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

The girls walked out of the dungeon still stunned but smiling.

"I knew something was up between the both of them," Hera said, laughed and shook her head. "They were suspiciously close."

Astrid scoffed. "Please. You didn’t know anything. You’re just saying that now because you were the only one with them while we were away. You were literally just as suprised as the two of us."

Hera shrugged and tried not to smile. "Believe whatever you like. All i know is that i smelt something fishy going on."

"She must really like her," Selene said thoughtfully. "To be down here, checking up on her. She must really like her."

"What’s not to like about Iris?" Astrid huffed. "She’s smart, caring, strong, can be a little annoying but she’s an all round wonderful human being. The universe does not have enough of her."

When they ascended up the stairwell, Penelope was waiting by its entrance, leaning against the wall with her hands crossed.

The girls excahnged glances and Astrid cleared her throat. She motioned for the girls to go on ahead and she stayed behind.

"Is there a problem?" Astrid asked.

"Yes... I mean no... sorry," Penelope stuttered then cursed under her breath. "Look, I’m worried about Iris."

Astrid exhaled loudly, "as are we."

"I know there’s notnmuch i can do to help, i have no power whatsoever, but if you need my help in anyway..."

Astrid peered into her eyes. "Why would your suster accuse the girls of being a spy?" She asked abruptly. "They’ve been in here for months, with hardly any contact from their families, all because they want to appease your empire, and this is the way they’re treated? Its deplorable to say the least."

Penelope sighed."i know, i know. It isn’t what i want as well, but Octavia will do whatever it takes to further this stupid agenda she has."

Astrid raised an eye brow, "which is what?"

Penelope pushed herself away from the wall, folded her arms behind her back and looked away from her, "she hasn’t really been the same since our mother passed. Something happened to her that i can’t explain, which has brought us up to this point."

"And everyone is well aware that she’s crazy."

"Yes, i think so."

"If you think so why has nothing been done about any of it? Why let it get this far?"

"I dont know, Astrid," Penelope said quietly. "I guess we thought if we left her alone she would change or things would go back to normal, but it never did."

"So now she’s terrorizing everyone as payback?" Astrid scoffed. "If that isn’t the most nonsensical thing I’ve ever heard. Well, i am not in for playing all those stupid games. I did not cause her trauma, so she should have never have touched one of my own."

Penelope shrugged and kept staring downwards.

"Well, thats enough talking, I’m going to see your brother. And just a heads up, we’re getting married soon."

Penelope’s head snapped forward to look at her. "You? And my brother?" Her face cracked into the smile. "And i thought things couldn’t gdt any better," she muttered.

"Something wrong with that?" Astrid asked.

"No no," Penelope smiled. "I’m rooting for the two of you."

Astrid was about to leave whena few soldiers came walking towards them mechanically. Penelope pulled her aside for the soldiers to passed as watchwd as they decended the stairs.

They glance at each other, confused and ran down towards dungeon. The soldiers had opened the cells of the three girls and were leading them up the stairs.

They followed quietly, and for a brief second, Penelope could see the fear in Iris’s eyes.

"What do you want with them?" She asked.

They ignored her and kept on moving.

Penelope’s chest rose and fell unevenly, the hairs on her body stood and bit her lower lip. She truly hoped nothing bad would happen to the girls.

Astrid had clenched her fist and tried to keep herself as calm as possible.

The soldiers let them up the grand staircase and the girls looked at each other puzzled. They led the girls to separate rooms and pointed inside. As soon as they did, the soldiers shut the door and locked it.

"What is happening?" Asteid muttered..

"I think its my brother!" Penelope exclaimed with a smile. "I think he had something to me."

"If thats the case, then i need to go find him immediately. If we csn put a stop to this I’d be more than happy."

"He did say he was going to meet my father."

Astrid nodded, "alright, thanks."

"And astrid," Penelope called before she could go far. "Good luck."

Astrid turned around and smile but shook She was a weird girl.

Astrid looked everywhere for Adonis couldn’t find him. She’d asked a few servants, then then the guards and no one had seen any sigh lf him.

Someone came up to her while she was still in a conversation with one of the guards. "Princess, prince Adonis has been informed that you’re looking for him. Please follow me," the girl said. She was a little scrawny. Her hair was short and the clothese she wore seemed to big for he.

They entered into thr physician’s quarters and Astrid saw Adonis lying on a bed looking pale. "Wow," she said and whistled. "You look like you’ve been through hell."

Hector chuckled and Adonis rolled his eyes.

"I have," he answered.

"It looks like you survived the ordeal, so i think i still have a husband."

Hector turned sharply and looked at adonis. "What does she mean by husband."

"Thats none of your concern Hector, focus on your job," Adonis said then met Astrid eyes. "Is there a problem? Why have you come here?"

"For starters, I’m thankful you got the girls out of that awful place. Now we just have to make all the charges brought against them dropped."

"We’ll do things, one step at a time, Astrid. You might be sure of your girl, but what about the rest. You never know."

"Alright," Asteid said and folded her arms, "what’s your plan?"

"Our wedding," he said and smirked.