Charlotte's Time Machine [COMPLETED]

Veronica Lawder

"Are you trying to humiliate me?!" My father's voice echoed throughout the room as I sat in the chair next to his throne. My mother was sat on the other side, as she had her head turned away, not wanting to notice any of this.

I didn't dare to look at him either as he threw insults at all the guards that were down there that night. But I held my head up and stared them down as they stood ashamed with their heads hung low.

Eleven nights has passed and they have not been found. Eleven nights of constant chaos and thick air roaming the castle.

"We lock someone in our dungeons and they manage to escape?! What have all of you been doing down there?!" My father continued, his voice getting louder and his face is getting redder. He stood right in front of them, ready to burst.

He backhanded the first one across his face, making my mother gasp while I stared and remained expressionless. I watched my father slap the second, the third and my mother closed her eyes at the point, not daring to watch but I stared.

I didn't know why my father waited all this time to confront them but I guess now he has the time after spending all day and night circling the areas James and Charlotte would've went through.

A part of me was happy that the guards weren't doing their job right. However, another part of me is disappointed and angry at how they let a prisoner walk right pass them. Let alone someone to sneak in and help them out.

"Get out of my sight!" My father yelled as he hit the last one and turned to walk back up to the throne. I watched the guards scatter out of here, relieved to not be in the same room as the king's wrath anymore. 

Right after their exit and my father sitting back down with a heavy sigh, a knight appeared at the big doors. He requested to come in and my father waved him over. The knight looked nervous but he covered it with a cold face.

He entered the room and stood in front of my father. ''Tell me that you have got me some good news.'' My father said, almost begged with his head laying on his hand while his elbow rested on his armchair. 

''Unfortunately not, your highness.'' The knight bowed his head, not daring to look at my father in the eyes. You see, some kings are loved, some hated, some feared. My father was all. ''We searched every corner in the village, every house and every shop. My men are in the forest all day and night but nothing was found related to the two. We send letters to the smaller nearby kingdoms to help with the search but nothing. The both are not the country anymore your highness. That is for sure.'' The knight concluded with a sad sympathetic look on his face.

My father looked at him unimpressed. Another bad news to him.

''We must retreat, your highness. I can extend the search for two more days but we must stop. The men are getting tired and there are far more important things to do.'' The knight said with a nervous look upon his face. He knows that what he said can put his neck under the king's grasp but he still dared to say.

''You think the efforts of catching the ones who hurt my granddaughter is unimportant?'' My father leaned forward in his seat, a scowl look on his face and at any second, he can blow up right now.

''Of course not, your highness.'' The knight hastily replied, afraid under my father's wicked glare. ''But the other kingdoms will notice how weak we are becoming. We can't risk it anymore.'' The knight fumbled as he stood, scared from the king, while my father leaned back in his seat, studying the man's words and knowing how right he is.

Stopping the search is the best for all of us. We need this household to go back as how it was, for Zoe to recover properly and for the things to go peaceful again.