Half a heart, half a crown

F O U R

I paused to see a silhouette against the massive wall.

Suddenly a fragile old woman appears, she showed no emotions.

She unlocked the key and left a big basket full of feast on the ground.

She stepped out and locked the cage.

"Thank you." I said.

After giving me a glance, she walked away.

Finally after not eating for a couple of days, I could eat once again.

I walked over to the basket and on my knees, I took the cover out and what I saw with both of my eyes, really amazed me.

A big piece of baked Tudor pastry, roasted duck, two pieces of toast and melted cheese, along with a cup of tea.

Do they feed prisoner with these types of food?

I brought a piece of Tudor pastry close to my lips when a sudden thought came to my mind.

What if it is poisoned?

Just that I quickly dropped it in the basket and leaned against the wall.

My stomach growled and a figure appeared in front of me.

Our gazed stilled together through the rows of steel.

"Why are you not eating?", he said, "you're not hungry?"

I shook my head "I'm not hungry."

He stared into my brown eyes and I would've looked away, avoiding his gaze but I didn't.

Silence filled the room.

Still looking into my eyes, he said "It is not poison, you can eat it."

Just that I broke our eye-contact and focused on the ground.

He threw pieces of clothing onto the ground through the rows of the steel.

"You can change here, nobody's here."

Just that he left.

Left me confused.

I went down and grabbed those pieces of clothing.

On my hands, laid a prisoner clothes but luckily, there's a fabric hat.

I glances from left to right outside the cage and I guessed I am really alone in here.

So I took out my armor suit.

I was left with thick fabric covering all around my chest.

I quickly put on my assigned clothes.

I took my golden helmet out and my long brown hair fall down my waist.

I quickly put the hat on and tucked my hair into the hat.

Short pieces of hair hanging in front of my face and I can't help with it.

After exchanging my clothes, I decided to eat after all.

Piece after piece, bite after bite, I found myself enjoying the prisoner food more than my typical food back then, at the Ameragonia.

With a blinked of an eye, I finished the whole thing.

My gaze turned up to see a figure silhouette quickly left the corner of the room.

"Umm, excuse me, is anyone there?" My voice sound firm and yet if anyone noticed, there is fear behind it.

My voice.

Echoed of my voice was all I heard.

Am I hallucinating?

Or is there really is a person in here?

Gasp escaped my lips.

What if I was found out?

No it couldn't be.

King Antonio Davinsky said no one's here.

"nobody's here." He said.

Why did I trust him?

Isn't he the one I wanted to kill?

He might have lied a moment ago.

But a part of me is sure that he doesn't.

Before my thoughts get any further, I spotted a note left in the basket.

"Revenge is the only answer, my dear." It said.

My lips parted in horror, I crumbled the note into my palm tightly.

The note repeated all over my head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The tick-tock of the pendulum clock terrifies me.

"Revenge is the only answer, my dear."

Voices in my head is killing me.

Whoever wrote this is absolutely right.

I came here for revenge, revenge for my brother, my people, my kingdom and unfortunately, for myself.

But....

There's no but, Magnificent, Queen of Ameragonia.

You are here to conquer the world.

Your world.

You are here to take what's yours.

"Revenge is the only answer, my dear."

A moment of silence appeared through me.

I stood up to the rows of steel and my gaze reached a very familiar extraordinary pair of boots.

Why is he here again?

Hands gripping hard on the rows of steel.

"Why do you still keep me here when you can just-"

"Let you die?" He said, "when I can just let you die?"

I nodded slowly.

Eyes I can't read.

Face with no expression.

Can somehow makes me nervous.

Through the rows of the steel, he looked at me intensely observing me.

He walked up.

Walked to me.

Until we're only about centimeters apart.

His hand placed on mine and I stumbled to the back due to the shocked.

Through the rows, he held onto my waist safely.

At the same time, I was lost in his eyes.

Deep blue eyes.

A pair of ocean eyes.

"Revenge is the only answer, my dear." The voice popped up in my head and I quickly balanced myself in a safe distance from him.

"Is this one of those times when you are afraid of me again?"

Silence was all he received.

And he nodded.