The dungeon was filled with ragged gasps from the royal family. King Eldarion, his once-proud beard matted with blood, stared at the door as the sound of approaching footsteps sent shivers down their collective spines. Queen Evangeline clung to the dungeon bars, her delicate fingers digging into the cold metal as if it might save her.
Princess Athiel snuggled nearby, gazing blankly at the cold stone floor. Princes Aradiel and Akiel, battered and fatigued, exchanged looks. Concubine Coriel, normally so collected, shivered in the corner, her eyes wide with terror and desperation.
"Get me out of here," Queen Evangeline screamed, her voice straining against the cold stones of the dungeon. "I am the queen! I will not be subjected to this!" Her words echoed off the walls, bouncing back to her.
"Silence, Evangeline," King Eldarion rasped, his voice hoarse.
Queen Evangeline turned to her husband, anger flaring in her dark eyes. "Eldarion, I will not be spoken to in such a manner!" She spat, the words dripping with venom. "I am the rightful ruler of Althea, and I will not stand for this!"
"Silence, Evangeline," King Eldarion rasped, his voice hoarse. "I hear footsteps. They are coming for us." The sound of footsteps grew louder, echoing through the damp, cold air of the dungeon. The captives huddled together, their eyes darting nervously from one another to the door, hoping for some sign of rescue.
The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing a sight that filled them with a mixture of horror and disbelief. Lady Layil, Aradiel's shy and silent wife, entered the room, a cold smile playing on her lips. Beside her, dressed in her handmaiden attire, stood a stoic Uriel.
"Well, well, well," Lady Layil drawled as she surveyed the group before her, her expression cool and unreadable. "Look what we have here. The royal family of Althea."
Prince Aradiel's eyes widened. "L-L-Layil?" he stammered. "What are you doing here? Are you here to help us?"
"Oh, darling Aradiel," she cooed, taking a step forward watching them through the dungeon bars, "Do not worry your pretty little head about it. From now on, I do all the talking here."
King Eldarion's eyes narrowed. "Layil? What is the meaning of this? Why are we here?" His voice was strained, his words heavy with disbelief.
"Layil," Aradiel whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief. "Why?"
Layil smiled wider, a sinister smile. She did not even acknowledge Aradiel's question instead addressing the others. "You are all here for one reason: to pay the price for your sins." Her voice was cold, cutting through the air like a knife.
Athiel stood up and proceeded towards the dungeon bars, confronting Uriel. "You!" Athiel spat, her voice tinged with wrath. "You are working for her?"
Uriel remained mute, her expression an unreadable mask. Layil laughed without humour. "Oh, sweet Athiel," she replied, her voice full of sarcasm. "Uriel cannot hear you, sweetheart. "She is under my control."
"Sins?" Queen Evangeline spat, her voice echoing off the damp walls. "You call this... this act of barbarity... a punishment for sins?" She gestured around at the damp, cold cell, her anger growing with every passing moment. "We have clearly done nothing wrong!"
Layil's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, hard expression. "Do not dare speak of barbarity, Queen Evangeline," she hissed. "My father, King Madoc, was the rightful King of Niameda! King Kiyoshi of Ivamis murdered him and stole the kingdom from him! I am merely seeking justice!"
"Your father was a tyrant! He orchestrated the kidnapping of innocent children! For petty revenge of love! You cannot call that justification!" Evangeline spats back, her words echoing off the stone walls. "You would have us believe that you are some sort of hero? You are a monster, Layil! A cold-hearted murderer!"
"That is rich coming from a family full of secrets!" Layil retorted, her voice dripping with venom. "My father was a good man! You Altheans are all so blind!"
She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "It was simple, really," she said, her voice regaining its calm. "To infiltrate Althea. After all, your royal family is not exactly known for their... intellect."
Akiel's eyes blazed with a silent fury, but he remained trapped and helpless.
Layil continued, her voice dripping with venom. "My plan was easy...Marry Aradiel and that was simple. I promised him love, a future... and he, like a lovesick fool, fell for it completely."
Aradiel's gaze flickered towards Layil, his face etched with a heartbreak that even the darkness of the dungeon couldn't obscure. The realization of her betrayal washed over him like a cold, bitter wave, leaving him reeling. He wanted to shout, to plead with her, but his voice seemed to have deserted him.
"Once I was fully integrated into the family," she continued, "I began my work subtly. Manipulating advisors, swaying opinions... it was all child's play."
She leaned forward, her eyes boring into King Eldarion soul as she spoke. "Oh, and the witches?" she said, a sly smile playing on her lips. "That was all me, of course. I offered them a little... incentive to help me with my... situation. Like, oh I do not know, killing you, dear King Eldarion."
"How dare you!" Athiel cried, her voice cracking with anger and despair. "You are a monster, Layil! You used my brother, you used all of us, to further your twisted ambitions!"
But Layil ignored Athiel's outburst, her gaze fixed on Eldarion as she continued. "But that pesky General Kazi always seemed to get in the way. First, saving you from the witches, then that annoying nephew of hers... what was his name again, 'K' or something?" she scoffed. "And protecting Azrael in the orphanage incident. How annoying!"
A collective gasp echoed through the room as Layil's words hung heavy in the air. King Eldarion, his face pale with shock, sputtered, "Althea... Althea had nothing to do with Madoc's death! We were not even involved!"
Layil's smile turned malicious. "True, dear King," she conceded. "But my true enemy is King Kiyoshi of Ivamis. The witches, however, would not lend me their power unless I... weakened Althea first. Getting rid of your precious royal family seemed like the perfect solution."
"I knew you were trouble from the moment you slithered into this palace!" Queen Evangeline spat; her face contorted with rage. "Your wickedness knows no bounds, Layil!"
Layil threw her head back and laughed, a shrill and mocking sound that echoed through the dungeon. "Rich coming from you, Queen Evangeline," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But fear not, your little secrets are about to be revealed as well."
Her gaze swept across the room, lingering on each member of the royal family before settling on King Eldarion. "Oh, the great King Eldarion," she began, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The epitome of righteousness. Yet, it seems even the most honourable among you have your secrets." She paused, drawing out the tension in the air.
An uneasy silence fell over the room. Evangeline's gaze shifted to the King, a flash of panic replacing her rage. Layil continued, savouring the growing tension.
"It seems that dear Eldarion here," she said, gesturing to the shocked King, "had a little... indiscretion during his travels. An affair with a foreign princess, no less. And to keep it hidden from the court, he paid off the princess's father, promising to support his claims of succession in exchange for his silence."
King Eldarion's faces flushed crimson with embarrassment, but he said nothing. Queen Evangeline gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. Coriel, pale with shock, turned to face the King, her eyes filled with betrayal and bewilderment.
"Is this true?" Queen Evangeline demanded, her voice cracking with emotion. "Is what she is saying true, Eldarion?" Her gaze bored into his, searching for some hint of denial, some sign that this was all just a wicked dream. But her husband remained silent, his face pale and drawn.
"You promised me after you took Coriel as your concubine that there would be no more secrets!" Evangeline shrieked at her husband. "You promised!"
Layil's gaze then shifted to Aradiel, her expression turning calculating. "And as for you, my dear husband," she purred, "It must hurt to find out your entire life has been a lie."
"W... wh..what are you...talking about?" stammered Aradiel, his face a mask of confusion and denial.
"It turns out, my dear husband that you aren't the king's true son..." Layil began, a sinister smile playing at the corners of her lips. Aradiel released a gasp. He glanced back and forth between his parents and Layil, trying to catch a glimpse of denial, but he was unable to.
"The Queen," Layil continued, "had a little... indiscretion of her own. A brief affair with a handsome servant. And to keep the truth hidden, she arranged for the servant's wife to be banished from court, claiming she was unfit to serve. But the truth is, she was pregnant with the servant's child.... all while married to you, King Eldarion."
Everyone turned to Evangeline, their expressions a mix of horror and disbelief. Queen Evangeline looked like a woman who had been stripped bare, her regal composure shattered by the revelations.
"This is why Queen Evangeline was so desperate for you to have an heir, Aradiel," she explained. "She needed to secure her future, to ensure the legitimacy of her... shall we say, 'investment.'"
Prince Aradiel turned to his mother, his face a mask of disbelief. "Is this true?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
Evangeline screamed loudly, almost to the point of madness. She yelled, "It was necessary!" her voice breaking with rage and insanity. "I needed to secure a future for myself, for you!"
"You betrayed me!" King Eldarion shouted; his face twisted in anguish as he struggled against his bonds. "You lied to me! How could you do this?"
"Oh please, let us not forget about your affair with that foreign princess!" Evangeline screamed back at him. "Do not stand her and judge me when you were just as guilty!"
"Mother... Father..." Prince Aradiel whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of his mother's cries. His gaze darted between them, unable to comprehend the magnitude of their betrayals. The once-familiar faces before him had become twisted and unrecognizable, their actions nothing short of treasonous. He struggled to breathe, feeling as though an icy hand had clenched around his throat, squeezing the life out of him.
"And that," Layil interjected, her voice dripping with venom, "should be enough. Silence!" she commanded, her gaze boring into Aradiel's shocked face.
Her attention turned to Athiel, who had stayed pretty calm throughout the entire ordeal. "And the precious only princess," Layil began, her voice dripping with venom, "it is a shame, really..."
Athiel, her eyes blazing with a fury that belied her youth, stepped forward, her hands bawled into fists at her sides. "Shut up, Layil!" she spat.
Layil's smile widened. "Oh, but sweetheart," she purred, "you would not want to miss this part, would you?"
"You see, Princess Athiel...," Layil began, stepping closer to her, a predatory gleam in her eye. "Is with child."