Prologue

"Father! Father! Look!"

With her soft tiny hands, bright little Sereughe carefully held her first-ever magnum opus. Her sculpture, a mini sunflower, juggled up and down as she ran at full speed. Her chest puffed out and her chin held up as if she did not suffer about twenty times of repetition to perfect her work that she made out of the clay scraps discarded by her father.

Her father turned his head towards her. She stood on her toes, pushing the sunflower to his face. Her look was expecting great. Her father heaved a sigh and showed her the proud smile she wanted.

"You certainly took after me. Good job, Sereughe." Sereughe giggled and her father patted her head. "Look, why don't you go and play first? Father still has to finish this."

Sereughe took notice of the statue towering over her. Compared to her sunflower, it was gigantic, probably twice the height of her father. Sereughe hitched her breath at its beauty.

It was a woman, her wavy hair cascading along her back up to her feet. She was covered in a veil extending up to half the circumference of the marble platform it had been stuck on. Her voluptuous body was in show, after all, the veil was all that she had. Her hands were clasped, holding a bouquet of drooping sunflowers just above her stomach.

"Who is she, Father?" Sereughe extended her hands, reaching for her legs.

"NO!"

Her hand was met with a slap so powerful she was taken down to the ground. Her father did not lend her a hand and shot her eyes of daggers, it pierced her fragile soul. She feared him.

"DO NOT... EVER... TOUCH IT." Her father pointed at her firmly. "Your life is not even enough compensation if you ruin it!"

'I must have almost ruined Father's work,' Sereughe thought.

She stomped her hands on the soil and pushed herself up. Her eyes caught her sunflower, and the petals had been split in half. But then again, in her mind, it was her fault.

Her father heeded no more of his attention to her and busied himself with the statue. Sereughe wandered out and about the place, staring at the flowers most of the time and occasionally, having a fight with bees. Over time, her legs grew weary and gave up, leaving her lying on the grass flat out.

"Found you."

A man, covered in silver armor from head to toe, stared down at her.

"Hello, Mr. Warrior. How can I help you?" Sereughe inquired.

Mr. Warrior pulled her up by her arms and then threw her down on his shoulder like a sack of rice.

"Naughty child. Do you really think you can just leave and wander around the palace? Never cause trouble for me again," Mr. Warrior remarked.

Sereughe was utterly confused. Yet, she did not feel any sort of nervousness. It was Mr. Warrior— a protector of the country that she is proud of!

Sereughe took a ride through the palace halls at his shoulder. They stopped in front of a big wooden door. Three knocks and the doors opened, revealing a grandiose ballroom. There stood numerous girls, looking like dolls in their pretty little dresses. While Sereughe's eyes sparkled, half of the girls wore a judging expression.

"Enjoy yourself, kid."

Mr. Warrior closed the doors. She was eager to follow, but two more warriors stood beside the doors inside the room, leaving her no choice but to stay.

"Hey, peasant! Are you seriously joining us?"

Sereughe gulped at the sight of a girl in a red dress, towering over her with her fists on her hips.

"N-No. I was just strolling around." Sereughe coughed.

The girl scoffed. She turned around, flipping her skirt as she went that it almost struck Sereughe's eye. Sereughe kept her distance from the other girls, squeezing herself between the two warriors. There, she felt safer.

" Her Queen the Majesty has arrived. All hail the Queen!"

The doors from the other side of the room opened, revealing a majestic figure.

"All hail the Queen!"

The other girls bowed down and Sereughe copied them in pressure. She cannot be caught being disrespectful!

"Rise, my children."

Sereughe's eyes darted to the majestic figure. Everything about her, from the cape to the jewels, spoke royalty. And her crown spoke volumes of her standing.

"Bright, beautiful little girls, today, I present you a chance to serve the royalty. All of you." She smiled.

A cacophony of indistinct chatter rose among the girls.

"But your Majesty, I thought this was supposed to be a selection of your ladies-in-waiting," the girl from earlier spoke.

The queen chuckled. Then, it turned into a joyous laugh to a sinister one. There was nothing remarkably funny about what the girl inquired. Her laugh was making Sereughe and everyone uncomfortable.

"I don't need ladies-in-waiting, dear. I can stand on my own." The Queen walked to the girl. "What I need is your blood."

A horrific scene instantly unfolded. The Queen transformed from a majestic human to a monstrous snake. Her tongue hissed in hunger and her body slithered, wrapping the girl around her slender body and devouring her. Bits of humongous blood dripped on the floor, making those who witnessed it scream.

The kids ran in all directions but the venomous snake was faster. The warrior remained in their positions, unfazed by the threat that loomed inside the four walls of the room.

"Mr. Warriors! The queen is a monster! Please, let me out!" Sereughe pleaded.

The two warriors did not even look at her.

One by one, the children vanished into the snake's stomach. Sereughe silently cried, afraid that any noise would attract the monster. She wrapped her arms around one of the warriors' legs as if that would protect her from being eaten. She hid her face behind his thigh. As if a miracle happened, the warriors looked at each other in agreement.

"Go."

Sereughe looked up to the warrior she was hugging, barely hearing what he said. Then, the other warrior spoke.

"Be quiet, while the queen is still busy with the others. Don't tell anyone. Just run."

Then, the doors opened slightly, just enough for her to fit. Sereughe wiped her tears and ran outside. She wanted to thank the two warriors but the doors closed immediately.

Outside, the palace halls were empty. Surprisingly, there was no one. Sereughe went here and there, trying to make her way back to the garden. However, the palace had too many turns.

Her whole body was drained of energy. Not long after, her runs turned into unstable walks. Her eyes saw a blur, and then darkness prevailed.