Three

The Queen lounged in her favorite chair as her great grandchildren swarmed around her. All night long she had been telling them stories to fill their minds and dreams for weeks. Evil hunchbacked witchy figures and heroes to save the day was her go to for the young ones. Oh how they were over joyed to hear stories of dragons and magical beings that have long since been extinct. She fondly remembered the days when pheonix and wyverns flew through clouds in the skies. Those days you couldn't walk along the beach without catching the attention of young mere playing in the waves. That was before The Great War, of course. The war had plagued the land for nearly 20 years. She could remember the day the first war proclamation was announced, as if it had happened just Saturday past. How could she not? For it had fallen precisely on her 10th birthday, the day a young woman receives her gifts from The Mother. But those days were long gone, and the beautiful creatures all frozen in time on Mount Atticaus. Nearly a hundred years had passed since they forfeited their lives to stabilize the planet. But the time had almost come to release their chaos back into the world and test if they all can once again live in prosperity. The signs were there, showcasing themselves in the sky, her dreams, and once she thought, even in her wine glass. Although that may have just been a very good bottle. She'd have to remind the staff to order another one for the celebration of her last granddaughter's wedding. All the other grands' had already been married off, producing the crazy bunch running around her family room right that moment. "Alright, alright little ones. It's time for bed. Up, up. Come on get up now!" Talia, the Queen's oldest granddaughter yelled out, as she helped all the young ones up off the floor. "But mama! Mama, Nana wasn't finished with her story!" the smallest of the littles yelled. "Yeah Aunt Tal, she was talking about the handsome prince who was going to save the princess from the evil king! Please let her finish! Please!" piped another one. "Not tonight guys, not tonight. We can ask Nana to tell you the rest of the story tomorrow before we head off to home, alright? Go on, tell your Nana and Aunts good night now." Tal said as the children rounded the room for hugs and warm sleep wishes. She then guided them to the hallway and added, "Wait for me Mama, do not start without me this time!" before ushering them to their quarters. The Queen sighed. She did quite enjoy telling her family stories and fables around the time of her youth. But she wanted to tell them more. She yearned to release parts of her soul that had yet to see the light of day. She wanted to speak on her truths and her pains; of her lies and mistakes. She had craved to sprinkle less make-believe into their minds, and instead fill it with her life. But they had yet to ask for that story. And she had learned long ago not to give until asked. You see, she was the Queen. And a queen is to keep her life a secret, to only speak about what needs to be known. She had taken a vow to keep that silence. Her children and her children's children had respected that part of her to the extreme. So she waited patiently, for years. However, that patience had been slowly running out of her these past few months. Her body was growing weaker every day, and by The Mother, she just wanted her family to know her. They hadn't realized the circumstances around her vow. They had not known that all they must do is ask. For that vow was a part of her, etched into her skin and being. It slithered along her upper forearm in the shape of a beautifully delicate snake, forever moving, forever listening. If a question is asked in the right circumstances of trust and love, the magic wrapped up in that vow will make the choice whether your truths are to stay hidden or be opened up into the night. "Now what is the story to be on tonight, Nana? Will we learn of the queens and kings from faraway lands? Or maybe of dragons cultivating off the coast of Andoja again? Oh did I love that one. Imagine dragons being up on those terrifying mountains! As if The Mother would hide them from us!" Marianna, her middle grandchild, mused out loud. She was still head over heels for the story from many visits ago. A favorite of hers, no doubt. "Oh come now, Mari. Don't you want this old croon to refresh her brain? Maybe I can stir up an unusual and new story for you three tonight." The Queen smiled, flourishing her arms out towards the room. "Any recommendations for this one? Maybe a rich prince and a man eating witch in the Dark Woods?" She asked, looking at her youngest granddaughter Violet. "How about trolls? No, no. Even better yet, the giants. You never speak about the giants! If I remember Professor Hughles lessons correctly, there were atleast 3 giants left on Earth during The Great War. He had said that they parished along with the other creatures during the last battle. Can we talk about them, Nana?" Mari, always the talkative, jumped in before Violet could get a word. The queen felt her mouth go dry as she thought about the giants. The kindness they had shown her in those last months would never be forgotten. If only she could've found another way. If only she could have saved them all. She will never forget the last words her dearest friend uttered to her before the freeze; "Live. Not for you, not for the kingdom and not for those damned huckleberry cookies. Live for me. Live for US." The cookies were what brought them together. For if she had never run off into the night, crossing their land in a fit of rage, she would never have- "LOVE!" her youngest granddaughter yelled out, cutting the queen off from her thoughts. "Nana please. Love. That is what these stories should be about tonight. We do not need the creatures of our land to make these stories shine. I am to be married soon!" Violet smiled, a blush creeping along her cheeks. "I wish to hear only of love; of its happiness. Can you tell me about your love, Nana?" "Violet.. I," the Queen had been taken aback by such a forward question. Was this THE question? Had time finally come? "Violetta, how dare you!" Tal said, barging into her room. "You know you must not ask The Queen about such matters. Her vow, Violet, her vow!" She said, her hands on her hips, bending to look her sister in the face. "Do you wish for your queen to break her vow? Did father teach you no better?" As the two continued to bicker, the Queens smile lit up her face. She felt it, the vow. It was opening up for her, allowing her the time to speak about such personal things. It must have felt the love and trust in that question, in that room. She felt it swirl around her forearm in slow, magical spins. She closed her eyes to taste it as it shimmered against her shawl, the heat beating along her shoulders. It was finally time. The queen stood, dropped her shawl, and watched as the colors along her vow painted the room with bright pictures. "Be quiet at once!" she commanded, and watched as her granddaughters were magically silenced. "Now sit down Talia!" The Queen urged as a chair flew across the room, settling behind her eldest gradndaughter and planting her firmly on top. "You were all told to never ask questions of the sort. Not about me or my lifetime. As you two so graciously yelled across my family room, you remember this vow of mine. However, I have never spoken on the possibilities. The possibility that in the right moment, at the right time, my vow could choose to allow me some relief. A slight vacation, if you may. And it seems, granddaughters, that right now is that time." She sat back down on her chair, leaning back into the soft velvet of its lining. The snake was in full show, swimming along her arm, eyeing her family. "I will unbind your mouths and your feet in just a moment. You must promise me that you will not interrupt. We do not have much time. Do I have your agreement?" She looked at all of her granddaughters. One by one they all nodded. "Good." she declared and unbound their wills. "A tale of love is what you ask for? I'll give you love. But a story of love is not easy. With love comes pain and chaos. With love comes an overwhelming sense of fear and an open heart without a shield. You have to give in order to receive. But sometimes what you give is not accepted, and other times it is returned without use. That does not make one cherish that love any less. Once one love is lost, another will replace it in time. The cycle of love will continue until the soul you are meant to forever be intertwined with enters your world. This story is about those trials and errors. This is about finding your destiny after failures filled your life and heart. Now, are we ready?"