A Crown's Game|✔︎UNDER MAJOR EDITING

-Chapter Twenty Six-

I feel numb, I'm huddled in a small ball in the new sheets of my bed. I don't feel right, my knife isn't in my hand, it's too quiet. I'm shivering so hard because of the fear that someone will kill me from behind.

I stand up slowly, walking carefully as to not step on any branches. Over on a table, all the weapons and items from my pack are laying soundly. I grab my knife handle and start to walk towards the door. .

"Aspen!"

Onix!

I turn around at there she is! Hand reached out, but she's faded. Black and white, her eyes hollow. She still has her arena outfit on, bow and arrows at her side. I run to her, but she turns to mist. Am I seeing things?

An axe whizzes past my ear before disappearing. Halo. I turn, throwing my knife into the wall. There's no one there. I start to panic, breathing quickly. What's happening?

I run back to the wall and grab my knife, holding it up. "Who's there?" I say, shuddering.

I hear around sound, so I turn around to face the ghostly predator. Instead, Billi, Katerina, and Onix's bodies are laying on the floor.

I can't stop shrieking, screaming, and hyperventilating. I throw myself to the balcony doors, hands shaking as I try to open them. Once I do, the air hits, I'm looking over the city lights, hunched on the railing. Everything is coming back to me.

I'm at the Marble. I'm the Queen. I'm not in the arena. Onix is gone, Katerina is gone, Billi is gone.

"Aspen?"

I turn my head, and Liam is standing behind me. No hesitations, I run into his arms.

"Tell what the arena was like." He says, bringing me back to the balcony.

I shake my head. "No, it's-it's-"

"Aspen. Please. I'll help." Liam says, gripping my shoulders.

"It was a hell hole, filled with young girls who were brainwashed to kill. At least some of them were." I say silently. "My alliance, we knew what we had to do if we wanted to win, we just didn't do it at the right time. There was this fear of being killed in your sleep. There was no trust in there, only in between our alliance. It was a rare thing that I won't forget."

Liam only nods. "I've never seen you act the way you did towards them than any friend you'd had in Serenade."

"Home, Serenade. I wish I could go home instead of this." I say, counting the lights.

"Love over lavish, I guess."

And so we stay in silence as my breathing relaxes, I stop shaking, the knife becomes heavy in my hands. "How's home?"

He laughs. "Fine. Dandy was over joyed when you won, she started to run into the streets cheering and shouting with mom. Everyone was happy when you won. A lot more color than beige was seen."

I smile at the thoughts of people cheering at home, skipping through the streets and throwing flowers, and because of me. "I want to go back, do you think i'll be able to?"

"Maybe for the victory parade. I don't know otherwise. We'll obviously live here, but maybe mom and dad won't." He shrugs. I nod slowly.

"Mom wouldn't like it here." I agree, she's more about the simple life. Like I said before, this could've been her if they didn't catch her age. I guess this would remind her of Queen Marie's death. "Liam?"

"Yea?"

I take a few deep breaths. "What if people don't like me?"

"As in what?" He says, voice rising.

"As in rebellions. As in me being assasinated." I say. Liam raises his eyebrows before laughing again.

"They won't."

"But I'm 16. I'm turing 17 soon, but that's still young. I feel like I can't make right decisions."

"And?"

I'm enraged. I turn to face him, angry. "Liam. I will be making choices about war, about taxes, about peoples lives. There can be serious consequenses if I do something wrong."

He rolls his eyes and scoffs. "You'll have advisors, believe me. It won't be as hard as you think."

"Yes it will!"

"Why?"

"Do you know what I'm facing? The nightmares, the PTSD? Not just being the ruler of a giant country will get to me, my past will too! Now, get out!" I scream, pointing to the door opposite from us. Liam doesn't hesitate, he's sick of me too. He runs to the door, and turns around.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Before I can say anything else, he's out the door.

I'm too groggy, to tired to do anything. I can see the sun rising, but it's not the same here. There's no mist separating, no scent of pine trees, I can't even see any. All I can see are the cities buildings.

I sit on my bed, the large doors still swung wide open. I'm thinking about home, where I wish I was. Like Liam said, I'll be back for the victory parade, but thats it.

I feel the small tear run down my face, I don't stop it. I let more come down slowly like a hot rainy day at home, slow and sweet. The hot rainy day's where I ran around in the forest with Jeany, the days where I spent my days rolling around in the grass, the hot sun burning on my face. I'll never have that sort of joy again. I thought I was a free butterfly, or that I would be. I remember during training, I felt like a caged animal. I thought it would different once I'm out. I thought I would be happy.

But now I realize than It's no different than being in the training center.

Different place, same feeling.

I sit on the bed until the sunhas rised over the distance hill, and I don't move until Lise forces me into the bathroom hours later. The games have ruined me.

Scarred me.