╒══════════════╕ GOLDEN PAWN. "I prefer being alone" ╘══════════════╛
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A TOWERING FORTRESS composed of slabbed bricks of marble stone stood amid jolly green bushels and fine-trimmed bonsai. All aligned at the open space of clean-cut foliage in a straight line. Slender gaps of fissured stone painted with light strokes of gold and silver, making the palace glow with the gleaming moonlight and a thousand stars shining down from the navy night. The presidential palace.
She stood in the vast corridor gilded with gold leaf and sprinkled with specs of silver. Vases of porcelain were set every five feet of the empty hall on glass tables, holding a bundle of white roses with petals too soft and velvety to be orchestrated with nature's rugged hand. Her hands clamped and fisted bunches of the smooth beige silk fabric embroidered with golden stitches. Her ankles felt like they were about to snap due to the long heeled shoes attached to her feet. The golden door at the end of the hall made to resemble a glorious gateway came closer and closer with each step forward. The entry to the very throne room of a man who fit a crown molten together with bones and daggers dipped in frothy syrup made of blood and poison.
The brittle air in the palace wrangled at her lungs, as she took each step forward. The keen eyes of the peacekeepers who stood perched at his door held a burning gaze behind the dark black film of glass attached to their white helmets. She merely acknowledged them with a slight nod, as she took a step forward her knuckles wrapped around the silver knob taking a sharp inhale, the air not quite making it past her throat before she exhaled. Turning the knob she entered the room.
Large tapestry panels hued a dark maroon hung to the walls each individual one crusted with golden paints and embroidered white lace. A large supply of leather-bound books stood stiff in the mahogany shelf. The room was lit with a yellowish hue from the dim light of the chandelier hanging with crystal jewels and diamonds up above. The noxious scent of rose perfume was pungent, she could taste the wretched chemical on her tongue. Searing the back of her throat.
Her gaze though was stuck on the figure up ahead, looming in the shadows hidden in the corner of the room. His bony claw-like fingers placed ornately crafted pieces of stone on black and white squares. The bottom of each piece bore a velvet cushion making each movement soundless. The board was fashioned from granite and polished to perfection.
She remained still, not daring to move a single muscle as she stared at the grim expression on the man's face. His snake-like eyes were trained on the checkered squares in front of him. The click of the lock on the golden brass door behind her triggered something in his mind, his eyes flickered forward to look at her. A beat of tense silence passed between them, as his plump pink lips slowly lifted into a sadistic smile. Her face was set into a placid expression not willing to show him any emotion, not the tiniest most minuscule bit. Her eyes didn't move, staring right back at him.
