Black strands of hair obscured James Lessure's vision as he looked up towards a cement wall. To his right, the scenery changed slightly. A wooden wall with a door that had a small cut out near the top fitted with metal bars and a small square cut out with a sliding door on the other side at the bottom. The pail used to relieve himself sat in the far corner, providing a subtle odor he detested. James currently felt the soft pressure of wood from a bed press against his back as he sighed.

Suddenly, the small bottom door opened. A tray with a wooden cup in a wine glass shape appeared before him.

"To calm your nerves, High General," a gruff voice whispered from the other side.

"Thank you, good soldier," James whispered in return, rising to his feet.

The home of a future king. James Lessure mused to himself as he picked up the cup and raised it toward the door. To all my little soldiers, may we prosper in this fight.

James scrunched his nose and winced as the liquid passed through his mouth.  This bottle is about to turn. How long have these idiots left it open?

He leaned his head back against the wall before taking another sip. One could not be too picky when stuck in a cement cage, for now. A small smile tugged on the corners of his lips, letting Korak Fallyn's face filter into his mind. Her icy eyes held passion he had no expected during their evening together. James had expected her to request a reenactment of their evening together when she visited him yesterday.

***

"Imagine my surprise to go from your bed to your cell so quickly." Korak Fallyn smirked, leaning against the wall as the doors shut beside her. "I would have considered this prospect more exciting if you were not so close to meeting your end."

James snorted. "You think that I am to die? I guess that is likely."

"I would not be here if that was the plan." Fallyn pushed off the wall and walked towards him. "Get off the floor and show some dignity. I did not have my men sneak me away in a carriage to visit a defeated man in the dirt."

James furrowed his eyebrows under Fallyn's gaze. She held her hand out to him. The two stayed in their respected positions for a few moments before he took her hand. James jumped slightly once on his feet, causing Fallyn to smirk.

"What shall we do now?" James whispered.

"Nothing." Fallyn shrugged. "My family and I leave today to Preena with Suzera Irina in an hour. You shall stay here and wait patiently for your trial."

"You leave me to die."

Fallyn shook her head. She removed her glove and reached towards James's face to remove some dirt from his cheek.

"You shall not die," she whispered, cupping his cheek. "It is unwise to act rashly when trying to secure a future. We must continue to build our following."

He pressed his lips together in slight agitation.  "How am I to build anything from within these walls?"

Fallyn smirked. "I already have a plan. Trust me."

***

James snorted into his wine. He had been happier if the conversation ended with her legs widening after those words. That would have provided him true comfort. Instead, he waited. Trust is fickle when death seems imminent.

His fingers tapped upon the stem of the glass.

Odd.

He tapped again.

This does feel a little too light to be solid wood.

James looked at the content of the glass. It would be sad to waste any little form of luxury at this point. He quickly consumed the rest of his wine. His face instinctually scrunched at the end as he shook slightly from the taste. This was most definitely not whisky.

He glanced up towards the door and listened. Silence. James inched towards the door and tried to raise the flap on the bottom. Locked. He pressed his ear to the door. Silence.

A breath eased its way from his mouth as he first tried to pull the stem from the cup. It did not budge. His lips pressed together as he tried to maneuver the cup for some form of indication it could move. He did not release a breath until a soft pop could be heard.

James huddled into the front corner of his cell to pull the stem of his cup from the top. He turned the stem over and snorted when nothing fell out. Further examination of the piece showed a small piece of wax placed on the top.

"Clever," he chuckled to the air.

His eyes scanned around the floor until he found a small twig near the door. James could not recall how it had gotten there. Perhaps when one of the guards entered to inspect him, or maybe Korak Fallyn dropped it before her exit.

She is a very crafty woman.

James placed the two pieces of the wooden cup on the floor. He quietly maneuvered to the twig and picked it up before scurrying back to the corner.

"Hazzah," he whispered to the soft pop heard when the twig pressed through the wax.

A small pile of wax formed on the ground as the twig scraped around the opening. Once satisfied he had a clean opening, James turned the stem over to have a letter fall into his hands. His smile quickly transitioned to a frown on hearing footsteps coming towards his cell. The soft echoes indicated they were at least half-way down the hall.

"Princess Amnicity, are you sure this is wise?" A man's voice stated loudly.

James could only assume the voice belonged to one of his loyal guards and did not care to hear the princess's response. He heeded his warning and quickly stuffed the letter into his shoe. In the next moment, he snapped the wooden glass back together. His hands worked quickly across the floor until the wax and twig became camouflaged in the dirt.

James silently moved to the back corner of the room and hung his head. He clenched his hands while smiling to himself before returning to a neutral position.

Remember. You are defeated. You are supposed to die.

The door creaked as it opened. James did not bother to look up towards the princess when she entered. He needed another moment to compose his breathing.

"I did not think the accommodations would be so rustic," Amnicity stated. Her eyes scanned the single pail in the corner and what she could only assume to be his jacket turned into a pillow on the simple wooden bed.

"Only the best for a High General," James muttered, adjusting his gaze to meet hers.

Amnicity turned to look at the guard. "You may stay in the doorway."

"Afraid to be alone?" He smirked.

That guard is not one of my men. What a shame. This visit could have been far more entertaining if he was.

"No," she defended, adjusting her shoulders slightly. "I think it best to be safe within these situations."

James snorted and shook his head. He felt the edge of the paper scrape his ankle. A new form of comfort filtered into his veins. It sent a rush into his brain that made the snort turn into a chuckle.

Amnicity's eyebrows rose, watching the former High General fall into a fit of laughter on the floor. She had been cautious of him before. Now she did not know if it would be better to feel fear or pity.

"Is your brain sound?" She tried to cut in through his laughter but only making his chortles increase in guttural strength. Amnicity turned to the guard, who shrugged his shoulders. Her eyes scanned the room until they stopped upon the wooden glass. She walked over and picked it up. Her nose scrunched at the smell of strong wine. "Do you need food or water?"

James waved her away with hands as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself. It took a few moments for him to regain control.

"Do not worry about me, Princess." James sighed while adjusting his legs on the floor. "I have created this for myself."

Amnicity nodded.  "This could have been avoided if you never laid a hand upon me. We could have found a peaceful means to mend the rift between us."

"Would your husband agree?" Amnicity's eyes shifted to the left, making James chuckle. "He does not know you are here. I am sure Suzerain Zakarus advised against it. What shall he do to punish you for this betrayal?"

Amnicity snorted. "This is not a betrayal, nor is this visit a political matter that requires my husband's approval. I have come here to hear the words of a man who was once my ally and friend."

She could tell he doubted her words by the way his eyes narrowed and his lips pressed together. James would make similar faces during High General meetings when he disagreed.

"So you are not simply a puppet for Suzerain Zakarus to use when he overthrows our government and launches it into chaos?" James pressed, his eyes meeting those of the guard before transitioning back to Amnicity.

Did he straighten when I said that? Perhaps, he could be useful.

Amnicity's soft laughter echoed in the empty hall. "You have some very convoluted ideas regarding the future of Vetus."

"It seems he is so good in bed that he has clouded your thoughts. Perhaps you will be unable to see what is good for Vetus after a few more orgasms," James hissed.  "How womanly of you."

Amnicity gasped, and her cheeks reddened. Her thoughts became so overrun with embarrassment that she could not think of an answer. Perhaps it was simple paranoia, but she could not help but wonder if the brother spoke of how she reacted to her first night with Zakarus. Or, worse, what if a guard had heard them last night or this morning and told the staff. Could news travel so quickly in the palace?

"Something wrong, Princess?" James smirked, bringing her back to the current situation.

"No." Amnicity shook the thoughts away. "I just got lost in my own thoughts for a moment."

James snorted and shook his head. "I am sure," he muttered under his breath.

"Pardon?" Amnicity moved a step forward before catching herself.

"Nothing," he sighed. "Are you enjoying your nuptial bliss? Everything you hoped for when reading your little romance novels?"

"I am happy to have made a strong alliance for my people." She smirked at him. "Jude is the strongest alliance we could have possibly hoped for. It will strengthen the peace between our people and improve our trade relations. My husband and I have many plans for the future."

"Ah," he nodded. "These great plans begin with my death, I suppose. Nothing signals new beginnings, like removing a rival from the equation."

"You were the one who almost broke my wrist." Amnicity's steel voice made James's shoulders straighten. He glanced towards the guard only to see his eyes narrow at James. "No one wished for you to be in this position. I know how much you mean to the noblemen who guard my family and my country.  I hoped to have you work with my husband, Suzerain Zakarus, and myself to improve the border relations. There is much to be done, and without your help, it will be difficult."

James held her gaze for a moment before smiling. He shook his head and let the laughter envelope the room.

"See that he does not receive any more wine," Amnicity whispered to the guard.

"Oh, it is not the horrendous wine that has me in these spirits, Princess Amnicity. It is your naivety." James rose to his feet and took a step towards the princess, causing the guard to take a step forward as well. "Do you truly believe that Suzerain Zakarus would ever wish to work with me? I would have been the first man to get under your skirt, but sadly you changed after Queen Christaline passed away. From that moment, you seemed to not care for me anymore. Was it in that moment you became scared of Jude killing you?"

"Do not make me have your tongue cut out before you can use it to defend yourself to King Valander," Amnicity hissed.

James held up his hands and stepped backward until his legs hit the wooden bed. He let himself sit upon it. "It seems you're are ready for Jude. Are you eager to see me die?"

"I never wished to see—"

"Are you eager to see me die?" James repeated, letting the volume rise so that the words echoed around them.

Amnicity turned away from his gaze and swallowed. "We plan to leave following the trial."

"So you do not even get to see the final act. What a waste," he sighed, laying down on the bed. "I think this conversation has concluded."

Did she just snort at me?

"Our conversation has been done for some time. See you at the trial." Amnicity shook her head before turning. She motioned for the guard to let her pass.

The princess walked down the hallway with her hands pressed tightly in front of her. He had not seemed worried. Does he think he will survive? She wondered.

Amnicity's eyes brows furrowed together while walking up the stairs. He could not be certain of that unless he knew something she did not. Oh, Zakarus was wrong. That provided far more information than I hoped to gain.

Any other self-praise she wished to bestow herself dissipated when she saw Koman Shaed Sutter waiting for her at the top of the stairs. The princess decided it best to ignore him and continued on her way to the carriage waiting outside.

"Zak will not be happy to hear about your little visit," he whispered to her.

"I am sure there are other ways to please my husband," Amnicity responded, making Shaed snort.

"Yes, I heard—"

His words were halted by the look upon the princess's face when she immediately stopped to look at him.

"Pray, do tell me what you have heard." Her stance square and eyes fiery, making Shaed immediately miss Irina.

He pushed the sentiment away. "I hear that you and the suzerain please each other."

Amnicity's eyes narrowed. "In what way?"

"Princess, I do not believe—"

"You are the one who has heard things. It is within my rights to know what is being said. How am I to know—"

"The staff speak of how your sex life with the suzerain is healthy and shall produce an heir sooner than expected," Shaed hissed with reddening cheeks.

"How do they know this? Did Brother Odin say something? Does the staff spy?" Amnicity pressed, stepping closer to Shaed.

He scanned the hallways and sighed once certain they were alone. "It is said you are vocal."

"I—" Amnicity stopped her speech to nod. "It is good the root of the rumor has been discovered and not due to spying. That would have been a much bigger issue for us to deal with." Shaed's eyebrows rose as the princess murmured the words to herself. She smiled up at him before continuing down the hall. "It is good you are here to meet me."

"Is it?"

"Yes," she almost chirped. "I need your assistance to begin my training. As Suzera of Jude, I need to be respected. One of those ways is by being able to defend myself with a sword."

"I am not sure Zak would approve of this plan," Shaed sighed, walking outside the prison with the princess.

They were met with a large open area surrounded by a high wall.  A few guards patrolled the top of the wall.  The only way to enter or exit was through a large wooden gate.  Presently, the guards raised the gates for the princess to enter.  A carriage waited for them at the bottom of the steps.  

Amnicity snorted as the two descended the few steps towards the carriage. "He will agree once I speak to him about what I have just learned."

"So, you will not bribe me to keep your secret?"

The princess sighed, turning her gaze to squint at one of the guards watching them from above.

"The palace contains too many people with intimate knowledge of the moments I share with my husband.  I will not be able to keep this visit from him for long. No, I need to speak to him right away." She nodded to herself, taking a step towards the carriage.

"Is what you discovered that profound?" He ventured, analyzing the brunette beside him as he offered his hand to help her inside the carriage.

"No," she sighed, adjusting her skirt inside the carriage. "It just served as validation. Irina was right, and I need to be able to defend myself. Are you going to get inside or ride back to the palace on your own? I am sure we can have someone bring back your horse."

Shaed paused before getting into the carriage. She smirked at him as he sat down. The footman outside shut the carriage door.

"Suzera Irina suggested it?" He tilted his head, leaning back into his seat. "Did she—no, do not tell me. She always has a reason and must have seen something."

"So, shall I steal a bottom of whisky from my husband? Irina told me to look on the bottom shelf in the back."

Shaed's laugh startled Amnicity.  His face relaxed so suddenly. She almost became fond of him at that moment.

"Very well, Princess," he sighed. "If Suzera Irina told you it was a good idea, I will agree." Amnicity clapped her hands in glee before wincing. "Do not be so happy. We shall begin immediately, and you will need to manage your pain.  I will not have this be the reason Zak decapitates me. Now, did she tell you how to obtain pants?"

Amnicity tilted her head in wonder while shaking her head. Today would be a day she would learn many things. 

***

Awww... Shaed and Nici bonding.  How sweet.  Now, what do you think was on the note in the wooden cup?