***Lucious POV***
It had been two weeks since I last saw the Lion children and I was just trying to be patient
I had revealed the truth to my mother about how I was able to get the medicine and she was supporting me no matter what choice I decided to do
The medicine had worked but her illness was slowly progressing again
The doctor would keep giving her the same medicine no matter how much I pressured them to actually give something that works for her
I needed more of the holy water but had no way to get it
And I didn't know how to contact the Lion's
The next day as the maids came to deliver our breakfast or more like the little food leftover from when his majesty ate
My mother and I ate breakfast in her room as to not put more stress on her body
It was two maids I had never seen before but this was normal as different maids were sent here every time
As soon as the meals were placed down on the table, one of them said " You will find instructions on the bottom of the plate" before scurrying off to leave
Puzzled I took off the covers from the plates to actually see full plates of food and taped to the bottom of the plate was a letter from Elijah
Hello, your highness
Forgive me for the late response but it took quite a while to get everything ready for our meeting. Please read these instructions carefully as time will be of the essence, the maids who delivered your breakfast today are trustworthy and will be working in the palace from now on. They will deliver your dinner and when they come to pick up the empty dishes you will be put in the bottom part of the cart. From there you will be transferred to a barrel and be taken outside the palace to a secluded place where the meeting will be held. I apologize in advance for the uncomfortable way to get you to the meeting but it will only be temporary.
We look forward to meeting you tonight
Sincerely the Lion's
I'm surprised they found a way to get me out of the palace, especially with the high security
But I need to change something about the plan
The rest of my day I acted as normal, helping my mother, reading a book, and attending my classes
I waited in anticipation for dinner and finally, the two same maids came in and dropped off two full plates of food, it looked delicious
My mother was currently in the bathroom and I decided to dissolve some sleeping medicine in her drink before she returned
She returned and was surprised as me about the good food we had received but didn't question if was poisoned as we both knew the Queen had been threatened before that if she killed us, she would be next
We ate and soon I saw her eyes start to slowly close
I helped her lay back down and started to pack her things in a small bag, not that my mother had many items to pack
The maid's knocked and I said " You may enter"
"Are you ready, your highness?" The first maid said with brown hair and golden eyes
"Yes, however, my mother is coming with us as well" I replied as I began to gather her in my arms
"Your highness we were instructed to take only you," The other maid said with black hair and grey eyes
"If I can not take my mother, I will not go as well" I replied
The two maids looked at each other and both nodded before getting the cart into the room
"Very well, your highness please wait a moment as we need to remove some things from the cart for your mother to fit in," One of them said as they began removing items
" And what are your names?" I asked as I realized if they were going to be working here from now on I needed to know their name
" I am Lilliana" The one with brown hair answered
"And I am Olivia" The one with black hair answered
They both seemed to be about 16 and moved fluidly
Finally, I was instructed to get into the bottom part of the cart which was covered by a long cloth
I could only hold my mother in my arms as the cart rattled its way down the hallway
After a couple of minutes, we came to a stop
" Your highness, you can get out now," Lilliana said as she moved the cloth and helped me with my mother
As I stepped out I first saw the two barrels next to each other and noticed that we were in a room where they kept all the carts
"You will go in one cart and your mother in the other one," Olivia said as she began to open the lids
I nodded my head in understanding and helped them put my mother in the barrel first before getting in the barrel myself
Once I was inside the barrel, luckily I had a peephole and could see outside
I was very surprised to see Lilliana be able to pick up the barrel that has my mother by herself, her strength was truly outstanding
I could see fragments of light and darkness as we began to make our way toward the servant exit at the back of the palace
And of course, we were stopped because their worker's identification needed to be confirmed
I couldn't make out the guards asked them but soon enough we continued along our way
I could feel my legs begin to cramp but we couldn't stop
After about 20 minutes we finally stopped and I felt when I was put on the ground
Oliva opened up the top and helped me get up
" How do you feel?" She asked me as I had to sit and extend my legs
" I feel fine" I replied as I was finally able to start feeling my legs
Liliana had taken my mother out from the barrel and had sat her up against so that her legs would uncramp and my mother was still sleeping thankfully
I had slipped a bigger dose than normal for her to sleep through this trip
" How much further from here," I asked as I stood up
"A carriage will take us from, it should take another 20 minutes," Olivia said just the carriage was arriving
I carried my mother as I got inside, Lilliana and Olivia sat outside of the carriage
We rode the outskirts of town and finally arrived in this home close to the forest
I carried my mother out of the carriage and we made our way toward the front door
Oliva knocked three times before it was opened by a young boy and standing inside were all the Lion's children
***THIRD POV ( MEANWHILEÂ Lucious ESCAPED FROM THE PALACE) ***
"Jude we need to leave now," Elijah said as he finished packing some things
" YES, yes I am just finishing getting my things" Jude as he hurried after him
Theo arrived at the room with the girls just as Jude finished
" We are ready," Arabella said
They all got out through the window, their house was secure but not as good as the palace
They walked for about 10 minutes before meeting up with the magician who helps them
" Bram, glad you were on time" Theo replied as he gives him a hug
"Of course, anything for you guys" Bram replied smiling at seeing his old friends
Bram had been at the orphanage with them, and after they were adopted Evelin had taken over the orphanage and improved it considerably
Thanks to that all the children were healthy and happy
Bram discovered he had the ability for magic a little after that and Evelin had recruited a teacher for him
Bram was 11 years old but he knew how to use his magic perfectly
He had dark grey hair with dark blue eyes
" Bram, are you ready," Elijah asked after they all given each other hugs
" Yes, everyone hold hands," Bram said as he began enchanting the spell to teleport them to the safehouse
Bram had actually been a big help, as the Lion's could not easily leave their house without Evelin being concerned about where they going and why
Bram had acquired the safehouse and had been working on a way to be able to use magic on the inside of the palace
They all felt a sense of pressured air before opening their eyes and being at the house
" Woah that's so cool" Jude exclaimed excitedly
" Yeah it is, I furnished the house as you told me and I bought the food as you requested this afternoon," Bram said going to sit down on the nearby couch
The safe house was a two-story house It had 4 bedrooms upstairs and downstairs it had a large kitchen, living room, and dining area
Plus it had a large patio area outside
This house was perfect because it blended in with the other common homes, this area was still for commoners but for those with a little bit more money
" I will begin to get the food ready" Nesrin as she made her way to the kitchen with Arabella and Jude
Elijah, Theo, and Bram stayed to discuss their plan about using magic in the palace
Nesrin finished making all sorts of treats to eat as well as brewing different kinds of tea
Soon they heard the three knocks of the maid and Bram went to open the door