A fox in the snow

Chapter 18

"What happened?" Lilith asked. She sensed hesitation in their voice. Nevertheless, they spoke up. One of the guards said, "Your Highness, we weren't the guards posted outside the King's chamber, until yesterday. Last night, the Crown Shield replaced the guards who were originally posted, and relocated them in the ballroom. We took their place instead."

The other guard continued, "Of course, we sensed something fishy in the whole ordeal but kept mum about it. We assumed the change of location was part of the sentry training."

They looked at each other, determined to spill the beans. One of them spoke up, "Your Highness, you must know one thing. We've never met the apothecary before yesterday so when we saw a middle-aged man wearing long robes and a huge sack on his shoulders we assumed he would be the apothecary."

"However now we highly doubt our assumption. The apothecary we saw walking into the chamber yesterday looked completely different from the alleged apothecary who declared that the king was poisoned," he completed.

Lilith's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Eyes never lie," answered the other guard.

"How different were they?"

"Apart from their ragged clothing and bulky sack, they looked completely different. That unkempt beard as well. Everything from their physique to the way they walked, I assure you Highness, they were two different people."

The other guard thought for a while, presumably thinking of more differences. He stated, "The one we met yesterday looked taller and much bulkier. He seemed strong and kept scratching his beard. The one who came in today had a small limp on his left leg and was much lankier and weak-looking."

Lilith looked around. The church had emptied. The church bell rang, its resounding bell, echoing through villages and towns. This bell will ring for the next nine days as a mark of respect and silent mourning for the late King. These nine days are crucial for the future of Valoria, as it is the time to look into documents and the will to present Valoria with their successor. At the end of the mourning period, the next ruler will be crowned. 

Which in this case was most probably going to be Catherine.

As long as I'm alive, I won't let that happen.

Her mind worked faster than clockwork. She could think of only one person when she thought of disguise— Aeden.

"Your Highness, please do not tell anyone that we told you this. We will be hanged for sure," said the guards nervously.

"You have my word," she assured them.

She watched them marching towards the palace as if nothing had happened. Her mind was trying to come up with different contradictions to what they said. But their account of the incident seemed true enough.

Yes, Aeden could've been disguised as the apothecary. I've got to confront him.

Lilith searched everywhere from the church to the palace for Aeden, but he wasn't there. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen him at all that day.

He left. And I know where he'd be.

But before she could think of anything else, two strong hands caught her arms from behind.

"Aaaah!" she screamed in shock, trying to wriggle out. She turned to face the Crown Shield, who smirked at her. Behind him was Catherine.

"Put her behind bars! This time don't expect anyone to set you free. Aeden's long gone." She laughed menacingly and cracked her knuckles in self-satisfaction.

The Crown Shield led her to the dungeons. Once again she was put behind the dungeon doors and locked. But this time the Crown Shield still did not leave. Instead, he remained outside the dungeon, guarding the door.

She could hear his heavy steps treading to and fro.

Oh well, I won't be let out anytime soon. I should find another way.

Author's note

Oh well, Lilith's in prison and she's looking for a way to escape. What surprises await her? Is this a pathway to a new adventure?

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. This chapter is quite small and not much has happened, I know. Trust me, from the next chapter, you're embarking on a roller coaster ride of disguises, magic, surprises (and love).

Do drop a ⭐ if you enjoyed the story so far, and are looking for more!

Happy reading!