ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ || Judar x Reader

|ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 48|

|48|

You didn't know how long his attacks lasted. After a certain point, you couldn't even bear to keep listening to the screeching of electricity and metal colliding. You turned and continued walking towards the palace, basically turning your sense of sound off. He eventually got tired of waiting by the front entrance and began to circle the entire shield, sending random attacks wherever he could. It was nearly impossible to keep up with them all with how quickly he switched locations.

It was easier to ignore him when he was spewing curse words into open space rather than directly at you. The magic of the shield had to be protecting you from his view. That was the only explanation as to why he wasn't insistently following you as you walked. All derogatory insults he shouted soon became muffled and overtaken. The vibrations of the shield fighting against his attacks made you aware that he was still there.

The sound of running water filled your ears as you approached a fountain that stood before the front entrance to the palace. Two pathways gave you more options for how to get around the obstacle. You stopped at the edge of one, looking over and into the water. Met with the sight of your own reflection, you were surprised that the water was still this clean after all this time. That realization had you pausing in your movements and instead inspecting the structure before you.

The only thing that indicated the place had not been maintained in years was the slight plant overgrowth. Vines managed to connect from the top of the columns to the ground. Aside from that, everything appeared as if the place was still regularly maintained. The water was clean, the garden was still thriving, and even the palace structure looked to be in perfect shape. Your breath slightly hitched as your hands began to tremble lightly.

'Could there still be people here?' It seemed idiotic to believe. If there were people in the palace you're sure you would have seen one by now. Why would they not come out to greet the only royal family member left? That spark of hope flickered out almost as quickly as it appeared. There likely was not anyone currently living within the palace. The more logical explanation would be that it was the same magical spell keeping the force field in place. The power must be far more extensive than you had originally imagined. Still, you could only hope that you wouldn't go in and find yourself completely alone.

With a deep breath, you began your trek toward the entrance once again. The running water provided a welcome background noise that prevented your thoughts from wandering too much. The palace door was large, and very clearly heavy. It was obvious that only Serpantines or those of similar strength were meant to open these doors. Placing a hand against one, you gave it a slight push, surprising yourself with just how heavy they actually were. They would definitely require multiple ordinary men to open. You, however, were no ordinary man.

Bracing both of your palms against the doors, a small grunt left your mouth as you pushed forward. It was beyond obvious that these doors had not been opened for years. They squeaked and tried to resist every bit of force as they were pried open. Yet your strength still reigned successfully in the end and within the next second, you were standing inside the palace, a sudden rush of adrenaline surging through your body.

It was empty just as you had anticipated, but you couldn't help the slight disappointment you felt. You had hoped to be greeted by something but it seemed it really was magic keeping the palace together. There was no purpose in dwelling on it now. The doors closed behind you as you stepped forward, the sun passing through the windows and skylights illuminated the hall enough for you to see. You did not remember anything about the palace and to be completely honest, you were lost on what to do now. Were you supposed to go to the throne room and look for some hidden message that would guide you forward?