Hey guys. I know it's been a while. I've been having writer's block with this story, which really sucks, 'cause I'm almost done it. >.<
Anyway. I'm not entirely happy with all of this chapter, I may end up going back to re-write some of it.
But enjoy?
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Chapter 38 - Irial's Plan
Only seconds after Jay left, we heard footsteps sounding down the stairs. Glancing at each other in alarm, we threw ourselves back down onto the ground. I scrambled back into the far corner of my cell and pressed my face against the bars, closing my eyes and pretending to be sleeping.
I kept my eyes shut tightly as I heard the metal door of the dungeons being thrown open, mentally cringing as their footsteps came closer. A loud clang! on the bars of my cell made me jump, and I opened my eyes to glare at the two men standing before me.
“Get up,” the guard called Ashton growled, reaching to unlock my cell. “Lord Irial wishes to speak with you,” he informed me with a cruel grin. I narrowed my eyes at him, but did as he asked, knowing that I’d only get myself in more trouble if I refused.
I dragged my feet as we walked, forcing the two men to move more slowly, so that I could pay more attention to my surroundings. Though many of the halls we passed through looked the same, I was happy when I recognized a painting that we had passed earlier on our way in from the entrance hall.
We turned down an ornately decorated corridor that I was certain I hadn’t been in yet, and a few doors later I was thrust into a large room. I stumbled forwards, and heard the door close and lock behind me before I had a chance to catch my balance.
“Really, what doesn’t that man understand about the words ‘be careful’?” An irritated voice sounded from across the room. Irial was standing in front of a pair of French doors, looking out at what I’m sure would have been a nice view if we were anywhere other than Knoxlan. He turned to face me and smiled, his eyes seeming to appraise every minute detail of my appearance. “You look very much like your mother,” he told me, offering the words as one might offer a compliment.
I shifted awkwardly and looked away, uncomfortable with his eyes on me. Instead, I studied the room we were in. It appeared to be some form of bedroom suite, with an enormous king sized bed in the far corner beside the French doors, a small living room area to my left and to my right, a small dining table. The table was covered in food, the smell of it made my mouth water and my stomach growl in hunger.
“Do sit down, Princess,” he walked over to the table and pulled a chair out for me to sit in. When I didn’t move, he lost his appearance of chivalry and glared at me. “Sit,” he ordered, and I sighed but did as he bid me.
“Please, eat something. You must be famished,” he told me, smiling broadly now that I was obeying him. “I’m fine,” I replied shortly.
“Nonsense! You haven’t had a proper meal in months.”
“Are you actually trying to bribe me with food?” I asked incredulously. Irial laughed, and the sound raised goose bumps on my flesh. Maybe Jay was right and he was charming at times, but I wouldn’t be won over by his charm – he creeped me out way too much.
“I don’t need to bribe you, Princess,” he told me with deadly seriousness. “Because you’re going to do what I want you to.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Well, let me put it this way,” he leaned forward with mock earnestness. “Your friends are still alive right now for a reason. And if you play nice, maybe they’ll stay that way. If you don’t…” he trailed off suggestively, and I tried hard not to imagine what he would do to Daniel and Lis.
“What is it you want from me anyway?” I asked slowly, narrowing my eyes at him. He was silent for a moment, regarding me thoughtfully. Then he stood and walked back over to the window, where he stood staring out into the night.
“Twenty years ago, there would have been no dispute that I was to be the next king of this kingdom,” he said bitterly, his voice teeming with poorly contained rage. “But just when it was finally within my grasp… it was taken from me,” he snarled, and whipped around to face me. “I swore to myself that I would take back what I had lost, no matter the cost.
"So I devised a plan that I knew would eventually lead to my being crowned king. However, I cannot simply barge in and take the kingdom. I am no fool; I know the people would never accept me as their king if I were to do that. In order for my reign to be accepted, I need two things, both of which you can give me,” he told me and smiled, clearly waiting for me to ask what it was he needed. I sighed and went along with him.
“What do you need?”
“The first thing I need is the Heart of Love. Though it has been lost for countless generations, people still see it as a symbol of power in this kingdom. Whoever wields the Heart is an undisputed hero. With it, no one will deny that I deserve to be king.”
“The only problem there being that you don’t have the Heart,” I pointed out.
“Not yet,” he countered. “But I will, once you tell me where it is.”
“I don’t know where it is,” I told him, frowning. He laughed and shook his head.
“I don’t believe you,” he said slowly. “I know you need the Sword, the Staff, and the Key in order to find the Heart. Blue Jay told me as much, though he wouldn’t say where the items were.”
Wait, he didn’t know where they were? I stared at him for a moment in shock and confusion. Hadn’t he sent those men to take the Sword before we’d even reached the mountains? I frowned, and searched the manor with my mind, looking for Jay.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I heard him reply the second I touched his mind.
“Irial doesn’t have the Sword? Or the Staff?”
“No. I meant to tell you that. Those men you saw in your vision were just scouts; they were searching for us, not the Sword. He doesn’t have either, though he’s convinced that we do.”
“Hmm… we may be able to use that to our advantage,”I said thoughtfully. Jay laughed in my head and muttered something about not liking the sounds of where I was going, but I didn’t have a chance to explain, because at that moment I realized that Irial was right in front of me, inches away.
“So tell me, Princess… where is the Heart?” I sighed and lowered my head in mock defeat.
“Fine,” I told him, “You were right. We did find the Sword, the Staff and the Key. When we brought them together, there was this blinding flash of Light...” Irial’s face was triumphant, and I had to fight to keep the smile off of mine. “When the Light subsided, the Sword, Staff and Key were gone. But we found a sheet of paper on the ground. It told us the location of the Heart of Love,” I broke off suddenly, as though I was afraid I had said too much.
“And?” Irial demanded eagerly. “What did it say? Where is the Heart?” I shook my head and he narrowed his eyes in anger. I saw his fist clench, and winced. “Don’t make me hurt you, Princess; you’re too pretty for that.”
“Alright, alright!” I cried in desperation. “I’ll tell you, don’t hurt me! Please.” He nodded for me to continue. “The Heart is in the castle,” I muttered dejectedly. His eyes widened, and he tilted his head to the side, waiting for me to elaborate. “There’s this hidden room at the top of the highest tower. It’s Midoria’s study. She hid the Heart in there, where nobody would find it, but where she could always keep an eye on it,” I explained.
Irial’s face slowly broke into a smile that made my insides churn. I frowned, but this time I wasn’t pretending. Despite my pride at having fooled him, I worried that making him believe it was in the castle was a bad idea. It was the only lie I’d been able to think of that would seem realistic, but still… He would tear the tower room to shreds in search of the Heart, and probably end up hurting my family and friends when he couldn’t find it.
“Thank you, my love,” he told me, and my nose wrinkled at the endearment. I wanted to scream at him that I wasn’t his ‘love,’ but held my tongue. “You’ve been very cooperative,” he continued.
“It’s not like you’ve given me much choice,” I pointed out bitterly.
“That’s true,” he laughed, his dark eyes filling with cruel mirth. “Nevertheless, you made the right decision in not fighting me. Now that I know the location of the Heart, it will be a simple matter to acquire it before I take the kingdom.” I frowned at his certainty that the kingdom would be his.
“I still do not understand why you need me,” I told him. “You could have found the Heart on your own.”
“Perhaps… but what if the Heart isn’t as powerful as we’ve been led to believe? What if our people have lost faith in it?”
“Then you’re screwed?” I expected him to get angry at my comment, but he just nodded.
“I need some form of contingency plan. That, my dear, is where you come in. A king who takes the kingdom by force would never be recognized or obeyed. People would rebel against me. But with you by my side… well. You are the rightful heir,” he said mockingly. “Nobody would dispute my rule if my queen was their beloved princess,” he whispered softly, leaning in so his face was inches from mine. I turned my head away in disgust.
“I would never be your queen,” I snarled, feeling sick at the very thought.
“You will be,” he breathed in my ear, “Or your friends will die.”
“What about my grandmother?” I argued. “She would never give up her reign, and I have no reason to take the throne from her.”
“Oh, but you do. You see, your grandmother has gone insane. She secretly ordered the deaths of your parents, and staged an attack on the castle to do away with you as well,” he explained, grinning evilly at me.
“Nobody will believe that.”
“They will when it is you telling them. You’re remarkably loved by your people, Princess Adelle,” he smirked.
“This won’t work,” I said desperately. It couldn’t work. But as much as I wanted to deny it, I had to admit that he was right. I would do what he wanted; he was threatening my friends. My grandmother would step down to protect me, and though they may be skeptical of the story, none of our people would argue against Irial’s reign if I was his queen.
Irial was grinning triumphantly, having read the defeat in my face. “You see? I have been planning this for years. There is nothing that can stop me now.” He backed away from me, satisfied that I would obey him.
As he turned his back on me, I grabbed my chance and leapt up from the chair I had been sitting in, making a break for the door. I knew I had only seconds before he reacted, and so I sprinted as fast as I could, not really expecting to make it very far. And I was right, for seconds later I felt a hand seize my hair and yank me backwards.
I screamed in pain as I crashed into his chest. “Did you really expect to get anywhere?” he growled in my ear. I didn’t answer, but thrashed and fought to get away from him. “Let me go, you bastard!” I cried as he dragged me across the room and threw me down on the bed, quickly grabbing my wrists and pinning me down.
I screamed for help but he just laughed at me. He forced my hands up above my head and roughly tied me to the bed, the rope digging in so tightly that I could feel my circulation being cut off immediately.
“I can’t decide if you’re brave or stupid,” he said, backing off of me now that I was tied down. “Even if you had made it out the door, or perhaps – at best – out of the manor, this village is entirely under my control. You would never have stepped foot out of Knoxlan. And if you had… I would have hunted you down and had you dragged back here. So tell me, Princess, what did you think you would accomplish by running?”
I said nothing, but glared at him, wishing that looks could actually kill. “Maybe you don’t think I’m serious when I tell you that I will kill your friends if you disobey me,” Irial said thoughtfully. “Maybe you need to be shown how very serious I am.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head frantically. “No, please! Don’t hurt them, I’ll do what you want, I promise!” I felt pathetic for giving in, but I wouldn’t let him hurt anybody else that I loved. Irial narrowed his eyes at me for a minute. “Prove it,” he dared me.
“How? What would you have me do?” He was silent for a minute, his eyes gauging my reaction.
“Hm… I want you to kiss me,” he said finally, and I very nearly was sick. How could he ask me for that?! I wanted to scream, to thrash away from him as he moved closer to me, but I knew I had no choice.
I let him press his lips to mine, and against all my instincts I kissed him back. Tears streamed down my face and inside I prayed that he would meet a violent and painful death, but I kissed him back. “Jessa,” he whispered when he finally broke away, and I started at the sound of my mother’s name. “You do look like her,” he breathed, reaching up to stroke my face. I cringed back away from him in fear and disgust.
Irial sighed and stood up. “I have work to do; preparations to make for the attack on the castle,” he told me. “We leave as soon as day breaks.” He turned to leave and I called out, stopping him.
“Why?” I asked. I had to know, or I’d be driven insane wondering the rest of my life. Irial turned back to face me, curiosity alight in his dark ruthless eyes. “If you loved her, then why did you kill her?” my voice shook as I thought of my mother.
For the briefest of moments, I saw a flash of pain and regret pass over Irial’s face. Then his expression hardened and his eyes resumed their cold intense stare. “She left me,” he said simply, then turned and left the room.
~♥~
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Irial's a bit of a creeper, isn't he? o_O
Anyway, vote, comment, etc?
Oh, and out of curiosity, does anyone want me to post a teaser for my new story? (If you're not sure what I'm talking about, go check out "The Dragon Knight" on my wall)