It was dark both inside and outside of the carriage and all three of us were crushed together in a laying down position. I was stuck in the middle of both Jarom and Dax while the captain drove the carriage closer and closer to the Emperors palace.
It was odd, getting closer to the man who gave the okay for my family to be slaughtered, one part of me felt completely numb while the other part of me felt rage, anger, and wanted revenge.
When I talked to my mother she didn't seem angry or full of rage, in fact she seemed like she was full of love and understanding, so if she could do it I guess I could be a little more forgiving.
We went over a bump and all of us hit our heads against the ceiling of this incredibly small prisoner carriage. There was only enough room for about two people to lay down and there was three of us crushed in here, it was taking a toll on all of us.
Our breathing only made things worse, the air was now hot and muggy, considering that that air holes were incredibly small and basically did nothing for us.
One of my arms was pinned under me and I tried moving it which only made things worse.
"Stop moving around" Jarom insisted, "You're making things worse" He said coldly.
I stopped trying to remove my arm from under me and just let it be.
The ride to the palace seemed to take forever, I hated being in this carriage and was starting to look forward to being a dungeon with more space.
We went up a steep hill and all of our heads slid to the back of the carriage and softly hit it.
"Good thing we are all compact" Dax commented, "Otherwise we would of went flying towards the back".
Eventually the ground leveled out and we were no longer pressed up against the back of the carriage.
We have to be close.
Soon the carriage slowed down and came to a stop.
"What is it you have there?" A voice from outside shouted down to the carriage.
"Prisoners" The captain replied.
Suddenly it went quiet and then the next voice happened right by the carriage, "We haven't had anyone tell us about prisoners being dropped off".
I could tell that Jarom and Dax became a little tenser in the carriage worried that something could go completely wrong, and I was right there with them.
"That's because these prisoners were just captured and they need- "
The captain was instantly cut off by the man who watched the gate, "Rules are rules, if you didn't warn the palace ahead of time I can't let you through".
The captain instantly used his authority, "I am a captain appointed by the Emperor, how dare you tell me the rules of what I can and cannot do, let me pass or I will have you brought before the Emperor".
There was another moment of silence and I assumed the man at the gate was thinking about what the captain had told him.
"Let them pass" The man shouted away from the carriage.
The captain hopped back on the carriage and slowly the carriage began moving forward.
We could hear a squeaky sound that sounded as if something hadn't been oiled, I was assuming it was the gate that was being lifted up.
Suddenly the ground smooth out and we must have been on marble or some fine material.
"We are on the Emperor's property" Dax said being very impressed with himself.
We rode for another short time until the carriage came to a stop.
The captain hopped off the carriage and unlocked the door that was trapping us all in.
The door opened and a flood of light came through and blinded us all momentarily.
"Wow" I said immediately rubbing my eyes and leaning forward.
"Listen" the captain spoke quickly, "The next time you see anyone you know it will be Felicity and Ivan, they should be in the palace trying to find a way to get that key and scout out the area".
"Will they know where we are?" Jarom asked with concern.
"They should, they've been here all day".
In the distance there were guards who were approaching the carriage.
The captain instantly had his demeanor change, "I said get back down!"
Instantly all three of us laid back down in the carriage.
"They are all yours" The captain spoke.
"Thank you captain" One of the men replied.
The men were slightly darker than Felicitys skin, they had the same almond eyes that everyone here had, and they each had black hair that complimented them well.
Although we were their prisoners, I must admit these men were very attractive.
The men violently yanked me out of the carriage and began laughing at the little grunt of pain I made.
I looked back and Jarom, although still mad at me, I could tell he wanted to lunge forward and hurt these two.
I quickly gave him a look of 'no'.
The men put medal bands around my hands so that I couldn't move them apart from each other, soon Jarom and Dax too were in my situation.
The men shoved us forward and led us through some of the palace before we were led down some stairs and into a dark room.
Everything was made of stone, it was dark, cold, and completely unwelcoming. There was a slight wind coming from somewhere which only made matters worse, and the ground was slightly wet.
The guards opened a cell door and shoved all three of us into a single cell, which was much roomier than the carriage.
The guards laughed and walked away, key in hand, and we were left trapped waiting for Ivan and Felicity to save us.
"This could be worse" I said out loud.
"Why do you say that?" A dark unseen voice spoke.
I screamed a little and jumped back away from the bars of the prison.
"Who was that?" Jarom spoke and walked towards the bars of the prison.
"Me?" the dark, gravely, voice spoke once more, "I'm right across from you, don't worry, yours eyes will adjust to the darkness of this place eventually".
Jarom turned back around and looked at me coldly, "Still think this could be worse?".
"What is the matter with you!" I yelled at him. "What did I ever do to you that made you hate me?!"
Jarom snapped around and was instantly in front of me, "Don't you ever say that I hate you, you know that's not true, you know that's nowhere close to being true!" He took a deep breath and took a step back, "I hate how you're always putting yourself in danger, Ëthia, that's what I hate". Jarom turned towards the back of the prison cell and went and sat in the corner on the cold, wet, floor.
"Lovers" The dark voice spoke once again, "I remember being in love, it was the worst time of my life!".
The man's voice was so haunting the just him raising his voice sent chills down my back.
I turned my back towards the bars of the prison and walked over to sit by Jarom but instantly he shot me a look that made me change my mind.
"Fine" I said out loud and went to sit by Dax.
Sitting there in the cold, dark, cell I could only think about getting out of this place and hurrying up with our journey.
I hope Felicity and Ivan are doing well.
***
Felicity's P.O.V.
"Ivan, I don't even know where this prison is supposed to be". I told him as we went around another corner.
I looked at Ivan and he was dressed in the work clothes that the rest of the men here were dressed in. He wore a basic red shirt, white pants, and a gold rope that tied around his waist.
My simple red dress with a gold ribbon around the waist went well with what Ivan was wearing.
Without realizing it I found myself observing Ivan a lot more than I should have. He had muscular arms that seemed very well defined, his jawline was incredibly dominant, which I enjoyed a lot. But what got me the most was his brown eyes, those deep, stunning, brown eyes, I could get lost in them for days, I mean I could really get-
"Felicity" Ivan said snapping his fingers at me over and over again, "Are you okay?"
I shook my head a little and blinked my eyes to get me out of the day dream, "What? Huh? What do you mean?"
Ivan looked around and then back at me, "You were looking at me like you were... well... Undressing me with your eyes".
Without needing a mirror, I knew my face instantly went red, I could feel the warmth of it and the little grin that Ivan gave off let me know that my face really went red.
Ivan reached over and touched my shoulder, "Come on, let's go find our friends".
My heart felt like it was beating much too fast for my own good and I was shocked that I didn't pass out.
I followed closely behind Ivan and we went looking for where this prison could be, then I stopped and said Ivan's name.
"What?" He asked standing right in front of me.
He was right there, our noses almost touching, a part of me wanted to lean in and kiss him but that would be too much, not right now.
Regaining my thoughts, I began to speak, "Why is it that we are trying to find this dungeon place when we technically work here, why not just ask?".
Ivan's gaze shot away from me and then back to me, "That's a good idea".
Ivan went to the closest person he could see and asked for directions and then came back to me, "Well, I know where to go".
"Perfect!" I said with joy.
I looked around briefly to see who all had heard me and for a brief moment I was caught up in the beauty of this palace.
There were hanging orbed lamps everywhere of all different colors, gold statues of creatures and animals were everywhere too, there was dragons, mermaids, horses, and pigs. It was interesting, yet wonderful. The floors were a gorgeous white marble color that made everything look elegant while the walls were a creamy color. Roses grew up the walls and there were pots of miniature trees out lining the whole hallway. Although It was incredibly dark outside it was incredibly bright inside here.
"Ivan" I said turning my attention back to him, "What about the princess?"
Ivan looked at me and then caught on, "I totally forgot about that!"
Both he and I sat down on a little bench that was in-between two miniature trees.
"It's late at night, I'm sure this princess we are trying to find is asleep or something" Ivan said.
I looked at him, "But we can't just leave our friends in the prison. We have to find this princess and get our friends out of this mess".
Ivan looked back at me, "Well what do you suggest that we do?"
I sat there and thought about it, truly no good idea came to my mind. "Maybe we should get Ëthia, Jarom, and Dax, then one of them will have an idea"
Ivan nodded his head in agreement, "At least we know how to get to the prison".
Ivan smiled and instantly we got up and went towards the dungeon.
***
Ëthia's P.O.V.
I don't know how it was possible but Jarom was sound asleep in his little corner, it seemed that no matter where we were he could fall asleep if he so chose too.
"How much longer?" Dax asked.
"I wish I could tell you" I replied to Dax.
"Longer?" The dark voice spoke.
I instantly was a little creeped out and pulled Dax closer to me.
"You're in here for life, little girl" The dark voice spoke once again, "Why do you think they put you in this prison?"
I was intrigued by what the voice was saying, "What do you mean, 'This prison'?"
His dark, crackled, laugh traveled to me and caused even more chills to go down my back.
"If you were sent to a normal prison then you would of be sent to the prison outside of the Empire" He stated, "The fact that you're in this prison means you're going to be killed in front of the Emperor".
"What?" I asked him.
The man once again laughed but this time I was able to look past it.
"What are you talking about!" I shouted to him.
Jarom woke up and stepped forward to the bars of the prison, "What's going on?"
"Apparently we are going to be killed in front of the King" I stated.
The dark voice once again began to speak, "I'm curious to as what you did"
"What we did?" Jarom asked.
The man laughed again and I saw Jarom flinch a little at his laugh.
"Fine." The dark voice spoke, "I'll go first. I murdered one of the Emperor's nieces".
"You what?!" I said with disgust, "How could you do such a thing!".
The man continued to laugh, "Well how did you get down here?"
"That's is none of your business" Jarom snapped.
The man tried spitting across at us but entirely missed, "You're no fun. I hope they get rid of you quickly".
Further down the entrance we heard a muffling sounds followed by voices.
Guards came in with a whole bunch of chains and torches and instantly there was light. They turned their backs to us and opened the cell door of the man who was across from us, they threw him out of the cell and he landed in front of us.
The man was dark skinned, had a full beard, and was clearly a member of the Water Colony. He looked at me and smiled, "Long way from home" He said with his dark voice.
One of the guards held up a piece of paper and began reading, "Prisoner One, you are here sentenced to death in front of the Emperor and those he so chooses. Your crime; murdering the daughter of the Emperor's sister. Your death time; before sunrise.". The man rolled up the piece of paper and looked down at the man, "Last words?".
"You took the Water Colony's princess from my people, so I take an innocent life from yours" The dark voice graveled.
The man with the piece of paper kicked the dark man in the stomach and laughed, "Take him away".
The guards dragged the man away and all the while the man sung the song of my people.
What this man did was horrible, barbaric, and disgusting, but his heart I believe was in a better place than his mind.
"For correctness and virtue for which we stand, for love of life and precious lands, we solute the people who have died for us, for the mighty souls who are courageous. For the royal family who guides, and the friend in which we confide, let the Colony press on, righteous and true, let the colony press on, for me and you."
The words came out of my mouth with a familiar feel, I hadn't sung them in years, I hadn't repeated our Colony's psalm, and hearing that man sing them made my heart warm, it made it grow it seem.
Jarom gently pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me, "I promise it's going to be okay".
I thought of the man and when he looked at me, I wonder if he knew who I was or if he thought I was just another prisoner from the water colony. Whatever it was that he thought it wouldn't really matter, for by sunrise he will be dead.
I held onto Jarom and wished that Felicity and Ivan would hurry up and get here before something bad happened to us.
"Where do you think they are?" Dax asked.
Jarom released his hold on me and addressed Dax, "They should be on their way with information on where the princess is shortly, if not we might be introduced to a similar fate like our dear friend".
"Don't say that" I said to Jarom, "I'm worried that you might actually be right".
"They'll pull It off" Dax comforted, "They all always do".
We waited for what seemed like an eternity and yet there was no sign of Felicity or Ivan.
I hated the fact that my mind started thinking the way it did but I was afraid that Felicity and Ivan didn't make it, I was afraid that they had gotten caught and were being taken to the Emperor himself, and all the while Dax, Jarom, and I were just waiting for people that just weren't coming.
"I think they are down here" A familiar voice whispered.
"What?" I directed towards Jarom.
"What?" He replied to me.
"Didn't you just say something?" I asked him.
It was dark but I could tell that Jarom was making a face, "No, I didn't".
I turned to Dax, "Did you?"
"Nope" Dax replied.
"Maybe you're hearing things" Jarom added in.
I ignored him and continued to listen.
Nothing.
"I swear I thought I heard- "
"Ow!" The familiar voice spoke again, "I honestly can't see anything down here, are they even here?".
"Felicity!" I instantly spoke loudly, "Felicity, down here!".
"I knew that girl gave me the right directions" Ivan directed towards Felicity.
Jarom and Dax joined me at the front of the prison holding onto the bars.
"Hurry guys, we can't stand being in this place, it's nasty" Dax implied.
We heard Ivan and Felicity stumble around until they finally were able to reach our cell.
"It's so cold down here" Felicity told us.
"Trust us, we know" I informed her.
"Do you have the key?" Jarom asked with excitement.
Ivan laughed, "Don't insult me, of course we have the key".
"How? Wasn't it supposed to be really hard to retrieve?" I asked.
Felicity leaned in closer to me, "That's what I thought but it was literally just hanging up right when you walked in".
I nodded my head in approval.
"Got it" Ivan said as he opened the door of the cage, "That wasn't so hard".
Instantly I got out and hugged Felicity and Ivan, "Thanks so much!".
"You're welcome" They both replied.
Slowly we made our way to the entrance of the dungeons and waited there and figured the rest of our plan out.
"So" I started out, "Where is the princess, that has to be our next move".
Felicity and Ivan instantly looked away from me and started twiddling their thumbs.
"Ummm, Felicity?" I asked.
"Yes?" She replied still not looking at me.
"Where's the princess?" I asked.
Felicity continued playing with her fingers and looking around before she muttered something under her breath.
"What?" I asked.
She mumbled a little louder.
"... What?"
"I don't know!" She said loudly.
Quickly I looked around the corner to see if any guards had heard but no one was in site. Turning my attention back to Felicity I began questioning her some more, "What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Ivan and I forgot, we were too focused on making sure that we got you two out of prison!".
I wanted to be mad and yell at her but she was right, she did get Jarom, Dax, and I out of the dungeon. "Alright, well did you get any information on this girl at all?".
Both of them shook their heads.
Jarom stepped in, "Okay, well we found Ivan in his huge palace so we can find this girl in hers".
Ivan laughed to himself, "You all have a bad habit of sneaking into castles and palaces."
"We know" Jarom and I said together.
I looked once more around the corner to see if anyone was there and it just and empty as before.
"Alright, we have to go now" I instructed.
"But where?" Ivan asked.
"I'm not sure" I said honestly, "But if we don't go now and those guards come back then we all are in big trouble".
Jarom left the prison hallway first and darted into the main hallway, without hesitation we all followed closely behind.
For the first few turns in the palace there was nobody there, then we had the misfortune of running into a group of guards.
Without a word to be said we went back down the hallway and took a different turn as fast as we could.
"Get them!" The leader of the guards said.
Once more I found myself running as fast as I could away from people who were trying to harm me, maybe even kill.
We took turn after turn trying to lose them but these men were quick and elite, it seemed that with every turn that we took these men became closer and closer to us.
"What are we going to do?!" I yelled up to Jarom, who led the group.
"Ivan!" Jarom shouted back, "Put up some walls, like last time".
Ivan instantly stopped and I could hear the wall of earth breaking through the marbled floors.
Ivan quickly caught up to us, "That should give us a little more time but with the way they were running I'm sure they'll find a way around and catch up soon enough".
As we ran through the halls the cream colored walls changed to brilliant white stones, it was intriguing and wonderful, but quickly enough it was back to the cream colored walls.
"Stop!" I shouted.
All my friends stopped and looked at me with curiosity.
"What!" Jarom spoke loudly, "We don't have time to stop and observe things!"
"I know!" I told him right back.
I ran over to where the wall had turned to white stone and looked back at my friends, "Don't you think it's a little odd that this is a different material than all the rest of the palace?"
"Ëthia!" Felicity shouted, "We honestly don't have time for this!"
"But- "
"Ëthia." Dax spoke motioning for me to join them, "We have to go or it will be too late".
In the distance we could hear more guards coming down one of the halls, "They should be over here!" One of them shouted.
"Great!" Jarom said loudly, "Now what?!"
"Ivan!" I said capturing his attention, "Can you move these stones out of the way, create a door or something?"
"Of course" Ivan said running over, "But I don't know how far back these go".
Ivan stood in front of the white stone wall with his palms up against the wall. His hands started moving apart from each other and instantly a space started to appear, I even saw a little glow start to come through.
"Quickly, get in!" I instructed to the rest of the group.
After everyone had filed in Ivan closed the gap and we heard the guards run by.
All of us stood there trying catch our breath and process the near escape that we just made.
"That could have been really bad" I stated as my breathing started to come back too normal.
Dax, Jarom, Felicity, and Ivan all glared at me.
"We could have been killed!" Jarom exclaimed.
I smiled, "But are we?"
Jarom tried his best not to but a smiled appeared on his face, "I'm still not happy about this".
"I know" I replied to him.
I looked around and noticed that we were at the end of a staircase.
The enclosed area that we were in only went one way, which was up a winding stone staircase that we couldn't see beyond the first bend. Torches were on the stone walls and followed the winding staircase up and it almost seemed like it was inviting us.
"Well, let's go" I told them and started walking up the staircase.
"Ëthia!" Felicity said loudly, "We don't even know what's up there!"
I looked down at her and smiled, "And we most certainly aren't going to figure out what is up there if we just stand here".
Felicity had a look of approval on her face and then proceeded up the stairs.
Soon all of us were walking up the staircase and you could hear the sounds of our foot wear hitting the stone with every step we took.
The torches flickered back and forth as we caused a gentle breeze to follow us up the stairs.
I must admit that the staircase was much more extensive than I thought it was going to be but soon enough we found ourselves at the top.
There in front of us was an immense door with a huge piece of wood going directly across it.
Two torches were on both sides of the door and instantly I had an urge to remove the piece of wood and open the doors.
"Whatever is in there someone obviously doesn't what it out", Ivan informed us.
"Or someone" Felicity said, "Probably someone crazy, someone who really shouldn't be let out".
I looked at Felicity and Ivan, "Where is your sense of adventure? Don't you think it's a sign that out of all the possible walls to walk through that we just happened to run right by this one? One that leads up staircase with torches lighting the way?".
Both Jarom and Dax looked at me and seemed impressed with what I had to say.
"She makes a good point" Dax said as he stepped forward and began removing the piece of wood.
"Wait!" Felicity spoke loudly, "What if there is someone who is incredibly dangerous in there? Hmm? I mean after all this is a stone staircase that is hidden."
Jarom nodded his head in agreement, "She does make a good point"
Dax removed his hands from the piece of wood and stepped back.
We stood there thinking about other possible points that could be brought up before we removed the piece of wood and walked into whatever it was, or before we decided to leave entirely.
"If there was something truly dangerous" I began, "Then why would they keep it, or them, alive? Why not just kill it, or them, and shove them in the dungeon that we were just in? It doesn't make sense that something dangerous would be kept up here." I thought about what I said for a brief moment and then grinned at my own wittiness, "I think that there is a secret in there, someone is hiding something".
We all turned towards the door and looked at it.
"What could the Emperor possibly hide up here?" Dax questioned.
I shrugged my shoulders, "There is only one way to find out what is in there".
I walked forward and tried to lift the large piece of wood off its resting place but it wouldn't move. I turned around glared at the boys and instantly they all stepped forward and removed the piece of wood.
Jarom pulled the handle of one side of the door while Ivan got the other.
The door slowly opened without a sound made and I grinned once more.
"Looks like it's a someone" I said and slowly walked into the room.
The room was gorgeous and was calmly lit by a many candles all over the place. There were couches, chairs, tables, mirrors, and so many other objects that decorated the room. A big gorgeous bed was in the corner and had curtains that surrounded it for privacy. Big fur carpets covered the floor while the ceiling had quite a few hanging orbed lamps. Vibrant colored plants accompanied much of the furniture in the room while paintings of scenery and animals were on the walls.
"Incredible" Ivan Remarked and began exploring.
"What do you think this room is used for?" Jarom asked as he too began exploring the room.
Felicity looked at some of the paintings on the wall and answered Jarom's question, "Maybe this is for the Emperor mistress?"
I looked at Felicity and was actually convinced that her explanation could be reasonable.
"I wouldn't doubt you" Dax supported, "This place is nicely taken care of".
I walked over to the bed and slowly pulled back the curtain that covered it. Instantly I pulled my hand away and signaled for my friends to come over as quickly as they could.
Felicity noticed me first and motioned for the boys to shortly follow.
"What?" Jarom asked in a whisper.
I pulled the curtain back and let them look.
"It's a girl!" Felicity said in a loud whisper.
"Shhh" All of us instinctively replied.
We each observed the sleeping girl and then I put the curtain back and tiptoed away from the bed with my friends right behind me. "Who is she?"
Dax, Jarom, Ivan, and Felicity all glared at me.
"And why would we know that over you?" Dax questioned.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm not sure".
"She could be anyone" Jarom pointed out, "A mistress, a family member, someone in protection, anything really".
"So what do we do?" Felicity asked.
We stood there thinking when suddenly I saw something move in my corner vision.
All of us looked back in the direction of the bed and there was the young woman standing there.
No words were exchanged between her and us but instead we stood there observing each other and wondering what to say next.
The young woman took a few steps forward and looked even closer at us.
Each one of us stood perfectly still waiting for her to say something first.
The young woman would look at us as a group and then look at one of us individually, she continued doing this until she had sized up each one of us.
"Who are you?" Her soft voice spoke.
The young woman had long, straight, black hair and almond eyes, her skin tone was a little different than everyone else's that I had seen, hers was lighter, a bit lighter at that. But nonetheless she was gorgeous, stunning evening.
"I'm Ëthia" I'm replied with confidence.
"Felicity"
"Dax"
"Jarom"
"Ivan"
Each of them announced themselves and then I looked at her, "And you?".
The girl hesitated to answer, "Seviah".
The name was familiar but I couldn't quite put a finger on where I had heard it before.
"That's a good name, I like it" I told her.
Seviah hung onto the post of her bed and continued to study the rest of us before asking her next question, "Did my father send you?"
I replied with a question of my own, "Who is your father?"
Seviah stood there quiet for a few moments and then answered the question, "The Emperor".
Felicity, Jarom, Ivan, and Dax, all looked at me and then at Seviah.
"Princess Seviah?" I questioned.
"Correct" Seviah said.
"Mind if we chat for a bit?" I asked Seviah with a warm smile on my face.
Seviah shook her head.
"Wonderful".