A Queen and Her Seven Servants {BTS}

Chapter Thirty Four ~

My feet finally left the dirt-

encrusted floor to a much cleaner one. The sleek and polished rock reflected the lights shining in the hall and the sun peeping through the windows. My stomach churned. This place was familiar. I remember being here as a kid, running through the halls with my two best friends and tipping over expensive vases and then sweeping the glass shards into an empty room. I remember being here as a young teen, eating beside one of my best friends and crying on his shoulder as I told him about my parents. And I remember being here just a month ago for an annual ball. Who thought I'd be back, wearing the clothes of a prisoner with dirty feet and bloody scratches?

I let the prison guards guide me around the halls I knew so well. My tears had dried and left wet trails down my cheeks in their place. My eyes were red and puffy, and my hair was unraveling from the braid I last remember it being in. How did I come to be in this situation? Was this just a dream? Would I wake up and still be sick in bed back at home with Hoseok sitting in the chair beside my bed, waiting for me to give him something to do? Was Jin sitting in his chair, reading his journals and mixing different herbs together to find a remedy for my illness? Were Namjoon and Yoongi reading over the letters sent to the castle and taking care of business? Was Jungkook getting caught up on sleep in his bed in the basement while Taehyung dyed cloth in the room next door, planning a beautiful dress fit only for me? Was Jimin sweeping up cobwebs to pass the time? My heart ached. They were probably off on the run again with no place to stay, thanks to me.

Namjoon's words echoed in my head. "Thank you, Your Highness. For everything." I felt irritated. Why did I send them away? Why was I so stupid? Why couldn't I think of anyone but myself?

I was stopped in my tracks and I looked up to see a door beautifully decorated. I gulped. I knew what was behind it. I could see the thrones already, glimmering in the light of the chandeliers. The sky-blue velvet on the court's thrones would be spotless, as always. The ivory decorating each throne, polished and shiny. Why was I here?

"Now, you are about to face the King and Queen of Desdemona. If you are to misbehave, I, along with my fellow guards, will not hesitate to punish you. If we must strike you down in front of the royal court, then so be it." The guard's demanding voice pounded itself into my skull his threats echoed in my head, replacing my servant's. I didn't understand. Why would I be being treated like this here?

With a forceful push, the door to the throne room opened. I kept my head down and let the guards bring me forward, each step echoing off the walls and back to me. When we came to a stop, I bowed a little out of habit. I refused to look up, though.

"Well, look what we have here," a deep voice sneered. "How nice to see you again, Queen Evangeline."

I didn't answer and instead kept staring at my reflection in the floor. It mocked me. Whoever was staring back at me wasn't me. It couldn't be.

A gruff hand grabbed the collar of the thin dress I wore and forced me to look upward. I immediately locked eyes with the King of Desdemona. My breathing hitched as I saw him laugh to himself quietly. He was dressed in rather extravagant attire and the way he sat in his throne exuded confidence. I looked to his right and saw his queen. She had always been so nice and caring. Her soft eyes looked sad, though, as she viewed me. Her fingers fiddled in her lap endlessly, as if she was worrying over something. She might have been.

I looked to the left and found the eyes of someone whom I didn't want to see at the moment. The brown eyes that had always meant comfort stared at me. Blaine looked guilty as he sat in his small throne. His stature told me he was nervous or shy, and Blaine was never nervous or shy. He must not have been able to handle looking at me for too long, for he bit his lip and quickly looked down at his lap as if something more interesting was there. He was also playing with his fingers. Something told me he and his mom didn't want to be a part of this.

"Well, Eve, it's nice to have you back here in our kingdom," Blaine's dad announced. "Blaine told me you were a fun party guest at his ball. Isn't that right, son?"

Blaine looked up sheepishly. "Uh, yes, Father. She was."

"I thought it would be nice to have you back here so my wife and I could experience your fun party spirit," the king continued. Blaine's mom sent a shifty glance to her husband as if she didn't like him referencing her. "We weren't here for the party, you know." He reached up and adjusted his blue and white crown. I suddenly hated it.

The king stood and motioned for a guard to come up to him. I felt the one at my left let go of me and walk forward to the thrones. The king whispered something to him and I noticed the queen craning her neck to overhear their quiet conversation. I hoped she would save me from whatever was going to happen next, but when the two parted ways in front of her, she only looked at her husband in disbelief. "Phillip, please don't-"

The king gave her a hard look, making her go silent. He then turned to the guard he had been talking to who seemed to be waiting for something. The king grinned before giving some sort of signal. The guard bowed before stalking over to me, grabbing the rope tied to his belt. Panic began to pump through my veins yet again.

"We thought we could have a little party right here," the king taunted over the sound of the guard's heavy footsteps.

"Phillip, don't do this," the queen begged.

"Shut up, Blyana," Blaine's dad hissed. "You have no part of this."

"If I have no part, then I don't see why you dragged me here," she blurted. She got up from her throne and walked away, her dress swishing around her.

I heard the king murmur angrily to himself before he turned around back to me. "Well, let's get on with the show," he said.

I didn't even notice that the guard he had talked to had unraveled his whip. I was too busy staring at my childhood friend who was trying to dry his eyes before his dad saw.

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next chapter is blaine's/jackson's backstory pretty much. it took me forever to get what i had already envisioned and "knew" into text lol