The Heart of King Travis

Fate

The rest of the day passed by in moments I rarely focused on. Everything and everyone seemed to be in a dreary mood, but that could have been a feeling that was only limited to me. If  everything just disappeared, it was doubtful that anyone would have noticed. The only exception to this dark cloud of grief was Travis, who maintained a cheerful smile throughout the whole day. Darkness pleased him, and it was sickening. Even the previously cold-hearted advisors seemed to have trouble coping with the violent deaths of the people they barely knew.

With all of the thought bubbles eating up my mind, I didn't even put effort into talking to anyone. The stress was slowly eating me, but I was going to make the most of it. I had to turn the determination and fighter will into confidence. Planning and dedication to the task at hand were needed, and luckily those were two things I had locked in. The only time when Travis didn't have people guarding him was when he went to sleep. There were guards stationed at windows and doors on the first floor, but I had inside access. It was possible.

Spencer had told me to just shove the heart in as quickly as possible. Being quiet was vital, considering the black-eyed demon man could probably hear the rebels from miles away. The heart was stored away safely under the floor board, and hopefully that was where it would stay. Whoever had taken it out probably assumed it was a decoration or a weird collector's item. I hoped. That didn't matter, anyway. Doubt needed to be pushed aside.

After wandering around downstairs for awhile, I went back up to my room and sat on my bed. I could have moved, but it wasn't anything I paid attention to. A brick was in my stomach, weighing me down and hurting me deeply. If everything went well, it would be lifted. Maybe I would fly.

After countless hours of moping around, I gave a half-hearted glance at my clock. Midnight. My brain broke from its trance and I gave a little yelp. I'd either missed dinner or it didn't happen. No one had come to look for me, but my behavior was probably very suspicious. That could be a problem. I looked at the clock again. It was still midnight.

With a deep sigh, I realized that I needed to put his heart in. I couldn't wait any longer. My palms grew sweaty and my back became tense, but I still knew what I had to do. Look forward, not back . I didn't even flinch as I sunk to the floor and gently tugged on the loose board. One hand was used to hold it up while the other searched for the little velvet back. My fingers wrapped around it and I felt a chill. It was time. I clutched it tightly, but not tightly enough to damage it. My feet tapped silently as I moved closer to the door. Almost there. Soon enough, I held the knob in my hand. I opened it as slowly as possible to ensure the door wouldn't creak.

Soon enough, the gentle breeze of the hallway was brushing against my cheek. My body was telling me to run, but my mind told me to push forward. His door was supposed to be after two left turns and one right turn, so I prayed that it wouldn't take a long time. The hallways were lengthy and I didn't want to mess up in the duration of my movements. After an eternity of silent steps and wild eyes, I was at the door. Suddenly, my emotions heightened thousands of times. My palms were oceans and everything in me screamed to turn back. Turn back and never return. I couldn't. I wasn't runner, I was a fighter.

I looked at the door. Ornate swirls were carved into the dark wood, so I immediately knew it was his. It was definitely the right place. With one last breath in my moment of safety, I opened the door. No noises came. My eyes opened wide as I realized the room was pitch black. The only thing that I could faintly see was the outline of a body floating in the air. Without even thinking about it, I moved closer. It was a man.

He was wearing a white robe with long fabric that floated beneath him. There didn't seem to be anything holding him up, which was extremely strange. My curious eyes scanned the room once again. There didn't seem to be any furniture in the room. In fact, there wasn't ANYTHING. Just the floating man. I sucked in my breath as I moved closer. There were still no noises whatsoever. Soon enough, his face became clear to me. Black eyes, sallow skin, and an empty expression. It was Travis.