2.1 | Alice ✔

Repaying The Favor

After Zephyr, Raelen and Katherine agreed to watch over the White City for anymore criminals, Ezra and Zain rushed Saber's body back to the horses, saddled up, and hightailed it to the castle. Luckily, the king and queen were ambling the bailey when they arrived. They could see Saber needed immediate medical attention, and Alfred scooped her up and followed Meredith's lead to their medical ward. 

Once she was in the queen's care, the king joined them back in the main hall and implored them about her condition. With a heavy sigh, Ezra relayed the day's events, not sparing a single detail. She even added the part where Zain suspected the mystery man to be the cat that led them here, to which the king wasn't at all happy to hear. Vowing to search every corner of the kingdom to find these villains, he commended them for their diligent work. After he made his departure, the two decided to check on Saber.
                   
"I've administered a salve that should prevent any scarring or burns, and some painkillers. Her vitals are stabilizing, so everything should be okay," Meredith assured them with a small smile. Zain cringed at the bandages on her arm. Why did she keep getting hurt this way?

"You know . . . not many outsiders are known to possess magic. When I first met the two of you, you struck me as ordinary humans," the queen confessed, picking at her nails. "In situations like these, one would suspect the two of you have some sort of ties to our realm."
                   
He and Ezra exchanged looks of alarm. "How is that possible?" Zain asked in a wary tone. "I've never been to this place in my entire life. The same is true of Saber, I'm certain."
                   
"Perhaps you have ancestors that originated from here?" the queen stated more than asked, her voice utterly calm. "The notion that they somehow found their way to the outside and started new lives is not so farfetched, considering the endless possibilities of the past. Our realm used to be open and welcoming, after all. Our people used to travel to all sorts of fascinating realities, and maintained ties between each one for many centuries."
                   
"Until the tragedy," Ezra whispered, and he looked at her expectantly. Neither woman bothered to elaborate.
                   
"Nonetheless, its very dangerous for the two of you to go wielding powers you know nothing about," the queen informed, standing from her stool. "I never imagined I would have to resort to this, but I think it would be best for me to equip you two for the duration of your stay."
                   
"Y-you don't mean-?!" Ezra gasped with panic. The queen nodded solemnly.
                   
"I don't know the nature of what occurred today, but we can't afford for events to repeat themselves," she explained, making her way out of the room. The two of them followed, Zain glancing back at Saber one last time.

The queen moved at an alarmingly brisk pace. Ezra kept up well enough, but Zain was practically jogging after them. They seemed to be discussing something vehemently, but he couldn't come close enough to hear the details. They arrived at the winding staircase, and began to descend. He wasn't sure why he was so shocked to discover that this castle had dungeons, but the cool air that wafted from underground chilled him to the bone.

They seemed to be spiraling downwards forever, their surroundings growing increasingly dark, humid and cold. Not a moment too soon, the flight finally ended, and lanterns began to illuminate a cavernous hall with enchanted flames. They proceeded down it at a more relaxed pace, and Zain was both relieved and terrified. What was it that they were approaching at such a cautious stride?
                   
At the end of the passage were an enormous pair of eloquently designed doors. Their arches were engraved with some ancient script, and the handles were massive; they looked too heavy for even the burliest man to nudge. Luckily, the queen made a flurry of hand gestures, and the doors howled as they slowly opened inward, creating a vacuum that would have sucked he and Ezra inside, had they not been hiding behind the queen. What lied beyond boggled their minds. The White Kingdom's treasury, piled to the ceiling with gold and precious gems for as far as their eyes could see.