And it all Went Wrong

P A R T | 6

JACIN HAD BEEN BORED, bored beyond this world. His back had ached and he had felt a stinging sensation on his wrists, probably from the chains of the week before. The pain hadn't been all that bad. But the boredom and loneliness had been.

He had spent his time just walking around his cell, wasting time until Winter came for her daily visits. It didn't really help, though, for the amount of time passing still felt like eons.

Every moment without Winter felt like eons passed by, in fact.

He hadn't eaten in days, and he felt awful as he waited impatiently for Selene to break the lock on his door and slide it open. She wasn't getting anywhere and Jacin scoffed. "Not that good of a mechanic after all, are you, Your Highness?"

"I'm a mechanic, not a locksmith, smart mouth," she replied with a grunt, brushing strands of hair away from her forehead, and glaring at him for calling her that.

Jacin rolled his eyes with a shrug and crossed his legs out before him, gently tapping his toes together. He just wanted to get out, maybe run a couple of laps around the dungeon. Or maybe not. It wasn't like he had the strength to do so, anyway.

"Jacin?" a voice asked, snapping his attention towards them. His light eyes fell on the princess and he raised an eyebrow. Not what he would usually reply with, but he felt awful. She was sitting down as close as she could to the inside of the cell where he was, and her head was slightly leaning on the bars, a curl over her left eye. "Do you remember Selene?" she asked quietly, so that nobody else would hear her question but him. Selene was too concentrated on getting him out, and the emperor was keeping guard. Jacin scoffed internally. An emperor would make a great guard.

He looked back to Winter with a small smile. "Of course," he replied.

Silence, then, "Do you remember the day of the fire?" She said the words so quietly Jacin had to lean forward to hear them.

He leaned back again, his head resting on the wall. He closed his eyes and swallowed as he frowned. Then he nodded, very slowly. "Of course," he replied, "Probably all of Luna remembers." He looked at her. "Why do you ask, princess?"

Winter shrugged and looked down at the floor, tracing circles on the cement. "I was just... thinking."

Jacin raised a curious eyebrow. "About...?"

"About that. The fire." She looked up with a sigh, and Jacin had to use all of his will not to stare at her light brown eyes all day. He looked back down as she continued. "About what some people say, you know? About... About stepmother."

"About how she probably caused the fire?" Jacin scoffed. "Even I believe so, princess."

Winter's eyes widened. "You-- You do?" Jacin nodded and closed his eyes again, not wanting to talk about that subject again.

Selene cursed loudly, startling everyone. She was looking at the lock with a glare. "I'm going to need something else..." Her eyes flicked to Winter's hand.

Winter stood, surely willing to get anything for her Selene. For the lost princess. For the closest thing she had ever had to a sister for three years of her life. Jacin knew just how close they had been, and how they probably still would be, if the fire had never happened. If Selene had never been taken to Earth. And in truth, though he probably never would admit it to anyone, not even Winter, out loud, he had missed Selene. And it was nice to know she was alive.

Nice to know she was taking back the throne from that evil witch.

He still remembered her wedding- barely, but he did. Her forced wedding. Sometimes, EVERET? would complain when she wasn't around. Then he would pity her. Jacin understood now.