Reine takes fumbling steps backwards until the backs of her knees hit the foot of her bed. She watches as the gathering white fog slowly pulls together, forming a human shape as it solidifies. Wind howls around the Queen, her hair being blown about as she squints her eyes against the gusts.

The fog falls away, dissipating into the air around the man now standing before Reine, and she stares unblinkingly at who now stands in the place of the fog.

White blonde hair is falling to his shoulders in waves and his dark eyes are staring at her in surprise. A black hoodless cape surrounds his muscular frame, his chest and shoulders protected by a black leather protective plate accented in bronze, reminding Reine of the box this man once resided in. A matching belt hangs on his waist, his legs covered by black leather pants. He stands before Reine unmoving, his black leather boots providing a stark contrast against Reine's polished wooden floor.

His arms are covered by black sleeves, forearms protected by bronze armor. The thing standing out most to Reine through his entire outfit is the fact he is wearing a bronze and black leather mask, covering his nose and mouth.

The two continue to stand and stare, the man not sure what is happening and Reine deciding if she should scream or demand he bow before her to establish her role as his Master and the Queen. Her confusion must register on the man's face as a muffled laugh escapes from the vicinity of the man and he pulls his mask down, letting it hang from his neck as he sends a boyish grin towards the Queen, tilting his chin forward in greeting.

"You freed me," he says, his melodic voice surprising Reine, considering such a rugged exterior.

"I did," she says, her voice low and unsure. "I am the Queen of this land and I have freed you because I have a job for you to do."

The man grins, his eyes crinkling in delight. "No need to be so formal. I've been stuck in that box for many lifetimes. Give me a second to enjoy it before we dive into the logistics of things."

Reine's mouth shuts, taken aback by someone speaking so informally to her.

The man sighs, pushing his arms out to the sides and stretching his exposed midriff as he leans his head upwards and closes his eyes, the smile still gracing his features. "I'm free."

Reine stands there, uncomfortable in the fact she is wearing nothing but her nightgown in front of a stranger, her arms hugging herself for security as she clears her throat. "This is no time to celebrate, Horseman."

The man laughs, the melody of his tone sounding like a song more than a laugh. "Call me Jimin."
The man lets his arms fall back to his sides. "I suppose I should thank you for setting me free. It's been so long since I've walked the Earth."

Jimin moves toward Reine with poise, almost like a dancer as he closes the distance between the two. Before the Queen can react, he places his cold hands on either side of her face and his lips press against her own.

Reine's eyes open wide and she gasps, her mouth parting against Jimin's as he continues to press his lips to her. Her reflexes kick in and Reine's hand moves and slaps Jimin across his face as she pulls herself out of his grip. The sound of the slap rings through the air as Jimin stares at her with a blank look on his face, Reine frowning at him as she wipes her mouth.

"I am a Queen and you will respect me," Reine says, tilting her chin upwards and straightening her shoulders. "I am aware of my compromising wardrobe and your overexcitement about your freedom, but I will not tolerate such barbaric, disrespectful behavior. You should be bowing to me, not placing your filthy body parts on me."

Jimin laughs, his head falling back as he takes a few steps back and holds his hands in surrender. "Point taken, Your Majesty. My apologies."

Jimin bows, his hair falling forward as his upper body dips low in respect for Reine. He stands, pushing his hair back out of his face before he sits on the stool at her vanity. "So, tell me why you've freed me. I'm sure you didn't want an ancient, powerful sidekick to accompany you for tea time."

Reine clears her throat and moves to her wardrobe, putting on her red silk robe before moving to sit on the end of her bed, crossing her legs as her hands rest in her lap. "My parents and others I deeply cared for were attacked and killed by a rogue group of rebels. They celebrated while I nearly drowned in the blood of my parents, and they think they can get away with it. They thought I was dead as well, as their plan was to assassinate the entire royal family and anyone who stood in their way."

"Heavy stuff," Jimin says, running a hand through his hair, his bronze armor clinking as he moves. "So you want us to find them and... what? Kill them?"

Reine frowns and stares at her hands. "It sounds ruthless when you put it that way. I want revenge. I want them to receive punishment for what they did to me. I want them to pay for their heinous crimes against the royal family they were meant to look up to."

Reine lets out a small breath and her gaze snaps to look at Jimin. "Why are you the only one here, by the way? The note said there are four."

Jimin rolls his eyes and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We were separated after the war and put in the four corners of this land."

Reine nods. "The outer regions, I assume. That is where the rebels reside. Why is your box here and not out there? Why did it appear to me in my bedroom?"

Jimin shrugs. "I was in the box, not controlling it. I only know my three brothers and I fought against some nasty angels and lost. They took our weapons and put us in those damn boxes."

Reine sighs running her fingers through her tangled curls. "Your box appeared to me on my first day as Queen. I think it is some kind of curse tying in with this land and being the Queen of it. The note placed on top of your box stated only the Queen of this land can release the binds of the Horseman. It uses the temptation of being able to be the Master of the Horsemen. I am assuming none of the previous Queens opened the box."

Jimin shakes his head. "Nope. I've been stuck in there since the war."

"The war," Reine says, her mind wandering. "This kingdom was built from the ashes of a war..."

Jimin scoffs. "What kind of philosophical shit is that? That war caused my brothers and I to be imprisoned. It was not a positive experience on my end."

"Why were you locked away?" Reine asks, looking at him as he stands and paces.

"For the same reason you opened my box," Jimin shrugs as he sits back. "Temptation. My brothers and I were here to watch over the Earth, but the human temptations of emotions and sin overcame us, which is frowned upon, apparently. Angels are a fan of not having fun when doing jobs, so when we started to have fun with it, three of the biggest assholes there were sent to rectify it."

Reine wants to ask a million more questions about his past but she decides the present issues are far more pressing and she puts her curiosity on the back burner in her mind. "Where are your brothers' boxes in the outer regions exactly?"

"Each region has a box," Jimin explains. "The region we called our home is presumably where we were banished to stay, trapped in a stuffy box with nothing but the darkness as our friend."

"Which region did you once reside in?" Reine asks.
"In the west," Jimin responds.

"We call it Verre," Reine explains. "So since your box summoned itself to me, we do not need to go to that region. We can go straight to one of the others to find the others."

Jimin smiles apologetically. "Not exactly. See, I mentioned the angels took our weapons from us before putting us in the box. Our weapons are out there too, being kept separately from the box so we couldn't have them. I need my weapon to be at my best."

Reine sighs. "How do you even know your weapons are here at all?"

Jimin's eyes flutter closed as he turns his head slightly as his eyebrows come together in a frown. "I can sense it. It's not close by, but it's out there. To the west, as my box surely was."

Reine stands, smoothing out the wrinkles in her robe and nightgown. "So we travel through the village surrounding my palace, and we will head west to retrieve your weapon."

Jimin stands as well. "Sounds like a plan, Your Majesty."

Jimin tilts his head to the side. "What's your name, by the way?"

"I am Queen Reine Madeleine Dubois of the Kingdom of Cendres," Reine introduces herself, straightening her shoulders and tilting her face upwards slightly as she was always taught to do.

Jimin laughs, his hand moving to rest on his exposed abdomen. "You're way too formal. You need to loosen up if you're going to be hanging out with me."

Reine scrunches her nose. "I will not be hanging out with you. I am your Master and your Queen and you are leading me to your weapon and to your brothers. We will find the rebel group who betrayed me and justice will be sought."

"What next?" Jimin asks, feigning interest. "Will we all have a tea party as we become your personal lap dogs?"

Reine looks at him, her gaze passive. "I am only focused on what my plan is for the immediate future. We will speak of it when it comes time."

A knock on the door causes Reine's poised façade to crumble as her head whips to look at Jimin, who is staring back at her with a blank stare.

"Get in my wardrobe," Reine whispers through gritted teeth and Jimin frowns.

"I don't want to," he says, placing his hand on his hip.

Reine grabs ahold of Jimin's bronze-clad shoulders and shoves him toward the wardrobe. "I cannot be caught with a half naked strange man in my bedroom. I am an unwed Queen!"

"I am not half naked," Jimin states as he begrudgingly climbs into Reine's wardrobe filled with her royal dresses. He frowns as he tries to get comfortable inside. The person at the door knocks again and Reine runs over to the wardrobe, the doors in her hands as she glares daggers at Jimin.

"Be quiet," she whispers as she closes the doors, the last thing she sees of the man's face being him sticking his tongue out at her.

Reine clears her throat, straightening out the wrinkles on her outfit again before moving to the door and opening it, seeing Genevieve standing there with a tray in her hands.

"I apologize if I awoke you, Your Highness" Genevieve says as she bows the best she can while balancing the tray. "I brought you a meal."

Reine smiles at Genevieve bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Genevieve."

She reaches out and takes the tray, willing herself not to look towards the slowly opening wardrobe door behind her opened door.

"Are you well, Your Highness?" Genevieve asks in a soft voice. "You seem flustered. Have you managed to sleep at all?"

The wardrobe door opens and Reine blindly reaches her foot and tries to kick it back closed, but she hears a grunt of pain instead and Reine's eyes widen.
She coughs, trying to hide the sound as Genevieve stares at the Queen in confusion.

"I will eat this and try to rest," Reine says in a rush. "Thank you, Genevieve. Go get some rest yourself."

Genevieve bows deeply, standing back and moving a stray curl out of Reine's eyes. "Sleep well, Your Highness."

Reine smiles, shutting the bedroom door and turning to come face-to-face with an angry Jimin.
"You kicked me in the leg," he says, frowning as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Maybe you should be wearing leg armor," Reine says, moving past him to place her tray of food on her bed. "I told you to stay in the wardrobe."

"Untrue," Jimin says, moving to glance curiously at Reine's meal. "You said to get in there, not stay in there. You also told me to be quiet, and I was until you kicked me."

Reine frowns at Jimin, placing her hands on her hips and standing close to him. "You are disrespectful to me."

"Pardon my incapability to worship the ground you walk on, Your Highness," Jimin mocks as he bows in front of Reine.

Reine moves away from Jimin, choosing to ignore him as she sits in her bed and places her tray of food over her lap.

Jimin laughs, moving to sit at the foot of her bed. "I'm sorry. I've not had any human contact in a long time and it's nice to bicker with someone again. It's fun to me."

"I am not used to someone speaking so informally to me," Reine scolds him as she takes small bites of her food, worried she may not be able to stomach it. "My..."

"Hmm?" Jimin asks, turning his attention from messing with his armor to look at Reine, who is staring at her food.

"My parents taught me I am deserving of respect and loyalty from all."

Jimin sighs, standing and pacing around the room again. "Look, Your Majesty. Don't mistake my personality for one of disrespect and disloyalty. I enjoy the little things; I enjoy mental sparring between two people and you are a wondrous conversationalist from what little we have spoken. Truly, forgive me if I have offended you. I am not the best with being sensitive to what I do to others in my fun."

Reine looks from her food, choosing to not focus on what he said. She is already letting her emotions get the best of her when she needs to be focused on why she let him out in the first place. "What is the plan?"

Jimin sighs, running his hand through his hair as he sits back at the foot of Reine's bed. "We will travel through your village to the west, where I will retrieve my weapon. We will move through the other three outer regions so you can open the boxes containing my brothers and they can find their weapons as well."

"I am the only one who can open the boxes," Reine says, a worried edge to her voice. Her capability in herself and this journey comes into question in her mind again, and Jimin shrugs.

"I can imagine the assholes upstairs didn't make it easy," Jimin says as he rolls his eyes.

"I am committed to this," Reine says, her tone strong and unwavering. "I will free your brothers and go on this journey with you, but I need to know you will do what I need you to do."

Jimin grins, his eyes crinkling again. "We'll catch the rebels for you. I can't speak for my brothers, but I'm sure they'd agree since you're doing all of this for us."

Reine stares at her food, continuing to slowly work her way through her soup and bread. She decides not to admit to him she isn't doing any of this for him or for his brothers. While she doesn't know much about his past or what he and his brothers did to end in these boxes, her ultimate goal is to avenge her parents and the rest of her people she lost today. Freeing the Horsemen is to fuel her cause, but if it makes Jimin feel better in thinking she is helping them as well, she will let him think what he wants if he will help her get the job done in the end.

She will go on this journey with this man, freeing her brothers as they track the weapons the Horsemen need to be at their utmost strength. She will dedicate her entire life to find the rebels who did this, if she needs to.

She glances over at her mother's crown - her crown - as she tries to keep the food in her stomach. The pendant her mother gave her feels heavy but welcome around her neck as well as she feels her mother's presence with her in the only way she can be there.

"Earth to the Queen," Jimin says, snapping his fingers in front of her.

"Yes?" Reine asks, moving her eyes away from the crown and her fingers away from her pendant.

"I was saying we will be gone for a while. You should tell whoever is knocking at your door you're going away."

Reine frowns until she hears the person knock again, and she sighs as she moves the tray from her lap and stands, moving to the door and opening it to see a slightly worried Genevieve.

"Is everything okay, Your Highness? I have been knocking for a while. Did I wake you up?" she asks, and Reine widens her eyes before looking back at her bed to only see emptiness where Jimin was once sitting.

"I was lost in my thoughts," Reine says, forcing an empty smile on her face as she turns back to Genevieve.

"I came to see if you would like me to take your dishes to the kitchen," she says, gesturing to the tray on Reine's bed.

"That would be lovely, thank you," she says, moving to get the tray and coming back to hand it to Genevieve.

Genevieve bows and turns to leave, but Reine reaches out and places her hand on her shoulder. "Genevieve, I feel the need to do some traveling. I need to be alone to... to mourn and I cannot be in the place where my parents were taken from me."

Genevieve turns to look back at Reine, frowning slightly as she stares at the Queen, who is looking at her with tears in her eyes at the mention of her mourning. It only reminds her of what she has lost today all over again. "Very well. I can have it arranged for you to take some of the palace's guards with you while you travel."

"No," Reine says, holding her hand up. "That won't be necessary. I have arranged my own form of protection and will be leaving with him in the morning for an extended period of time."

Reine thinks for a moment and purses her lips, hating the words even as they are spoken aloud.

"Is there anyone left alive who can watch over things while I am gone?" Reine asks, voice barely above a whisper.

Genevieve's frown is replaced by a soft look in her eyes as she lets the corners of her mouth turn upwards. "It will all be taken care of. Shall I meet you here in the morning to help you pack?"

Reine shakes her head, her unruly curls shaking with the movement. "That won't be necessary. I will be traveling light."

Genevieve frowns again. "You aren't doing something dangerous, are you, Your Highness? You're not... going after them?"

Reine smiles again, the smile never reaching her eyes. "I am going to travel to nearby towns where I am not known so I can do some... soul-searching. My era as Queen has been born from bloodshed and I need time to collect my thoughts and realize things are not as I wished they would be. That's all."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Genevieve says, bowing one last time before turning to walk down the hallway. She stops, looking over her shoulder with a sad smile etched onto her aging face. "Please be careful, Your Highness. We cannot lose you too."