freedom nights || stray kids au

four

The gate to the village was larger than the boys had expected. It was made of giant gold poles with intricate details. It towered over the group of strays intimidatingly- though they could remember very little about their village, they did remember that their village wasn't rich enough to have a massive golden door at its entrance, nor enough food for feasts twice a week, and they certainly never had a queen as their leader.

Felicity walked up to the gate and typed a code into a small box, causing the golden gate to open and reveal a magical village.

A village made of wooden huts that sat on either side of a path made of yellow concrete. Colourful lanterns hung from hut to hut, filling in the absence of streetlights. Each hut had its own feel to it- its own personality. There were a few people doing late night gardening or talking to one another, some even reading books or painting. As the group walked further down the path they began attracting attention, the eyes of strangers watching their every move.

Felicity lead the boys along the road. They were all in awe of how beautiful the place was, especially at night. As the group walked further away from the entrance the huts began to get larger and other buildings appeared. There was a gorgeous cathedral with multi-coloured stained windows, and there were also brick structures that looked like classrooms and one giant building with a sign on its roof that read 'Noctis Licentia'.

"This place is incredible." Hyunjin said, his eyes taking in everything that they could. But before he thought he had seen it all, the boys laid their eyes on the masterpiece of the town- the castle.

They all gasped in unison, their eyes looking at the large spirals that towered towards the sky. The castle was surrounded by large trees, which is why the boys didn't see the massive structure previously.

Felicity stopped before they had reached the steps. There were large doors in front of the castle, with guards standing outside them. This was the first time the boys had seen Felicity hesitant or afraid, which made them nervous.

"Here is where I leave you." Felicity said, turning to face the boys with a sad smile.

"You aren't coming in with us?" Minho asked, and she shook her head.

"I'm not allowed to enter unless the Queen asks to see me. Anyways, I hope that everything works out for you all. If you guys manage to get accomodation here, I will check by the guest huts tomorrow morning to show you guys around and teach you all the ropes."

"Thanks so much for everything, Felicity. You too Audrey." Chris said, smiling brightly at the girls. "We'll do everything we can to stay here and see you both again." It was at this moment that all the boys felt the same sadness. They were already saying goodbye to the first people who had shown them kindness in years. The two girls smiled back at them, and Felicity began to walk back towards the huts, beckoning Audrey along. But before she left, Audrey ran up to Chris and rapped her arms around one of his legs. He bent down to hug her, and she whispered a gentle 'good luck' into his ear. But before he could reply, she ran after Felicity and left all the boys alone in front of the castle. They all looked at each other, concerned and upset, feeling deprived of familiarity and comfort. It felt like they had been dumped in the middle of the woods again, like the green bandits had done just days before.

Chris hesitantly walked up the steps, the members of his group following quickly behind. Once they reached the top, Chris greeted one of the guards.

"Are you here to see the White Queen?" The guard asked him immediately.

"I believe so." Chris replied, biting on the inside of his cheek. In all of his years of being a leader, he had never felt so intimidated to meet someone with more authority than him. Though Chris didn't abuse his power, he knew he had it, but he used it to keep people he loved in line. He had a feeling that this White Queen used her leadership and authority for control and excessive use of power, and that already lead Chris to envision a negative image of her.