King

CHAPTER XXI

We walked down the basement and stopped in front of a wooden door.

“Are you ready?” Antonio asked and I nodded as an answer.

I don’t know what I should expect so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I heard the door creak open so I opened my eyes. My jaw dropped when I saw who was inside.

“Isabel,” I heard Josefina say when saw me.

Her eyes were filled with tears upon seeing me. I couldn’t look at her state so I looked away.

“Antonio, you should’ve warned me that you and Isabel were going to visit,” I heard her say. I could hear her fixing her things. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her.

“Josefina,” I called out. I didn’t know what to say to her.

It’s been a thousand years but she still looks young but despite looking so youthful she was so thin. I could tell just by looking at her that she isn’t eating well.

“I missed you, pinsan (cousin),” She said and walked towards me.

She wrapped her arms around me so I did the same thing. I tightly wrapped my arms around her and I could feel her bones.

“How have you been? It looks like you’ve been taking care of yourself. That’s good to know.” She said as she examines my body.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I haven’t visited?” I asked and she smiled at me.

“That doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you’re here.” She said and kissed my cheek before looking at me with longing in her eyes.

“Do you want to eat?” She asked after staring at me.

“You don’t have to prepare anything for us, Josefina. You’ll be joining us in the banquet hall today,” Antonio said. I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke.

“Well, what a delight,” She said and went to her closet.

The room was crap and most of her things were old. The bed was small and the walls were dusty. The only furniture I could see is a chair, a table, a bed, a closet, and a bookshelf.

“How can you live here?” I couldn’t help but ask while looking at her.

“It’s not that bad, really,” She said and pulled out a dress.

Even her clothes looked worse than a maid’s uniform. She used to wear flowery clothes but the ones she has now been ragged old plain clothes.

“I can’t-“ I started but Antonio held my hand.

He shook his head at me as a sign that I shouldn’t continue so I remained quiet.

“What was that, Isabel?” She asked and turned around.

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “It’s nothing,” I said.

She smiled at me before looking at herself in the mirror.

“Don’t make her even sadder,” I heard Antonio whisper beside me.

“You’re right,” I said and looked at Josefina.

“Will you kindly wait for me outside as I change?” She asked with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

I smiled at her and nodded, “We’ll wait for you outside. Take your time,” I said.

“Salamat, (Thank you)” She said and we walked out.

Once we were out I couldn’t help but bombard Danilo with questions.

“Danilo, why is she here?” I asked in a whisper. I wouldn’t want Josefina to hear what we’re talking about.

“She’s locked down in here because her magic threatens the queen’s,” He answered.

“Is she the one who’s going to create the Phantom Castle?” I asked and he nodded.

“That’s why I suggested it,” He answered.

“That will hurt her,” I said.

“I know but there’s no other choice. I’m definite that Josefina feels lonely down there. She might not say anything but I saw her arms. Being here is starting to get to her and if we won’t bring her out then I don’t know what will happen,” He said which made my heart hurt even more.

“I know that this hurts you but you shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you,” He said and motioned for me to lower myself so he can hold my shoulder.

“Danilo,” I said when he didn’t say anything. “I appreciate what you’re doing,”

I finally understand why he’s working for the queen. It was for Josefina. He’s the one who’s keeping Josefina alive.

“Did you finally catch up?” He asked and I nodded. “You don’t have to thank me. It’s my duty to your whole clan that I should take care of you.”

“Still, thank you for keeping her safe,” I thanked and he nodded.

We heard the door creak open so I stood up. We watched Josefina walk out of the room while wearing a plain baro’t saya.

“Why are you staring at me? Don’t I look presentable?” She asked and I shook my head.

“That’s not it, you look mesmerizing,” I said making her giggle.

“Stop flattering me,” She said and covered her face with a fan.

“We should go, ladies,” Danilo said and we nodded.

As we walked up the stairs I kept on asking Josefina. I asked her about her hobbies and other topics. I was doing my best to avoid depressing topics.

We arrived at the banquet hall. My mouth watered at the sight of the food. I looked at Josefina and she was calm but I know that deep down she’s famished.

“Let’s eat,” I said and placed a mountain of food on a plate.

I placed the plate on in front of Josefina. Her eyes went wide when she saw the plate I placed in front of her.

“Isabel, this is too much, a lady shouldn’t eat this much and you know that,” She said but I just held her hand.

“You can ignore manners and tradition when you’re with me. There’s a lot of food so you should eat a lot, okay?” I said.

She pressed her lips together and smiled at me, “Thank you, Isabel.” She said and I nodded.

“This is nothing,” I said and smiled at her.

As we eat, I couldn’t help but admire her. She’s so strong. She’s still the Josefina I knew back when we were children. She’s the best description of a female Maharlikan.

We were exchanging stories as we were eating. Once we were done Danilo gave me a meaningful glance and I nodded as an answer.

“Josefina, you must know that there’s a reason why you’re here, right?” He asked and Josefina nodded.

“Yes, Danilo, I appreciate the fact that you took your time to tell me,” She said sincerely. “What task am I given this time?” She asked.

“You are to create a Phantom Castle for the duel between Isabel and the Queen,” I could tell how the atmosphere changed once Danilo said that.

“Why?” She asked calmly.

“This is for the sake of the Kingdom,” Danilo said and explained what happened.

I saw the stress on her face after hearing what Danilo said.

“I can’t do this, not to Isabel,” She said so I held her hand.

“You can. You have faith in me don’t you?” I asked and she nodded.

“I have faith in you as well,” I said and looked her.

She stared back at me and released a sigh. “Fine, I’ll do it,” She said which made me smile.

“But how can I help you?” She asked while looking at me with concern.

“You should just be there and make sure that she survives,” Danilo said.

“Okay, what am I going to make this time?” Josefina asked with her lips pressed together.

“A Phantom Castle,” Danilo said making Josefina massage her temple.

“The queen knows how strong my Phantom Castle is. There’s no way I can deceive her that easily,” She said with her eyebrows furrowed.

I clicked my tongue because I don’t know what they’re talking about. Josefina has always believed in me but seeing her like this makes me worry.

“Do you think I can survive?” I asked while tapping my fingers on the table.

“You know I believe in you,” She said while looking at me. “You’re stronger than me,”

“In my opinion, both of you are strong in your respective field of magic,” Danilo said seriously.

“That’s nice of you to say, Danilo,” Josefina said and covered her smile with a fan.

“It’s been years but you guys haven’t changed,” I commented making both of them look at me.

“Is that so,” Josefina said and smiled sadly. “I wish nothing much changed though,” She said before smiling at me.

“What am I saying? I shouldn’t be this way,” She said and cleared her throat. “By the way, how was it being with Athaeas?” She asked with enthusiasm.

“Something happened…” I started and told them the whole story.

After I was done telling them what happened, Danilo said, “No wonder you haven’t visited,”

“That’s right,” I said and smiled at them sadly.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized because I wasn’t able to help them.

“Don’t be. Things were bound to happen,” Josefina said.

“This will be difficult,” Danilo said while looking down at the table. “If you just remembered your spells then your body isn’t used to it yet. Especially since you haven’t had a proper battle,” He said and I nodded.

“I can’t make drastic adjustments because the queen will notice. You’ll have to be able to survive this on your own and I’m sure that the queen will torture you until you break down.” Josefina said which made me feel nervous.

“Okay,” I said even though I’m scared of what’s about to happen.

“How long will the challenge last?” Josefina asked Danilo. I turned my attention towards Danilo and I could see the concern in his eyes.

“The queen said that it will last for three days. We both know the queen; she’ll do whatever she can to break you. So, I’m warning you, you should prepare yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.” She said seriously.

I’ve never seen her this serious before. She probably went through a lot for her to be scared to put me in her Phantom Castle.

“What should I expect?” I asked because I wanted to be ready.

I don’t want them to worry about me because I’m sure that if something happens she and Danilo will stop the spell. If that happens the queen will make things hard for both of them and the worst thing that could happen is being their execution.

“My Phantom Castle isn’t an ordinary illusion. Once I place your inside your darkest memories and your most painful memories will be brought out. You won’t be fighting ordinary demons. You’ll be fighting your demons. If you start to remember something horrible then the demons will start to come out.” She said and watched my expression so I tried to look as calm as possible.

“What else do I have to prepare for?” I asked because she didn’t look like she was going to continue if I didn’t tell her to.

“If your emotions are triggered then the demons become stronger. You might not even be battling demons. You might end up fighting an impersonation of a person dear to you.” She warned which made me feel even more nervous.

I don’t think I’m ready for this but I didn’t want her to see that so I did my best to look impassive.

“Does that include you and Danilo?” I asked because I wanted to be ready.

“Yes, but it can also include your parents,” She said making me run my hands on my face. “I know that it’s hard for you to talk about what happened but I just wanted to tell you,” She said and held my hand.

“Is there a way for me to avoid this?” I asked because I don’t know what might happen if I end up remembering what happened.

I’m sure that it won’t be good if I end up remembering them.

“There’s no way for you to not remember your parents but you can focus on all of the good memories.” She said and held my hand. “This won’t work a hundred percent but you can still try. The good memories might lead you to the bad memories but your bad memories could be overcome if you start to remember the good ones,” She said.

“Okay,” I said and took a deep breath, “How can I get out of it though,” I asked.

“You need to defeat the demons. That means you need to have inner peace for you to get out,” She said and I nodded.

“I’ll do my best to escape early,” I said and she smiled. “I believe you can do that,” She said and squeezed my hand.

“You should because the longer you stay the harder it will be,” Danilo said and looked at me.

“Do you regret giving the queen an idea?” I asked and giggled when he looked so uneasy.

“Of course, if I had known that something happened to you then I wouldn’t have suggested that,” He said with a look of guilt and regret.

“You shouldn’t regret anything. If you didn’t then I wouldn’t be able to see Josefina,” I said hoping that he’ll feel better.

“That’s right, Danilo, you should have more faith in Isabel,” Josefina added.

“I’m sorry for not having much faith in you,” Danilo apologized.

Josefina and I looked at each other and Danilo shook his head. “Oh God, please no,” He said but we wrapped him in our arms.

“You should learn what the word no means,” Danilo said while we were hugging him.

“Stop hugging me now please,” He said so Josefina and I released him. “You should focus on the task at hand.” He said when he was finally free.

“Okay, when is it?” Josefina asked.

“Tomorrow,” He answered which made our eyes grow wide.

“That’s not enough time for Isabel to prepare,” Josefina said but I just held her hand.

“You have faith in me, right?” I asked and they both nodded.

“Then you should know that night would be enough to prepare for this,” I said making Danilo giggle and Josefina giggle.

“You’re right,” Josefina said.

“Now, I should escort you to your room,” Danilo said and I followed him but when I noticed that Josefina wasn’t following us so I turned around.

“Aren’t you coming?” I asked and she shook her head with a smile on her face.

“I can’t, the queen might get mad,” She said. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” She added but I wasn’t letting her go back to that place.

“She won’t. Besides, she’s protecting her ego. She won’t present Isabel in front of everyone with any injuries. Because you know that people talk and if she is presented poorly they’ll assume that the queen had hurt her before putting her to a test. If she loses then the people won’t believe the results.” Danilo said before I can even say anything.

I smiled widely when I heard what Danilo said, “So, are you still going to reject our offer?” I asked excitedly.

She smiled widely when she heard what I said. “How can I refuse that offer?” She said and walked towards me excitedly but she was still elegant while being excited.

“You’re still as modest as ever,” I commented and she fanned her face before winking at me.

“Thank you,” She said making me shake my head.

“You girls better sleep tonight,” Danilo said and squinted his eyes at us.

“Of course, we will,” We said in unison but the three of us know that it was a lie.

“You better,” He said and guided us to our room.

Upon arriving I thought that he would be staying in the same room as us but I was surprised when he was walking away.

“Where are you going?” I asked with my eyebrows furrowed.

“The queen needs him every single hour of the day,” Josefina said with an obvious frown on her face.

“That’s right. My room is next to the queen’s room. As much as I want to spend time with you, I can’t because the queen will look for me.” He said making me frown as well.

“Come on, don’t frown, I’m glad that I was able to spend at least a few hours with you,” He said and motioned for us to kneel.

We did as he said and he kissed our foreheads. “Now, you should rest,” He said and walked away from us.

“Wait for me to reclaim our kingdom, Danilo!” I yelled making him stop.

“I’ll look forward to it,” He said with a smile on his face before walking away.