A Queen and Her Seven Servants {BTS}

Prologue

A young maiden looked at the black carriage as it rolled down the muddy street. The rain made the carriage shine and the silver adornments twinkled in the glowing light from the street lanterns. She could see a woman seated inside when the red velvet curtains swayed back from the window. Her face, only visible for a second, was twisted into a scowl. The driver pulled down his black top hat to prevent the rain from falling onto his face. It was such a beautiful sight – to see the carriage roll down, causing the people to quickly get out of the way and bow towards it.

"It's hard to believe that the queen can run a palace and a kingdom with just seven people by her side," an old man uttered after he looked up from a deep bow. His beard was down to his chest and his skin resembled a cloth that had been rolled up for far too long.

The young maiden smiled, her teeth glowing as well as her eyes. She admired the queen more than anyone it seemed. "Ah, but she does it so well. No one else could even think about attempting it." She went back to her task of sweeping, a smile still painted on her pale face. "She's a great queen, don't you think?"

The man sighed and picked up his bag of spices. "Miss, you're too young to know what a great queen is. I personally think she's anything but. It's a shame her parents died. They had to leave behind that monstrosity to rule Aaliyah."

The girl frowned and stopped sweeping. "If you're going to disrespect the queen, get out of my shop and never come here again!" She took her broom and pushed the handle into the elder's back. He began to walk out of the small business. She smiled once he was gone and looked at the portrait of the queen and her now dead parents.

"Only a great queen could rule Aaliyah with just seven advisers."