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1761 Words
“Is that supposed to somehow comfort me?” I ask.
“No, but I’m going to help you. Just please, come tomorrow.” She breaks into the crowd before I can say anything more.
In a slight daze, I turn my attention back to the stage. Just as my eyes find the royal carriage, the crowd erupts into cheers. Two decorated guards open the carriage and I catch a glimpse of Alexanne.
First, however, William exists. As the current Advisor of the kingdom, he’s gained most of the people’s respect. While he may not necessarily be loved, it is impossible to deny he ruled with intelligence.
He bows to the crowd and climbs a steep staircase to the top of the stage. In his hands, he holds a jeweled box that can only hold the royal crown. For sixteen years it’s gone without an owner.
Alexanne steps out of the carriage and the crowd breaks into scream. People yell and dance and wave their arms, all trying to catch the soon-to-be Queen’s attention. Alexanne smiles broadly, and gracefully steps forward. She steps up to the stage, scanning the crowd with sparkling eyes. Grace and I join in the cheering to avoid seeming suspicious, but every joyful word that leaves my mouth is tinted in hatred. Nobody could hear me over the noise anyway.
As Alexanne reaches the top of the stage, I can’t help but lust over her dress. A creamy white bodice sparkles in the sunlight, long sleeves draping all the way to the floor. The skirt starts off the same cream, but fades into a deep purple by the time the fluffed fabric hits the floor. A dress fit for a queen, and only a queen.
If I had had just a little justice and luck, it would be I wearing the dress.
Her dark hair is pulled into a fancy bun full of curls and loops, topped off with a small, shiny tiara. A tiara that will soon by replaced by the heavy royal crown.
She stops in the center of the stage, squares her shoulders, and nods to William. William turns to the crowd, the jeweled box still clutched in his hands. Two guards appear at William’s side, one with an empty box. William hands the jeweled box to the empty handed guard.
He turns to the crowd, “Dear people, please say goodbye to the Princess Alexandra.”
The crowd screams its praise.
He walks to Alexanne and gingerly removes the tiara from her head. He returns to the guards. He places the tiara in the extra box and then focuses on the box containing the royal crown. He carefully unlatches the box and gently pulls out the crown.
The sunlight turns the brightly jeweled crown into nothing but a glare in my eyes. He walks carefully to Alexanne, bows to her, and the places the exquisite crown on her undeserving head. A flicker of pain flits across William’s face as he gives away the last strand of power he’s managed to cling to.
He says, “Dear people, I present to you Queen Alexandra.”
The cheers of the crowd before are nothing compared to the noise they now make. Bile rises up in my throat as I have to scream along with them.
Queen Alexanne raises her hands, causing the crowd to immediately go quiet. The amount of respect these people have for a murderer causes my stomach to churn.
“My dear people, I thank you for your support.”
My dear people. She has done nothing to deserve this except crime after crime.
She continues, “I would like you to know that I don’t consider this position some small responsibility. This kingdom will no longer be stuck in motionless living. We will move forward to incredible feats that will forever be recorded in distant libraries and epic poetry. We will be a revered kingdom once again.”
She pauses as the crowd screams their agreement.
She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as if in pain, “I’m not going to pretend that the past few months have been hard for me. After the disease that took away my two sisters, every day is haunted by their memories.”
A disease. That’s what they are calling her murders. I guess two princesses being murdered within their castle is too treacherous to share with the public. A disease is much more tragic and will keep our kingdom from falling apart.
“Then my third sister, Admira.”
I stiffen. She wouldn’t dare speak the lies she created to the entire public. Does she have any shame at all?
“When Emilienne and Violette died, I turned to Admira for help. She was my final sister, the last of my family, and I thought she could help, that together we could overcome the overwhelming grief. Instead, I found out that she was working with rebels to overthrow our kingdom. She would rather be in power and ruin the kingdom then do what was right for the kingdom. Rebelling is treachery and punishable by death. We did it quickly and quietly, but the tragic story of a young princess lost in foolish ideals eventually found its way to your ears.”
Ever word is a stab into my side. I want to scream out to the crowd, denying every single lie. But that would only make me look guilty and certainly earn me a dance with a beheader.
“I’ve persevered through loss and betrayal to reach this place. After every piece of my family has fallen away, you have supported me like true family. I’ve worked incredibly hard to reach this position and I plan to keep it with my head held high.”
A threat? At one point, back when I was first kicked out of the kingdom, I had wanted to fight back for a position as Queen. But then all the facts lined up and I realized how foolish such a challenge would be. Grace and I could not storm a castle full of guards and servants to find Alexanne completely unprotected. Even if we were somehow kill or reveal Alexanne’s crimes, they certainly wouldn’t be able to coronate me as Queen. I am, after all, rumored to be dead. It would be better to disappear into a different country, perhaps try to make a difference there.
“My people as Queen I have a few promises for you. We will not be a kingdom to disrespect. We will no longer allow other countries to steal our farm land or take our people as slaves. We will fight if we have to, build a stronger army, and create greater weapons.”
Though William fought battles when necessary, he didn’t pick fights. He’d rather negotiate trade than capture countries. Will Alexanne turn our kingdom into warriors?
“We will no longer be stuck in a circle of information learnt and lost. We will record knowledge, and store it into libraries. Debates and lectures will be welcome in the city square. Inventions will be greatly encouraged and supported. We will grow to better understand and improve the world around us.”
This isn’t necessarily bad, is it? But how will she find the money to fund all these projects? Though we aren’t a poor nation, we aren’t overflowing with riches.
“We will increase our culture and become proud of our nation. We are currently repainting the castle, filling many of the recently…” she executes a perfectly faked voice break, “emptied rooms with murals and paintings. We will be creating holidays and festivals to celebrate the great lives of not only Emilienne and Violette, but my late mother and father as well.”
How dare she create holidays for Emilienne and Violette, the very people she murdered? The fact that she wants to celebrate our parents makes me sick.
“Our nation will be strong, intelligent, and revered. We will no longer be stuck in a cycle but grow to great improvements. We will rise to be a great kingdom. I, Queen Alexandra, promise this, and so much more, to each and every one of you.”
My ears shatter as cheers storm from the crowd. Her humble smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes as she scans the crowd. I scream and clap along with the rest of the crowd and her eyes skip right over me in my disguise.
She curtsies, wiping an imaginary tear from her face. She climbs down off the stage and goes to greet the noble men and women. Of course she would never dare talk to the common public, but she must appear social and open. She smiles and curtsies and shakes hands and laughs and it all makes my knees tremble.
She has each and every person here convinced that she is a perfect queen. Nobody would ever suspect that it was her, not some contagious disease, that killed Emilienne and Violette. Nobody would ever suspect that she pinned lies on me to gain the throne. Nobody would ever suspect that she forced me out of my home and future. Nobody would ever suspect that she is a pathetic criminal that is willing to break every moral law to gain what she wants.
To everyone, she is the smiling, suffering Queen Alexandra, who will bring great success to this kingdom.
After she’s socialized with as many people as she’s deemed necessary, she climbs back into the golden carriage. William follows after her, and two guards close the doors behind them. I wonder what Alexanne is doing behind the close doors. Sighing in relief? Laughing at the crowd’s blind belief? Basking in the success of her cruel plan?
The white horses break into a trot, carrying the Queen away from our view.
The crowd joins into the same chant in perfect unison, “Long live Queen Alexandra! Long live Queen Alexandra! Long live Queen Alexandra!”
I have to join into their wild, naïve cheer to save my disguise, but every word falls flat off my tongue.
Alexanne has gotten exactly what she wants. It’s time I admit to myself that I have lost, she has won.
- Writer
