'I know he's lying…' Bubbles thought to herself, watching the slumbering beast beside her.
She slowly pushed the blankets off of her, paying close attention not to wake him. He was exhausted, that was easy to tell from his dark eyes and sluggish movements from the day before. His happy tales of the life she missed contradicted themselves, each word fumbling over the last never matching together to form a perfect picture. Every whisper of a lie never brought her comfort as to where the gashes and broken bones come from.
Life in Alatas was dangerous. She knew that better than most. All of her years she's spent here nothing every got better. People robbed and killed, gangs controlled the towns both under and above the sea. It wasn't until more recently the lands above grew softer. Travelers ventured far from all corners to visit and trade goods with the townsfolk. She had hopped with Henry being in power the other half of Alatas would grow to be more like the land.
Bubbles felt her way through the darkened room, her wooly slippers scuffing on the metallic floor.
She had spent countless nights with him, roamed this room a thousand more and yet everything felt so unfamiliar. She was left in the dark, unsure of what was what or where to go.
Eventually she fumbled into the door. She hadn't noticed when they first entered, that the door has triple the locks it had last time. Heavy, clunky and loud each one turned.
The sharp breath in and shift under the blankets brought her to tense up, slowly easing as a soft snore continued shortly after.
"I'll be back. I love you." Bubbles whispered, blowing a silent kiss before dipping out into the hall.
Hard snorts and loud whispers danced from bright rooms as she snuck past. She crept past busy kitchen staff and drunken guards until she made it into the records room.
A plump older woman sat lazily at the front desk. She wore bright blue lipstick that had smudged onto her wrinkled cheeks. Her sunken eyes darted from side to side, nose deep into her book.
"Excuse me.." Bubbles smiled.
The woman ignored her, licking her finger and turning the page.
"Pardon me, I'm interested in the king's battle records." Bubbles tried again still smiling.
The woman looked up at her above her book, rolling her eyes. "The record hall is closed until tomorrow. You're welcome back, until then have a wonderful night."
Bubbles sighed. "Listen I don't have time to come back tomorrow. I'm really sorry but the late hours are the only moments im free. I would really appreciate it if you could make this one exception. Pretty please."
"I'm 90 years of age my dear. Your fluttering eyelashes and pouted lips won't make me away your way anymore than it would anyone else."
"Well…" Bubbles smiled, framing her cheeks with the backs of her hands. "Then you must know who I am!"
"Let me guess, you're the king's fangirl. Just another busty blonde sitting on his lap, grasping for the taste of the throne life. How could I have been so foolish." The woman rolled her eyes, putting her book down and clasping her hands over it. "It doesn't matter if you were Yvonne Alatas, I'm still not making exceptions. The record hall. Is. Closed."
Bubbles frowned her brows and puffed her cheeks out, clenching her hands tight.
"I am Bubbles Lorse. Soon to be Bubbles Harvick. The very same Bubbles who has lived many more years than you and rode beside the very same Yvonne Alatas in the battle of Peace. So show your elders some respect and bring me the king's battle records!" She spit through a strained clenched smile.
The older woman rang a small Bell and picked her book back up. "Please feel free to repeat that all to the guards. If you make it out of your cell by Monday at noon, Cory Hulter will be having a dramatic reading of all the king's battles."
Two rough hands grabbed her arms and aggressively tugged her out of the room.
"Do you work tomorrow? I'll be here tomorrow. Here to kick your!" One of the guards clamped an armored hand over her mouth and deeper down the hall.
The laughter from before came to a halt as they began the climb to the dungeon. Bubbles arms grew sore as they lifted her just enough so her feet just grazed the stairs.
They threw her on a wet and sticky floor in the far back corner of the room. They hadn't bothered to lock or even close the cell door before they turned their heels and left the way they came.
Sitting on the wooden bench was a husky man, twirling a shimmering knife between his fingers.
"Don't worry, I know who you are. Bubbles." He smiled, his teeth sharpened to a point. "And I know what you are."