Side note: the first Inhumans trailed was finally released and it has only made me more excited!
/
By the sixth day of her stay at the Royal Palace, Medusa had a sneaking suspicion her cousins were not telling her everything. Twice a day at least one of them would vanish for around half an hour. At one point she couldn't find a single one of them after finishing up some extraordinarily boring studying session, and she looked everywhere she could think of, running into Prince Maximus in the process.
"Have you seen any of my cousins?"
"How would I know where they are?" Maximus said with a shrug.
Medusa frowned at his mildly caustic response, but she noticed he looked disheveled and tired, so she likened it to a bad night's sleep. "Well, thank you anyway."
She finally found them when she rounded a corner and ran straight into Gorgon, with Karnak and Triton right behind him.
"Where have you three been?" she exclaimed.
They all mumbled inconsistent excuses, and Medusa had a feeling that there was more going on than met the eye.
/
"May I ask you all a question?" she inquired casually one day at lunch.
Karnak paused with a fork full of potatoes halfway to his mouth. "Of course."
"What are you hiding from me?"
She watched with satisfaction as Triton choked on his water mid-drink. Gorgon pounded his back heartily in an attempt to end his choking.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Medusa," Karnak said calmly.
"Then why is Triton about ready to choke and die?" She shot an accusing look at her scaly cousin.
"Merely coincidence," Triton rasped hoarsely, though he did not meet her gaze.
She let the subject drop, but now her feeling was cemented in truth. They were hiding something.
/
So, the next time Triton excused himself from some silly card game they were playing ("diving practice", he said), Medusa excused herself not long after, claiming she needed to begin reading the next chapter of Genetics of Attilan: A History. Truthfully, reading the incredibly confusing and boring textbook was the furthest thing from her mind; she intended to follow Triton to wherever he, Karnak and Gorgon routinely disappeared to, for no amount of prying and accusations seemed to garner an answer out of the three.
The fishlike Inhuman was not hard to follow. His scaly feet slapped on the marble oddly, leaving a loud echo wherever he went. Medusa would wait until he turned the corner to the next hallway to steal down the corridor. Every Inhuman had a basic training in stealth and fighting; she was no exception, so she kept her footsteps as light and as quiet as she dared in order to keep hers from echoing in the spacious arched halls.
She did not have to follow him long until she found herself in the industrial section of the palace. Here, she did not have to worry about an echo, and the low mechanical hum beneath the metalwork masked her footsteps, making it easier to follow Triton at a closer range.
After several turned corners, Medusa found Triton nearing the strange staircase she had stood at on her first day at the Royal Palace. Without pause, he marched down the stairs, and she crept to the top of the staircase, watching carefully. He entered a set of numbers in a small keypad by the door; Medusa took note of the numbers—0616—and looked on as the doors rumbled open, allowing Triton entrance. From her vantage point she could not see what was beyond the doors, and even if she could see, the doors shut immediately after her cousin stepped in.
She sprinted away, repeating 0616, 0616, 0616, to herself as she did. She had no idea what on earth Triton had just walked into, and she was definitely going back there later.
/
The pen's texture was smooth and metallic, allowing it to roll easily across the table.
"Lady Medusalith?"
It was almost to the edge of the table, rolling, rolling, rolling…
"Lady Medusalith!"
"Hm?" Medusa was jerked back to reality abruptly, her hand clapping down on the pen to stop it from rolling off the table altogether.
Her tutor, an older male Inhuman that was slightly furry and had goat's ears in place of regular ones, glared at her with gleaming yellow eyes. "Are you paying attention?"
"Er, yes. I am sorry, Mister…" His name was a complicated string of syllables she could never remember, so she cleared her throat and moved on. "What was the question?"
The tutor raised his chin in indignation. "What is the significance of gene INH2q5763n9?"
"Er…" Medusa drummed her fingers on the table. "The gene for a tail?"
He harrumphed. "Yes, that is surprisingly correct, considering you weren't paying attention.
Medusa knew he was right. Her thought were completely deviated to the strange door in the industrial area of the palace. It had been three days, and still her cousins kept up their odd disappearances, clearly not having known she followed Triton. She had been calculating the timing, and when she got out of her tutoring class there should be enough time—
A book snapping shut made her jump. She looked back at the tutor, who was still glaring.
"Seeing as your head is still clearly in the clouds, we will end for today."
Medusa almost smiled, but managed to keep a serious face. Getting out early would be even better.
"But I expect you to be punctual and on your toes tomorrow," the tutor sniffed.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She rose hastily and curtsied before fleeing the room, ready to go about her mission.
Briefly, she returned to her room and grabbed up the piece of paper with the code to the door written on it before setting off in the direction of the industrial area. Some servants bowed or curtsied as she walked towards the wing, but nobody made to stop her. Somewhere in the distance, Gorgon laughed and the sound intermingled with the laughter of Karnak and Triton, echoing through the hallways. Thee sound sent a surge of relief through Medusa; she had confirmation they were not anywhere near the staircase and the door.
Still with an air of caution, she came to the industrial area, and as it had been previously, not a soul was to be found. Focusing on finding the way, she recalled the route she had taken when following Triton and retraced her steps. Sure enough, she came to the staircase.
The paper felt sweaty in her hands as she stared down at the doors. If found, she could get in major trouble. Obviously only a sacred few were allowed past those doors, otherwise there would certainly be more people around. She could be ending her career as Queen of Attilan before it even began, but her cousins had never lied to her in the past, and she had to find out why they started now.
So she went down the stairs. Every step of her shoes on the metal sounded loud, and with every step her heart beat faster. Then she was at the bottom, staring at the doors. Her hand trembled slightly as she held up the paper.
0616.
Slowly, carefully, she punched the numbers into the keypad. With a final, fortifying breath, she hit the enter key.
A small beep, and the doors rumbled open. Startled, Medusa darted in, and they shut behind her almost instantly with a clang of finality.
She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't a person.
The room she was standing in was somewhat large, completely metal without any change save for the wall opposite her. It too was mostly metal, but right opposite the doors was a window, floor to ceiling of thick glass, and behind it he stood.
He was tall, probably a good half a foot taller than she. A black bodysuit encased his form up to his neck, showing off a well-toned and muscular body. White jagged stripes ran down opposite sides of his chest, coming to stop at white rings around his legs. Above his neck, a muzzle of some sort encased his chin up to his nose, and above that were the brightest blue eyes Medusa had ever seen. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and well-cut.
He looked almost as startled as she felt, his eyes widening fractionally.
"Oh, er, um…" Medusa nearly stumbled, but managed to keep herself upright. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect anyone to be down here. I was looking for my cousins."
He tilted his head to one side slightly, his eyes narrowing as if he were wary of her.
"Who might you be?" she asked, remembering her manners just in time.
He did not move for a long moment, merely continuing to study her. Then, he slowly made a circle out his index fingers and thumbs on both hands and brought it up to his head. It took a moment for the action to register in Medusa's mind.
Crown Prince.
She swore her face turned as red as her hair. "P-Prince Blackagar?"
A single nod.
Beyond mortified, she curtsied deeply, nearly unbalancing herself in the process. "Er, allow me to introduce myself. I am your betrothed, Medusalith Amaquelin."
When she spoke her name, Blackagar's eyes widened again, though whether with surprise or fear she could not tell. Then he bowed courteously to her. After a long pause, she remembered he could not speak, and she felt like sinking into the floor completely.
"You…you're probably wondering what I'm doing here," she said.
A nod.
She swallowed. "Well…" Before she could get any farther, he held up a single finger, and the message was clear this time.
One moment.
He darted out of her view, and she took the opportunity to jointly fan herself wildly and also scold herself in the process.
"Of course he can't talk, you stupid girl!" she hissed. "What were you expecting him to do? Offer pleasantries?"
Blackagar returned sooner than she expected, and she spun around rapidly, hoping her hair wasn't moving too much. The only change about him was his hair; it had been a little spiky, but now it was smoothed down perfectly.
When the implication hit Medusa, she couldn't help a smile. "You were expecting Gorgon, Karnak, and Triton instead of me, weren't you?"
He nodded, still studying her with that scrutinizing look. She shifted, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.
"Um, so you want to know why I'm here?"
Nod.
"Well, I've been here for almost a week and my distant cousins—Karnak, Triton, and Gorgon—have been disappearing throughout the day every day, and when I'd ask them they would lie, so I decided to find out what it was they were doing." She blinked. "Which apparently is visiting you."
Blackagar nodded again, the skin around the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as if he were smiling behind the muzzle.
"I'm sorry if I intruded," she continued. "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but…" She trailed off as he shook his head. "I didn't intrude?"
He shook his head again. No.
She sighed, a tendril of hair wrapping around her hand. "Well, I'm glad."
He noticed the movement of her hair and tilted his head towards her questioningly.
"What, my hair?" Medusa held up the hand wrapped in red, and he nodded. "It's the power given to me by the Terrigen Mists. It's not that impressive."
Blackagar gave her a look.
"You like it?"
Nod.
Once again she felt heat creeping into her cheeks. "Well, thank you, though it's not nearly as impressive as your powers."
At that, Blackagar's expression darkened, his brow furrowing and his shoulders tensing visibly.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I shouldn't have said that. I know it must be hard for you. I can't even imagine what it must be like to have to stay in there all the time." You're rambling! she thought to herself. Shut up before you make an even bigger fool of yourself!
Blackagar merely blinked slowly in acknowledgment, his brow returning to a neutral state.
Before she could stop herself, the next inquiry came tumbling from her lips. "Does it hurt? That muzzle, I mean? It doesn't look very comfortable."
He tilted his head curiously and nodded.
"Gorgon told me you have good control," she said. "Is it because of that?"
He shook his head.
"Then why do you wear it?"
He brought his hands up to his face, palms open as if shielding himself from something.
"Protection?" Medusa interpreted.
He dropped his hands. Nod.
"For who?"
He pointed straight at her.
"Me?"
He made a wide gesture with his arms.
"Everyone," she murmured. "So you don't necessarily have to wear it?"
He shook his head.
"But you choose to? Why?"
The looked he gave her next did not need a gesture to accompany it. I am afraid.
"It's alright to be afraid," she said, and laughed drily. "I was scared out of my mind when I first came here. I still am, actually."
Blackagar tilted his head in a silent question, but before Medusa could elaborate further, they were interrupted by a far off sound.
"Meduuuusaaaa!" Gorgon's throaty bellow echoed faintly through the thick metal of the cell.
"Oh right," she muttered, the reminder that her cousins still existed giving rise to her ire. "They'll probably be looking for me, and I have bone to pick with them I…I should probably go."
Blackagar gestured to the door. Go, then.
Medusa hesitated. "I…do you want me to come back?"
He nodded vigorously, more action than any response she had received in the past. Yes.
She smiled, barely remembering to curtsy. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Prince Blackagar."
He bowed in return.
She turned to go, but a tap on the glass stopped her. She looked back and saw him gazing at her with a hopeful expression, a hand pressed to the window.
Please.
"I'll be back, I promise," she said, and she meant it.
He nodded one final time and stepped back from the glass. She reentered the code to the door and stepped through them, and they shut behind her with a hiss.