7.1
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Light pierced through the blanket of darkness that swathed Yazia just moments ago. Although her eyes opened to the warming rays of sunlight that poured into the room, she couldn't think of why she was awake. Yazia's stomach churned, as her heart began to pound. Moving her body did not even cross her mind over the overwhelming thoughts that flooded back to her.

The horrific, and deceiving thoughts...

Yazia's trembling hand reached towards her throat as she remembered the attack in painstaking detail.

She was supposed to be dead.

Yazia briefly closed her eyes and swallowed. But her face contorted into a grimace instead; it had felt like she'd swallowed a sharpened blade of her own. The luscious sapphirine sheets rested over her stiffened body, and any other time, she might have enjoyed the luxury of sleep without the constant fear that someone had been searching for her; but not this day.

She cracked her eyelids open, blinking away the haze that clung to her lashes. Everything seemed to close in on Yazia like an eagle's talons constricting around its prey's gaping neck. She propped herself up on her elbows, pain breaking through her aching limbs. She gasped for any shred of breath that she could muster.

As soon as Yazia lifted her head skyward, she wished she hadn't. The beaming sunlight stung her eyes, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She glimpsed towards the balcony that cascaded down from the foot of the bed. Large pillars held the ceiling high, and arcs punctuated the view of the outside. 

It was quiet. More quiet than she expected it to be. Where was the man that had been eager to kill her just a short time ago? Or perhaps better yet, why didn't he finish the deed? The lioness had simply been punctured by the snake's fangs, but not swallowed whole.

Not yet.

Head aching, she turned away and willed herself to move. The large blanket that covered her rustled against the silken bed sheets. Even though no one was there to hear that she had awoken, she attempted not to make too much sound. Her instincts urged her to get away from here, to perhaps make contact with Draven and find another way to kill the King.

She was not made to kill him after all. Yazia was not born a killer.

But perhaps he was.

Yazia couldn't help but lay there a moment longer. She chanced a glance at the polished wardrobes and the alabaster statues in the chamber. Chairs circled a round table bedecked with gilded utensils. A candle resting on a nearby vanity shed, its meager light on the bowl of fruit that rested near the foot of her bed, setting it aglow. The strewn azure curtains fought to conceal the room, fluttering in the breeze that wafted through the chambers, and casting a jagged shadow on the cushions that rested on the mattress. Intricate embroidery was dispersed across the hangings.

Nothing in this room was there to remind her of home, right down to the swirls of golden embellishment on the curtains. Yazia fought hard to remember the solid-coloured ones back at home, framing tall panes of arched glass. But the thought faded quickly, as she diverted her attention to the corner of the chamber.

All hell broke loose once her eyes connected with his for a brief moment. She hadn't come to notice him perched against the wall before now. Yazia ignited with fury.

Before Yazia could process her next steps, she reached for the lonesome candle on the vanity, but the King was at her throat once more. But this time, it was gentle.

Her fingers barely brushed over the candle as his gloved hand levitated over her chest for just a moment, pushing her back to rest on the sheets with a soothing hush.

"Be careful, you-"

"Y-you tried to kill me!" Yazia choked out, and instantly regretted it, her throat felt torn to bits. Her eyes widened as she shoved the King away weakly.

The King pulled away all of a sudden, and furrowed his brows together in confusion. "Well, I don't believe a murderer would be so kind enough as to have brought you into a chamber as comforting as this, and nursed you back to life."

Yazia swallowed the lump in her throat. He should know better than to take her for a fool.

"How do I know you're not planning to kill me right here as we speak?" she hissed and reached for the candle a second time. Though she'd asked him a question, she wasn't going to give him the luxury of answering it.

Because before she knew it, she'd cracked the candle over his head with a sound that rumbled throughout the chambers, and sent the pigeons perched on the railing fluttering away.

A grunt escaped his lips. Yazia didn't hold back, and shoved him out of the way. She tore the silken sheets off her person and forced herself out of the large bed.

Every fiber of Yazia was screaming to run away. The adrenaline within her quickly changed to a flurry of fear and rage. Everything about what she had been taught as a youngling about humans, right down to the many tales of blooded massacres, and the many more of her own kind sacrificing themselves to protect younger generations. The battles they'd fought for Sankori, and all within an effort to keep the vulnerable hidden away; she believed them now more than ever.

Humans would never change. They did not deserve her mercy.

And she would not give this one a chance to watch her writhe in a pool of her own blood. Even despite him being a powerful King of Abingor, she was no match for him.

Yazia couldn't hear anything above the sharp ringing in her ears as she stumbled away from the bed, picking up her speed, and thrusting the chamber doors wide open. She heard the thudding of her own bare feet collide against the marble flooring as she stumbled away, and broke out into a run across the corridors. Her heart pounded in her chest, a harsh reminder that she was still alive. She needed to stay alive.

Yazia ran through the pristine halls of the palace. She was half glad that there was nobody besides a few maids she crossed that would see her in such distress, but she didn't care to ponder on the thought as to where everybody else at court on this side of the residence was. She feared that somebody would have tried to prevent her from escaping otherwise if there had been.

When she had stumbled her way outside, throwing herself into the warm air of the evening, Yazia's calves burned. She forced her legs to push harder, anticipating the relief of escaping, and relinquishing her assignment that she had given herself with such confidence before. Yazia had no idea it was going to be this hard. It didn't cross her mind before that he was too powerful of a King; who could have the ability to do anything he wanted to.

In the corners of her eyes everything became a blur. Yazia abruptly came to a halt when it became more and more difficult to see through the tears that unwillingly came, she gasped for air. Then, she choked, shutting her eyes tight as she bent over. A thick rush of fluid filled her mouth, spilling out of her and onto the muddy ground.

Yazia couldn't stop the waves of dizziness that overcame her afterwards. She stumbled back through the arched doors of the stables, and into the barn. Slowly, she slumped against one of the walls while clutching onto her stomach, and wiped the corner of her mouth with a sleeve of the now dusted lazuline abaya.

She hadn't been paying attention before, but now Yazia came to realize that she wasn't in her gown that she had worn to the ball that night. She then wondered what she looked like at this very moment.

How much time has passed...?

Yazia swallowed the thick lump in her throat, and laid there for a few moments to catch her breath. She lifted her head and looked around the stables; the horses, each a subtle chestnut dapple with mane and tales of black ink.

One that was nearby drew her attention however, and she forced herself to stand back up, and reach for it. She drew nearer to the horse, each step drew a shallow, yet painful breath from her mouth as she struggled to get there, the pain lingering in her calves as she grasped onto the gate to keep steady.

The black stallion reached around and touched her hair with his muzzle. For a few moments, it was all the comfort that she needed. Yazia unlocked the gate, and slid closer to the horse, her pale hand gently tracing along his coat. She then laboriously hauled herself up onto his back.

For a moment, Yazia didn't move. She took a few deep breaths and sat tense as she grasped onto the steed's mane hesitantly. What was holding her back? She could leave now, there'd be no need to draw her life short. Nobody was here to stop her.

But then Yazia reconsidered the opportunity.

Yazia stared down at the beautiful horse as he turned his head, awaiting an order to ride out. His brown eyes were gentle as she stared longingly into them for a few moments. She wasn't here to escape. She had a mission that she promised she would keep, no matter the cost. She should have known the stakes.

If she left now, they could easily hunt her down and retrieve her for treason. She'd live her life in a cell unless they executed her. Just as much, she would amount to nothing; her legacy would be gone. She wasn't just doing this for herself, or her parents. She was doing this for the entirety of what was left of Sankori until this day.

That much, as a Heir to the throne, she owed to her people.

Yazia let go of the jet black stallion, and slid from his back, her bare feet colliding with the roily ground.

I'm not done here yet.

She decided it would be best to hear the King out. Maybe it had been foolish of her to jump to conclusions so fast, to make the decision to run without a second thought about it. Her people deserved a Queen that could be rational too. The least she could do was hear what the King of Abingor had to say.

He was right after all; if he truly wanted to kill her then she'd already be dead.

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