Unedited

Chapter 6: Would You Like Some Sugar With Your Tea?

I wasn't left unconscious this time, while being transported. I kind of wish I had been because this trip is soo borriinnggg.

A huff escapes past my lips as I prop my elbow on the carriage window sill and lay my head in my hand. My eyes scan over the still dark world and part of me wonders if this place ever sees any sunlight. Unless I have just been knocked out through it and have only been awake during nights, but I doubt it.

"What's with the long face? It could be worse. We could have left you in shackles." The stupid velvety voice that is starting to remind me more of the sound Luke's stomach makes after he chugs an entire two liter soda.

My eyes remain fixed on the scenery outside, completely ignoring my barber sitting across from me, and looking pretty smug for someone sitting across from a trained killer.

Though I guess I haven't done much to show how easily I could sever his head from his body.

From the corner of my eyes I can see him cross his legs and feel his gaze on the side of my face. After a few more minutes of being scrutinized more than I already have, I finally turn my eyes in his direction. I make a fist and rest my chin on my knuckles as I stare at him with my lips in a tight line.

"You've already taken everything from me, including my will. I'm not going to grace you with a smile as if we're schoolmates climbing trees and harassing raccoons." Though my words were meant to sting worse than my kiss, the prince doesn't look effected. In fact, he looks quite pleased.

Even though he's wearing gloves, he inspects them as if he were looking at his nails. I actually take a moment to look at him and take in his features now that I'm not drugged.

He looks like a skinnier version in what I can only assume is how King Bardolf looked in his better years. Both men have boring chocolate brown hair that curls around their necks and foreheads, though today the prince decided to slick it back. His face is completely clear of any freckles or imperfections and if he were from the mortal world, he would probably be a celebrity for his looks. He also always has pristine and smug free glasses which surprises me that he would have in this time era, but he does strike me as the odd ball inventor after mentioning a lab.

His copper brown eyes finally snap up to my staring and a knowing smirk spreads across his lips, and that's when I glance back out the window. "You'll realize that this arrangement will be better for everybo-" "Don't try and play the hero card." I snap, cutting him off and narrowing my eyes at him with as much disdain as I can muster. "I don't give a shit about the well being of everyone. I care about getting my job done, which you're obstructing by holding me and my ring hostage."

I tack on that last part as hatefully as I can because I can still see it on his ring finger, hence why he needs gloves. He chuckles humorlessly before laying back in his seat and continuing to stare at me like a lab experiment.

Which I probably am.

"Well, make everyone happy by getting your job done." He quips back and I don't even bother arguing that he knows that's not the job I had meant.

For anyone confused, I've been injected with... Well he didn't exactly give a name to it, meaning it's experimental; making it all the more tricky. Whatever he had injected in me is meant to slowly seize my body by making my skin turn acidic and keep my heart pumping until I've completely melted, if I don't receive another dose of it every day to counteract it for at least 24 hours.

So unless I want to feel myself turn into a pile of goo, I have to comply with these ludicrous demands and receive my injection from someone they already have planted on the inside.

Since I have no idea what he put inside me, it's going to make it that much harder to find an antidote and escape. It isn't impossible, but it will take a bit of time.

So for now, I play nice.

I remain still as a statue the entire rest of the trip and Prince Xavier doesn't seem to mind at all. He even pulls out a book and begins reading.

As I remain in my own head space, I become consciously aware of my short hair strands dangling in my face which the prince had a fit about when I refused to have my hair greased. They already have me in a humiliating suit, I'm not going to let them ruin whatever dignity I have left.

I also start to think about how I, the greatest assassin of my generation and future generations, managed to get myself captured so easily by someone who doesn't even know what an IQ is and his son. There has to be other forces at play here for them to have even known I was in the area.

My shadow was very good at cloaking me and making me invisible, but it was timed too well and even running into Rider in the same place was odd. It was as if they had all expected me to show up here, because they even had enough drugs, as if they knew they were going to have a major struggle.

I continue to wrack my brain for any details I may have missed, but before long the carriage comes to a screeching halt. I glance out the window with a frown and see we're still in the middle of the forest.

I try and look uninterested when the prince opens the carriage door to speak to the driver, though he whispers enough to where I can't hear him anyway, so I don't have to fake it. After a few moments he closes the door and turns to me with the serious expression I saw him give his father. "We're continuing the rest of the journey on foot. If you try anything, good luck finding a cure." I would roll my eyes, but instead I just comply and slide out of the carriage, careful not to bump my head.

Once my stiff body is out of the enclosed space, I'm at least granted a moment to stretch and regain feeling in my limbs.

The first thing I notice is that we're on the edge of the forest I assume we just traveled through. It's similar to the placement and lay out of King Fat-lard's castle. Nothing about it strikes me as unique and interesting; from the gray stone structuring, to the modest greenery surrounding it. Even the grand fountain in the center of the court yard isn't very grand.

"You're being delivered as a gift from King Lucien. If you speak about your true presents there, we will find out and you can forget your dosage." A guard that had accompanied us, snaps at me as my hands are put back into chains. I roll my eyes and bite my tongue to keep any smart comments at bay while they finish shining my shoes and putting on spotless white gloves on my hands.

"Servant or fancy dessert?" I grumble to no one in particular since none of these losers will like my humor. Xavier just smirks and watches as the driver and guard finish primping me with a glint in his eyes.

My eyes catch his and for a moment we stare each other down. He's clearly at the advantage while I look like I belong on top of a wedding cake.

I'm pulled from my staring contest with a jerk on my chains, almost making me trip over my shiny shoes. I huff and allow the guard who is dressed differently from the guards I have seen. His armor is lacking any kind of family crest, but it has a dark tint to it that makes it look black with the lack of sun.

The guard turns his back to me as he leads me like a dog on a leash. I glance back in time to see Mr. Smug face reenter the carriage and watch them ride away in a cloud of dust.

I let out a sigh, "Finally." My gloved fingers wrap around the iron chain and yank back as hard as I can, taking the guard or knight or whatever special snowflake it is and forcing him to stumble backwards. The rest happens in slow motion as I duck underneath his flying body and right as he's directly under me, I throw my arm up to hopefully put enough force into throwing the much heavier male's body into remission.

I almost feel a smirk spread across my lips, but I don't expect the immense pain in my chest and all the air leaving my lungs. I blink and feel the pressure of a rock pressing me into the dirt. If anymore pressure is applied my ribs could break. After the spots clear from my eyes, I can glance upwards towards the guard with his big metal foot standing on me.

"Try that again and you'll have to try serving tea with one hand." He grumbles as if I simply spilled his morning coffee rather than try and escape. He grabs me by the back of my collar and hauls me to my feet. I only cough a little bit before catching the guard's eyes though one feels like it might be swelling. "How much sugar would you like?" I smile as venomously as possible, but it doesn't stop the oaf from keeping me at his side like he's taking me to the prom.

Too bad I don't feel as pretty as I should.

"You already got your damn suit dirty. Should have saved it for when one of them does you in the ass." He grunts in a single deep grumble which makes me want to laugh that any of them think they could.

I don't snap back at such a ludicrous statement. I succumb and allow the guard to walk me rather swiftly through the rest of the dark forest. My eyes out of habit dart around trying to create a mental map of my surroundings, though at this point it's pointless.

It doesn't take long for us to enter the castle grounds. Up close it looks a little nicer than from a distance, but I can already feel my ghost leaving me out of boredom. As we get closer, I see some guards that are standing well... guard at the front gate stand up straighter. Once we reach the door, the guard doesn't hold me with a death grip anymore (get it? Cause death and I'm an assassin?), but I know I'm not out of his arm's length.

"We have an audience with King Markos." The guard says and the two only nod before they signal to probably more guards in the towers above us. Maybe they even have arrows aimed at our heads. Once the over sized doors open, the guard grabs me by my collar and drags me forward until I get the picture and walk ahead of him down a large main hall.

I keep my eyes perfectly straight, but study everything around me all while looking bored and unamused. The floor is a standard square stone with velvet emerald runner rugs down every corridor. Pictures of family members I assume hang every other indent in the wall along with tacky, but expensive looking vases and statues. It isn't as extravagant and extra as King Bardolf's, but it's kingly all the same. Small chandeliers following the main path hang over my head with softly lit candles that must take forever to light and put out; though it could be some kind of sorcery for all I know.

I keep my pacing even and consistent until we reach an open set of doors that lead into the throne room.

Sitting on the throne in the center is who I can only assume is King Markos. He doesn't look as old as King Bardolf, but his once shining black hair has streaks of gray that's slicked back into his crown.

What I wasn't expecting was five other thrones, while not as grand the king's still present. I scan over all the faces staring right back at me. I feel a strand of my once slicked back hair fall over my face and all I can do is swallow and not cringe at how short it is.

Beside me, the guard takes a knee and bows his head low. "My King. I have brought you a gift from King Lucien. He sends his deepest gratitude for the latest shipment of soldiers you've supplied him with. He thought it was only fair to send one of his most... Aspiring workers." I want to roll my eyes at the word vomit that just poured out of his mouth, but I can feel many sets of eyes looking over me and probably questioning the stupid chains that...

I glanced down and see that I am indeed free of any chains or restraints. I dare a glance at the guard still kneeling beside me and wondering if he really is human or not.

This is going to be a pain in the ass, but best to remain hidden in plain sight... For now.

I curl my arm under my stomach as I take a bow with my other arm pointed back and my right foot out slightly. At this point my hair isn't contained and falls all over my face. "My liege." I say in my most clear and controlled voice as I can. When I pick my head back up, I still feel like a lab rat being experimented on.

The king stands and kind of to my surprise, bows as well and so do the other members standing along side of him. When he picks his head back up, he meets my eyes dead on, "Welcome to my home. I am pleased you are here and I expect your services to be exceptional." He motions with his arm to the three on his left who look like the older kids and then the two on his right who are of course more than likely the youngest.

"These are my sons and lovely daughter. I expect you to treat them as you would treat me." I nod and bow my head though not as low as before in respect.

Even if the respect isn't true.

The guard beside me finally stands up. "I will show him to his chambers. He will be ready by dinner time, my lord." I want to knock this dude on his ass, but I did learn something in the time of awkwardly being stared at.

King Markos has guarding stones at the main door to the throne room and beside his throne. Essentially they're like what security systems would be in the mortal world, except you get vaporized.

I have to wait for the right moment.

The guard doesn't touch me until we're out of eyesight of the king and he roughly grabs my bicep and drags me down the rest of the hallway. "Any smart comments or mess ups and your head is off." He whisper yells in my year and I just shrug.

"No promises on the smart comments, but I will try and not spill tea all over your shiny armor." He doesn't comment but I know he's seething by the tighter grip he has on my arm.

Eventually we come to a door which he simply throws open and pushes me in. "Clean up. Dinner is in an hour and if you're late... Well you better hope you aren't late." And with that he slams the door shut and I'm plunged into my old friend, darkness.

"Well shit..." I grumble.