I

The Empress Palace is at uproar, loyal subjects were lying in the floor bathing on their blood. The stink of blood is stagnant, but the once dignified and composed Empress is not there anymore. She is wearing her red robe while walking fast along the hallway. She can't even care less on her big stomach that made her feet walks heavily. She needed to arrive as soon as possible to the Emperor's castle. She needed to plead for mercy. She didn't thought that it would escalate this fast what happened yesterday at the central palace. She was sure everything's fine. She succumbed on the Queen and Emperor's mandate just so the incident will be forgotten. But, now that this happen, she knew for a fact, that she's at the cliff of a mountain ready to be push.

Her thoughts clouded her mind that she didn't even noticed that she already arrived at the Emperor's  main palace. Heavy guards surrounded the area, as if she can penetrate it with her fragile and tiny body with force. Elegance cannot even be seen through her. All was it, is just a fragile and tiny woman with a protruding stomach.

The door opened after a single knock, as if she was waited for. Light was shining brightly like it was usual but then in the Empress eyes, she could only see, death. The proud and ruthless Emperor is sitting in his throne with a big gold lion carvings from left to right. He was gleaming with gold and diamonds designed on his body and suit. Ended, he was dressed as if he is a God. On his right side is the Empress seat, but then, it's not her who is sitting but the newly crowned queen. As if to mock her, the True Empress, she is wearing the Empress dress that will only be dressed on the celebration of the Fire Phoenix. The red dress were glimmering with gold and diamonds that is the exact copy of the Emperor's suit.

She slowly approach the two, who have different expressions they wearing. Her eyes were starting to form bits of tears, her heart beating faster than usual, her whole body trembling, and her hands as cold as ice, she tried to speak. Opening her mouth but nothing came out. The so called dignified and elegant Empress is not there anymore. She wants to plead again, but she realize that it will be futile. She can see the future of her and the baby inside her as she looks at his eyes. She fell down, feeling the weak knees that she hardly made strong for a while. The Emperor descended on his seat, coming closer to her, left hand holding a bloody sword.

"Your last words? I might grant it." Said with his cold and soulless voice, looking at her while still dragging the seemed heavy sword shining with blood on it; of who knows, how many got killed.

At that, words of 'I might grant' rings into her soulless body. It was like an alarm that made her awake. Her hands slowly reach her face, wiping her tears flowing like a river that she cannot stop. She looked up again, openning her mouth and trying to speak, like a little kid at it's first try talking.

"Spare our child. You can kill me after she was born. That's all I will ask. You can renounce my family's name. You can do it." She spoke immediately feeling rushed at the moment. She can even sell her soul for her child not to be killed. Her eyes were clouding her, but she knew she saw it. At the throne, she saw her smile, wickedly. He can't see as he is facing me, a soulless woman in his eyes, wicked and black til it's blood. But then she felt confused. Why?

"That...., I cannot do. Well, renouncing your family's name is not a big matter anymore. They're all died anyway. But I can bury that beside you a month after your dead hanged body outside the palace. I can take her out from your body, while you're being hanged."

Her eyes shifted from her, the wicked woman in the golden seat, to the man she once loved that is full of ruthlessness, to the sword that looks like a fire waiting for its prey. The bloody sword is lifted by its owners two hands, blood on it is sprinkling on her face as she looks at it, no energy to fight in the ruthless tag-game of the palace, as she murmured,...

"....this place will be filled with all your cries and blood...fire...I curse fire to eat all of you here....."

Her last breath was taken as her eyes wide open, full of resentment, sadness.....and darkness while both hands holding her protruding stomach.