Chapter Six

"Who is this?"

Thalia's chest echoed with the thunderous beats of her heart. For some reason, she'd been more comfortable with the presence of the first guy she met whom she now recognized as the prince.

From his robes and outfit alone and also with how regal he looked, she could tell he was royalty. While the other guy looked good, too, he scared her for some reason.

In the dimly lit chamber, the air was thick with tension between the three of them.

"Your Highness, who is this?" The guy who just came in asked again as he stared at her with bewilderment and caution.

"I don't know," The Man who was called Your Highness said, "She was hiding in my closet when I came in." he moved towards the second guy while speaking and now Thalia was facing both of them.

She felt trapped, like a fly in a spider's web.

"Guards!" the guy who had just entered yelled, and her heart plummeted in response. Maybe she was in more trouble than she thought.

"Your Highness, step away from her. She might be dangerous," the guy said, also taking a step back and giving her a look filled with suspicion.

Thalia stepped towards them, shaking her head in denial and panic, "I'm not! I'm not dangerous, I swear!"

"I'm sure she was sent by The Anarchists," the second guy said, looking her up and down.

Thalia was scared, speechless.

She stood frozen as the door swung open. Guards, clad in ornate armour, surrounded her, eyes stern and unyielding. The moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating her fearful expression as she was accused of trespassing into the Prince's room by different people.

Thalia's voice trembled as she protested her innocence, her words echoing off the stone walls. The Prince just watched her, his gaze a mixture of curiosity and annoyance and the room held its breath, awaiting his command.

"Take her away," He finally said.

In the dimly lit confines of the prison cell, its cold stone walls echoing with the sobs of despair, Thalia sat huddled in a corner. She had been imprisoned for her audacious act of sneaking into the room of the prince.

Thalia rolled her eyes.

How she could still dare to do that, she didn't know. But the fuss that was made over the prince seemed ridiculous to her.

She knew royalty was treated in a very special way, but locking her in a cell just for being in his room? It didn't make any sense to her.

She was starting to get scared, though. She'd been counting down the hours and it had been almost a day since they locked her here.

"How did it come to this?" Thalia whispered to herself. "My curiosity got the best of me, and now I'm trapped in this wretched place."

It was terrible.

Thalia had never gone to jail before, but she knew that even the worst prisoners in her world didn't eat food as terrible as the bowl of porridge they'd served her that morning.

She couldn't stomach it, it just didn't pass her throat. It was disgusting, to say the least, but her prison cellmate had been glad to have an extra bowl to eat.

So, as a result, Thalia was starving.

She started to devise an escape plan in her head. When she planned to time travel, never in her wildest dreams did she think she would end up locked up in prison.

What would happen to her now?

They'd taken her clothes before she entered the prison and given her a sack-like dress.

Nobody even bothered to listen to her; they all just mumbled about a revolutionary group called The Anarchists and how she was part of them.

Thalia's heart sank as she realized how ugly things could get.

She was in a foreign place with nowhere to call home. She was imprisoned for an serious crime and she was being associated with a rebel group.

She needed to do something. Thalia knew she wouldn't allow herself to die like this or disappear in a place and time where no one even knew her.

She had to calm down and think.

Her bag!

That's where the time travel book was, and the prince must've seen it due to her failure to take it with her during the arrest.

The book was the only clue she had about how to go back home.

The funny thing was that even in her situation, there was a part of her that still didn't want to go home.

She truly didn't know what to do, or if there was anyone who would believe her here.

Three hours later, Thalia sat on the cold, hard floor, racking her brain. Her eyes followed the footsteps echoing down the corridor until they stopped at the door of her cell. The door was opened by the prison guard and a girl entered.

Curiosity piqued, and Thalia moved closer to see her. The girl looked young, but she had tired eyes and a haunted expression, Thalia observed.

"Hey there," she said softly. "I'm Thalia. Welcome to the unfriendly confines."

Lily looked up, her eyes widening with surprise that someone was talking to her. "I'm Lily," she replied in a quiet voice.

She was young.

She looked to be about 23 years old.

Throughout the night, Thalia and Lily talked and became friends. Thalia learned that Lily had been imprisoned for a crime that wasn't her fault, and her eyes welled with tears as she remembered her story.

It was so similar to hers, except Lily saved her mom.

Lily's father had gone on an abusive rampage and while trying to protect her almost unconscious mother from him, he fell and hit his head. Then he died.

She was framed for his death.

Lily was broken and traumatized, and her mother was still unwell, so she was very worried about her.

Thalia listened, offering a supportive ear and sharing stories of her own to lighten the somber mood. Despite their grim circumstances, a fragile friendship blossomed between the two.