The guards ignored him as they all came into the room, quickly shoving Lila onto the ground next to him.
"Hurry up, shut the door!" One of them snapped.
One of the men obeyed and quietly closed the door. Then they all came over and stared down at Lila and him as they both lay there helplessly. But Westan could not even comprehend what had just happened. Had he really just been attacked and captured by his own guards? Just what was the meaning of all this?
"RELEASE US!" Westan shouted with outrage.
One of the guards, the obvious leader of this rebellion, just ignored his shouting and started giving out his own commands.
"Go and fetch the boss, tell him what happened! You two, go stand outside like nothing is wrong." He ordered.
The men all nodded in obedience, except for one. A young man who looked quite confused by what was going on himself.
"Wh-What are you doing? Wh-Why are we attacking his Highness?" He asked nervously.
One of the men snorted. "You knew our orders were to keep an eye on him in case he acted suspiciously!"
"Yes, but this is treachery! We cannot attack his royal Majesty!" The young man said, looking around anxiously.
"If you are not with us, then you are against us boy." The man in charge said seriously.
The young man made no move. He just stared at them all, looking unsure of what to do.
"Do not listen to them! Free us!" Westan shouted to him desperately.
The boy probably could not understand his exact words through the gag, but still he nodded and pulled out his sword, ready to fight. One of the other traitors attacked him and within a mere moment he was knocked unconscious and bound as well. After a moment the leader came over and kicked his limp body.
"Stupid rat! I knew he was too cowardly to join us." He growled angrily.
Then the man turned to the other two with angry eyes.
"Go and do what I said, now!" He snapped.
Westan continued shouting out commands and threats as the two men left the room, but it was no use. The leader guard scoffed at him with a cruel smile.
"I am sorry my King, but I cannot understand what you are saying!" He taunted with a laugh.
Westan blushed with fury. How dare this man mock him! They would all regret this disrespect! He would make sure of it!
Westan looked over at the servant girl Lila. She was busy struggling to free her hands so he tried to do the same. But the ropes were strong, and neither of them were able to do anything except rub their wrists raw.
"I suggest you save your energy and relax. The two of you are going nowhere." The guard chuckled as he sat in his desk chair comfortably.
Westan scowled. How dare this man be so arrogant! What a fool, this kidnap attempt like this would end as all the rest did; with their own capture and execution! Zacchaeus would never show them any mercy for this!
The minutes crawled by slowly as Westan lay there under the guard's careful watch, eagerly contemplated the punishment for these men's treachery. He was also looking forward to Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson's new investigation. He would be sure to look into the case personally and hear out their testimonies this time. Perhaps Lila was right and they were in fact being framed. If that was the case, then whoever it was would indeed be sorry when they were found out and caught. Westan did not plan on showing mercy to someone so cowardly as to falsify another's reputation before him. Those criminals would be forced to face the very same fate Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson had been sentenced to!
After a short while, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Westan immediately tried shouting for help, but the guard watching over them got up and opened the door to his chambers without any hesitation. One of the traitors entered the room, and then to his great surprise, so did Zacchaeus.
"Zacchaeus!" Westan shouted with surprise.
For a moment it was strangely quiet, and no one seemed to make a single move at all. Then it hit Westan; perhaps Zacchaeus had been captured by these men too!
Westan's hopes of being rescued fell. Great! Now who was going to save them?
Zacchaeus suddenly turned to the guards in the room.
"You men, give us some privacy." He commanded.
"Yes sir." They all replied.
Then Westan watched with shock as all three traitors actually obeyed Zacchaeus and left the room quietly. He immediately looked at his council man, the person he trusted most in his life, with surprise.
His council man saw his expression and chuckled darkly.
"Oh dear, it seems I have been found out." He said with excitement.
Chapter 09- The Beast Reveals Himself
Lila watched with a mixture of satisfaction and disappointment as the King finally realized that his council man was both a traitor and manipulator.
"What is going on!?" The King shouted through the cloth gag.
The council man looked down at him coldly and chuckled. The he suddenly turned to face her with a sneer.
"Tsk, tsk." He said while shaking his head. "Look what you have done! I was about to convince him to sign a document that would enable me to take over the Kingdom! "
Lila frowned. So her suspicions had been right! This wicked man had been plotting something big after all. This must be why he had Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson arrested so suddenly; they were getting too close to the truth!
The council man then turned his attention back to the confused looking King with another chuckle.
"I am honored that you look so surprised my Lord. It means my deception really was very good after all." He said with amusement.
"What are you doing?" The King demanded with hurt and anger.
The man kept on a cold smile as he came over and picked up the King's crown, which had tumbled off of him when the guards had attacked, and placed it on his own head. He took a moment to examine himself in the mirror.
"I have coveted this for many years you know. It truly has not been easy to watch a little brat wear it like some kind of toy!" The man growled angrily.
The King's face went pale and he looked down at the ground. He looked utterly crushed by his advisor's betrayal.
"Why are you doing all of this?" He shouted.
Zacchaeus sighed and came over to remove the King's gag.
"I am afraid I did not quite understand that." He said with aggravation.
"Why are you doing all of this? If that stupid crown is all you want then just take it!" The King growled through gritted teeth.
The man smiled. "But I cannot reign supreme while you, the only heir to the throne, yet live."
Lila saw the color drain from the King's face again at the mention of his death. She scowled. She really wanted to give this wicked and cruel man a piece of her mind! But she wisely stayed quiet and concentrated solely on freeing her hands. Although no one would have guessed it, Lila was actually quite good with ropes. Since her father had been a sailor he had taught her all kinds of ways to tie and untie knots, a skill she was now thankful for. And as suspected, the two men continued to talk without paying any attention to her whatsoever.
"I never though you of all people would betray me like this! Why did you even bother letting me live this long if you just intended to take my throne?" The King asked with confusion.
Zacchaeus sighed. "But how obvious it would have been if all the royals had perished at once, leaving the council man to immediately take over! It would be much less suspicious for me to kill the King and Queen, blame it on the King's brother and have him executed, then let the young heir survive. A young King that is nowadays feared and well known for being a cruel tyrant. Once it is known that Chivele succeeded in assassinating you, the people will rejoice! Then the brokenhearted counsel man, who was almost like a father to the young heir, will take over the kingdom as ruler." He finished triumphantly.
The King was also quite horrified and speechless for a long moment. Lila was a bit surprised to hear his intricate story as well.
"You are the one res
ponsible for my parents' murder, yet you blamed it on my innocent uncle and killed him too!?" He said with shock.
The man chuckled. "Indeed. Although I did not plan to actually kill you, unless it became absolutely necessary. You see, as long as I had complete power over you and you continued to rely solely on me, it was as if I was ruling anyways. But you are getting older now and becoming increasingly difficult to keep under control. That is why I planned to have you sign my document. Then I would have been able to keep you confined in a secure room and out of my way without having to resort to this. But alas, you were too stubborn for that."
The King's face became furious. "So you were actually planning to imprison after I signed that paper?"
The man smiled. "What can I say? It was far easier and less messy than this plan."
The King shook his head with confusion. "Then why hire Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson to kill me?"
Zacchaeus laughed and looked back towards Lila. She glared back at him angrily, already aware of what he was about to say.
"This young lady was right when she that those two men were completely innocent in all this. They really are nothing more than simple tutors whom I summoned here to conduct your studies." He said with an excited smile.
"But why are you insisting on their execution then?" The King asked with shock.
The man laughed darkly. "That foolish young boy was caught poking his nose where it did not belong. It seems he figured out I had been signing documents in your name, and he probably planned to expose my dealings to you once he had proper evidence. But in doing so he merely sealed his own fate as well as his fathers. Who on earth did he think he was anyways, investigating my personal dealings with you? It was plain foolishness on his part."
Lila scowled. This man's shameless plan just proved what a heartless coward he really was! But the King looked furious and unable to contain his anger any longer.
"HOW DARE YOU!! You will regret this Zacchaeus, for as long as I live I will never let these deeds of yours go unpunished! NEVER!" He screamed as loud as he could.
Zacchaeus was startled by his raised voice and came over to try and gag him again, but the King resisted and ended up biting his hand in the process.
"You little brat!" The man roared with pain.
He kicked the King out of anger right in the gut. Lila watched the boy groaned in pain and curl up into a ball to catch his breath. Then the council man was able to roughly finished gagging him.
"Now no need to worry my Lord, after your tutor's execution this young servant girl, who is one of their associates, will come and avenge their death. She will first kill you and then herself with none other than the poisonous dagger I had planted in the criminal's room. It will be a very fitting end for you indeed." Zacchaeus said with a cruel smile.
The King began shouting curses as the man threw the crown back down and carefully set the poisonous dagger on his desk.
"Be as angry as you want my King, but there is nothing you can do to stop me. I assure you; no one will be coming to rescue you." Zacchaeus said arrogantly.
Then he opened the door and let the same leader guard from earlier enter. As he went to leave he turned back just briefly to the guard.
"Make sure the King watches the execution tomorrow morning before his own takes place." He commanded coldly.
The King let out an angry roar and started yelled more curses at his betrayer until the door was shut and locked. Then the guard came over and sat in the desk chair, watching both of them closely.
Lila watched the guard warily. She was almost free of the ropes on her wrists, but she could not let this man see her progress, so for now she had to stop moving. Perhaps if the man left the room or fell asleep she would have an opportunity to free the King and herself without being captured again.
Suddenly the King shouted something at the guard. The man immediately stood up and came closer to them.
"Something wrong my Lord?" He asked with a chuckle.
The King started shouting angrily again, but the man just laughed. Then he got a cruel look in his eyes.
"You know the criminals are going to be executed by public beheading tomorrow right? It will be quite a last sight for you to see!" He said with amusement.
The King's eyes widened with shock and he started shouted even louder, but the man just laughed even harder.
"You are so helpless without your precious guards to protect you! You treat us like lowly servants, but without us you are nothing but a helpless little boy!" He taunted.
Suddenly, Lila saw a dangerously powerful look in the man's eyes. She watched helplessly as he came over and kicked the King just like Zacchaeus had. He groaned in pain and curled up to catch his breath again. The guard just laughed with a wicked glint in his eyes and kicked him again. The groaned in severe pain and sounded unable to catch his breath.
"STOP IT!" Lila yelled.
The guard sneered and her and kicked her too.
"Keep your mouth shut wench! This is all your fault anyhow!" He snapped.
Lila gasped for air and quietly watched as the man kicked the completely defenseless King a few more times. Eventually he stopped and sat back down, almost looking irritated.
"I got a little carried away I guess. I have to remember that we are trying to blame his death on a mere servant girl after all..." The man mumbled to himself.
Lila could no longer see the King's face from where he lay, but she could tell he was in a lot of pain. He kept very still and his breathing was full of struggling, he looked completely worn-out and maybe even unconscious.
Lila knew it was going to be a few hours before dawn, so she decided to wait and see if the guard, who had nothing to fear from two helpless prisoners, would fall asleep and give her any opportunity to escape.
The time passed by very slowly, with minutes feeling like hours and hours feeling like an eternity. The guard kept a close eye on the two of them, occasionally getting up to look out the window or check the door. Eventually though he came across some fine wine in the King's cabinet and began drinking it. That was when Lila realized how very thirsty and hungry she was. In fact, she could not recall if she had even eaten that evening!
Suddenly her stomach growled. The guard gave a laugh and taunted her with his glass of wine. Lila just turned away tried to think of anything other than food. Unfortunately, this meant her thoughts drifted to picturing their imminent death, as well as that of Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson. She wondered how they were even doing right now. Their appearances in the dungeon earlier had been so horrible, as they had probably been tortured by Zacchaeus’s men for information, or perhaps just for cruelties sake. She felt just awful for the two of them, especially after hearing that wicked man's confessions about everything. Not that the King and she were in any better of a situation right now. If they did not find a way to escape they would all be dead before sunrise!
Lila suddenly looked around the room, hoping to see anything that could possibly help them all survive the night. After a moment her eyes came to rest on the King's empty bottle of fine wine. The guard apparently drank all of it. She also noticed that the man appeared very relaxed and his eyes were drooping. If perhaps he became comfortable enough to fall asleep, then all she had to do was free herself and untie the King and they could both escape! After that they could get help, rescue Bartholomew and Mr. Jameson, as well as stop Zacchaeus from taking over the Kingdom! Although they would first have to get past the guards outside the door somehow, and Lila had no idea how they were going to do that. And what if the guard did not fall asleep? Then what would they do? Lila supposed she could simply free herself and try fighting against the guard while he was still in a drunken state. She doubted that would end well though. But a last resort was a last resort. She would have to do something eventually though, because she was not about to die without a fight!
Not more than two hours later Lila was ever grateful as the guard actually did fall asleep, face down at the King's desk. Since he was intoxica
ted with fine wine she hoped his sleep would be deep and not easily disturbed. Lila kept an eye on him warily as she slipped her hands free and quickly untied the rest of her. Then she came over to the King to untie him too, and saw that he wasn't unconscious after all. In fact, he was very much awake and looking extremely depressed. He barely even reacted when she put a hand on his shoulder.
Lila untied him slowly so she could watch the guard carefully. She also made sure to be gentle so she did not cause the King anymore pain. Once he was free she helped him sit up and he stopped to take a few deep breaths. Then he shook off her hand and turned away, looking obviously embarrassed. Lila felt sorry for him. She knew he had not known any better but to mistrust her, Bartholomew, and Mr. Jameson. It was a wonder that the King was even as decent as he was with a man like Zacchaeus raising him!
"Is there another way out of here?" She whispered.
He sighed and shook his head hopelessly. "No."
Lila felt her heart sink. Couldn't she just get a break already?
******
"Are you crazy?" Westan snapped quietly.
Lila frowned. "Do you have any better ideas?"
The two of them were sitting in the corner of his chambers, as far from the sleeping guard as they could be. He had suggested that they attack the man while he was asleep, but Lila pointed out that the man could still easily overpower them if he woke up before, or that the guards outside might hear them struggling, and that was all true. But her idea of climbing out the bedroom window to another room nearby was just as dangerous in his mind! After all, the closet window was more than ten feet below his room!
"Look, we have to do something while we still have the chance!" Lila added.
Westan sighed. She was right in that they had to do something quickly. He supposed her plan was the most plausible. Even if they were to try overpowering the guard they would still need a way to escape his room afterwards.
Westan sighed again with defeat. "Very well. I suppose we have no other choice but to go with your plan."
A Kind of Beauty and the Beast Story Page 12
