"I think we are getting close" said Maddie as Annie looked at her.
"What makes you think so?" asked Annie.
"Well the carpet has stopped shifting" said Maddie.
"The carpet has been shifting?" asked Annie in surprise as Maddie nodded.
"I haven't noticed, how do you know that?" asked Annie in surprise.
"Well it's not easy to spot, but as we've been walking the carpet has been removing creases before we get to it and when we turned right a moment ago, the edges of the carpet shifted" said Maddie.
"I never knew you were so observant" said Annie as she laughed.
"I'm a lot of things Annie, and besides, of course I am, you can't be too comfortable in a lion's den" said Maddie as Annie agreed with that.
"You are right about that" said Annie as Maddie smiled and they stopped in front of a wide white door.
"I think we are here" said Maddie as she looked at the door.
"Yes, I think that we are..." replied Annie as she stared at the door, obviously not wanting to go in there and Maddie could read her mind clearly.
"Well here's to nothing" said Maddie as she was about to reach out to open the door when suddenly the door opened on it's own and someone who looked like a servant walk out and Maddie and Annie took a step back.
"Annie Grey" said the man as he looked at Annie.
"Yes" said Annie as she nodded at her name being called.
"His Majesty King Albert will see you now, he has been expecting you" he said coldly as his eyes trailed to Maddie as he looked at her in disgust, Annie who noticed this was not pleased at all, she did not like this hostility at all.
"Alright, thank you for informing me Mister, I will see his Majesty now" said Annie as she gave her most fake warm smile as she attempted to move but the man was blocking her way.
"His Majesty only wishes too see Miss Grey, and not you, I am afraid that you will have to wait outside, I can escort you to one of the drawing rooms" he said as he looked at Maddie, the hostility clear as day in his tone and on his face.
"I know that, but I'm afraid that I don't care" said Maddie as she smiled, ignoring the hostility, she was used to it by now, everyone judging her, she just didn't care at all, he could sneer at her all he wanted, it still wouldn't change the fact that she would be going with Annie by fire, by force.
"I'm going with Annie, she's my friend, and she needs me to go with her" said Maddie as he sneered.
"She is not a child, the King did not ask to see you, he only asked to see her, you need to leave now" he said.
"And I told you that I'm not going anywhere, look, I don't do well with meanies that like to pick on children, just let me go, it's not big deal, in fact I will talk to the King myself" said Maddie.
"You are so rude, how can you talk about the King like that, he surely will not let you stay" he said his face filled with horror at her rudeness.
"Oh please relax, that's not me being rude to you, if I was rude, you would know it no doubt" said Maddie with a scoff as Annie tried to make her calm down, she didn't need to talk any more, it would end up being nasty.
"That's it, you are getting out of here now!" he said in anger.
"Try me" said Maddie as she put her fists up, ready to fight as Annie shook her head, not liking this at all.
The man scoffed, but right in the moment that he was about to cast a spell, he heard Albert's voice telling him to stand down and allow the both of them in.
"Are you sure my King?" he asked in his mind.
"Very sure, let them both in" said Albert as the man sighed, hating that he would not be able to deal with this insolent brat who was just as bad as her father.
"What's wrong with you, getting cold feet?" asked Maddie as she scoffed.
"The King says that you should go Miss Grey, and you too... Miss...Wolf..." he said with irritation as Maddie smiled smugly at him.
"Right, next time ask your King for what he wishes you to do first" said Maddie as Annie did not want Maddie causing any more trouble for herself and them, so she pulled her hand and opened the door as they walked into the outer room of Albert's office.
"Maddie, next time please don't start a fight with one of the servants" said Annie as she looked at Maddie.
"For the record, I didn't start it, he did by being rude to me, he probably thinks I'm like Azazel, what better to do than to prove him right? No point of trying to change his mind otherwise" said Maddie as Annie sighed.
"Just please don't fight with the King" said Annie.
"I'll try, now come on" said Maddie as she opened the next door and Annie sighed as she walked into the room and Maddie followed after her.
"Ahh Annie, I have been waiting for you" said Albert as he smiled and stood up when Annie and Maddie walked into his office.
Annie who was startled and surprised by his sudden acknowledgement of her presence and greeting fumbled on her next move.
"I...Good morning your Majesty" said Annie as she bowed her head.
"Good Morning your Majesty" said Maddie as she did the same, not like she wanted to greet him, but Annie did tell her to be nice.
"Good morning, how have you been?" asked Albert as Annie was left shocked once again as she turned to looked at Maddie who looked just as shocked as she was.
"I have been well your Majesty, thank you for asking, and how have you been?" asked Annie as she returned the pleasantries.
"I am well as well, please have a seat" said Albert as he sat back down and Annie hesitated before moving to sit down, but then she stopped.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace, and niceness, but I was informed earlier this morning that you wanted to see me, but I was not informed what for..." said Annie.
"Please try to understand me, it is unsettling not to know what exactly you want to discuss with me, so before I sit down, can you please tell me what you want to discuss with me" said Annie in her most polite tone.
"Eager to get to the point, I like that, I do not blame you, after all I would be unsettled if I did not know what the nature of our meeting was" said Albert as he gave a soft smile that Annie and Maddie both doubted, not once had they seen him smile like that to anyone except Christina.
"Thank you for understanding your Majesty" said Annie as she nodded.
"Well this meeting has been long overdue, so please have a seat first, and you as well Maddie" said Albert as he looked at Maddie.
"I wasn't expecting you to offer me a seat" said Maddie as she was honest before she sat down and Annie did the same.
"I did not expect you to be here, I only called for Annie" said Albert.
"I know, and that is unfair your Majesty, I, Annie and Matt are all a unit, you should have called us all" said Maddie.
"We all trust each other, there's nothing you will say that we won't eventually find out about, it would have been easier and nicer, to invite us all" said Maddie as she told the truth.
"I see that now, and I apologize it will not be so in the future" said Albert as Maddie resisted the urge to scoff, there would be no future.
"I hope so" replied Maddie.
"So what exactly do you want to discuss with us your Majesty?" asked Maddie as Albert smiled at her, she seemed to be Annie's mouth piece, that he did not like, nevertheless it would not stop him from achieving his aim of why he called her here.
"Annie, I am sure you must be wondering why exactly I called you here" said Albert as Annie nodded.
"I am your Majesty" said Annie.
"Well the reason is I need to talk to you, you and I..." said Albert as he was cut off sharply by the sound of Maddie clearing her throat as he looked at her and she at him.
"You, I and your... unit need to have a discussion that we should have had when you first arrived in the Witch Realm" said Albert as Maddie nodded in approval at his use of the word unit.
"Excuse me your Majesty, but which discussion is that?" asked Annie in confusion.