The Crow that Wears the Crown

Chapter 26

Queen

It had been a long eventful night. She had lost a lot of players and most importantly her Rook was missing. A piece known in chess as being the strongest towards the end, a last line of defence. Which is why with her Crows scattered across town she was eager to find her.

Her fight against Noelle had been lacklustre at best and she supposed she had the Lockhart girl to thank for that. Though her confession of her family's secret had come as a surprise but the involvement of Noelle herself was very pleasant news to hear and clearly had rattled the woman enough to throw her off her game. It was a shame she'd fled into the mines before she'd had chance to finish. She could have very easily chased after her, but she'd already dirtied her jacket enough.

So she had left her Crows to finish the business. She was comfortable with their abilities to take care of the remaining rabble that called themselves gangsters. The Queen of Crows never liked to be away from her nest for too long.

They had taken the long route back through town. The men in blue roamed the streets on high alert and the Queen had made herself a very recognisable woman. Eventually they had arrived back to a strangely quiet Crow's Nest. A site that was last seen the first day she'd discovered the old theatre.

The Doctor, ever the gentleman, opened the door for her, bowing his head as she entered. The second she was through the door she felt something was off. When you had been in the game as long as she had you learnt to trust your instincts and right now, they were telling her sinister things were ahead.

"Phineas," the Queen called cautiously. "Do me a favour and enter through the back," she looked around suspiciously, "and please do use caution."

"As you wish my Queen," he saluted without question. One of the many traits she liked about the Doctor was his unquestionable loyalty, though she assumed that was chalked up to their shared love of chaos.

With the Doctor covering their flank, she felt more confident with entering the main lobby. As far as she was concerned all Crows had flown from the nest during the night, aside from the few she had left on guard, and that had signalled her first red flag, those guards weren't where she left them.

Her hand hovered over her knife holstered to her lower back, as she walked down the corridor towards their main room of operation. Some may call her paranoid, or weak but she hadn't stayed on top this long without taking precautions, even over a hunch.

She carefully pushed open the door, expecting to find one of her many rivals lying in wait, or equally as likely she would find the hideout had been raided. What she did find was something that left her very uncertain.

In the centre of the room, sat lazily on her throne was Rook and the girl had certainly made herself comfortable. One leg hung loosely over the arm of the chair, her hands idly fiddling with the gun she'd gifted her long ago, like a child taking a part their favourite toy. She hadn't noticed her enter but when the door shut Rook lifted her head.

"Ah your Majesty," she smirked confidently for a Rook occupying a Queen's space. "Did you have a nice stroll?"

"Rook," she addressed in the manner any commander would, "I see you found your way home and made yourself..." the Queen approached her, "comfortable." She smiled, still sensing danger ahead.

"Suits me, don't you think?" Rook gestured to her in the chair. She looked at the girl, deviously grinning at her from atop her throne. She looked like she'd been dragged through hell. Her white shirt was covered in dirt and blood, a sight not too uncommon for the active Junior Crow. But it was the bruises around her neck and the tears in her clothes that had the Queen worried.