Equius stood in what seemed to be an empty void. He should have been scared, but he instead felt calm. Where am I, he wondered, looking around in the darkness. Everything was pitch black… except for a small point of light that was rapidly approaching him. As it drew near, he realized that it was a person!
"I demand to know wh-who you are," he stammered. He had tried to sound commanding, but his voice was rather shaky. The figure instead came up to him with a grace that made it appear as if it was floating. Equius felt his heart thump; it was that girl from the carriage ride! Her eyes were gentle, and she seemed to be giving him a faint smile. "Wh-wha-?" She put a finger to her lips to quiet him.
"You must listen to me," she said in a soft voice, "History is about to repeat itself! Whatever you do, do not…"
"Equius!" The voice snapped Equius out of his deep sleep, though it had been anything but restful. In fact, his head felt foggier than ever. Nepeta stood in the doorway, her shock of blond hair in tangles. It seemed she had not found the time to put her cap on yet. "Your father sent me to wake you! He wants to see you before it's time to receive the first task from the Queen!"
Equius sat up abruptly. He had completely forgotten that today was the day! If he was late, certainly there was no chance to become the princess's husband (and therefore the next king). After dismissing Nepeta from the room, he hurriedly put on his best suit; it consisted of a long, dark blue coat and pants atop of a black undershirt. He burst out of the room and rushed down the hallway, pulling his hair back as he ran. Nepeta rushed up and passed him, her green coat flowing behind her. She eventually turned to face him while she was still running.
"Showing off is not very becoming, Nepeta," he scolded. The blond girl simply giggled.
"Says who? Anyway, I wish you luck with your father!" She gave a playful little salute and veered away from the door at the end of the hallway to come to a halt at the side. Equius swallowed and entered his father's office.
Dear readers, let us make one thing clear; The Duke D.L Zahack was not a bad man at all. Perhaps a better word would be intimidating. He had a tendency to stare, and his deep, gravelly voice made him creepier than he meant to appear. Men were known to quake in their boots at the mere thought of having to pay him a visit. To most people, he was the embodiment of what a person feared most. To Equius Zahack, he was father.
The tall man sat at his desk, bent over a piece of paper that he was scribbling on with a feather pen. His dark hair was neatly slicked back away from his coffee colored face, and the bags under his eyes said 'do not cross me, I have not slept in days.' Equius cleared his throat, and his father looked up.
"Oh, Equius my boy," he said, "You are a minute late." Equius felt a bead of sweat go down his cheek, but he dared not reach up to wipe it away.
"I apologize, father," he replied, "I attempted to get here as fast as I could."
"I see," D.L Zahack murmured, "Well, in any case, today is the big day! Are we clear on what you are to do?"
"Y-yes father," Equius replied, swallowing nervously. The tall man raised an eyebrow at his son.
"And that is…?" For a horrible moment, Equius forgot what his father had told him several times… but as he took a deep breath, it came back to him.
"First," Equius said, "Make our family seem to be one of the most well-mannered in the kingdom, a family worthy of the blood status we hold. Second, attempt to gain the affections of Princess Feferi. Third, complete each challenge the queen presents me with to the best of my abilities."
"Excellent," D.L said, a smile stretching across his face, "But are we not forgetting one small detail?" Equius blinked in confusion.
"W-what else is there father?" As soon as he said the words, he knew his father was disappointed. The large man shook his head sadly.
"Equius, my son, this is one rule that you should not forget! Whatever you do, do not bring up that low blooded girl you ramble on about. She is a figment of your imagination, and should be treated as such."
"Yes, father," Equius replied, "I will not be bothered with such matters." However, Equius felt quite bothered indeed. Ever since the carriage ride a year ago, that girl had been appearing in his dreams every night… But it had only been last night that she had spoken, and her words were troubling indeed.
"Well," D.L said, "You do not want to be late, so off you go! Oh, and make sure Nepeta accompanies you everywhere, alright? The nobles in the next kingdom over went missing last night." Equius felt the blood drain from his face.
"Will they turn up dead like the last ones, father?"
"I hope not," D.L muttered, "But chances are likely that it will happen, and since we are right next to them, I want to make sure you are not taken as well."
"Yes, Father," Equius agreed, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. A freshly groomed Nepeta stood there, her green eyes wide.
"Did I hear something about the killers just now?"
"Indeed," Equius replied, "Most troublesome, is it not?" Nepeta snorted in amusement.
"I'd like to see them try and take you! They wouldn't last three seconds in a fight with me!" As if to show off how dangerous she truly was, she unsheathed her claws. The long, curved blades did look very dangerous, especially with the light glinting off of them.
"Yes, I am sure they wouldn't," Equius sighed, "Now let us be on our way!" As the two walked out towards the carriages, Equius could not help but worry about what his father had said. The noble killers had been hitting every kingdom near their own for a while now. Always, the nobles they targeted would go missing one by one. About a week later, their bodies would turn up, looking as though they had been tortured. Sometimes, a few servants would show up among the carnage.
If the noble killers were back, then it really could endanger not only the Zahack house, but all of the people who worked there. Equius stole a look at Nepeta, who was skipping gleefully at his side. Although the little blonde girl was more dangerous than she looked, what if the noble killers were too much for her? He closed his eyes. As if he didn't have enough to worry about with his family's status on the line, he now had to worry about whether he and his best friend would make it through the week. Troublesome indeed.