his smug face!" She quipped, showing me a million-dollar smile. It was just like the one from ten years ago. A delinquent carefree smile that deceived me as a naive teenager. "I shall discuss what happened after the banquet. No reason to involve my Father. He accepts zero failure. As if his men aren't human."

I caught myself genuinely smiling with the Princess.

"About time you dropped the mask." My face became blank once again as my veins iced over. "And it's back up. Don't worry, all of us wear one in public. But there's no reason to wear a mask in my wing."

That was true. Everyone assumed I was a timid girl and my Mom was harmless.

"Some people belittle others to hide insecurities, others bully or act perfect. I know someone who pretends to be a Godsend but is really just lonely, another with an ice barrier around his heart, one who used to follow all orders and act indifferent, and a girl who hid her trauma behind letters and arrogance. She trusts only those deemed her family. Then there's this sweet girl who hides her intelligence, thoughts, and opinions. She hides her real self despite how miserable it makes her. She too has trust issues."

It was hard to keep myself still. There was no doubting who the last girl she spoke of was.

"Come on, let's get to the banquet. You can sit where Lord Devon normally would as my guest."

Her face lit up, looking down at her children. "Shion, Kalum, it's time to go!"

I took an honest close look at her kids for the first time. The smaller child had blonde hair, chubby cheeks, and ocean blue eyes. He could have been a clone of Lord Devon. The older one was his polar opposite. Black hair framed a sharp face. His skin was tanner, and the boy's eyes were gray and soul-piercing. A perfect mix of Aileen and Demon Lord Shiuku.

Lord Devon was in denial, convincing himself and this world Shion was his.

We all left Princess Aileen's wing of the castle. Shion leaped down the stairs taking several at a time. Kalum pulled on his Mom's skirts, silently pleading to be held. Tension filled the small gap between the Princess and me. I was sure she could sense my uneasy aura. I did not want her to mistake it for malice, so I handed her the fruit knife.

"Where did the music come from?" I chose to start a conversation to distract from my hostility. Lord Devon was abused and mistreated worse than me and for much longer. He deserved better than a cheating wife. Dang it! Think of anything friendly.

A bit too late as Aileen's hand went back into her hidden pocket. "I snagged a few DVDs and a battery-powered player. One of my suitcases was filled with nothing but long-lasting batteries. A much more thought-out plan than Trevor's cellphone and charger."

This time I completely forgot about her horrendous deeds. "He didn't realize a medieval-like dimension wouldn't have outlets! I mean, I guess I can see that. He was probably super worried about coming here, ya know! Everything was so different, and he must have forgotten about the movies he watched about old castles and knights and dragons and princesses. Or maybe he assumed this place would be like Shrek with random technology that made no sense in the time period. That would be rather cool. Combining the technology from our time with the systems in place here! It would really be a challenge of convincing the church these improvements aren't witchcraft, ya know, and then we could-"

Crap again! I just started babbling! What was wrong with me all of a sudden? It has been years since I lost track of myself like that. Thanks to Diana, the girl I used to be was buried deep. Diana literally burned up that girl. So why was I acting a fool in front of Aileen again?

She brought a finger to her chin as if debating something serious. Did she remember the graveyard now? I'm sure the Princess hasn't met too many socially awkward people who don't know how to speak correctly.

Kalum poked her cheeks, unsure of his Mom's shift in demeanor. Ahead of us, Shion was hovering mid-air after missing a step. He gave a proud smirk seconds prior to him falling on his face. It's hard to control power while gloating, especially when you're a toddler who can't handle it entirely yet. I did have to give the tike this. He was a prodigy.

Aileen ignored her fuming child and spoke to me, "Trevor has his own mask. Not many can see through it. Everyone assumes he's a womanizing horn ball. But I've known him for most of my life. That's not him."

My ears perked up hearing Trevor's name. "Really?"

"Yeah, he acts all high and mighty, worse than some of the faces in Father's court. Unlike them, though, he is really sweet and caring. In front of others, he'll brag, unfortunately including me, about his most recent conquest in bed or how handsome his designer jacket looks on him. However, if you ever saw him alone in his room back in the other dimension, you'd seen a Disney movie on his T.V. He won't be watching for the songs, but for the happily ever after. He will never admit it publicly, but his goal in life is to have a family to welcome him home after a mission to protect the weak."

"Why tell me this?"

In front of us were two guards clad in blue. Their horns each had a raven engraved. They stood statue-still on either side of a giant metal door. Aileen pulled me back behind a corner.

"Several years ago, the day we rescued all of you, I think Trevor fell for a trick. Ever since then, he hasn't been the same. But he won't ask for help. Trevor doesn't have a tragic past like those he loves; Trevor thinks he has to always be happy. He thinks he has no right to complain about his life because he had a great childhood. It's absurd. His mask is so thick, no one sees the real him anymore."

Before continuing, she took a shaky breath, "my brother is a great guy. I don't know why you are afraid of him."

A pause before added, "I'm positive you've seen how Trevor can melt a girl with one look from those deep green eyes; imagine how irresistible he'll be to you when they really shine."

"Why tell me this?" I repeated my question. She had no idea Trevor was my true love. Earlier today, I figured out he wasn't my enemy, and I had been foolish to push him away in fear. The real enemy stood a foot from me, acting innocent, defending him like a sister.

Her lips thinned, and her shoulders slumped like a giant brick had landed on them. "I don't know what you are hiding, and I don't trust you." She paused to glimpse her children, kicking the dust off the ground. Realizing they were safe, she acknowledged my question at last. "But I'm not able to save him from himself like he did me. Give Trevor a chance. Please, bring my real brother back." In a hushed tone, she said again, "please."

A lone tear slipped down her cheeks. At that moment, the untouchable woman seemed fragile and desperate. The way she spoke of Trevor was full of love. Her pain seemed genuine.

No threats, no punishments, no orders; the Princess pleaded with me.

The monster princess then bowed deeply to me. Princess Aileen, who's hurt so many, was setting her pride aside to request my help and was crying for Trevor? What was going on?