Forced to marry the enemy prince in her sister's place

They emerged on the other side of the wall, completely drenched, emitting the same odour that the gulley had. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"I think I’m going to be sick," Calista said and gagged.

"Please," Larissa sighed. "Stop being so dramatic."

"You two, hush," Selene hissed.

They both pressed their lips into thin lines.

Slowly, they crept into the palace, making as little noise as possible. They crossed the outer court, hiding in the midst of shadows. In the inner courtyard, a few soldiers marched by.

"Which way do you think we should follow?" Larissa asked in a hushed tone.

"Prisoners aren’t going to be kept inside," Selene replied, "so why don’t we look for the dungeons, or the basement. Whatever they call it here."

"Dungeon feels a bit ominous, don’t you think?" Calista said.

"Shut up," Larissa retorted.

They enter the castle, stealthily looking through the rooms on the first floor until they find a staircase. The path that lay before it was shrouded in darkness.

"This might be it," Selene mumbled.

"Let’s go then." Larissa impatiently scanned the area.

They tiptoed down the stairs; every step they made reverberated around them as they descended deeper.

When they reached the foot of the stairs, they stood glued to each other, trying to peer deeper into the darkness that engulfed them. Selene tried to feel for a shaft on the wall to make a torch.

The light illuminated the space around them. They were in a cellar. There were crates of food and wine packed in various corners of the room.

"This isn’t it." Selene sighed. The castle was extremely large. Getting by without getting caught was already a hassle; they couldn’t afford to get caught with all the time they wasted looking through rooms that weren’t important. "Let’s leave. There’s nothing here for us."

"Wait!" Larrisa said, "I think I see something." She was studying the room intently and noticed a door on one of the walls. This door blended into the wall and couldn’t be seen unless you looked deeply.

She goes over the door and slightly pushes it in, and it caved.

Selene rushed over to look into the room. Impatience got the best of her, and she immediately entered the room.

The more she walked in, the more she saw unusual things. Swords and armours were packed on different sides, but more terrifying were the lifeless bodies that were stacked against each other.

"She’s not in here," Selene said.

"So where do we look?" Calista asked.

Selene shook her head and buried her face in her hands. How do they find them, she mused. Time was ticking. "Let’s just keep going."

They walked back up, as quietly as possible, and took out the fire just as they were about to reach the top.

Selene looked to the left and right and signalled for the girls to follow her. Then, through their right, they sneaked through the corridors and continued to search until they came across two guards who stood watch just at the entrance of a large opening.

"I think that is it," Selene whispered.

"Yes," Larissa replied. "I think so too, but how do we get in?"

"Knock them out?" Calista suggested.

"No, we can’t do that, it’s going to look quite suspicious if anyone passes and there are no soldiers standing guard," Selene replied.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Larissa asked.

Selene thought for a while, "We could create a distraction."

"And how do you intend we do that?" Calista asked.

"I think you’re best suited for the job."

Calista sighed. "So, Selene, how exactly do I do it? Run out there naked or something?"

"That would actually be a good idea," Selene said, and her lips twitched upwards.

"Get real for a minute, Selene," Larissa groaned. "How do we guarantee that the distraction is foolproof, and we enter before they return?"

"Calista just needs to run out there, shout a few profanities, act like you want to get naked, then run away."

"And if that doesn’t work? Calista asked.

"We’ll think of something else."

Calista inhaled deeply. "Alright, I’ll do it."

They heard footsteps behind them, and they immediately hid behind a few pillars. They saw two maids carrying a tray of food, and a smile crept on Selene’s face.

She pointed a finger at herself, and Larissa then pointed again to the maids. They lay in wait for the maids to reach them and immediately covered their mouths and noses, dragged them behind the pillar, and waited for them to pass out.

"We should tie them up and shut their mouths just in case," Larissa suggested.

Selene grunted in agreement.

They changed as quickly as possible and lined the maids against the wall in the darkest corner of the corridor.

Selene and Larissa picked the food tray and walked towards the entrance of the solemn, while Calista watched from the dark.

"Hold it," one of the guards commanded as soon as they reached. He had a ragged face, his clothes looked like he’d rolled in mud and blood, with a foul odour that would kill a person.

"What’s for dinner now, sweetheart?" the soldier asked sleazily.

"Some porridge, my lord," Selene said. "We should take it down immediately so it doesn’t get cold."

The two soldiers laughed. "Who cares if the stupid prisoners get fed. They’re all going to die anyway."

Selene and Larissa stayed silent.

"Also, I haven’t seen you here before. Where did you work?"

"In the kitchen, my lord," Selene said softly.

"Hmmm... I’m sure I know everyone who works there," the soldiers said. "You see, I’ve seen everything they have to offer, but I’m sure I haven’t lain with you."

"You remember every girl you bed?" The other soldier asked, laughing.

"Why not?" The soldier laughed.

"What’s that?" The second soldier narrowed his eyes and tried to look closely.

"What is what?"

"That!" The second soldier pointed.

It looked like an apparition dancing. The soldiers quickly drew their swords.

"Get in there and don’t come out," the first guard ordered.