Chaos.         

That was the only way you could describe the state of the castle. Complete and utter chaos. Word had already gotten out about the attack, and by the time the princes, the girls, and what was left of the guards returned with an unconscious Nina and a terribly injured Eli, things went from bad to worse.

Thousands of guards circled every entrance of the castle, embracing themselves for another attack, while just as many accompanied the king to the council hall to discuss a retaliation plan. The queen, just like the girls, was in shock, but unlike them, she was quick to snap out of it, ordering the maids to take Eli to his room and the other princes to rest.

“I’ll take Nina to her room as well.” Dongho said, barely audible amidst all the shouting that was undergoing.

“We’ll come with you.” Haerin said, in her matter-of-fact tone.

“Dongho will take good care of her, don’t worry. The queen interrupted. You girls need to come with me. We need to get you checked and cleaned up, and then off to bed.”

There was no point in arguing with the queen, and as concerned as they were about Nina, the girls knew she was in good hand, and they knew there wasn’t much they can do to her in that state, so they obliged.

The night passed with no more life threatening events and the castle seemed to relatively calm down with sunrise. Mei was the first to wake up; mainly because she didn’t sleep well. Flashbacks of the attack kept replaying in her mind and all she could think about was Nina and Eli. They could have died that night, and it all would have been over, for the girls, for their families, for the princes, and most importantly for Neverland. Shaking that terrible thought out of her head, she quickly got dressed and headed for Haerin’s room as it was right next to her.  Opening the door, Mei was not surprised to find her friend wide awake and dressed as well.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Mei asked with a knowing tone.

“Not a single wink all night. How could I sleep after that night we had?” Haerin sounded tired, but she pulled herself together quickly. They have enough to worry about anyway.

“Should we go wake the others? And then we can all go see Nina together.” Mei suggested.

“I doubt any of them slept either.” Haerin said as she headed for the door. “Let’s go.”

5 minutes later, all 6 girls were standing in front of Nina’s room. Haerin was right, none of them were able to sleep, they were all shaken up by the fight, worried about their friend, and concerned about what’s yet to come.

“Do you think Dongho is still here? “ Boram asked before they go in.

“Probably. Let’s find out.” Jiyeon answered as she knocked lightly before opening it.

“Good morning girls.” Dongho’s voice greeted them as they all entered the room, answering Boram’s previous question.

“Good Morning. How is she?” Mei asked, her voice filled with fear and concern.

“She didn’t wake up yet. But her heartbeat is steady , that’s how I knew she was fine. That and her constant blabbering all night. “ Dongho answered her with a faint smile, trying to reassure the girls that there is nothing to worry about.

“That’s good. You can go rest now Dongho, you must be tired. We’ll stay by her side until she wakes up.” Gaein. Suggested.

“That’s okay, I’m not tired.” Was all that the vampire let out as he turned his back to the girls and went back to staring at Nina.

“Alright then. Hearin said as she nudged her friends, signaling for them to leave with her head. We’ll go check on the boys. Come find us if she wakes up.”

Finding the rest of the princes wasn’t so hard. As soon as the girls went down the staircase, they saw them exiting the council hall, followed by some guards and the king. Their faces were unreadable, and the tension was practically tangible. Noticing the absence of Eli, Gyuri’s heartbeat picked up its pace, in fear that the hands