Hi guys and sorry for the late update. I had a cold so I couldn't edit the chapter. Here goes chapter 17:

Pamela and Brian decided to get married in two days for the fear of something breaking them apart again. They didn't have time for a perfect wedding so they resorted to inviting few people. Pamela wore a simple white gown with a short veil on her wavy hair. She started packing her stuff in the palace with Brian to move out of the palace. As they were forcing the suitcases closed, the door burst open and James walked in. The wedding invitation was clutched in his fist. Pamela stood straight and looked at him. "What is it James?" she inquired sternly and James came forward.

"We need to talk. Now." his voice was trembling as if he was about to break the whole room apart. With a worried glance at Pamela, Brian stood in between them.

"Calm down and then talk." he held James back by his shoulder but James shove his hand aside and took out his sword in a swift motion. "Have you lost your mind?" yelled Brian as James pointed at his throat.

With confidence that James would never harm her, Pamela took his sword by it's blade. A sting of pain ran through her body as the blade cut her flesh but she didn't let to just to force some sense into his head. "James, stop this instant." she didn't let Brian take another step forward. "This is an order." she exclaimed.

Slowly, James brought his sword down and Pamela released her hand and held it away to not stain her dress. Brian took a piece of cloth and started wrapping it around her hand while swearing under his breath. "Why rush the marriage? You two were fine as partners." James's hoarse voice made them look at him. He took another step to Pamela as if not seeing Brian. "Can't you not do this? Is it necessary?" Pamela raised an eyebrow in confusion and stayed silent. "I can't stand you getting married." James confessed bitterly and dropped his sword.

"James, you're a good friend of mine and have helped me so many times. But you always knew about my feelings so stop acting so childish." Pamela answered rather harshly. "Throw away this feeling that will never work because only then you can continue working with me." she glanced at Brian's ashen face from hearing such a conversation. "Make your decision. If I see you today at the wedding then I'll assume that you have accepted it. Understood?"

James nodded and walked out as fast as he came in. Pamela looked at Brian but he didn't say anything so she never talked about it again. The wedding was held that night in secret with only Cerys, Martin, Alther, Milo and James at guests. They gathered around a small table in Brian's house. Pamela felt relieved to let go of everything. She had even told Queen Mathilda about the assassination plan and that she had long given up on gaining her crown. Her next bold act which surprised everyone was releasing Artemis in exchange for the girl Martin liked. Artemis and Queen Mathilda didn't believe a thing she said about living a quiet life but she didn't care. The good thing was that she had managed to make Cerys happy.

What Pamela dreaded was the third day but was glad to see nothing had happened so she continued on with her new life with Brian. It was at nights that she sometimes woke up from having nightmares about the Fearless but Brian was always there to calm her down. He had made her a collection of colourful crystal glasses so that she can play music whenever she felt uneasy to release her mind.

After a week, she had just believed that maybe she could live a good life without becoming a Queen. Her constant nightmares and Brian's calming words had made her sure that the Fearless would carry on with their plan without her. Their lack of contact was the most soothing thing for her. All her hopes were turned to be in vain after that week.

Pamela was sleeping soundly in Brian's arms that a piece of cloth was pressed roughly against her mouth. Before she could open her eyes, she heard a female voice chant. "Transport us to the forest lake. Transport us safe and without a sound." When she opened her eyes, she saw herself and Brian being surrounded by the Fearless members with Tertius Fume floating in middle.

Instinctively, Brian shielded her with his body and looked at her as she held onto his arm. "You okay?" he whispered which Pamela answered with a nod of her head.

Pamela opened her mouth to speak that they teared her away from Brian and dragged her to the small lake. She heard Brian shout as her head was pushed into the water. Her breathing became short and eyes blur from having her head sunk into the water for so long. She felt suffocated that she was pulled up. They didn't give her time to take a deep breath and pushed her head back in.

After doing it for several times and making sure it had weakened her enough; they let her go and lay on the ground. Through her blur visage she saw Brian gagged and in a confinement spell. Pamela coughed heavily to let the water out.

"Well well, look whose here. Our little Pamela." Tertius Fume hovered over her. "We extended your thinking time but you misused it to marry that boy." he glanced mockingly at Brian's struggles.

Pamela sat up and shove her hair out of her face. "I won't do it and I don't want to be Fearless anymore." she shout was broken by another series of coughing.

Tertius Fume laughed that made him look more like a goat. "But we told you years ago that once a Fearless, always a Fearless."

"You have many men that are more skilled that I am. Why not have them do the job? Why me?" she asked desperately.

He floated over to Brian. "You have people's heart. No one will object if you become a Queen and I'm sure you are well aware that the person who wants to take the crown from a generation must kill with her own hands." his statement brought laughter upon Pamela. Still shaken, she got up and went to him.

"What if I don't? I don't want the crown anymore." as she said that countless hands pushed her against the grass and forced her to stay that way by magyk. They pulled Brian to the lake.

Tertius Fume turned to her. "We kept thinking and thinking about the reason behind your change and realized it." A wizard that wore a mask over his face, pulled Brian's head up by grabbing his hair violently and drew it near the water. "If we terminate the source then you may join us. You may reconsider your decision to let go of the crown after all we've done." finished Tertius Fume.

Pamela was dumbfounded when they pushed Brian's head into the water. Judging by Tertius Fume's expression, she knew that they wouldn't bring his head up like they did with her. Brian's body was trembling and it was all too unbearable for her. "Stop!" she screamed but no one did. "I'll do it. I'll do it so please stop. I promise." she pleaded.

Tertius Fume smiled and they brought Brian's head up. Pamela felt the body lock lifted from her body and ran to him.

"Get it done by tomorrow." ordered Tertius Fume and vanished when she shot him a poisonous look. They all disappeared one by one. Pamela shook the unconscious Brian and slapped his face until he was awake once again. She let out a sigh of relief to see him well.

Brian looked at his wet clothes and then at her shaken face. "You didn't agree, right?" he look at her frantically as she stood up and went to examine the plants. "Pamela, tell me that you didn't agree."

She looked closely at the plants leaves for any that weren't bitten by insects. "I couldn't watch you die." she found one and started to digging with a her hands. "Plants that insects let alone have venomous roots. So if I take the essence, we can make a poison." she explained.

Brian walked to her and pulled the plant out of her grip. "You're not going to kill anyone." he declared firmly.

Pamela took the plant back. "I will to save you." she rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Let's go home." she didn't wait for him to catch up and walked off to avoid arguing him.


Pamela stood in front of the mirror the next evening to check her appearance. She wasn't wearing her usual gown but wore black trousers, black shirt and brown boots. Brian had long given up on talking to her and was watching her as she put on her long red coat. "Do I look fine?" she turned on her heel to Brian who creased his eyebrows.

"Yes, you look perfectly ready to kill." he replied sarcastically. Pamela sighed and sat beside him on the bed.

"Didn't you kill Peter to save me?" she inquired and Brian look away. "So stay here and I'll get everything done. Tomorrow we won't have to do these kind of things anymore." she got up but Brian didn't let go of her hand. He went to the closet and wore his coat.

"I will come with you or you won't go at all."

Queen Mathilda's chamber at the same time:

Queen Mathilda was giving out her last decree since her illness had made her weak. She rested on the sofa and looked at Cerys's crying eyes. "Don't cry, you can always visit me at the Queen's room." she reserved from saying that she hoped that Cerys would make it to become a Queen to be able to visit her. "Cerys there's a last decree that I have to issue but since it's too dangerous to hold, you have to keep it a secret from everyone even Artemis and your father."

Cerys nodded obediently and opened a parchment of paper. She held the quill. "Okay, I am ready."

The Queen smiled at her. "My first adviser and army commander Pamela Beetle, who is like a treasure to this country shall turn into a source of betrayal once I die. Hence, I hereby order her to be killed to prevent any corruptions in the future. Queen Mathilda." she finished quietly as Cerys sat motionless for a moment. "Use this in case of any trouble." it pained her to call Pamela a treasure but she had to or they would view her order as a last order driven by fear.

"But, Pamela is my friend. This is not possible." Cerys's voice of objection grew quiet as Queen Mathilda started couching heavily. She rolled the decree and hid it in her shirt. "I'll go get the physician. Wait, okay?" said Cerys urgently and rushed out of the room. Right after she ran out of the palace, the Fearless members poured in the palace and silently killed all the guards surrounding the Queen's room so that by the time Pamela and Brian reached the palace it was empty.

Pamela held the poison's bowl in her hands. "You call James and Martin. I may need backup." she told Brian softly and he went off with a slight frown. Taking a deep breath she entered the palace. A gasp escaped her as she saw all the corpses of the guards on the floor and the all the bloods that had splattered against the wall.

She shook off her fear and headed to Queen Mathilda's chamber while looking only straight. Pamela tried to not let her glance stray to the corpses lining the way. By the time she reached the Queen's chamber, she had lost count of the number of dead guards.

Pamela opened the chamber's door and saw and saw Queen Mathilda on the golden sofa with her eyes closed. She placed the poison's bowl on the table and shove Queen Mathilda slightly to wake her up. She had to wake her so that she could drink the poison. The Queen fell to the side numbly that forced Pamela to take a step back.

Giving herself courage, she touched Queen Mathilda's cheek to find it cold and checked her pulse but there was nothing. "Thank you." she whispered as she took the poison's bowl. "Thank you for going without my help." she poured the poison into a vase. "I will never forget your last generosity for not making a murderer out of me." she started to go out that the door opened to reveal Brian, James and Martin with soldiers behind them.

She spotted Cerys coming into the room with the Physician following her. They all stopped dead when they saw her.

"Her royal majesty is dead." declared Pamela slowly. Cerys's cry was piercing her heart as she tried to run to her mother but James held her back for her own safety.

Pamela wanted to cry at that point but she smiles instead. Her eyes filled with tears as well. "Her majesty once said that the one who has the people's heart is the true ruler." she repeated what Peter had told her the day she came back from exile. Pamela turned away from Cerys's bloodshed eyes and Brian's shocked to the Queen who was lying dead. "People?" she mocked bitterly and took few steps toward the Queen as she heard Artemis's voice asking Cerys the reason for the commotion.

Pamela ignored her crying sound. To solidify her position and not have anyone see her tears she pointed at them while facing the Queen's closed eyes. "Look at them, Your Majesty," everyone grew silent to hear her out but Pamela no longer minded them. She was just beginning to understand the true meaning of all of her life. "These are my people. Not Your Majesty's, but this Pamela's people." she screamed and tears ran down her cheeks. She let her hand drop and gulped. "Now, Pamela's era has began." she finished with a sorrowful smile and turned to leave.

She motioned at James to let Cerys go. Cerys ran past her and held her mother while Artemis sat numbly next to her sofa. Pamela brought her hand up to pat Cerys's back to sooth her but the moment her hand touched Cerys she screamed and shove her away.

Pamela wanted to tell her that her mother wasn't killed by her but that meant having the Fearless get rid of her and Brian. So she forced a smile onto her lips and walked past all her followers out of the palace. No one followed her this time as she walked back home.

The Castle was in moaning the next day for the Queen's death. Everyone were ordered to wear black until the end of the week. Only the royal family, Extraordinary Wizard and Pamela were allowed to attend the funeral. Cerys was crying in her father's arms while Milo watched her sadly. Artemis sat quietly beside Queen Mathilda's father and stared at the Queen's picture.

Pamela and Alther stood behind them as costumed. "How could you do it?" Alther whispered to her so quietly that she hardly heard it.

"I must become the Queen." Pamela didn't answer his question directly. She had grown numb by last night since she knew that the only way to keep herself and Brian alive was becoming a Queen and Banish Tertius Fume.

Ignoring Alther's glances, she walked forward and looked at the royal family. "My sincere sympathies." she said calmly since Martin had told her that Cerys and Artemis stopped the news from spreading and had told everyone that the Queen died from illness. It was relieving and heartbreaking at the same time for it showed Cerys's fear in her ever increasing power. "I'll be around if you need anything." she finished in a soothing tone.

As she wanted to leave, she caught Artemis's ambitious look at the Queen's crown that was on top of her picture frame. She knew at once at Artemis was thinking of coveting the throne and it meant she would be the Fearless's next target. Pamela wanted it to slide but she couldn't, for Brian's sake at least. She crouched down and threw her arms around Artemis who stood stiff in them.

"Run away," she whispered to her and Artemis looked at her with surprise. "You become a Queen?" she mocked her as Artemis tried to pull free but Pamela just held her tighter. "Forget these vain thoughts and run away." she smiled in her ear. "This is my last shred of compassion to you. Run away with Ethen and never come back." she drew back and gazed one last time at Artemis's frightened eyes before she left.

Pamela walked out of the funeral that she heard her name being called and she turned to see Cerys. "Yes?" she tried to sound indifferent.

"Why did you do it?" asked Cerys while crying. "Mom was already ill, I promised to not stand in your way of becoming Queen and I would've drawn Artemis away so why? Why did you betray us?" her voice was trembling.

It was painful for Pamela but she kept the indifferent mask on her face. "Don't ask why Cerys and don't judge. You can never know the reason behind it." she turned to leave that Cerys shouted to have her voice heard clearly.

"Any reason isn't good enough for killing my mother." Pamela didn't turn to face her as she continued. "Forget about becoming the Queen because I will become one and will make sure that my daughter and her children will become one as well." she was declaring war but Pamela still couldn't tell her the whole story. "You will never be a Queen. No one will know who you were and will know nothing of your accomplishments for I won't let you to do anything anymore." Cerys's voice had gone hoarse.

Pamela grimaced and blinked the tears back as she turned back to Cerys. "You are the crown princess, you have all the rights to become a Queen so why don't you exile me for another ten years?" she truly wished that Cerys did so and then the Fearless would be forced to give up on her.

Cerys smiled bitterly. "I have a decree to have you executed. No matter how hard you try or how many people you have on your side, the decree will be followed. But I won't show it to anyone in honour of our friendship that is now over. Consider this in return for anything good that ever happened between us." she glanced at the flower hair pin in Pamela's hair. "Don't force me to use it." she threatened and went back in the funeral. Pamela just smiled and watched her leave.

She walked out of the palace and saw Brian waiting for her. She walked quietly into his arms. "We have to get rid of the Fearless." she mumbled. "If I ever become a Queen, it won't because the Fearless wanted me to. I will not be their puppet." Pamela was relieved that Brian knew of her innocence.

"Don't worry, I will stop them from controlling us at any cost." Brian took a step back and smiled at her. "We defeated Peter together. We can do it." he forcefully took her hand for a high five just to bring smile to her lips.

This story will hopefully end in 21 chapters. Tell me if you want Pamela POV about the occurrences in Mystery in Past all summed up in one chapter. Tell me if you liked it or not and farewell for now.