Death

"I don’t know if there is something, inside the lock." She whined, with sweat forming on her forehead as she continued to move her hand, trying to unlock it.

Lucinda was getting frightened. As she saw the king and Apedes heading their way.  They were coming with great speed and had soldiers beside them. Lucinda grasped Ralph's hand.

"Look." She said and he looked at where she was looking and opened his eyes wide as he saw Apedes and the king heading their way.

"We are doomed." He said, and Kiros sniffed the air and turned back. She saw her dad running towards her and her handmaid ran away quickly.

She put the hairpin on her back and smiled nervously.  The king walked closer to her and gave her a resounding slap across the cheek. She fell to the floor quickly. The slap was like lightning. Her face was red as she looked up at her father.

"How dare you try to free my prisoner, Kiros." He scolded, glaring at her.

"They-they are innocent." She stutters. Apedes was smiling behind him.

"So I don’t know what I am doing!!" he yelled, and she stood up and looked at him, then turned to Apedes.

"Dad, he is lying. These creatures are not a threat to us, but Apedes, considering that he is not like us." She said, pointing at his leg.

"Kiros, I understand what you are doing, you are trying to make me consider these new creatures, Apedes is my most trusted adviser. I trust him more than other centaurs." He stated and Apedes stuck out his tongue at her.

"Now go to your room!!" he added.

"But dad." He cut in.

"I don’t want to hear anything from you. go!!" He snapped and she looked back at Lucinda and Ralph and walked away.

The king walked to the dungeon.

"Don’t think you are going to use my daughter to escape because she is so innocent and pure." He stated, glaring at Ralph. Ralph smirked and locked eyes with him.

"I just don’t understand you people, we are a threat to your people. Can’t you just let us go back to our home?" He asked, and the king glared at him.

"We know what you people are trying to do, so be prepared to die tomorrow."  Apedes said, walking away with the king and the two soldiers who were standing on the side of the gate guiding Lucinda and Ralph make sure the gate was locked.

"Fuck!! I can’t believe we are still in this place." Ralph lamented kicking a skull on the floor. Lucinda rested on the wall.

"So what should we do now?" she asked.

"There is no hope for us, let’s just say our last goodbye." He said and pulled her into a hug. Lucinda pulled away from the hug immediately.

"So you want to give up just like that?" she asked bluntly.

"What other choice do we have, we will have to die in this strange world." He muttered.