They approached a tall stone wall and James felt his heart crawling out his throat after realising where they were going.

ㅤ“Tell them that I request an urgent meeting,” Alex ordered the guards at the gate, its flamboyant iron railings reaching high like black snakes.

ㅤJames felt the panic simmer. One of the Druteius princes must've made the request after all. But he didn't know much about any of them.

ㅤThe gates opened, grinding on their hinges, and James fought to keep his face neutral. The courtyard was how he remembered it. Knights trained under the sun until they passed out. Overdressed palace workers rushed from one side to the other, delivering messages and orders.

ㅤAlex led them right through the middle, the scraping of chains against rock catching the attention of many. One knight came rushing towards them, dropping his helmet to the ground.

ㅤ“Your Lordship.”

ㅤ“Riley. I need assistance. Please gather a few of the king's royal guards to help me escort him.”

ㅤ“Yes, sir.”

ㅤIt would definitely be a prince if Alex requested extra security. James had to remain calm and remember why he was there. He needed Eris.

ㅤAlex didn't wait and continued the two of them on. The guards caught up as they walked. Bodied by its thick pillars, the palace was tall, blocking the sun and capturing James in darkness. No other building in Lyeaister dared to compete in height. It was nearly as tall as the original Ankaid palace.

ㅤ“Grab him,” Alex ordered the men, once inside.

ㅤThey flanked either side, gripping James by his arms. He winced from the roughness they held him with.

ㅤAlex led the way, each footstep echoing against the dark marble tiles. James' blood ran colder with every closing distance, unsure what awaited him.

ㅤThen, Alex stopped. The knights paused behind him, their armour clanking. James held his breath.

ㅤAlex knocked on the door, a massive dark wooden entryway, too grand for a normal room. It slipped open to a crack and a low voice conversed to Alex, too quiet for James to hear. He watched Alex's curt nod, his quiet murmurings back, and then he stepped away.

ㅤOut of nervousness, James slowly untied his hands, the knights too focused to notice. He was too uncomfortable to allow himself to be at a disadvantage.

ㅤNothing happened for a brittle and silent period but Alex remained standing at strict attention, obedient like a dog as they waited. James clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the freedom. He held the rope in case someone glanced at his hands, making it seem like they were still tied.

ㅤThe entry opened suddenly, its heavy doors groaning and resisting.

ㅤ“Announcing Lord Alexander Chamberlain leading the royal guard, and his prisoner,” a voice boomed from inside.

ㅤChamberlain?

ㅤJames was slapped by the surprise.

ㅤThe Chamberlain name belonged to a duke. An Earl? No. Alex must’ve been the duke's adopted son.

ㅤAlex was avoiding his stunned gaze.

ㅤJames obediently allowed himself to be dragged by the soldiers. It was only once he was in the doorway that he recognised exactly where he was.

ㅤFuck.

ㅤPanic seized him and he whipped his hands out of the rope, grabbing the concealed knives from his waist to fight his way out.

ㅤThe guards had been caught unprepared, blood falling to the ground as James sliced through their palms. The shouting hardly reached James' ears as he fought his way to freedom. His client was no prince.

ㅤIt was King William.

ㅤThe struggle echoed, the Royal Hall repeating every sound back in mocking. He lunged for it, escaping the circle of guards that tried to restrain him, his heart drummed in his veins, ready to make a run for it—to escape.

ㅤA blade was set to his throat.

ㅤHe stopped, breathing heavily, his face hot. Alex was next to him, holding a sword to his neck, his eyes dark with fury.

ㅤ“I apologise, Your Majesty,” Alex said. “I wasn't aware your guest would be so irresponsible to cause a scene in your presence.”

ㅤJames bristled, genuine terror settling in his stomach.

ㅤ“Drop them,” Alex said, quieter, just for James.

ㅤJames surveyed the scene around him—the lightly injured knights, the blood on the floor, their anger. Then, he risked a glance into the inside of the hall, white pillars holding up a painted ceiling, the blue running carpet leading to a white gold-plated throne. He couldn't look King William in the face.

ㅤJames recognised Duke Chamberlain, despite how much time had passed. He was the same cold man he’d always been, aged, his hair dark grey instead of black. He was standing next to King William, regarding James like he was a disgusting bug squashed on the bottom of his shoe.

ㅤEvery instinct resisting, James slowly opened his palms, the knives dropping to the floor with a clink. The knights grabbed him then, dragging him inside. James kept his head down, his skull throbbing, the blue carpet running under him. They pushed James down to his knees.

ㅤHe thought he might pass out.

ㅤ“How was he armed?” Duke Chamberlain asked, his voice so familiar James wanted to throw up.

ㅤ“I apologise, Your Grace. I had no idea,” Alex replied, standing next to where James kneeled.

ㅤ“Leave it, Philip,” King William ordered the duke, his voice a baritone rumble. “Our guest isn't easy.”

ㅤ“His Grace is right, Your Majesty. I've made a fatal mistake.”

ㅤIn James’ peripheral vision, the king waved Alex's concerns away.

ㅤ“Jay, is it?”

ㅤJames tasted blood in his mouth, the flesh inside his cheek bitten off.

ㅤDuke Chamberlain stomped down to James. “Answer when His Majesty is talking to you.”

ㅤHe grabbed James by the hair and smashed his cheek into his knee. James barely avoided getting his nose broken at the last moment. He gritted his teeth against the pain, no sound escaping, but didn't struggle, allowing the punch that followed.

ㅤHe was too scared to talk.

ㅤKing William held his hand up and the duke stopped, breathing heavily from the exertion.

ㅤ“All guards except Riley and Thomas, leave us. Alexander, you may stay too.”

ㅤ“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

ㅤThere was silence until almost all the guards left, leaving only a select few people in the room.

ㅤJames clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. He’d never wanted to be involved with royalty again. He supposed this was karma. But he'd rather die than be stuck dancing for a king.

ㅤHe took a deep breath, calming his nerves. Panicking would achieve nothing.

ㅤ“I want to get a look at his face.”

ㅤShit.

ㅤJames pressed his forehead against the floor with a bruising force. The guards struggled to wrangle him upright.

ㅤThe king laughed, the sound surrounding them. “You'll allow yourself to be beaten but your face is too much? How ridiculous. Philip, if you would.”

ㅤEven if the duke had aged with time, he was still King William's military general. James resisted with all his might but the duke successfully lifted his upper body up by the hair, his scalp burning tightly in pain.

ㅤ“Thank you, Phill—”

ㅤThe king's amusement froze cold, the air shifting.

ㅤIt was as if everything had stopped.

ㅤJames slowly, hesitantly, lifted his gaze from the floor up to the king's face. The king stared back, his icy eyes wide and face pale. It was as if he was staring at a ghost.

ㅤThe king opened his mouth but no sound came out. He was unable to look away.

ㅤ“Your Majesty?” the duke prompted after a beat of apprehension. He knew something wasn't right.

ㅤJames was defiant, despite his whole world burning down around him. His body felt awash with frigidity, his heart frenzied, and his lungs starving for air. But he'd never back down. He bore right into the king's eyes without doubt.

ㅤKing William broke contact first and stared at the ground intensely, overwrought. James could only imagine the things running through his mind.

ㅤ“Your Maje—”

ㅤ“I want everybody to get out.”

ㅤEveryone in the room tensed. The duke shuffled, unsure. No one moved, too confused to know what to do.

ㅤ“But—”

ㅤ“Right now,” the king insisted, his shock hardening into a disturbed turmoil. “Get out. Right now. Philip, you stay.”

ㅤThe guards that held him didn’t obey immediately, not wanting to leave James unchecked in their king’s presence. After a moment, they let go, their grips lingering uneasily.

ㅤJames could hear them hesitating, unsure if they’d heard correctly. After Alex made a move, they finally followed.

ㅤEven after the door shut behind them, the boom vibrating under their feet, neither the king nor James said a word.

ㅤ“Your Majesty, this kind of danger...”

ㅤThe king ignored his duke and dragged his gaze back to James.

ㅤ“I thought you were dead.”

ㅤJames pursed his lips. He slowly shifted his body, pushing himself up so he could stand. He didn't deserve to be kneeling.

ㅤThe duke almost went to discipline James daring to stand in the king's presence, but the king stopped him with a gesture.

ㅤ“I was as good as,” James replied, testing the soreness in his shoulders.

ㅤ“I still can't believe it.”

ㅤ“Your Majesty, may I ask what's going on? Why did you send the guards out?”

ㅤThe king scrunched his eyes shut, tormented, and opened them again like he was expecting James to vanish like a dream.

ㅤ“Alexander told you what we wanted Jay to do, did he?” the king asked, ignoring the duke's question.

ㅤJames nodded. “That he did.”

ㅤ“Then, you're probably curious why.”

ㅤJames wiped his face, blood smearing onto his hand. It hurt. Of course he’d been curious, but he also hadn’t wanted to know. He'd spent so much time away from all this that it no longer felt like it mattered to him.

ㅤ“I never had a good relationship with Fabian,” James confessed.

ㅤ“That wasn’t a secret.”

ㅤ“Yes, but the extent of it was.”

ㅤThe king stared him down.

ㅤ“What are you trying to say?”

ㅤJames lifted his chin. “I'm trying to say that I don't hold any hostility over your desire to see him dead. But I don't want to be involved. I want it to be like you had never seen me in the first place.”

ㅤ“That's not going to happen, Julian. You know that's not going to happen.”

ㅤThe duke drew in a careful breath, his shoulders tense like stone. He turned around then, looking at James like it was the first time he'd seen him.

ㅤ“By the Gods, you're...”

ㅤ“Whatever you want to do, it doesn't concern me anymore,” James barrelled on.

ㅤThe king spluttered a laugh. “My boy, it concerns Prince Julian more than it concerns some random assassin. I could get however many of them I want, there's only one of you. It's your brother, this has everything to do with you.”

ㅤJames clenched his teeth. “I'm just here to get Eris, nothing more.”

ㅤ“I thought that sword seemed familiar,” the duke murmured. He’d been the one who’d given it to James' dead father after all. “Your Majesty, what shall we do?”

ㅤ“Well, you're not leaving, that's for sure,” King William told James. “Stay here for a few days.”

ㅤ“Is that a request or an order?”

ㅤ“That depends on how much you want that relic back,” the king replied. “Don't tell anyone who you are; Fabian's spies are everywhere. You'll be dead the moment he hears of you.”

ㅤJames had always known that much. Fabian had no idea whether James was still alive or not, that was why he’d gone on a purge. He’d probably hoped James would’ve been killed along the way.

ㅤ“Don't run away and we'll give her back.”

ㅤJames inclined his head, smiling. “What if I do?”

ㅤ“We'll kill you.”

ㅤJames nodded, expecting that answer. “Give me some time to think about it.”

ㅤ“Phillip, get these chains off Julian. We'll put him in a guest room.”

ㅤ“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

ㅤJames deflated slightly, sighing silently to himself. There wouldn’t be a way to return to his current life after this. His past had caught up.

ㅤAs his mentor had said, he could escape but he couldn’t run away forever.