Zylith.

“Now while we’re still on the topic, I’d like to ask, have you never noticed any anomaly about yourself, ever?”

“What do you mean by anomaly?” Did he mean if I noticed if I was a freak or not? Now why did that irked me, I wonder. 

“Oh you know, like glowing eyes or super cleared vision, or perhaps, anything of the magical kind?”   

I looked at him with a deadpanned face and muttered in a bland voice, “No I haven’t.”

“Hmm, I see.”   He had a thoughtful look on his nice-looking face, “I suppose we will have to keep you under supervision till we uncover the truth.”

The food on the table had turned cold a long time ago, and Reuben & co. poisoned my appetite with threats and secrets.

I just silently stared at the delicious food before me, pity arousing in my heart for it would all be wasted.

“Fake Lizzy, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Let’s be done with supper and retire to bed for an early rest. You too Lexter.” He eyed Alexteris meaningfully and said.

After a coarse meal, we finally retreated for the night, but Reuben didn’t return with me. I didn’t know what had him occupied but it seemed to be something urgent. Nevertheless, I didn’t bother asking him about his work. I was already neck-deep into his secrets; I didn’t want to know anything more for the night.

When my body finally touched the fluffy covers of my jewel-embedded bed, I felt more tired than I’d ever felt in years. Today, I nodded and bobbed my head to everything I was told, absorbing shell-shocking truths and secrets at a speed at which I was not accustomed to. My brain cells couldn’t keep up with the speed of absorption of those secrets, and I was in a danger of short-circuiting. I was still in a daze to all that had happened today, slowly recalling and recoiling at the revelations divulged to me.

I had to wrap my mind around so many things that I had already lost count of them all. But the fact that magic actually existed in this world had me go bonkers. I was elated, and at the same time stumped. Elated because, now I had a probable chance at going back home and stumped because it was still hard for me to digest it all. But nonetheless, I was physically, emotionally and mentally drained.

My tired eyes drooped in consequence, and before long, I drifted off into a restless sleep. The phobia of the 1000 lumen torchlight that Reuben had delivered me today, still loomed at the back of my mind even as I slept, so my sleep was especially edgy.  

I jerked awake when someone yelled ‘Your Highness, please wake up’ into my unfortunate ears early at dawn. As my sleep was of rather poor quality, so when I woke up, I felt like I died and forgot who I was.

I rubbed my tired eyes in a haze when I saw the people who woke me up. It was those damned spy-maids of the Queen Dowager. I raised my head up to look at the glittering gold ceiling, and sighed loudly as I screamed inside my head, ‘Why God, WHY! Why do You have to be so tactless about ruining my life, WHY?’

“Your Highness, please freshen up and get ready. His Majesty is waiting for you outside.” Said one of the many maids in an insipid voice.

I looked at her with a frown but didn’t continue to stare.  It seemed like these maids had already chosen their leader. I wondered with a frown, was it by voting or raw dominance?

From the corner of my eyes, I saw the little maid who got into trouble with the Queen Dowager standing timidly at the very back, trying to look very inconspicuous. But I didn’t mind her, for I still had time to deal with her at a later date.

I quickly got groomed and dressed and went out to meet my awaiting supposed husband. I wondered what he would have me do today but didn’t ponder over the matter much because it would give me nothing but a headache if I overthought stuff.

When I came face to face with the devil incarnate of my life, I was stunned all over again to say the least.

The guy standing before me in the mummy attire was not Reuben but his little brother, whereas Reuben was very peacefully standing beside Alexteris in a formal knightly suit, a similar costume with minor differences was condoned by Lord Gilbert on the other side of Alexteris.

At this point, I was utterly puzzled as to what was going on here.

“Do you mind if I ask what prince Alexteris is doing in your attire, Your Majesty?” I squinted my brows at Reuben in question.

“(Cough)! Do not call me that when I'm myself, my lady.” Reuben coughed a bit to interrupt me, “I have a bit of, erm... business to attend to. So Lexter will take my place for a little while. I hope you two will get along nicely.” His smile was as wry as ever.

“What! You want me to act alongside…” I narrowed my eyes a bit as I looked at the bratty prince Alexteris, “Prince Alexteris?”

I swear I didn’t want to make any faces, but my face had a mind of its own. And as a result, Alexteris, the pitted lunatic turned on me, hissing like a goaded beast. I swear he even looked like a mad chihuahua baring his little fangs out to show his absolute displeasure. I wondered if he also peed around his territory to mark it and keep intruders out.

Envisaging some ridiculous scenes inside of my head, I couldn’t hold myself back from sniggering.

“Pfft!”

“Hey! Why are you laughing? Are you mocking me? How dare you!” Alexteris growled, very identical to the chihuahua I was imagining in my mind.

Before my eyes, I saw the image inside my head and Alexteris merge into one, snorting and growling as if provoked to the extreme. It made the tense atmosphere that he was trying to portray around himself, even more comical to me. As a result, my contorted face that was trying to hold back its titters was even more twisted to suppress my almost-spilling giggles.

I don’t exactly know what I looked like, but from the peculiar looks of my three spectators, I must’ve looked like something in between a hobgoblin and troll!? Maybe. Well, I knew I didn’t look anything near attractive, so I decided to not mind the glaring weirded out looks.

“Ahem! No you see, I’m not trying to pick a fight with the prince, but Your Majesty,” I turned to look at Reuben and said, “Like you, I'm also many things, but a babysitter of a full grown-ass man is not one of them.”

“Y-You… You DARE!” Alexteris howled but I just shrugged at him in indifference.

“Alright you two, please stop this childishness.” Lord Gilbert grabbed Alexteris to prevent him from attacking me while looking at me with a look of pure disapproval.    

I just pouted back at him. It wasn’t my fault the bratty prince didn’t want to play nice.

“Lizzy, it is imperative that the two of you get along while I'm gone. There are eyes everywhere in the palace, one wrong move could cost us dearly if we are not careful enough. If my presence wasn’t needed elsewhere, I wouldn’t want to leave the two of you cat and dog together to bring forth your wracking havoc into the palace. But I am under dire circumstances, so I can only hope and pray that the both of you won’t cause me too much trouble while I'm away.” I felt like Reuben was talking to two rowdy five-year olds rather than two mature adults. I could only pout in displeasure at his tone.   

“Why are you looking at me like that? If he plays it nice with me, I won’t really reject him, you know.” I mumbled inside my mouth.

“Are you trying to play the victim here? Who was the one who incited me just now, huh?” Alexteris scowled in anger at me.

“Okay you two. If you can’t get along with each other, then at least avoid each other until I am back.” Reuben sighed stoically while looking at us with a stern demeanour.

Even though unwilling, both of us bobbed our heads in accord. Anyways, what other choice did we have. I was inclined on coming to a truce with this fake mummy if it was for our cause, but this brat looked too stuck-up to come to a ceasefire with me. Although tentative at times, I was not nice enough to let him walk all over me just to aid our cause.

“Alright then, I shall hold the two of you to that promise. I hope you can take good care of things in here while I and Gilbert are away.” He smiled sweetly at the both of us, but we were very aware of the threat behind that smile.

Alexteris and I, both gulped with unease when we saw his flowery smile which somehow seemed more sinister than a scorn.

Then all of a sudden, Reuben’s words hit me. “Wait, did you say you and lord Gilbert?” I turned to Gilbert with puckered brows.

“Ah yes Your Grace. I shall be accompanying His Majesty on his travels.” Gilbert nodded to verify my doubts.

“What! No!” I bit my lips in nervousness, “You guys can’t leave us alone at such a crucial time, queen Beatrice and the princess are out to get us so aggressively. What happens if something goes wrong!”

“Dear Fake Lizzy, I believe you will take care of them just fine.” Reuben let out his sugary smile and looked at me with such irrevocable faith that I wanted to go cower and hide into some tatty corner of the castle. I believed, that kind of faith would dwindle down a person’s self-confidence rather than assure him of his success. 

“But just to make sure that the situation does not get out of hand, I have made some arrangements for the two of you.” And then he gestured Lord Gilbert to make the summons.

I was a little relieved at the notion that Reuben had indeed made some arrangements for a backup plan if things went hayway. It was always reassuring to have a plan B.

Before long, Reuben’s backup plan, which apparently happened to be a person came into picture.

He was a very tall individual with the weirdest colour of eyes I had ever seen. His eyes were a shade of bottomless violet swirls, seeming as though the violet blende colours were mingling and churning about themselves. It was beautiful in a mysterious sense of the word. He had very angular features and looked one of the austere kind. He had raven black hair and was easy on the eyes. He bowed before us once and introduced himself, “Greetings, Your Highnesses. I, Xavier Alcove De Elias am at your service.” His voice was as unyielding as his stance.

“Sir Elias, what a pleasant surprise. When did you return to the capital?” Alexteris spoke in a bemused yet ecstatic tone.

“Just the previous week, Sire.” The stern man called Xavier Al…something Elias replied.

I was silently gawking at this strange man as he made small talk with Alexteris. He seemed to be quite familiar with my gang members. I wondered if he was one of the hidden associates of our gang.

“Xavier, this is my wife Queen Elizabeth Rosalinda Ronales The Regalious.” Reuben introduced me to the new addition to our team. “And Lizzy, this is Sir Xavier Alcove De Elias, my trusted knight who fought alongside me in many battles. He shall see to it that both of you are unscathed and safe until my return.”

The man, Xavier stared back at me for a moment and got onto his knees the very next minute, “Your Highness Queen Elizabeth, it is indeed an honor to finally meet you.”

He was so swish and swirl with all the flashy chivalrous moves and the red cape on his back that I was stunned still for a moment. ‘THIS.’ I thought with my eyes suddenly gleaming with fascination, ‘IS. WHAT YOU CALL THE TRUE CHIVALROUS HEART OF THE MEDIEVAL TIMES.’

I had been on a look out for such men for the past two years, but all I ever came across were douchebags and jerks that you find throughout all timelines. When I felt that all the talks about chivalry of the olden times were nothing but fictional nonsense, a true chivalrous knight suddenly appears before me.

My! I was beyond excited now.

“Erm… Yes, likewise Sir Xavier.” I smiled kindly at the man who looked to be around his mid-twenties. 

“Your Grace, I shall see to it that your days go unhinged and without a single trace of worry. You can count on me on that.” He vowed in a valiant manner, and Oh! My heart was moved. This guy was so COOL!

“Then I shall leave it to you, Sir Xavier erm… Elias.” I smiled the brightest smile I had to offer, at him.

While I was getting acquainted with Sir Xavier, I was unaware of the strange uncanny looks the people around me were passing me.

   To be Continued……..