CASSANDRA
Cassandra walked through the barren throne room. Her footsteps echoed against the stone walls as she approached the King’s seat; a grand chair carved from a single piece of white marble. The room shifted out of focus as the vision changed. Faceless guards filed in from the doors and another throne carved from ebony and lined with pale wolf fur appeared besides the King’s. Everything grew still. Cassandra weaved her way through the chain-mailed men. Only a raised pedestal separated her from the throne.
She turned back to look at them all and the room shifted back into sharp focus. Maliel rose up through the cracks of the stone like mercury, three swords strapped to his hips. Grey streaked through his black hair and his hunching shoulder betrayed his age. He took his place in the marble chair. Cassandra’s vision grew hazy for a moment as a woman entered the dream. Snow joined her father. Her blood red lips were split in a smile as she sat beside the King. She leaned in. Her wordless whispers filled the hall with noise.
Even as Cassandra watched, Maliel greyed, his green eyes fading. Cassandra stumbled as the floor jumbled beneath her feet. Metal grew out of the armed men, encasing them into soldiers. Warriors carved from rocks out of the shattered cliffs lined the decorated walls. Maliel unsheathed two of his swords. Tapestries that bore the black wolf sigil of the king burst into flames. An angry snarling drowned out Snow’s whispers and for the first time, the princess looked up.
At the opposite end of the hall, a shadowy wolf with piercing gold eyes prowled through the smoke of the burning fabric. The fire spread, licking its way up to the oaken beams of the roof. The King gave a sharp command and his soldiers rushed towards the creature. Flame engulfed the group, forcing Cassandra to look away from the brightness. When the fire began to die down, the wolf re-emerged. The tips of its fur smoldered as it stalked the King. More soldiers attacked but the fires claimed them all.
The wolf stopped in front of the King, dropping down to his hind quarters as he waited. Cassandra moved to stand beside the animal as the rest of the hall burned to cinders. Maliel’s face continued to grow more gaunt until only his skeleton remained. Snow took the crown from her father’s head. The creature leapt up the pedestal but before he could reach the princess, she vanished, crown still in hand.
Cassandra looked around at the hall. Stones cracked and walls crumbled. Tapestries turned to ash and the timbers supporting the roof gave way, falling down in massive chunks around her and the wolf. He shoved the skeleton Maliel out of the throne, climbing into the vacant seat to claim his prize. The crimson flames that tore through the throne room gave his fur a demonic glow. Its gold eyes turned on her.
Cassandra jolted out of the dream. The chains linking her to the wall rattled as she crawled over to her mirror. Her reflection blurred away as the vision replayed. She smiled when Maliel and Snow fell to the wolf.
“Long live the King.”
