Chapter 40: An Unexpected Reunion
Arlos had been captured.
Queen Emma’s reaction was nothing short of euphoric. When Oliver delivered the report, her usually composed demeanor cracked, revealing a smile so genuine yet terrifying that it sent ice through my veins.
The way her green eyes gleamed frighteningly made me wonder if Arlos might actually prefer the quick death I could have given him to whatever fate awaited him in the Queen’s dungeons.
Unfortunately or maybe not, my heroic deed didn’t earn me an immediate ticket back to Millbrook. Queen Emma was still neck-deep in negotiations with King Francis Lorendia—something about trade agreements and military alliances that apparently required her personal attention for a few more days.
"For your safety, Harold. Until we’re certain Arlos had no accomplices lurking about, you’ll remain under close protection."
She had said.
And so began my unwilling imprisonment in the capital’s finest hotel.
The first two days, I had grudgingly accepted the arrangement. After all, we’d just captured a dangerous criminal, and caution seemed prudent. The hotel room was luxurious enough—silk curtains, a feather bed that could swallow a man whole, and food that made Millbrook’s tavern fare seem like peasant scraps. But luxury couldn’t cure restlessness.
By the third day, I was pacing the ornate carpet like a caged wolf. The wallpaper’s golden patterns had become as familiar as the back of my hand, and I’d memorized every crack in the ceiling plaster. When the fourth day dawned with the same suffocating routine, and after I read all the books available in the room, something inside me snapped.
"Oliver! I need to get out of here before I lose what’s left of my sanity."
"Harold, you know the Queen’s orders—"
"The Queen’s orders were to keep me safe, not to drive me mad with boredom," I interrupted, running my hands through my hair. "I’m in the capital of the kingdom, Oliver. This might be my only chance to see it properly, and you want me to waste it staring at these four walls?"