Chp.39: Desmond.

"Your majesties, we've reached." The guard pointed at a door which led to one of the rooms.

"Open it." Duncan ordered.

"Wait." Regina stopped him.

"Hmm? What happened my queen?" Duncan asked with a genuine look of confusion.

"I have never seen you in this palace before. Whose guard are you?" Regina asked the guard.

The guard stood there, blank look on his face.

Duncan looked Regina and Regina stared at the guard.

"Who are you?" She asked once more.

And the guard started laughing. He was laughing hysterically.

"So you finally noticed." The guard said as he removed his hat.

"You aren't that dumb after all, your majesty the new queen. Although you aren't that smart as well." The man in front of her scoffed at her face.

"Duncan, guess you've got a very good wife for yourself." He said.

"Who are you? That's my question." Regina said trying to stay composed with one of her hand on her waist belt, specifically on the dagger she won against Lara. Her sharp gaze could easily cut through the man's arrogant smirk.

But he looked rather very calm on the contrary. His face was that of a professional who would give up for an amateur, just so the amateur shouldn't feel startled and sad. It was an expression of pity.

"Does he take me for a fool? What kind of person is he?" Regina thought as she was gradually gripping the dagger strongly. Wrapping her fingers around it's handle firmly so that she could directly strike back anytime she confirms there is a physical threat around.

"Should I just take this dagger out and slit his throat? But that would be harmful, since the king is here himself." Regina shook of any thoughts of atttack and prepared her mind for defence.

But the Regina suddenly realised. "Wait. The king is here himself, why isn't he acting up? Why isn't he calling for guards?" Regina thought as she swiftly moved her head in Duncan's direction.

The same man who was standing beside her all the time, the man in front of her was talking bullshit.

"Why isn't he taking..." Regina felt her consious fading as she was thinking for herself. She looked at both the men around her as the view got blurred and her balance tipped off.

"Who is he, your majesty?" She asked looking at Duncan.

Duncan stood there, his expressions were that of a person who knows full well what is and will be happening. There was a room on fire in the palace, a body reported of someone who clearly got murdered and now a weird man was talking nothing but absurd things in front of the king.

"I am sorry Lady Rachel. But you must forget what has happened here. That will only be beneficial for you." Duncan said in an apologetic tone.

"And I am sorry, I can't answer your questions." Duncan said as Regina finally lost her balance and fell down.

She could feel her head getting heavy, her vision getting blurred, the words Duncan said were also coming to her as if it was some kind of cursed echo. She felt that she was melting, her ears were ringing.

She bit her tongue, but of no use. She could taste the blood in her mouth now. Someone held her in their hands, but she couldn't open her eyes.

"It was that damned lunch, wasn't it?" Regina thought to herself as she decided to finally give in to the effects of the drugs. She was unconscious in no time.

"Tsk. Tsk. That was bad." Desmond shook his head as he saw the woman, now unconscious in Duncan's hands.

"Will you shutup Desmond?" Duncan said as a little frown appeared on his forehead. "Eyy, don't blame me. To drug her food was your idea, I just played along." Desmond said in a calm tone.

Duncan looked at him with a furious anger brimming in his eyes. Desmond looked down at Duncan.

"This is your problem Duncan." Desmond said, "You think that just because we play this little games we are friends now." He chuckled.

"And that's where you are wrong Duncan, I play with you for fun. You are just my plaything. So what if you are a king?" Desmond shrugged his shoulders.

"Your mother is with me, father trusts me, my mother is the empress and more importantly I will become a king as soon as you die." Desmond looks in Duncan's angry eyes.

Duncan, quite. It was as if he wanted to scream and yell but something was holding him back. His heart was wrapped in a chain and his throat was dry. He wanted to kill the man in front of him, but he couldn't.

"Know your place Duncan, know your place." Desmond said as he tapped on Duncan's shoulders and walked away from the room and Duncan.

"Aaa, also, your queen will be mine once you die. So enjoy your days until life is smiling and blessing you." Desmond said pointing out at Regina who was now just unconscious and defenseless woman , Duncan was holding in his arms.

He walked away, Duncan couldn't speak anything till the last moment, till when Desmond left.

"That bastard." Duncan only mumbled as Desmond left.

Sometime had already passed, and Regina found herself on a soft and comfortable place.

"A bed?" She thought as her hands felt the soft balnket that was on her body and she slowly regained her consciousness.

"Where am I?" She thought as she couldn't help but regain her consciousness slowly. She tried waking up swiftly but that was of no use.

She felt pain inside her head. A splitting pain that made her feel she could die any moment. He throat was also crumbling and twisting togther. It wasn't peaceful, she was feeling pain she hadn't felt for sometime now.

"Aaah. Why is it so tough? Why is it aching so much?" Regina thought as she slowly pulled up her body to sit up straight.

She was struggling to even open her eyes completely, she pressed her head from one side.

"It is not real pain." A voice came to her. Desolate and cold. Unfortunately she recognized that voice.

She looked around trying to make out where it was coming from. She had been in this room before. She knew this place, she had been there only last night and she was there yet again.

"It isn't real pain. Stop struggling." The voice said once again.