Phillip, Juliet and Ian sat in the bedroom for a while until Ian’s stomach growled. Ian apologized and quickly left the room to get a maid, who would bring them some food.

When the food arrived, so did the King and Queen. Barging into Ian’s room demanding what kind of nonsense he made today. 

“You are a disgrace to this family!!” The King shouted, “Disgrace to this kingdom!”

Ian stood behind Phillip, feeling safer closer to Phillip. Juliet stood beside Ian, giving an extra feeling of being safe and secure. 

The King shouted all of this towards Ian but it was shouted in Phillip’s face, who didn’t give a shit about anything and whose mind was elsewhere.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Ian argued, “There are lying and filthy contestants in the mix out there! I was trying to do my part for the kingdom!”

“Your part for the kingdom?! Your part in the kingdom would be taking your diseased ass out of my land and never returning!”

“Father!!”

“I am not your father and you are not my son!” 

The King stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Leaving the Queen in the room, staring at Phillip who had come back.

Phillip ignored the Queen and turned around to Ian, who started to cry. Phillip opened his arms and Ian immediately went in for the hug, needing and longing for comfort. He cried into Phillip’s shoulder. Juliet rubbing Ian’s legs, purring slightly. 

Phillip rubbed Ian’s back, whispering ‘you’re going to be okay,’ and ‘I am here along with our friends.’ Phillip also mentioned Silas by name which caught the Queen’s attention. 

“Who is Silas?” 

“He is not one of your concerns.” Phillip answered, “Shouldn’t you go and dout around your husband?”

“I want to know who this Silas is and what Ian has done today.” The Queen answered.

“He met some new friends and people who support him for who he is and care about him. Unlike you and your husband. You called yourselves parents but no parent who loved their child would abandon them or cause this much pain.” Phillip informed her. 

“I wasn’t the one-

Phillip let go of Ian and went straight up to the Queen, grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling her down to his level. She stumbled a step forward but got balance on her heels. 

Ian gasped slightly behind him, shocked that he was aggressive towards a person of higher power.

“You weren’t the one who called him all these names or disowned him, sure!” Phillip yelled, “But you also did nothing about it! You stood there like a complete utter imbecile, utterly useless. You aren’t a mother nor a Queen. You are a statue who holds no emotions or status. You are nothing.”

Phillip shoved the Queen a little, not enough to make her fall but enough to make her step back. They stared at one another. 

“Phillip?” Ian whispered.

“Yes.” Phillip answered, turning his attention back to him. 

“It’s ok, she didn’t know but she wants to know now. Right moth-my Queen?” Ian corrected himself. 

There was a look of hurt on the Queen’s face, no longer being called mother by her son. 

“Yes that is correct, I want to know about the lying contestants. As much as your King denies you, he wouldn’t want someone who isn’t trustworthy on the throne.” The Queen answered. 

“There were two guys who came up to Silas and I, they started to make some trouble with us and were close to fighting us. Thankfully Phillip came and stopped them, putting them in their places.”

“They were easily agitated and quick with their fists.” Phillip added.

“Not good qualities of a King, who needs to be patient and listen to the people.” Ian commented. 

“I’ll see to it that they are removed from the competition. We can not let the contestants think they are the ones running things around, or chaos will pursue.” The Queen said, turning and leaving the room. 

“This Silas boy? Do you like him?” She asked.

“Yes I do.” Ian admitted, letting his head drop down.

“I do wish to meet him one day.”

The Queen left after, quietly shutting the door behind her. Leaving everyone dumbfounded. Phillip looked over at Ian, surprised. Ian was shocked, slowly a smile showed on his face and a few tears. 

He started to cry again, but Phillip knew they were happy tears. Phillip gave Ian another hug but a shorter one, letting him collect himself before they started to eat their dinner. 

Today wasn’t great but it wasn’t all that bad either. Phillip didn’t know the Queen and hadn’t expected her to start caring about Ian again. Things have been changing and maybe she has had a change of heart. Although in the book she never denied Ian nor accepted him, she also just stood by and did nothing. So Phillip just assumed that she didn’t care either. 

When the night became darker and they slowly started to fall asleep, Ian offered Phillip a room to stay in but he refused. He didn’t want to impose on anyone and didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be staying in the castle where no one likes him.

Ian agreed with him except for the part about no one liking him. Ian walked more confidently around the castle as he felt better escorting Phillip out even if it was just to the hidden door. They said their goodnights and Phillip disappeared down into the tunnel. 

Lighting the way with his palm, Juliett didn’t make any comments or teased him. Was more focused on the grimness of the tunnel and not wanting to step in anything disgusting. This left Phillip to himself again thinking back on the original story. 

The new witch only appeared seeing as the King wanted Ian ‘fixed’ but also Phillip showed up and started supporting Ian. Witches in this place don’t associate with one another so Phillip dismissed the idea. There could be another big bad that he doesn’t know about. Maybe an assassin or a love triangle, an actual sickness that comes to kill all of them. 

“Juliett?”

“What is it?”

“Can I die?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course you can die, you’re a living being after all.”

“Yeah but what would happen? Do I go back home or am I dead, dead?”

Juliett didn’t answer, telling Phillip that she didn’t know either. He hoped that she would know, she seems to know more than he does. 

“Will I ever be able to go back home?” Phillip whispered. 

They had made it out of the tunnel, walking through the woods back to the village; where Alexzander and Adaline are. 

“Phillip?”

He didn’t answer, just stared aimlessly at the ground in front of him. Worry and anxiety started to bubble inside of him as the reality of returning home set in. Tears started rolling down his cheeks, his breathing became quicker and he started to shiver. 

The flame in his hand grew big before sizzling out, leaving both of them in the darkness. Only slight light from the moon above, just enough light to see the surrounding woods in front of them. 

Phillip threw his hood over his head and wrapped himself in his cloak, clutching it to himself. 

“Phillip? Phillip! Come here, sit down.”

Juliett took the bottom of the cloak in her mouth; leading Phillip over to a tree. He knelt down, resting against it. Pulling his knees to his chest, sobbing. 

“Try getting your breathing even. I don’t want you to faint, in and out slowly.”

Phillip tried his best to slow his breath, but the shivering kept his breath up. He kept looking down at his shaking hands and it started over again. 

Juliett moved herself into Phillip, forcing him to open up. He hugged her immediately, pulling her closer. 

“We can leave. You don’t have to stay here. You can leave and try to get back home. You don’t have to help them or change anything.”

“But-but I-I have too.” 

“No you don’t. No one is forcing you to do anything. These are characters, they aren’t real. Phillip, they’ve never been real.”

“I just want a happy ending.”

“You want a happy ending, but it’s not their ending. This ending is already set in stone, you can’t change that.”

“I can! I-I… It’s changing already. I can change the ending.”

“You can’t change the past, Phillip. It’s already happened, you need to move forward.”

“Moving forward is changing the ending. I will change the ending.”
“Even if it puts a toll on you? Even if you can’t leave with a different ending? Phillip, you don’t belong here and you know that. What if keeping it the same was the only way to leave?”

“I don’t know Juliett, okay! I don’t know. I’ve already done too much to bring the story back. Things have already changed and are changing so you have to accept that this is how it’s going to go.”

Phillip got up, wiping the remaining tear stains away. Straightening himself out and taking a deep breath. 

“I have an opportunity to give them a happy ending and I am going to give it to them.”

Phillip set off, leaving Juliett by herself. 

“It’s your denial, Phillip.”