Something Peculiar

Jennie belongs to us

"We should've heard from them by now," Suzy said, pacing the King's chambers with Kuma at her heels.

"It's a long drive to Förening," the King told her, his gritty voice doing it's nearby come across a soothing. "Give them time to attack. The coming-out ball only started a few hours ago."

Roseanne sat behind the King's desk, flipping through a book of Vittra lullabies. All of them were surprisingly disturbing, usually involving a disobedient infant being dragged off by hobgoblins or rival tribes to be eaten or turned into a slave. She found the one her mother used to sing to her, and it was the least horrific of them all. It still involved a human turning into a bird to try to steal a Vittra baby, but at least the baby lived in the end.

In reality, she'd rather be anywhere but in these chambers, waiting to see how the battle turned out, if they got the Princess. But both the King and Queen had commanded her to wait them, and the whole time the King sat stoically in his chair while Suzy paced. The tension in the room was exhausting, and the book of lullabies wasn't distracting enough. She thought about getting the book on torture, because that would definitely take her mind off things, but she didn't want to see all the horrible acts the King would eventually do to her someday.

"What if they don't get her?" Suzy asked, turning to her husband. She wrung her hands, and her smooth skin was uncharacteristically ashen.

"They'll get her," Oren replied, staring past her at the doors to his chambers.

"But if they don't?" Suzy sounded as if she might cry. and Roseanne looked up from her book. "Oren, this might be our last chance to ever get her."

"It's not like they're going to kill her," Roseanne tried to reassure her. "Even if we don't get her today, the Trylle won't hurt her. They'll just hold her for safekeeping. So you've got nothing to worry about."

The King motioned to her. "Roseanne's right, for once."

Suzy nodded, but she didn't look convinced. She returned to her pacing, with Kuma practically tripping over the train of her gown.

Roseanne went back to reading the lullabies, but she didn't get much farther in the book when they heard a commotion in the hall. Footsteps running, and then the door to the chambers was thrown open.

When Jeongyeon burst into the room, Roseanne stood up. She looked positively horrid. Her short hair had been singed. Dirt and blood stained her skin and clothing, except for the two streaks down her cheeks that were clean from her tears.

"We couldn't get her." Jeongyeon's voice trembled, and she shook her head. "They overpowered us. They killed Chanyeol."

"They killed Chanyeol?" Roseanne asked, surprised. She'd never cared for the guy, but Roseanne'd always thought he was fairly good tracker.

"They're much stronger than we thought," Jeongyeon continued.

"Where is she?" Suzy asked, as if she hadn't heard anything Jeongyeon had said. "Where's the Princess?"

"She's still in Förening." Jeongyeon glanced nervously at the King, afraid of when he might strike her down. "She's fine, but they still have her."

"How many casualties did we have?" the King asked, so far sounding unfazed.

"I don't know," Jeongyeon admitted. "A lot."

"Hmm." The King stood up, folding his hands behind him. "Very well then. We'll have to do something more drastic to get her."

He smiled and Jeongyeon cringed, finding that more frightening than his frown.

"Well do whatever it takes," the King went on, "but I assure you, Jennie will belong to us.."