The hall way was suddenly so quiet, with both men starring at each other intensely.
Imperial prince Lorien was quiet pleased with the reaction he got from the man.
This could only mean one thing, Caspian was indeed hiding something .
What he didn't see however was the look of surprise that briefly crossed Malcolm's face.
This was because his Royal highness never reacted this way before.
" Enough romancing you two! There's plenty of time later, when you become brother in laws" The sweet voice of queen Malisande boomed from the other side, and both groaned internally.
They both loathed this woman, the feeling was mutual.
" Your imperial highness " She bowed, before facing her son to bow but he immediately spoke up
" Lorien" he purposely dropped honorifics, shocking the imperial prince.
" Don't we have important matters to attend to ? " The imperial prince immediately caught on though quite displeased with the way he was addressed.
" Of course CASPIAN ! " He emphasized glaring back " lead the way , you are the hosts" He shoved the royal prince forward which earned him a glare.
" You insolent child, I'm your elder" Caspian muttered sharply under his breath.
" And yet I outrank you, dear prince. Perhaps you'd like to bow? " Lorien retorted with a smirk, brushing off the jab with his usual flair.
And as they made their way out they kept on bickering.
" What did i do this time? " Queen Malisande turned towards Malcolm with so much anger, waiting for him to say something. How could they all walk away the moment she arrived? was she truly that detestable. Or was this part of some greater ploy to sideline her influence? Malisande's lips tightened as she drew a calming breath.
Once, Caspian had clung to her gown, his small hands grasping for her comfort. Now they saw her as nothing but a nuisance. She wouldn't allow it —not for long.
The queen sucked in deep breaths trying to tame the simmering anger.
Malcolm knew better than to speak a word, he just bowed before slipping out to catch up with the two bickering princes.
He couldn't help but sigh at their childish behavior , these two were prominent figures and prime examples of leadership and here they were bickering like lovers.
Their relationship was strange though , the strangest thing he had ever seen in the palace. One moment they were at each others throat, trying to ridicule and pull one another down, the next moment they were bickering like lovers as though they hadn't just tried to kill or overthrow each other.
His impression of his Royal highness was worrisome. The man was too kind and welcoming, yet the imperial prince was too playful and mischievous for his liking.
Both had traits that wasn't really suited for rulers but somehow they had managed to carve their own paths in becoming excellent future leaders.
Malcolm would have picked the second prince, Aurelius as an excellent ruler. The young man was an excellent schemer, someone who had no time for dillydally.
At the same time he was someone extremely dangerous, the epitome of evil. This was why the throne could never be his. Wasn't even his to begin with, and had been one of the reasons the brothers were kept apart from each other.
Aurelius wouldn't care for the kingdom and it's people like Caspian ever would. Malcolm knew this very well and had therefore chosed to serve a man with a heart, and nothing would curb his loyalty.
" Malcolm " Lorien approached him and he stiffened....
Oh no ! This only happens when the man wanted to milk information out from him.
He cleared his throat, before taking two steps back.
He might be a powerful mage, but it was pretty useless if he was before the imperial prince and his master. They both were something else.
" Your imperial highness" he bowed, in a stance that made it look like he was ready to sprint.
" Why so serious? Relax.... Now tell me everything " He demanded.
" You know I'm still here right? " Caspian called from behind, taken aback by the imperial prince's shameless act of pokenosing.....
Far from the glided halls of the palace, another world existed. A world of cracked soil, unrelenting labour, and broken spirits.
In that forsaken place Ravenna sat in silence.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat and despair, as hundreds of slaves huddled together, weary from hours of relentless labour under the scorching sun.
They had just finished working all day and it was now their break time—a momentary reprieve that was anything but comforting.
All the guards clad in their prestine uniform, always made a point of marching away in unison, leaving the slaves unattended.
Ravenna knew better than to believe in the illusion of freedom.
From the towering watchspot looming in the distance, hidden eyes tracked every movement, every scuffle. This wasn't a reprieve; It was a twisted form of entertainment.
And as always, the routine chaos began. Some start gossiping and playing, while others get into a fight or bully the weak. Some forcefully taking the women and other dirty deeds like that.
It was something entertaining, to watch what the slaves were capable of during the given time.
Ravenna knew it, she could feel their gazes and she couldn't believe how foolish the slaves were for any of them to not even suspect a thing or maybe someone else did notice but decided to act oblivious just like Ravenna was doing.
' This place is messed up ' Ravenna cursed in her head, everywhere and everything irked her but she just had to maintain the mask of an unbothered and tired slave.
Finally her wounds had began healing properly again, thanks to Maurice. Luckily she had slipped out of the girls room long before the bell rang. Else she would have been in trouble for sleeping in the room of a high ranked court maid.
The soldiers were leaving , eliciting different reactions from the slaves. Joy, fear, terror, sadness, ....
The loud sound of the huge double doors banging shut resounded through out the huge wasteland. Everyone sharing looks as silence crawled about, before poundemonium broke in.
Everyone went crazy, some began chasing others, some running from others. Some already in a fight, others just sat lifelessly nonchalant like everything going on was none of their business.
Some huddled to find a spot to rest, their bodies marked with bruises and scars, their limbs trembling from the endless hours of toil under the unforgiving sun.
Some just stared blanky at the wasteland, their minds detached from the surrounding, as if they had given up on life itself.
The muffled sobbing of a woman blended with the harsh laughter of a group of bulky bullies.
The air reeked of sweat and decay, a constant reminder of their dire existence. Even the cracked ground beneath them felt just as lifeless as their hope.
From the high perch, the guards chuckled as they passed a bottle of wine, placing bets on which slave would snap first.
Ravenna looked around, suddenly locking eyes with someone in the chaotic crowd. It was a girl, but she had very short hair and amber eyes, the epitome of fierceness.
She was staring at Ravenna like she knew something.
' Does she know about it too? ' Ravenna wondered, squinting her eyes in suspicion, before looking away.
It was none of her business till she would get out of this place, she would pretend like she knew nothing.
Unfortunately nothing always goes as planned.
Ravenna cursed in her mind as she saw two men approaching. Her heart pounded against her ribs as the men approached, their cruel smirks already spelling trouble. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, weighing her options
As she definitely could unalive them both with just one lethal move what she didn't want however, is for her cover to be blown.
Fight them and risk blowing her cover or Do nothing and —suffer humiliation, or worse .
' why is it so hard to just lay low ' she internally facepalmed. The gears in her head working on the next possible solution.
She couldn't play dead, it would never work with assholes like them.
She also couldn't pretend to be weak, it would definitely back fire.
She now had just one option..... Considering the fact that the guards were secretly watching, she couldn't blow her cover, else she would immediately be burned to death.
She clenched her fist under the rags she wore, biting back the urge to lash out. The only way to survive was to stay invisible, even as evey fiber of her being rebelled against the humiliation.
She couldn't afford to make a single mistake —not when the shadows of death loomed so close
She shot to feet without warning, her crazed expression startling the approaching men, but she couldn't stop there.
Whatever happened next, she would have to ensure it didn't cost her everything.
Suddenly she began running towards them, her crazed look sending chills down their spine...
Back in the tower, the guards leaned forward anticipating her next movement.....