[ flashbacks are written in Italic font]
Warning: mention of blood.
She is dancing, it looks like so... but it is fierce and dangerous as if calling for destructions, just like the tandav of shiva. The seasons changed and only the trees, stream, the hill, the birds and the sky know how Nasya renounced herself layers after layers and grew up into a new woman; beautiful, elegant, but don't make a fool out of yourself, be aware she is the epitome of destruction, filled with indomitable rage. Thirst for blood has not left her still, rather it grew, grew so much so to call it gluttony.
Seventy best warriors of master chanyeol are surrounding nasya, attacking her together and separately. She has to break through them; she has to win against them to be qualified. She has to defeat them and stay intact to get the certificate of "being ready to hunt down the king and queen". Everyone is there. She still has not met her parents and brother yet. It's been 4 years. 4 years since she left house with master chanyeol to train herself. She devoted herself to the training and her political and mathematical courses, she brought herself excellent marks, and she got her degree 2 years before everyone. Today is the final hindrance to set off for her life goal—getting her brother avenged. Taking justice in her own hand as justice has been never served.
She is dancing with sword and fire is dancing in her hands. She is a moon with her own source of light. She herself is the fire. People heard only in stories of legends acquiring power of fire, today some blessed one are witnessing. The shape of the fire is like dragon- dragon is what her eyes looks like. Slashes of her sword are so powerful as if a sage has just woken up from Samadhi.
Someone strikes from her behind but couldn't even go close to her, she spins and the blade of sword confronts him brutally, blood rushes out his mouth. Blades are covered with sheath so that no life is taken but no one is sparred today. She ducks and kicks in the knee and stomach. There is sound of bone breaking and crying of pain but everything falls deaf to her ears. She flies and put some of them to fire and they run to save their lives. And then there she is like a divine presence, standing calm and elegant. The fire engulfing her is embracing as beautiful ornaments adorning her.
There is blood around her but she is looking ahead right into the eyes of her brother, those eyes look hopeful today. That hope gives her a new reason to end the tyrants.
Master chanyeol comes to her and bring her to her family, "I took your daughter as an aspirant, today I am giving back as a warrior- goddess fiery- Bewitching like a fairy and feral like fire."
In this crowd of overwhelming emotions nobody recognizes a pair of astonished eyes, admiring, almost worshiping her from far, wishing to see her once more, whereas for him touching her, would be no less than a miracle.
Nasya and baekhyun are standing in front of their house on the hill, looking at the distanced stream.
"You become the true child of the night. Bring me justice goddess, just like you always wanted" – baekh.
{long pause}
"I will. I promise you with my life." – nasya whispers.
It's been two days nasya has come back to her house. Her mother isn't ready yet to let her daughter go fight with her life. Everyone is staying at home. Her father didn't go to the shop he works for. They all took leave to spend time together after so many years, fearing the upcoming future. Her brother went inside once their father called him. While looking at the tree leaves moving tenderly, she visits her memory lane far behind when everything started going wrong.
"What happened why are you back so early?" – jennie. She was feeding 4 years old nasya, baekhyun was playing in the leaving room.
"Hyunsik revolted."—kai
"Revolted? What do you mean by revolted?" jennie then looked at kai who was sweating and shaking in anxiety and fear.
"King has been spoiling the kingdom from the beginning but recently things have been worse, he is killing people for small to no reason, beating people for fun just because he can do. You know how tax has been higher day by day. Hyunsik being inside the king personal troop has been seeing all the cruelties king is bestowing on the people. Youngie show the king harassing the maid and servants of the palace and she shared it with hyunsik and he in fear with some other armies revolted. Some of the victims of the king have been wives or sister or some other relatives of the soldiers. You know the servants in the palace are mostly wives and sisters of the soldiers so that they can stay together." – Kai gulped and then continued, "Some ministers are also against the king and this whole thing made a mess, nobody will live jen, everyone will die..."
"Kai, what will happen now? Where is youngie unnie? Where is hyunsik orabeoni?" desperate jennie asked
"They have to be on run as king has given verdict of death to them and their family. Both the king and queen are behaving like mad psycho. They enjoy our pain, our misery; they are searching for anyone and everyone. And they will be torturing and killing all of them" –kai lamented almost on the verge of crying.
"We have to hide baekhyun... we can't let them have him." –jennie
"Yes, it will be easy to hide him as our own as baekh has been mostly with us. Hyung and noona have been always busy with the palace work" – kai
"Jagiya..." –jennie
"Yeh?" – kai
"What will we say to baekh? What will we reply to him? What will we say where is his parents?" – jennie bursts out crying loud.
They were in too much pain to notice baekh by the door. Baekh heard everything how his parents were in run for life. They forgot when jennie stopped feeding nasya and how she still could remember the horror of their voice. They heard. They knew. They know. They remember.
That night Byun Baekhyun was named as kim baekhyun.
That night kim kai and kim jennie lost their friend more like brother and sister.
That night Sovereignty cried.
That night many souls howled in utter pain and desperation.
That night the kingdom was tainted in red.
That night people feared that monstrous laugh.
That night people prayed for a change.
That night family saw their family getting killed, cloths torned apart, bodies, limps ripped apart... women raped... men butchered...
That night Sovereignty lost thousands of innocent lives, hundreds of children crushed, caught under the feet of victims while trying to run.
That night whole Sovereignty whispered with their last breath a prayer: they prayed for a miracle.
But alas, it was just the beginning.
It is still very much fresh in Nasya's memory. She visits there almost every day to keep the wound open. They need to bleed so that she could bleed them to death.
It is a cat playing beside her feet makes her realize about the falling day. She needs to go inside the house and help her mother cook dinner. She knows her mother wants to share many things that happened in past 4 years. Petting the cat for a few times she goes straight to the kitchen and washes hands with soap. Jennie also comes just after her.
"What do you want to eat?" – jennie asks wearing the apron
"Whatever you want to cook mother."
Jennie watches her silently; her children do not behave like 18 or 22 years old. They are always weighing down as though they are burdened with burden of the world. Can't really blame them, the world didn't treat them well. She thoughtfully takes out all the preferable ingredients.
"After you went away, baekh almost never came out of his room as if he lost all his reasons to have a relation with the outside world.... He is working in a library in the town down the hill. He goes and comes back with your father. He doesn't talk much, much less than before. People say time heals but in his case his wounds are starting to rot. We failed as parents to provide to you two." – Her voice cracked, she muffled a sob.
"Mom...." – nasya whispers wanting to comfort her mother.
"Baekh is so talented, his type of talent is supposed to work in the court. We are terrified to go anywhere near the palace. Going inside will happen only either over their dead bodies or ours." – Jennie says determined
"Brother will have everything in his life that he deserves soon." – Nasya promises.
at night:
Hearing knock at his door baekh opens the door and there stand nasya with a smile. "what happened why are you here?"
"Why can't I come to meet you? Waah. I am offended." Nasya playfully huffed
"Aigo drop the act. Come in." He chuckles smacking her head.
"What were you doing big bro? Your room changed so much. It looks much more alive than last time I saw." She is roaming around and touching and seeing every object of the room.
"Yah. My room will always look like dead to you because I don't wanna paint it Barbie." He rolls his eyes in annoyance.
"I never asked you paint it Barbie. My own room is not paint in Barbie. I just ask you to add some decoration. What's wrong with you? You have no sense of aesthetic. I always have to look after your clothing or else you will roam around wearing rags." Nasya hisses in annoyance.
"I have good fashion sense. Don't you dare offend me or else I will throw you out of the window."
Nasya gasps in shock, "you have good fashion sense don't make me laugh. You will throw me out of window? I will throw you out of the world. Don't make curse at you or else I will forget you are my elder brother. I will complain to mom."
"bluuuuuuuu" baekh shows his tongue and makes funny faces. Then he laughs out loud. Seeing him laughing so hard nasya also laughs.
While catching breath nasya makes an amused face and looks at baekh with twinkling eyes. "what? Don't give me that look. You are creepy."
"Your room looks alive. You're talking much than before. I never saw you laughing so hard in years. I am getting a sister-in-law. Isn't it?"
Baekh is total dump founded. "Wh-where does this come from?"
"What did I miss in these 4 years? Tell me about your girlfriend. Don't be shy. I am your sweet little sister." She is fluttering her eyes rapidly.
"Yaah! I told you not to do it didn't I? You are looking creepy and no I don't have any girlfriend."
"Then why is your face red? You are blushing. I thought you are straight. Like I will still support you if you have a boyfriend."
"Shut up. You are talking bullshit and I am very much straight you pig"
Both of them enjoy the silence next. They didn't have this kind of sibling blunter in years.
"Baeee... give me the chocolate too."
"No. These are mine. You go ask aunty to give you more."
Nasya tried to snatch away some of the choco. "No these are mine boo. You already ate yours, ask aunty or else I will cry."
"You give me some or else I will cry."
"You go and cry, mean girl. Mine choco."
When baekh was kidnapped kai and Jennie went to the castle to bring him back. They fought against the royal army. Kai was taking all the strikes and bashes when Jennie ran to free baekh from the basement. They ran from there with a little life left in them. They got help from three ministers of literature, home affairs and finance minister. Only with their help they could run or else all three of them would have died that night. They were found next morning under the bushes of forest, unconscious almost lifeless. There was no such place left on them without blood and wounds. Nasya was shaken and shocked seeing their disfigured faces and brushes bodies. She went mute for five months. Only she knows how she survived when her parents were in coma for three months and how she tried to wake her brother up for 8 months. Things were never same after that. Even when they tried to cope up and go back to how things were, they couldn't go back. They grew up at the age of 4 and 8.
But they know they are just trying you live this moment and put aside all the trouble and fear of future. They just want to hold onto each other like it is for the last time.
"I missed you bae."
"I missed you too boo."
**----**----**
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Royal servants are those who serve the royal family directly inside the castle or outside the castle. They accompany royals when they go outside too.
Royal army are those who protect the royal family directly inside the castle or outside the castle. Others are known as military or troops.
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