The Runaway Queen

Chapter 6: The Castle

As they approached the gates of the King's palace, Andy repented of not trying to escape, the monstrosity was aweingly annoying The towering cone-shaped roots and the marvelous handy work and spectacular metal wiring of the gate all just looked like a giant prison, meant to keep women obedient and the ignorant at peace.

"Maybe," she thought "It might be nice to rule from here one day. One day freedom would exist for all women. When the revolution of freedom fighters begins the monarchy will be brought to ruin". Andy would've really liked to be alive for such a time. But atlas she was faced with her fate as the horse rode her into the castle's court.

This whole mess wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for one defiant Queen. The story goes that the King had a grand feast. He invited all the noblemen from across all six providences and of course, his evil head advisor Harmon was there.

The feast was carded to last for five days and on the third day by Harmon's advice, the King sent for the Queen's presence. Harmon advised King Antony that Queen Ashti should appear in her lingerie and dance to please the King and his noblemen to entertain them.

A message was sent to the Queen and she was appalled by the King's request, for she was a strong-minded and strong-willed woman. "But she was stupid," Andy thought as she remembered the story.

Queen Ashti told the messenger that she will not go and dance half-naked in front of drunken men. Ashti thought by her defiance she might be set free from her castle prison and maybe be allowed to return home to her own providence. Andy was wrong.

When the messenger retold the Queen's response to the King, he was very upset because the noblemen were waiting to be aroused. 

The King indeed was about to banish the Queen but Harmon stepped in and said "My King live forever. How can we allow this, the Queen's great sin to go unpunished? What will the other women of the land say, when they have learned that the Queen defied the King in front of his noblemen and she lived. My live forever, she must be killed." 

The very next day Queen Ashti's head was being paraded through the providences on a platter. And thus virgin reaping was announced, to replace the beheaded Queen.

Andy knew that she had only two outcomes in this situation, become the Queen or become one of the Queen's four handmaids that were also forced to serve as soul bearers to the King. Neither of these options seemed appealing to Andy.

"Get off the horse" commanded the tall skinny knight to Andy. 

Andy rolled her eyes and then promptly unmounted the horse. If she had her way all these knights would be dead. Looking around she observed other women unmounting horses with no help from the knights, she assumed that these were the other virgins. 

She made a count "Two.....four........eight......." 

There were at least twenty virgins there. But if only five women from each reaping were kept at the King's palace, what happened to the other fifteen women?

Before Andy had time to think of the possible outcomes, she was shoved towards the grand front stairway. The knights lined her and the other virgins up in front of the staircase. Any peered to the left and then to right. She noticed the knights lined themselves up behind the virgins but space was left open at the side, seemed like the entrance to a garden of some sort. Foolish knights. Andy knew that if she wanted to, she could escape. She could run into the garden and hide but again she thought about her father. Amazing these knights thought of women as not having the capability to run away. 'Typical men' Andy though, they always just expected to be submissive.

A man dressed in a long purple robe walked towards the top of the staircase with two knights on either side of him. He stood fast and looked down at the women presented in front of him. His tall gold cone-shaped hat almost tipping him over as he peered down. He fixed his long gold chains and with a clear loud voice, he began to speak.

"Welcome to the King's humble adobe"

"Humble?" Andy thought, there was nothing humbling about the jewel infused walls and glass staircase.

"King Andrew, live forever"

"Live forever" all the knights repeated/

"He is very pleased to have you staying here and is excited to meet with you and have pleasure using you" the robed man continued.

"Have pleasure with me?" Andy thought out loud, the knight behind her shoved her to indicate that she must remind silent through the man's amazing speech.

"Remember that it is a privilege to be reaped for the King's harvesting. And we expect all of you to be on your best behavior. The holy book of man has strict and quick punishment to any of those of the lesser sex who choose to be disobedient to its law and guidelines. In other words, you will be shifty executed. You are the daughters of nobility and therefore must act as such. You have been born for such a time as this. This is your solemn and only purpose. I am Hamon the head priest and therefore the head advisor to the King. You all will be under my supervision until the day of selection and or execution."

Hamon continued to ramble on about the other rules of the castle but Andy was too caught up in what he had already said to continue listening. "What did he mean by the date of selection and or execution?" Andy pondered. She tried to remember reading something briefly in an old book she had found in her father's office. She couldn't remember exactly what is was, because when her father saw her reading it, he swiftly took it away.

He didn't allow anyone to read it he said it was an ancient book that no one studied any longer. But Any knew something was wrong, she knew now that there was something in that book that her father was trying to protect her from but what it was, she was yet to find out.

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please share your comments, I would really appreciate your feedback. Hopefully you enjoyed reading!