Confused by the past of the future

Chapter 12: *Dain*

Since the moment we had landed here, wherever that may be in the first place, I had been on my guard. As far as I knew this could have been one of my brother's tricks to get rid of me so he could ascend the throne in my stead.

If that were actually it I would have been very curious to how he managed to pull this trick in the first place. Because making it seem like we were in another reality was something, but being stranded there while in the middle of a hunourmess party with hundreds of fae was really something else entirely. And even I knew my brother did not have such power, as far as I was concerned no one did.

And speaking of power. It seemed like something no one in our group seemed to have at the moment, not even me and my brother and we were the princes.

It was kind of humiliating how none of the guards seemed to be following my orders, and then being put in this filthy cell. Who could blame me for just sitting myself in the corner while my brother and the general, who I do not think has that title over here, are demanding freedom from every guard that gets near them.

I was getting a headache if that was even possible, but I wasn’t the only one as I suddenly heard a familiar voice speak up from the 'outside world'. “Oh shut it will you, you’ll give me a headache,” I heard the bomb's familiar voice call. And I mentally slapped myself for forgetting that she was one of those that brought us down here in the first place.

So when she stepped into the light I couldn't help but ask her the most obvious thing ever. “Lilliver is that you?” I asked her as I walked over. Her focus immediately shifted to me instead of the two males standing next to her who were throwing curses like it was the only thing they knew how to do. But when I looked into her eyes I saw something I didn’t quite know how to interpret, something that if I remembered correctly I had also seen in Judes eyes even if it was for just a moment.

That reminded me of a possible way to bribe myself out. “I am so glad that I could speak to you without Jude around,” I told her and then she dared to laugh at my following words. “I don’t know what Jude did, but whatever spell she used I know you can get us out. So open this cell, now.” I demanded of her, but she did not take it seriously for one bit and I glared at her when she let out that laugh.

“Yeah no can do,” she told me sternly when she had finally calmed down from her laughing fit.

“Did you forget who you worked for, what I had promised you for when I finally sat upon that throne,” I said, hoping the threat would do something about her attitude.

“I don’t know if you all have noticed, but you are in the future. And some things didn’t actually happen as you all wanted them to,” was her response to me. I did not know what to do with that information, if I should even believe it, but I had to because she was a fae like most of us here, she could not lie. 

“Lilliver!” I then heard the Roach hiss out. Nice to know he had also decided to betray me.

“Oh right, not supposed to tell you that,” she then said like she hadn’t just ruined everything for her side or should I say Jude's.

I kind of zoned out after that until my little brother had decided to show his face. “Brother.” I had heard Balekin say and when I looked up to see if he had decided to speak with me I saw Cardan standing on the other side of these cell bars. “I am glad to see you. Know if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell these morons to open this cell so we can have a proper conversation,” He spoke kinder than I ever heard him speak. Probably some plan he had thought of that wouldn’t work out anyway, because of that I did not see much reason for me to actually pay much more attention to their conversation then I had to anything else in these past moments.

It was only when I heard a few shocked gasps that I actually bothered to look up again and had not expected the sight I was met with in the slightest. As Jude had just kind of appeared out of thin air and Cardan had his hand wrapped firmly around Balekins throat. I did not know if I should have been surprised by the sight, but there was something that I definitely had not seen coming.
 
“You just touched my wife with the tip of your sword…” Was the only thing from the words that my brother had spoken that I had actually heard even when they were as soft as a whisper.

And of course that one fae had to step forward. Locke is what he was called, right? Honestly I did not know and neither did I care. All I knew was that he was trouble as I had seen him with Cardan in the past. And the least he could do right now was stay out of my way. If he would, I guess we will see.

And because of that it probably would have been better for me to listen to the words coming out of his mouth when he had finally decided to open it, but I honestly couldn’t be bothered.

But even then I couldn’t properly sit down and have a rest as my attention was quickly drawn to Jude’s sister who let out ear curing scream, she sounded terrified and I could see her eyes full of tears that could fall down her mortal cheeks at any moment.

"I am so proud of you! My two beautifully raised daughters." Is what the general had almost shouted out for the whole of Elfhame to hear and I found it all really out of context even if I didn’t know what it was in the first place as I had not bothered to listen to anything that had been said.

But now I wish I had as it had seemed to shock Locke in some way too. I decided to keep my eyes on him as he turned around to walk back to the space against the wall that he had been sitting at with the mortal. Up till then there hadn’t been anything suspicious about his movements until he stopped as his eyes met something, something of which I could not decipher what it was from where I was standing. But it put a slight smirk or should I say smile on his face, which it was I did not care as I was focused on the almost unsettling way that he did it.