Throne of the Beasts ✔️

Tranquil

His lips formed a devious smile, as he lunged forward and grabbed my shirt, yanking me over the table and landing with a thud onto the carpeted floor. I rolled before he could grab me again, my heart going a mile a minute. He was the king? But it seemed that his animal was a rabbit, not a bird of any sort. And if he could do this and was a king, could Henry do this too?

At an unnaturally swift speed, he was kneeling over me, both of my hands pinned above my head. With rope, he wrapped my wrists tightly and knotted it. Not again. I inhaled and prepared to scream, but couldn't, as I still couldn't make much noise. Instead, I kicked him repeatedly in the chest despite after the first kick, he was off of me. I accidentally got a hit on his nose as he moved, and heard a crack as his nostrils erupted with blood. He let out a quiet, agonized whimper as he stumbled back, landing on the desk.

I got to my feet and bit the rope until it was loose enough to take off. As he reeled back, I ran for the door and flopped onto the bed, hiding myself in the covers. Henry jolted awake. "Huh?Eliza?" He uttered, rubbing his eyes. My eyes locked on the entrance to the library, that seemed to blow open ever so slightly. "It, it was just a uh, bad dream." I stumbled quietly over my words, burying myself further in the covers.

With great difficulty I finally fell asleep. But it seemed that as soon as I was finally comatose, I had been shaken awake. I opened my eyes to see a displeased Henry. He stood me up on the bed and gestured for me to follow him into the library. I slowly got out of bed, and entered. On the floor was a splatter of blood, left in a trail from where I was to right in front of the desk. "So it wasn't just a dream, then, was it?" He inquired pointing to the stains on the carpet. I nodded. "What happened then, Eliza?" He said in a concerned tone.

Part of me wanted to say that it was an accident- that I had stubbed my toe badly- but I just couldn't. So I told him the truth, in fact, I told him everything, Caroline, the prophecy, Biming being the true king, the whole story. He looked down at me the entire time. I could tell he was just as confused as I was as I told him this, and nodded when I had finished. He let out a chuckle, and said, "Man, I was just going to prepare your lesson today, but instead I have to prepare for war. I'll be damned."

My face went from confounded to worried as he stomped into the library and went to the very back, pulling out a profusion of papers and files, swiping the massive pile of books, including the spelling book, onto the floor. He replaced them with the papers he had just retrieved, opening various folders and such. "Leave. We'll do your lessons later.'' He hissed, waving me out.

Without giving it a second thought, I left the library and closed the door behind me. But right after I left, I had forgotten that Biming could still be roaming the castle, looking for me. Upon this, I closed the doors to the room and sat upon the bed, huddled in blankets.

The nightstand next to me was a neat, white with gold, having little on it but a small book and a vase of pink and white roses. The book was thicker than most- and its spine was wrinkled in cracked. It had no title. As I examined it, I grew more and more wary, as thoughts had filled my mind of Biming, Dakota, Henry, and Caroline.

I put the book down, and looked up from the bed. Alfred was perched on the foot of the bed, staring at me with eyes filled with caution and worry. His gaze filled me with the same emotions, as they seemed to pervade the air. I burrowed myself further under the covers.

I wanted to go back into the library, but I was too petrified to move, and so was Alfred. Thumping came from under the bed. My heart pounded faster, and my breath picked up speed. I prepared myself for what was going to happen, and feared the worst.

Of course, my fears came true, as an unnaturally large white rabbit clawed its way up the foot of the bed, right next to my owl. As the rabbit's eyes met mine, Alfred's instincts kicked in, wrapping his talons around its neck and slamming it down quietly on the wood. He put his beak up to its neck and bit it, making the rabbit let out a pained squeal. A drop of blood fell onto the sheets, and I sat unmoving. It writhed until it hit the floor with an unnaturally loud knock. A human hand wrapped its fingers around the bedpost and helped its owner to his feet.

Biming wiped himself off, and glared at me. I glared equally as fiercely back at him. There was no way I was going back there. "Listen, Eliza, I'm going to be as nice as possible, and just ask. I expect you'll say yes." He frowned and clenched his fists, his tone threatening. "Are you going to be coming with me?" He demanded, his hand now grasping something tucked in his shirt. I didn't reply.

He groaned, quickly running a hand through his now stark white hair. He pulled out a small revolver and aimed it at my forehead. He raised a brow, throwing the question in the air again. I swallowed, but I knew he couldn't do it. "Shoot, and you're dead." I said. He raised his brow in a more confused manner. "With that amount of noise, the whole castle would know you'd be in here, and also, your little gang you belong to wouldn't be too happy either."

He visibly gritted his teeth as his fingers grew tighter and tighter on the trigger. "Easy now. Wouldn't want your leader to know that you killed their beloved queen." I prodded. He let out a growl, readjusted, and fired. It wasn't a bang, though, it was more of a clicking noise, and I felt a numbing sensation grow in my neck as it spread slowly to my toes. "You can thank Caroline for that, darling." He said, his features softer now as he watched my body go limp, inch by inch.

As he quickly and quietly wrapped his hands around my waist, I felt off. My vision was blurry, and I felt a pressure behind my eyes. The only relief came from closing my eyes, as I quickly slipped into unconsciousness.