Queen Bee

Queen Bee

My first instinct is to run towards Olivier. The guard lets go and I take a step to do so, but stop in my tracks.

"Adela, hello again!" I barely register the king's words as I stare at Olivier, his body unmoved even with my presence. His elbow is on the table, holding his head up and shielding me from his face. His clothes ar like the regular ones from before all of this, but something is very off.

"Olivier-"

"I said hello, Adela." I turn to the king, his voice now angry.

"You."

"Yes, it's me. Come join us, Dear." The giant pulls me over and shoves me into the seat to the right of Jules and across from the prince. I hesitantly peak at his face. It's ghost white, like before and his eyes are glossy like a dolls. Sweat gathers on his forehead, dripping all the way to the back of his neck. His eyes slowly find mine, a look of fear in them.

"What did you do to him?" I demand, my voice breaking. The king barely even glances at his son before answering "He got himself hurt. A little extra of a special elixir I gave him should prevent that from happening again soon. I'll fix him up when this is all over." He sounds bored at the mention of poisoning his son. Olivier sits back in his chair as his father talks, a small glare working in his facial expression as his limbs tremble.

"You're a monster." I hiss and the giant comes closer to me. Jules waves him away, looking at his empty wine glass.

"Get me some more to drink. I'll be fine with the girl on my own." The guard grunts and bows, leaving us in a short period of silence.

"Adela, you certainly have grown since I saw you last?"

"You mean when you told me you murdered my parents?" I stand, the chair flying behind me.

"Yes, I do believe that was the last time. Look, Dear, I am very sorry about all this. I had to kill them, understand? It was the only way!" He smiles again, a vile twinkle in his eye.

"Adela." Olivier warns me through gritted teeth. Tears pool into my eyes as I search the table for a weapon.

"You killed them!" The words fly out of my mouth.

"Adela, please don't try to kill me again. It's just boring now." A knife glints by one of the dinner plates. I lunge towards it, heart racing. I fly my arm forwards, aimed directly at the king's chest. Suddenly, he pulls out a sword and swings at my hand. I drop the knife as pain fills my hand.

"Lets not get blood all over the fine dining utensils." Jules says, now standing and breathing heavily.

I hold my blood filled hand up to my face as it begins to drip onto my dress. I look back at Jules, a crazed feeling coming onto me as I lunge myself at him. He throws the sword to the ground, grabbing me with surprisingly strong hands and pushing me away. I don't give up and try again, failing again and again.

"Darling, just let it be-" suddenly Olivier stands and grabs his father by the neck. The king throws me to the ground in surprise. I look up in terror, watching Jules' face turn red. Unfortunately, Olivier isn't able to get a strong grip and Jules is able to quickly kick the prince in the groin and throw his down as well.

"You both are so difficult," his nose scrunches in annoyance, "I suppose I'll keep just one of you." Jules moves over to his sword and bends down to pick it up. I look frantically at Olivier, his hands pulling at his own chest as it heaves up and down. The sound of Jules dragging his sword up from the ground draws my attention back to him.

"It may be best to look away, Dear." He stands above the prince now, who looks up at him in fear as Jules raises the sword above his head.

"Please! Don't do it! Don't! PLEASE!" I sob, my body shaking as I drown myself in tears. Jules looks thoughtfully over at me, then back at his son. I try to drag my body up, but it goes limp.

"It may benefit me more if he's alive in the future, but of course it is a lot of hassle now." Jules shrugs and brings the sword down in one, swift movement. Just as I'm afraid I'll watch him kill one of the last people I love, the door swings open and in comes the guard from before. His eyes go wide as he almost drops the bottle of wine he now holds. The king says something to him in Frense, stepping away from Olivier's body and sheathing his sword. I crawl over, dragging my knees against the floor. It burns, but i manage to make it to him. All I want right now is to touch him and to make sure he'll be okay.

"Olivier..." I start, unsure on how to console him. I prop his head up on my knee and he smiles. He smiles at me through the pain and fear I can see in his eyes.

"You are okay!" He says happily, his voice cracking. I try to hold back the tears, but being with him makes me want to be vulnerable with him. To tell him the truth. I shake my head no and so he reaches an arm up and caresses my face, his hands as cold as ice.

"You will be okay. I know it." I don't believe it. I nod my head anyway, for him. The guard comes and forces me back up, tearing part the last of his touch.

"He's taking you to my chambers. Someone will come to get the prince, so do not worry." Jules says, his voice happy and airy once again. I say nothing as the giant drags me out and down the hall to an unfamiliar room. He locks me inside by myself. I look around at the suit cases scattered throughout the room, a dark feeling settling inside me. I go to the window, possibly to break it open. I try lifting it up, to no avail. Even if I broke the glass and jumped out, I'd face the crushing blow of the pavement many feet below. My legs ache just thinking about it.

"Adela, sit down." I turn to see Jules at the now unlocked door.

"What do you want from me?" I growl through clenched teeth, wanting to be done playing whatever game this is.

"First, I'd like to help you with your hand." He holds up a bottle of something and bandages. I glance down at my hand, suddenly remembering the pain of the wound.

"I don't want your help."

"I don't care. I promised your father I would take care of you." I inhale sharply.

"Don't talk about him. Don't ever talk about him." I would be crying if my tears hadn't run dry. Jules seems to ignore that remark, advancing towards me.

"Your mother went very quick. She didn't even know I had started taking her life the day I got here when we first arrived in Astaria. Such a sweet lady, she was. You inherited her best features." He broods over me, staring down at me. Jules takes my arm and forces me to sit on the bed next to him. I'd fight back if I didn't feel shackled by his words. I have an urge to know how they died.

"Your father didn't go so quickly. Took a bit for the poison to do it's work. As he, uh," he chuckles, then continues, "died we talked. First he begged me not to, like a coward. Then he made me promise to take care of you- if I kept you alive, that is. Of course, I always planned to! Then, finally, he left the world crying as his lungs constricted inside of him." The king looks far away, a sadistic smile on his face. My cheeks burn as I force myself to look at the ground.

"Give me your hand." Jules snaps back, grabbing my hand. I instinctively flinch away, causing him to click his tongue in disapproval.

"We wouldn't want to disobey your father, now would we?" I hesitantly give him my hand, unsure of how to feel at the moment. He uncorks the bottle and pours a clear liquid over the cut. It stings really bad, forcing a sort of yelp out of me. The king chuckles as he corks the bottle back up. He then wraps the bandage around my hand, dulling some of the pain. A small red dot immediately begins to form from under it.

"Adela, do you remember that conversation we had before I left for Astaria? The one at the dinner table?"

"Yes." I stare coldly at my hand.

"There's something I would like to discuss with you, pertaining that." He laughs and for the first time I sense uneasiness in his voice-in his stance.

"What about it?"

"Well, you see, oh Adela. You're practically an adult! I think we would preserve out assets better if we conjoined them...legally." Confused, I shift positions.

"What?" He rubs his hands together.

"I think we should get married." He pushes the words out of his mouth, then waits for my response. My vision goes blurry with this new anxiety, and suddenly I feel like fainting. When I don't say anything, he continues on.

"I mean, then I would honor your father's wishes and take care of you. It would make my ascension to the throne easier with you by my side, the citizens wouldn't hurt themselves trying to stop it from happening. What do you say?"

"I..." my voice trails off. A grotesque feeling is now in me as I force vile down my throat.

"You don't have to decide just this minute. I'll let you think it through a but, hows that sound?"

"You want me to marry you?" The emphasis on 'you' seems to strike a nerve with him. He stands abruptly, opening his arms in anguish.

"What is wrong with you, Adela?!" His words shake with anger, understudy and unpredictable as they fly out of his mouth. "I've spared your life, kept your citizen's safe as best I could, taken care of your servants, offered you the best deal one could ask for and you STILL find me repulsive? Why? What did I do to you that was so horrible? You didn't even like your father, I saw it in the way you looked at him!" I stand, my heart now racing. I bolt for the door, but he grabs me with an iron fist before I can touch the doorknob.

"SIT down Adela. Behave like you were taught. I'm offering you the word and you wont even look at me!" He throws me onto the bed, raising his arm in the air. I close my eyes, preparing for the strike. A second passes, then another. I take in a shaky breath, fear throttling my throat.

"Adela, I-please don't cry." Strong hands pick me back up and hold me. Before I open my eyes I pretend its my father and not a monster. I scoot away, wiping any left over tears away. I look at Jules and he grabs my chin, propping it up to look in his eyes.

"You really love him, don't you?" He whispers, and for a second I can see Olivier in him. The kindness and compassion. The heat of love and sparks of intimacy. Then it's gone. Replaced by a mysterious glint in a conniving man.

"I'm not sure I've ever loved anyone before. It's hard to know." I lie to him, and myself. Am I really in love with Olivier, or did I let his eloquent words and passionate attention steer me into thinking that I did? If its all fake, then how do I feel so strongly towards him?

"I see." He shakes his head, a thoughtful look shadowing his face.

"I'm willing to think about your offer," I begin, mustering my courage. "But I have a few demands."

"You're as smart as you are pretty, I'll give you that." Jules smiles mischievously. I elect to ignore him and continue.

"Olivier must be kept alive and you need to stop poisoning him. I'm not sure I love him, but I do care deeply for him."

"I understand, I suppose."

"Second, Sawney is to be kept alive as well. Let him go, he will be no trouble to us." My chest swells with each word as I slowly begin to gain back the fiery desire I had when I came here.

"Us? You've made up your mind already?" I glare at him sharply.

"Lastly," I take a breath, "I need you to keep your word and make me your equal ruler. I want a say in what happens and what doesn't."

"I never said I would make you my equal. I just asked if you would like to be." I stare at him, watching his resolve with that statement fall.

"Fine, that will do. I planned on giving you power anyway. Is that all?"

"Yes, I believe so." Jules stands, brushing his pant legs off.

"It would be rather difficult keeping Olivier alive, wouldn't it? I'm afraid there's not room for the both of us." My heart is pounding as I stand, the only thought driving me is the need to keep him safe. I kiss the king. His hands quickly move up to my head, keeping in place even as I try to pull away. His beard pricks at my soft skin, like a thousand tiny swords. Finally, he lets go, staring at me in awe.

"You don't have to hurt him. I'll make enough room." I plead, the need to protect him still driving me even as I instantly feel regret at what I just did. Jules looks at the ground, then back at me with a hungry look in his eyes and an evil grin on his face.

"That's a good girl." His voice low, taking another step towards me. His breath is hot on my forehead as he looks down me, breathing shakily. I fear the next moments. To my surprise, he takes a hesitant step back.

"You're free to roam the castle. Just don't go outside or the dungeons, understand? I have some business to take care of." I nod, swallowing a lump down my throat. He takes one last look at me before leaving. I'm free. No-not free. I just got a bigger cage-and I'm locked inside with my master.