Mina wore the head covering and veil suggested by Indira. Her dress was the green one she had worn on her first day at Egon's home. It didn't leave much room for the retrieval of the dagger, but it was enough. They planned to go in through the garden entrance that she used to visit her castle. First, they had to cut through the woods to find the back entrance to the maze.
She led the way on this first task, being the one most familiar with the area. She'd spent plenty of time in the woods hunting with her father and brothers growing up, so once they hit the royal woods, she knew where she was going. It helped that the royal trails were so clearly marked so that hunters who got turned around in the woods knew not to continue into the royal woods.
The hike took a lot longer than it had on horseback when she was younger. She was rightfully tired by the time they reached the maze entrance, which was currently unguarded. They slipped inside quickly to avoid being seen. She hadn't done the whole maze in a while and made a few wrong turns, but it wasn't long before they were approaching the front entrance in the royal garden.
"I don't see anyone," she said breathlessly, having run back from the entrance to where she had left her companions out of sight. It was less of a risk if she got caught because, technically, she was supposed to be there. If worse came to worst, she had given both men explicit instructions for how to get through the secret door and through the secret tunnel to the hall outside the throne room.
Both men followed her to the entrance, and she had one more peek around before leading them out into the open. They kept low through the garden, using the bushes and trees as cover from the guards that patrolled the wall overhead. She pressed the button on the secret entrance, and it popped open, a wooden door with a stone facade that stuck halfway open so you had to squeeze through. Poor Egon barely made it.
The passageway was predictably quiet. There weren't many people aside from her and Aurelius who even knew it existed. He had been shown it while their mother was still alive. She liked to play hide and seek with her father and the boys. Aurelius was younger and not as good at hiding as Eldon, and she wanted to give him an edge. He never lost a game of hide and seek again. After their mother died, he'd made it his mission to find and memorize every secret passage in the palace,
When they reached the exit into the hallway, they paused and waited, listening. If their timing was right, Eldon would be walking by with a few guards to go to the throne room. If they were wrong, they'd miss him altogether. It was an uncomfortably long silence. Then, on time, they heard footsteps approaching the entrance and muffled voices.
"...and I don't want to be interrupted for anything," Eldon ordered. "If what happened yesterday…"
She waited until their noises were well and truly gone before peeking out from behind the tapestry. The hall was empty. Now they just had to deal with the guards. She should be able to handle them easily. She removed her veil and headscarf before turning to Evander to allow him to pull the dagger from her breast. She didn't want to be caught unarmed when the time came. She pulled the collar of her dress down to expose her breastbone. For what was hopefully the last time, Evander reached out and pressed his hand into her chest. Everything was warm and buzzy as he reached in and grasped the dagger. Then, as quickly as he went in, he pulled it out. They both managed to maintain their composure throughout.
"When we've won this, we're all fucking in this tunnel, right?" Egon whispered crassly into the dimly lit darkness. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Let's get this done." She walked out from behind the tapestry, both men getting in tow behind her, and walked as regally and gracefully as she could towards the entrance of the throne room. The two guards who had been talking to her brother were stationed outside the main entrance. She walked up to the door like she was going to go straight past them into the throne room, but they blocked her way.
"No one can bother the…" The guard stopped as he met her face. "My queen. I'm sorry, but the prince has asked not to be disturbed."
"You don't think he'd want to know that his missing sister has returned?" She asked dryly. "Get out of my way. Now."
"I'm sorry, but he really insisted." The other guard stated, more firmly. Great, they got the dopiest guards.
"I'm the queen. That's my throne and my throne room. What do you think happens to you if you don't let me in?" She was trying to remain even and hushed so that the commotion wouldn't draw the attention of her brother.
"We're more concerned with what he's going to do if we do let you in, my queen."
"Have you ever been to the prison. Because I can arrange that." She threatened. That got the look of fear she was hoping for. They nodded and both stepped to the side so they could enter. She swung the doors open dramatically and waltzed in to see her brother sitting comfortably on her throne.
"Sister." He said with much surprise. "It's so good to have you back. Are you well?" His tone wasn't one of someone concerned for her, but that was unsurprising.
"Let's cut the crap. We both know why I'm here." She snapped at him.
"I assume to reclaim your throne. You're more than welcome to it." He stood and stepped to the side. She approached, suspicious.
"We both know it's more than that," She looked him in the eyes as she spoke. "It's you."
"What's me?" He asked. She was about to step forward and slap him when the throneroom doors opened again behind her.
There stood Aurelius.