- Prologue -

The slow and steady tick... tock... tick... tock of the clock in the corner of the room lulled her back to sleep. On mornings like this, Eleanor was glad she didn't destroy the clock like she often wished. Eleanor had a short temper and was often in a bad mood. The only way to release her anger was to demolish something. When she was angry, the clock always seemed to taunt her. She felt as though its slowing ticking was laughing at her.

But on mornings like these, when she chose to sleep in because she'd been out all night, she was appreciative of it. It was strangely relaxing.

Last night, Eleanor had gone clubbing not too far from home. She got back to the palace around four in the morning, stumbling over her own feet from intoxication. It was amazing she'd even made it to her room. As soon as she entered the room, she dropped the flask of vodka to the floor - not caring when the contents spilled onto the rug - and flopped into bed. She didn't bother to tug the comforter over her before she passed out.

At seven in the morning, she suddenly woke. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, already feeling the hangover. But as usual, Eleanor was still tired. She rolled over and yanked the sheets up to her chin.

Tick... tock... tick... tock...

The clock was her favorite lullaby.

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A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my story. This was just the prologue to explain Eleanor's current state so that you understand things better in chapter one. I hope you all enjoyed! By the way, this story is going to follow the storyline of season one of the show, but I'm going to add in a lot of different things.

Review and tell me what you thought of the prologue! I'll have a new chapter written and posted by Friday at the latest. Favorite or track this story so you don't miss any updates!