The Seven Deadly Kingdoms

Chapter 16

TW: minor suggestive themes of SA in this chapter

Adelaide awoke from her sleep with a gasp. She had broken a sweat and was sitting straight up in her bed. It must have been the middle of the night. She mumbled to herself, taking a moment to recognize her surroundings. She was alone. Safe.

Adelaide had been in a horrible nightmare where Henry had gone to war instead of her. Her brain tortured her with the gruesome images of him suffering in battle. Adelaide screamed, kicked, and pleaded with whoever was forcing her to watch this to let her help him, but she was given no response. It felt like an eternity that she was in that horrible nightmare. The picture in her mind had been too vivid. Too real.

Wanting to get out of the nightmare-ridden room, Adelaide slipped on her boots and exited the doorway. She paced the dark wooden halls with a fire in her step, wanting to be anywhere but where she was. She wanted to be away from this entire camp. Away from the people, away from the generals, away from this position she was in; she just wanted to go home. She wanted to be innocent again. She didn't want to leave behind her childhood.

As Adelaide paced the dimly lit halls, she passed a door that caught her attention. It was slightly ajar, exposing the glowing light from a lantern within. Was someone else awake at this hour?

Her previous thoughts subsided and curiosity taking over, Adelaide tip-toed closer to the door, trying to peer in on whoever might be in there. There was only a small sliver of the room that Adelaide was able to see without moving the door. She angled herself slightly to the left of the small crack, exposing more of the room. As she squinted her eyes, she realized that she was looking into the same room that she had seen when she had first come here. The room was still filled wall to wall with maps of each kingdom, most of them covered in scribbles and incoherent words.

A man leaned over a desk centered on the back wall of the room, looking over more maps. Adelaide couldn't recognize who the man might be. All she could see was his back and jet-black hair. Adelaide leaned closer to the door, trying to get a better look at the man. As soon as she did, a lace from her boot got caught under the other shoe, making her trip ever so slightly. Placing a hand over her mouth, Adelaide let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't made any noise.

"You would think that after having been caught once, one would not dare spy on another again, Adelaide." The chillingly quiet voice of General Toski rang through the hall. Adelaide's eyes tripled in size. She didn't move. What should she do?

Toski turned around, looking directly at Adelaide through the small slit in the door. He smiled, albeit eerily. "That's quite alright, my dear. We'll count this as your first lesson. Please, come in." He said quietly. Without a word in response, Adelaide pushed the door open, causing it to creak loudly. She stepped into the room, fiddling with a loose string in her sleep shirt. She had never been intimidated by someone as much as she had been by this man, and he had barely spoken to her.

"You know, I was the first to notice you. Not for your new position, but I noted your presence here before any of the others. You are special, my dear." Adelaide supposed the words were meant to be a compliment, but she couldn't help but grimace slightly at his snake-like voice. "Thank you, General Toski." She returned, not wanting to seem disrespectful. Toski smirked and held his head a bit higher at her response. "Anything for you, dear."

There was a pause in the air, almost as if he expected a response out of Adelaide. After he realized he wouldn't receive a response, he turned to the table once again. "You see these, darling? This is my personal view of each kingdom, each building, each home." Toski side-eyed Adelaide and smirked again; this time at the detailed maps. "I am going to send my men to infiltrate the kingdoms from within. Take their people. Steal their produce. Whatever it takes to force their delicate kings to crumble."