The lion and the witch

~Chapter 2: Dinners and dresses~

Sophie's POV~

A couple hours had passed since Sophie had first arrived to Camelot, and yet, she had already managed to have Rhian in her grasp.

It hadn't taken much effort to seduce him into believing she was on his side, or rather, she hadn't seduced him at all.

She hadn't even caught a glimpse of her so-called beloved before being forcibly acquainted into the queen's chambers. 

Sophie was hesitant at first as to why she had been given such a formal room, but came to realise that maybe Rhian had his own plan in his head too. Just maybe.

For the first time in realisation, she took in her surroundings, staring at the king-sized canopy bed directly in front of her, satin-blue curtains drawn back, in complexion against the golden sheets. A sitting area was positioned towards the front of the bed, a stone-tiled fireplace on the side, glassed double-doors leading out into a private balcony towards a beautiful view of the kingdom. 

Sophie's emerald eyes glimpsed upwards at the diamond chandelier gazing down at her, crystals shimmering against the afternoon sun. She wondered how many of those crystal's broken shards it would take to befall a king, better even, if given the chance, his twin.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Sophie didn't need to turn to know who was behind it, listening to the cruel snarl outside. "I know you're in there, so no need to play coy," was all that Japeth had said before he rudely walked inside without permission, not at all caring if she was doing something private. 

Sophie slowly took a step back and folded her arms, glaring at her visitor, trying to make herself look intimidating, but Japeth saw well through it. "The king advises for your appearance for dinner in an hour, and strongly recommends you do show up, otherwise severe consequences will be headed in your way, little minx," he smirked, not at all entranced by Sophie's snarl.

"Are you sure your brother was clear on that last suggestion, Japeth?" she asked sweetly, calmly using his name without an appropriate title. 

His grin widened so badly, Sophie thought she was going to be sick. "Why don't you stay in your room for dinner tonight and find out?" he sneered, scims slowly slithering along his body. 

Sophie held in a gulp, not at all wanting to give Japeth the pleasure of knowing she was scared. "Are there any other limits?" 

For once, the kings brother's smile faded, a serious expression on his face. "You are to wear that exact dress you came to Camelot in for tonight without an excuse as to why you shouldn't", he ordered, ignoring Sophie as she delivered him a roll of her eyes. 

"Anything else?"

"If anyone in this castle reports suspicious behaviour or sightings of weapons nearby..." Japeth calmly walked towards her until his nose almost touched hers, smirking at her whimper. "Well, let's just say your friends won't be the only ones executed once we find them."

For the first time since Japeth had walked into that room, Sophie didn't hide her fear away from him anymore, skin paling as he grinned.

"Well, glad we came to an understanding!" he suddenly exclaimed, taking his leave, only to stop in front of the door. "I hope to see you at supper, little minx. Don't think I won't know where to find you if you would rather take the pleasure in starving tonight," he replied with one last glare, and shut the door. 

Sophie had to steady herself, and sat at the nearest couch, head in hands, keeping the tears at bay. There wasn't a reason for her to cry, as much as she wanted too. She had to find a way to secretly try and get closer to Rhian if she were to kill him, despite Japeth's threat. 

If the kings twin were to get out of her way, she had to find his weakness, and to do that, she had to have a converation with the Snake's brother. 

Sophie looked up and grinned to particularly no one, thinking of a spell, a curse, something to at least try and make Rhian to stand on her side. 

Nothing bypassed her mind, and she sighed in defeat, sure it would come to her soon enough. 

She angled her head and turned to find Evelyn Sader's petite yet plain dress neatly placed on her bed, and she glimpsed down to look at her own; a more royal-defined mauve dress with a golden-embroiled pattern sewn at the edges. She grimaced at the outfit she was supposed to wear, and wasn't in the mood to fail Japeth's expectations, no matter how much she despised him. 

With a weary sigh, she walked towards the dress and reached out to feel the silky texture, a butterfly-like pattern attached through the bodice down midway until it reached the bottom half of the skirt. Surely they could come to life with just a state-of-mind of the wearer. Her Dean was the type of person to have such a thing, of course. 

Sophie softly groaned and gently picked it up, heading towards the bathroom, only to pause right in front of the doorway, reflecting on Japeth's words. 

"You are to wear that exact dress you came to Camelot in for tonight without an excuse as to why you shouldn't".

Sophie started to smirk, a witch's cackle buried deep within, refusing to come to the surface. She stared back down at the dress, stroking the fabric once more, grinning even more. 

Japeth had asked of her to wear the dress, not how to wear it. Surely if she redesigned the outfit to her liking, she wouldn't get in trouble. Besides, Japeth hadn't said a single word about the dress other than wearing it. 

She closed her eyes in consideration, lips curled in a wicked grin. 

Oh yes, she thought. If Japeth was going to get on her nerves, then she was certainly going to get on his own too. 

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A/N

I really am sorry about how long I took to update, (even though I specifically said I would update more every week in just the last chapter) 💀

I was incredibly busy with school work these past couple weeks, and didn't have the spare time to write another chapter (Please forgive me) 😓😓

Anyways, I really hope you guys liked this chapter, and will definitely (more like hopefully) publish a couple more chapters to make up for the ones I didn't write before hand.

Have a great day/afternoon/evening/night!

-Eva