My head felt like an elephant stepped over it and then decided to let its herd do the same. I slowly opened my eyes and remembered what happened.

I tried to get up, but I was tied down. I pushed against the restraints, but it was no use. My mouth was gagged as well.

"Ah, Caspian the princess is awake?" said a voice in front of me. I slowly lifted my eyes. It was the rebel who attacked me before.

"What the fuck?" I tried to say but it was all muffled due to the gag.

"Aloia, I know you are very confused right now but, I need to tell you the truth about your past and you would never do this willingly. Or rather you wouldn't hear me out to the end. I am going to take off your gag, you can try to scream but no one will hear you. I just need you to hear me out, okay?" Caspian said slowly coming near me and sitting crouching in front of me.

'That asshole', I thought to myself. I almost fell for him, and then he goes and fucking kidnaps me and excepts me to stay calm.

He slowly untied the gag pulled it away from my mouth.

"Fuck you", I spat looking him dead in the eye.

"Aloia, please I know you hate me right now, but you need to understand this." He said with a pause looking into my eyes. "Your mom didn't tell you everything before she died."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother? You don't deserve to sully her name" I growled. I was done with his shit.

"Aloia, is it?" said the man behind Caspian. "I'm Lorenzo, even though you probably don't give a shit. But we have two ways of doing this. One, you listen quietly to Caspian, or two, I put a dagger against your throat, and you listen quickly".

I decided to stay quiet.

"Your mother met your father and had you only nine months after they met, correct?" Caspian asked.

"Am I allowed to respond now?" I asked.

"Stop being a smartass girl and answer", Lorenzo spat. I should've cut his balls off when I had the chance.

"Yes, that's right," I said turning my head away from Lorenzo and to Caspian "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you have any idea what your mother did before then?" Caspian asked.

"No, she just said she lived in a cottage with her father. When he passed away, she moved here for a better life." I responded.

"That's not entirely true," Caspian said pulled up a chair in front of me and sitting on it backward.

My mouth gaped open as I was about to say something, but Caspian interrupted my thought, "This is when I talk, and you listen".

"Your mother went to the South after her father, your grandfather passed away. She claimed it was because she couldn't stand the North after her father's death and needed a change. When she arrived in the South, she barely had any money on her. At that time King Weylin was the same as your mother and did not pay attention to the rules of the kingdom as the stupid prince he was then." Caspian said but was interrupted by Lorenzo's sneering.

"That's an understatement. He used to sneak out of the castle and steal food because of the thrill he got out of it." Lorenzo said laughing.

"Thank you for that unnecessary interruption. Anyways he was running away from the place guards one night when he decided to hide in your mother's home. He thought it was abandoned but it wasn't. He asked her to hide him and even without knowing his position in the court, she helped him. Weylin was interested in her and visited her every day after that. Skipping the romance part and summarizing it, they fell in love, slept together, and when your mother found out she was pregnant with you, he told her the truth. Your mother was furious with him but understood why he did so. This was when the conflict with the North and South arose. The North was caught selling women from the South and selling them into slavery to the other kingdoms. Weylin thought it was safest for your mother and you to go back to the North and for her to find a stable life. Your mother understood and as much as she loved the prince, she loved you more. She moved back to the North and met your father. They slept together and your mother made him believe you were his child. Over time they fell in love and they had your sister, Ali."

I stopped breathing. No. This isn't true. They are lying.

"Caspian, this isn't a funny joke" I warned him.

"I wasn't joking Aloia, I'm serious," Caspian said with a pause, "But I had a feeling you won't believe me anyway so, here," He said handing me a letter.

"My hands are tied genius," I said to him staring him down.

"Oh, right sorry", he moved the letter closer to my face so I could read it.

I didn't even realize I was crying until drops of water fell on the letter's page. I never this letter wasn't fake from the swirls in the l's. It was mum's specialty and I used to tell her about the beautiful touch is gave the pages she wrote.

"How bad is the conflict between the North and the South?" I asked not looking up.

"Bad", Lorenzo answered "The North is taking resources from the South and with their fire bending. And since Weylin is the only person with water bending abilities, armies are struggling the defeat them. People are struggling in poverty and Weylin is doing everything he can but soon it won't be good enough."

"Fire bending?" I asked "I thought that was just a rumor. And if Weylin can water bend, does that mean that I can as well?"

"No element bending is far from a rumor; you have just never seen it. And as for you, I am not sure. Weylin never mentioned it" Lorenzo answered.

"I'll do it", I said picking up my head and facing Caspian and Lorenzo "My mum told me to follow my heart, and that's what I'm doing".

Lorenzo's face lit up.

"Then let's give the royal family hell", Caspian said with a wink.

"Untie me from this chair now, Caspian," I told him pulling against the restraints.

"You know, I like seeing you like this. All helpless." Caspian said leaning forward.

"Um you know I'm still in the room" Lorenzo coughed out.

"You know, I like Lorenzo better than you Caspian", I said knowing I was hitting a nerve. Caspian was too possessive for his own good.

"You'll regret saying that later," Caspian whispered into my ear.

They finally untied me from the chair, and I got punched Caspian straight in the nose.

"What was that for?!" He said stumbling back.

I walked up to Lorenzo next, who quickly put his hands up in surrender.

I kneaded him in the groin. Lorenzo groaned, doubling over.

"That was for kidnapping me and for hitting my head which still hurts," I said sitting back down in the chair. "Now let's decide what we are going to do about the North".

I thought joining the rebels meant fighting against the North through battle. Cutting down men and slitting their throats, but when I suggested this to Caspian and Lorenzo, they looked at each other and doubled over in laughter.

"S-she- ahaha- "Lorenzo said wheezed on the floor.

"HA-y-you think w-would be only-y killing-g people as a r-rebel", Caspian said hitting Lorenzo's back.

"I mean what else could I think! The first time I met Lorenzo he tried to kill me," I yelled at them grumbling.

They wiped their eyes and answered my question after a few minutes for uncontrollable laughing, which sounded like a dying hyena.

"Your job is to get close to the prince, which you have been doing. You need to find out how many troops he has in the south, where the troops are, how many people are in each troop, and the most important question how many of them can bend", Lorenzo said.

"So basically, my mission is the seduce the prince and then extort information? Got it and Caspian you're okay with this?" I asked. I was still pissed at Caspian and I was going to make him so uncomfortable with my mission and all he will be able to do is watch.

"Yes Aloia, I am fine with it", Caspian said grinning at me. He knew what I was doing.

"You're fine with my dancing with him at a ball, pressing my body against his?" I stepped closer to Caspian seeing him shift in discomfort. "You're okay with me kissing him? With my fingers running through his hair?"

"Aloia, stop", Caspian growled growing uncomfortable, looking at the ceiling.

"Lorenzo, I promise to take this mission seriously. I will even bed him if necessary" I said with a wink.

Lorenzo spit out the water he was drinking, and Caspian snapped his head to me. In our day and age, women were only allowed to bed a man if they were married. I smirked to myself and walked past them both.

"Let's get back to the castle from wherever the hell we are now. Before the prince sees I am missing of course." I said opening the door for them.

"Right," Lorenzo said wiping his mouth and walking past the door" Aloia let the mission began".

I saw the discomfort on Caspian's face as he walked past me.

'This is going to be so much fun' I thought to myself.

————————

Soooo do we forgive Caspian?