I could feel my blood hammer through my body, causing my head to throb like nobody’s business. My entire body felt heavy and uncooperative, which made it ten times more difficult to try and figure out where the coin led me to now. 

My clothes were covered in mud from the rough landing and the cheopji fell out of my hair, causing the braid to fall out as well and I was sweaty so my hair was stuck to my face, making it hard to see.

I sat up and looked around. I was laying under a tall, thick tree with leaves falling down around me. The sun was down and the moon had taken its place, claiming the sky as its own. Everything was quiet except a low murmur of voices.

Despite my shaky, wobbly legs that made me look like a new born deer, I stood and started to make my way to the people so I could figure out where I was. However, once I was out from under the tree, everything became familiar: I was just outside the queen’s quarters. Everything was the same, except there were no servants waiting outside and no soldiers guarding the doors. I looked to my right and saw Lady Choi hastily speaking to an older man dressed in red.

Although it was Lady Choi, who I’ve come to know quite well, I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of approaching her. Something just felt . . . wrong. The way her face was so stern and the way her voice was low and urgent made me somewhat frightened.

I quickly scuttled across the grass to hide behind the steps leading to the queen's room so they wouldn't see me.

Lady Choi looked into the man’s eyes and he began to smile, except I’m not sure if I could call it a smile. It was more like a sinister smirk or a malicious grin. Whatever it was, it made me bolt up the steps and quietly run into the queen’s room.

The room was empty and dark, making the hair on my arms stand up. Everything about the night felt eerie. Even the way the crickets chirped and the wind blew the leaves off the trees seemed wrong to me.

I stood in the middle of the room with my heart pounding against my rib cage, my limbs becoming more and more stiff.

All of a sudden I heard the rustling of fabric and a woman came bustling out from behind the foldable curtain standing in front of the back wall. She looked up and saw me, covering to hold back her scream.

Looking at her was like looking in a mirror. Because it was the queen. I was staring at the queen. Somehow, for some sort of reason, the coin led me to the real queen.

Although I had seen her in pictures, looking at her in person was more than simply seeing a live version of my reflection. She had a different energy than I did. Her presence oozed sophistication and refinement. I could finally see how she stood with her back straight and her chin held high, showing her clear skin and her permanently modest smile. She actually looked like a queen, whereas I was simply a girl dressed like one. 

Queen Chunja blinked back the tears in her eyes and lurched forward, grabbing my wrist and guiding me behind the curtain. We entered a small room that looked just like the one the king snuck me in when his grandmother came to talk to him.

“You have to get out of here,” she whispered, an urgency in her tone that I had never heard before. Her voice was shaky and weak, and although I had never talked to her before, I felt like her voice wasn’t usually in that state.  

“Are you okay, Your Highness?” My face began to mimic hers, eyebrows pulling together and my frown deepening.

“You must leave, it’s not safe.” Her voice cracked and she pulled out the same pouch I had found in her room earlier. “Take this.” She shook the coin into her palm and placed it in my hand, folding my fingers over the metal. “Don’t let anyone take it.”

Does she know this coin causes time travel?

I refused to hold it, giving it back to her. “No, you take it. If you rub it, you should—”

She put it back in my hand, holding my fingers over the coin tightly so I couldn’t let go of it. “No. It doesn’t work on me anymore.”

Anymore? She traveled with it before? Does she know who I am? Did she send me here?

What is going on?

“But Your Highness—”

A loud thump was heard outside the room and the queen’s eyes widened, the tears forming once again, but before she could blink them away, they fell over and down her cheeks. She looked back at me and whispered, “Don’t trust your servants and don’t trust the council.”

“But how do you—?”

We could hear the door slam open and something heavy and metal scraping across the floor. Someone cleared their throat and the queen shut her eyes tight, holding her breath.

I took the opportunity to speak. “You know what the coin does?”

She opened her eyes to look at me. “I’ve been escaping my fate for too long. I can’t do it anymore.”

“What does that—?”

“Tell the king I’m sorry,” she said through her tears. “And tell Yu Seongwon that I love him.”

Her words were too much. They were too much like a goodbye and I didn’t want to listen. I wanted to give her the coin and tell her it was going to be all right and that she had nothing to be afraid of, but every single word of comfort I wanted to give her would be a lie.

The pain and sadness and regret in her eyes were so prominent that I had to look away. I couldn’t bear to see so much anguish in one person’s soul.

“What’s going to happen?” I pushed, my vision becoming blurry from my own tears.

Our hands were shaking together and I could feel the coin in my palm like the bud of a flame: unmistakably hot and unavoidably obvious.

“You’re going to get out of here,” she said, her voice stronger than it was before. “You’re going to be all right.”

“But what about you?” My tears fell uncontrollably.

A loud crash made us jump. It sounded like they were knocking her things over. As if they were looking for her.

“Fate is fate,” she whispered.

I opened my mouth to say something, but she spoke over me. “Remember: don’t trust your servants and don’t trust the council. Don’t forget to tell the king and Seongwon what I said.”

I shook my head because I knew I had to leave soon. I knew she’d make me leave soon.

“Thank you for coming.” She gave me a weak, pained smile and opened my hand, grabbing the coin. She began to rub the side with the red stripe with her thumb and then quickly placed it back in my palm. “Don’t forget what I said. Promise me you won’t forget.”

I felt light headed and my limbs became heavy once more. “I promise.”

The small door was yanked open by a man in all black. He sneered down at the real queen, who pushed me behind her so the man couldn’t see me.

She shouted something at him before everything went black. Again.

Another update!! Quicker than I thought I'd have it out tbh

ANOTHER THANKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO SUBSCRIBE, READ, UPVOTE, AND COMMENT PLEASE KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU'RE ALL AMAZING. I LOVE ALL OF YOU /throws love/

I will update soon ^^