XENDAYA. Last night replays in my mind, as I sit there playing with my hair. I had returned to my room where I had showered, and I am now sitting on my bed. Yorna would be bringing me food soon and although I am hungry, my thoughts keep me distracted. I don’t regret last night… although I don’t know how I’ll face his friends again. Even Agnarr’s mood was unsettling… it was almost as if he was in a good mood. If that’s even possible... There’s a light knock on the door and they open to reveal Yorna and Hirelda holding large trays of food. “Your Majesty.” They say politely in unison as they bow. “I’m eating alone, correct?” I ask. ‘Are you hoping for Agnarr and his lollipop to join us?’ Shayara quips in. ‘No!’ I’m hoping Agnarr isn’t about to show up, but the amount of food is far too much for one person. They look confused but nod. “Yes, of course, this meal was prepared for you alone. My Queen.” Hirelda says, bowing her head as she places her circular gold tray on the table.

XENDAYA. “More fabric, so we can cordon off the areas. We can put the families with little children over there. Women and men with no children to that side.” I order, frowning at Dagnoth, who has been my translator for the most part. He has now stopped to take a breather and I can’t fault him, but we don’t have time! “Dagnoth?” “Yes, of course, My Queen! Over here! Bring some more, quickly!” he thunders, motioning the men to bring over the sacking cloth we were using. I smile at that, but I still feel embarrassed knowing he fucked me. But like the others, they did not even make it awkward, almost as if it never happened. ‘Oh, they remember.’ Shayara says. ‘You can’t fuck us and not remember.’ ‘You aren’t helping.” “You can fit about 200 people in here,” Kaizoran says as he walks over, crossing his arms. “But… we have how many?” I ask, feeling my stomach sinking. “Thrice that…” “Mm, so we are getting those who are old enough to stay without their family to go to the quarters

AGNARR. I step out of the food shed, ignoring the blushing women who wait outside, having clearly stopped from entering. I smirk, knowing Xendaya must have been mortified having to walk through this. “We are at war, yet I am glad you are able to find time for fun.” Hazran’s smug voice comes from behind me. “And it seemed to have gotten a little violent…” “It did not,” I reply, ignoring his first remark as I look down. The cuts are healing up fast enough, but they are extremely clear. “And yes, we had fun.” “I can tell from your smirk, and from the screams I heard, but I do have some… possibly bad news for you.” His smirk fades. “Oh?” I ask, becoming serious as I look at him sharply. He sighs and nods. “The two werewolves have arrived. We picked them up a few miles away. The guards thought it was best, just in case the enemy ended up intercepting them. We were certain you would not want that.” “They did the right thing, even if I do not like them,” I reply. I am not so pleased, b

XENDAYA. My legs seem to give way and I fall to the ground, my heart thumping as I stare at the doors, watching as if in slow motion as they swing shut and I’m left here with the shattering news I am unable to understand. “My Queen!” All three of them rush over, but I am unable to focus on them, staring at the closed doors. Agnarr… he’s the one who kissed me back when I was in the hospital… Why? Why did he hide it from me? ‘He knew…’ Shayara whispers. I can feel her confusion and sadness, but I don’t have an answer as to why he didn’t want us to know. My heart clenches, wondering why he would hide such a big thing? My head is spinning and Shayara sighs. ‘I know we are attracted to him, but why can’t we feel the bond all the time?’ She’s hurt that he kept it hidden from us, but I don’t have an answer to that either. ‘Doesn’t he want us as a mate?’ ‘Only he has the answers to our questions…’ I reply quietly as I stare ahead, my vision blurring. “Are you ok My Queen, the king wi

XENDAYA. More than three hours have passed and I’m still down here, I’m currently holding a little hatchling as they call their pups. She’s barely nine months old, and she’s taken a liking to me as she now plays with my hair. I’m clapping along as a few of the children are now singing and playing. My own throat feels sore from all the singing as they kept asking for more and with their little faces showing some excitement despite the dire situation, why would I refuse? “My Queen, you must be tired, you should get up from the hard floor.” One of the women says gently. I shake my head. “I’m fine,” I reply quietly so as not to disturb those children performing. I smile up at her, reassuring her. Everyone is sitting on the floor and who knows how long they’ll be down here… What kind of life is this? Nefzaan was clearly a terror that everyone feared… such a person in a position of power… One other thing I noticed by spending time down here was the pride these people had in their king.