Narrow retreat

"come to me," the queen uttered with a wrathful smile on her face, ten spiritless servants rushed to her presence embracing her throne her finger slid against their shoulders and faces while she considered which to feed on. A founder bolted in through the door of her throne room the separatists are captured they hid down in the tunnels he reported. "bring them to me at once," she commanded with boredom. Outside The rich palace stood the separatists in chains in a single file line, few shared looks of rage and fear. Others look entirely broken "Don't worry we will find who sold us out, and soon we will have our freedom," Yeongjun shouted. Some of them began to sob afraid of what atrocities awaits for them in the palace. A few guards escorted them, and they approached Twelve skinny, round towers surrounding the castle in almost a perfect circle around this incredible palace that is connected by high, massive walls made of white stone. Dull windows are scattered thinly across the walls in a seemingly random pattern, along with symmetric holes for archers and artillery.

The men guarding the tall doors leading to the throne room, their eyes examined the Slender braziers encircling each of the ten basalt columns that light up the lower levels of the throne hall and engulf the throne hall in a brilliant glimmer. The angelic paintings on the bowed ceiling dance in the flickering light while carved images and sculptures look down upon the granite floor of this magnificent hall. Yeongjun jolted bumping into the person in front of her from the sudden halt in the line. The queen stood up approaching the opposing fraction wanting more to kill them all but finally came to a conclusion. "Deliver them to the hunting grounds," she commanded with a smile on her face they walked down a hall filled with sculptures on the ceiling they met another beautifully designed door leading to the courtyard. The guards blindfolded all of the prisoners and unlocked the chains off Their ankles but left the tight chains on the wrists. you have twenty seconds to reach the other side of the palace grounds if you want to survive. When you hear the drumming the race starts Yeongjun trembled in anticipation waiting for the sound of the drumming to begin. Before any of the panic-stricken separatists knew it was time to fight for the freedoms of their calamitous life that will soon be taken by the queen. The suddenness of reality remained in their minds. Gnawing at their will to live anymore the queen pulled an arrow from her quiver she took delight and pride trying to shoot them down. After shooting twelve of them she decided to go after the rest on foot. Yeongjun heard a shrill cry for help giving her the cue to run faster she approached a wooden bridge alongside another person he shoved his way passed her not knowing she was there. She lost her footing and fell into a deep pond. Yeongjun kicked reaching the top and used her forearm to lift herself onto the cobblestone path. Yeongjun shuddered to feel the brisk night air blow against her, her sleek glistening hair clung together around her face and her heavy soaked clothes. Yeongjun was ready to give up when she heard the laugh erupt in the still night. She suddenly felt her blindfold sink down to her neck and tighten. Her eyes immediately fell upon the Queen's appearance. Her dress leaves her shoulders uncovered, and around her neck and it flows down into a simple square neckline. It's a snug fit which gives the dress a graceful and befitting for her subtle frame. "So you are their leader's daughter. I never thought it would turn out like this, so much for a legacy huh," she teased, "let my people go," Yeongjun demanded. "Tell me where your people inhabit outside my walls then I'll let you go," the queen agreed. Yeongjun eyes wondered while she came up with an ultimatum. "as long as I'm alive no one will try to escape," Yeongjun assured. The queen began to emit power from her hand, tightening the cloth around her neck "I don't think you understand, no one will escape from my walls regardless if you are dead or alive," Yeongjun's hands flung to her stinging neck. "I meant that there will be no more attempts, I promise, just provide me with access to my father," she croaked. "if you forsake your life as a separatist and appear as my bride not only will you know what you really want in this life. But I'll let your people go," she whispered tickling her ear, "I can't," Yeongjun cried. "Just betray them," the Queen coaxed her words with insincerity, in Yeongjun's mind she wasn't betraying them but saving them from the queen's infliction she had planned. Yeongjun face was written with bitterness from the qualm the queen instilled inside her mind and the many treasures of charm, they were nothing but tales that were meaningless to her until now. She hated it, her reason to survive, and life is now erased and manifesting in the form of revenge before she made a quick affirm to not let it ruin her. The queen climbed onto her horse, and Yeongjun mounted after her. "Hold onto me," the queen suggested Yeongjun wrapped her arms around her stomach the queen whipped the horse making it neigh. Their bodies did a slight shake from the thumps in the horses traipsing toward the other side of the palace grounds. Yeongjun felt great guilt within herself, her mouth grew dry so she swallowed but felt a lump in her throat as she stared at the few remaining survivors of the queen's act of displeasure for the separatist. Yeongjun followed her to the throne room the queen then announced her marriage, many shared looks of interest and happiness for the event. Yeongjun held in her will to cry, "Hush, it will be over soon," the queen whispered to her before she got escorted away.