Things I Almost Remember: A Selection Story

Undercover

Quick side note: UMMM Netflix is making a movie of The Selection?? I am there! I am a few weeks late on this, but I am so excited. I read the scripts of both the originally attempted television adaptations, and they both were horrendous (One opened with Maxon hooking up with Lucy and had Celeste as an assassin??), but anyway I digress, enjoy this chapter and a long-awaited return! :) 

Johnny laid with his back up against the wall of his small, dark cell. Every part of his body ached, and he was covered in bruises and scratches. He could barely see out of his right eye it had become so swollen. After he and Connor had been summoned to watch Kate's announcement, the guards had taken Johnny away separately and beat him while King Marid watched. After, the king had taken a picture as he laughed at Johnny's pain.

"I need something to send your beloved little princess," Marid had said as he laughed maliciously. "We are going to show her what we are capable of now and warn her we are capable of so much more if she refuses to comply to stop this little game of hers."

"She is the rightful queen!" Johnny had croaked with the little voice he had left. "You're a murderer who took this country by force, and the people are suffering because of it. Kat-Princess Kerttu will restore fairness and peace to Illéa when she defeats you. I don't care what happens to me, but she will stop you!"

King Marid had laughed and kicked Johnny in the stomach. 

"You are a sad little boy, and I could order your death right now if I wanted," the king said. "But you're still somewhat useful so, luckily for you, I will keep alive for just a bit longer."

With that, the king had left, and Johnny was dragged back to the dungeon, but this time, he was put in solitary confinement in the smallest cell. He had not been brought anything to treat his wounds, and all he was able to do was sit there and hope the pain would stop.

"I deserve this," Johnny thought. "I lied to the one person I love more than anything, who I have loved for as long as I can remember. If I ever see her again, I hope she will at least be able to forgive me, even though I know she will never want to be with me."

Johnny felt himself beginning to doze off when he heard whispers and footsteps coming from around the corner.

"There he is, quickly before they wake," a female voice whispered.

As the steps grew closer, Johnny could make out three dark figured in the glow of the torch lighting the cellar. The figure in the middle stepped even closer, and Johnny recognized him immediately.

"Connor?" he asked, his voice rough. "How is this possible? Who are they?"

"Johnny, what have they done to you?" Connor asked as he knelt in front of his brother. He turned back to speak to the two people he was with. "He's been beaten badly."

"Quick Jansen, the keys! We don't have much time." the woman said as she knelt down beside Connor. Now that Johnny could see her, he saw she had light blonde hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail and was wearing a canvas army green jacket and dark jeans.

The other man, Jansen, came over and began to fumble with a set of keys he pulled out of his pocket to unlock the door.

"Hi Johnny," the woman said. "We don't have a lot of time, and I am sure you don't remember me, but my name is Lucy. This is Jansen. We are here to get you to safety and to help Princess Kerttu."

"Lucy? Are you the one who left..." Johnny's voice cut off as Lucy's face turned into a pained expression.

"The one who left Kerttu in the woods alone when she was eight? I am afraid I am. However, I will explain that later. Right now, we need to get you out." 

Right at that moment, Jansen inserted a key into the lock and swung the door open. Lucy and Connor ran inside the cell and helped Johnny to his feet and guided him out of the cell.

"I'll lead, Lucy," said Jansen as he crept forward, checking to see if the coast was clear. He motioned for the others to follow and they ran ahead.

"You have been alive this whole time?" Johnny huffed as Lucy and Connor helped him hobble down the dank corridor.

"Yes, I have been working in the palace for about seven years now, working undercover as a maid and going by an assumed name. I was on the run for a few years before I came in contact with Jansen here, he sought me out. He is one of King Marid's most trusted advisors, and he runs a network of underground resistance to the king's rule. Because I was so close to the royal family, he approached me to come help and be a spy at the palace. The hard part is until recently, I did not know who else was a member. Only Jansen knows who all the associates are. As it turns out, my husband and I have been working for the same resistance for years."

"My full name is Jansen Reed, or Lieutenant Reed as I am known at the palace. I was a close secret associate of King Maxon and later on Queen Eadlyn. I have dedicated my whole life to protecting the royal family of Illéa, and we have been quietly waiting for years, and I think the hour has finally come. Thanks to Lucy, we have known that Princess Kerttu was alive after the massacre for years, but no one knew where she was. We searched for her for years, but it was not until the palace received word that a young woman who greatly resembled Kerttu was spotted with the sons of a former palace guard that we had something solid to go off of. We watched at a distance for some time before Aspen came to help you in order to avoid suspicion, but our underground learned that the princess had amnesia which changed our initial suspicion she had sought you at or had been hiding with you for a long period of time."

"Johnny was the one who recognized her," Connor said. "I thought at first she was just some girl who looked a lot like Kerttu and that Johnny was trying to relive his childhood crush."

"Thanks for that," Johnny muttered as they moved further down the passage.

"Johnny, we are going to need your help," Jansen said as they turned down another passage, moving slowly due to Johnny's injuries. "From what we have observed and what Connor has said, it seems the princess has become very...guarded. We need to get her to work with us so that our forces can mobilize to crush Marid and his rule. However, we need to get someone she trusts to speak to her and get the message across there is support in Illéa."

"She won't trust me," Johnny replied as they reached a dead end. "I broke her trust."

"Dude, you are so stupid sometimes!" Connor said. "Both you and Kate are. It is so obvious to everyone else how much she loves you and how much you love her, but you are obsessed with being worthy of her due to her being a princess or your childhood best friend or whatever other reason, and she is closed off from letting anyone in. You both just need to make up, make out, and save Illéa."

Lucy laughed as Jansen felt around the wall and then pushed in a brick that revealed a swinging door.

"Connor, you didn't strike me as the insightful type, but I have to say, I am impressed," Jansen said, his face not betraying any laugh or emotion. "If we follow further down out of this tunnel, it will lead us to the forest beyond and to safety, but we must move quickly."

The four of them went down the passageway and into the awaiting darkness.

"If Johnny and Kate get married, will I have to bow to him?" Connor asked as they went along.