Insurrection [On Hold]

31 Ultimatum

*Every*

Every nods to the generals and walks around to my side of the table. His hand hesitates before he places it on my arm. His touch isn't rough like his brother's, rather it's gentle. Without either of us saying a word, he guides me out of the room.

​Outside I find the women spraying the floor where Lizabeth threw up. They stand up and curtsy to Every, their eyes following me as we continue to walk past them.

​I look at him, his muscles are tense, his back like a rod. The slight curls in his brown hair are trimmed and aren't as wild as the last time I saw him. There's a hint of stubble along his chin and sides of his face. The little boy I used to know is all grown up.

​"How are you?" He still holds onto my arm. His question seems to have genuine interest in it; it's not just because it's the customary thing to ask.

​"I'm doing okay, since considering the last time you saw me I was unrecognizable."

​"Yes, true." He laughs breathily. "It's so odd to see you." He pulls us up a polished staircase.

​"Especially under these circumstances," I add. I'm grateful the Lord kept me alive. With the way everything's been turning out for me, the most likely scenario was that I would have been killed back there.

​After two flights of stairs, we walk down a hallway.

​"I never thought you'd be our prisoner." He keeps his head forward.

​"Neither did I. I always imagined it the other way around." I nudge him in the ribs, and he sends me a playful glare.

​"I see you're still the irritating person you were the last time I saw you."

We stop in front of a brown door. Gold lines its crevices.

I clench my free hand. This is my new prison. ​"The question is, are you the same person as well?"

​He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, placing his palm on the wall to the left of the door. A white beam shows through the wall, scanning his hand, causing it to glow a pinkish color. The beam vanishes and he opens the door, pulling me inside the bedroom. "This is where you will be staying." He lets go of me.

​The room is elegantly furnished. A large bed is in the center of the room, its fabric a rich dark blue. The wall across from it is made of large stones.

​"You won't leave the palace unless one of my family members escorts you. You will refrain from aimless wandering around the palace. Every meal you will eat with us. You will dress properly like a royal should." He means gowns, not short dresses or leggings. "There will be no communication with the outside world. Is that understood, Princess Raksana?"

​"I'm a prisoner. I understand."

​"A royal hostage. You will be treated much better than any regular prisoner would ever be."