The five of us stood in front of Euphoria's grand palace, as dramatically beautiful as ever. It glowed, grayish white, shining against the cloudy sky. A beacon of hope.

Everyone's expressions, grim in contrast. Merle was going to kill the king. Why, I didn't know.

I couldn't quite settle the uneasiness in my stomach. For better or for worse, everything would change today.

"Steady." Broc advised, giving me a half smile, "Don't let yourself get overwhelmed."

I nodded at his advice, easier said than done.

Luca kept his eyes forward, gravely serious. "Come on." He motioned, marching towards the main entrance. I watched him walk past. Set on his path, he didn't waver. I wish I felt as confident.

Diggery was quick to walk alongside me, "You feel ready?" His green eyes soft with concern. I gave a weak grin, "I don't know, it doesn't feel real." I responded. The sky was so thick with clouds they hid the sun.

I stifled a yawn, ignoring the weighing tiredness. Everything was happening so quickly. I needed to keep a clear head.

Looking back behind me, Ari stood spellbound by the palace. A conflicted, almost pained look on his face. "Ari?" I called back at him, waving my hand to get his attention. He briefly broke his eyes away from the view.

"WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME HERE?" His voice broke from Its note. "Do you know this place Ari?" I asked him. Diggery looked at me, antsy to catch up with others.

Ari nodded, fearfully. "I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE." His voice panicked. I walked back over, making him look at me. "Ari? I'm sorry you feel that way. I don't know what this place means to you but I need to be here." I locked onto his blue eyes, meeting the fear in them. "This isn't easy for me either but I will walk with you through it if you walk with me."

Ari's eyes softened, still looking troubled. He nodded, starting to walk forward. Diggery gave a wary look as we continued.

The others were already at the gate, Emery starting an argument with the guard. Broc was on the sidelines, trying to mediate. Emery, throwing her hands up. The guards tightened their stance.

"I don't think we're getting in through the gate." Luca turned back as we approached, pointing at the argument. I rolled my eyes, "Ya doesn't look like it." I shrugged, tucking my hair back. Best to skip the gate.

I took note of where everyone was standing. I pulled Ari over, his wide blue eyes still looking terrorized. Luca took my hand, putting his other hand on Broc's shoulder. I motioned to Diggery he latched onto Ari. The guards stared confused as Broc took Emery's arm. She sighed, turning. As soon as everyone was ready, I let my heartbeat direct me. I didn't have time to waste with explanations. The deeper pulse catching me, I followed the beat drawing us to the throne room.

I opened my eyes, shocked by the darkness. We appeared in the large echoey room, the space dark and empty, though not any less elegant. Dramatic paintings of divine winged creatures caught in battle with each other. Great dragons and terrible sea creatures. Floor to ceiling, gold leafed carvings. I was struck by the beauty of it. The center of the room gave the throne room a whole different perspective.

"Woah." Diggery mumbled in awe. I gave him a nod, it was incredible even in the low lighting. One inch of the gold trim was worth more than I'd ever make.

Emery pushed past heading for the door. "If we had more time we could sightsee but..." Her voice echoed off. She stared out blankly, looking at the wall, her eyes fixed in horror. She was looking at a spot on the mural, a dark circle over the sun in the sky. It looked out of place. As if someone had painted it on later.

"What's wrong?" I asked, gauging her expression.

"Nothing." She shook her head, moving forward. "We have to stay focused." Her face, still frozen in a frown. I looked back at the eclipse. Why would someone add that in the picture?

Luca kept up ahead of the group. I followed towards the sliver of light that was the doorway. We had to find the king before we were too late.

We slipped down the hallway, getting a few odd looks from those passing by. We contrasted the regal composure quite dramatically.

Emery led the charge, her face caught in concentration. She pulled us down a shorter hall, slowing her pace.

"I think he's in there." Emery pointed at the guarded door at the end of the hall. We stopped, staring down it, the guards eyeing us suspiciously. How were we gonna convince anyone about what was going to happen?

"Let me handle this." Broc advised, breaking away from our group. He pushed back his nervous expression, turning it to confidence.

He moved to the front, meeting the first guard with a salute. "I'm Broc a captain from Manic and these are my traveling companions.” he pointed to us as we slowly followed.

“I would have gone through formal channels but this is an urgent matter. We have news of a plot to assassinate your King and we wished to warn you as soon as we caught wind of it."

They stared at him a little bewildered, looking at one another.

"From Manic you say?" The one guard repeated. Broc nodded, the one guard turning to enter the room behind them.The remaining guard waited sheepishly, looking back once in a while, till his friend returned.

"Come, our head captain wishes to hear this further." He opened the door, leading us in.

The room was richly furnished, regal and official looking. A wall of bookcases. A room of deep colours, the room in a rich dark wood.

A grey-haired muscular man stood behind a desk, his light greenish eyes weighted. I was surprised not to see the king.

"Broc. Disgraced captain of Manic and my personal friend, what brings you to Euphoria?" He welcomed us, as our make-shift crew wandered in.

"Denver." Broc started, "I wish this was under better circumstances but I have troubling news." Denver frowned, "An assassination? What do you know about it?" He questioned, His eyes suspiciously drifting between me and Luca.

"Very shortly an attempt will be made. Someone with very strong magic, he's set on killing him." Broc spoke in a strong official tone.

Denver looked past Broc, more preoccupied by me and Luca. "Yes...and how did you hear about this? These two with you match descriptions of some criminals that came through here not long ago. If this is from them I am reluctant to trust you." He said firmly, resting his hands on the desk. "As much as I respect you Broc, you are too easily swayed by your heart."

Emery let out a huge sigh, dramatically throwing her hands up. "Gosh, could you be any more insufferable?"

Denver's eyes grew engaged. She smirked, enjoying his irritation.

"Listen here pompous jerk, when Broc says soon, he means soon." She motioned back to us,"And these troublemakers you speak of are the best chance this world has. So,stop with the formalities and the 'I'm better than you" act and let us stop your king from dying."

Denver looked ready to burst a blood vessel. "Now you listen here-"

"We don't have time Denver." Broc interrupted carefully. Denver's eyes switched to surprise. "How am I supposed to trust this?" He asked.

I shook my head, "Don't." I said, everyone's heads turning in my direction."but we'll see how that works out, won't we." I glared at him coldly, the same man who dragged Luca cruelly off to prison.

Diggery looked warily between us, "What I think we're trying to say is that you shouldn't ignore this." He offered in a friendly tone. Denver shook his head, "You see young man, our King is the safest he's ever been, this assassin may have strong magic but so do we. Our alliance with Arcane-"

"Will end in disaster. They don't care about protecting you." Luca growled.

"You boy are delusional. You don't think I've heard all the whispers about you. Spuing talk of doom and destruction at every capital. It's rubbish I say! You just want attention." Denver snarled.

Ari, who had been quietly listening this whole time, stepped forward. He picked up a paperweight off of the desk, tossing it in his grip. The look in Ari's eyes switched.

"You always were more concerned about appearances than truth." His voice was controlled and cold. He locked eyes with Denver, a piercing glare. Denver looked as if he was going to jump out of his skin, his eyes wide in panic. Ari put the weight down.

"It…can't be...no...you..were..." Denver fumbled over his words.

"Gone?" Ari raised his eyebrows, "Not completely. You give these people what they need." He commanded, leaning on Denver's desk.

I was caught off guard by his intensity. What was going on with Ari? Denver nodded frantically, running into the room just behind him. We all stared at Ari, his stern expression fading back to the hazy look that they always had.

"WE HAVE TO KEEP MOVING." Ari boomed, following Denver. We all hesitated. I followed, not sure how I should react.

Denver whispered to a grumpy looking obese man. He blinked groggily awake, sleeping in his chair. I recognised him as the King, though he looked even less royal than normal.

"What is it Denver? Who are these people?" He stared at us confused.

Broc stepped up, coming to the front. Denver gave a defeated nod, "Extra protection. There's been a threat on your life. It could be nothing but these people are here just in case."

The king frowned, "These guys are supposed to protect me?"

"Yes, don't let their appearances fool you, they are trained with particular skill."

Denver eyed Broc sheepishly, "They know what they're doing, I'll be around anyway, if you need me." Denver ducked out before he was forced to answer any more questions.

The king furrowed his brow, lazily sitting up from his chair. He was overall underwhelming as far as kings go. Looked as dense as a rock and just as charismatic as one too.

Emery scouted the room, taking note of the windows and exits.

"What kind of threat are you preparing for?" The king asked, nervously. "Rayburn said with the new foreign alliance we would eliminate these sorts of threats."

I scowled at Rayburns mention, what a weasel. Luca tilted his head, "Yes maybe but, this threat is specific. If trouble comes we'll be here to stop it." The king didn't seem to recognize him.

"You just go about what you would normally and we'll keep vigilant." Broc offered.

"Good then, I guess." He settled back in his chair. Broc gave a nod, turning to give me the crossbow, I took it wide eyed. I didn't feel ready for this.

"So...how are we doing this?" Diggery piped up. He shifted nervously, biting his lip.Emery paused, thinking. She pulled me behind the door.

"Phyn waits here, armed and ready. The rest of us...well we can't all be standing around here." She frowned, moving her attention. "Broc, stay here, hidden, ready if things go disarray. Luca, you too, if you get any further visions." She directed, the king already nodding off. He let out a growling snore.

"Diggery...you look like you have a keen eye." She looked around grabbing a bell from the king's shelf. I want you to keep an eye out for any suspicious characters, be as inconspicuous as possible, and if you see a man who looks like a bird, don't hesitate to ring the bell." She concluded, handing it to him.

"I'll take Ari and keep him out of the way, but we'll stay close if you need further back up." Emery decided, pushing Ari and Diggery out the door.

"Don't overthink things, stay focused,'' she said, as she exited. The door slammed shut, sending me shivers. It was quiet for a second, Luca and Broc took a breath. The king fast asleep, he didn't seem particularly bothered by the threat. I shrugged awkwardly holding onto the crossbow, waiting in the unnerving silence.

"You're okay." Luca said, really looking me in the eye for the first time since this morning. My hands were shaky and I tried to stop them.

"It will work out." He echoed, taking my hands in his.

"I know I just…" my words faded, I was lost in his eyes. So still and sure of me….I gave him a weak grin, "I don't know."

Luca gave my hand a squeeze, "I'm going to be here the whole time." He assured me. "I won't let him hurt you."

"You can't promise her that." Broc interrupted, a very serious look in his eyes. Luca turned gawking at him.

"We don't know how this will go down." Broc's voice rang grim, unusually pessimistic. I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"I'm okay." I echoed to Luca, bringing his worried eyes back to me. He nodded dully, "Yes." He said, stepping back before letting go of my hand.

A gentle ring of a bell sent my heart scattering. Broc jumped back behind the curtain, sword drawn. Luca slipped in beside me as the door flew open. My whole body shook as I prepared my aim. I took a breath, I had to get this right.

I focused on my breathing, watching as the person wandered into the room. I took a sigh of relief, lowering my weapon, it was Rayburn.

"Sire?" He said cautiously. He looked around, catching sight of me as he did. A confused frown gracing his face. I turned my nose up at him, he turned back to the sleeping king.

"Sire." He repeated, the king shaking his head awake. He sat up suddenly, almost snorting.

"Rayburn! Oh… um yes, what is it?" He grumbled. Rayburn took one more disapproving look back at me before speaking.

"I have some new clauses related to the alliance I need you to affirm." He said, laying a paper out on the table. "I thought I already dealt with that." The king coughed, squinting at the paper. "Yes, but there are few minor changes." Rayburn asserted.

"Oh well if they're minor it's fine." He tossed the paper back on the desk. Rayburn pushed it back over, "You still have to sign." He reinforced.

The king took a sigh, scratching his signature across it. "There, now can I get back to my business? It's been a strange day. With you and the new security or whatever." He complained, motioning to us.

Rayburn eyed me, "Yes...where did they come from?" He questioned.

"Oh Denver brought them in." The king answered.

"I see…." He slithered. "I wonder why would he do that?" He asked. I glared at him to shut up. He scowled back at me.

The king shrugged, "How should I know? Denver is always thinking ahead." Rayburn furrowed his brow, "I'll have to ask him what it's about." He muttered, taking the sheet with him to the door.

"You do that but don't bother me with it." The king mumbled leaning his head back. "I have a lot on my plate." I almost snorted, biting back my laugh. His nap was the only activity he was currently engaged with.

Rayburn nodded, exiting with no small amount of suspicion. I hoped he wouldn't cause us any trouble. Luca shrugged, shifting in the corner. I realized how close he was to me, my heartbeat reacting. It was comforting, knowing what was coming. The next person to walk through that door would probably be Merle. I shuddered at the thought.

It seemed like an eternity, staring out from my corner. The king's snores the only thing breaking the hanging tension.

I never got to practice with the crossbow. My hands were shaking so bad I didn't think it mattered. This plan was going to fail. I could feel it in my blood. A sense of dread creeping over everything. No one said a word, no one moved a muscle. I could hear myself breathing. The waiting was unbearable.

The bell rang again, or did it? The ring sounded to a thud, the same sound my heart made at a moment of blind panic. My limbs began to seize. I couldn't lift the crossbow. My heart started to pound so fast. In a split second it stopped, everything stopped.

Something slowing everything to the speed of molasses. The world seemed to blur, moving in large brush strokes. He was here.

I had no choice but to stand still as the door swung open. The click of feet across the floor, as a feather cloaked figure drifted in. The cloak still unnervingly beautiful, it didn't ease the feeling in my stomach.

He was horrifying, his face turning into a twisted up bird's beak. Bloodshot eyes focused on the sleeping king. I wasn't going to be able to save him.

Merle pulled out his blade, looking at the gleam of it. He pulled it back and thrust it into the king's heart. My gut wrenched, unable to look away.

Merle stepped aside, no blood coming out of the wound. He pulled out a vial, slowly unscrewing the lid. He held it up to the mortal wound.

I felt my heart jump again, as movement seemed to travel in a wave. The blood slowly dripped into the glass, filling it up. When the vial was full, Merle pulled it back, closing the lid. He stepped away letting the blood pool on the floor.

Emotionless, he watched as the king bled to death. The world was moving in a slow chaotic fashion. I was internally screaming, cursing him. My arm lifted slowly, fighting against the slower time. I aimed it at his heart and pulled the trigger.

I watched the arrow fly, heading straight for him. I couldn't believe it. It was a perfect shot. Before it could land, Merle shifted aside, flicking his head in my direction. The arrow hit the wall behind him in a thud. His eyes locked on mine. A cold sensation rushing over me from head to toe. My heart felt as though it stopped. Everything in me trembled.

I had missed. I failed. I still couldn't move, not well at least. Tears streaming down my cheeks I stared into the black soulless eyes of the monster that had murdered my family. I hated him with everything in me. I wished the arrow had hit him. That he was bleeding on the floor inside of standing here smugly.

This was my end… I only hoped he'd spare the others. Luca and Broc, still in their places. I was afraid for them.

Merle didn't look phased, or even surprised. His disgusting bird face was almost bored with me. "Little thief we've come to this at last." His low toned voice growled in an eerie squawk. I remained paralyzed, face to face with my monster.