Chapter Nineteen: Surprise
Sora and I spoke briefly on the phone, but even without me telling him all the details of what was going on, he hurried to Cadia so that he could help me. Even if it was nighttime, I was able to tell him on the phone where I was going to be. He would have to be careful to enter the world unnoticed, though, or all the soldiers would come running over to our side of the river. But he told me not to worry; his Gummi Ship could become invisible when entering a world.
Pacing an area of the woods by an open meadow, I couldn't help but be nervous. I had a plan, but it was a risky one. Hopefully Sora was up for it.
After about twenty minutes of pacing and an hour after separating from Riku, I heard a soft noise. Turning towards the open area, I blinked in surprise at the Gummi ship that now sat there. I couldn't help but sigh with relief; Sora arrived without anyone noticing. The brunet came out of the ship, his eyes on me. He had seen me long before I saw him.
"Hey," he greeted, keeping his voice low as he approached me. "Are you okay? The guards didn't find you between now and when I called you last?"
"Nope," I said, answering the second question. "They still won't cross the river."
Sora hummed, nodding faintly. "But you said there's one pacing the area where you crossed over, right?"
"As far as I know, he's still there," I responded with a nod. "I haven't wandered anywhere close to the river; I didn't want to get caught with you on your way."
"So, what's your plan?" he asked, straightforward. He already knew the basics: Gregory turned evil and was throwing a coup to take me and my mom off the throne. And he already had Riku and my mom as captives. Now it was up to us to rescue them.
"Well, that area is probably only being patrolled by one guard, so he could easily be ambushed," I explained. "I was thinking that if we could steal his clothes, you could impersonate a guard who captured me and take me to the castle."
"So…I'm leading you right into Gregory's hands?" he asked uneasily. "I don't know if Riku could ever forgive me for doing that…"
"Focus, Sora," I said. "We don't have any other choice to get to Riku. At least if you take me in, I won't be alone. And plus, you can just have my shackles on loosely so that as soon as we find Riku and my mom, we can both fight and free them."
"Sounds like an easy enough plan," Sora said after a moment of thought, nodding. "I pretend to be a guard, take you prisoner, and get you into the castle. Then we fight back from the inside."
"Exactly."
"Okay. I'm gonna go strip the guard. No peeking," Sora said with a slight smirk, the teen turning around and walking through the woods to get closer to the river. His smile made a faint one appear on my face, despite the circumstances. I could see why Sora was so well liked by everyone; he could bring out a smile even in the worst situations.
While he did what he had to do, I worked my way a little closer to the river just so that I would be able to overhear the action and make sure that everything went okay. Hiding behind a tree, I heard Sora call out to the guard. "Hey, I found the Princess! Come quick!" Before the guard could even question who Sora was (he hadn't been able to see him because he was hiding in the shadows), the soldier crossed the river and found himself knocked unconscious by Sora.
It only took a few minutes for Sora to put on the guard's clothes, which weren't too big on him. "How do these guards manage to fight in these helmets?" he muttered, putting it on as it covered his whole face. Believing that he was fully dressed, I came out of the trees and saw that my assumption was correct. Still, he looked like a regular soldier in the clothes. Combat boots with dark blue pants tucked into them, a long-sleeved shirt with amber, maroon, and navy blue coloring, and the navy helmet with the visor that hid Sora's eyes and face from view.
"Doesn't matter," I reminded him. "You're not fighting right away. If you need to, just take off the helmet in battle."
"I might have to drop my pants too," Sora said, tightening the belt. "They're a little big."
I rolled my eyes (though it wasn't in disgust, but in seriousness). It was time for us to go. "…We need to make it believable that you fought me," I stated softly, summoning my sword to my grasp.
Sora gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?" When he saw me put the edge of my sword against my thigh, he gasped. "Steph!"
"Sh!" I hissed, that cry too loud for my tastes. "Keep it down. I'll just scratch myself up a little bit, that's all."
"Alright, I know earlier I said Riku was going to kill me, but now I mean it. Riku's gonna never let me live down letting you hurt yourself."
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," I stated. I carefully ran the sharp sword over my jeans, cutting through the fabric but also scratching up my leg enough for a little bit of blood to surface.
"Riku's not completely oblivious; he's gonna figure it out. And when he does—Don't do that!" Sora scolded as I cut my forearm. A little too deeply, both for my tastes and his.
I winced, summoning my sword away. "You know as well as I do that I would have received much worse injuries if we were in an actual fight," I stated. "Now, come on, you gotta drag me back to the castle. I turned around, my hands behind my back. "Put on the cuffs loosely so that I'll be able to slip out of them as soon as we need to fight. And when we're walking in, stay close behind me so that nobody notices the cuffs."
"Okay," Sora finally agreed, stepping close behind me. He fooled around with his outfit before finding the cuffs that were attached to his belt. "You know, you're really starting to take after Riku," he said as he put the cuffs on me.
That was something I was surprised to hear. "Really?" I asked, unable to help myself. "How so?"
"You take charge pretty easily, and when you do, you're no nonsense. That's just like Riku."
"Hm," I hummed with a small smile. That was definitely a compliment. But Sora was dead on in saying I was taking after Riku; I was too timid and polite before to take control of a situation. Things were different now though; I learned how to be brave.
Sora and I made our way across the one passable area in the river, where the guard had originally been searching for me. Thankfully the water wasn't too deep; we were able to walk across and I didn't need my arms to swim or anything. The current also didn't knock off Sora's helmet in any way, so his face was hidden when he called out to the other soldiers. "I have the princess!" he called in a voice deeper than usual.
That brought all the soldiers running. No milkshakes were needed to bring them to this woodland yard. "You captured her on your own," a soldier said, clearly impressed.
"Maybe now I'll finally get a raise," Sora joked, which made the other soldiers laugh immediately. Not bad, Sora, I thought, turning my head and glaring at him to also go along with the act. He was doing such a great job that I didn't want to ruin it.
"We'll all head back to the castle," the leader of the soldiers said once things calmed down. "There's no point standing around when our prizes are already caught. I'll let you deliver the bounty to Gregory yourself, soldier."
"Thank you, sir," Sora said deeply, nodding. Once he received a nod back, all of us started walking towards the castle. A bunch of the men sneered at me for getting captured so easily, but I didn't humor them with any responses. And whenever they threatened me physically, Sora told them to cool it. He said that Gregory wouldn't want damaged goods. Somehow, that got them to back off.
When we were in vicinity to the castle, the other soldiers left us to do other patrols. Though I was relieved beyond belief that they weren't coming with us, I couldn't show my emotions yet. The plan was going even better than I had hoped; I couldn't risk ruining it. Now, all we needed to do was get to the jail cells, release Riku and my mom, and then fight back. Once Gregory was defeated, his troops probably would collapse. That was what Mr. Bottomsworth taught me in class; he said that once a leader or king was defeated, his people were forced into automatic surrender.
What do you know? I thought to myself. I actually learned something useful in a history class. Never thought history would have actually been useful to me, but it was now. Was there any other lesson I could use to my advantage? I couldn't think of anything as Sora led me through the mostly vacant halls. Thankfully, he was a good actor; he didn't act lost even if he was. I whispered directions to him whenever we were alone so that he wouldn't look like a fool.
"Gregory is waiting for you in the prison cells," a soldier told us as we headed in a different direction.
"What does he want?" I asked the soldier, bite in my tone that came naturally. That traitor…was waiting for us. He would pay for taking advantage of my naïve nature and making me trust him. I should have listened to Riku's warnings, because he was right on. Gregory wasn't on our side.
"I'll let him speak for himself," the soldier responded with a crooked smile. "Now, get going."
Sora gave me a small push, just enough to make it look like I was struggling against him. Again, I was in awe of how Sora fit into his character so well. I wondered if he had experience with this in the past as a Keyblade wielder, but now wasn't the time to ask anyway.
We entered the dungeon area of the castle, this place looking fairly medieval. It was the stereotypical situation, with the cells all aligned on one side with the iron bars. At least lights were installed; this place wasn't totally primeval. But neither Sora nor I could focus on our surroundings. Gregory was standing in front of the cells that held Riku, my mom, and my tutor.
"So, you've captured her," Gregory said to Sora, nodding faintly to regard him as Riku gasped my name. "Well done. You may release her now."
Sora, though he didn't want to step away from me, had no choice but to do as Gregory said. If he didn't, his cover would have been blown and the plan would have collapsed. There was another soldier in the room, after all, and if we fought now, that soldier would sound the alarm and call the whole army. We needed to take down Gregory when he was alone.
"So, princess," Gregory started, stepping closer to me so that he was directly in front of me. He leaned his head down, right in my face. "Tell me, did you have fun running away?"
"Let my friends go," I said lowly, my eyes locked on his as I ignored his question.
"Sad you feel that way," he said as he pulled back slightly. "But in case you haven't noticed, you're not in a place to bargain. You yourself are in chains. Now, you have no choice but to listen to what I have to say."
"I'm listening," I responded harshly, glaring at him.
"Great, glad to hear it," Gregory said with a hmph. "I have a surprise for you, and I think it's to die for."
A pun about death? I thought as the man backed away, his sword appearing in his grasp. Great. That means he's going to kill me right away. I eyed his sword cautiously, as did Sora. We may have had to start the fight earlier than expected…
But instead of lunging at me with his sword, something totally unexpected happened. A portal appeared next to him and an old friend stepped out. An old friend, and the person who put on a charade my whole life to keep me content.
"Isabella," I gasped, seeing her wicked smile. What was she doing here?
"Hello, daughter," the witch greeted.
"What are you doing here?" Riku hissed from his cell, gripping the bars tightly as if that brought him closer to the situation.
"So, this is what's been going on," Mr. Bottomsworth realized aloud, speaking to Gregory. "You're still in service to her."
"On the contrary, old man…" Gregory said, a positively evil smirk appearing on his lips. Standing behind the witch, he grasped his sword more tightly before he plunged it forward, into her back.
"MOM!" I screamed in horror, though I knew she wasn't my mother. But…But…Gregory just stabbed her in the back! I ran forward as she sank down to her knees, though the shackles remained on my wrists somehow. I sank down to my knees as well, my heart beating a hundred miles an hour as I gazed at her purple eyes with watery blues. "Mom…"
Her eyes found mine, and through the pain, there was also desperation. And sorrow. She opened her mouth to speak her final words, but nothing but croaking came out. The wound was too deadly. Isabella fell down on her face, starting to fade away into darkness as I watched in horror. I wished her dead before, but now, seeing it happen…I didn't know how to react.
"I owe no allegiance to that witch," Gregory said, continuing what he was saying before as if I wasn't on the ground a few feet in front of him by my mom's fading remains. "Once, I did, but I was the one who freed her from the Realm Between as soon as I discovered a way to get there. I can thank Princess Stephanie for showing me that when she believed she was alone and went to kill Isabella.
"Monster," I whispered. How could he just do that? How could he just stab her in the back! They were once allies!
"The witch always wanted power for herself," Gregory continued. "I gave her the chance to torment you, Princess, in hopes that she could crush your spirit, but you've proven to be a more worthy adversary than expected. Still, Light stands no chance against the Darkness and its shadows."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that now, I'll have to follow through with the plan I've been formulating for years to get what I want."
"Years?" Queen Andrea inquired. "Your brother was just taken off the throne less than half a year ago!"
"Yes, Olaf was killed by the Keyblade wielders," Gregory acknowledged. "And Tristan fell by my hand."
"Even then, you were scum," Riku said lowly. "You killed your own brother to ensure that you would be trusted by the royal family!"
Gregory finally looked over at Riku, his dark eyes showing no emotion. "You shouldn't sound so surprised, Keyblade wielder," he stated. "You're the one who suspected me from the beginning. But nobody would listen, would they? Not even your girlfriend."
Riku growled, tightening his grip on the bars in front of him. "What are you going to do?"
"It's simple, really," he said. "I'm going to seize power again, but I won't be doing it alone." He shifted his gaze to me, making my eyes widen. What did he have in store for me now? "But first, another surprise. Stephanie, did you know that even without my brother seizing the throne, we were next in line for it?"
I didn't know that. Gregory's family was next in line for the throne after my mom? "H-how is that possible?" We weren't related…
"The politics of this world state that if the king or queen from your line is overthrown, then the most powerful leader of another people group will become ruler," Gregory explained. "I was always the leader of my people, the Tylinians, but because of his age, Olaf became king. He had power for a little while, but now it's my turn."
"…What does this have to do with me?" I asked hesitantly.
"Not many would be willing to see the politics and agree that I am next in line for the throne because of my brother's harsh rule. So, you shall be queen, Stephanie. If only for a day."
"Just spit it out and say things in a way we can all understand, Gregory," Riku spat from his cell.
"As you wish," he said with a smirk. "We'll put on a façade for the people. Out of the burning love in your heart, Stephanie, you will marry my nephew, Nathaniel."
"Nathaniel?" I gasped. He was in on this too?
"As soon as you are wed, you will become the next queen. That's also a part of politics that wasn't taught to you in class, was it?" he asked with an arched brow. But he was right; I didn't learn any of this. Why didn't Mr. Bottomsworth teach this to me?
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," my tutor said to me from his cell. "I did not think becoming a queen was in the near future for you, so I left out matters of politics such as this."
"You worked into my hand perfectly, Benjamin Bottomsworth, even without conspiring with me," Gregory said with a smirk. "So thank you, for making my job that much easier. Now there is another matter that must be taken care of: the wedding. You will be escorted to your chambers right away and the wedding will take place within the next hour. If I deem you useful, you will live through the night. But if you pass, then it is just as well. My nephew will already have the throne by being married to you."
"You're heartless," I spat, rising to my feet while keeping my hands behind me. Sora…We need to do this, whether the other guard is in here or not. We don't have a choice anymore.
"There's one other thing that needs to be taken care of," he said as he chose to ignore me again. He motioned with his head to the soldier standing behind Sora. I automatically turned around and looked, my eyes widening when the soldier suddenly yanked off Sora's helmet with one swift movement and also punched him in the stomach.
"Sora?" Riku gasped softly to himself. My eyes, however, were filled with more panic as Sora was doubled over. Was he okay?
"Throw him in the cell," Gregory ordered the soldier, who Sora was struggling with as he tried to catch his breath.
"You've known from the start?" I cried, eyes wide on Sora and the soldier as the brunet lifted a hand to slug him. However, that left me distracted. I felt Gregory grab onto my cuffs from behind, making me gasp. Now I was going to be bound for real! This wasn't a part of the plan…
"Of course," he responded without any hesitation. Much to my shock, he undid the shackles and freed me from their entrapment instead. "I knew that you would scheme something up, Princess. By now, I know the way that you think."
"So that's it, then?" I snapped, eyebrows furrowed as I turned my head to look at him. "We were never truly friends?"
"Look who's finally starting to catch on," Gregory said with a smirk, grabbing onto my arms and pulling them more tightly behind my back. I couldn't help but gasp, squeezing my eyes shut as one of his hands was on the cut I gave myself.
"Gregory, let her go!" Riku cried from his cell. The door to his cell was opened as Sora was shoved into him, the two of them stumbling back a few steps as the door was shut again.
"You people don't understand, do you? I've won. Accept it. There is no coming back from this defeat. Now, be good prisoners and stay here while we conduct the wedding. I'll be back to kill you whenever I feel it would please me the most."
On that note, Gregory led me out of the cells and to my quarters, where preparations for my wedding to Nathaniel would begin.
When we entered my room, though, I was surprised to see somebody standing there. Nathaniel, my future groom. Gregory wordlessly left me alone with him, shutting the door behind him. I had a lot to say, to both of them. But now that I knew Gregory wasn't my friend, I knew Nathaniel wasn't either.
"What, are you sticking around to watch me get changed into a wedding dress?" I spat, taking a few steps closer to him.
"I wanted to talk to you, Steph," Nathaniel responded quietly, his tone not harsh. "Look, you need to know…This whole 'marriage' thing was my uncle's idea."
"But you're not stopping him," I stated.
"…I couldn't, even if I wanted to," the teen responded. "We don't have any choice but to go through with the wedding."
"You say it like it's no big deal!" I hissed. Marriage wasn't something to be taken lightly! Especially not when Nathaniel wasn't the one that I wanted to be wed to. Sure, he was a sweet guy, but he was only my friend before all this. Not anything more, despite how charming he was.
"We were already close to being best friends! Why can't we just get along? I mean, I think that you're…really sweet, and intelligent, and…"
"Are you seriously doing this right now?" I asked in disbelief. "Trying to win me over so that I don't fight against his marriage? That's not going to happen, no matter how badly you want it to!"
My determination made Nathaniel fall silent, finally. Whatever he was trying to pull here, it wasn't going to work. He couldn't have been genuine, because he knew how much Riku and I liked each other. In the past, he had been respectful of that, but now he was taking Riku out of the equation. That was a big mistake on his part.
Nathaniel took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of me as his eyes danced over my face. At first I thought he was going to kiss me, but when he lifted his hand, I knew what was coming.
He slapped me, hard enough for me to turn my face to the side. I gasped for a breath, keeping my eyes shut as tears appeared.
"I was hoping that you would see that this is what's best for you, but you're too stubborn," Nathaniel scolded. "You want the truth? I'll give it to you. I always liked you, but never thought you were fit to rule because you didn't grow up here like I did. I believed I would be a better ruler. But I thought we could get the best of both worlds by getting married and both ruling. You're foolish for not thinking the same. Now, I'm going to make your life a living Hell, if you're allowed to live. And though you may not understand it, I will do what's best for Cadia. Not Tebros, the world my father ruled. I sincerely care for my people and will rule them justly. But you'll pay for your foolishness."
I opened my moist eyes and looked at him after his rant was done, anger in my eyes. "You're the one who's foolish, thinking I'd settle for anything less than what I know I want out of life."
He lifted his hand again as if to slap me, and this time, I braced for it. But it didn't come. Slowly, he lowered his hand and let his anger dissolve.
Instead of speaking to me any further, he turned and walked to the door. He set a hand on the handle and turned to look at me, speaking only two sentences in a cold tone that sounded much like Gregory's.
"Get ready," he said. "We have a wedding to do."