The castle towered before Lucas and Carter, looming over them. They were here. Lucas would have been lying if he said that he wasn't the least bit nervous. He was in a knight get up, his horns and tail hidden. Carter had given him the rundown of the plan multiple times, but Lucas was still wrecked with nerves and the thought of messing up. It didn't matter though, there wasn't any turning back now. They made it to the gate, where an oddly familiar face coldly greeted them and let them in. Lucas shook off any curiosity from the man that stood guard though. There wasn't time to play detective right now. His once ocean themed castle was soft and pink, how unusual. Any trace that he was ever the king had been erased.
It was an odd feeling, walking the once dark halls. Sun would shine through the silk curtains of the glass stained windows. It truly was beautiful- it reminded him of Nat in a way. Beauty, grace, hiding secrets that only she knows. What Lucas would give to just be with her again, to forget this all, and just stare into those amethyst eyes, their soft beauty unmatched by any other. Nat never cared that Lucas was a monster, and she always understood when he would have an outburst. No one had ever treated Lucas like that- no one had ever treated Lucas so,, human.
They would stop in front of a corridor that led to a dark, twisting, stairwell. "Go down here and wait for me to come get you tonight. It leads to the dungeons- and remember, don't take your helmet off. If anyone recognizes you, it's all over. Be safe, son." ' son.' Lucas mouthed the words. Lucas pulled Carter into a hug, whispering. "You too." He said, so quiet one could mistake it for the wind if not paying attention. He would let go and carefully make his way down the stairwell, the walls around him curving and winding. He would reach the end of the stairwell and let out a long sigh, it was quite hard to breathe in his helmet, his chainmail clinging tightly to his skin. Cells lined walls on either side of Lucas, all bare and empty, except the very far back ones. He didn't feel up to checking it out at the moment though.
He would slide down against a wall, picking his helmet over his mouth ever so slightly, careful not to reveal too much of his pale face. His mind would once again fall back to Nat. Her dark skin and her hair, so soft. He could revel in her beauty for hours, the thought of her touch sucking him in. It hurt so much, losing her. What was he even thinking...he didn't need the world to praise him- all he needed was her. He was way in over his head- he wasn't fit to be king, not when truly, Nat was the queen of his broken heart.
Nat had been thrown into a dark, damp, cell across from Rhett. He was cursing her for dragging him into this mess, and she didn't protest. She was an idiot, trying to play hero- this isn't some fairytale her mother would tell her, this was real life. She really didn't speak at all, stuck in her own head, and Rhett eventually fell to the same fate. Both stuck in their minds, blaming everyone and themselves as well. That was until they heard footsteps growing closer- thinking it was it, they were here to seal their fate. Call it treason and cut both their heads off- but that's not what happened. The footsteps would stop, and a sigh would echo throughout the bleak cellar. Nat and Rhett exchanged looks, confusion and fear filling them. They heard a person drop to the floor, heavy breathing filling the air.
It stayed that way for a while, until Nat finally spoke. "Hello-? Is someone there?" She asked, her voice echoing ever on. They heard the faint sound of moving and shuffling, then footsteps growing closer. Nat braced herself for what she would see. A short knight stood in front of her, she could feel him eyeing her. The knight before her began to tremble, a hand reaching to his helmet. What she saw when he lifted it will stick with her forever, shaking her to her very core. A pale man stared back, his shoulder length blonde hair clinging to his face.
Those eyes. Oh, how she knew those eyes. Ocean blue, pulling her in like a sinking ship. They say eyes are the window to the soul. Those eyes, harsh, full of mystery, but also sorrow and mourning. She had always loved those eyes. The way they would study her when they thought she wasn't looking, the way they turned from hate to love and passion when they locked with hers. Nat loved whom they belonged to. Lucas Darrling, the man she had been running away from the entire time, right in front of her. Love always has a way of finding you, especially when you least expect it. Those Ocean blue eyes would well up with tears, as would her own.
She stood up, walking to the bars of her cell. "Lucas...?" She said, broken. "Nat,,?" Answered the man. A million thoughts ran through her head at that moment. Was he here to kill her, take her back, maybe he had even changed his mind? She knew she'd see him again, but nothing could have prepared her for this moment. (930 words)
YOU ARE READING
A Hero's Bedtime Story.
FantasyA tale of a villains lackey setting off to save the world. What happens when your best friend is your rival? Do you give up your goal for them, or do you rid of the one who stands in your way? A young Nat Arron sets out to stop her biggest threat...
