“How could you possibly know who I am?” I inquire, trying not to sound nervous, but my voice still comes out with a quiver.
“I know, because you look exactly like Prince Reid. I’m assuming he’s your brother.”
I try to speak, but end up choking on my own saliva. I’m gasping in breaths, failing at maintaining my composure. If this guy was unsure if I believed him before, he certainly knows I do now.
“Are you okay?”
“Yup. Fantastic,” I rasp. “Need a minute.”
I’m bent over at the waist trying to pull air in, while my mind runs with the fact that I have a brother. He could be wrong, right? I’m sure there are a lot of people here who have black hair and blue eyes. That’s got to be common.
Standing upright again, I say, “Okay, I’m good. Now, tell me who Prince Reid is.”
“You must have only just arrived here. Prince Reid is King Pine’s only son.” Well, now the odds are definitely in favor of the fact that I have a brother. I am the king’s daughter. You’d think my mom would have mentioned this in her letter. How could she leave such a vital detail out? I mean, I have a brother! That’s huge!
“How do you know the king?”
“I’m the leader of his army. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Oliver Sage, and I will protect you, Princess.”
Promises
“And how do you propose to protect me when you’re locked in the cell next to mine?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” he says dismissively.
“I already have a prince upstairs trying to convince King Azure to free me. At least he’s on the right side of the bars.”
“That prince,” he spits, “is just as ruthless as his father. That prince will not watch over you. If anything, he will use you as leverage to get what he wants. Now he’s in possession of King Pine’s top fighter and his only daughter. Your prince is only pretending to have your best interests at heart.” He pauses for a beat. “Which one of King Azure’s sons is he?”
“Lucas,” I say softly. Could all he’s saying be true? Am I leverage in the battle between kings?
“Ah, the most vicious of the bunch. I’ve seen him slit the throat of a man before. There was no hesitation. He killed him and moved on to the next person.”
My hand flies to my mouth. I have a hard time believing that the Lucas I met could do such a thing, but I don’t really know him. He did say he is part of an elite team who protects their kingdom. I haven’t seen the ruthless side of him yet, and after hearing this, I don’t want to.
Oliver’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “What’s your name?”
My voice trembles. “Alison. Alison Wescot.”
“Alison, that is not your true last name.”
“It is as far as I’m concerned. I wasn’t raised here, nor have I ever met my father. Wescot is my name and will remain so.”
“As you wish.”
We stop talking. I honestly don’t know who to believe or who to trust at this point. My mom said to find King Pine, but after Lucas telling me that he killed his best friend, I’m not so sure I want to meet him. Now I hear that there’s blood on Lucas’ hands as well. What the hell goes on in this place? Are they always at war with one another? I need a history lesson and a biography on everyone here. I’m so far out of my element.
Time passes. I’m not sure how much. My legs begin to ache, however the thought of sitting on the cot makes my stomach turn. As I start scanning the floor to see if there is a less grungy spot, I hear voices and the sound of keys clanging.
Perking up, I walk to the bars, my hands grip the cold metal. Something flakes off on my palm. Great, I’ll probably get tetanus now.
“Princess, get back,” Oliver whispers harshly. “Stay away from the bars.” I roll my eyes. Seriously, what the hell is he going to do for me while he’s locked up? Reach through the bars and swat at people?
Three men stop in front of me. One is Lucas. “Release her,” he commands.
“If you release her, then you must release me as well,” demands Oliver.
I notice Lucas’ lip curl up on one side. “Oliver Sage, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” he hisses.
“She’s not yours, Luke. She belongs with the Pine family.”
Lucas moves from my view to stand before him. “Listen to me closely, Sage. The princess is under my guard, not yours. She does not belong to you.”
“She belongs to me more than she does to you,” Oliver sneers.
“Release her!” Lucas bellows.
The guard with the keys quickly steps up and unlocks my door. I bolt out of it, not wanting to spend another moment in that disgusting space. Lucas is there to catch me, when I trip over a lip in the stone floor in my haste to leave. His strong arms wrap around me, and I can feel his cheek on the top of my head. I don’t want to move away. No matter what Oliver said, there is good in this man holding me. I know it.
Oliver yells from his space still behind bars, “Get your hands off of her, Azure! I’m warning you!”
Lucas turns his head, but doesn’t release me. I shift slightly in his arms to take in Oliver. He’s young, younger than I expected. Maybe around thirty, if I had to guess. He has dirty blond hair and a few days’ worth of facial hair. His eyes are a hypnotizing green. I look over the rest of him. His lips are in a thin line, his jaw is set hard, the muscles in his arm are bulging due to the grip he has on the bars. He’s attractive. Very attractive, in fact, even in his clothes that look like he’s been sleeping on the cot in the cell. Blotches of dirt are scattered over his knees and elbows.
“Do you think I’m scared of you?” he asks Oliver. “You, the grand leader of the Pine Army, rotting in a dungeon in my kingdom. Great job getting captured, by the way.”
I can see the pure hatred in Oliver’s eyes. “You know she belongs with me!”
Lucas gently releases me and places his body between Oliver and I. “Yours? How can she be yours, when you’ve never met her before today? How can she be yours, when she didn’t even know you existed until she was placed down here? You know nothing of her,” he seethes.
“And you know nothing either, because if you did then you’d know that she was promised to me by her father. He said his first daughter’s hand would be mine. You’d know that I’ve waited my entire life to meet her.” Oliver’s eyes turn toward me and soften. “Princess Alison, please, don’t go with him. I’m yours and will protect you with my life. I need you to stay with me for your safety.”
My mouth hangs agape. I’m promised to him? What kind of place did I step into? I’m not going to be forced to spend my life with someone I don’t even know. This revelation makes me want to get as far away from Oliver as possible. I need air. I need to get out of this dreary space.
Looking up at Lucas, I plead, “Take me out of here.”
“No!” Oliver shouts. “You mustn’t leave with him! Princess!”