Chapter 68

Former king Randolph

"Phoenix, where are you taking us?" he asked with concern; he didn't seem to recognize this part of the castle dungeons. Why are we at the castle dungeons?" asked Hadley.

As Randolph saw that they reached the end part of the room, it was where they used it as a cellar for most things since it was in some way connected to the other cellar.

"The cellar?" asked Randolph again but was cut by Fallon before he could finish the sentence, although it was as if she read his mind.

"Phoenix, they'll find us here; the other door to the cellar leads to the castle hallway, remember." She said as he finally came to a stop to a wall away from the doors behind some boxes; he put his hand on the wall, and the door opened.

"What is this placed?" asked Randolph again.

"Quickly get in before they spy this place." Said Phoenix as everyone quickly went in, and then the doors closed; the place was like a small house; it had a Livingroom with a kitchen and a table for all twelve if necessary.

"There are four rooms with beds inside them and one lavatory; there's food and clothes for all; this is where you all will be staying; it's protected with firm walls of cement that can't be broken down; they can only be open." Said Phoenix.

"How long has this been here, Phoenix?" said Randolph.

"King Derek designed this the moment he was king, he said in case of an emergency. It was finished and stocked during Christmas; the food will last you for about two months; after that, I will bring you some more through the back exit. Queen Genevieve doesn't know about this; Derek decided not to tell her anything in case they tried to threaten her with her family; she wouldn't be lying about knowing where her family was located." Finished Phoenix as Randolph nodded before asking.

"Who else knows the location of this place?" he asked as Phoenix responded.

"Derek, me, Cole, and Tobias. It's also stocked with weapons you're all familiar with. Don't leave this place till the danger is gone; I will try to come and give news as soon as possible." He finally said as Randolph knew that it meant he would return outside with Genevieve.

"Thank you, Phoenix." Said Randolph as he and his daughters began to explore the place except for Hadley.

"Please stay alive and come back to me." She said with tears in her eyes.

"I promise to try my best." Said Phoenix as he gave her a kiss on her cheek after wiping the tears; he then turned to his family.

"Stay here, mom; all of you will be fine here." He told them as they all nodded, gave him a hug, and then left through the door.

"It will be okay, Charlotte and Hadley; I know we will get through this; alright, let's find our places and get comfortable; we're going to be here a while." Said Randolph as they all did as he said.

Queen Genevieve

Genevieve was sitting in her chair, she could hear the noise from outside she didn't know what the outcome was coming to, she heard a door open and stood up it was Levi with Angel and a few other men.

"My, Genevieve, you sure look nice on that throne, but I think you're missing an essential piece." He said, smirking at her as she only glared at him.

"You have some nerve coming here to my kingdom; you aren't welcome here; leave at once, or you'll be thrown into the dungeons and then be prosecuted." Said Genevieve as her hand was formed into a fist.

He simply laughed at her and then began to walk in her direction until a sword stood in between to separate them.

"don't even think about it; one-inch closer, and I'll have you killed for touching my queen and invading Glidonia." Said Phoenix as Levi looked more annoyed.

"I don't think you want to do that; you see, I can have your family killed in an instant," he said as Phoenix stayed in front of Genevieve but retreated his sword.

"That's what I thought, now, Genevieve; it's simply what I want, maybe we can come to an arrangement, and no one gets hurt." He said as she only nodded her head to her sides.

"I only want Glidonia and Thraas with you by my side; it's not something hard." Said Levi as she gasped and covered her mouth.

"Never! I would rather die than be your wife!" she quickly responded before speaking again.

"Derek will come back, and you will be executed for all the harmed that you caused!" she told him as he only grew angrier.

"I was hoping it didn't have to come to this, but you've left me no choice!" said Levi as he took out a portrait of her son Henry which caught her attention.

"One, it's a lifetime offer I'm offering you, I'm willing to take you and your son and treat him as my own, but if you don't cooperate, someone has to pay the broken plates," he said as he ripped the picture.

"And two, Derek isn't coming anymore, my sweet Genevieve, both he and Tobias have traveled into the other world; if you don't want me to send your son with him, then accept my offer; you have 24 hours to decide." Said Levi as he left the throne room.

It was then that she fell to the ground and burst into tears; she couldn't believe what she was hearing; her husband couldn't be dead; he just couldn't.

"Genevieve, I don't believe in that for a second." Said Phoenix as she continued to cry.

"Are my family and son saved?" she asked while still crying as he softly nodded to her and held her in his arms.

"Derek can't be dead; he just… can't be!" she exclaimed as she continued to cry.

"What am I to do, Phoenix? And Isla, what do I tell her? I don't think I can do this!" she exclaimed while crying.

"Genevieve, I haven't known you for long, but from what Derek told me about you, I can tell you're a very strong person, and you will get through this. You are the queen of Glidonia, and as queen, I know you'll do what's right to protect your kingdom and family, and I will always be by your side, my queen, until the end," he said as she smiled and thanked him.

"do you know where my family is? I would love to see them ensure they are safe." She asked Phoenix as he only nodded but didn't answer.

"My queen, I assure you they are all safe, including your son, but all I can say is that I led them to a guard who claims to take them somewhere the king requested. We know nothing of this place except one person, and I do not know who that is, but I will get information to inform you about them weekly." He said as she looked confused and surprised.

How could her husband not tell her about this location? She got up and headed to their bedroom; she saw his wardrobe and walked towards it to open it.

She took out one of her husband's shirts, the white with a bit of red, the one he wore on their wedding day.

Flashback

"Do you, Derek take princess Genevieve to be your wife, to cherish and hold, to protect her in sickness and health as long as you both shall live?" asked the priest as Derek smiled while looking at her before replying.

"I do." He answered as she blushed.

"Do you, princess Genevieve take Derek to be your husband, to cherish and hold, to protect him in sickness and health as long as you both shall live?" asked the priest as she wanted to yell the answer for years she had been waiting for this day to arrive.

"I do." She answered while smiling from ear to ear.

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife; you may now kiss the bride." He finished as Derek pulled her into a passionate kiss, they were finally married, and no one was going to separate them because their love was powerful.

End of flashback

"You can't be dead, Derek. I refuse to believe that!" she exclaimed while holding onto his shirt and crying.

'We have a lot to overcome.' She thought as she hugged his shirt.

'Mother, if you can hear me, please send me a sign on what to do; I feel powerless and alone.' She thought to herself as she sat in their bed and drifted to sleep.

She suddenly felt someone tug on the top part of her dress; she woke up to see her son Henry.

"Mama?" said the little boy as he continued to play with her dress, and she quickly stood up and hugged her son as tears started to fall down her cheek again; he looked so much like…... "Derek." She finally said as she looked to see Phoenix, Gabriel, king Alex, and Brandon standing next to her.

"We thought you might need your son during this time." Said Phoenix as she smiled before thanking him.

She looked around and noticed it was close to sunset; she must have slept for a couple of hours.

"We need to fight…. I need to fight for my son and my family and for…. Derek, but I can't do it alone." She finally said as Gabriel stepped in.

"You're not alone, my queen, we are here for you, and we will always stay loyal to you." Said Gabriel as Phoenix joined in.

"Before Derek disappeared, we promised him to protect you and Henry and the whole family. We will all take turns, but now you and your son will always have one of your guards." He said as she smiled.

"Thank you for everything you're all doing. There is one thing that needs to be done as soon as possible before Levi returns, I need to write a letter to Ashlyn, Blair, and Delia. They need to know that Glidonia is in trouble and needs their help; if Levi wants to play this game, then we'll play his game; he will pay for hurting my family." She said while hugging Henry and began writing the letters.

The next day

Genevieve was waiting for Levi to arrive; she was sitting on the throne chair with her son in her room, guarded by Gabriel and Cole, while her guards were Brandon and Phoenix.

Flashback

She was done writing the letters and had sent them with Brandon to deliver when the door opened to reveal no other than Brandon with the hunter Cole.

"Cole?!" exclaimed Gabriel; he looked tired and slightly injured. Everyone raced to him and helped him to a nearby chair. Genevieve gave him some water and asked Brandon to go fetch the doctor, Phillip.

"What happened? Cole, please tell me my husband isn't dead," asked Genevieve, worried.

"I'm sorry….. queen Genevieve it all happened so fast. Tobias was fighting with his brother while Derek was on the floor; I dragged him out before Levi killed him. I left him behind a bush; he was still breathing but badly injured, I went to get help, but…" stopped Cole, which caused her to worry now.

"But what?! Cole, please, I need to know that Derek is still alive." She exclaimed as he looked so sorry for her.

"I went back to check at the rest of the soldiers that were fighting with Levi's men and tried to find our bag for an emergency, but then the floor started to tremble; my guess was that Tobias told them to attack with the tunnel we made and it worked, and the rest of the men were then in the nets trapped. But the floor began vibrating rapidly, and then we heard a sound to where Derek and Tobias were, the floor deepened a bit, and their bombs started exploding." He said and then retook a sip of water.

"most of our men are safe; they quickly reacted and jumped into a tree, climbed a rock, or hid somewhere far away. Levi's men were wiped away by 80%; since we had caught them, the rest that still survived, we brought them to the dungeons, but when I returned to look for king Derek and prince Tobias there was no sign of them anywhere. I'm so sorry, my queen, but we don't know what happened to them." Finished Cole as this seemed to stab Genevieve in the heart even more.

"Where are the rest of our men, Cole?" she asked, still sobbing.

"They're all outside in the gardens, while some are in the dungeons watching the prisoners." He finished.

"How many do we have?" Asked Phoenix as the doctor came in and started to treat Cole's wounds.

"We have about 60%; we lost 20% in battle." Finished Cole.

"How is he doctor?" asked Genevieve.

"Your highness, he seems to have some scratches, and he's very dehydrated but nothing too serious; I suggest he takes bed rest for a couple of days; after that, he should be good as new." Said Philip as Genevieve nodded, and he left but before looking at her worried.

"Your highness, remember to take it slow; you're due for a check-up soon. I'll come tomorrow to check up on you." Said Philip as he left, and everyone just stood looking at Genevieve.

"What was that?" asked Phoenix as Gabriel followed.

"Are you alright, queen Genevieve?" asked Gabriel as she simply nodded.

"Yes, I am fine, nothing to worry about." She said as they all seemed to shrug off except Phoenix.

"Cole, Levi came here today, and he's coming back tomorrow, and I can't have many guards, or he'll think we're going into another war which can't happen." Said Genevieve.

"I need you to take 30% of the men and lead them to find Derek and Tobias; I want them found. Even if they're…. dead. I need to prove to myself that they're truly gone. That way, we only have 30% of guards, and it's less, and he won't see this coming, Levi may have started this war, but it's up to me to finish it and protect my kingdom and family." Said Genevieve as they all nodded.

End of Flashback

A sudden band of opened doors was heard that snapped her out of her thoughts; Levi was standing there with two men behind him, and maybe 20% were outside waiting for orders.

"Have you decided, my dear Genevieve?" Levi asked as she stood from her chair.

"I have, but there are requests as well." She added as he looked at her, confused.

"I beg your pardon, he said?!" exclaimed Levi.

"You come here to my kingdom and threaten me as well as the rest of my people, without knowing that Glidonia won the battle you had with the king Derek; if you want to join in Glidonia with me by your side, there are a certain of rules you must follow and accept." She said with a serious face while he looked at her with rage. "Number one, we have captured many of your men; they are all locked away, and each will be executed unless I say otherwise; I will be in charge of prisoners, not you. Number two, my guards will follow my orders as well as your free men, but under no circumstances do you tell my guards what to do!" she exclaimed.

"This is absurd!" exclaimed Levi as he prepared to walk towards her, but Phoenix stood in front of her.

"don't think about it, Levi." Said Phoenix; as Levi was going to say something, Genevieve stepped in.

"Do not interrupt me, or I will see you be killed in this instant!" said Genevieve; she knew she was passing the limit, but that's exactly what she needed to do.

"The last and most importantly, we will not sleep in the same room; I have no obligation towards you, and you will also stay away from my family. Especially my son, you will not harm anyone because if I find out, you did, you'll be killed; you really don't have much of an option. You compromise with me, or you'll die, and as far as I know, I have more men than you ever do, so you will lose immediately." She finished as he stood there with no words.

"I accept on one condition." Said Levi as she stood in shock.

"you indeed have no obligations with me, at least not yet, become my queen, and I will do all you ask me to do. And I indeed have no men yet, but if you disagree, I will just have to start attacking one by one, and my army will improve." He said as her eyes widened.

He was crazy; she wanted to say no, but her people needed her; her time to think was over; she needed to decide now.

"I…. I... I accept the offer." She said quietly as he smirked.

"Well, I'm going to find my room and get comfortable; where should I start?" he asked.

"You and your men will all sleep in one room on the far east side of the castle, and if you don't like it, there's always outside." She said as he simply left with one of the maids to see his new room; when it was just her and her guards, she talked to them.

"Queen Genevieve, are you sure about this marriage?!" asked Phoenix as she nodded.

"Of course not, but I need time to stall; with him here, we can take out most of his soldiers. One by one will die, I can keep an eye on him here while I hear back from my sisters, plus it gives you more time to find Derek." She said as he nodded.

One week later

King Levi

"Why did you agree to it?" asked Angel.

"You fool, I didn't agree to it when we were married; it will all be different; plus, I may not have many men yet, but they will follow orders to protect the queen, so that's one for us. Angel, I need you to find the family; they will be of use to help us convince Genevieve; oh, and I also want you to go get Derek's dead body and bring it back to show her I'm not lying." Said Levi as Angel looked at him, nervous.

"What is it?" asked Levi, annoyed.

"Sir, we have been looking for days but can't find it yet." Said Angel as Levi looked pale.

"What do you mean you can't find it?! Do you know what that means? They are probably alive! Somewhere out there!" exclaimed Levi, all worried.

"I don't think they're alive because they were badly beaten and then the explosion, they probably only made it to the forest and then died. But we did find something that might interest you, Levi." Said Angel as Levi frowned.

"We saw that some soldiers that look a lot like the ones at the palace are out in the forest as well; my guess is that queen Genevieve sent them to find the king's dead corpse." Said Angel as this made Levi so furious that he got up and left the room and went over to find Genevieve; he saw her in the throne room with Phoenix.

"You have some Nerve! You didn't' think I would ever find out, did you?! exclaimed Levi as Genevieve only stood up.

"How dare you talk to me like that?!" she exclaimed back at him.

"I know you are looking for your husband, but I'm telling you he's dead. I killed him! Unless you know he isn't dead, you hide him like the rest of your family! I demand you tell me where they are right now, it's been weeks, and I haven't seen them; this sounds fishy!" exclaimed Levi as he saw Genevieve grow with more rage.

"Who are you to demand me what to do or even threaten me for something?! Even if I knew where my family was, I wouldn't tell you!" Exclaimed Genevieve.

"I swear, Genevieve, if you don't tell me, your son will pay the consequences!" He said but was cut off by Genevieve.

"Leave my son alone! And remember your place!" she said as she finally left her breath out.

"I will remember as long as you remember your's Genevieve! Mark my words, I will find them, and if you had anything to do with the cover-up, you will pay!" exclaimed Levi as he left back to his room, all angry.

"Angel! Make sure to find her family and Derek as soon as possible, and if Derek and my brother are living, kill them, but I want their bodies brought back, am I clear?!" he said as Angel nodded.

'You will not win this time, Genevieve,' he thought as he looked out the window.

Queen Genevieve

It's had been a week since the disappearance of Derek, or at least that's what she called it; she didn't want to believe her husband was dead; he promised to try and not leave them; they needed him.

"I'll go fetch the doctor." Said Phoenix as he left in a hurry before she could reply. She had a massive disagreement with Levi; lately, he had been insufferable.

When Phoenix returned quickly with the doctor, they went to her room; she lays on the bed as the doctor examined her and the men waited outside while Henry was in his crib.

Since Levi moved in, she decided to keep her son close to her in case he decided to get any ideas.

"I meant it, your highness; you have to take care of yourself; I know these days haven't been easy for you, but if you don't watch it, something bad will happen." Said Philip as she nodded and then closed her eyes.

Flashback

"Genevieve, are you sure you're alright why don't you take some tea?" asked Fallon, worried.

"I'm fine, Fallon. I'm just worried about Derek." She said as her sister nodded her head.

"Genevieve, I know you better than anyone; it was only a year and a half ago. I remember you had these symptoms almost look like…" was about to say Fallon but was cut off by Genevieve.

"Alright, I didn't want to say anything but…... Fallon, I'm a few days late." She finally said as Fallon stood there in shock.

"Do you think you're pregnant?" she asked again as she nodded.

"Oh, my goodness, am I going to have another niece or nephew?!" she exclaimed with joy as Genevieve smiled and shushed her.

"Does Derek know?" she asked as she nodded sideways.

"Why not?" she asked.

"because I just realized everything that's been happening today, I completely forgot about it and thought it was stress; plus, if I am, I don't want Derek to worry about it while he's off fighting." Said Genevieve as Fallon nodded at her.

"How far along are you?" asked Fallon.

"Fifteen weeks, if I'm correct." Said Genevieve causing Fallon to spit her tea.

"Genevieve, how could you have missed this for almost four months?" asked Fallon.

"I had a bit of spotting the first two months and thought it was my normal period until the third month; I reread the book from when I was pregnant with Henry; that's when I noticed what was going on. You can't tell anybody!" she exclaimed as Fallon rolled her eyes.

"Genevieve, they will find out eventually; your belly will start showing may I remind you." Said Fallon.

"I know, but I was already showing with Henry by this time, and I'm barely starting to see something this far along." She said.

"Well, you can't hide it forever; even if you tried, it would be hard." Said Fallon as she shushed her in time because Courtney made her way over.

"Courtney wants some tea?" asked Genevieve as Courtney smiled. "Yes, thank you." She said.

End of flashback

"Your highness, take it easy; you're at the most difficult stages of your pregnancy, get plenty of rest, eat well and try to not have any more arguments." Said Philip as she nodded, and he left.

She sat on the bed, looked at her wedding rings, and started to tear up again until she heard the door close; it was Phoenix.

"How far along are you?" he asked as she just stood there in shock. Could Philip have told them?

"Sixteen weeks…. How do you know? Did Philip tell you?" She said as he smiled at her.

"No, he told us you're stressed out by everything and that it's a small crisis, he's covering for you, but I don't know how long that's going to last him; eventually, the belly will show." Said Phoenix as she continued to look at the ring.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Phoenix as she started to cry.

"Because I'm done with people thinking I'm weak, I'm not, and even with this baby on the way, the plan is still on, and you can't make me change my mind," she said.

"I'm not going to, but this does mean I have to protect two of you now…. Did he know?" said Phoenix as she simply nodded at him.

"No…... only Fallon knows." She said as he nodded.

"We're here for you; we will protect you because that's what Derek would have wanted, and you're our queen, we all vowed to protect you, and that's what we'll do." Said Phoenix as she nodded and watched him leave the room.

Far away at the borders of Glidonia

Unknown

"Come on, you're both very stubborn. I know you don't like it, but this will help heal your wounds." He said.

He had found two bodies abandoned, possibly to die for, behind a cave; he couldn't leave them to die, especially if they had essential clothing.

It had been a week since he had tried to heal them up, but they weren't responding too well; they may not last long, but he hoped they did, or his medicine and herbs would have gone to waste.