I sat in the hallway until the sunset in the sky, and darkness filled the halls. The castle felt even more lonely without the sun. The only thing that occupied these halls now was me, my pile of regurgitated lunch, and Arksel's voice that kept calling me a rat. It hurt just as much the hundredth time as it did the first; maybe because it was true. If it were a lie or a simple insult, it wouldn't dig into my heart like a sharp knife. 

After a small debate with myself, I decided it was finally time to snap out of my self-loathing haze and go to bed since tomorrow was going to be an intense day. Coronation and a ball, plus I was going to be spending most of the day close to Arksel's side. I cleaned up my mess on the floor so no unfortunate soul would stumble upon it then I headed to my room. I was surprised that I even remembered where it was since this castle was like an endless maze of twist, turns, and dead ends. I ran my hand over the dark wooden door and leaned my head against it. Arksel's voice had finally gone silent, but he left me with a profoundly sharp headache. When I opened the door, a blast of cold air hit me like a brick. The room itself seemed isolated and empty, even if it was covered in beautiful furniture and lavish decorations. The bed as large and crafted from wood that was painted black with small red swirled detailing. In the back right corner sat a blood red plush chair and a stack of dust-covered books. A mural of the old king and queen hung on the far end of the room next to a large window that was left wide open; the culprit of the chill in the room. I walked over to the painting and ran my hand over it. It seemed so realistic I half expected the king to slap my hand away.

The king looked nothing like Arksel; he had black hair with light brown eyes through the stern look of disappointment and annoyance matched the one Arksel always held. He wore the same silver bone crown high on his head, yet his head seemed a bit too small it. Almost like he was a child trying on his father's crown, It seemed to take away from how cruel he was. The queen was the spitting image of Arksel if he grew out his hair quite a bit and got a women's figure. The Queen had snow-like hair, coal black eyes, and pale skin, she wore a smile that was both seductive and terrifying. The queen was gorgeous, and she knew it. What she lacked in a crown she made up for with jewelry; there wasn't one inch of her that wasn't dripping in bright red gems. What happened to the Queen? The king died, but there was no evidence besides this painting that she ever existed. 

More wind began to flow through the room, and window tapped softly against the dark brick walls. I walked over to the window but stopped to look out at the kingdom that laid sleeping below. I didn't realize how high up my room was until I looked down and realized I was in the highest point of the castle. I felt like if I reached out, I could touch the twinkling stars in the sky. Looking up at the stars made my heart ache a bit. Memories of Leillan and I sneaking out past curfew, laying in the fields, and talking endlessly as we pointed out the brightest stars warmed my heart. She would hold my hand tightly as she would fall asleep among the flowers, the moonlight shined off her tan skin. I couldn't help but admire her. At this moment, her fingers interlocked with mine was a comfort I wanted more than anything. We have never gone a day without seeing each other, and now I never knew when I would see her again. These weren't the stars we used to sneak out to; these weren't our stars.

I closed the window and walked over to my bed. This would be the first time I would sleep alone. My brothers used to sleep in a bunk bed nearby, or Leillan would share my bed with me. I felt an odd sense of terror as if sleeping alone was a punishment. On the bed, there was a set of clothing folded up for me. It was a pair of silky blue striped pants and a matching button-up shirt. It felt weird to wear pants. I ran around my room and did random poses to test the new freedom of my legs. I attempted to lay in my bed, but the mattress was much too soft, plus the feeling of an empty bed proved too much for me. I got up and sat in the red chair in the corner. The sun was peeking over the mountain when my eyelids started to feel heavy. I allowed them to close right when Delaney bolted in and poured water in my face.

"Who-What..hell!" I fell out of my chair and onto the ground. "Delaney what the actual heck!" 

 "I've been told that you're a very heavy sleeper and I didn't want to deal with it. So this seemed like the fastest option," She offered her hand to me and helped me to my feet. "Damn you look like death," Delaney threw my uniform at me. "Today is the coronation, so don't mess up and try not to look like so dead." 

 "Thanks, that is just the encouragement I needed," I said with a light sigh of sarcasm. Delaney left my room without saying another word. I slid on my uniform and fixed my extremely tangled hair into another bun. That seemed to be the only hairdo I could pull off. I tried to do something about the bags under my eyes or the ghostliness of my skin, but nothing I did seemed to work, even the freckles that used to fill my face seemed to be slowly vanishing. I heard a knock on my door, and I ran over as I tried to tie my boot. 

 "You're late, already, newbie!" It was Zydan's voice. I hesitated before I opened the door. Why was he here?

 "Oh sorry I didn't think- I mean it's just so early I-," I opened the door to see Zydan and Aleta were both waiting for me outside my door. "Good morning, you two!" I said in a sweet tone, trying to hide how tired I was. Aleta groaned at me then Zydan's shadow smacked her on the back of the head. 

 "Getting ready for coronation started when the sun went up since Arksel will be crowned before noon," Zydan explained.

 "They better have a good lunch there, or I am not going," Aleta muttered as she picked at her nails.

 "Oh please you matchstick we all know you will go and obsess over getting the prince's attention," Zydan said as he dragged me down the hall. 

 "At least I do not look like a damn skunk," I wanted to laugh at Aleta's insult since the white strip in Zydan's hair did resemble a skunk, but I remembered I hated her, so I didn't. As we walked to Arksel's room, I began to wonder if now was a good time to ask about Quillian, maybe even find out where they have him locked up. Before I could even open my mouth, Arksel whipped open his door. 

 "Oh there you are Fawn, I was just about to go looking for you," Arksel already had that annoyed and disappointed scowl on his face.

 "I noticed she wasn't here so I thought it would be a good idea to go get her for you, since you have so much to worry about," Aleta blurted out. I could've sworn I even heard Zydan whisper 'no one likes a kiss ass' to her. 

 "Well, do to a sighting of the Majiey troops near our outer posts we need to have the coronation soon, by soon I mean now," Arksel said in an oddly calm tone. The Majiey coming here? No that couldn't be true, Harmony didn't want to fight why he would send troops? I was hurled into Arksel's room before I had a chance to process anything I was just told. I felt like I was launched into a world of darkness when I set foot into Arksel's room. A large room filled with nothing but different shades of red and black. Walls were an ashy black color with glossy black stone floors. The curtains and a large bed that sat in the middle of the room were deep maroon with a black snake slithering up the middle. Arksel was already dressed in a newly pressed black suit with a grey undershirt and blood red tie. His crown was high on his head suited him better than it did his father; it actually seemed to fit.

 "So what did you need me for your highness," I wasn't sure what my duties were. With Certax I just cleaned, occasionally made food, then left. This job already seemed much different than that. Arksel pointed to the bed. There lied what looked like a cape but it was entirely made out of sharp metal. It almost looked like chainmail but more pointed and deadly. I gripped the satin ribbon around the top.

 "I don't mean to critique your fashion choices, but...why?" I asked as I walked over to him, the chains scraped against the ground with an annoying high pitch scratching sound

 "Every Vinick King has worn this since the separation from Majiey," Arksel said. His words made me stop in my tracks. Majiey and Vinck were once together? That seemed impossible since now they were in a never-ending battle.

 "Wait, Vincik and Majiey were once not at war?" I questioned as I swung the cape over his shoulder. Arksel tied the ribbon in a tight bow.

 "Did you not pay attention to your classes Fawn? Please tell me my personal maid is not uneducated," Askel let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, Vinick and Majiey once worked closely together. They formed the counsel Kingdom Dawning, but the Majiey was too weak to know how much our magic could do. They weren't strong enough to do the thing Vinick strived to do so, they split," Arksel shrugged. Seeing how Harmony and the Majiey used their magic, I knew they weren't weak. They were good; being good is the strongest thing one can do in this world. Evil is a sweet temptation that will easily infect anyone. I bit down on my lip to remind myself not to say anything. 

 "Oh, that is right. I must've forgotten. I am rather forgetful," I mumbled quietly. I heard the door swing open, and Zydan stepped in.

 "Are you slowpokes ready? We are on a time crunch, you know," he said, leaning against the door frame. 

 "You are such a pest," Arksel groaned "yes I am ready. Fawn are you ready," He said without looking at me. He was starring in the mirror at himself, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and his eyes moved around quickly. At this moment, Arksel reminded me of a nervous young boy. Then I remembered Arksel was a young boy; no older than me, in fact. Whose father just died and was about to be crowned king of a kingdom. I walked over and put a hand on his arm, offered him a supportive smile. He may become the king in a few moments, but right now, he was scared and alone. 

"Is this the part where I offer my arm to you?" I said with a light tone.

"I am the one who is supposed to be offering the arm to you Fawn," his tone seemed bored and uninterested in my comfort. I waited a second before turning away, but right before I started to walk away, Arksel stuck out his arm for me to take.

"I do not need you getting lost, so take it and follow me," I smiled up at him, but he looked straight ahead, I didn't miss the small blush on his pale cheeks though. We moved quickly through the halls, and when the doors were in sight, he put a gloved hand on my arm yet said nothing. I could feel his nerves through the soft shaking in his hand. The doors opened for us, and bright light made me shield my eyes with my hand. The throne room was turned into a dazzling room of light and glass. Mirrors lined all the walls and encased the throne that was on top on a clear staircase; if you didn't look close enough, it could be mistaken as floating. Three enormous chandlers were all lit up by burning candles that made the room smell of lavender. The room was full of what seemed like everyone in Vinick, how they all got here so fast, and without me noticing I had no idea. Arksel let go of my arm, and a maid nearby brought me around to the edge of the invisible staircase. As soon as Arksel entered the room, it filled with silence before in sync chanting of Arksel's name began to go more and more in volume with each chant. As he walked down the aisle, people kneeled before him and dipped their heads low. Soon the chanting my so loud I could feel the ground quake then it just stopped all at once when everyone in the room was kneeling. Everyone but me, I had been so lost and effectuated with the scene in front of me I forgot to kneel when he got to me. I felt a hand on mine that tugged me down.

"Are you trying to stick out Cyra? Next time you mess up I will not help," Delaney said behind me. I turn behind me mouthed 'thank you' to her. I looked back up to see Arksel was already halfway up the stairs. You could hear the swaying of chains in the new quietness of the room. A room filled with hundreds of people, and yet it was chillingly silent. When Arksel got up to his throne, he turned around, and I finally found the purpose of the mirrors. His reflection was on every inch of the room. As if there were clones of Arksel scattered across the room. 

"I Arksel Blais the king of Vinick promise to protect against those who seek to harm us. Grow the kingdom to even greater lengths. Serve even better than those who have ruled before me, and make Vinick the strongest kingdom this land has ever seen. As king, I will stop this war. I will put an end to Majiey who we have been nothing but flexible with; we have always waited for them to attack first, but no longer!" He raised his arm, and the crowd stood up with furious applause and supportive shouts. I tried around to look at Delaney, who was clenching her jaw.

"What do we do?" I whispered to her. She gripped my hand and pulled me out of the room. No one seemed to notice as two maids left the overjoyed crowd. Delaney pulled me through the halls and into a small cramped closet. She turned to me and shoved a paper wrapped object in my hands. 

"Use this on Arksel, before a war like no other breaks out, and you can kiss Majiey and Recline goodbye. Be a hero Cyra, Arksel is a monster so it will be justifiable," I slowly unwrapped the paper was a sharp and long dagger with a green gem in the handle. My eyes grew wide, and my mouth went bone dry. 

"You want me to kill Arksel?" I gasped 

"No, I want you to give this to him as a gift and ask him nicely not to kill innocent people, no, of course, I want you to kill Arksel!" I shook my head as she spoke. I couldn't kill someone. I wouldn't kill someone. There had to be another way to stop this war.

"There is another way! There has to!" I whisper yelled, Delaney just laughed at me

"I knew you were just a coward. Leillan and Harmony may see you as more but look at you. Not willing to kill to save the innocent," 

"I may be a coward, but at least I am not a murderer!" I threw the knife to the ground and stalked out the closet. I may be seen as a coward by Delaney, but she was someone I didn't have to prove myself too! I was not going to kill Arksel. He was just a scared boy with a crown on his head and a father who had just died. He was in grief and maybe by me being there for him, it would change how he viewed the world. I was going to save Arksel from death. 

{Hey, lovelies! So I am in a bit of a writer's block so updates may slow down a bit. Anyways! What do you think of this chapter? Do you believe Arksel is saveable? Also which character do you relate with most}