The Black Queen

Chapter 3

Goddamnit. That was the word that was most consistent in Brian's mind. He was confused, angry, and his heart stung with betrayal as he almost flew down the stairs, his long white and black drapes catching the air and making him appear like a fallen angel, descending from the heavens. Different servants and members of the court saw him passing by, but he kept running, ignoring every rule of respect he was taught as a child.

Finally, he came to his destination. The Generals office. Brian sighed, brought his hand up, and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door swung open and a man with long hair greeted him.
" Oh, Good Afternoon your highness! How can I help you?" He said in his foreign accent, smiling a little as he spoke. Though, he soon recognized the look of unease on The Queen's face.
"Mak, you might want to sit down for this.." Brian said as he walked into the General's office, sitting down at a wooden table in the center.

"What happened my Queen?" General Mak said as he sat down at the table besides him. Brian help up the letter and said, "Someone from The City of The Fireflies has written me an alarming note... I've come to you for advice."
The General took the letter and started to read it, his eyes going wide with shock at its contents.
After a few minutes of silence, he looked back up at Brian. "My Queen, are you sure that this is real?" He asked, and Brian nodded with an anxious glance.
"Look at the paper, Mak. It's definitely from 'FireFlies. And I don't know why anyone there would waste paper on a prank." He explained, pointing to the indications of the papers origin.
Mak swallowed hard, levels of worry increasing in his eyes.
"Mak, I don't have any idea of what to do.." Brian stated, dragging his hands down his face.
General Mak looked worried as well, tapping his finger on the wooden table nervously. "Well my Queen.. There are a few things you can do." General Mak didn't like war, that's one of the reasons Brian picked him to be General. But, he drew the line of peace and violence when his home was threatened.
"We might have to go to war-"
"No! I-we couldn't. This is Freddie we're talking about here.. Maybe it's not too late..."
"..If you say so, Your Highness."
Brian looked around and grabbed a pile of paper, along with a quill and black ink, and started to write. "Dear J.D..."
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A couple of days passed since he had wrote the letter to the White Queen, and John was anxious the whole time. Had someone found the letter and turned it in? Was my spell not good enough to fool the guards- oh lord I should have stayed in school- were a few of the thoughts that ran through his head. That is, until a mysterious fancy letter appeared on the small desk in his room. John rushed over to the parchment and unfolded it ravenously, his eyes more than ready for the words that were written there. It said,
"Dear JD, I recently received your letter, and it has caused me much anxiety. I have many questions. First, how do you know about this major threat of war? Do you know why Freddie wants to go into battle with my kingdom? Why did you decide to tell me? Believe me when I say, I am very thankful for the information you shared with me. But I find it odd that someone who knows Freddie enough to know his plans would spread the information to his now enemy. Anyways, I hope to find that you write back soon, and with details of when and why this battle might commence. Thank you for everything, and I wish you well.
Sincerely, The White Queen."

John took a deep breath after reading that. So he did receive my letter. "Oh thank god.." he whispered, looking over the text again as adrenaline ran through his veins. He tore out a spare paper and started to write back, before stuffing both letters into his drawer. He stood up shakily, looking out the muddy and small window and gasped, seeing that it was almost sunset.

Shit, he thought as he ran out of his room and into the hallway, towards the kitchen. I need to stop losing track of time- I was supposed to be here 5 minutes ago... He entered the kitchen, almost crashing into some cooks as he did so, adding to his anxiety. He looked around for the head waiter, and saw Peter looking right at him with a surprisingly relaxed face.