Neither of us slept. Atlas and I were up before dawn, mimicking each other's tired expressions. He had heavy bags under his eyes and his hair was all over the place as if he had run his hands through it many times. We prepared ourselves for the short but difficult journey ahead. I breathed out heavily and thanked Olivia greatly for her hospitality to such hideous company.
"You are both welcome anytime. We will see you again soon and maybe things will be right for the both of you." Atlas nodded and we walked further up the path. From the top of the village, the kingdom of Sceneria could be seen. We stood at the top looking at the large city.
It was beautiful. The city lit up like fireflies on a hill. It scattered the light and as you looked over the city, it blended into the sky. The stars were beautiful and just visible in the dawn of the morning. The mountains on the far side of the valley were tarnished with the slightest bit of orange light. It was as if a painter had just gently brushed the mountain range. I was in awe of such beauty.
I looked at Atlas as he looked at me. No words were said as we walked to the city to rescue Anna.
As we reached the end of the forest and the beginning of the city, I stopped and began to change into my servant uniform. Atlas looked bewildered when I threw him a servant outfit.
"Just change, princey. You only have to pretend for a little while. We will go in the servant entrance, find Anna and get her out. Meet me here if we don't leave together. Our priority is Anna."
He changed quickly and we left the safety of the forest for the danger of the castle. No one paid much attention to us as we walked towards the servant entrance. We managed to blend in with the other servants who worked in the castle. As the castle began to wake up, the two of us separated and left to find Anna. I knew my best chance was to find the maid responsible for feeding prisoners and ask to help her. If not, I would replace her.
Atlas walked and followed the other male servants to see if Anna was placed in another part of the castle. He disappeared and I would next see him in the next few hours.
"Becky, can you get this down to the prisoners please!" someone shouted from the kitchen. A young girl walked into the kitchen and I was quick to follow her. She grabbed a few plates from the table and struggled to carry them all.
"Do you need some help?" She smiled gratefully and gave me a few plates.
"Gods! Thank you. There are so many people down there now I needed the help." She laughed and I followed her down into the prison.
There was minimal light with no windows and weak light. I sighed and shook my head, hoping that I wouldn't have to find Anna in a state similar to her environment.
"Hey, Becky. Bit of a weird question but are there any female prisoners down here? I've heard rumours but I just wondered." She turned and paused in thought before ushering me closer to her.
"There is one here. Her name is Anastasia and she is a sweet girl. She isn't down here though." I sighed trying to not look too disappointed.
"Do you know where I can find her?" She looked around at the guards who didn't seem to be listening but I knew she wouldn't take any chances and stepped forward.
"I believe she is in the highest tower on the far side of the castle. It is the closest place to the king's room. I don't think she's been ruined though. Even our king has some dignity. I won't ask why you're looking for her." I nodded in thought as I knew I would need help for the next phase of the plan.
"I'm sorry to ask you so much but what do you think of your king?" She pondered for a few seconds before sighing.
"He would be a great king but the darkness has touched his soul and hooked on tight. It is awful but I cannot seem any redemption from such a man as he." I nodded and smiled at her as she returned a weak one.
I walked back up into the kitchen and looked around for anything that sparked an idea. One thing was sure is that Atlas would find Anna before me. He was already in the tower. I took a sword from an open box and walked into the stairwell to find the tower.
As I walked slowly around each corner, I found Atlas in a rather precarious situation. He was pushed up against the wall with a very underdressed maid pressed up to him. I almost laughed as he tried to force her away.
"Listen, you are a lovely lady but I am not interested. I am just a servant." He coughed as she laughed.
"Well, I like my servants just like you: tall, handsome and just delicious." I moved out of the dark corner and hit the girl over the head with the hilt of my rusty sword. She slumped to the floor and Atlas took a big sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Eva. I didn't know what to do." I laughed and grabbed his hand, leading him back into the stairwell. We continued to walk hand-in-hand until we reached the room I suspected Anna to be in. The floors had carpet running across the centre and the walls were covered in royal portraits. This was typical of any royal quarters. We both paused in the stairwell watching the guards chatter outside the room. I was almost certain that they wouldn't be guarding an unimportant room.
"Eva, I need to say something." He squeezed my hand and faced me. "We need to stop pretending that there isn't anything going on here." I dropped his hand and he looked at me solemnly.
"Atlas, you're engaged to my best friend. You are a prince and soon to be king. You deserve to have a queen. Anna is right for you and you will know that when we rescue her." He sighed and nodded, turning away from me and looking at the guards.
"I'll distract the guards and you get Anna. Lead her back down the staircase and out of the castle. We will meet on the outskirts of town." I pulled down my top, undoing a few buttons and turning my dress to show a little more leg. Atlas coughed, turning slightly red as my breasts peeked through the top of my corset.
"Is this distracting enough?" He nodded moving his eyes away from me and to the wall and whispered good luck. I nodded, smiling before walking out of the stairwell into the corridor.
"Hey boys, do you want to play?" The two guards stopped talking and looked at me. I felt myself go red as I wasn't brilliant at flirting. I walked towards them slowly, swaying my hips slightly.
"We can play, maybe for a little while." They smirked at each other and I put myself between them. I laughed, smiling and flirting in the only manner I knew how.
"Well how about we play in here then?" I went to open the door that they were guarding. The guard quickly slammed it shut before leading me into the room opposite.
"Not that room, sweetheart. This room is much better for what we are going to do." I laughed throwing my head back, letting my hair swing away from my breasts. The two boys led me into the room and I saw Atlas move out of the corner of my eye.