3:The Queen’s shadow
1967 Words
The throne room was covered in frost columns of glimmering ice, a chandelier made of diamonds inside of a chandelier, shining brighter.
At the far end seated upon a throne of black bones and frozen black ices was Queen Dahlia.
She sat there. She did not speak. She did not need to. The Queen had such power radiating out of her. Her breathing was power, looking was power.
Her white hair was carrying a black rose, flame crown that did not belong to her. However, the wind was silent, absolute. The light of the moon rushing into the throne room.
And before her, was a mirror of gold and white water, floating. And it showed a dark old house and a girl with her brown eyes.
Queen Dahlia had seen those eyes before.
This young girl with uncontrollable powers. The Queen's lips curved slightly.
"There she is. Princess Nova." She spit her name, still holding her smile.
"So very young." Her voice murmured. And beside her was standing Princess Dastan. His broad shoulder, daring position and his hand clenching behind his back.
As he sorted the reflection of the girl's every movement. His jaw sharpened.
"Nova." He said her name.
The Queen raised one hand and the shadow mirror shifted. There she saw a dark head man and a sword cover with green hue.
The queen's smiled slipped and cold air ran like poison. She turned her head softly, looking at her son.
"She is the only one that can take my position as Queen." She whispered, and Dastan gulped.
"And how are you going to stop that from happening, my love?" She asked.
"Let me prove it to you, Mother." He said, in his rough tone and very glassy look in his eyes.
"I can take my men with me. Let me proved you a to have successful I can be. Let me make my place by your side, mother." He said, with shortness in his voice.
There was sudden silence in that hall and he had understood, this was not enough.
He fell on his knees, looking down at the glass floor.
"She is easily trusting, young. She won't see me coming."
The Queen rose from her throne. Her all white gown and robe. She portrayed herself as pure. Her bare feet stepping on the cold ice.
Yet her present shook the entire walls of the palace. She lowered her hand, touching his chin. Looking at him.
"Do not fail me like so many others have." She whispered, her voice like glass,sharp, cold.
"Never mother."
She let go of him, staring back into the mirror. An image of the Princess. Fragile, young, bright, breathtakingly beautiful.
Yet breakable.
The queen's eyes burned. Nova was the last flame of this Kingdom, and Queen Dahlia was going to extinguish her existence.
_______________________________________
Nova stood at the center of a circle that Arthur made for her. Her entire palms stretched out. Her eyes closed, she was concentrating.
"How many times do I have to do this? I think I might need some rest." She said. Arthur was watching her carefully.
Standing slightly far away. With wooden daggers in his hands.
"No time to rest. People who are trying to kill you aren't resting." He said, watching her hands.
"Those daggers are sharp." She muttered.
"Concentrate." Was all he said. She concentrated harder, but her hands were tired, she could feel every bone hurting.
"I can't stop shaking." She trembled.
"That's your first mistake. Your fear." His eyes pinned her. "Feelings get you killed. Discipline keeps you alive."
"Easy for you to say." She muttered. "You don't seem to feel anything."
Arthur immediately threw another wooden dagger at her with his force. He wasn't holding back. It was fast and powerful.
There was a white glow in her hands again and some what a flame too. She raised her hand up, her legs fixed to the ground.
But the dagger came faster. Nova's eyes went wide open in shock.
"Ahhh.." She yelled and fell to the ground. Nova landed hard, air whooshing from her lungs.
Arthur got up, grabbed her by the arm and hauled her upright. His fingers burned against her skin. He had anger. Frustration. And something more dangerous.
Her breath heavy, Nova turned to see the dagger now stuck to the tree.
"What was that? You could have killed me." She said, but he glared at her and backed away.
"Again." He huffed, his voice thick.
Even though Nova was scared and tired, she did exactly that. Tried to create fire out of nothing. There was a small flicker of fire breezed around her palms, slightly.
She was feeling strange, almost as if she was getting all of this energy from the ground, the land she was standing on. From nature.
Her breathheavy, her eyes going very tired. She was concentrating heavily.
Her hands were getting hotter, but did not hurt her. There was a small flicker of fire in her hand and Nova immediately opened her eyes wanting to see for herself.
And there came another dagger, faster and right to her face. The shock made her gasp and she covered her face with one hand and the other out.
That same shock forced the fire out of her palm as it rushed out with force and speed. Consuming the dagger completely. But she couldn't hold the fire for too long.
And immediately she bent trying to save herself. Having no faith in her element.
"Huhh.." Sitting down. She was gasping for air.
Her fire completely died on her hands.
Arthur clenched his jaw and slowly walked to her. His arms folded and eyes unreadable.
"You do not believe in yourself. You're not concentrating and you want to see everything even before it comes to you." He finally said very strictly. Her cheeks went flush.
"I tried." Veins forced out of his face, and eyes red.
"Trying isn't enough. Out there it's life or death. Do you not understand that?"
She swallowed hard. As he backed away and her heart hammered.
"You are just afraid, Nova."
"I am not afraid." She said, shaking her head.
"Look at you, you are shaking. This wasn't even you using your magic ." He insulted her.
"I am cold." She muttered.
Rubbing his face. He stepped even closer, slowly, deliberately, like a predator. He looked down at her hands, now red.
"You do not get to be afraid. You do not get to lose control. You are the last bloodline of your Kingdom. You do not get to tell me you are tired." He spit at her.
"It's not fair. I learnt about my life right here, at this very moment.
Forgive me for not knowing how to control that magic that I didn't even know I had until this very hour." She muttered, her eyes going red.
"Sorry I am not living up to your expectations. I feel horrible for letting down everyone in that Kingdom that I don't know." She yelled. Letting out her anger, frustration and pain.
Nova turned to walk away from there. But he had enough. He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her closer.
Meeting each other's eyes and his body inches away from hers.
The heat radiated from him like a furnace and his breath was fanning her cheeks.
Arthur's voice was very low.
"Magic isn't your weapon. You are looking at your power like it's a curse."
He pulled her even closer. Her lips parted and his eyes went from her eyes to her lips.
"Your powers are an extension of your will and you have to believe in it. It has to behave. It has to work for you Nova. Not, the other way around." He whispered, holding her tighter.
"I don't even know what kind of magic this is. How does anyone control fire?" She asked genuinely.
His eyes for once softened on her.
"You stop fighting it, listen. The only way you can control the fire. Understand it.
Arthur said and slowly the man steps back. Walking away. Leaving her there, alone.
_______________________________
The night of the forest seemed darker. Arthur was inside of that old manor, taking care of the small daggers. But Nova was sitting outside, on the stairs. Still looking at where she saw her mother.
Her training had exhausted her, her hands red.
Nova heard footsteps from behind. Arthur sat at the other corner.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked looking at him sideways. But he didn't look. "Sure." He muttered.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
There was a sudden pause in between them.
"My father." He whispered.
"He was a great man. Protector and a leader of Thornmere warriors."
She listened carefully.
"My father was your mothers guard all his life." He said, quietly and this surprised Nova.
"I was born 15 years before you did. And my father taught me from a very young age to take care of my blades. Fight like a royal guard.
At the age of 5, I was training to become a warrior like the other young boys and girls of the kingdom.
Being taught by one of my father's men. We were growing up to protect the royals.
But the day you were born, everything suddenly turned to fire and blood." He looked at the ground. Like he was relieving everything.
"The attack was to kill you, so that the powerful bloodline that you carry with yourself, ends with you." He whispered, and her heart almost sank.
Learning of her past was terrifying to Nova.
"My father left that night. Saying his final goodbye. He had to do his job, be by his Queen's side.
I watched him go into the fire.
He died, protecting the queen that night." He said.
Nova was silent.
"My grandfather, he saved me. Taught me how to survive. How to kill, live." Arthur turned around to the sword sitting on the stairs, inside.
"The sword belonged to my father." He muttered, as she looked at the marvel that sword was. Too large, too powerful.
"He did not take it with him?" This confused her.
"Why not? He went to save my mother and didn't take this sword?" She asked.
"My father had come to understand that they were not going to live through this war. Everything they could leave for us, they left.
Because they had understood that in time, we had to finish the war that they could not." Nova gulped at the reality.
"My father left his sword behind. The only thing I have left of him." He said. His eyes burning.
"You lost everything too." She didn't ask. Rather she told this to herself.
He didn't speak.
The silence between them stretched, filled with understanding.
Nova leaned her head against the doorframe, her eyes shutting. Arthur looked at her, as the moonlight fell on Nova. She was asleep.
Vulnerable, innocent.
And something twisted in him.
Slowly he stood and carefully lifted her into his arms, trying not to wake her. She was so exhausted. Nova mumbled something and he carried her through the crumbled hallway into her room.
Laying her down gently, he put the blanket over her. Arthur couldn't look away from her. Nova was the last amber of a dying line and she knew nothing about her Kingdom.
He knew one thing. That he wasn't going to leave her anywhere alone. That thought already haunted him.
Arthur had understood, that he would simply burn the world, before letting anyone touch her.
He pulled the blanket, covering her legs.
To Arthur, Nova was the Queen of the kingdom that was rightfully waiting for her.
And he was going to protect her and get her to the throne, even if it killed him.
- Writer
