She took another look at the large hall and found hooded figures, clad in black robes, running about and chasing the servants down the other hallways and out the doors. Their screams pierced her ears, and she felt a wave of fear for her own life come over her.
Suddenly, out of the left side of the large hall, a small girl burst into the hall at a full run, and came in Leona's direction.
Meliss! Thank the Graces, she's still alive, she thought, watching her run as fast as she could, dodging a hooded figure or two along the way.
When she was about to enter the stairway that led to the royal bedroom, Leona stepped out and grabbed her, pulling her close. "Leo-!" Meliss began to say, but was cut short by the hand muffling her mouth. "Shh, it's alright. I've got you," Leona said as comfortingly as she could while trying to hide her own fear, and be strong for both their sakes.
"Thank the gods you're alive! What happened here?" she asked, hoping for an answer that she did not already suspect. Meliss took a moment to catch her breath, but was still shaking with fear in her eyes. "I-I was finishing up some of the dishes in the kitchen when I heard a clunking sound coming from the hallway. When I approached the door to see what was happening, all I could see were the hooded people stabbing one of the guardsmen repeatedly," she said in a hushed voice, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"By the Graces, who would do such a thing?" Leona asked. "I-I don't know. They seem to have come out of nowhere. O-Or maybe they were already inside the palace? I-I don't know," Meliss stammered and shook her head.
There was no warning, so it was likely the latter, Leona thought momentarily while Meliss gulped down a breath.
"The only thing I do know is that they wanted to kill me, too. I ran away from them as quickly as I could, but no matter where I went, there were always more of them," she explained with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Shit, that means that whoever's responsible for this attack must have known the guardsmen's locations and shift patterns, Leona thought.
The hooded figures in the main hall were landing finishing blows on their prey, coating the ground in a sheen of blood. They finished off the last servant in their group and began to search for more targets. They caught a glimpse of Leona trying to hide from them, and began to walk towards the two women with a malicious cackle.
Here they come, she thought, putting herself in front of Meliss.
"I'll handle this," she said quietly, pushing her gently to the side as she cried and clutched Leona's robes tightly. The figures gathered and continued walking towards the pair, whispering words that either of the women couldn't decipher.
Leona, taking the initiative, stepped out from her hiding spot. "I will not ask you who you are, since you do not wish to be known, and asking you would be pointless. The only thing I'll demand from you as your Queen is that you tell me why," she said loudly.
I can still hear people screaming in the distance. This will not end soon, will it? she thought.
The figures stopped as though she had touched a nerve, but continued to approach her, starting to form a line and trap the two. "Why do you slay innocent people who have been nothing but loyal to Coltend and its people?" she asked, growing increasingly enraged when they said nothing.
"You cowardly, spineless, and maidenless cunts! Answer my questions or I will have your balls dragged through miles of broken glass, just for me to cut them off and feed them to your mothers!" she shouted as spit flew from her mouth.
Meliss looked out from underneath Leona's arm and saw the hooded figures continue to approach the two of them, unfazed by her words. Out of the back of the large hall came a hunched, hooded figure.
It moved slowly, like an old man just getting out of bed on a cold morning. It stopped when it had reached a point where the other figures stood midway between it and the queen.
"Oh, Leona. Empty threats in the face of death make you look weak. It is unbecoming of you," the decrepit figure said from under his large hood. "You ask us why we do this, and yet fail to see the obvious," the figure continued, grinning maliciously. "Enlighten me, then," Leona furrowed her brow as she held Meliss back.
The hooded figure let out a slow, self-satisfied chuckle before raising his arms. "Very well. There comes a time when all things must come to an end. You, me, the others around us here, citizens, civilizations, and lifestyles; they all end. Your time of reign, short as it may have been, has run its course, for a new power will rise in your stead," the voice said.
"If my kingdom and I are to be usurped in such a manner, I would at least like to know who you are. I care not about the rest," Leona said. The hunched figure halted, cocked his head, then began to emit another raspy chuckle laced with malice. He pulled back his hood to reveal his true wrinkled face with gray eyes.
"Why, if it isn't Father fucking Mourtis; the sack-less, predatory, un-palatable bastard himself. Progenitor of the Church of Mideia, and lover of little boys," Leona spat uncouthly as she finished. "My, my! What unladylike behavior," Mourtis clicked his tongue, the malicious grin persisting on his face.
"I have no reason to behave like a lady in front of someone as disgusting as you," she sneered, getting a slight shift in his expression as a result. "How could you do this? The Church and your faith should not allow you to take the lives of these innocent people," she growled.
"Innocent? Faith? What the fuck could you possibly know about either of those two things?" Mourtis gritted his teeth. "You, who so readily lay with another man other than your husband, betrayed your loyalty to him and the others around you? No, no. You don't have the right to speak to me about innocence. Your lack of it also happened to get Prince Bashaa killed, or have you already forgotten that?" he spat, making Leona's eyes flare angrily.
"How dare you…?" she furrowed her brow and clenched her fist tightly to where her nails began to draw blood. "If you truly believed in the goodness of others and followed your faith, then you would not have committed such a heinous act. Not only did you betray your beliefs, but you also betrayed your country," he continued.
"Preaching your beliefs as you slaughter the innocent; you're just a hypocrite, after all," she scoffed. "I may be a hypocrite in your eyes, but this entire continent will soon pay for its transgressions, just as you will pay for yours," he snarled. "What?" she asked coldly.
"You see, Leona, neither you nor this continent know anything of faith or innocence. After all, how could you when you don't understand what's coming?" Mourtis asked, prompting her to gesture around the room. "And I suppose this is your display of your so-called faith?" she asked in disbelief.
"In a sense, yes. The faith you know and once held dear is but a plague on this world; a perfectly rotten mechanism to control the masses through ignorance and fear. That faith demands tithes and prayers to a higher power that couldn't give two shits about them nor how that faith is executed. However, my faith lies in what comes after this wretched world has suffered for its actions," Mourtis grinned, his tone laced with malice.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Leona asked with a confused look. "Do you believe Mideia will be the one to bring perdition? If you saw what I've seen, and beheld the true power that lurks beneath the surface, you wouldn't be so quick to judge me for my actions," he spread his arms.
"That's your justification for being so quick to deal out death and judgment? By the Graces, you really are insane," she shook her head. "It was something I was loath to accept at first, as I truly believed Mideia would be the one to descend upon this Realm. Unfortunately for you, and everyone else who fails to see the wretchedness of this world, Mideia is not the herald of change I've long since awaited," Mourtis shrugged.
"No, Leona. The new age that he will bring about will change the face of this Continent forever, bathing it in death to cleanse this world and strike at the one who abandoned us," he continued, taking a step forward.
"So, that's it, then? You say that I don't know about faith or innocence, and yet here you are, casting yours aside so easily, and for what? Are you so anxious to lick your new master's boot when he could so easily do to you what you claim Mideia has done?" Leona scoffed, causing his grin to shift into an angry snarl.
"After all this time, you still don't understand. If Mideia were truly all-powerful as I thought he was, then how could he allow such horrible things to take place in this Realm? How could he allow so much to be wrong with the world and yet still have those who would blindly follow him?" Mourtis seethed, clenching his fists tightly.