𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃 | ❝Hope is good, Hope will never disgrace, but make no mistake, Hope will hit you in the face!❞
In which the Just King becomes betrothed to a princess from a neighboring kingdom, only to fall in love with the prin...
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THE LAMENT OF DEATH cast a shadow over the group. Death was no stranger to any person standing there, and yet, no one spoke for a long moment. In their silence, the last breaths of the fallen filled the air.
Even the Wysterians felt anxious. To think a bloody war had occurred there, just beneath their feet... Having lost both of her parents and growing up in a war-struck kingdom, Hope had long since acknowledged death as a customary aspect of life. But it had been a long year and some days since Hope last lived here, with the memories of her losses, and now that she was back, every memory felt more raw than they once did.
What kind of war was fought here? Who was lost? Who suffered unnecessarily? Hope grimaced at the thought.
The group figured that if they were about to embark on a lengthy journey, it would benefit them to change out of their London attire. Hope and Odette's clothes were torn from the accident, whereas the Pevensies' clothes were sopping with seawater. The boys and girls split to get dressed, with Hope and Odette borrowing clothes from the Pevensie sisters' chests.
Hope was lucky she was only a few inches taller than Susan. Her emerald dress was just barely long enough for her. As she combed her fingers through her knotted hair, she spared Odette a glance, surprised to find that she hadn't changed yet. The blonde was unmoving, gazing at the gold and cream-colored dress blankly.
As Susan braided her sister's hair, Hope said, "It's not going to bite you, you know."
Odette's head snapped forward. "Hm? Did you say something?"
It was Hope's turn to stare. This wasn't normal for the blonde, getting distracted inside her head. She was always so focused on what she needed to do, checking off boxes, even if it was something as trivial as putting on clothes.
"Why aren't you changing?"
"I... was getting to that." Odette began to lift her shirt, only to immediately wince. It was a subtle reaction, one that would've gone unnoticed had no one been paying attention.
But Hope had been her handmaid and best friend for what seemed like their entire lives. Vigilantly, she demanded, "Lift your shirt."
Lucy's wide eyes flitted toward them as the air seemed to thicken. A worry line furrowed between her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said Odette.
"Odette," Hope repeated, more firmly than before. "Lift your shirt."
