01/26/13

3 minutes to midnight, but technically still the 26th, meaning three chapters in one day! During school-time! lol Yes, I'm procrastinating on my homework.

Hope you guys enjoy! 1 more chapter left (not including the epilogue) :O

            Victoria and Nichkhun arrive at the Palace, safely invisible. They came out of the underground cave, of which the exit was conveniently a cellar inside the Palace. Overhearing a guard say that the captives were all held in the theatre room, Victoria and Nichkhun headed over there.

            Getting out of the cellar and going past doors were problematic, since they had to make sure no one was looking before they passed through. Otherwise, Victoria and Nichkhun easily evaded the guards’ attentive eyes.

            Thankfully, when they arrived at the theatre room, two guards were opening the door for the leader. Victoria and Nichkhun rushed into the room before the leader walked in leisurely.

            Victoria heaved a sigh of relief. Good, we’re inside. Now we can talk to the advisors.

            Looking around, she spotted where the advisors were sitting. She was about to walk there when she realized Nichkhun wasn’t moving. Turning around, she realized the leader of the ambusher was surveying the area with an amused expression. He was about to make an announcement.

            “Ladies and gentlemen,” the leader spoke dramatically. It was only now that Victoria realized the leader had changed clothing. He was wearing a yellow and black silk robe. Most likely, the robe was made for the king. “I have a grand announcement. I hope you all listen carefully.”

            There was charged silence in the room. No one dared to speak with the ambusher guards pointing guns at them.

            “As a descendent of the previous king, I, Prince Sarelli, will finally claim my righteous place on the throne!” the leader exclaimed.

            He let out a laugh that shook Victoria to the core. How can a man like this ever become a ruler? He reeks of greed and lies!

            “In a matter of minutes, the king will be executed in the grand hall, and then I will become king,” Sarelli sneered. “I would invite you all to come, but I’m afraid you all will be too… attached to him.

            “If anyone dares to try and save the king, he will be shot and tortured. I cannot guarantee a quick death. There are hundreds of guards armed with guns outside, waiting for any rebels who sneak out of this room.”

            With a grand sweep of his robe, Sarelli turned around and walked out of the room, letting the guards close the doors behind him.

            “Promise me you won’t act like him when you’re king,” Victoria half-joked to Nichkhun.

            “Never,” he replied, his voice filled with anger. “Taking advantage of his status and enjoying the pain of others. I’d never be that sick.”

            Victoria felt Nichkhun walking toward the advisors, and she followed suit. She waited for Nichkhun to lean over to Advisor Rasfin and whisper in his ear. Seeing Rasfin smile, Victoria knew Nichkhun had done the deed.

            “I knew you two would come,” Advisor Rasfin whispered. He was staring off into the distance, trying not to attract any attention.

            “Of course we’ll come,” Nichkhun stated. “What can we do about this? I can’t lose my brother in this situation.”

            “Then we must act in haste, because he will be killed very soon,” Rasfin replied. “The advisors and I have been creating a few spells, ranging from explosives and sleep spells to shields and healing spells. If we do use the explosives, we have to cast the anti-explosion shields on the entire army. Thankfully, Advisor Dezi has created strong shields, so they last for a whole day.”

            “Perfect,” Victoria nodded. “How long will it take to gather up the army and cast the shields on them?”

            “The shields have to be cast one by one, and well, the army is right here,” Rasfin discretely motioned to the people in the room. “The servants are the only people we have right now. But it will do. Hopefully the explosives will do much of the work. The men will be in the front line. There is a stack of spears behind a statue in the grand hall. The spears will be the weapons we use.”

            “Will the spears go against the guns that they have?” Nichkhun asked.

          “The ambushers will have to resort to other types of weapons, since our shields also block bullets,” Rasfin replied.

            “Wow, those are great shields,” Victoria said, astounded. Usually in a battle, if one of the parties had guns, that party would automatically win the battle.

            “You can’t expect anything less from the greatest magicians of the land.”

            Victoria smiled.

            Rasfin continued. “The main concern will be how to stall the murder of Taecyeon while we prepare the troops.”

            “That’s where our plan comes in,” Nichkhun replied.

            :::

            After explaining their plan to Rasfin and making last minute preparations for the battle ahead, Nichkhun and Victoria tell Rasfin to cause a distraction for them. Rasfin nods and calls for one of the servants to come over. He relays the message from the king and queen, and the servant nods before going back to her place among the rest of the workers. A few seconds later, a blood-curdling scream comes from her direction.

            Time to go, Victoria thought. She and Nichkhun ran toward the door as a dozen guards rushed into the room with their guns pointing in different directions. Taking advantage of the confusion, Victoria and Nichkhun sneak out of the room.

            Victoria smiled when she overheard Advisor Rasfin reassuring the guards, saying that the ladies were just overacting over a group of spiders. He also mentioned something about cleaning up the room.

            Arriving at the grand hall, the king and queen hid behind a large statue. They could hear Sarelli talking to Taecyeon. Victoria was about to sigh of relief when she heard Taecyeon scream in pain. No, Taecyeon!

            Victoria and Nichkhun finally let go of each other’s hands, and Victoria could see Nichkhun’s pained expression. Going over and hugging him, Victoria whispered, “Remember, stay here and don’t move. Only come out when the time is right.”

            “I know,” Nichkhun stated simply. He was preoccupied with enduring the anguished cries from his brother.

            Peering out of the hiding place, Victoria surveyed the area. Taecyeon had electric instruments attached to his arms and head, and the leader was standing close to Taecyeon, taunting the supposed king. There were around six guards, all of them pointing their guns at Taecyeon, and the leader had a knife close to Taecyeon’s neck.

            “Where is this queen of yours, huh?” Sarelli pressed his knife closer to Taecyeon’s neck. He smirked. “She probably ran away with your brother, didn’t she? Such a coward. It seems like the new king and queen are not as amazing as they are prophesized to be.”

            “The queen is right here!” Victoria projected her voice, and she was rewarded with the effect she wanted. All the guards pointed their guns at her, and Sarelli lowered the knife away from Taecyeon’s neck.

            Slowly walking closer, she announced, “It will only be cowardly of me if I did not reappear after running away.”

            The leader composed himself and gave her a smirk. “I was only taunting him. We all know the queen’s role is not important without the king. Your appearance here does not help his situation whatsoever.”

            “I beg to differ,” Victoria said quickly as she saw Sarelli raise his arm.

            The leader pauses. “And may I ask why?”

            “I am carrying the king’s child.”

            The guards started to murmur, and Sarelli let out his evil laugh. “Absurd! The whole country knows that you have been more intimate with the king’s brother than the king himself!”

            “Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter,” Victoria states calmly. “What matters is the truth, and the truth is I am carrying the king’s child. You may kill the king, but the next in line to the throne will be the child in my womb. Your reign will not be ruled in peace. The whole country will know who the correct ruler is.”

            “Is that so?” the leader masked his fear with sarcasm. “I had heard from rumors that this incarnation’s queen is quite rational and radical, not to mention unfaithful. Turns out that they are wrong about your unfaithfulness. But maybe I can appeal to your rational side.

            “I am the previous king’s descendent. The terms you operate by seem to suggest that the king’s descendent is next in line to the throne. Then, in your terms, I should be the king. Your child, whether he exists or not, has no say in this matter. While your child is a descendent of your future husband, your child is not a descendent of the previous king.”

            “The terms that I operate by are the terms of this country. Whatever terms the people of the country believe in, I abide by those terms,” Victoria stated. “However, if it was up to me, I would not even have a rule by lineage. The next in line to the throne should be chosen by merits and not by blood.”

            “Well, I guess some of those rumors are true after all. You do have radical opinions,” the leader smirks again, and Victoria felt goose bumps form on her arms. “But that does not matter. Even with the people of the country opposing me, I have the power to take the throne back, and I will do anything to get it back. I will even kill a woman.”

            Blood drained out of Victoria’s face as two guards took her arms and dragged her over to where Taecyeon was. She looked at Taecyeon and realized he was barely staying awake.

            “Killing two monarchs at once,” Sarelli laughed. “Even better than expected.”

            “But you’re not,” came Nichkhun’s voice.

            “What?!” Sarelli spun around and saw the king’s face. Turning back and forth, comparing Nichkhun’s and Taecyeon’s faces, the leader looked up at the sky. “Not another distraction!”

            “You’re not killing two monarchs at once,” Nichkhun continued. “You are killing the queen and the king’s doppelganger.”

            Sarelli looked at Nichkhun incredulously. “And I suppose you are the actual king?”

            “Correct,” Nichkhun held his ground. “Killing those two would not have changed your fate and your position as a commoner.”

            “Then why are you showing yourself to me?!” Sarelli cried.

            “Because I am not a coward,” Nichkhun replied. “I will face my enemy without fear.”

            “Says the man who had the queen approach us first,” the leader laughed.

            “There’s a fine line between courage and wit.”

            For the next few seconds, Nichkhun and Sarelli stared each other down. Finally, Sarelli threw up his arms. “It doesn’t matter! I’ll kill all of you!”

            “Master,” a guard spoke out. “Remember the spell that’s cast on you.”

            “Damn it all!” the leader placed his hand on his head in anger. “Damn the sage who cast that spell on my family!”

            Spell? What spell? Victoria looked over at Taecyeon, but he was too exhausted to explain.

            “Who is the real king?!” Sarelli demanded, his arm flailing around, eyes wild.

            “I am,” Nichkhun stated calmly.

            “You are not wearing the king’s necklace.”

            “That is merely a piece of decoration.”

            Sarelli looked around and saw Victoria. “The queen! Bring her over here!”

            Victoria felt the guards beside her push her toward the leader. She exchanged glances with Nichkhun.

            “It seems like the queen is closer to you, my boy,” Sarelli placed his knife on Nichkhun’s neck. Victoria tensed. “How do you explain that?”

            “How do you explain the fact that my brother hasn’t spoken a word to you and I have?” Nichkhun countered.

            The leader’s voice turned into a growl. “Why are you turning yourself in if you are the king?”

            “I am trying to save my brother’s life.”

            “Oh, brotherly love. Disgusting.”

            “I suppose you’ve never felt any.”

            Sarelli brushed him off. “It doesn’t matter. Family is useless. They’ll drag you down.”

            “Only because you haven’t realized what they’ve done for you,” Victoria defended.

            Directing his attention to Victoria, he sauntered over to her. “Tell me, my queen. Who is the real king?”

            She cringed from the fake sweetness in his voice. Still, she smirked and pointed at Nichkhun. “I can only say he is the father of my child.”

            Sarelli looked between the two of them, unsure. Suddenly, he lunges at Nichkhun, stabbing him in the stomach.

            Nichkhun screamed in pain, and Victoria pulled out her own knife that was hidden in her shirt, grabbed Sarelli from the back, and held the knife at his neck.  Everyone froze.

            Leaning over to the now powerless leader’s ear, Victoria hissed at him. “Listen closely.”

            At first, there was silence. Then, distant explosions were heard. She saw Sarelli’s eyes widen.

            “Besides stabbing the king, I do not personally have anything against you,” her voice was frighteningly cold. “So this is the time where I am offering you a chance to surrender.”

            The leader gritted his teeth. “Never!”

            “Then I have no choice,” Victoria smiles bitterly. “Fire!”