Nychta - The Bloodrose Kingdom

Chapter 22 - A Rose's Charms

“This came from Silverfang?” I heard Judith of the Frost say from my side as we continued going through the long and narrow hallway. There was gigantic doors that reached up to the ceiling by my sides, made with bronze and patterned with curls and spirals. Even though the hallway pretty narrow, only six people capable of lining horizontally side by side with it, I knew that behind those doors, rooms as large as three-fourths of the arena was to be seen.

We were now nearing the end of the long line of paintings, the judgmental and piercing stares of the dead queens now following us. I felt their presence, their powers.

“I guess,” Hilda said, her voice quiet enough for me to not hear. Unfortunately for her, I did.

“The queens here by this side are the older ones, the ones my ancestors took care of,” Eudora says. It seems that their occupation was not one that can just be applied to, but rather, passed down through their generation. Their blood, she explained, was made mainly just for the queen, killing them instantly if they do anything against the crown.

It was more of a curse for me.

“At least you made a raven,” Lucia says as she tugs my elbow. I huffed a heavy breath.

“More like a flood of them,” I reply.

I told you not to do anything of that sort. Now you humiliated not only yourself but myself too, you stupid girl, the voice said. I kept on listening to it, not bothering to shut it out. I was too exhausted from my earlier trick, and every word of hers was true anyways.

We were now nearing a huge gate at the farthest side in my front, the final gate. A huge raven that resembled the necklace I was wearing now was imprinted in the middle. It beautifully complimented the gray material that the door was made of.

Eudora slowed her pace and we followed. She once again fixed her gigantic bow and smoothened the tiny apron on her skirt.

“And now, this is the throne room. The future queen sits here as she finally takes on Bloodrose,” she says, her voice loud and proud.

All of us straightened at that, given its intensity and weight. I have never looked at the throne room even for once in my life, and this was finally my chance. Even Rosemary didn’t describe it for me. Not even a single description.

“Are you all ready?” Eudora says, her voice sincere. Even though her voice was like that, her face was smirking, an excited and menacing glint present in her eyes. She must’ve seen it for lifetimes already, but it looked like she still had the thrill of showing it to queenly candidates.

No one replied, none of us confident enough to say so. It seems that bitches like Judith and Adelaide still had some shame in them after all.

I felt Lucia tug my wrist like a child.

Eudora smiles, and then turns around. She touches the door, her hand going through the carvings. She reciting something, with nobody within the contestants hearing what it was.

When she was finally done, she steps back and looks at it firmly. All of instantly became stiff.

I felt a cool rush of air pass by us, our hairs slightly ruffling as it embraced each and every one of us.

We now walked towards the door, with fates uncertain. We were not sure if we were walking to our future throne, or if we were walking to our death traps. The lines of danger and safety and majesty and brutality became blurred when we joined the Divination, and it certainly seems to be faded now.

Careful footsteps, the other girls following, was the only sound to be heard.

I felt goosebumps as I finally looked at the room.

This was the room where our former queens ruled, the room where war and passion and politics and life thrummed heavily. This was where the mind of Bloodrose spent her time, where she saw opportunities and possibilities, and maybe even war and chaos. This was the first fruit of the War of the Divide.

The throne of the queen calls me. I can hear it though my veins, through every weave that makes up myself. I instantly knew that I, Machiavellian of the Raven, has finally founded my home.

The sounds of calm air flowing filled the throne. At the center of the room was an obsidian throne, with very intricate and swirly patterns of silver covering it. It was majestic and evil and cruel and beautiful and calling. Wars were waged for it, art its centerpiece. It was just too beautiful and too grand to be able to comprehend.

By its back was a huge window that almost reached the ceiling, giving a full view of the Queen’s Sea. The sunset was already in motion, the sun divided by the sea. The skies were painted with orange and nostalgia, the sea a perfect company for it.

The walls which were not covered by the windows were filled with the same royal pattern in the hallway and the great hall, except this time, complimented with black instead of gold or red. It was dark, yet enchanting and charming.

The steps leading to the throne was of red and soft velvet, a plain carpet. By its sides were the rushing water, with the end not to be seen. It was lit with blue lights, a color that Diana of the Ice favored. Maybe I can turn it black when I became crowned?

Overall, the throne room was straight out of everybody’s dream. It surpassed even my expectations. It was majestic, and yet, never too much or all-out. It had subtlety and quiet beauty.

The girls and I walked along the carpet, our heels landing on soft velvet. I marveled at it, like the other girls did. Emeline of the Tides was looking curiously at the water, her power calling to her, no wonder. I just hoped she didn’t use it now.

“And this is the throne room,” Eudora says, her smile proud. I had to give her credit though, for she managed the place quite nicely.

“Queen Diana of the Ice loved this place so much. She personally selected the color of the water and the red carpet. Bloodrose would’ve been so much better if she was given more time. Too bad the Queen’s Curse doesn’t have mercy,” she continues.

I personally thought that Bloodrose would’ve been so much worse if she was given more time result. The poor was being ignored, the economy, from what I’ve heard, had been in tough times. The people lacked faith in the crown more during her time. She definitely would’ve brought us to ashes. No amount of pride or power from her can save her absolute lack of leadership skills.

“You better devour the place properly. You won’t see it anymore during the Divination. Only the winner can, and all of you know that those that don’t will not see life anymore, right?” Eudora says, a knocking tone present in her voice.

“Now tell me, who amongst all of you deserve to sit in the throne? Who wishes to be the next queen?” she asks.

At first listening, the question might seem like a bad one, a stupid one, even. To be a contestant for the Divination, you need to have at least some will, aside from the obvious skill in power as everyone knew.

But it also clever and fact-filled. Eudora must’ve known about the common end of all queens. They seem to always fail in actual execution, in actual leadership. Only a few of them was capable of doing any real impact ever since the War of the Divide, and they were all dead now.

And the Queen’s Curse had no signs of stopping even with this year. The Divination was the first of our problems, but the former was basically the bigger one if analyzed.

But the queendom had to thrive, and to do that, they needed a leader, even if only her image and power would be capable.

And now the queen’s royal leader of the servants was asking. She was the one who interacted the most with her, aside from the Illuminae. She was the one that saw every little detail, every attention to detail or every problems with her personality. It was a side of her that she only showed to very few, for it marked her to be greatly vulnerable.

And now I asked myself, was I one who was deserving to sit in the throne?

It didn’t take much of time to ask myself, as I instantly knew the answer. Without a second’s thought for me to raise my arms.

The confident raven challenging the most powerful girls in the whole queendom. My hand shot out, straight and unfazed by their challenging stares and doubts. There was no need for thinking, for those weeks with Rosemary has already prepared me.

And seeing the throne now, I felt my heart secured and ready for it.

I looked at everyone. In my front, Eudora was smiling, the first of hers which was directed to me. Thank god she already forgot about the flood of ravens I sent everywhere. It was to be a huge mess if the other girls really brought out their full powers, with the paintings vulnerable of damage.

To my right, Lucia was simply smiling at me. She didn’t raise her hand, but she was still looking at me nicely. Truly, I have never seen anyone nicer than her.

Millicent of the War, to my surprise, had her first smile ever since I met her. Her hands were crossed, and yet, they looked at me nicely. It felt good to see her support me, even if just through her eyes.

Rosetta of the Roses was looking at me too, her eyes and face the same innocent charm she had when she wasn’t talking. She was distracting me, her face too beautiful to look at, even though I knew that it wasn’t on purpose.

But when I thought that everyone was basically supporting me, another hand shot up in the crowd.

Adelaide of the Woods. Her hand was as straight as mine, with the same confidence. Her chin was held high, her eyes looking at mine. I wasn’t complaining about it, but I just felt a bit of hate inside of my heart. It seems that my heart will always be filled with it now, given the situation I was in.

Judith of the Frost and Hilda of the Knives only looked at her, some of the contestants also following their stares.

“The Raven and the Wood master. Quite a fascinating pool of confident future queens we have here,” Eudora says, her mouth impressed as she nods to herself.

Future queens. That was quite a heavy title. It seems that confidence is also a big factor here.

“I wouldn’t call a failed jester a future queen,” Adelaide of the Woods said, referencing to my earlier mishap. Judith of the Frost laughed loudly for everyone to hear. They weren’t just doing this naturally. I knew about how this works.

If they were to play safe, they would not give a rat’s ass about me. They would not want to tarnish their images, or to make them look bad. But this wasn’t just a war of powers and fancy lessons. This was filled with mental and word challenges. They were trying to break me down, to see how far I can manage. They were trying to make me look bad, for them to call me out for bringing out the worst I can say.

But unfortunately for them, I was already honed with such insults and challenges. I’ve came along way from the petty thief I was once. I was now Machiavellian of the Raven after all, and a bunch of chirping doves wouldn’t faze me.

“You talk too much for someone whose neck will be cracking on the first challenge, don’t you?” I reply.

Some girls smirk by themselves, with the exception of Judith of the Frost. Even Hilda barely managed to stifle hers.

But Eudora was stiff now, seriousness on her face.

“Now, come with me girls, and let us explore the palace more.

We were now in the mansion’s garden, a vast and wide place filled with different blooming and colorful flowers. They were all lined properly with plantboxes, arranged by the type of flower. Reds and yellows and blues and other colors were seen everywhere. It was like spring every day in here.

It was like a huge labyrinth though, with the arrangement a huge spiral. It was like a storm even with the fact that it had a clear and wide space in the middle of it. There, it contained a large and circular table, with two seats at both ends. There was a teapot and tea cups placed in there, for the queen’s meetings, Eudora explained.

“The flowers here are so vibrant,” I said, my first try in making a conversation. The only garden I knew that could match such beauty was Rosemary’s.

“Definitely. But I’ve seen better,” Lucia says. I looked at her to see what would follow. As if she has done a mistake, her eyes instantly opens wide, her hands covering her mouth. She was surprised by what she said.

“Is there something wrong?” I ask her. She quickly nods her head sideways in refusal. I just ignored the topic after.

Rosetta of the Roses was looking curiously at the flowers, her hand holding her chin. Her head was tilted to the right, as if thinking of something as she looked at the yellow dandelion. She combs her hair to her sides prettily. Pink-tint tempted to flood my sight again, but I shook them out of my head as I bat my eyelashes repeatedly. Her power was too strong.

And as if she knew Lucia and I was looking, she looks at us this time. Her eyes linger at us, her face neutral. Lucia made a small smile showing her teeth, awkward but nice at the same time.

Rosemary stood from her place, her back straightening. She was going to our direction.

Her hair was played by the wind, pink moving with the strength of an invisible force. She walked slowly and surely, with her face shown perfectly.

But as she moved more towards, an unseen vine suddenly caught her foot. It did not take much of time before she lost balance, her body leaning to her front. Her eyebrows furrowed at that.

She looked at the vine and saw nothing at the place where it once was.

From a distance, Adelaide of the Woods was laughing while covering her face. Truly, none matched her persistence in trying to break us. Rosetta wasn’t taking any of her s**t though, for she now walked towards them. I bit my lip in anticipation of what she was about to do.

“You have a problem with me?” Rosetta says, none of that lusty voice in there. Now, she was angry.

Adelaide only looked at her fingernails, examining each as if it needed some fixing.

“Sure, I do,” Adelaide says as she finally looks at Rosetta.

Rosetta crosses her arms. “Say it to my face instead of acting like a damned brat,” she says.

Lucia tugged at my elbow, signaling me to do something. I only looked at her, an inappropriate smile present in my mouth. Lucia’s eyebrows was furrowed at me.

“Remind me about the Divination being only for twelve girls again,” Adelaide says an insult. Even thought it was meant to anger Rosetta, it was still true. There has never been a Divination with twelve girls so far, according to what I’ve read in the libraries. This has been the first time that such an event happened.

“Great things are about to happen,” Rosetta says, a smile finally appearing in her mouth. The seductive gaze and charms was back. Adelaide’s face became angry at the undecipherable reply.

“You cheated your way in, you b***h,” Adelaide says, full-out angry now and ready to fight.

Rosetta’s face became confident.

“You know nothing, wood girl,” she replies.

At that, Adelaide’s cool went out.

She instantly lashed at Rosetta, none of her power in use now. It was just a girl trying to rip another to shreds without any magic to back her.

But Rosetta only dodged, both of her hands still crossed.

“Now, now, aren’t you desperate?” she says as she dodges one of Adelaide’s attacks once again. The latter was so used to using her magic it seems, and seriously needed some physical training.

Four more punches came out from Adelaide’s side, but Rosetta only dodged coolly.

“You’re going nowhere with this, you filthy scum,” Rosetta says as a final insult.

Adelaide finally snaps as her gem lights up. The marsh-green gem brightens, signifying the use of power.

At that, Rosetta’s arms finally breaks from being crossed, with her now being in fighting stance. I wondered about how she fought?

Small roots come out from the ground, made from Adelaide’s magic. It was the same type of root that made Rosetta trip.

Rosetta now dodged towards the back, her feet moving quickly.

But even if she moved fast, the roots was still able grab her, its coverage wide enough to capture Rosetta even if she moved very fast.

“Not so fast now, huh?” Adelaide teases. Rosetta curses at her.

But now, more and more of those roots come out. They were now crawling through Rosetta, who was still squirming. Now, the other girls were looking at the commotion. Truly, every girl in here was just a magnet for attention and chaos.

Rosetta looked at Adelaide as she focuses on her eyes. Her power, she was setting it to work. If this was how she handled battles, I wondered about how she will handle Matilda of the Machines.

I saw Adelaide’s eyebrow raise as her eyes became blank. The fast growing of the roots finally stopped. Now, Adelaide was just looking at Rosetta as if she was under control. She probably was.

“I warned you, wood-girl,” Rosetta says. Now, Adelaide was loosened her hand and then started to walk. She was a robot, devoid of logic and consciousness.

“Now you will walk towards the plant boxes and give yourself a treat,” Rosetta says, menace present in the tone of her voice.

Adelaide follows Rosetta’s voice, which she was sending through her mind.

As she finally approaches the boxes, her head bends towards the box, hair meeting flower.

“Now, do what you do best,” Rosetta says. She crossed her arms again, eager to see what Adelaide would do.

As if on cue, Adelaide dipped her head suddenly on the ground.

“More!” Rosetta said verbally. It was full of anger and malice.

Adelaide now rolled her face on the soil, fully unconscious and submissive.

“I said more!” Rosetta says once again, now making her way to Adelaide.

Adelaide dipped her face more, with increasing intensity. At her rate now, I was sure that she was going to have scars on her face later.

But she only continued, her face rubbing with increasing intensity on the soil.

“This is what happens when you try to mess with me,” Rosetta says, mimicking Judith of the Frost’s earlier message.

But as Eudora finally runs towards the scene, her bow barely being able to stay intact on her head, Rosetta finally cut her control with Adelaide.

Instantly, the latter stood up, as if she was conscious yet not capable of controlling her body after that.

“You b***h!” Adelaide instantly says, her face filled with soil as she starts to run towards Rosetta with raised hands.

A clone of Eudora suddenly comes out from her, instantly grabbing Adelaide by the roots in her gown. It yanked it hardly, as Adelaide’s head hits its body.

“Now, now, both of you. There is more time to fight inside the palace, but not now,” Eudora says, her heavy voice firm and steady. Adelaide screamed in return. Rosetta only maintained her proud posture, unfazed by the former’s anger.

“I’ll kill you!” Adelaide says.

Rosetta only laughs back.

The enchanting rose, so bright and beautiful

The seductive charm, the innocence so brilliant

The determined wood, so strong and passionate

Strong to the will, but foolish to the heart