End Game

.:.

Riley stared at the person on the opposite end of the table. It was morning and the sun was fully out, the birds were chirping and the grass was a bright green. The girl sitting beside him was her best friend. They've been friends ever since they were little, very little.

She was meeting Jason for the first time and she loved the way Maya smiled when she was with him. It was like she became a completely different person, or a much better, happier version of herself.

"Lucas and I grew very close shortly afterward," Jason concluded his story. "He gave me a place to stay and he helped me when I needed it. He's truly a great guy, Riley. I wish you both well."

"Thank you," Riley smiled. She looked down at her bowl of fruit and she continued to eat it. Before their talk could progress, she found a servant staring at her, expectantly. She recognized the woman's face, she must have news to tell her. "What is it?"

"You're wanted in the throne room," she told her, "The king sent for you."

.:.:.

The thing about meetings that Riley truly hated, was that everyone expected her to stand there and look pretty. No one wanted to hear what she had to say they just wanted her to be there because that immediately meant her approval. She hated showing up late just as much as being there.

Everyone except Lucas made a face when she entered, the rest rolled their eyes, some scoffed, others looked at her for a split second before returning to Lucas as if she didn't matter. Lucas, however, smiled when he saw her. As soon as she reached his side, he extended his arm and brought her close to him.

As the nobleman talked amongst themselves, he turned to her and kissed her cheek. "We're discussing our next advancement towards Valemore."

She nodded and then watched as the men returned their attention back to them.

"I was thinking that for now, we focus on this castle. The King of Valemore has gotten a map of our tunnels and we spent a lot of money filling them. We think that for now, we should improve security in the castle. We should start reaching out towards our spies. The ones that have been in Valemore for years now."

The noblemen in the room didn't look convinced and Riley noticed. She wasn't sure Lucas did.

She wanted to say something but Lucas had advised her not to if it meant disagreeing with him. She bit her tongue many times, but eventually, it got the best of her. "Lucas and I previously discussed spreading a famine through Valemore," she only said his name so that he wouldn't get angry. She felt better seeing that the men's faces were intrigued, "We're monarchs, not cowards. We're a first world country just like Valemore. Back home there is a man who knows how to make poisonous gases, I can send for him and he could spread them all over Valemore lands."

Lucas clenched his jaw and stared at Riley. "Spreading the famine means going there. We can't send any of our people knowing that their borders are heavily protected. If Valemore men are legally killed in Mystic and in Courtley then that means the king of Valemore has surely passed a terrible law against us."

"I've mentioned before that Valemore stations their troops with reason. They are placed where they think we will attack. We dock somewhere that's unexpected. It's simple."

Lucas realized that if he said something back, they would continue to talk back and forth and it would start to look more like an argument. He turned to the men and looked at them, they seemed to be catching onto it. "Thank you. That's it for today."

They stood up and walked away. As soon as they were gone, he looked at her.

Riley's hair was in a high ponytail. The remaining hair looked as if it had been freshly unbraided, making her hair look even looking and wavier. "What was that?" he asked. "I thought we discussed this."

"I can't just stay quiet," she informed. She quickly realized that Victoria had stayed behind and that she was siding with Lucas. "What's the whole point of showing up to these meetings?" He didn't answer her question and instead, he walked away. He had other things to discuss and to handle. "Lucas," she called to him. She was angry at him for ignoring her, "Is it because I am a woman?" she asked. "Is that why they want me to say nothing."

Lucas knew there was a day he was going to have to tell her this. He didn't know that it would have to come so unexpected. "It's because of your past with the King that they see you as inferior."

.:.

"And yes, I know that he cares for me and that he knows I will make a great Mystic queen someday, but how will I be able to become one if he won't let me make any decisions?"

Riley turned to look at Theo. She was waiting for his response. She had found comfort in him and he always told her the right things, "You need to talk to him. Work something out, I'm sure he's upset most of the time because you don't tell him your ideas. You say it in front of everybody which makes it look like you two are in disagreement."

She didn't think of it that way. She never talked to him about the change she wanted to make and it was a smart idea. "You're right."

"But," he continued, "I agree with you. Lucas needs to learn that other people have opinions as well. You're smart, Riley. He knows that."

She smiled, "I want him to go through with my idea. It's a brilliant one but I need his approval on it. Talking to him will be difficult, when he's upset he doesn't like listening to other people's opinions. He's stubborn."

"So are you," Theo responded which caught her attention. His smile helped lighten the mood.

"I am not," she defended. "I stick to what I want and there is no problem with that."

"I never said there was."

Riley patted his shoulder before she walked away, and as she did she felt like his eyes were still on her. She didn't mind it at all. She loved how close they have gotten and she was happy that she was able to form a close friendship with someone related to Lucas other than Victoria.

.:.:.

"You're packing?" Maya asked Jason as she entered his room. She laid down on his bed so that she could get closer to him. "What for?"

"I will be spending time away from the castle," he informed. Their eyes met and he noticed she was surprised, "Didn't I tell you?"

She shook her head no. Maya would've remembered if he did because that would have been important. "How could you forget? How long will you be gone for?"

"More than three weeks," he answered her. "I was asked to paint a family portrait and the family lives miles away. They offered my stay and I said yes."

The blonde pouted, "That means I won't see you."

"I know," he placed his hand on her cheek, "But they are paying us a fortune. I figured once I come back we could start making wedding arrangements?"

"Yes," she said in a heartbeat. "I can't wait."

.:.

Victoria watched as Farkle walked into her office. He had gotten much taller and stronger than he looked before. She admired the way he was raised. When he was younger Farkle always asked for permission. Unlike Lucas, he understood how impolite it was to flick food towards other people while they were eating.

"What do you need?"

"You are going to attend a meeting for me. New buildings are going to be added towards the castle and I need you to make sure that the men don't get too creative or go off budget."

He internally rolled his eyes but nodded, "Is that all?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "Take this with you."

He grabbed the papers Victoria pointed at and walked out.

.:.:.

The next day, Riley walked into the throne room knowing that Lucas was there. He was looking down at a few papers placed on a table and the bright sun illuminated through the windows. They were alone.

"Lucas," she called his name and he turned to her. His smile made her feel better. "Can we talk?"

"Actually," he began as he took a few steps towards her, "I have to tell you something. I decided to take your advice. We will proceed with the plans to spread a famine through Valemore. How long will it take the man to get here if we send for him today?"

"There's no need," Riley spoke, "He will be here tomorrow, I already did that."

"What?" he asked.

"I needed to convince you about the famine so I decided to bring him. He will arrive first thing tomorrow morning."

"Riley," his voice was hoarse - as if he was angry. "You couldn't wait till I made a decision?"

"I did so that you could listen to me. You don't listen to me whatsoever. It's like all the sudden I have an idea and when I try to tell you or the nobleman you get upset with me."

He turned his back on her, "Because you can't keep embarrassing me like that. It looks like I can't reach a settlement with my own fiance. From now on you're not allowed to attend these meetings."

"Lucas!" she yelled at him. "You can't do that."

"I can and I did," he looked serious and Riley had not seen this side of him. "I don't want to do this Riley, but I have tried so hard not to."

"The only problem we have here is communication. I have ideas too Lucas, I have opinions and I will not let someone take that from me. I am a queen and if we are going to get married I will not let you tighten your grip on me. I did this because you don't listen to me. You want things to go your way and if you hate me for doing the same then go ahead. My mind was in the right place, if you wish to thing different then go ahead. I could care less about what you say."

Lucas was surprised to hear her say that. She was just as surprised to see her walk away from him. He knew that their arguments rarely happened but when they did they were bad. He just wished this wasn't the one argument that would tear them apart.

.:.

"Excuse me," Maya said and watched as the man turned around, he was easy on the eyes. "You're Farkle, right?"

He furrowed his brows, "Yes." The girl standing in front of him was at his height, she had blue eyes and her long blonde hair fell down past her shoulders.

"My name is Maya. I came here with Riley." Since Riley and Maya were friends, Maya got to travel a lot with her friend. It also meant that she was to receive some wealth as well.

"You're the Lady in Waiting," Farkle said as they shook each other's hand, "It's nice to meet you."

She noticed that he was carrying dozens of rolled up papers with his other hand, "Do you happen to know where the private library is?"

"Actually, that's where I am going to," he chuckled.

"Oh, well, lead the way," she told him and they walked together.

The library was big but comforting. It was stacked with numerous of books, and large windows that let the bright sun in. As soon as they arrived, she took a seat in a nearby chair. Farkle set his things down, some of the rolled up paper fell from the table and onto the ground. As he picked one up, the rest fell.

"Why do you have so many papers?" she asked him.

"The castle, it's months away from being remodeled. There's going to be a new installment and a new set of buildings and Victoria had me take charge of it."

"Can I take a look?" she asked.

Farkle nodded and Maya walked towards him. She looked at the blueprints before staring back at Farkle. "It would be nice if a new route that secures the safety of soldiers when they are battling was included. I mean it's no secret that our countries will be at war soon so that's a great thing to include."

"You're right," he admitted. "That's actually a really good idea. I'll see what I could do."

.:.:.

Riley repeatedly pressed her knuckles against Theo's door creating a knock. She waited for him to open the door and he took a while to get to it. When he finally did, Riley was met with a shirtless Theo.

He had chiseled features and abs, his smooth skin distracted her and when she finally realized what she was doing, she looked up to meet his eyes. "Do you want to go horseback riding?"

Once Theo nodded, they headed out of the castle and got on their horses. The cool wind blew on them and they continued to ride. They rode through vast green lands and through trees, they followed many trails Riley had never seen. He led the way and the views were amazing. She loved that he continued to teach her new thing without his realization.

"Why did you want to go riding?" he asked when he slowed down his horse. He turned to her and saw that she didn't look happy nor sad, it was like she was in the state of in between. "Are you okay?"

"Lucas and I are arguing," she told him. "I don't want to talk to him or see him. I just wanted to get away."

"What happened?" he didn't know if he had asked the right question. Would she get mad?

"I listened to you. I told him that I had opinions to and he got angry because I didn't wait until he made a decision. I took matters into my own hands and he got mad at me for it. This isn't your fault and I don't want you to feel like it is, but you have helped me, more than you know it."

He smiled, "Just doing the right thing."

"But now I don't know how we're going to work through this. I want to get through this but I don't want to talk to him, at least not now."

"Take it easy on him. He's stressed. He likes to think that he's in control of things and that he could fix or overcome anything that comes his way. Take my word for it, he will be apologizing tomorrow morning."

Riley took his word. She knew that she and Lucas would eventually make up, but she didn't think it would be anytime soon. She patted her horse before they continued to ride. Theo was by her side the entire time and she was able to talk with him.

.:.

"Victoria," Flynn called to her. She turned around and their eyes met. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked noticing the opened letter in his hand. She dismissed the people she was with and Flynn watched as they walked away.

"I received this. I think it's from a spy in Valemore. He used the same code I do, the one we were supposed to learn."

"You think someone from Valemore wrote this? A Mystic spy?" she took the letter from him and she noticed that some of the words were in a different writing style. "What does this say?"

"It says that Valemore plans on invading a nearby country to reach closer grounds to Mystic," Victoria looked at him, she was surprised, "He says that the plot should have already started."

"I hate these rats!" she yelled before walking away.

.:.:.

"This," Theo spoke and he turned to look at Riley, "It's my favorite part about Mystic. It's this view right here."

Riley was near the end of a cliff, the ocean below it made loud splashing waves and the sun to her side was going down. It was a beautiful sunset and a nice place to be around when a lot was placed on your shoulders. "You are a great guy Theo," she spoke and it made him smile. "You deserve the best. The only other person who has ever made me feel safe was Lucas and it sucks that we are upset with each other."

"You should try talking to him again. Only this time make sure that you hear his side first, his anger and his feelings. He's easy to talk to when you let him confess how he feels."

She nodded, "I will."

Their eyes met and for a split second, Theo contemplated on telling her how he truly felt for her. If he did, he didn't know what would happen or how she would react. She would tell Lucas and he would respond very dangerously. When he felt like he was threatened, he wanted to do whatever he could to make sure he had an advantage. And now that Lucas is a king, it makes him an advantage right away.

As he turned to look at the ocean one more time, he noticed something different. The ships he had seen before weren't from Mystic, they were from someplace else. He narrowed his eyes and tried to see their flag, but he couldn't. It wasn't until the wind blew in a different direction that he was able to see it. It was a Valemore flag. "We need to go, hurry!"

.:.

Riley and Theo were able to make it to the castle back in time to see that everyone was running frantically through the castle. They reached the throne room where they were sure that Lucas would be. The doors opened and as soon as Lucas noticed them, he approached them. "Where did you both go?" he questioned. He seemed angry. Even angrier now.

"I was with Theo," she answered him. Riley could tell his anger, she realized that if he was going to yell at somebody it should be her.

"I didn't give you permission to leave the castle - "

"I don't need it," she retaliated. "I made it back safely that's all that matters."

He looked at Theo who was prepared to do something like he was seconds away from stepping in case they started arguing. He turned his back on them and returned to the table where Victoria and Flynn were. They were discussing more of the invasion.

"The country they are invading is named Yolse," Flynn began, "It's small and barely seen on most maps. We do however share a border with them so Lucas - "

"Yes, I know. My men are getting ready. They will dock at the border to stop them from entering. Theo," he turned to him. "Go join them. You're leading the attack."

Riley watched as he walked away but was brought back to face then when she heard Flynn speak, "This is their advantage. Now that they have reached closer lands they will be doing whatever they can to invade. If we improve security - "

"Are you serious?" Riley asked. She knew that this time she was interrupting them when she shouldn't have, but if it was wrong then she didn't care. "This is a perfect time to follow through with my plan. We spread the famine, they are focusing all of their attention on attacking Yolse, they are leaving their borders completely defenseless."

"We don't know that," Victoria spoke. "What if we do go through your plan and we get caught? What do we do then?"

"I never said anything about sending an army."

"Then how do you plan on spreading the famine? We need people for that - "

Riley furrowed her brows, "We poison their foods with gases."

"Gases?" she asked.

"The scientist back home, he knows how to make it. His name is Gerald and he's on his way. He will explain more of this when he's here, but I will need you guys to take a chance on me. I know what I am doing and I have the brains for it."

She watched as they all looked at each other. They were making a decision and when Lucas stared at her, she felt hopeful. It took one nod and she knew she was going to have to think of a plan. When he finally did give her a nod, she walked back to her room. She knew that she had a chance to prove herself. She would prove that she had the strength to protect her two countries. And she was going to show them that she is just as fearless as any man.

.:.:.

The next day, Riley heard a knock on her door. She had refused to leave her room until she had a solid plan and she was fully convinced she did. She stood on her two feet and wrapped her hand around the knob before opening it, coming face to face with a messenger. "Your Grace, this was left for you at the front gate."

She took the letter in her hands and thanked him goodbye. While she struggled to get the letter open, Lucas walked in and gave a light tap.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She let out a light gasp because she was caught by surprise. When she turned back to look at him, she hid the letter behind her. "Come in."

The tension was still high between the two and Riley was surprised that he would want to talk to her so soon after their argument.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He closed the door after he entered and took a step closer in her direction.

Riley set the letter down hoping it would help ease his suspicion. "Why are you here?" she asked. Her tone wasn't different, it was the same and she was sure it didn't rise any misunderstanding between them.

His eyes followed her hand's movements and caught sight of the letter, he didn't ask about it considering their situation. "I just wanted to know where you and Theo went last night? I was worried, Riley."

She looked at him and realized that she understood him. He was worried but when he saw her, he grew angry. "I was sad because of our argument and I needed someone to talk to. He and I went out to ride our horses and when we saw the ships we came back."

He sighed, "I don't want us to argue anymore, Riley. I couldn't sleep at all last night because of it." When he sat down on her bed, she joined him. "I'm really sorry."

She looked at him and kissed his cheek, "I'm sorry too."

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes before Lucas got up and walked away. She was glad that they were able to move away from this and finally be able to start anew.

When the door to her room closed, she turned to the letter and opened it. She was grateful that Lucas didn't ask to see the letter. She immediately recognized that the letter came from the country she was meeting with.

The letter read:

The boat should be arriving by the time you're reading this

.:.

"These are great," Victoria said looking at the blueprints. "What's this here?" She pointed to a long narrow pathway.

"A secure route," Farkle answered. He was showing Victoria about the plans he made for the castle, "It's for the soldiers. In case there is a battle here at the castle, this route leads to a safe space and various places where they have the advantage to kill any enemies."

"It's smart."

He looked at it and licked his lips, "There's also some news I must tell you about."

"What is it?"

"It's about Flynn," he began. "There's word going around that he isn't who he says he is. That he's pretending to be loyal to Mystic but instead he's a double spy."

"That makes no sense - "

"Does it? A guard saw him leave the castle last night. He was heading in the direction of Yolse," he said. "The same man saw Flynn come back a few hours later."

Victoria sat back on her chair and sighed, it was almost like she was expecting it.

"Follow him. From now on you keep an eye on him and if you find anything let me know. I'll have him arrested."

.:.:.

Riley and Lucas walked out of the castle seeing the big ship just outside of it. It had docked on one of their beaches, "What is this?" Lucas asked and he turned to look at Riley. He had his arm wrapped around hers.

"This is the ship," she confessed. "It was filled with Valemore men but they were taken out. My countrymen are in there and they will pose as Valemore men."

He nodded because he was starting to gain an understanding of her plan, "The ship is a cargo ship," he spoke and Riley said yes. "And the food has been poisoned already?"

"Yes. Some of the food in there will be sent to the soldiers in Yolse," she began and she looked at him, "It will kill them and they will not be able to take over. The other half, which will leave as soon as they drop the food there, will go to Valemore and will spread. It will be sold to markets and that will allow the spread of the famine."

Lucas looked at Riley and he noticed that there was something different about her. It was like she was overcome with joy as she spoke.

"It's a brilliant plan," he said.

"I told you. You just had to listen to me."

As they approached the ship, Lucas couldn't help but question Riley's character.

Was she capable of killing people without feeling any remorse?

.

.

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Writers Note: What do you guys think about this? Is Lucas right about what he thinks of Riley now? Is something going to happen between Riley and Theo now that Riley and Lucas are starting to distance themselves? Let me know in the review section and thank you guys so much for reading.

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