Ingrid rang the bell and Lena arrived.
"Your Majesty, you called for me," the maid bowed.
Ingrid walked and stood before her. "Lena, do you know anything about the Trontine Princess?"
"No, Your Majesty."
Ingrid took in a deep breath. "Do you know…who serves her food daily?"
Lena's eyes flicked sideways as if in thoughts. "Cara is usually the one who makes the meals and she gives the guards."
Ingrid's eyes twinkled. "Good. Today, you will go in place of Cara and will serve the princess her food, yourself."
Lena frowned, rising up. "Your Majesty?"
Ingrid then walked to her bed and ushered Lena to come sit with her.
But Lena bowed in refusal. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But I am not worthy to sit by your side."
Ingrid's lips twitched. "This is not a request. It's an order."
Lena blinked and sighed. She had served the Queen for years to know when she was up to something. And today was one of those days she had something in mind.
She sat beside her queen. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Ingrid cleared her throat and began. "There's something I want to do and I need your help."
Ingrid wasn't someone who trusted people easily, but she could trust Lena.
Lena was just fifteen years old when her relatives sold her to a goldsmith in exchange for gold coins. It was heartbreaking because it was almost equivalent to being a slave for this man. And what was worse, was that she was an orphan.
But, the Queen heard of the story and she took pity on the girl, bringing her in. And ever since, Lena swore her never - ending loyalty to her.
"And what may that be, My Queen?" Lena asked.
Ingrid leaned closer to her and whispered all she had planned. She didn't want to take chances to speak at a regular pitch. After all, the walls had ears.
Lena gasped after the Queen was done.
"Your Majesty? That's too risky!"
"And what's life without risks?" Ingrid rose a brow.
Lena sighed, shaking her head. "I don't understand, Your Majesty. Why do you want to go through all these…for the prisoner girl?"
Ingrid blinked. "You're the last person I thought would say that, Lena. Considering the fact that you should know what it feels like for your life to be slipping away from your grasp."
"Yes…My Queen. But..she's our enemy. A magic wielder."
Ingrid's lips set into a thin line. That was one secret she never told Lena, that she could wield magic and had even tapped into the extremes.
She sighed. "She's our enemy, absolutely correct. But she's human too, like we are. What was her crime? She didn't choose to be born that way. So why get punished for that?"
Lena looked away, still in contemplation. Ingrid then shifted closer to her.
"Lena," her maid turned to meet her gaze, "I need you to do this for me. I really want to help this girl. She can't just die like this."
"And what if we're caught?! What if..I'm caught?" She whimpered. She didn't like the sound of this. It was too dangerous!
"Do you trust me?" Ingrid looked her deep in the eyes.
Lean gulped, nodding slightly.
"Good. Then trust me on this too."
Lena rubbed her arms, then shrugged, with a sigh. "Do I really have a choice?"
'No, you don't,' Ingrid said in her mind, while beaming outwardly.
"In a few hours time, her dinner would be given to her. How many times does she eat in a day?"
"I think twice. But, it was once yesterday. They don't feed her often."
The Queen nodded, then bent down, clutching a bag from underneath her bed.
"Here," she gave the bag to Lena, who eyed it.
"What's in there?"
It was a black cloth bag that looked full but wasn't heavy. The content inside was soft, even.
"The clothes," Ingrid replied, "you know what to do."
Lena sighed. "My Queen, I still think this is risky."
"And life is a risk," the Queen smiled.
When Lena stepped out of her Queen's chambers, one thought echoed in her mind.
Don't do this.
But her Queen trusted her with it, and that left her with no choice.
With steady steps, she made her way to the kitchen, where she found Cara stirring a pot of porridge. It looked watery, and Lena's lips pursed. Weaving past the other chefs, she stopped beside the petite woman.
"Hey, Cara." She offered a small smile.
Cara turned, squinting at her. "Lena? What are you doing here? I'm not the one in charge of Her Majesty's meals."
Lena let out a shaky laugh. "I know that. But the Queen ordered me to take food to the prisoner."
Cara blinked, then eyed her. "Excuse me?"
Lena inhaled. "If you think I'm lying, I can go ask Her Ma—"
"No, no," Cara cut in. "I know you wouldn't lie using Her Majesty's name."
Lena gave her a tight smile.
"But why is the Queen interested in her?" Cara asked, raising a brow.
Lena shrugged. "She's the Queen. Are we meant to question her?"
Cara's lips twitched as she waved a hand dismissively. "Here's the food. Give it to the guards, then."
She yawned and walked away. The moment Cara left the kitchen, Lena's smile vanished. She grabbed the small bag holding the porridge and slipped out.
With heavy, determined steps, Lena headed for the dungeon.
The air grew colder the farther she walked. The place was eerie, dim, and oppressive. Her heart pounded as her eyes landed on the guards.
She was really doing this. Taking a deep breath, she approached them with a bright smile.
"Greetings, our powerful protectors."
One of the guards slowly looked her over. She was very beautiful. He grinned.
"What is a fair maiden like you doing in such a place?"
"I'm here to bring the prisoner her food," Lena said with a polite bow.
The second guard frowned. "But you aren't the one who usually does that."
Lena gulped but kept her composure. "Cara asked me to do it. She's busy at the moment."
They stared at her for a few long seconds and Lena felt like melting into the floor. Then one of them nodded.
"Alright. Give us the food."
He reached for the bag, but Lena pulled it back.
"Actually… there's a situation."
"What?"
"You know how women are. It's that time of the month, so there are some things in the bag. It would be uncomfortable if a man handled them."
The guards exchanged looks.
"How do you know she's bleeding?" one asked.
Lena froze, then bit her lip. Idiot. She had slipped.
"Cara noticed her gown was stained earlier, when she was brought out," she said quickly. "So she added some women's things."
The guards eyed her suspiciously.
"Well, if you are okay with the odor as it tends to smell when not handled well, you can…" Lena added lightly, extending the bag.
"No, no," one guard waved her off. "You can do it."
Lena smiled sweetly. "Thank you, great ones."
As she walked away toward the cell, her smile widened.
"One hurdle crossed, my Queen," she whispered, as she made her way to where the guard had directed her.
The dungeon was even darker near the cells.
"Um… hello?" Lena called out softly.
Nyssa's eyes flew open. She sensed someone at the gate, but the voice…it wasn't the Queen's. This was somebody else.
She then felt a tap on her arm.
"Go," she heard Oren whisper to her.
Nyssa sighed and stood, moving slowly to the bars.
Her eyes widened when she saw a woman staring at her, instinctively she took a step back.
"W-who are you?" Nyssa asked.
Lena smiled and took a step closer to the cell. "So you're the princess, huh? Not bad. You're beautiful."
Nyssa swallowed, her eyes flicking past her.
"Did my Queen visit you today?" Lena asked and Nyssa's eyes snapped to her.
She stiffened. "The Queen?"
"Yes."
Nyssa frowned. Was she to be trusted…?
And how did she know the Queen visited her? Was she aware of everything?
"It's okay," Lena said quickly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here on her orders."
"Why?" Nyssa asked with narrowed eyes.
Lena scoffed inwardly. She still acted high and mighty even as a prisoner. What did her queen even see in her?
"She said I should give you this."
She slid the bag through the bars. Nyssa took it cautiously and opened it, and then she felt fabric brush her fingers.
"Clothes?"
"That's all she told me," Lena shrugged. "It's up to you to figure out why."
The Queen had told her not to reveal everything immediately to her. She didn't know why and well, she didn't care.
She then shoved the plate of food forward. "That's your dinner. Stay well."
She turned to leave.
"Wait," Nyssa called.
Lena sighed and looked back. "What?"
"What are these for?"
"I already told you. I don't know."
Nyssa studied her. "The Queen must have given you some idea."
"No," Lena snapped. "Why don't you figure it out yourself?"
And with that, she left.
Nyssa stood there, staring at the bag. Seconds later, Oren came to her side. "What is it, Princess?"
"The Queen gave me clothes," Nyssa murmured. "I mean…yes, I do need a change of clothes, but…"
Oren took the bag and opened it. He unfolded the first gown out of it, then the second.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Princess."
Nyssa, who had been staring ahead, turned to look at him. "Yes?"
"These are regal garments."
Nyssa blinked. "Huh?"
"I think… no," he lifted his gaze to hers, "the Queen gave you her clothes."