make me stay.

ten

♜

"good evening," 

a voice suddenly rung through the assembly hall. the roof was high, higher than i would ever be able to reach, but the voice reached every corner. my head snapped towards the sound, towards where everyone else was already looking. 

nahaniel. 

he was the first person i laid my eyes on. he was standing on a raised platform to make sure that everyone would be able to see him and the men next to him. four men, almost the exact same height has him, stood on a straight line next to him. 

chested raised even higher than their chins, dark eyes, sharp features, a posture and general build stronger than anyone, they radiated authority. 

nathaniel stood in the middle, having changed his dress-shirt from the last time i saw him. showing up in front of hundreds of servers with four holes in the shoulder of your shirt wouldn't exactly be fit. not that many could make out the details on any of them from their distance. 

"we apologize to disrupt your well-deserved rest, but unfortunately we have a situation where many hands are needed." he pauses, looking around to see how his information is being taken. most af quiet, barely moving, maybe asleep standing, maybe listening closely. 

as his eyes run over the people staring back, i instantly bow my head to avoid him noticing me. only two people who knew who i looked like. only two people to avoid at all costs. 

"within the hour, all windows, all doors, all entrances of any kind must be closed off, locked if possible." nathaniel's voice roamed clear. his tone was harsh, but powerful, making sure everyone heard his words. 

my jaw fell slightly, as my brain stuttered for a moment, my eyes taking in too much light at once as a part of me pauses, my thoughts finally catching up. 

they wanted everyone locked up inside the castle. but why?

i glance around, not moving out of my spot, waiting motionless for a response to the given information. 

"why?" bexley whispers, a deep fold in her forehead. 

"has this ever happened before?" 

"once. back when the king and his brother, back then sons to the royal couple, got lost somewhere in the castle. the castle was locked down to make sure they didn't end up outside of the castle walls until they were found." bexley whispers her words carefully, making sure i am the only one receiving her sentences. "i haven't heard of any other instances." 

"oh." i mumble, my eyes wider than what they should be. 

"but we currently have no children in the castle."

i glance to bexley, seeing how she moves her head from side to side, trying to get a glance of what is happening in front of us. 

"you all have questions, and we will provide answers soon. but time is running against us, so we have no time give out currently. now, please, go." nathaniel finishes, turning around to leave immediately.

"where do we go?" i ask, grabbing bexley's arm to gain her attention as people around us start moving, noise growing. 

"we do as told," she says, frowning. "what else?" 

of course. do as we're told. 

my birthday was on sunday, and soon, the sun would rise to reveal saturday. i had less than a day left of freedom, and soon, i would be stuck inside the walls of the castle; a place most people never even got close enough to, to see. 

i had had no idea how it looked until now, and i still hadn't seen the outsides. 

"i need to leave, bexley." i speak, as bexley continues down the halls, leading the way. she knows where she is going, no doubt. 

"leave?" she asks. "i thought you were staying until the morning. do you not need the rest?" she asks. "whatever they are looking for should be found soon. i doubt the door will still be closed in the morning,"

and there we had it. the ultimate complex. 

the castle was slowly closing down, not to keep anyone out, but keep someone in. me. and surely, the doors would be opened once i was found, in the morning, but if that did happen, i wouldn't have an opportunity to leave. 

i needed to leave before my window closed. quite literally. but leaving would create suspicion, especially at this time of the night, and i doubted that i could stay hidden for long. 

"in a way, i'm starting to believe you, you know." bexley suddenly spoke up, as we turned a corner, moving up the first set of stairs that showed up. 

"what do you mean?" i ask, moving out of the way of a group of guards moving down the stairs. none of them even spared me a second look, but i caught myself in gasping as i saw them. i quickly turned my head, holding a hand over my mouth as we passed them, and luckily, nothing further happened. they didn't see nor hear me. 

"you are a secret, mars. at least, you won't say much about anything." 

i pause at the last step, as i feel the burning on my neck once more, but this time, it feels different. it stings, almost feeling like boiling. and suddenly, within a blink, i can't see in front of me anymore. the hall i had before me disappears, and i see high walls, yellow light hanging on the walls which are surrounded by shelves with books. in front of me is nathaniel and the four men from the assembly hall, all watching me closely. 

"where?" one of the men asks, his arms crossed over his chest. he rises a slight bit over the rest in height, and his attire doesn't resemble the others. he's dressed in a light armor, perhaps not armor, but the chest place is definitely to protect him against an attack. 

"sixth floor, perhaps. the halls don't differ much in details." a voice breaks, sounding from behind me, but i struggle to move. i recognise the voice instantly, but the tone was new. 

mercer. 

i blink and the image starts fading. i hear a faint mumble, but i blink again, harshly this time, and the current image being shown for me from someone else's eyes blends back into the vision of the hall i had been in before. 

i take in a sharp breath, my control over the movement of my body returning within a split second. 

"are you okay?" bexley is standing directly in front of me, which she hadn't been before.

"i-" i pause, noticing how insane the words on my tongue sounded. "i think someone just used my eyes." i speak up, mostly to myself, but bexley replies.

"the king," she whispers, her eyes round with an unknown emotion, as she takes a step back.

"the king?"