Never in my life did I even expect to be in prison. And I never actually thought that there were ones for enchanters. Well... it seemed that there were ones in the Imprisonatorium.

The walls were sound proof so that nothing we say can be heard outside and specially charmed so that we can never shift. There was only one air vent so that we might survive and one door which didn't even bulge. But at least, the food was good. I guess I cave Nymphea to thank for that.

'They used to cut their tongues out,' said Andrew in the first day we got stuck here.

I would have gone crazy if I didn't have some company. He didn't make things any better never the less.

The first day I wept, saying that I probably must have been the worst ruler in the history of Sightless. He reassured me saying that there were worse and that he would have made everyone mad at him if he were king.

'No one is going to love you for being queen. There will always be people who hate you,' he said. 'Especially the Council. They would have accepted you only if you were all miss goody-goody and listened to everything they said.'

I guess I was stubborn in my own way during my time of reign.

Then of course, as the red guy said, we were just kids.

We didn't speak much the first day after that. On the second day we played chess with mussels on the two inch by two inch golden tiled floor. These prisons didn't look like prisons at all. I mean, the tiles were weird enough. The walls were painted gold with hieroglyphs all over.

It was a wonder that I could still read them. It turns out it was a spell. I tried to erase some of the letters so that the spell might wear off but they were hard to erase.

After that I started to get nightmares of being executed, so I lost sleep as well.

On the third day, we were both a wreck. Even though there was a clean washroom and fresh clothing, we were still a mess.

'How long will they keep us here?'

'How long has it been outside is the real question,' said Andrew. 'Time runs differently here.'

Great, we might have stayed here to what seemed like three days and maybe in the real world, already three years have passed.

'How much is the prison sentence of deceit?'

'Nothing,' he said blankly. 'Give it up, Amethyst. I doubt we are ever getting out of here.'

'Come-on,' I said. 'It's only been three days. They won't keep us here forever. I think.'

'We are the biggest threat Taramen has,' he said. 'Even if he does proclaim to be a royal descended. He won't let us go easily.'

I bit my lips. 'Well, someone might assassinate him and we might be taken out.'

'Who might do that?'

'You know how politics work,' I said. 'We are pawns. Important pawns. And still kids, so we are supposedly very easy to handle. There will always be a rebellion somewhere and someone waiting to use us to get whatever they want.'

He stared at me for a while. 'Since when were you that philosophical?'

I gave out a laugh. 'I read books, Andrew. And this place is mostly created by stories in books. If that's the way it works in a book that is the way it will work here. The problem is time.'

We were silent for a while.

'I miss my sword,' Andrew finally said.

'I miss my books,' I said. 'And mom. I wonder what happened to her.'

'Are you sure you are not really adopted,' he said. 'You look nothing like her.'

'Everyone says that,' I mumbled.

'Maybe you took after your dad then,' he shrugged. 'I wonder, you never talked about him.'

'I never met him,' I said. 'Mom hates him. He left when she got me.'

'Some dad,' he mumbled. 'But you must have seen wedding photos?'

'They never married.'

It took a while for him to understand before he said, 'Oh...'

'Yours?'

'I remember him...' he said. 'Just the face... My mom got sort of crazy and she signed me up for adoption without telling dad. Then they both mysterious got caught up in a car accident after that.'

'The magician said no one knew your dad...'

He gave a stern look. 'He did?'

'Never mind,' I said. I guess that was supposed to be private information.

'He never stayed,' he finally said. 'He would disappear some days and come back, I didn't even know his name... Mom... She started acting weird when I was three and a half maybe. I think she saw the monsters that lived in our house. Back then, I didn't think them as a threat but they terrified her. She must have thought she was turning mad.'

'How did they find you?'

'Hecate did,' said Andrew. 'When I was in the orphanage. What about you? You probably must have seen a lot before I met you.'

'Sure I did,' I said. 'As I said, I diagnosed myself to be crazy too. At least I didn't get mad. They disappeared after I found out I was not supposed to see them.'

'Some messed up lives we have,' he said, laughing out loud. 'What would it be like if our fathers turn out to be the same person?'

'Please don't,' I said even though I did suspect that a few times. It was a very faint suspicion which would have been awkward if it were true. 'But then again, we won't be liars anymore.'

'Just half of it,' he said.

We were silent again.

'I want to read manga when I get out of here,' he said again.

'Me,' I said. 'I want to rip off Zeus's beard and punch Bird-man in the nose.'

'Bird-man,' said Andrew. 'Nice catchy name.'

We both laughed at that. But it was short lived and the feeling of boredom and hopelessness sank in again. Playing checkers and chess on the tiles didn't really hold that much.

CREAK!

We both jumped. It was the heavy metal door. Someone was trying to open the door from outside.

I grinned at Andrew. 'Told you.'

Both of us stood up. Slowly, the metal door opened itself revealing a man in a toga. I balled my fist, 'ZEUS!' I yelled. 'I'm going to kill you!'

'Uh... I don't think that's a good idea,' said Andrew.

I growled at the Lord of the Skies instead.

'But that does not mean you are forgiven, Zeus,' said Andrew.

The lord of the skies backed away, holding out his hands, 'Look,' he said, 'I'll explain.'

'Hay, take those two out,' yelled someone from behind.

Zeus gave us a warning look. My guts told me not to cause a scene and just follow. But before that, who harpies cuffed out hands and gagged our mouth. Then Zeus led the harpies and us out of the Imprisonatorium.

I heard Andrew give a muffled sigh of relief when we saw broad daylight after three days being under some magical light bulb. I was expecting to see a big hole in the middle of the door, but instead the whole thing was open, like how the door of a safe would.

Once we stepped under the sun, I felt like drinking it in. Never in my life did I believe I might actually miss it. I don't know why but even though three days didn't seem like much, it felt like three whole months. The metal doors flung back into place with the sound of cogwheels and chains churning from within and it closed with a loud clang.

Then we were welcomed by our welcome party which consisted of about thirty harpies, all in maroon leather vests and spears surrounding the grounds and scouting the air like we were the most dangerous criminals on earth.

Just entering into the palace made butterflies flutter inside my stomach. But something was terribly wrong since a lot of things were changed. The nymphs of the palace didn't even look at us. Everyone was stern and seem scared. NO one spoke as we passed. The only sound we could hears was the tinkering and sounds you can hear in a contraction sight from bulldozers to backhoes.

Then we arrived to the courtyard where there was a big bronze statue of the bird-man right in front of the palace. At least I didn't order something as ridiculous as that.

Andrew stopped. I did too and turned to Zeus. He mumbled, 'Mmmmm mmm mmmm mmm,' which might have meant, 'This wasn't there before!'

'It's past three months,' said Zeus. 'Time travel's fast in the Imprisonatorium... as a mercy for the prisoners who wait to be faded.'

That explains the newly installed locking system and the statue. But three months! Goodness! I'm never entering university in this rate!

The impatient harpies poked us with their spears and said, 'Get on moving.'

Andrew gave them a glare so frightening that they didn't bother us again even if we did slow down.

You know, entering a place where you were publicly humiliated and with the memory still fresh in your mind was nerve wracking. Especially where you were dethroned, publicly... To make things worse, the council was gathered. I didn't want to look at them but they gave surprised and almost relieved looks when we entered. But what caught my eye was Mr. Taramen seated on the crystal throne with my mom standing next to him in a peach colored cocktail dress. Her eyes' widened after seeing me and almost filled with tears. I guess three months really was a long time.

The harpies ripped the duct tape off our mouth and forces us t kneel.

'Hail King Tealiff, Enchanter of the Winged.'

'Hail king Tealiff,' the crowd said sheepishly.

Did you notice that his name sounded like "Tea-leaf"?

I looked up at my mom. She looked like a real queen but her face looked too worried.

' Ah, my dear children,' said Birdman, 'How was your stay in the Imprisonatorium?'

'Enchanting,' I mumbled.

'Glad to hear it,' he replied. 'It might have smoothened your rough edges. You see, your mother and majority of the council insisted that I grant you and your'- he frowned at this- 'Brother's release.'

I looked at Andrew and found him staring at me too.

I thought we were over these fake family relations.

'I'm sure you have some conditions on your part,' I said.

'Very good! You don't look as stupid as you look. I see you can some to a mutual understanding very well,' he said, clapping his hands. 'I agreed of course, it will be bad to keep my to-be step children locked up of course. My fiancé won't be pleased.'

He grinned at mom.

At first, it sort of clicked. Then I looked at mom and then at bird-man and then at mom again.

'Holy macaroni,' said Andrew.

My mom is going to marry him!