Magi: Judar's Princess

6. Dungeon Prep

"Their negotiations have been taking place for a while now," I overheard one maid whisper to another.

"Who knew Kou's magi would be involved with the Prince from Balbadd?" the second maid replied.

"You know, I hear that Prince Saluja is actually allied with Sindria now. I think he's friends with King Sinbad!" the first maid gushed. At the mention of King Sinbad's name, both maids nearly melted like putty.

They bustled on through the corridor, silencing their gossip while passing by me.

(As if I haven't already heard everything they were saying...)

I let out a quiet sigh before coming to a halt between the double doors from before. Just then, the doors swung open and Alibaba exited with Aladdin in tow.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Judar smirked from further inside the room.

Aladdin and Alibaba both looked grim as they passed by.

(Good thing they didn't notice me...)

I sighed from my hiding spot behind one of the large pillars in the corridor. Just then, Judar had poked his head around the pillar, "What are you doing here?"

I jumped at his sudden closeness and tried to back away. He caught me by the wrist, pulling me close. "Spying on our meeting, Princess? If you wanted to know more, you could've just asked me," Judar taunted.

I felt more agitated than embarrassed now, snapping back at the Magi, "I was not! I just wasn't aware that they were still here. Why should I care about whatever you're up to?"

Judar scoffed and let go of my wrist. "Well, whatever the case, your dungeon will be ready soon. Will you be?"

I only blinked back at him.

(I can't even remember the name of my Djinn. this could be a serious problem when facing the dungeon...)

I nodded, despite my anxiety. "I'll be ready for it," I said sternly before heading back to my quarters.

---

I continued practice with my sword nearly day and night until Judar notified me that a dungeon had appeared just outside of the palace walls.

(I'm definitely ready for this. If I've done it once without the help of a Djinn, I can do it now!)

I readied myself for the dungeon, bringing along an extra metal vessel for the new Djinn to inhabit. I'd decided for the metal vessel to be something small that Judar had found for me. It was a slender ring that had once belonged to me in my previous life. It was made of white gold and my birthstone, a large opal, sat atop the ring.

"Ready to go, Princess?" Judar asked, all too ready to see me enter the dungeon.

"Wait, aren't you staying here? Are Magi even allowed to come inside with their candidates?" I asked, not really wanting to bring him along.

"Of course I'm allowed in! Would you rather me stay here after I put so much hard work into making this possible for you?" he whined.

"Well, yes actually," I muttered under my breath. "Whatever you wish, Judar. Just don't slow down the process of capturing this dungeon."

"Geez, don't act like you're doing me a favor by letting me tag along," Judar grunted but followed behind me.

---

We reached the dungeon in less than an hour's time.

"You sure you want to do this, Princess? It's not too late to take the Djinn that you already own and go home," Judar asked, his tone serious for once.

I glanced over at him, observing his expression closely and then beaming brightly at him. "Are you that worried about me, Judar?" I teased.

Judar let out a heavy sigh as if he regretted asking me anything at all. "Let's make this quick, alright," he grumbled.

I nodded, still unable to hide my childish grin, and marched through the dungeon doors.