We finally arrived at the throne room, and I was greeted by the King's familiar face once again and many unfamiliar ones
One guy in particular caught my attention.
He was basically a younger clone of Richard. Same sharp features, same brooding expression, same 'I-could-kill-you-with-a-glare' energy.
Ah, so that's what Richard looked like before age (and stress, probably) caught up to him.
Meanwhile, the King, who I had never seen smile before, was grinning at me like he won a bet.
"Welcome," he greeted from his throne.
I forced a polite bow. If I wanted my plan to work, I needed to be on my best behavior
He patted the seat beside him. "Come, child."
My eyes widened
"Uh…"
"Come," he repeated.
Reluctantly, I obeyed, sitting beside him as he patted my head like I was a pet dog.
"So," he said, his voice oddly soft. "Tell me, how have you coped all these years?"
I blinked, was he… trying to make conversation?
"I don't know you," I said bluntly.
He sighed. "I just want to understand you before you leave."
I frowned. "Leave? Where am I going?"
"Today, you will journey to the mountains with Liam," he said. "I won't tell you why, but you'll understand once you get there."
The room erupted in protests
"Your Majesty, she will be killed!" someone gasped.
I frowned. "Killed? With all due respect your majesty, I am too young to get killed" he chuckled, the sound rich and beautiful
"Sassy just like your mother" he said
"Do you know my mom" i asked, all this talk about my mom was making me uncomfortable, he sighed studying me for a while, then suddenly he stood up
"Follow me," he said.
Confused, I followed him through another set of doors.
Inside was a sacred-looking room, dimly lit, with a single scroll encased in glass at its center.
"This," the King said, "is where a prophecy was written thousands of years ago."
I stepped closer, heart pounding.
"Prophecy, what prophecy?" I whispered.
"Read it," he urged.
I hesitated, then did.
"When the world is on the edge of night,
And shadows hunger for the dark"
A girl of stars with fire in her soul
Shall rise to make the broken whole.
Through pain, through loss, her path is drawn,
To end the dark before the dawn."
Chills ran down my spine.
"Mom told me this story as a child" I said, he smiled
I didn't believe in prophecies, but something deep inside me twisted.
"Why is it torn?" I asked, noticing the jagged edges.
"A thousand years ago, someone tore the rest of it," the King said, his face darkening.
"What did it say?"
"No one remembers," he admitted, and for some reason, that terrified me more than anything else.
"So… no one knows how it ends?"
He shook his head. "But it must be something good." He said with smile
I wasn't so sure.
"What does this have to do with me" i asked "Go to the mountains, Luna, everything would be revealed to you there" he said.
"But..."
"Your freedom and your friend's freedom in exchange." He said, I sighed, I couldn't risk Rina's life
"I am in" I caved in, Sabrina need to be free, I can't loose her to
A man in a brown robe stepped forward, I yelped in shock, did he just... Materialize from the shadows?
"Follow me."
I hurriedly followed the man in the brown robe out of the creepy room while the king went back to his throne room.
"I forgot something" I told the man in robe, I wanted to say goodbye to Sabrina and make sure she was comfortable, he nodded and we headed back to the throne room probably to ask for permission
Once i entered everyone was eerily quiet
"I want to say goodbye to Sabrina, and i want her to be comfortable" i yold the King, he nodded, motioning for the man in robe to escort me to Sabrina. Just as I stepped out, hushed voices caught my attention.
"You're going to get her killed, Your Highness she's your grandchild."