I Must Save the Evil King

Chapter 18

Content warning: Murder 

Thibault followed close behind me the entire walk to my room. He was droning on about some nonsense, interrupting himself with a direction when I turned the wrong way. The palace was unnecessarily big and by the time I got to my room, my feet were killing me. I pushed the doors open, startling Tillie who was asleep on the couch. 

"My lady!" Tillie jumped up, patting down her hair which has spun out of control while she slept.  "I didn't think you were coming back this early!" 

"Me either, " I groaned as I plopped down on the couch next to her. 

"The lady was not feeling well so I  escorted her back to her room," Thibault smiled lopsidedly. 'Leave' I tried to communicate through my eyes but instead, he slumped into a seat right across from me.  

"Oh well thank you so much for bringing her back," Tillie smiled politely. 

"Yeah I'm pretty great," his words slurred a bit, and at the end, a hiccup escaped his throat. Oh god. He's drunk. "You know you look a lot like my mom." He points at me lazily. 

"Yeah, we are practically twins," Lady Sarduo had a dark coloring with sharp and angular features. Meanwhile, my current body had red hair and startling pale skin, I have more features in common with a corpse than his mother.     

"No, you two give me the same look when you are angry at me. And your both crazy!" He flopped over onto his side. Tillie and I shot a look at each other, trying to figure out which person was going to do something. Suddenly her hand darted to her nose. 

"Not it!" She shouted before I could even react. 

"Ugh," I groaned. Getting up I poked at him with a book that was lying on the table. "Move it! Come on let's go!" He got up slowly his balance obviously thrown off I prodded him in the back with the book leading him forward. God, how much did he drink? When we reached the door he turned around, still smiling. 

"It's been really great-" He froze and time seemed to slow as I realized what was about to happen. I tried to take a step back but it was too late as Thibault vomited onto my shoes. We stared at each other in frozen shock, his eyes wide with fear.      

"You're dead." 

Thibault was lucky Tillie was there to stop me or he wouldn't have escaped with his life.  He ran out of the room screaming thanks to "the lady maid" as a book missed his head by an inch. Camilla had come in after hearing the chaos and helped me and Tillie remove the ruined dress. One of the chambermaids from the palace prepared a bath for me after I had wiped my legs clean with a sponge. I didn't have the energy to thank her as I slumped into the tub, letting to water rise up to my nose. 

"My lady, just call us when you need to change into your nightgown," Tillie smiled, behind her Camilla laid out some fresh towels for me.

"It's okay. Go get some sleep I can change myself," I waved them off. Tillie seemed hesitant to leave but Camilla took the suggestion in stride, immediately walking off to the servant quarters. I don't know how long I lay in the bathtub but by the time I heard the noise outside the water was cold and the fragrance of perfume had disappeared. 

At first, it startled me so much that I couldn't realize what it was but as it continued I was able to recognize it as the playing of drums. I carefully stepped out of the bathtub, changing quickly into a nightgown. The playing got louder and now it was joined by the angry chatter of people. I opened my window and the harsh cold forced me to take a step back, retreating to the wardrobe where I found a warm robe. As I peered my head out I saw maybe a dozen people marching in straight lines playing a song loudly on the drums. Behind them came a crowd of people all chatting and shouting among themselves.          

As the end of the line walked past my window I became resolved to follow them. Quickly I snatch up a lantern from my bedside and put on the slippers that had been left out by Camilla. I pushed open the door hesitantly in the hope to reduce the noise but it didn't help much. I peered into the hallway and once I was sure no one was there I began running down the hall. I used the sound of drums as my guide, staying inside the castle walls so that no one saw me. After one turn I reach a hallway I recognized, realizing it quickly to be the way to the tower the prince brought me to. 

I raced down towards the tower hoping I could see whatever was happening from the top. Arriving there I slowly made my way up the crumbling stairs, leaning against the cold stone walls since there was no railing.  Reaching the top I found a small balcony, and from there I could see where the people had gathered.  They were by no means close to the tower but I could see them illuminated by the lantern's light, and their voices were carried by the cold wind. If they looked over they could probably see me but they all seemed enchanted by something else. 

Suddenly the voices stopped and a man in an army uniform stepped forward dragging a prison behind him. Belmont! I could not see his face but that was certainly what he had been wearing early and even from this distance I could see his white beard.  Why were his hands bound? I leaned closer trying to see who was holding him but then I took a step back remembering the last time I was on a balcony.   

"DUKE BELMONT," said the man in the uniform, his voice was the only thing that could be heard in the quiet night. It sounded so familiar. "You have been found guilty of treason! For your crimes against the royal family, your punishment is DEATH." What? The chatter of the crowd picked up again I could hear some yelling in his defense and others screaming for his death.   

"NO! No, I'm innocent!" He shouted trying to escape but another man came to help hold him down. Is that Thibault? I squinted trying to see if I was right but it was hard to tell. He certainly had the same build and the outfit was almost identical to the one he was wearing earlier. A third man, giant compared to everyone else marched over blade unsheathed. Wait they're not actually going to- 

A strangled scream escaped my mouth as the sword came down. I was quickly joined by the screams and cheers of the crowd but as I stood there the first man looked up at me. Green eyes stare into my soul. Prince Julian.    

I stumbled back a couple of steps then turned quickly running down the stairs. He didn't see me. He didn't see me. I tripped falling to my knees on the cold concrete. A maid moved over to help me, concerned, but I quickly picked myself up and ran. I couldn't let her see my face. I wasn't there. No one saw me. I reached my room in a daze, finding the door still open I ran in and slammed it behind me. Panting I pushed my back into the door. Looking around the room I saw the couch and quickly pushed it over. 

By the time I had pushed it against the door, I fell to my knees exhausted. One of my knees burned and I looked down to see it was bleeding. I stumbled into the bathroom trying to find one of the towels that I had ignored. The panic began to fade and now all I could feel was the burning pain in my knee. Tillie walked into the bathroom behind me, I hadn't even heard the servant's door open.   

"My lady! What happened!" She rushed over taking up my arms to help me sit down. 

"I need to leave the palace now!" I grabbed her shoulders, panicked. I didn't know what to do all I knew is that I needed to leave now. Camilla walked in behind her, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she looked at the scene confused. "Please Tillie" my voice cracked "I need to leave!" 

Tillie looked to Camilla sharing a look they nodded at each other. 

"I will get the carriage, my lady. Let Camilla help your wound." With that, she ran out of the room. Camilla made quick work of my knee wrapping it tightly in a cloth. When Tillie came back they guided me through the servant's quarters to a small brown carriage which I quickly got inside. Camilla followed with me but Tillie stayed behind waving us off. As the carriage moved swiftly off into the night I slumped back in my seat, and finally had no energy left to do anything but sleep.