My chin itches. That was his main concern while chained to the dungeon walls and facing imminent death.

The cellar was dark and sullen. The worn-down bodies of other forgotten men were laid down dead all around him. Lucius was fully convinced that the bodies were brought there beforehand to intimidate him. He considered it a cheap trick. There were far better ways to break prisoners than to display the prospect of death.

"Well Francis, at least I don't smell as bad as you." The dead, limp body next to him didn't reply back to him. "Glad you agree."

The cellar door opened. Walking down the long steps of the stone castle were two women wearing long gowns. They were adorned in traditional priestess attires, sacred to the church and ceremonial for their roles as astrologers to the king. One of the girl's hair was tied back to a bun, puffed up red which cleared away any strands of hair from her emerald green eyes. The other girl's hair was tied back in a braided tail. Blonde and shimmering, her ocean blue eyes contrasted her sister's.

"You look glum, Lucius." The blonde-haired one had crossed her arms. Her name was Elijah, and she always had a special disdain for him whenever they met.

"Nonsense," Lucius said, "the sun was bothering my eyes for far too long. This abandoned darkness and the smell of impending death has been a pleasant change of scenery from my home."

Elijah squinted her eyes. Aurea spoke in a kinder tone, "the king won't forgive you this time."

"It was worth it," his teeth gleamed through his smile.

"They're going to castrate you."

"Still worth it."

Elijah walked up to him first. She made sure to kick at his stomach before loosening the chains. "Come on, heretic. Even brats deserve a fair trial."

XXX

Lucius was pushed to the ground without any remorse from the girls. He kneeled down at the presence of the king ahead of him. His raggedy clothes laid loosely atop of the carpeted silk floor beneath him. Chains weighed down his arms and feet. His pale palms felt the warmness of the ground beneath him. He was dressed as a peasant, more lowly than anyone else around him.

Looking up, the king stared down at him with a furious glare. Both their hairs were raven-colored, with bleak dark eyes facing one another. Whereas Lucius stared at the king with a wide smile and calm eyes, the king's whole face was contorted, eyebrows threshed together while glaring down at Lucius with a huffing frown.

"Pleasure to meet with you again, king Isaac." Lucius kneeled down and bowed his head down as a show of respect.

The king yelled forward, "don't utter my name you disgusting scoundrel."

Lucius didn't move his head up, "with all due respect sir, I meant no disrespect from my behavior."

Elijah kicked as his shin. "Stay silent, stray. The king wants your ear, not your tongue."

Lucius murmured something implicit beneath his breath. Elijah's eyes widened before taking a step back.

"What did he say?" Aurea asked quickly.

Elijah covered her reddening face. She whispered, "something imprudent. I'll tell you later."

Isaac raised up from the throne, "I ought to chop your head off for your sins! You are nothing but a low vile, repulsive skinned skung that's better off being wiped off the dirt of the land!"

Lucius' still smiled with his head down. Isaac said, "there's nothing I'd rather do than rip your skin off and make you wear it again."

Lucius' shoulders shrugged, not truly concerned by the words.

Isaac said back down. His breaths were slow and hard, enough to echo through the room. He looked over at the girls, "has he any remorse?"

"No," they both said quickly. Aurea let out a sigh, "his exact words were, 'it was worth it.'"

Isaac thrusted his fist into his armchair. His hands unclenched and he let out deep breathes. Lucius stayed quiet while being observed, like a jester savoring the success of his act. The king leaned back on his throne and asked, "why?"

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Lucius looked up at the king. It was the first time he ever asked Lucius to justify himself. I'd better make it convincing, Lucius thought to himself. "Because I love her, more than anything in the world."

Isaac rolled his eyes. He didn't believe it for a second. Elijah said, "that's a lie. If you truly loved her, you would've asked the king for her hand in marriage. Instead, you spent nights sneaking into her bedchambers to..."

Aurea almost blushed by the phrase. In an embarrassed tone Aurea finished the sentence for her, "copulating."

Isaac's teeth gritted. The thought of such a lowly boy meeting with his daughter infuriated him. Worst of all, there was nothing he could do to change the past. He'd spoken to his daughter about this, and she too admitted that she was in love.

Isaac shook his head. But that wasn't why he wanted to speak with him, not really. In truth, Lucius was far too valuable to execute. "Unshackle him," he ordered.

Aurea and Elijah cocked their heads back. "You're serious?" Aurea asked. "You believe him?"

"Of course not," king Isaac scowled. "Just unshackle the wretch."

They glanced at one another in disbelief. Hesitantly, the girls undid his chains and stood him up to face at the king. King Isaac moved down the steps of his throne in a rhythmic pace. Isaac raised his ring covered hand and slapped Lucius across the face. He fell to the ground, blood leaking from the cheek. "That is your punishment," Isaac said in a low tone. "Now get up. I've a proposition for you."

Lucius passed a fading glare at the king. His purple silk robes, golden chains around his arms and neck, and crystal gem crown all disgusted Lucius. 'All show and no teeth,' Lucius thought. 'I bet you dress so extravagantly to hide how weak you truly are.' 

Isaac returned to his throne while Lucius rubbed at his cheek. Isaac said, "I'll offer you one chance, one chance to show me that you're not the insolent child you act like. If you can accomplish this one task for me, I'll let you marry my daughter."

Aurea gasped aloud, "that's immoral!" Aurea jabbed a finger towards him. "What he did was sinful! He's heretical, yet you'd give him your daughter in marriage? For what? He's not a man of God, he's-"

"Hush, Aurea," Isaac ordered.

"But she's right," Elijah said in a colder tone. "Lucius is a peasant. With all due respect, sire, I wouldn't want your family name to be sullied by him."

Elijah bowed her head down, fortifying the calmness she had to her tone.

Lucius commented, "in my defense, everyone is in Cyprus is heretical. I like to think I'm average in comparison."

Aurea squinted at him. She gestured towards at him and referred back to Isaac, "you see? No respect whatsoever."

Isaac gritted his teeth. He said to his nieces, "Aurea, Elijah. Leave us, I need to speak to him alone."

The girls glanced at each other one more time, and turned around to leave. Lucius's teeth showed as he grinned at them, and both girls punched his ribs walking passed him. Leaving the room, Isaac stared methodically at Lucius.

"I need your help."

Lucius examined him. Isaac's frown was as iconic as he remembered it, but the man's scrunched brows and slouched sitting showed Isaac's fatigue to Lucius' remarks. Lucius was well known among the nobility for his absurd mockeries. He was mischievous, and would go out of his way to swindle the wealthiest islanders just to demonstrate his own wits.

Isaac was often the receiving end of his antics. Him getting caught with his daughter was seen as nothing more than the accumulation of a long line of mischief erupting into the worst possible course of action. Lucius really was fond of his daughter, but of course his reputation renounced any legitimacy to his honest claims.

Lucius said, "Isaac, if I'm being honest, I'm elighted that you'd accept me as your son. But still... What?"

Isaac cursed beneath his breathe. He looked up and whispered quietly, "God, why did it have to be him?"

Lucius only snickered, "What was that?"

Isaac faced him again. "Lucius. Two days ago while you were in your cell, the fiance and sister of King Richard of England shipwrecked into one of our ports. I invited them to my home, and they refused to meet with me. They do not trust me, and them being here threatens my rule."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Wait, hold on. The sister and fiance of Lionheart? Richard the Lionheart?"

Isaac nodded. "They were traveling with him to the Holy Land. Their ships went astray due to a storm, either by a cruel universe or from God punishing me. Them being here puts my entire kingdom at risk. I wanted them to be my guests, to sway them as allies. But it appears that they... Suspect me."

Lucius didn't comment on that. Isaac was a cruel king and the whole island knew it. It was very likely the locals told them to stay away from Isaac's home, lest they fall victim to his wicked ensnarls.

"Well, if they won't accept an invitation, that's none of your business." Lucius didn't recognize the crisis. "Give them what they need to leave, and pretend they were never here."

Isaac, for the first time in days, chuckled. "If only it were that easy. I've come to the conclusion that they're waiting for Richard to save them. If that is the case.... Then me having them is the only leverage I'll have against him."

Lucius jaw dropped. He took a step back from him, "then you're talking about kidnapping? You'd rather kidnap the queen and sister of Lionheart... As hostages?" Isaac nodded. Lucius, in a dumbfounded voice, asked, "why?"

Isaac tossed a coin at Lucius. It was a foreign coin, carrying arabic transcripts at the front. Isaac answered, "because I work for Saladin."

Lucius dropped the coin like it was poison. The Byzantine empire and Crusader states were at war with Saladin. If he served the Muslim empire in secret, then Richard Lionheart was his true enemy. "You're mad. Siding with the Muslims? They'll excommunicate you. You and everyone on this island."

"I know," Isaac leaned back on his chair. "So will you help me?"

Lucius' teeth gleamed through his smile. "It's about time we got some excitement on this island."