Eastpearl’s Mercy
Eastpearl, ten years before the events of Chapter 1 The pristine white walls of the palace came into sight, its edges framed by fake golden vines. The late morning sunlight reflected off of the golden metal, piercing to the eyes. Evenly-cut green bushes surrounded the courtyard and the giant doorway. The chatter that went on before the palace suddenly dimmed to a silence as a shadowy figure walked through the groups of people, like a dark split between the light. The people started whispering amongst themselves. “Look, that’s her…!” “She looks like a witch.” “She looks mean.” With piercing purple eyes, Kalliyan scanned the crowd for the person who spoke the last sentence. Everyone seemed to look away when she came across them, their eyes ducking downwards, as if they were ashamed. At the castle door, she took out the rest of the cigarette from her mouth and dropped it to the white stoned path, stifling the fading glimmer of flame with her heavy boots. She pushed the door open, ready