House Of Madness

Chapter 24 Looking Glass

Nik hated his new life.
He had spent his whole life trying to avoid one thing; becoming king.
The very thing he was now.
Yet, he hadn't hesitated when it came to Alice.
She was in danger because of his bastard brother and he had acted in the only fast acting way he could think of to save her.
He had murdered Morris and his parents to keep her safe.
Nik loved Alice, he always had.
Which was he how killing his parents wasn't a mistake.
The fact of the matter was; if he was in the same position he would have killed his parents to save Alice.
He would always save Alice.

Alice was rotting in her cell as usual.
She knew Victor was dead or at least gone for now and that was good enough for her.
Ari hadn't shared the fact Victor was dead and that Finn had fled.
He was too ashamed.
He also hadn't shared that Nik was now king; he should of.
He definitely should of.

On Nik's second day of being the king his first act was to free Alice with a pardon.
He would of done it yesterday but he had to go though the lengthy process of changing laws.
He changed the law so she could be given a full pardon without having to do a trial.
Not to mention his mother's team were all backstabbing horrors to work with.
Nik needed to find a way to bring in fae who he could at least learn to trust instead of the vicious fae that worked in the palace and or for the throne.
He needed to find a way to get rid of them and the sooner the better.

Alice hadn't seen Ari in a few days.
It worried her greatly, so much so she had assumed the worst.
"Alice Rose Hopkins", congratulations! You have received a pardon for your crime.
Alice wanted to ask what her, 'crime', was.
The pocket watch had been destroyed for years. She should have been out of the House Of Madness the second that stupid compass broke and she got her memories back.
Instead her eyes moved from the fae man she had never seen before and to Nik.
Nik looked different but with the same cold look in his slate grey eyes.
"You will be living in the palace.
We still have our deal.
Since your existence doesn't have to be a secret
the terms of our existing bargain will change."
"I disrespectfully decline your offer to change the terms to our bargain.
One day with you every year is already too much."
Alice could feel Nik's cold anger radiating off of him but unlike Ari his anger fuelled him.
"I find it amusing that you think I was asking. You are seventeen, you have less than a year until your trial.
Agree to be my spy and liar everyday for the next two years and I'll dismiss your trial."
"Wasn't I just pardoned?"
"Yes, but I can always retract it", Nik couldn't do it now but changing a law only takes a day so he would do it tomorrow.
"I refuse."
Nik didn't hesitate he had prepared for Alice's refusal.
He pulled out one of his guards, or royal something or others heart.
He fell dead to the ground.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
He needed Alice to agree to a new bargain for his own selfish reasons and he would get rid of the narcissistic untrustworthy fae his mother had employed.
"Are you going to change your answer?"
Alice could barely hear him over the four other fae with him.
They were all hysterical, Alice couldn't blame them.
They had just seen one of their peers get their heart literally ripped out.
Two years ago, maybe even one Alice would have jumped to save a life but the fae that worked for the throne were not good fae.
"No", Nik ripped out another one of his employees heart out of his chest.
Alice had been in the House Of Madness almost her entire life.
The voices had taken their toll on her, she felt nothing for the two dead fae on the ground.
Except hate towards Nik, he was the monster.
Not her.
"You might as well kill them all. I don't care, I will never agree."
Nik had to bite his lip from smiling, he had liked this version of Alice a little too much.
"Very well", the poor guards were all dead before they could ask 'why?'
"Last chance, love. Agree to my bargain."
Alice had won, he had nothing to hold over her head.
She knew for whatever reason he wouldn't threaten Ari again.
She had been right, Nik had regretted threatening to kill Ari all those years ago.
Nik grabbed a set of keys, Alice watched in horror as he came back in front of her with a prisoner.
"It's estimated there are fifty prisoners in the House Of Madness. How many do I have to kill until you cooperate?"
Alice couldn't believed she kissed him.
He was a psychopath.
"No comment?"
Alice couldn't speak because she knew Nik would kill every fae in this mental prison to have her agree.
"Fine", Nik said as he snapped her neck.
An old fae prisoner dropped to the floor.
She was old which meant she had to have been one of Victor's pets.
That wasn't the only thing that gave it away, she died with a smile on her face.
Finally free from the House Of Madness after however long she served.
Alice wanted to know the woman's name, even though she was most definite an old looney.
"This one", Alice saw a little Nik with a little fae boy who couldn't have been older than seven.
A child.
He was just a child like she had once been.
Nik was going to kill him.
"No!" Alice screamed.
"You know what to do, agree to my bargain."
Alice needed to she opened her mouth ready to save the little fae boy but know words came out.
Nik didn't like that and he proved it by snapping the boy's neck.
Alice fell to her knees, the boy's death had broke her.
How many until he stopped?
There was an endless supply of fae, his citizens.
He would kill them all, regardless of age just to prove a point to Alice.
She couldn't handle more death, "I agree to your deal.
I pledge my allegiance to the throne, to you for two years."
Alice felt the deal snap into place.
She was now under full protection of the throne.
Instead of only being immune to mind gifts.
In return she had paid a hefty gift, herself.
Alice should of agreed to the deal after the first death but she too, was also selfish.
Nik smiled as he unlocked Alice's cellar door, "this is going to be a fun two years."
Alice didn't think it was possible to disagree with a statement more.
When Alice got out of her cellar the bodies of the two fae prisoners were gone.
"What did you do with them?" Alice whispered, feeling entirely broken.
She wanted to spit on the smile that took over Nik's face.
"Gone."
"What do you mean gone?!" Alice hissed.
There was a second of silence, Nik always took his time while he spoke.
Unlike Ari who would always speak before his brain could register what he was saying.
"They were never real."
Alice wanted to cry than, it had taken everything in her not to because the little boy or the old lady weren't dead.
They weren't dead because they weren't real.
Nik had gone into her mind and made her see what he wanted her to see.
Because of their past deal, only Nik was able to play with her mind.
He had manipulated her in one of the worst ways possible.
"Theses?" Alice said gesturing to the dead guards around them.
"Actually dead."
Nik needed to get rid of royal staff, and replace them with staff he didn't necessarily need to learn to trust.
Instead a staff that was obedient and one he could manipulate at will.
The current staff just wasn't cutting it.
"I hate you."
Nik's smiled, "I know."