DΛY FӨЦЯ

"It's strong."

Heavy footsteps and rehearsed chants reverberate down dark halls, an old, melancholic tune. The remains of what once was a grand castle stays standing as guards adorned in dark cloaks and metal chest plates filter into a large room; a dining hall of sorts, large throne guarded by a council of men scowling down at the newcomers with hard eyes. Tensions run high as a cold frost creeps over them. Parts of the roof chipped away as if it survived some type of bombing, sunlight casting down over their dark figures and ricocheting off the swords at their sides.

"I felt it three nights ago. From the southern forest. It has awoken."

A chatter breaks out among the guards as a man stands in front of the pack, staring up at the throne, voice shaking. The eyes which bored into him from every angle made him sweat, but he willed himself to stay still. When you're in the North-- there is no weakness.

"It? That can't be possible!-" One of the council members sneers down at the man. He's cut off when another voice chimes in.
"Do you have any proof?"

Silence. The man finds himself unable to speak now, nervousness increasing tenfold. But he didn't need to.

"He does not need any."

Everyone stills. Eyes snap towards the throne when a feminine voice speaks up, her face stoic. She sits with one leg folded over her knee and twirls a dagger between her fingers; looking between the guards which filtered into the room only seconds before, the man standing before them who cowers back in fear, and the council men guarding her. Her dark cloak ruffles as she pulls herself to her feet. The guards kneel instantly. They were scared of her.

"My queen, what do you mean?" One of the men at her side asks tentatively, zipping his lips instantly when she snaps her gaze at him quickly. She narrows her eyes.

"That explosion the hunters heard. I felt a presence. Powerful. It felt like it rippled through us." The queen, Jennie, stares down at her guards as a ball suddenly forms in the back of . She swallows. "They've found their protector."

"That's crazy! How could they have done it so quick-- GHLK!"

The only sound which follows is a heavy thud. The guard standing at Jennies side only moments before now collapses to the floor, body weak as it tumbles down the stairs separating the throne from the rest of the dining hall. The mans head rolls away from his body, the dagger in Jennie's hands only moments before protruding from where his neck would have been. The room grows silent, tension growing thicker. Jennie scowls.

"Let this be a lesson for all of you. Never speak down at me like you are above. You are not."

A silent agreement rings through the room as Jennie scans her eyes over the guards, waiting for anyone to protest, for even a mere peep of sound. She hums.

"We must investigate to be sure. We can not let this stop our plans. It's time."

Step after step Jennie walks down the stairs, away from her throne and over the decapitated body. The guards have yet to rise to their feet, still kneeling. Jennie raises her hands and they stand simultaneously. Her words has them instantly captivated, calculated and offering no room for discussion. But that wasn't what had their blood running cold, no. In one of her raised hands appears particles beginning to form in the shape of a large, slender staff. Her fingers wrap around the hilt firmly as if it was a perfect fit. At the end of the staff appears a green light, an orb wrapped in static fibres. There was no mistaking what this was.

"I will take five of you and we will go. Our plan must commence."

The guards simultaneously gravel the hilts of the swords against the floor so a loud 'thump!' reverberates over the large dining hall, curt millisecond-long shouts leaving their lips. Jennie smirks, her eyes darkening at the instant chain reaction.

"House Eden will reign no longer."

___

"She's a !"

Pacing in front of Jungeun and Olivia I throw my hands in the air, accentuating every word which leaves my lips. My encounter with the princess is the only thing I can think about. Her annoying stoicism, her frustrating indecisiveness-- hell, even her stupid, pretty face!

The three of us were in one of the palace's many training rooms; Jungeun looking over a map strewn across a table while Olivia watches on at me with a quirked eyebrow. Jungeun cracks a snort and shakes her head, meeting my gaze momentarily before she draws her attention back to the map.

"She's our friend, Y/N. That girl might be moody but you do not know her well enough to decide."

"Your friend gives me whiplash! Aish, what is her problem-"

"Give her a break, huh? She is the princess. I can't begin to imagine what type of stress she needs to deal with. Consider that."

As Jungeun rolls her eyes and sends her final quip, I find myself silencing. For a moment I felt hurt. Disregarded. Sure, she was the princess and sure she might be stressed-- but she's not the one who woke up in hell. I couldn't begin to recount the number of times I've almost broke into hysterics since the moment I woke, couldn't begin to recount the number of times I've almost given up and accepted something's so seriously ed up in my head. But I haven't. And I wasn't sure why.

Olivia instantly catches onto what I'm feeling and, despite not being able to read my mind, seems to know what I'm thinking; breaking the tension with a loud whistle as she looks between the two of us.

"Soo is my friend too but you have got to admit she's being a little harsh."

Surprised she defended me I widen my eyes. But before she can say anything else Jungeun turns towards her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Perhaps she is. But I will not listen to this if there is no understanding." A small huff leaves her lips, eyes closing momentarily before they reopen and train on me. "I am sorry for my disregard. But you must understand that she does not have this easy either."

I purse my lips. My pacing stops and my arms lower to rest besides me, taking her words in. She was right. Maybe I was being selfish. I nod my head.

A short silence washes over us before I furrow my eyebrows, a new question raising to the forefront of my mind. The princess' words from inside the carriage has me tilting my head confused.

"Sooyoung... she told me to call her Yves. Why?"

Olivia instantly cracks a short laugh and shakes her head. I don't miss the slight tilt of Jungeun's lips but it's gone as quick as it came as she places her attention on the map once again, drawing invisible lines over its surface. Olivia clicks her tongue.

"It was a nickname given to her by the overseer. Since the moment she was born she has always been a rule breaker, a nuisance. She did not want to abide by rules. She wanted to make her own decisions. Perhaps that's why we got along so well."

An almost reminiscent smile crosses Olivia's lips. I take in her words and find myself shaking my head.

"What changed? And what does her defiance have to do with her name?"

This time Jungeun speaks up.

"She got older and her responsibilities came in hard. She's royalty. The next queen..." She trails off as if deliberating over her next words, unsure. Then she shakes her head. "It's just a nickname."

Something told me there was more, that she wasn't saying something. But before I can even so much as open my mouth and ask-- I'm stopped.

A completely alien sound beats me to it. A loud crash, a ground shaking 'pang!' which has me jumping in fright. Seconds later another crash follows, and then another, and soon after that the sound of hurried footsteps racing outside the door-- incoherent shouts and startled sentences. Something bad was happening.

The first person to move is Jungeun. Jungeun discards the map and practically sprints out the door, racing down the long corridors after the guards only moments before; barely giving us enough time to catch up.

"Jungeun!"

Olivia and I share a quick glance with one another before we take off after her. But it wasn't until we rounded the corner had I noticed she was nowhere in sight. It dawned on me.

Jungeun backs up and gestures down towards herself.
"I'm fast. Really fast. You need to keep up."

She had it too. Powers.

As if reading my mind Olivia shakes her head and pushes me forward.

"We need to get to the others!"

"What the hell is going on?!" I push myself to match Olivia's pace as she leads us down the palace halls. My feet hit against the floor over and over again, my legs growing weak from the relentless pace we're travelling at. We round corner upon corner and yet another 'bang!' sounds out. We were getting closer.

"It's an attack!"

Three words were all I needed to hear before my blood runs cold. An attack..

"What? So soon?"

"They must have felt your arrival. Hell, we all did after