A Queen and Her Kings

Mirror Rorrim

The night was dark and wet, it having just rained earlier that day. A brunette woman in her mid thirties walked down the streets of the lower garden district. She was wearing a black dress with a matching trench coat. The streets were quiet, something that should have served as a warning sign given that this particular part of town was known for its shops, bars and vibrant nightlife. But she was in her own world, she was going to be late for her performance at the Saenger if she didn't hurry up. She sighed, she would have taken a taxi but there were none. She was the last available actress on hand at the theater who knew the lines for the role of Eurydice from Hadestown. The main travel crew actress and her two understudies had both been severely injured in accidents both on and off set, and she was the only available replacement due to her love of the production being so great she memorized all of the songs and that she was the only actress with the necessary vocal range.

She continued down the street, and as she turned the corner of the last block before the theater, she saw a large group of people. They were all dressed in black, similar to her, but their clothes were older. They looked like something out of the Victorian era, with long black formal dresses, bonnets, suits and waistcoats.

The crowd turned to stare at her, seemingly in unison. Their eyes were all unnaturally wide, and none of them moved an inch as their eyes pierced her soul.

The actress backed up a bit, "Hello?", said, her greeting coming out as more of a question, "Is something the matter?"

The crowd then moved in unison, revealing what had been successfully concealed within their clothes, and hidden from her eyes. They were all holding make-shift weapons; crowbars, kitchen knives, broken bottles and all other manner of deadly objects.

She gasped, and began to retreat backwards in fear. Just as she began to break in a sprint, the mob began to give chase. She rounded the corner of the street she had just left, hoping to lose them by hiding in the back alleys. This plan was foiled when another mob, clad in the same attire and weaponry as the first, came charging at her from said back alleys. She shook with fear, she was trapped. She was going to die. As she began to sob, she heard a voice shout her name from the balcony of a building behind her.

"Patricia Coleman Jones!"

Patricia turned in the direction of the voice, and saw a young blonde man. He was rather beautiful, not that she fully noticed in her panicked state. He had golden blonde hair, green eyes and pale white skin. He couldn't be any older than 18.

"Who are you?", She managed to choke out, praying to God that this man was here to help her.

Another man came onto the terrace, "We are here to help, come with us if you want to live."

This man appeared slightly similar to the first, with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked older, mid thirties to late twenties. His voice held a commanding air to it, as if he was used to giving and receiving orders.

Patricia nodded and let them hoist her up with a rope ladder they threw down to her, taking her up to the balcony seating area of a restaurant, "What's going on? Why are those people after me?"

The blonde and his associate herded her into the restaurant, closed the gates to the terrace and the strawberry-blonde chained them shut, the blonde rushing down stairs and using all his strength to keep the mob from breaking down the main doors. He then spoke to the actress, who had followed him,

"We don't think they are doing this of their own free will, we think they are under some sort of hypnosis.", The man said as he began to stack chairs against the now chained and locked door.

Patricia blinked, "Hypnosis?"

The blonde nodded, "We'll explain later, right now we need to focus on getting you out of this situation alive.", he said as he finished fortifying the door with chairs.