"Who is this?"
Thalia's chest echoed with the thunderous beats of her heart. For some reason, she'd been more comfortable with the presence of the first guy she met whom she now recognized as the prince.From his robes and outfit alone and also with how regal he looked, she could tell he was royalty. While the other guy looked good too, he scared her for some reason.In the dimly lit chamber, the air was thick with tension between the three of them."Your Highness, who is this?" The guy who just came in asked again as he stared at her with bewilderment and caution."I don't know," The Man who was apparently called Your Highness said, "She was hiding in my closet when I came in," he moved towards the second guy while speaking and now Thalia was facing both of them.She felt trapped, like a fly in a spider's web."Guards!" The guy who had just entered yelled, and her heart plummeted in response. Maybe she was in more trouble than she thought."Your Highness, step away from her she might be dangerous," the guy said, also taking a step back, and giving her a look filled with suspicion.Thalia stepped towards them shaking her head in denial and panic, "I'm not! I'm not dangerous, I swear!""I'm sure she was sent by The Anarchists," the second guy said, looking her up and down.Thalia was scared speechless.She stood frozen as the door swung open. Guards, clad in ornate armor, surrounded her, eyes stern and unyielding. The moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating her fearful expression as she was accused of trespassing into the Prince's room by different people.Thalia's voice trembled as she protested her innocence, her words echoing off the stone walls. The Prince just watched her, his gaze a mixture of curiosity and annoyance and the room held its breath, awaiting his command."Take her away," He finally said.In the dimly lit confines of the prison cell, its cold stone walls echoing with the sobs of despair, Thalia sat huddled in a corner. She had been imprisoned for her audacious act of sneaking into the room of the prince.Thalia rolled her eyes.How she could still dare to do that, she didn't know. But the fuss that was made over the prince seemed ridiculous to her.She knew royalty was treated in a very special way, but locking her in a cell just for being in his room? It didn't make any sense to her.She was starting to get scared though. She'd been counting down the hours and it had been almost a day since they locked her here."How did it come to this?" Thalia whispered to herself. "My curiosity got the best of me, and now I'm trapped in this wretched place."It was terrible.Thalia had never gone to jail before but she knew that even the worst prisoners in her world didn't eat food as terrible as the bowl of porridge they'd served her that morning.She couldn't stomach it, it just didn't pass her throat. It was disgusting, to say the least, but her prison cellmate had been glad to have an extra bowl to eat.So as a result, Thalia was starving.She started to devise an escape plan in her head. When she planned to time travel, never in her wildest dreams did she think she would end up locked up in prison.What would happen to her now?They'd taken her clothes before she entered the prison and given her a sack-like dress.Nobody even bothered to listen to her; they all just mumbled about a revolutionary group called The Anarchists and how she was part of them.Thalia's heart sank as she realized how ugly things could actually get.She was in a foreign place with nowhere to call home, she was imprisoned for an apparently serious crime and she was being associated with a rebel group.She needed to do something. Thalia knew she wouldn't allow herself to die like this or disappear in a place and time where no one even knew her.She had to calm down and think.Her bag!That's where the time travel book was, and the prince must've seen it due to her failure to take it with her during the arrest.The book was the only clue she had on how to go back home.The funny thing was that even in her situation, there was a part of her that still didn't want to go home.She truly didn't know what to do, or if there was anyone who would believe her here.Three hours later, Thalia sat on the cold, hard floor, racking her brain. Her eyes followed the footsteps echoing down the corridor until they stopped at the door of her cell. The door was opened by the prison guard and a girl entered. Curiosity piqued, and Thalia moved closer to see her clearly. The girl looked young but she had tired eyes and a haunted expression, Thalia observed."Hey there," she said softly. "I'm Thalia. Welcome to the unfriendly confines."Lily looked up, her eyes widening with surprise that someone was talking to her, "I'm Lily," she replied in a quiet voice.She was young.She looked to be about 23 years old.Throughout the night, Thalia and Lily talked and became friends. Thalia learned that Lily had been imprisoned for a crime that wasn't her fault and her eyes welled with tears as she remembered her story.It was so similar to hers, except Lily saved her mom.Lily's Father had gone on an abusive rampage and while trying to protect her almost unconscious mother from him, he fell and hit his head. Then he died.She was framed for his death.Lily was broken and traumatized, and her mother was still unwell, so she was very worried about her. Thalia listened, offering a supportive ear and sharing stories of her own to lighten the somber mood. Despite their grim circumstances, a fragile friendship blossomed between the two.3 days. Thalia had been locked up for three days now. Things were starting to look really serious and she was starting to panic more than before. Talking to Lily made her not lose her mind though, it kept her sane, which she was grateful for. The bread they served that morning and yesterday in the prison wasn't bad so Thalia had eaten some of it. Now she was just staring at a spot on the wall while sitting next to Lily who was doing the same.Suddenly, the creaking sound of heavy footsteps approached, and the clanging of keys grew louder. The cell door swung open, revealing a grizzled prison guard.The guard looked at both her and Lily, then redirected his stare to Thalia, "Hey.. you," he gestured gruffly to her with a careless flick of his hand, "Stand up and follow me." She wanted to ask why but the guard didn't look like a person that had the patience to answer her questions. He looked bored and straightforward.Thalia mustered her strength and stood up, her heart pounding in h
Thalia woke to someone knocking on the door. It was interfering with her precious sleep and it honestly was the best sleep she'd had in ages. Sitting up in bed and stretching her arms deliciously, Thalia stared in the direction of the door.But she found herself looking at a wall. A blank light yellow wall. Wait. The door was meant to be there. With a jolt out of the bed, all of Thalia's memories of the past few days came back in a flash. The letter, the little girl, the magical book, time travel and the prince. The person behind was knocking continuously and when her still delirious brain recognized that she wasn't in her small rental apartment and that she could be in danger, she felt a trickle of fear.Who could it be? Was it the guards? Have they come to arrest her again? While she was being released she had a a thought simmering at the back of her mind that beheading still existed in this era and it was meted out for crimes against royalty and crimes that concerned being
Thalia was sure she could hear her own heartbeat as Ann led her through a dimly lit corridor. She was on her way to meet the prince. To have dinner with the prince. Despite how the situation was definitely not in favour of her, and how she probably had a lot of things to worry about, her head was filled only with thoughts of the prince. Oh, good grief! Thalia gasped inwardly as her imaginations went too far and she quickly shut them off. She had to focus on making it out of the meeting with her head on her shoulders. And security of her head being on her shoulders for a long time. There was a big door at the end of the corridor and a few guards standing in front wearing their normal stoic expressions. Ann paused in front of the large door, "This is The Great Hall, where you'll be dining with the prince." She gestured towards the door then turned to the guards and gave them a signal to open the door.When they opened it, Thalia was met with a lot of inquisitive stares from people wh
“Who are you?” The prince asked again. He was itching to know who this woman he felt so much attraction to was. There were no traces of her in any records. It was like she dropped from the sky. Maybe she did.She looked like an angel. Aldric's eyes flickered once again to the black dress hugging her body. The moment he entered the hall and saw the dress, he wanted to take it off of her. The thought had surprised him because he was hardly ever interested in women in that way, and now they were seated in close proximity and talking, the dirty thought still lingered.It was made for her. “As you said before, I seem harmless,” She replied in a sultry voice that made him want to take her lips in his. “That I am.” "Then?" Prince Aldric raised a brow in question or as a signal for her to continue.“I know this will sound crazy but I’m from the future.” She said lowering her eyes.Prince Aldric was a bit taken aback by her answer but that was the only answer that made sense. It sounded no
Prince Aldric watched Thalia's dumbfounded face with a raised eyebrow. She seemed flustered, but for some reason, he could tell she wasn't putting on an act. He made his decision there and then. He'll keep her in the palace instead of in prison as his right-hand man would prefer. She would be under surveillance by guards just in case his intuition was wrong and she was a threat or danger to him. That would mean Darian was right. He didn't want Darian to be right though. The mysterious woman was drawing him in andIf that was her plan, then she was damn successful with it. "You can go," he said amused by her bewildered face. "Just like that?" She asked, standing up slowly. "I'm free to leave?" At her full height, the dress was more visible and so were her delicious curves."I meant back to your room… in the palace," he explained, dragging his eyes away from her body and back to her face. "Darian will investigate further before we decide to let you roam free. You'll be under surve
Several thoughts swam around Thalia's mind as she walked the Halls of the palace. The guards and Ann were escorting her to her assigned room. According to Aldric, she was to stay in the palace until further orders and under strict surveillance. How would she do that though? She was experiencing something she'd only seen in movies and read in books and she was just supposed to stay put?They passed by a huge beautiful window Thalia hadn't noticed before. Just outside the window, there was a beautiful garden with a small stream. Before she could let her eyes explore more, Ann tapped her arm and they continued walking. She took note of the place, planning to visit later. If she got the freedom.A shiver touched her spine when the last expression the Prince wore came to mind. He was looking at her in a way she couldn't even begin to describe but it made her jittery and weak. Her last lingering glance at him had surely shaken her. Now, she could stay in the palace at least for a while wi
Saying she was caught off guard by the prince was an understatement. Her eyes slamming on his beautiful face was more exhilarating than the shock she got from him pulling her in so suddenly.His next words snapped her out of her shock."What're you doing wandering around? I thought I confined you to your chambers until your identity is confirmed?" "Yes… uh…" she scrambled for an excuse. He cocked his head to the side as if waiting for her excuse mockingly. His beautiful eyes trained on her turned her brain to mush and she felt helpless under his scrutiny. "I… I was bored," she blurted the first thing that came to mind. She almost facepalmed in front of him even though she was telling the truth."Hmm…" he crossed his arms and continued to scrutinize her face as if searching for the truth… or lie. Thalia's eyes trailed his arms. Through his thick suit, she could see the outline of his bulging muscles and her eyes fed on them before she snapped out of it."I really was just bored and
"If I'm going to stay in the palace I want to at least have my freedom," Thalia blurted. Maybe she wanted to reduce the sexual tension between them and in the room. He had already put his huge coat on her and they were once again in a staring competition. A competition she knew wouldn't end well if they continued.It was likely to end in a makeout session, initiated by her."Why so suddenly?" He asked."Why not?" She shot back, still trying to control her breathing. "Who would choose to be locked up? I want to at least try to regain my freedom.""Fair," he agreed, his eyes trained on her lips."I was only a few minutes to either a violent mental breakdown or going berserk from doing nothing and battling with boredom." She told him. Thalia was confused as to why she always became so talkative around the prince. Maybe she felt comfortable with him in a way, which was weird.He chuckled and Thalia squirmed trying to contain the butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach. Even his laughin