**3rd Person POV**
Irvette had developed a genuine fear of leaving the palace. She had begun to delegate certain things to her younger sisters. So long as it did not require her political presence she would send them there. She was scared of seeing George again especially as she had not decided what to do with the instructions he had given her. He had instructed her to visit Emily and check if the twins were with her. Apparently, he had been to the palace of Hades where he had been certain they were and had not found them there. Thus, he believed it was Emily who had rescued them from their hold in the underworld. If this was the case then George was sending her on a suicide mission.
She was terrified all the time and would jump at the littlest surprise. Elder Thaddeus noticed this and called her aside one day.
“Queen Irvette, is something the matter?” the older man asked. He asked out of concern for her but mostly out of concern for the werewolf clan. If her father was making her do things against her will, it would be a huge problem for them. He had known that when she hinted that the palace be sealed off immaterial bodies, she had been referring to her father. So he was worried. Perhaps, George had found a way to break down the barriers.
“Everything is fine, Elder. Except if you hold reservations about my leadership,” returned Irvette.
“Nothing of the such. In fact, I must commend you. You have brought more progress to your pack than any of your predecessors in such a short time,” replied Elder Thaddeus. He was impressed by the way she handled things and took her job seriously.
“What is your concern, Elder?” but before Elder Thaddeus could answer her question a fly buzzed past them and Irvette's face ashened and her hands began to tremble. Elder Thaddeus did not miss the apparent fear that washed her body.
“Are you alright?” he asked her to which she said nothing. It took a while to recover from her shock but Elder Thaddeus was patient.
“I'm sorry, Elder.”
“Is it George? If he is threatening you, you must let me know,” said Elder Thaddeus. He watched her face for a response. While she said nothing, her face confirmed the Elder's fear.
“Since when?”
“I have everything under control, Elder. I can assure you that you have nothing to be worried about,” Irvette had recovered from her earlier scare and even managed a smile on her face.
****
“That is the evil lady. Aunt Em, she's the one that stole us from mother,” Charlotte, whom Irvette considered to be the evil twin, was pointing at her. The smile on Irvette’s face froze and was replaced with deep hatred. While she stood there frozen, Emily ran towards her with a dagger. She wanted to run or scream but her legs and voice would not do as she wanted.
As the dagger pierced through her bowels, she jumped out of bed with a shout.
She'd had a nightmare.
It was a cool night but she was drowned in her own sweat.
She paced about for a while. It was not unusual for her to wake up from nightmares. This one however felt real. She wondered if it was because she had been invited to Emily’s palace on a friendly visit. The visit terrified her as George had requested that she look for the twins inside the palace. How was she supposed to roam a vast palace like that? If she were caught, she would be in serious trouble and as the Elders were not fond of her, they would not bail her.
She paced some more thinking of what she could do but she could not come up with any solution. The best thing she could think of was to put her house in order and hope for the best.
****
“Queen Irvette, how do you do? It is your first time here, isn't it?” inquired Emily as she walked into her personal study where Irvette was waiting for her. Irvette brightened up and said, “It is and I am blown away by the beauty of your kingdom.”
“Nonsense. If it were not for the unfortunate circumstance that struck, the majesty of your kingdom would surpass mine,” returned Emily. While there was no malice in her voice, she was seething in rage where she sat. The twins had opened up to her about their kidnapping. They had been taken away in their sleep and when they had woken up, they had found themselves tied up in a dark room. Their captor turned out to be a woman. From the description they have of this woman, Emily guessed that they were speaking of Nydia.
It was not until much later that they met their second abductor.
“I have come to show my gratitude. You have been nothing but kind to me and in return, I have brought some Fergunac seeds. They are very good for the skin and they only grow in my pack,” said Irvette.
“I am honoured by your gifts,” returned Emily with a smile. Just then, a little boy walked into the study. Irvette was faced with the unmistakable form of Reginald. So her father's suspicions were true. Emily had the twins and her nightmare was coming to pass.
“Aunt Em, Charlotte would not allow me to play with the pony,” cried the little boy. Irvette however, was frozen to her seat. Just like her dream she had lost function of her legs and her voice.
“Reginald, we have a guest. You must acknowledge her presence, she is a queen like me,” Irvette broke into a cold sweat. This was a trap. Emily knew she had aided in kidnapping the twins.
“Your Majesty,” the boy bowed and looked up at her with a smile. There was no flicker of recognition in his eyes. Irvette wondered if this was a ploy also or if he really did not remember her.