No Turning Back

Rozi's arms drop and she drives the dagger into the king's neck. The king tries to scream on his own blood. Rozi covers his mouth, trying to muffle his screams.

The king squirms under her weight. He struggles to push her off him, but she doesn't budge.

Blood spills all over the king's chest and the bed. The room starts to smell of iron and copper.

Rozi looks down at her hands. They're covered in the king's blood. She looks up at the king and smiles.

"This is it, this is the end for you"

The king's eyes start to flutter. His body goes limp and his head slumps to the side.

Rozi shoots a glance to the door that creaked open, only to see a phone camera pointed at her.

Startled, the camera is pulled back through the door and thudding footsteps run down the hallway.

"Fuck!"

She quickly wipes her fingerprints off the dagger and runs out the door.

"I need to find out who that was"

She follows the sound of the footsteps, but lose the trail at the stairway.

"There are 3 flights of stairs and 4 exits from the stairways. He could have gone anywhere"

"Shit"

"I can't be seen like this. I have to change"

She quickly heads back to her room and changes into a new outfit.

"No one can see me covered in blood. It's too risky"

"I'll go out the west exit and hide the dagger somewhere no one will ever find it"

"This should work"

Rozi puts her hand on her hip.

"It has to work. If I'm caught, I'll be killed"

Rozi takes a deep breath.

"This is it, this is how it's gonna be. No turning back"

She puts the dagger back into her nightgown.

"Alright, I'm ready"

Rozi heads out the back exit and into the woods.

"No one should be able to follow me here"

"It's late and no one is up. I should be safe"

She runs deep into the woods, heading towards a small cave.

She hides the dagger inside the cave.

"They'll never find it"

"But who was that. They have a photo of me murdering the king"

"They'll surely turn me in, and if I'm turned in, the Aziz name is no more"

"I have to get rid of that photo. If that photo leaks, everything is ruined"

Rozi heads back to the castle.

"Who could it have been"

She looks around the castle.

"Maybe the guard?"

"But he's a loyal subject to the Aziz family. He would never betray me"

"Perhaps one of the servants?"

"No, no they would never have access to the royal chambers"

"The only person I can think of is the king. But he's dead"

"This doesn't make any sense"

Rozi paces around the castle, trying to find answers.

"Why does it matter. As long as the photo doesn't leak, the Aziz name is safe. I'm safe"

"I'm sure the person will use the photo to their advantage, so they will not leak it"

"The only problem is, what do they want"

Rozi sighs.

"What could they possibly want?"

Rozi shakes her head and walks off.

"There's nothing I can do about it now. I have to focus on being queen. Nothing else matters"

Rozi returns to her room again and locks the door.

"I'll find out who took the photo tomorrow"

She falls asleep in her bed, exhausted from the events of the day.