Hell existed beneath the floorboards of heaven. The stench of blood and rot filled every inch of the godforsaken darkness, with cries of anguish from those incarcerated reverberating through the stale air.

Beneath the calm, cobbled walkways and pristine landscapes of the royal palace, the dungeons stretched on for miles, its damp and decrepit cells housing a whole array of once-colourful characters, now reduced to a uniform shade of grey. There were thieves and robbers, pirates and arsonists, murderers and rapists—the scum of society—sent here to languish until they finally moved from one hell to the next. How many of them were actually guilty of the crimes they had been sent here for?

A lone figure sat huddled in a corner of her tiny cell, knees hugged tightly against her chest as she rocked back and forth to distract herself from the cold and the pain. Her long, dark strands of hair were matted across her face, hiding the blood-shot eyes that lay beneath. She couldn't remember how long she had been awake for, but it felt like an eternity. The clothes on her back were tattered and torn, ripped by the onslaught of salt-drenched lashes that she had been subjected to in order to force her confession.

"I didn't do it," she insisted, over and over, and so when she had fainted out of fatigue and pain, they would splash cold water over her body until she screamed awake, and then the whipping continued, over and over.

Under the dim glow from the torches that lined the corridors of the dungeons, she could see that awful mark on her right forearm—the symbol of the wretched flame that they had burnt into her skin. Hers and every other prisoner that lived within these walls. That was a mark of disgrace, of deep dishonour, reserved only for the worst of criminals, but up till this moment she still didn't know what she had done wrong.

She lifted her head when she heard the sounds of footsteps and voices heading down the corridor.

"My lady, are you sure you want to be doing this? The dungeon is a terribly dirty place and the prisoners here are not worth your attention. If there is anything you wish to say to the prisoner, I can always help to carry the word."

"Thank you for your considerate thoughts," a soothing voice rang out, "but she is my sister after all, and even if she has committed such a treasonous crime I feel I should still speak with her one last time, to send her on her way."

"You are much too kind-hearted. It is the prisoner's good fortune to have you as a sister. It's a pity she couldn't appreciate it."

Two figures stopped outside her cell, one of them a tall burly man with the usual black uniform of the prison guards, the other a slender young woman in an intricately embroidered dress that could only be the handiwork of the imperial tailors.

"Han Zi-ning," the guard spat, as if her name was too filthy for his lips, "you have a visitor." She could hear the jingling of his keys as he fumbled with the lock. "My lady, it would be best if you just stayed by the door. She could be dangerous."

Dangerous? Her? The truly dangerous one was the snake that was standing beside him now, but of course he didn't know that. People were superficial that way, and she had once been too, which was why she had mistaken this beautiful, gentle girl as a sister who cared for her. Han Meiyan, a sly and cunning fox in sheep's clothing.

"Not to worry. She won't hurt me." Meiyan flicked her wrist elegantly to dismiss the guard. "If you don't mind, I'd like some time in private with my sister."

"Of course. I'll just be around the corner if you need me."

Through her messy strands of hair, she could see the guard retreat down the corridor, and the woman in all her regalia took two steps into the cell towards her.

"Have you come her to mock me?" Zi-ning whispered, her voice sounding hoarse and cracked. That was what happened when they poured boiling water down your throat to get you to stop screaming. It hurt to even speak, because of the ulcers and boils that lined her mouth and throat.

"Why so hostile, little sister? I only came to bid you farewell."

"I don't have any sisters. I only have a brother."

"Yes, and he died three years ago. Look at you," her "sister" bent down and caught hold of her chin between her thumb and index finger, tilting her face upwards so that they were looking into each other's eyes, "what ever happened to that pretty face? Did you really believe that he was going to make you his queen?"

"Where is he? I want to speak to him!" Zi-ning grabbed on to her sister's wrist, her once-dead eyes suddenly flashing with a spark of life.

He would surely listen to her, help her redress her grievances and rescue her from this hell. If only she could speak to him, she would be able to convince him that she had been wronged, that she had not betrayed their kingdom to Wei. How disappointed must he have been when he found out about the crimes she had been accused of? In her mind's eye she could see his soft, brown eyes and warm smile, always beckoning towards her and sheltering her from the storms. All she needed was a chance to speak with him, but they refused to let her no matter how she begged.

Meiyan laughed, a light, tinkling laugh that seemed so incongruous with this hell. "Prince Ru-an?" She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Do you mean to tell me that you honestly haven't figured it out yet? How else did you think all those letters to Wei ended up in your room if he hadn't permitted it? The prince won't be coming to see you. As we speak, he's leading the troops towards the borders to defend our kingdom against the Wei army—the army that yousold us out to."

"But I never— I didn't—"

"Of course you didn't, but does it matter? We have you to thank for all this. Thank you for giving the prince a reason to take command of the army. If not for you, my poor little traitor, the Wei army would never have gotten wind of our military plans and managed to defeat the Shadow Lord. So much for being undefeatable. He probably didn't even know why he died. And now that he's dead, the old king has finally caved in and handed the military seal over to Prince Ru-an." Her sister clapped her hands together in delight.

"You're the one who sold us out to Wei," Zi-ning hissed.

"Let's not put it so crudely. All we did was to strike a deal. In exchange for the Shadow Lord and his army, they promised us a truce for three years. I don't think that's a bad deal, don't you agree?"

"But if they promised a truce, then the prince..."

"Oh clever girl. Yes, you're right. If they promised us a truce, then of course there won't be any Wei army waiting at the borders. The prince will be on his way back to the royal palace very soon. I expect he'll arrive by morning actually, and then we'll be ushering in a new era."

"You're planning a coup!" Zi-ning's eyes widened in horror as the final puzzle piece fell into place. This had been one huge set-up all along. They had sold the kingdom's military plans to Wei in exchange for the downfall of the Shadow Lord and a temporary peace, tricking the king into handing military command to Ru-an, the fifth prince—which the latter would then use to wrestle the throne from his own father's hands.

"I suppose there's no harm telling you since you won't be around for much longer." The corners of Meiyan's lips curled upwards into a satisfied smile. "The king—that old fool—will be dead by morning. Poisoned, by assassins from Wei. Tomorrow, the prince will get wind of this and return to the capital, but of course it'll be too late. The kingdom will need a new king to lead us and who better to take the crown than our grieving prince?"

"What about the eighth prince? He won't stand by and let you do this!"

The eighth prince, Prince Ru-wen, the cheerful and mild-mannered man that she had married against her will, only because Ru-an had asked her to. "I need you to do this," he had said, "to stay by his side and be my eyes. You are the only one I can trust." For the sake of his ambition, for the sake of his promises, she had agreed.

Ru-wen had been nothing but kind and accommodating towards her, even while she kept him unreasonably at arm's length, but because of his trusting nature he was doomed to be sacrificed in this political game.

"Haven't you heard? The eighth prince hung himself in his study just this morning, out of guilt at having harboured a traitor like you. You didn't think the rest of the eighth prince's household would have gotten away scot free after your little debacle, did you? Everyone else has been arrested and will face the guillotine tomorrow."

Zi-ning choked back her tears, the bitter taste of bile and blood slowly rising up her throat. Ru-wen was dead because of her and soon his entire household would follow, including little Ai-er, that sweet angel with the rosy cheeks that would hug her round her knees each morning when she saw her walking around the compound.

"Why?" Zi-ning whispered, looking up at the beautiful face of her younger sister with despair in her eyes. "Why me?"

"Are you honestly asking me that question right now?" Meiyan scoffed. "You know what I hate most about you, Han Zi-ning? That ridiculous innocence, bred out of your wretched mother and brother's protection. Why should I have to cower in your shadow just because your mother is our father's first wife? I am better than you in every way, yet all people see is your birthright." She straightened herself up and cleaned her fingers with her white silk handkerchief, before dropping it callously onto the ground in front of Zi-ning. "But no matter, because all that is over. From tomorrow onwards, I will stand by his side as queen, while you—you will be nothing but a pile of ash."

"You monster!" Zi-ning yelled, a spurt of blood spilling out from her mouth in her rage.

Meiyan looked down at the hem of her skirt and frowned when she saw a few drops of blood staining the cream-coloured fabric. "How disgusting," she spat. "Now I'll have to throw this dress away." She took a couple of steps towards the gate. "Let me let you in on a little secret. Your mother's illness and your brother's accident? Those weren't by chance. And now you can join your pathetic family in hell."

Zi-ning felt her heart sink right to the pits of her stomach as she let those words sink in. Even after her mother and brother's passing, she had treated Meiyan and her mother, Lady Min, as if they were her closest kin, not knowing that they were the ones responsible for her loved ones' deaths. In exchange, they had slowly but surely pushed her towards this hell, stepping over her blood and tears as they continued their meteoric ascent towards great power and fortune. Everyone that cared for her was now dead, including Ru-wen, whose kindness she had repaid with betrayal for the sake of a man who never loved her at all.

As Zi-ning's footsteps and laughter receded into the distance, leaving her lost and alone in her dark cell once more, the tears of blood kept flowing down Zi-ning's battered cheeks, but still they wouldn't be enough for the regret and sorrow within her.

#

When dawn broke the next morning and the capital city of the kingdom of Duan began stirring to life, the prison guards hauled a limp figure onto a wooden cart, her hands and legs bound by rusty chains that cut through her worn skin. As the horses dragged the cart along the streets, she squinted as the glare from the sun hit her eyes. How long had it been since she had last seen the light of day? Yet this would likely be the last glimpses of daylight she would ever see in this life.

"You dirty traitor!"

"Whore!"

"Scum of Wei!"

The people were shouting at her, hurling insults to vent their anger towards her treasonous act. The prison guards moved the horses slowly on purpose, so that the people would have enough time to pelt her with the rotten eggs and vegetables they had saved especially for today. She could see the children wrinkling up their noses because of the foul smells surrounding her, but none of that mattered. All that filled her mind were the thoughts of little Ai-er, and whether anyone would find the goodness inside them to rescue that poor child from a fate beyond her control.

The cart was paraded through the town until they reached the city's northern gate, where the executions of criminals were commonly carried out. A large wooden platform had been set up, upon which the stern executioners stood with their sharpened guillotines, thirsty for fresh blood.

"Stop here," the prison guard called out, and the cart was pulled to a stop some distance away from the platform. "The order is to wait until all the other executions are complete."

Zi-ning barely had time to register what she had heard when a row of prisoners were led up to the platform, dressed in the same drab grey garb, their faces dirty and grimy, expressions hollow from the knowledge of what awaited them. The crowd continued with their heckling and yelling, shaming them for a crime that none of them had committed—tens of innocent lives, their only mistake was having been part of the eighth prince's household.

"Ma! Ma!" a familiar voice rang out, not having lost a single ounce of its cherubic ring.

Ma—that was what Ai-er called her, because she was the only mother that the little girl had ever known. Ai-er's real mother was a low-ranked concubine in the eighth prince's household who had died giving birth to her, and so the prince had placed the child under her care, hoping that the laughter of a child would help to open Zi-ning's heart to him. He never managed to witness such a day.

Zi-ning opened her mouth to call out to Ai-er, stretching out her hand towards the little girl even though she knew she couldn't reach her.

"Let her go, please," she begged, but her words came out as a garbled cry.

Tears filled her eyes as she watched the executioners force the entire row of prisoners to kneel on the platform, including the children—her Ai-er.

"They did nothing wrong," she croaked. "Let them go!"

The response to her was a blow to her left cheek, dealt by the impatient guard who was tired of her grating cries. "Shut up and watch quietly," he barked. "You'll be joining them soon."

The jeers from the crowd started to get louder and louder, willing the executioners to get on with the show. There were children up there, yet no one showed them any mercy. Zi-ning's eyes widened as she watched those gleaming silver blades rise up in the air, and in that instant when they sliced down without hesitation, she caught a final smile on Ai-er's face.

And with that smile, the last bit of hope she had inside her vanished.

"Your turn," the guard said, unmoved at the sight of the blood that now flooded the platform.

They yanked her out of the cage, dragging her up to the platform like a rag doll through the pile of fallen bodies strewn all around. They were all faces that she knew, who once smiled at her along the corridors of the eighth prince's quarters, but none of them would ever get to do that again. As she knelt on the platform, she caught sight of two familiar figures standing in the crowd, two people that she would never be able to forget.

Her sister, Meiyan, and the man that she had once loved, Ru-an.

"I promise that the place beside me is reserved only for you, and if I become king one day, you'll be my queen."

Only a fool like her would have believed such words.

Right from the start he had never intended to make her his queen, or even given her the slightest bit of love that she desired. To him, she was merely a pawn in his political game, one that could be used at will and then sacrificed so callously to achieve his goals. All those sweet nothings that he had whispered into her ears were lies that sought to deceive her and set her on this path of no return, so that he might one day take the crown. Now that he had what he wanted, he was here to mock her for her stupidity and to make sure that this final loose end was tied up so that he could begin his reign on a clean slate.

He was looking at her now like how someone would look at a stray dog, with pity and contempt. Perhaps that was how he had always viewed her, except she had been too blind to realise.

"It's time. Commence with the execution," the official overseeing the sentence announced with the wave of his hand.

As the executioner raised his blade up into the air, the loud rumble of thunder suddenly rang out as the dark clouds rolled in. The first drop of rain fell from the skies and landed on Zi-ning's left cheek, but she could hardly feel a thing. The raindrops began pelting relentlessly from the darkened skies, and all around the umbrellas started appearing in the crowd.

Are the heavens crying for me? For my foolishness?

As she stared straight at the two people now huddled under the same umbrella, her anger and hatred burnt with more fieriness than the flame they had scarred her with. Kneeling in that pool of blood, the blood of all the innocent people that had died in their hands—her mother, brother, Ru-wen, and her sweet Ai-er—she vowed to the heavens that even in death she would not let them rest on those ill-gotten gains.

And then the blade fell.