#crowns.plotdrop1

Her father, the king, had told her to sit where she was and not to disobey a direct order. And yet the fire triggered her in such an immense way. Here, she thought it was safe. Here, she thought she was safe. But safety was a blanket easily destroyed. Without another word, she ran towards the fire at the sound of wailing screams, hearing her father call her back. But she was already too far gone.

But it was a mistake to open her chamber door. The thick smoke covered the hall, and the light of the fire was growing closer towards her. With a choked out breath from inhaling the toxic air around her, Mai was running down the corridor. She could feel the heat against her skin, even through the material of her night dress. She was getting ahead of herself, trying too hard to outrun the speed of the blaze, but her on-the-spot plan had failed her as her ankle twisted. 

That was how she ended up in an empty room, the door slammed shut. It was either that or giving directly into the flames, but she was so sure that either way she would’ve been killed. She was as far from the door as she could have limped, letting out choked sobs of fear and shock as well as heavy, deep coughs from the smoke. She didn’t feel like she had the energy to call for help, she was breathing heavily, her eyes were closed as she feared the flames would engulf her entirely every second that went by. Even if she was lying there long enough for the fire to have died, or been put out, she wasn’t aware. 

She was alone, and she wanted help, she wished that she would’ve been in the wrong place at the right time.