Forbidden Love

chapter 4: Dinner

(I... don't even have an excuse for why this chapter took me so long to publish. I'm so sorry! It wasn't even the writing that took me so long, I was just sitting here for a while, not doing everything 😅 I'm going seriously try not to make y'all wait that long again. It's okay, it was annoying me too. I'M SO SORRY!)

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As Eugene attempted to lead the tour, Varian stayed behind the two women, deep in thought. There was something about these women that he didn't like. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew the sun on Rapunzel's ring had something to do with it. If only he could remember where he'd seen that symbol before.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Cassandra's voice. "What exactly are you trying to show us?" She asked, "We've been in this hall for ten minutes."

"Well we're not allowed to show you certain things," the prince answered. "Certain things? You haven't shown us anything yet!" Cass exclaimed, growing more annoyed by the second.

"Okay, to put it simply we're not allowed to show you rooms that have this symbol on the door," Eugene stated, pointing to the back of his left hand. "Why not?" The swordswoman inquired. "It's complicated." "Cause we're at war and we don't know where you're from," Varian answered. "I guess it's not that complicated," the prince added as they kept walking.

"There you are," Varian soon heard Luna say from behind him, "What's going on?". Varian slowed his pace, letting the gap between him and the rest of the group widen before responding. "We snuck out, saw these ladies wandering around, Gene saved one of them and the other seems annoyed by that, they didn't have anywhere to stay so now we're attempting to give them a tour before dinner," the archer answered.

"Okay, first of all, why didn't you tell me you were sneaking out? I would've joined you," the princess replied. "We couldn't find you," the archer responded. "Fair enough," Luna continued, "secondly, you know my brother has no idea how to give a tour, right?". "I'm starting to pick up on that." "Yeah, also, you guys do realize supper starts in five minutes?".

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The group of five slipped into the dining room just as the appetizers were being brought out. "You're late," the queen said in a firm but loving voice as the group came to the table. "Sorry Mom," Eugene responded and his mom smiled, noticing the girls.

"And who are these lovely ladies with you?" She inquired, waving to a nearby maid, who quickly placed two extra chairs at the table. "This is Rapunzel and Cassandra," Eugene responded, "Ladies, this is my mother, Queen Rachel, my father, King Edmund, Ulla the protector, and the Brotherhood."

Raps and Cass curtsied then the queen gestured for them to sit. As soon as they sat, one of the evening's appetizers was placed in front of both of them. As Rapunzel slowly started eating the delicious looking salad, Cass stared at hers for a couple seconds, letting their situation really sink in.

They weren't just sitting and eating with the rulers of the enemy, they were in the same room as the entire Brotherhood! Sure, there's only five members, but everyone in the eight kingdoms knows what the Brotherhood is; the legendary guardians of the Dark Kingdom and all its secrets.

Then there's Ulla the protector. If you know about the Brotherhood, you know about her. Ulla isn't just a genius, she's also the only person who can defeat any member of the Brotherhood in combat, often times without using a weapon. She could even hold her ground against the entire Brotherhood at once for a considerable time, and still walk away unscathed.