Kingdoms

Prologue: Just a Nightmare

There she stood, high and mighty in front of her people whom she would rule over soon. Proud of herself, she smiled graciously as she awaited her crowning.

She felt a crown placed on her head and the cheers of the crowd. Oh how good it felt to be cheered, loved, and acknowledged. She held out her hand for the next part of the coronation and was shocked at what she saw.

Her hands were covered in blood and she did not understand why. In a flash however, she was struck by a scene so terrifying she only wished it was a dream.

Right in front of her were the dead bodies of her friends. Their throats were slit clean. Their blood rushed out of their bodies and made a mess of their surroundings. The bodies were all gathered up in one room.

She stared in horror at the scene, wide eyed, her mind went blank. She wanted to scream but not a sound could be heard; only an eerie silence. She wanted to run but her legs would not cooperate. Helpless, she dropped to the ground whilst she cried for her fallen friends.

What she did not realize however was that in the midst of the shock, she didn't notice what she was holding. The sound of metal touching the ground reached her ears and the source of that, was a bloody knife which she had been holding.

Connecting the dots, she figured out what she had done. She had killed her own friends; her family as she considered them. And her eyes snapped back to reality.

Facing forward, she saw the now horrified faces of her people and servants as they stared at the blood. She did not know how to react and could only scream her heart out.

Cassandra awoke, drenched in a cool, sticky liquid. She held her hands up in front of her and screamed.

"What the hell is wrong?"

Mia burst into the room, light flooding in from the hallway. Cassandra shook her head feverishly, unable to speak. Sobs choked her while Mia rushed forward.

"Don't touch me! Get away! I don't want it to happen to you!" Cassandra shrieked, flattening herself further against her bed frame. Mia's anxious pace slowed. Cassandra thrust out her hands.

"See their blood? I don't want to see your blood there, Mia. Not you too." But Mia calmly grabbed the quivering girl's open palms. Both girls remained quiet, until Mia broke the lengthy silence.

"It's just sweat, Cassy."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here. Everyone else is okay. You'll be okay."

"Yeah, you're right. It's only just a dream, I'll be okay." Cassandra tried to reassure herself as she watched Mia's disappearing figure.

"It's only just a dream." She whispered to herself as she fell back to a dreamless sleep.