Hello my lovely readers! We are back with another chapter!

I have to apologize for taking long. This chapter was a bit longer than expected so I thank you for being patient

But first; questions

Which Audrey's most favorite book and does she have any particular favorite book series?

Aside from Alice in Wonderland, a few of her favorite books to read is Treasure Island and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Yes, she does have a few favorite book series. Those being the Selection Series and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Does she Audrey have any favorite movies?

She enjoys Disney films, Anastasia, The Parent Trap, Mean Girls, The Lego Movie, and The Great Muppet Caper

How does Audrey celebrate her birthday? What would be her plans to celebrate it as a married woman?

When she was younger, she would have parties with her friends, but in college she would get her favorite coffee drink and go out to dinner with her friends. As a married woman, I would see Josh making her breakfast in bed for her, take her to a fun place to celebrate and going out to a nice restaurant.

Such fun questions!

Also meant to say this earlier but we only have counting this one three more chapters before the story concludes! So crazy! Stay tuned after this for "Another Story Another Time" my adaptation of TCS!

And in this chapter there is a quote from Aladdin! If you find it let me know!

Now, Let's continue our story...


Chapter 16: Planning, Prepping and Payback

(AUDREY'S POV)

Have you guys ever had that fun thought of doing something that only rich people can do? Like staying in a five star hotel or restaurant, going to the spa, or even living in a bedroom and suddenly you're royal?

Sounds fun right? Now granted, I've had fun dreams like that with Sasha, mostly seeing things on Netflix shows, imagining ourselves living the life of luxury.

Well, after the events that occurred, I think I'll stick with the simple life.

After having a bit of trouble getting to sleep, despite how comfy the bed was, I finally was able to doze off and get some rest. The interesting thing was I didn't have any nightmares, especially with all that happened.

Once I woke up, I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I saw I was still in my bedroom from yesterday, so it wasn't a weird dream. I knew I was in a place that was a death trap and nearly impossible to escape, but as a woman who is stubborn, I was not going to let him in.

I had to come up with something.

I took a deep breath, slipped off my bed and headed towards the restroom. After taking a long shower, I put on a dressing gown, opened my closet door and saw rows of gowns and dresses hanging on a long rack.

Seeing that none of them appealed to me, I chose to be in my original dress.

Once I was ready, I finished brushing my hair when I heard a knock at the door.

"If that's Dice or the Devil checking on me, I'll scream." I thought. Out loud I asked "Who is it?"

"D'uh, it's Henchman, Miss." The voice replied. "I was wanting to check to see if you were awake."

I opened the door and saw him along with two imps, one was holding cleaning supplies.

"Oh, uh, hi." I smiled. "Nice to see you, Henchman."

"Nice to see you too Miss." He beamed. "We wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready and Miss Lexie is waiting for you in the dining area."

He gestured to the imp on his left, and added "D'uh, he'll show you there. The casino is very big and can get confusing."

"Oh, yeah that is true." I recalled. "Well, thank you for that. I don't wanna get lost."

I then headed out of the room and followed the imp to the dining area. Once there, I was reunited with Lexie and had breakfast. Thankfully, neither Dice nor the Devil joined us, so that was a good thing.

We wanted to talk about getting a way out but with the walls having ears, we couldn't. Instead we talked about hobbies, favorite movies, and even books. I think we pretty much resumed our conversation we had at my apartment before coming here, so it was nice to talk about something else than our current situation.

But that all changed later.


"And down this hallway leads to the library, perfect for reading and studying of course. And down this hallway is the lounge room…"

It was late in the afternoon and Dice was escorting me down the hallway on tour with Lexie tagging along behind me. While she wasn't thrilled, from where I was looking, she was happy to see me nearby and could ignore Dice.

To be honest, he kinda reminded me of a salesman, using his confident and smooth voice trying to make a sale or something. And from this, he's trying to make me like this.

Though I couldn't ignore the tacky voice of his, his boisterous tone and prideful speech, one thing I couldn't stand was him playing with my fingers.

Since he's linked his arm with me, he is using his free hand to lightly stroke my hand and fingers. Ugh, even now, he's still a freak! Jeez, I wish he would just leave me, and Lex alone.

Then, after a bit of walking, we came to these large red double doors and when he opened them up, we were shocked.

Inside was a large ballroom, with marble flooring, pillars, dark red curtains draped to the sides of the room, a diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a white dais with two thrones. They were both red with a gold outline and a matching foot rest, but one of them was smaller than the other one.

And you can guess which one is for me.

"And this is the grand ballroom of the palace. Used for dancing and entertainment, of course, and over there is the dais where the thrones are for the boss, and his queen, to watch upon the people as they dance." Dice explained, as we approached the dais.

"So they don't get to dance themselves...?" Lexie asked, as she looked at me and shrugged.

"No, they can. This is more of a way to relax." Dice explained. "And then head back to the dancefloor, if they so greatly desire to."

He then gestured me to my throne, as a sign to sit on it. Reluctantly, I approached the throne, smoothed out my dress and sat down.

I had to admit, the view of the ballroom was pretty good. You could see the entire area and could notice who's coming in or out. Reminds me of those movies where a ruler was hosting a ball and the camera angle shows the entire room of the people dancing, the exquisite costumes and the music that's being played.

My thoughts snapped back to attention as Dice slid a finger under my chin and lifted it a bit.

"Can't you picture it? The entire room filled with people, dancing to the music. You, as queen, would gaze upon them, dazzled by the movements and harmonies." Dice sneered. "You would be looked upon in awe and bedazzled by your beauty."

"I'm sooo trying not to suckerpunch him right now." I thought, as I felt his hot breath near my face. "What would I give to punch him right now for invasion of privacy?"

I saw Lexie roll her eyes, seeing that she too was annoyed.

Having enough, I smacked his hand away and stood up, dusting my dress.

"Well, at least there's some good being forced into this marriage." I grumbled. Glaring at Dice, I declared to him "When I'm queen, I will have the power to get rid of you!"

Dice looked a bit surprised before giving me that smirk again, saying nothing. I then headed down to Lex and grasped her hand lightly. "Come on, Lex. I'm getting tired of this tour and I need a quick break."

"Same here…" She muttered, glaring at Dice as well. "Game-Piece weirdo…"

We started to walk away, but not before hearing Dice remind me

"You know, Dollface, only the boss can decide if I stay or go, so you're gonna have to be stuck with me for a while."

I stopped midway towards the door, turned to face him and stated "Oh, I'm sure I can persuade him in some way. He did promise me everything I want, and what I want is for your head to be rolled out of the casino!"

Lexie held back a giggle. I had to admit, that was pretty funny. But in all seriousness, I did want him out of the casino and out of my life.

We then left and headed back to my bedchamber. Once there, we stepped in, and I closed the door with a huff. Finally, some peace and quiet. I know he knew where my room was, but only I had the power to let him in.

And there was noooo way I was gonna let him in at any time.

"I am sooooo sick of seeing his ugly face." I claimed, as I strode over and flopped on my bed.

"I'm tired of his flirting...like did you see him try to wrap his arm around me earlier?" Lexie asked.

"Yeah, I was ready to hit him." I answered. Then I paused and smiled a bit. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I did punch him in the face once."

Lexie looked at me surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, he was bugging me at the theater, and made a threat saying the Devil's wedding gift would be a new set of teacups." I explained as I sat up and saw Lexie come sit next to me. "Then, he went on saying 'oh, if i had it my way, you'd me my gal anyone would be lucky.' So, then, I was like 'oh you have a secret admirer' and then I said "It's my fist and it can't wait to take you out!" I punched him so hard, he flung outside."

Lexie busting out laughing, wheezing so badly I thought she was gonna have a heart attack.

"Oh my God! His face must've been PRICELESS!" She laughed.

"Oh, yeah! He should have seen the LOOK on his face." I chuckled

We continued to laugh about the whole thing, especially with Dice's face when I slammed my fist on his face.

After a bit, we both took a happy sigh.

"I'm SO using that next time he tries it!" Lexie beamed.

"I give you full permission to do so!" I smiled. "Oh, man. I wish I had my phone. I could have taken a video of it."

"Dude, that would've been AWESOME!" Lexie giggled.

Thinking of Dice, I asked "Also was I too harsh on that threat? I know I pulled it from that one movie, but I just wanted to make him squirm a bit."

Lex flapped her lips. "Pfft, nah. He needs to hear it once in a while."

"Thanks. I know I need to protect the guys, but I had to say something." I mentioned. "I may be a prisoner, but I want him to remember he's a manager, not some big hot shot.

I paused and then remembered something.

"Hey I did hear that our dresses are ready. I know it's not the best, especially in a forced marriage, but they might look nice?"

"Eh, why not?" Lexie shrugged. "I'm sure seeing them would be fine."

We both hopped off the bed and headed to the closet. I grabbed the handles and opened it. But when I looked in, I gasped and screamed

This wasn't a yelp or anything small. This was a full on blood curdling scream, like in the horror movies when the girl sees the monster, or guy in the freaky mask and is completely terrified.

In my closet on a headless mannequin, was a dark red fitted sleeveless ball gown with a sweetheart neckline, and black lace roses were stitched at the bottom. Near the mannequin were red heels and around its neck was an oval shaped red pendant that had a golden frame.

I was shocked. My face was completely pale.

Lexie jumped, startled by the scream. "What?! What?! I know the wedding's bad, but the dress is kinda cute…" She replied.

"No! It can't be! How did it go?! Did he?! Oh gosh he did!" I gasped, looking at it.

It was real. I couldn't believe it was freaking real!

"Okayyy you're losing me, Auds. What'd he do?" Lexie asked, confused.

"Ok, long story short, I had two nightmares with that exact same dress!" I claimed "It's down to a T! The sweetheart neckline, the roses, the freaking shoes!"

Lexie's eyes widened. "Yoooo...that's freaky as heck..."

"I know! I don't know if he peeked in my dreams, or just made a lucky guess but ooooh my gosh it's freaking real!" I cried, still trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing.

"I've never known the Devil to be able to do that...did you tell anyone about it?" Lexie asked

"N-not really. I did go to therapy a while back and got some help but I never told anyone about the dreams." I claimed. "And regarding the Devil, I know I got the crash course from Steve but nothing in scripture says anything about him peeking in my dreams."

"No, but from my understanding he is super intuitive. Like he could sniff out a weakness like that." Lexie mentioned, snapping her fingers.

"Well, he almost got me to sign the contract." I claimed. "In a dream, he kept bringing up all the bad things that happened in my life, to make me vulnerable…"

I looked down feeling rather ashamed of it. During my scribbler adventures, I had a terrible dream where the Devil brought up every horrible memory of my life, to try and get me to sign my soul contract. It was really terrifying, especially since it felt so real.

Lexie was speechless for a bit before claiming "Wow. Okay that's creepy. I mean, the Bible doesn't really go into detail about the Devil's abilities. I'd think he'd have similar powers to that of angels, but definitely not telepathy or some crap like God.

"True. Still, it's freaky all the same."i mentioned

"Yeah same." Lex nodded.

There was a long pause before I asked. "Soooo what does your dress look like?"

"Oh, boy I'm afraid to find out... especially if Dice was in charge of it..." She shuddered.

"Do you want me to look first?" I asked.

"Sure, if ya want." Lex shrugged.

I pushed aside some dresses and found one that was in a plastic cover, like one you would have when you pick up dry-cleaning. I then took it off the rack and looked it over.

The dress was a fitted black dress with a U-neckline that had spaghetti straps. The body of the dress was very sparkly, seeing that many tiny glitter like gems, with a matching belt with an elegant gemstone centerpiece around the waistline, and a high right knee-slit. There was also a pair of matching black heels that had a lovely shine to them.

After a second, I finally spoke.

"Well, good news is it's very sparkly."

"And the bad news...?" Lexie nervously asked, biting her lower lip.

"Uhhh, there's a bit of an opening here" I claimed, looking at the knee-high slit. "Kinda like Elsa's dress in Frozen. A bit too high in my liking."

Lexie gave a groan. Of course they'd make a dress for her like that. As if we couldn't feel any more humiliated, this happens.

"If you want, I can call the seamstress and have it fixed to make it a bit more your style." I suggested.

"I'd like that...thanks, Auds." Lexie smiled.

"It's the least I can do, since I kinda dragged you into this." I sheepishly recalled.

"You didn't drag me anywhere. It was an accident." Lexie argued. "If anyone's to blame here it's Mr. Scratch Butt."

Just then, I snorted and burst into giggles. I know snorting is not lady-like, but that was pretty funny.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to snort that was so funny!" I laughed.

"I randomly got the idea from the old Sonic cartoons where he'd call Eggman "Ro-BUTT-nik"." Lexie recalled. "Thought it was fitting."

"Wait! Have you seen that show?! The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog?!" I gasped. "That was a fave growing up!"

"Grew up on 'em." Lexie beamed.

"Wait, question; did you see the Super Mario Bros Super Show as well?" I asked.

"Yep! How do ya think the others and I escaped that time? Koopatraz style, baby."

"Oh, so that's what Steve meant. Wow, who knew Mario cartoons could help out in situations in real life?"

"I sure didn't, but I knew I had to do something."

" I'm glad you did. Really thankful for helping them. I know that was a bit scary."

"Not that it did any good…" Lex muttered, sounding a bit defeated.

Seeing she was saddened by what happened, I put a hand on her shoulder.

"But seriously, thank you. That was a huge help. That proves he needs to be worried about you."

Lexie smiled weakly. "Thanks, Audie. Just wish Mario or Peach had a way to get us out of this jam…"

"Yeah, me too…" I trailed off.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

I groaned. "I swear, if that's Dice, I'm gonna puke."

I, with Lexie's dress in hand, walked over and opened it to reveal not Dice, thankfully, but Henchman.

"Oh, hi, uh, what can I do for ya?" I asked.

"Duh, boss wanted me to give ya this." He replied as he handed me an envelope.

"Thanks. Appreciate that. Oh, before you go, can you run by this to the seamstress? Lexie would like to have the knee slit at an appropriate height. Knowing that, would make me able to rest easily. A wedding like this is not to be taken lightly."

"D'uh, sure. I'd be happy to do that." Henchman replied, taking the dress from me. I thanked him and he departed. I then closed the door and looked at the envelope.

"What's he gotta give you an envelope for? Isn't that what cellphones are for?" Lexie asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, this story takes place in the '30s, so cell phones weren't invented for a while." I claimed.

"Oh right." Lexie sheepishly laughed.

Taking a breath, I opened the note and read it over. I then let out a groan.

"Oh, great."

"What?" Lexie asked.

"Turns out he wants to have dinner with me." I replied annoyed. "No doubt wanting to flirt and make me feel sick to my stomach."

"Ewww, barf." Lexie gagged.

"Yeah not looking forward to that. Ugh, just seeing his ugly face makes me gag."

"Well, maybe I can see how the others are doin' while you're over there?" Lexie suggested. "Not gonna have much to do while you're gone."

"Can you do that? I haven't seen them since yesterday and I'm worried about them." I replied.

"Absolutely. I'm worried about them too." Lexie mentioned.

"Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lose my appetite for dinner." I claimed.

I could tell Lex wasn't sure what to say, but she did reply with "Um...have fun…" She gave a sheepish smile too.

I rolled my eyes and sarcastically replied "Thanks."

"Sorry…" Lexie sighed.

"Eh, it's fine."

I then headed out, going to have dinner…with the king of the Underworld.

################################################################

I headed down the hallway, following an imp, to the dining area. I wasn't really looking forward to this, especially since my 'husband-to-be' is the ruler of demons. I mean, you can't really ask for a more intense dinner. And on top of that, he will probably flirt with me, not to mention taunt me about my 'breakup' with Josh.

Golly, I hope he's ok. Just seeing his face was a mix of defeat, humiliation, brokenness, and sadness. I know what I did was to save them, but it cost our engagement. And I was paying for it.

In full.

Soon, we arrived at a large door and the imp knocked three times.

After a short pause, I heard a deep, gruff voice respond on the other end.

"Come in…"

I swallowed hard. That brought back memories.

The doors opened and I was surprised.

The room itself was a large dining room, which had red flooring and a golden circular rug in the center that had an embroidered look of swirls and lace, and a large brown table with two chairs with red cushions.

The walls were white, with red curtains, large windows that overlooked the casino, and had a chandelier with real diamonds, hanging from the ceiling above the table.

There was also a small brown cabinet to the right of the table. The table settings had white plates with elegant silverware on the sides, and glasses, and a three arm golden candelabra, with orange flames.

The Devil was sitting on the far end of the table, with a terrible grin on his face.

One that has haunted me far too long.

The imp took a bow to his employer and left, leaving me alone with the Devil.

"Ah, my blushing bride! Come in, come in. So good to see you." He claimed, with a sickening tone.

He stood up and approached me, his shadow looming over me. I could feel my heart pound harder as he got closer to me.

He was about a few feet from me, lifting my chin with his fingers. I could see the passion in his yellow eyes burn, knowing he had me in his grip, and could do as he pleased.

I just wanna get through dinner and move on.

"I'm glad to see you again, my love." He sneered, almost sounding seductive. "I hope your stay has been well. I want what's best for my future queen."

I wasn't sure if I was to respond to that, but I gave a quick nod, hoping to move on.

"Good. Glad to see it." He smirked. "Though, before we have dinner, I need to do something first."

He took a step back and snapped his fingers, and I was surrounded in a heap of black and purple smoke.

I got nervous. If memory serves me right from Once Upon A Time, that kind of magic was to either teleport, make objects come to them or…change their outfit.

Oh no.

I closed my eyes with my hands, even after the smoke cleared. I did not want to look at my new outfit. What if it was really revealing and inappropriate?! Oh gosh, I couldn't deal with this.

I heard the Devil chuckle.

"Why are you so scared, my pet? I think there's nothing to be afraid of when weaning a beautiful gown…"

I heard him step towards me and gently removed my hands from my face. I was too scared to see what I was wearing.

He then snapped his fingers and a long full mirror appeared before me and when I opened my eyes, I saw what I was wearing.

The dress I wore was a white A-line sleeveless dress that went to my knees but opened up at the bottom, giving it a flowing look to it. There were black flowers and swirls that were stitched on the hem of the dress and I had on a black lace short sleeve top that matched the design.

I wore a pair of silver heels, a silver beaded bracelet on my left wrist, a rhinestone decor necklace and drop earrings.

My hair was in a twisted updo, along with a silver flower clip in my hair, and my make up was freshened up, complimenting the dress.

Wow, he went all out, and this is only for dinner. Wonder what other dresses would be like.

He then made the mirror vanish and approached me again, lifting my chin and gazing at me with half-lidded bedroom eyes, which made my stomach turn.

"My, you look very lovely, my dear." He cooed. "You have such a radiant beauty of a queen, and I admire that."

I felt my throat go tight. I think I lost my appetite in the process.

"Come. Dinner is about to be served." He announced, gesturing to the table. "You must be hungry."

Without saying anything, I walked to the chair that was near me, but as I started to pull it out, he grabbed it and pulled it out for me, gesturing me to sit.

Well, he was right about one thing; he is a gentleman. Despite him using threats and blackmail to get what he desires.

I sat down and he pushed me in, before taking his seat near mine. Then, he snapped his fingers, and imps came in with plates with a variety of meats, cheese, bread, fruits and spreads. Two servers set down a plate for each of us both with covers on them, while another poured beverages into the glasses. While he had wine, I had sparkling water.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what was under my cover and I was scared to find out.

"Please don't let it be something gross. Please don't let it be something gross…" My thoughts prayed.

Then, they lifted the covers. As I looked, I was surprised.

In front of me was a plate of chicken parmesan, topped with melted mozzarella cheese, surrounded by a small pile of pasta with a small bowl of marinara sauce, along with a small side salad.

"Doesn't that look tasty?" The Devil asked as he seasoned his steak. "I heard it's one of your favorite meals."

I nearly jumped. How did he know about that? Oh, don't tell me he spied on me?! Creep much!?

Once everything was ready, I thanked the servers before they departed, leaving me alone with him again.

Without saying another word, I placed my napkin on my lap and began to cut a small piece of my meal. I do enjoy chicken parmesan, especially when it goes with pasta. However, it can be dry or burnt.

This was near to perfection. Light color, good texture, and it's easy to cut. When I took a bite of it, I felt a burst of flavor in my mouth. I can't believe I'm saying this, but wow that's good. You know, for a place that's super chaotic that's run by someone who causes chaos, they sure knew how to cook.

After I took another bite of my food, The Devil asked "Enjoying your meal, my sweet?"

I looked and nodded, my mouth still full.

"Good, glad you like it. I want to make sure that it's to your liking. I do hope to please my queen."

I felt my stomach turn. I really hated it when he referred to me as his queen. Makes me feel like I'm a possession, a trophy almost. I know I will be married to him, but he better know the wedding is tomorrow, so I haven't been crowned yet or anything.

"Anyway, since you're here, I would like to discuss with you some details about the ceremony for tomorrow." He mentioned, taking a sip of his wine.

"L-like what?" I asked, twisting my napkin a bit.

"It's nothing to fret about. Once you get to the altar, we can begin, but once we reach the "I do"s, there is something that must happen before we are announced as husband and wife." He stated.

"And that would be…?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"There is a potion that I will give you inside a goblet," he answered. "Once you drink that, you will turn demonic."

I nearly choked on my drink. I'm sorry, what?!

"You-you're going to turn me into a d-demon!?" I choked out. I was ready to leave the table, but he gently grasped my hand and gestured back to my seat.

"You didn't let me finish." He sneered. "You will turn demonic essentially, but you will keep your human form."

I looked at him, a bit confused, yet relieved.

"So, I will have the powers of demons, but not look like one?" I restated.

"To put it shortly, yes." He agreed. "As much as I thought about turning you into an actual demon, it might take a drastic turn. Besides, demon or not, I admire that pretty face of yours."

He then reached over and stroked my cheek with his claw.

Ok, really regretting going to dinner. Wish I would have called in sick and Lex and I would have gone to The Fly Trap or something in the city. I know Bon Bon has her bakery, but I know filling up on sweets won't help.

He then released my hand and mentioned "And don't worry about the size of the crowd. I made sure it was a good attendance to make you less nervous."

I'm not sure if I should be thankful or terrified about that, especially since he, the one who is making me really nervous, is helping me calm down.

There was one question I was hoping to ask and this was a one in a million shot.

Taking a deep breath, I asked "Erm, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, my love. What's on your mind?" he asked, touching his napkin to his lips.

"W-well, I was wondering, would it be possible, after dinner tonight, I can check on the guys? It won't be long, but I need to see if they're doing ok."

"I did hear word from my imps that they're fine in the cells." he bluntly told me. "Besides, it'll be rather late to see them. Don't want to disturb their rest, do we?"

"No, but I was just hoping to see how they were holding up." I mentioned. "It was a lot for them to handle, especially being nearly killed, so I just wanted to see them and let them know I'm ok."

"And while I do appreciate your caring, I want to make sure you don't get distracted." He replied.

I arched an eyebrow. "What does that supposed to mean?"

"Am I not being clear on the matter?" He asked, grinning at me like a dope.

"Be more clear on it." I retorted.

"What I'm saying is I think it's best to keep your mind off of things like that and turn your attention to what really matters." he stated. "And that is to be my queen and wife."

"So you're saying I can't see my friends, who you almost killed by the way, just to see how they're doing, 'cause you think I'll get distracted?" I asked, now getting annoyed.

"I'm just saying as queen, you'll have tasks to do, but you'll also be spending time with your hubby and king." He slyly replied, taking a bite of his food.

"And I have no say in this?" I asked.

"Sadly, no, my little pet. Since I will be your husband, I will also be your king. Besides, I know what's best for you."

"What's best for me?! You barely know me!" I protested.

"Oh, but I know so much about you. You remember how I knew about your past, your likes, dislikes, interests, hopes, all that." He mentioned. "I know you still need to get to know me, but I'm in no rush."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I stopped. It was pointless to argue with him and he would just come up with another way to twist my words and use them against me.

But, not gonna lie, that last bit sounded really seductive. I began to feel my stomach turn into a knot and I felt like I was gonna throw up.

I was not looking forward to this, more than I did before.


(Lexie's POV)

After Audrey departed to dinner, I decided to check on the guys to make sure they were okay. It wasn't going to be easy, especially with all the goons running about, but if I'm quick, I might be able to find them without any issues.

After skidding down the hallway for a bit, I finally found the doors that lead to the dungeon. I carefully opened it up and headed carefully down the steps. While the torches gave me a bit of light, I had to be careful stepping down the stairs before finding them in the cells.

I saw that Steve and Sasha were sitting near the door, looking very sad and frustrated. When they heard footsteps approaching, they groaned.

"Oh, great, who is it now?" Steve asked.

"Better not be Dice. Hate seeing his face…" Sasha muttered.

But, when they saw me, their faces changed.

"Hi, guys." I nervously replied.

"Lex!" Steve gasped.

"Oh, thank the Lord you're ok!" Sasha beamed. "Oh, Lexie, we were so worried!"

"Yeah! Wait, where's Audie?" Steve asked, looking around.

I took a deep breath. "Let's just say she's "at the table of demons" at the moment. Literally."

"Oh, gosh, she's having dinner with, him?!" Steve gagged.

"Oh poor Audie! As if her life isn't as miserable as it already is…" Sasha trailed off. Then she asked "How are you holding up?"

"Not great...but we're figuring things out. Dice just took us on a tour." I replied.

"Oh gosh, that had to be long." Steve mentioned.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Ugh, he really is pushing his luck."

"Yeah he was making stupid comments to Audie, and would not quit flirting with me…" I groaned. "Ugh, why's that fool gotta be a creep?" I began to rub my arms uncomfortably. The thought of him trying to hit on me wasn't something to remember.

"Oh, Lex. I'm so sorry." Sasha sighed. "I wish I could go and pummel him."

"Yeah, same." Steve agreed.

"Same here." I sighed. Then, I asked "How's Josh doin?"

"Uh not great…" Steve trailed off, looking over at Josh. I peeked through the small window on the door, and saw that he was lying on his stomach on the sleeping cot, and a pillow over his head.

"He's been like that since we got here."

"Poor Josh is devastated." Sash sadly replied. "We tried talking to him, but he's really upset."

I couldn't argue with them. If I was in a situation like where my boyfriend had to agree to marry an evil queen or something to protect me, that would definitely hurt. I know he would be doing that to protect me, but knowing that he would be with someone else is not a happy thought.

After a second, I asked.

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sure." Steve nodded. Turning to Josh, he called out "Hey, Josh. Lex is here."

"Hi Lex…" He replied, his voice sounded muffled and really depressed.

"Hey Josh...I'm, um, really sorry about what happened." I replied.

"It's not your fault. I feel horrible at this point. I know Audrey's doing this to protect us but...I can't see her with him." He stated, his voice choking a bit. "She'll be so unhappy while he has her like a trophy."

"I know, and I swear, Audie feels the same too." I mentioned. "We're thinking of ways to get us all outta here, but that blockhead isn't making it easier…"

Josh sat up and rubbed his before taking a deep breath. "I feel so defeated. I should have done something! Seeing him, taunt her, and look at her like she's some prize to him. I hate that! I felt so helpless!"

"Pretty sure we all did Josh. I wanted to beat the stuffing off that Elmo ripoff so bad…" I trailed off.

"As did I. Feel stupid for leaving my Bible at home…" Steve mentioned.

"Erm, how is Audrey doing? Aside from jerkface and his poor excuse for a manager?" Josh asked.

"I'm trying to keep her hopes up, but honestly I think she's discouraged." I answered sadly . "I'm kinda feeling the same too. 1 day left before the wedding and nothing."

I hung my head in complete defeat. I promised to help her, and I feel like I'm failing her as well as them.

Josh let out a groan. "Don't remind me."

There was a pause before Sasha asked "Wait, wasn't there an episode of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, where they had to stop a wedding between bowser and Peach?"

"I think so." Steve pondered. Then a thought came to him. "Saaaayy, if a Mario cartoon got us out, we can do it again! ok, so, what did they use to escape again?"

"Uh, they dug a hole using spoons to get out though." I reminded them.

They then let out groans.

"Of course it'd be spoons." Steve muttered.

"Well, so much for that." Sash added.

"This isn't fair! I'm so ticked at him! He can't just do this because he thinks he's 'mister big and powerful', when in reality he's a jerk!" Josh shouted. He then paused and sighed. "Oh, what's the point? I feel like I was dumped. Hard."

"Josh, she didn't dump you. Not willingly." I reminded him. "She still loves you, always has and always will."

"Plus, she promised that even after this, she won't stop loving you." Sasha added, sitting next to Josh and rubbing his back.

He then took a deep sigh. "...Yeah I remember that. Ugh, this is just frustrating."

"Don't worry Lex we'll come out with something." Steve reminded me. "If the good Lord managed to get his people out of Egypt, he can get us out of this."

"Amen to that, Steve." I smiled. It was nice to see that they were still in good spirits, despite what just happened the other day. I just hope we can keep this up and come up with a plan to escape.

"Again we're sorry you're in that mess." Sasha stated. "When I saw those two freaks talk in private before Audie came, I knew something was up."

"Yeah, I think that separating us was Dice's idea... To keep me closer to him." I shuddered.

"Eeewww!" The group gagged

"Ok I don't know why he likes hitting on girls like you, but it's gotta stop." Steve mentioned.

"You wanna explain that to him? 'Cause clearly he ain't listening to me." I stated, a bit frustrated.

"Sure, I think I can give him a lesson or two on respect." Sasha smirked.

That made me laugh a bit.

"That'd be great!"

"Ya know, I know Audie mentioned that she keeps running into him on her journey." Steve recalled. "I'm surprised she didn't punch him herself."

"She apparently did." I mentioned.

They looked surprised. "Wait, what? Oh, I was joking." Steve chuckled a bit.

"Huh, hearing that made me feel better." Josh smiled. "Man, if she would've got that on video I would have made tons of edits."

"Maybe fit in that "FATALITY" sound effect from Mortal Kombat." I chuckled.

That caused the group to burst out laughing. It was really nice to hear them laugh again. Hard to find joy in a place like this, especially with it run by the king of darkness.

Sash took a happy sigh. "Oh, man. That was good

I nodded and sighed happily as well. After a second, I announced "Welp, I gotta go before the blockhead catches wind, but I'll see ya."

"Ok. Thanks for stopping by and when you see Audie, tell her that, no matter what, I won't give up on her." Josh claimed.

"I will. And think of it this way; a marriage to the Devil is technically not valid, cause marriage was instituted by God." I mentioned. "He wouldn't bless it no matter what, therefore not valid.

"Truuuuueeee didn't think about that." Steve replied.

"Well, that helps. I guess." Sasha mentioned.

"Yep. Keep your spirits up, we'll get outta this." I smiled, giving them a thumbs up.

They thanked me for coming by and I departed. But as I left, I felt pretty sad leaving the dungeon. I wanted to break them out of their cells but the imps have the keys. Getting them out is going to be harder than I thought.

Oh, man I hope they'll be okay.


(JOSH'S POV)

Seeing Lexie again really got my spirits up, seeing as she was ok after all that. Even though I would have liked to see Audrey, I think the last thing the Devil wants to do is let her see me, considering he hates me and wants me dead.

Steve and Sasha seemed to be in better moods as well. We were pretty depressed and hurt after all that happened in the throne room. We weren't mad at Audrey, obviously, but it was hard to see her accept his proposal and is now on the verge of going through a terrible marriage, and a horrible life as queen.

I just don't see it, Audrey ruling over Inkwell as queen, standing with the Devil, and causing mayhem and terror.

We had to come up with something. But what that was, we had no clue.

After Lexie departed, we took a sigh.

"Man, I really needed that." I mentioned.

"Yeah, man. I just feel really bad for ya." Steve claimed. "We gotta come up with something to save Audie."

"Yeah, but what?" We're locked in a cell and guards are keeping a close eye on us." Sasha recalled. "Even if we were to escape, we have a ton of staff members, goons, Dice, and the Devil to deal with."

I took a breath. Getting out was nearly impossible. We were lucky to get out with Lex's plan, but his goons were smart and won't fall for that trick again.

Just then, we heard

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

"Oh, jeez!" Sasha jumped as Steve held her protectively in his arms.

"Whoa! What was that?!" I jumped. "Oh please tell me that was just testing fireworks…"

Suddenly, we heard the door open once more and we heard quick footsteps come down the stairs.

We didn't know what the blasting was or who was coming down but for many reasons, we were scared.

The footsteps got closer and closer and closer until we heard the door unlocked. Oh gosh I was soooo scared. My heart was racing. I didn't have the slightest of ideas who it was or what it was, but I wondered if they or it was gonna kill us too.

Sasha whimpered a bit, holding onto Steve and I stood on my guard. We were not going down without a fight, whomever was behind that door.

The door opened and I nearly jumped, but then seeing who it was, I relaxed a bit.

"Oh, it's you. Glad to see you here."


(LEX'S POV)

It was a bit later when I saw the guys. I was filled with a whirl of emotions; anger, sadness, relife, terror, and a bit of depression. I felt bad, I wanted to help them so badly, but with little luck on time and resources, we don't have a plan made.

I was busy lost in thought when I heard

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

I gasped in flight, jumped a bit startled, and looked behind me. Sure enough, it was Dice coming down the hallway towards me, with the same stupid grin on his face.

"Well, surprised to see you out and about." He sneered. He then looked down behind him a bit and turned back, his face frowning a bit.

"Hmm and you're coming down the hall that leads to the cells... you didn't try anything foolish now did you? It would be terrible to try and backstab the boss."

"No... Just thought I'd say hi to em. Is it really that wrong?" I asked sternly, my hands on my hips.

"No, nothing wrong but the boss instructed Dollface not to see them." He calmly explained. "Don't want to distract her from what's really important."

I rolled my eyes and muttered "Of course he doesn't…" I should have known the Devil would do anything to get Audrey's mind off of Josh and on him.

Talk about controlling.

Just then, Dice spoke again. "Although, since Dollface is having dinner with the boss, I was wondering if you'd like to do something this evening? Seeing you're by yourself…"

Ohhhhhh no! There is no WAY I would be having dinner with him! Not after what he and his employer has put us through!

"Y'know, I appreciate the offer, but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck. I'm feeling kinda tired from the day we've had, so…" I smiled sheepishly, hoping that would give him the message of "not in your life."

"You sure? I can get us something to eat." Dice suggested. "You probably haven't eaten since lunch."

"It's okay, I'm not that hungry-!" I started, but just then, there was a low growl from my stomach. I think my face turned redder than a tomato, seeing that he just heard that.

"Your stomach says otherwise." Dice informed me.

Well, that was super awkward.

"Dang it..." I thought.

"Let me escort you to the dining area and we'll grab a bite." Dice claimed, extending his arm out.

I knew arguing with him was pointless and on top of that, if I went back to Audie's room, he would follow me.

I took a deep breath. "Okay." I finally replied. I then reluctantly took his hand, and we both headed down the hallway.

This is gonna be reeeeally ugly.


After a bit, the two of us ended up in a nice dining area. It was the same one that he took me and Sasha to when we first came here. And it's where we found out about his true intentions.

Once we were seated, Dice snapped his fingers and a few cards and imps brought food and beverages. One card poured him a glass of wine while another poured me soda. They must have remembered I was young and couldn't legally drink till I was 21.

I began sipping on my soda and was really surprised. It was really good; fresh, bubbly and the right amount of sugar and taste.

"Enjoying your drink?" Dice asked as I set down my glass. "I know you're not old enough to drink, so the boys made ya this instead."

"Yeah it's good. Thanks." I simply replied.

"Good, glad to hear it." Dice smiled.

I gave a silent prayer before eating my food. The food was pretty good too. I know I had some food earlier for breakfast and lunch, not to mention stealing a small snack for me and Audie, but still. They knew how to cook.

It's not before I noticed Dice smirking at me.

Great.

"Ok, you mind not strain' so much? It's kinda rude." I sternly reminded him.

"Sorry, I think it's rather sweet how you do that." He claimed, referring to my silent prayer. "I know that Steve fella does that, considering I remember him saying something about that."

"It's called prayer. Not super uncommon." I stated, deadpanned.

"So I've heard."

There was a short pause before he asked "Oh, uh, gotta ask, there was a loud scream earlier today. Know anything about that?"

It took me a second to realize what he meant. He must be referring to when Audrey gave that blood curdling scream when she saw her wedding dress.

Not wanting to state that, I managed to come up with something else.

"Oh um... Audrey's just overwhelmed by…stuff, that's all."

"Ah I see. I mean, getting married ain't easy or something to take lightly especially if it's marrying the boss." Dice mentioned.

"It's a huge commitment, so yeah." I muttered.

"So true. And if she's nervous about attendance, it won't be that big." He stated.

"Erm, that's good to know…"

There was another long pause before he claimed "Ya know, I had an idea that we could do after dinner."

Oh no. I didn't like the sound of that. Whatever 'fun' meant to him, could not be anything good.

I gulped nervously, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Since everything is pretty much ready for tomorrow, perhaps you and I should go to the ballroom, and do a quick dance."

I almost threw up in my mouth; a dance with a creep like him? Ewww!

"Umm...I don't dance much. Sorry." I claimed, shifting in my seat uncomfortably.

"Oh no worries, I'm very fluent in a variety of dances. I could teach you."

Okay, you know those pushy sales people that keep pressing and pressing you until you buy into whatever their product is? Yep, that was this guy. Ugh!

"Honestly, I'm a bit beat, I'd rather not right now." I replied quickly.

Did this dude get the hint?

"Oh, come on, it'll be quick I promise."

Yeah, I'll let you be the judge of that. Definitely a pushy type, wouldn't take no for an answer.

After a second, I took a huff. "You won't leave me alone til I agree, will you?"

"Not really, no." Dice stated in a matter of fact tone. "Besides, it's still early in the evening and the only thing you'd probably do is stare at the ceiling, twiddling your thumbs."

Okay, first off, lame. I don't twiddle my thumbs. And although technically I am what's called an ambivert, meaning I take sides off extroverts and introverts, I do tend to lean on introverts. So point being, I like my alone time.

But…like he said, he wasn't gonna leave me alone til I agreed. So, I took a sigh, and gave Dice a glare.

"Alright, fine. But, no funny business." I sternly stated.

"You have my word." He promised. "Let me escort you to the ballroom."

Once I finished dinner, Dice, being the 'ladies man' that he was, held out a hand to me with a big cocky smirk. One that said 'Yep, I beat you'.

Rolling my eyes, I took his hand, and before I knew it, we were at the ballroom.

"Ah, here we are. The ballroom once more." He grinned. "Now, what dance shall we do? Waltz? It's a bit formal. Salsa dancing? Nah, did that."

I nervously fidgeted with my glove as I watched Dice ponder over the 'dance' we were gonna do. Then, he gave a sickening grin…oh great, what?

"Hmmmm… ah, I know how about… the tango?"

I felt the most terrible shiver go down my spine.

"Um…isn't that the one where they...touch each other?"

"Don't worry it won't be anything like that." He assured me. "You said no funny business."

I looked at him uneasy, ugh just everything about this guy makes me nervous. The way he shows himself off and constantly flirts…I'm only 19 like dude, back off me.

"Now, let's get some music ready."

He pulled out a deck of cards and flicked them on the stage. They appeared with a different variety of instruments, ready to start.

"There we go. And one more thing…" He sneered.

Before I could even ask, He flung cards in my direction and I was suddenly in a nice dress. Okay, I'll give the guy props, it was a beautiful dress; it had an off shoulder collar, red at the top, and as your eyes trailed down to the bottom, it transitioned into orange and yellow. I felt something on my head and touched it; it appeared to be a rose headband.

Dice circled around me like a vulture does to his prey, along with that sickening grin on his face.

"My oh my, don't you look stunning?" He cooed at me.

Now, I was mad. Trying to hit on me was one thing, but doing this was taking it too far!

"Seriously? I'm not some doll you can just play dress up with!" I snapped.

"What? Oh come on, you look nice in this." Dice crooned in a pouty tone. "Besides, it helps with the dancing."

"Stupid bad guys and their stupid Barbie doll bullcrap-!" I muttered.

Just then, he gestured to the music to start and began playing an acoustic version of "Stalkers Tango"...wait, wasn't that song more recent…?

I was so shocked to hear it; it sounded evil, dark…almost romantic.

I barely felt Dice as he gently took my hand, "Beautiful isn't it? Something I've been working on for a while." He whispered in my ear.

I couldn't even utter a word to him…there was something about the music that felt…hypnotic.

"Ah, speechless I see…"

He then took me in a tango position and instructed in a gentle, smooth voice, "Just relax, and let me, and the music guide you."

We were dancing to the beat, starting with slow steps, but leading up to more advanced and quick steps as the song progressed. I can't remember exactly the exact choreography, cause all I could think about was now irresistible the melody was…

"Gotta admit you're a terrific dancer. Do you take lessons?" Dice asked, as we made a turn.

"I'm a fast learner…" I answered, a bit dazed.

"Ah I see…very nice." He grinned.

While we were dancing, Dice twirled me around and, with my back turned to him...wrapped an arm around my waist. I barely flinched. What was happening? I would have sucker-punched the guy for even doing that, but I couldn't.

I barely felt him brushing his fingers across my hair, which was apparently down for some reason, and it felt like time stopped for a while.

Just then, the music slowed down and Dice turned me around, making me face him, and I felt him gently usher my head to his chest and stroked my back with his fingers.

"Gotta say you really are something. Never seen anyone dance like that before you really know how to dance." Dice mentioned. "Wouldn't you like to dance like this; feeling the music guide you and someone holding you safe in their arms?"

All I could let out was a dazed, "Mmm hm..."

"Good. I enjoy evenings like these and I hope to dance with you more often…"

With a wicked sneer, Dice gently propped up my chin, slowly wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Maybe while you're here, you could be my special gal. I would like to have a girl like you with me."

He leaned close and was about to kiss me when…suddenly, something in my mind clicked, snapping me back to reality, as if a spell was broken.

It took me a second to realize what was going on and what he was about to do and I panicked.

"No, this is wrong!" I shouted.

I suddenly shoved him away from me, my heart racing and my breath short.

What just happened?!

"Dang it, how did she get past that?" Dice muttered, frustrated.

"There's no way I'm gonna be your special gal!" I raged. "You're old and creepy!"

"I wouldn't call myself that." Dice claimed. "Besides, you'll be living in the casino from now on. That should give me plenty of time to win you over."

I let out a disgusted huff as I muttered, "Ugh I'm not listening to this."

I started to walk away, hoping to get as far away as possible from him, but I should have remembered that he was very stubborn. He grabbed me and pulled you close. Very, very, close…

My heart started to beat faster while I struggled to get away from him, but his grip just got tighter.

"Fine, then hear this; with dollface about to be occupied with being queen, I'll have chances to sweep you off your pretty feet." He sneered, his voice sounding very seductive. "I'll make you mine, one way or another."

"L-lemme GO!" I screamed, my terrified voice echoing in the ballroom.

Audie, if you can hear me, HELP!

"Sorry, but you're too good to pass up." Dice crooned, gently stroking my cheek. "I'm sure the boss will give me a lending hand on winning you over, but for now, I've had my fun."

Before I could say another word, he opened a portal beneath me, and I fell through, feet first. About a half second letter, I landed right back in Audrey's room.

The entire world was spinning and I was having a whirlwind of emotions. Confused, scared, angry…and just plain violated.

Just then, I jumped as I heard the door open and, thankfully, Audrey stepped in, looking worn out. She wasn't wearing her usual dress, which surprised me. She wore a black and white dress that opened up giving a floating style.

"Sheesh, that had to be the most awkward dinner I've ever had-Lex? you ok?" Audrey asked as she closed the door and looked at me.

I rubbed my head while groaning, "Ugh... Stupid Dice and stupid Barbie dress up bullcrap…"

Audrey rushed to me as she asked "Oh no, what did he do this time? Are you hurt?!"

"No, he just took me to dinner and danced tango with me...and..."

I bulged my eyes as I realized what Dice was trying to do…EWWW!

"Ewwww, he tried to kiss me!"

"What?! Oh, that freak!" Audrey growled. She then gave me a hug, holding me tight.

"Oh Lex, I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault…"

As much as I didn't wanna make Audie feel bad for my situation (since she clearly had a much worse situation going on), but I couldn't help but to tremble at the experience I just had.

"H-he said he was going to keep trying to win me over, and make me his special gal." I shuddered.

I swear, I think that was the first time I saw Audrey's face turn red. Like, queen of hearts, 'OFF WITH HIS HEAD' type red.

"Oh, gross! Ok. That's it, that is it. I have HAD IT with that pathetic excuse for a manager! I am going to give him a piece of my mind! I don't care if I have to persuade the Devil! I am going to make sure his head rolls out of that casino!"

She then released me, stormed to the door and tried to pull on it, but it was locked.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me! Argh, guess he wants to keep his 'precious bride' from escaping." She grumbled. "Fine, I'll give it to him the second I see his ugly face."

I tensed up a bit, jeez if looks could kill, I'd be dead.

Audrey then took a breath, but then, slumped down and sobbed into her hands. I think it was all the stress from dinner and now hearing this that got her emotional. I couldn't blame her.

"Audie, hey...it's okay.." I quietly said, as I came to her, knelt down and hugged her.

"No, it's not ok, it's not ok! That you're being dragged into this. You're innocent, and it's not fair that you're paying the consequences for my choice." she choked out, her breaths were short with her sobbing.

"Audie, stop, I told you it's not your fault!" I exclaimed. "They're to blame here, not you."

"I know I know I...I just feel bad. I need to look out for you, and I can't because I'm not there." She mentioned. She paused and took a deep sigh, calming down a bit. "You're my friend, and I would hate myself if something were to happen to you."

"Same with you. At least I'm not getting married to the DEVIL of all people.." I muttered.

"Yeah, well, I'm not looking forward to it." Audrey groaned as we stood up and walked over to the bed. "I am going to hate every single day of being his queen, and everything after that."

I felt bad. I had to think of something to get her mind off of it for a bit.

I then thought of something.

"Well, in other news...I talked with the others. Sash and Steve are fine, but Josh...jeez he was devastated." I sighed.

"You did? Oh, I feel terrible for Josh. I want to see him so badly but they won't let me see them." Audrey sighed. "Argh, makes me sick that even though I'll be the queen, yet he's telling me who I can and can't see."

"It's all about control for the Devil." I mentioned. "That's pretty much all there is to it."

"Yeah I can tell." Audey sighed. She paused before asking "I know that they were upset, but did they say anything else?"

"Josh wanted me to tell you that he still loves you and he's not giving up on you no matter what." I answered. "I hope that makes you feel a bit better."

"Yeah, it does." Audrey gave a smile. A warm, gentle smile. One that I haven't seen in a long time.

"And, I told them this too, technically, a marriage to the Devil doesn't count as legal." I recalled.

"Ya know, I was thinking that, but I wasn't sure if anyone was going to back me up on that." She mentioned.

"I would, if it helps. A marriage between a woman and a demon muppet on crack ain't an approved union from God, who originated marriage." I reminded her. "Soooo, yeah marrying him wouldn't really mean anything."

"Well, that's a relief." She sighed.

I pondered over something before I spoke again. "Come to think of it, it's kinda strange that he wants to marry you. I mean, it's something that God started, why would he even bother?"

" I dunno he was pretty vague on why he wanted to marry me but he did say I reminded him a lot about Isabelle. Audrey shrugged.

I arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Oh, one of my professors. Her name was Dr. Isabelle Jenkins Madison." She replied. "She was a scribbler before me and was the one who handed the task to me, when I was a sophomore in college."

"Ohhhhh gotcha." I sighed. Then I quickly realized. "He had a crush on your teacher?! Ugh!"

"I know it's gross but he had a crush on her when she was my age, so when she was in college. but yeah it's pretty gross." Audrey mentioned.

"Yeesh, what is it with these creeps?!" I asked.

"I dunno honestly I don't…"

"UGH! This is SO messed up! All that butt kissing and they STILL think they can just treat us like we're...we're prisoners!"

I was feeling so much anger. I was angry that the Devil threatened Audrey, angry that she was being treated like an object, angry that we are being blackmailed to do what they want and angry that Dice was treating me like a freaking TOY!

I Have. HAD IT!

I stormed up to the door and started banging on the door in frustration.

"This! (BANG) Is! (BANG) BULLCRAP!"

I banged on the door once again and suddenly

*SMASH!*

The door then flew off the hinges and landed on the ground, tumbling on the ground, echoing in the hallway.

Once the tumbling stopped, there was silence. We both stared at that in complete shock.

"...Did I just do that?" I finally asked, my voice shaking and a bit quiet.

"I think you just did...wow that was...wow." Audrey replied, examining the broken hinges.

"I didn't think I could do that...whoa…" I looked down at my hands. I mean, I go to the gym to work out, but I didn't think I would be that strong.

Or could it be someone else?

After a second, Audrey spoke up, sounding more confident. "You know what? Screw the wedding. We're getting the others out. Tonight. Right now."

I smiled brightly. Now we had a plan. "Yes ma'am!"

"Come on. Everyone must be away, which gives us time to free them and get the heck outta here." Audrey recalled.

"Right behind you!" I beamed.

Without hesitation, we ran, no, BOLTED out of the room and down the hall toward the dungeon.

She was right. It was near midnight and most of the staff had retired for the evening. The hallway was practically empty, which gave us more running room and less chances of getting caught.

"Once we get out, we'll have to go to the cottage and ask Elder Kettle for a potion he used last time to get me back home." Audrey instructed.

"Good plan. He's a nice dude." I beamed.

"And his boys are the sweetest. Cuphead is very outgoing and Mugman is very polite." Audrey mentioned.

"Omigosh they're sooo sweet!" I giggled.

"Though, I feel bad. I know I was told to come alone, but honestly, I wish they would come with me."

"You did what you had to do, I'm sure they understand."

"True. Look, there's the door to the cells."

We approached the dungeon and rushed down the steps and to their cell.

"Guys! Guys! Wake up!" Audrey called out, her voice shaking with excitement and a bit nervous.

"Guys c'mon! We gotta go!" I called.

The odd thing was we heard nothing from them. Were they really heavy sleepers or…was it something else.

Suddenly. I began to have a bad feeling.

"Guys...please say something..." I meekly replied.

"Sasha? Steve? Josh?" Audrey called. She pulled the handle of the door and found it surprisingly unlocked. She looked in and gasped. "T-they're gone!"

Ok, now I'm getting a worse feeling! If they weren't in the cells, where are they?!

"Oh my god...where are they?!" I asked, my voice shaking.

"I-I don't know! Wait, you don't think…" Audrey began, her face turning very pale.

Out of sheer horror, I screamed out "SASHA! STEVE! JOSH! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Silence.

Absolute silence. And that was not good at all.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh. Where are they?!" Audrey panicked, looking around the dungeon.

"Oh, dear God. Tell me they've escaped...please tell me they've escaped.." I prayed.

Audrey was freaking out, more than ever. She looked like she was gonna have a panic attack.

"You don't think…oh gosh he might have!"

" No...no. We can't think like that. We're not gonna think like that!" I quickly stared at her, holding her hands which were shaking badly.

After taking a few breaths, she calmed down a bit. "Maybe they haven't gotten far! We can catch up!"

"You're right...we just gotta hope for the best." I stammered.

"Agreed." Audrey nodded.

We ran out of the dungeon and were just about to run down the hallways to find them when suddenly, a metal sphere lands near us and

*POOF!*

Smoke went all over the place, making me and Audrey cough. This smoke, though, smelled really funny.

"What was that?!" I cried, coughing.

Oh no… it's sleeping gas!" Audrey coughed.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what he was planning.

"Oh no." I continued to cough. "C'mon we gotta move!"

We continued to head down the hallway but suddenly, I started becoming weaker, and that went double for Audrey, as she stumbled and staggered.

"I can't ...keep going…losing energy…" she grunted.

I could tell she was trying as hard as she could, but the gas seemed to be overtaking her. "No...we can't... give up..." I groaned.

"The gas… it's making me weak… gotta get to the door…." Audrey muttered, her eyes looking really heavy.

I then took off my sweater and covered both our faces, hoping that would help. "It'll help...to not.. breathe it in…" I gasped.

Audrey continued to cough, nearly losing her footing everytime we walked.

Oh man, this gas was making me really sleepy, but we couldn't give up!

"Easy, Auds, easy...we're almost there…" I assured her, but looking around, the exit was nowhere to be in sight. I don't think we were even close to it.

While keeping my sweater in front was helping, Audrey and I were getting weaker and weaker by the second.

"I can't…fight it…any longer…." Audrey groaned, her eyes drooping.

To make matters worse, I started to wheeze and cough...great my asthma was going off. I wasn't sure how long we could hold this off.

Audrey then collapsed on her knees and managed to get out "Lex….Run…save yourself."

"No...I won't...leave you..." I argued, wheezing.

"Get the guys…find Kettle…tell them…sorry."

And with that, Audrey then collapsed on her stomach, knocked out cold.

"No!" I grunted, wheezing harder.

I collapsed on my knees...my asthma getting worse. Before I could reach into my pocket for my inhaler, my vision became very blurry and then within seconds, collapsed on the ground, knocked unconscious, as my inhaler rolled off my hand.


(Normal POV)

It was moments after the girls were knocked out. The room was still filled with sleeping gas, but in a short time, it vanished.

The hallway was quiet, with the only sounds making was the wheezing from Lexie, despite her being knocked out.

Just then, The devil and dice appeared, seeing their method to stop them worked.

"Gotta hand it to ya; the sleeping gas was a nice touch, boss. Very nice" Dice sneered.

"Thank you. I couldn't let my darling escape." The Devil informed his manager. "Feel hurt knowing she tried to escape from me."

"Hmph, seems rather rude to do especially before the big day." Dice recalled. After a short pause, he asked "Now what?"

Slipping Audrey in his arms, the Devil replied "I'll escort my bride to her chambers. You take Lexie back to hers. They won't wake up until morning."

"Oh, yessir." Dice replied in a sickening tone, reaching to scoop up Lexie in his arms.

Before he did, he looked and saw a red inhaler on the ground. He picked it up and examined it.

"Huh, looks like she dropped this. Don't want her to lose this."

He then heard that she was wheezing in her sleep, feeling tense all over her body.

Taking her in his arms, he placed the mouthpiece on her lips and gave her a puff of medicine. Once she took that, she began to sleep better, breathing more easily than she did previously.

He may be the sleazy manager of the casino, but even he knew how to act like a gentleman.

Even if he is a bone head.

"That's better…" Dice sneered, as he felt Lexie's cheek place on his chest.

The two villains then headed off to drop both of the girls off in their rooms.

Dice took Lexie to a guest room, holding her in his arms. The guest room was similar to the one she and Sasha stayed in, but the only difference was there was a queen size bed instead of two twin beds.

He then pulled back the covers, carefully tucked her in and stroked her cheek.

"Awww, even asleep, you look lovely." Dice crooned at her with a wicked grin.

Lexie groaned a bit in her sleep, frowning a bit.

"Don't worry, my darling. You'll be all mine and I'll keep you cozy in my arms." Dice promised her.

Blowing her a kiss, he then teleported out of the room, leaving Lexie in a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, the Devil arrived back near Audrey's bedchamber, and was about to head in when he was startled to see the door break off completely off the hinges.

"How strange. I wonder how they were able to do that." He pondered. "I know the girls are strong, but it would take more than their pounding to fling it off like that…"

He scanned the area, looking to see if there was something they used to break down the door but there wasn't anything in sight. The room itself was still intact, nothing taken off or anything.

"So, what could have caused it?" He muttered.

While it was something to ponder, he had other things to focus on.

Holding Audrey in his arm, he used his magic to fix the door, making sure it's securely tight. He then headed towards her bed and snapped his fingers, having Audrey now wear a white floor-length lace nightgown.

He couldn't help but grin. Everything for the wedding was ready and with his bride here, he knew he had this in the bag.

He pulled back the covers and tucked her under the covers, getting her as comfy as possible, before he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams, my queen." He seductively whispered in her ear.

He then teleported out of the room, leaving Audrey alone.


Looks like the wedding is on schedule! Can the girls make a last ditch attempt to escape or is Audrey doomed to be his queen!? Also, who was Josh talking to after the blasts went off?! Are they safe?! Stay tuned for more!

Gonna warn ya, this next chapter is gonna be crazy! Hold onto your hats, for the ultimate battle!

As always, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review but let's avoid the flames please :D