PATRA

Blinking lights of lamps lit and fluctuated from a distance when the dense fog over a particular area covered the long-lost river and the breezes blowing sent chills in the small village of Matamia. Birds of prey hid under the empty barks of dried trees standing tall against the odd. Crawlers went back to their den when they heard a banshee crying sitting near the river. First in a while! It was a winter's night in the village. This inextricably unexplainable phenomenon gathered the oracles' attention. They brought books of stars and read the signs that could bring the light to the right path. After the discussion held for hours, the oracles assembled in the throne room where the queen had been informed about the prediction of the stars. Sitting across the gold-plated throne were the ministers of the kingdom, waiting for the queen to arrive and bless them with her presence. The kingdom's Royal palace was a spacious castle built on the rocks of the ancient era. The village, the progeny, had seen many rulers being killed, murdered, suicide in this bloody place. It was a sign that something terrible was waiting to happen. The palace was built with high towers and seven floors. On the sixth floor, there was the Queen's room. A maiden rushed inside the place to the Queen's room. She had the duty to inform your highness about the presence of Oracles in the royal Kingdom. The maiden was about to knock on the wooden carve, embellished with stones and a gold door, but she heard something from the inside that sent blushes on her rosy cheeks. "Ah… ah…" It was the queen, moaning loudly while wrapping her sheets of satin. "Bend over…" the man behind her pulled her ebony dark hair and whispered in her ears. "Hard… I need it… do it… Show the talent you got for your Queen, Marcus." The queen's voice lingered in the empty corridors but behind those wooden doors, the maiden kept standing in her place to deliver the news to the Queen. She waited till the Queen was done with her desires. Her loud moans were heard a long distance. After the climax, Marcus Dragneel left the Queen's chamber and stared at the maiden who stood outside the room. He smirked at her and left the corridor humming a whistle under his breath. The maiden knocked softly on the door, and she waited patiently to get permission. "Yes!" The Queen asked in a demanding tone. "My lady! The ministers requested your presence in the hall. They have remarked it as an urgency." The maiden kept her head down. "Inform them about my arrival. I will be in the hall soon." After that, the Maiden had left the chamber and the queen got up from bed. She took a bath in the tub made of gold and cleansed her sins with the water. She wore a revealing dress with deep red lips and Kohl decorating her bright eyes. Soon, The Queen arrived in the throne hall to get her hands on the throne she wanted from the beginning. "The blood spilled because of it will only bring more blood to it. Haven't you heard the folklore of this dynasty?" A voice behind her made her stand on her toes. She glared at the man with her great eyes and smirked on her lips. "I don't believe in rumors, Sebastian. If you are here to enlighten the reason I have been brought at this hour in the hall, I would be more pleased." There was harshness in her tone but a smile on her face. Her aura was radiating from her body like diamonds under the light. "Patra! Just as a reference from a friend, I want to warn you about the legacy you have created. You have forcedly taken this throne from the rightful heir. Your progeny won't bloom, and you will face a dark death." Sebastian's face was full and gloomy. The Queen's face turned red in anger, and she stood on the throne to look deeply in his eyes, "There was no rightful heir. To get to the top, you have to build your stepping stones. My brother was one on my path and I have no regret for plucking him out of my way. Anyway, you haven't notified me with the facts why I have been summoned." She was clear straight when she glared at him. "Oracles! They are here!" Said Sebastian, who got Patra's attention. "What?" A screech left her lips. Soon, The Queen welcomed the Oracles, and they gathered to sit in the throne room where the ministers were present and one of them was Marcus Dragneel. "Your highness, Pardon me for requesting your urgent presence in the hall at this hour, but we have something important to deliver to you. If you don't mind, can we have a conversation privately?" The leader of the Oracle asked. The Queen nodded her head and they both went into the guest chamber. Tea was prepared and food was served for the guest when two strong women sat together in the chamber. "Pardon me, Your highness, but you shall know that your days ruling this kingdom are short." The Oracle dropped the time bomb over his head. "What made you say that? Is there proof with you?" Patra asked with determination. "I have stars to guide me and all I predicted from them was, It's the end." She stated. "End, like what?" The Queen was interested to know what Oracle meant exactly. "I don't know exactly, but whatever it would be, it would be short and dangerous. You shouldn't trust anyone around you, either your friends or your enemies." Oracle warned the queen about the prediction. "If that's true, then why should I believe you too? It could be possible that you are here for assassination." Patra was glaring at the Oracle like a hungry wolf. "Our kind don't make friends or enemies. We have nothing to do with your kingdom and you, but for the sake of the balance of humanity, we try to help everyone regardless of their testimonials. The Queen glared at the Oracle, not believing her words. She took out a sharp dagger from her dress and pointed at the Oracle. Outside the Chamber, a woman's scream was heard loudly…. This alerted the warriors and the remaining oracles as they ran inside the chambers. The Queen was standing on her seat while the Oracle had her eyes popped out in fear. The dagger had barely made its way through a section of her hair, splitting it from the roots while the blade pierced the silk curtain hanging from the ceiling. A shadow disappeared from behind, and it was noticed by Patra. "Run!!!" She commanded her warriors and went out in search of the figure. Someone had eavesdropped on their conversation and this wasn't settling for Patra. Everyone in the palace knew about her temperament and how dare one traitor come out to invade her privacy. She set the teams in search of the man, but the warriors returned empty-handed. "How that hell did a man get lost from your sight?" She was resentful and drew her sword before putting it on the neck of the chief. "I am afraid, my lady, but the invader was clever and ran past our sharp eyes." The chief warrior stuttered while gazing at her toes. "Are you being honest with your Queen? Because I don't show mercy even when asked. If you are found guilty, It will be the end of you." Patra snapped at him while playing with a sword around his neck. "Forgive me, my lady. I promise you that I will bring that invader before dusk." The warrior wanted another chance and hoped that his queen would grant him one. Patra drew her sword back and glared at him, "Forgiven but not forgotten! Till dusk, if you don't find the invader, I swear you will regret it." She let go of him and the entire parliament was afraid of the wrath of the Queen. Everyone was scared of her, because she wasn't only a ruthless ruler, but for the throne, she slaughtered her own sister to get her hands on the throne. Her hands were stained in blood but instead of washing them off, she was showing it proudly. Many people were against her, but everyone was silent. It could be possible that one of them was the invader who tried to get some information about her. Patra was aware of the fact that she wasn't liked by her progeny, but that was the least of her concern. She had a reason to overthrow her sister to get the throne. When she returned to her chamber, she had an uneasiness that lingered near her heart. She was precipitating and kept drinking water from the gold jar. Her hands were trembling and she felt drowsy. Suddenly, there was a presence behind her and Patra drew her sword to attack, but the lights set her off and there was darkness in the chamber. Only partial moonlight was there, but she couldn't see anything around her. "Ah!!" A knife penetrated in her thighs and she felt the blood dripping down her legs. "Who are you? You, coward? Attacking me in the dark won't do any justice!!! Show your face, Rat, and fight like a man!!" Patra sparred loudly but all she heard was a familiar giggle. Her drowsy state was a disadvantage to her side. She tried to locate her attacker but failed and received lashes every time. The man was enjoying the show and was crying her melodies to his ear, yet Patra used her lips to suppress her cries coming out of her mouth. Her hands were trembling, so was her body and, at one moment, she fell down. Partial moonlight fell over the face and Patra's eye met with the intruder's. "You?" She gasped and tried to fight back, but before she could make a move, her own sword was penetrated in her neck. *** It was raining heavily after a decade in the kingdom. The progeny of the kingdom accumulated in a large area where the queen was being buried deep in the ground. The local priest and other royal members moaned and completed the ritual. "Who could be the next ruler, now? Even though nobody liked her, it won't change the fact that she wasn't worthy of being a successful ruler." A man stepped out from the crowd and demanded an answer from the members of the parliament. "Queen Patra didn't leave any message about who will rule after her, but now this has been done, we have to call the members of the parliament and decide a new ruler." The priest stated. "I would like to volunteer!!" Sebastian, the advisor, stepped out and many of the people agreed on making him the new ruler of the kingdom. Marcus, standing in the corner, away from everyone's gaze, noticed everything happening around him and there was a smirk on his face before a sharp lightning struck the tomb of the queen. "What happened? This isn't good!!!" People cried when the tomb caught on fire. "The Queen did not accept her defeat!!! She is under the influence of vengeance. She will take blood back from her murderer…" People of the kingdom are afraid once again. In the fire, some of them saw Patra's face flashing in the fire of revenge.