Chapter Four
1002 Words
QUEEN (Revenge)
The memories hit me in a rush, my tears slowly came to an end. The pages of Silas' letter were scattered on the floor as I stood with the key in my hand. A knock at my bedroom door sounded, followed by footsteps I knew all too well. Soon, Gill stood before me, his grief and pain evident as he held me in his embrace. After a while, he released me, picking up the papers scattered on the floor. We sat together on the edge of my bed, both lost in our thoughts for some time.
I wondered what the plan Silas had created and if it aligned with my own. Snow would be a target now that Silas was gone. Protecting her as well as myself and the Kingdom while implementing our revenge plan was paramount. Though my memories of that horrendous night were never forgotten, there were still a few questions and events that puzzled me about my magic-induced sleep.
I was awakened five years earlier than the time frame and, according to Gill’s explanation, could only be done by the end of the curse or a soulmate's kiss. Had my soulmate really risen to free me? Why did they leave me alone?
The secret to my blood was simple yet complex, something my stepmother wasn’t aware of and that was her first mistake. The simplest of the two was consent. My purity was forcibly taken away. My stepmother needed my blood to conceive a child. It didn’t matter who the father was. She wanted the power that came from my child as well as my blood. The child stood as a symbol of innocence and purity in its truest form. It didn’t register in her mind that a black stain was on my child from her actions.
Though I did conceive that night, I knew the child would not survive past the first hour inside my womb. No matter how much she tortured me, my blood did not and would not activate, but instead went into defense. The child created a few minutes of life was not created in love, but in hate. The blood she had so happily obtained for power would inevitably become her downfall. My magic-induced sleep had given her more time, but surprisingly, I was awakened five years before the time frame.
At the hidden entrance of the Old Wisdom Tree after my awakening stood a witch. Her name was Hannah. She knew many things about my mother, who I was, and what my blood truly meant. As a promise to my mother, for the next ten years, she took me under her wing.
Hannah taught me many things, controlling my rage and anger was foremost. She made me face my true self. This included my hidden desires and finding pleasure in the midst of pain. Accepting my whole self took time, but soon I became
something more. I had always been an honorary scholar student and back then, because of my stepmother’s jealousy, she devised a scheme to discredit my abilities and embarrass my father, who quickly agreed to move my studies home-bound away from the public eye and it was easy for her to make me disappear.
The palace library became my school back then. Updated monthly with many subjects and skills to learn and with my ability to pick things up quickly. Hannah was able to teach me with ease. Within 3 years, I became an all-skilled strategist known for my innate skill at implementing successful foolproof plans for any task. My identity, with the help of Hannah, was kept hidden by wearing a special mask that altered my appearance to outsiders. My expertise was sought throughout the kingdoms but I only accepted specific requests which angered my stepmother over time.
We lived on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest near the Dark Woods, which gave me the advantage of keeping a protective eye on Silas, Selene, and The Seven. We would not meet again until 7 years after Hannah’s death. Looking back, I always thought she had foreseen it.
She had sent me and one of my students on a mission for her that day. On this day, King Finnigan attacked our home. Enraged by my repeated rejections, he decided to force his way and kill the many people who had come to make their home on the outskirts along with Hannah, who had set out to protect them. If I had known how much she had sacrificed for me I never would have left that day, but I have long come to realize that everything that she had done was needed in order for the power within me to bloom……….
Gill sat next to me as he listened intently, fully understanding why it was difficult for them to find me until then and what had happened to me the years after they found the special bed underneath the Old Wisdom Tree empty. Seven years later, they came to my rescue again. Silas took over the outskirts and its surviving people under his protection. This included a marriage to me, but in name only becoming the new Queen. Selene had died years ago, leaving behind a daughter named Snow. He was her father in every sense, though not biological.
It was now time to honor Silas' wish, The Seven and I would finally enter the room that had been locked to us until now. The gold key shone in my right hand as I slid it into the lock and turned it. The familiar click of the door unlocking exposed the deep breaths each of us was holding as I slowly opened the door. We entered one by one with Gill quickly looking for the light switch. The door closed behind us, disappearing from sight as the room simultaneously lit up. The entire room was magic and rightfully so. What lay before us was a shock to us all but a worthy one. Silas was always full of surprises……………………………
- Writer
