Their Promised Queen

Chapter 17

            Chapter 17

            This large tent, with wooden stilts keeping it standing. One large bed in the corner and a table sitting in the opposite corner. Seeing Chara alone makes me question many things. She looks like the painting of my father on the wall in the castle. But there is a cold look in her eyes. Where I see warmth in my Aunt Claire’s eyes, I see nothing in Chara’s. No love, at least not for anyone besides herself. She doesn’t sense me yet. Good. I hear a shuffle outside and Ryte comes inside, moving the fabric door to the side. 

“My lady, we have another day’s ride until we reach Seloria. Do you want me to send guards ahead to let them know we are on our way?” Ryte asked Chara.

            “Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.” She said, sitting on her makeshift bed in the grand tent.

            “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. We are already aware.” I said, making myself visible. I had gotten so good the last few days at perfecting my projections. Like before, I could project without anyone seeing me until I was ready. Almost like invisibility but the me that they see when I show myself can’t be touched. The look on their faces are showed they weren’t expecting this, obviously. “What is your business in Seloria?”

            After getting over her initial shock, Chara responded with an innocent looking smile. “We wish to speak with you about forgiveness.” 

            I had already seen what her plans were. I knew she was not coming to me for forgiveness or to even be kind to my people, my home. This aunt of mine, she was not good and would destroy everyone if she could. Knowing we are related sends shivers down my spine.

            “You are not welcome in Seloria. I know what you did to my parents. Go back to Ventir. Leave.” I told her. 

            “My sweet niece, you are so young and not worthy of the throne to a whole realm.” She nodded at Ryte.

            “Guards!” He yelled out of the tent. Several large men piled inside, surrounding me. “Keep watch of her. Don’t let her leave this tent.”

            “I’m not sure your guards will be able to do that.” I said, laughing. She was so out of the loop.

            “Little girl, you are nothing. Keep laughing because I will make sure you aren’t doing it for long.” Chara told me. 

            “Oh…you really don’t know.” Surprising. I thought she knew most everything about me. Whatever inside man she has in the castle obviously isn’t a good one. “I’m not really here.”

            “Guards, grab her!” She yelled at them. But before they could even think about 

moving, I had made myself unseen to their eyes. I was still watching, but they could not see me.

            “Where did she go?” One of the men asked. Everyone was looking around for me still unable to see me. 

            “What did she mean she wasn’t really here?” another asked.

            “Who was she?” still another asked. Several more questions flew through the air.

            “QUIET!” Chara yelled, obviously frustrated at the chaos I ensued. “She is just an annoyance I must get rid of. Get back to your stations, we leave soon,” She said, rubbing her face. After everyone but Ryte had left Chara sat back down. “At least now the pretense of kindness is out of the way. We can go straight into battle once arriving closer to the castle.”

            “My queen, the little girl knows what we intend to do now. Won’t she be ready?” Ryte asked.

            “HA. She is just a child; I have been alive for thousands of years at this point. She is no match for me. I will crush her.” Making her hand into a tight fist as if trying to squish a bug. “Let’s leave.”

            “Yes, my queen.” Ryte bowed and left the tent. 

            “AGH! Foolish girl. Why come here? How did she know I was near? Damnit!” She screeched. 

            “You do not know me. Stop pretending you do.” I spoke into the air around us. She swirled around, trying to look for me.

            “Where are you?” she finally asked.

            “I know the type of person you are, and we will stop you.” I said before finally pulling myself back to my body. 

            Opening my eyes, I see my aunt hovering near me in my room. Zeke and Ruby aren’t there anywhere.

            “Hi Aunt Claire, where’s Zeke and Ruby?” I asked, standing up and stretching. 

            “I told them to go get some breakfast, that I would sit with you. Where did you go?” she asked.

            “Chara.” I told her. Her look of shock and disdain for my other aunt apparent on her face. “I needed to throw her off her game Claire. That vision I had…it scared me. I can’t let her do that to innocent people.”

            “I understand, but you need to be careful.”

            “Aunt Claire….” I started. Not sure I want an answer to my question. “How did she….how did she kill them?”

            “Oh…I wasn’t expecting that. Umm…” My aunt turned around, walking to a chair not too far away. “Are you sure you want to know dear?”

            “Yes, I feel I need to know. I feel as if I am missing something huge. Can you tell me what happened? Please?” I begged her. Sitting down on my bed right behind me.

            “Back before your parents met, there were two fairy lands. You obviously know this, Ventir and Seloria. The dark and the light. There has to be a balance between worlds and this was our balance. Odd enough there were some fae in Ventir that were pure light.” She started explaining.

            “Like my father and his mother.” I said, from the story I heard before.

            “Yes, your father and grandmother.” She agreed. “Your grandmother reached out to my parents, offering a truce between our two lands. A marriage between her youngest child, your father, and your mother, my older sister. My parents knew that your grandmother was one of the few light ones, but they were unsure of your father. They scheduled a secret meeting in the human realm.”

            “Like a blind date?” I asked her. 

            “Ya. Like a human blind date. They went to dinner together and hit it off. Your mom was able to tell that he was of light. When they got back they told your grandmothers that they thought the marriage would work. Your fathers mother went back and somehow convinced your grandfather to go through with the marriage. Your Aunt Chara was technically next in line for the throne, yet this agreement threw that off. When your aunt found out about it, she poisoned your grandfather, but for some reason let your grandmother live and allow your father and mother to get married. They were good together for a few hundred years and then found out that they were pregnant with you.”

            “Were they excited for me?” I asked. I kind of wish I had more siblings….

            “Yes dear, they were very excited for you. Your father doted on your mother the whole time. Your grandmother eventually died, leaving Ventir to your aunt but she couldn’t live with just that. She wanted it all. Your parents and grandparents were visiting the human world while I was here watching you. Your aunt caused an accident that killed all four of them. My family chose to take you into the human world and Ruby and her family came to protect us after my husband and son died.” My aunt finished, tears in her eyes. Wiping them away quickly, she continued. “We chose to raise you as human as we could. Suppressing your powers and waiting until your 18th human birthday to tell you what was going on. We figured it would be the best way to protect you from fairies who wanted to either kill you or use you, including Chara.”

            Taking a few silent moments to just think about my family that I never got a chance to really know. “I wish I had a chance to actually spend time with them. She took that from me.”

            “Yes, she did. But you cannot let her hold that over you. You are of light, pure light. You are the promised queen we have all been hearing about for hundreds of thousands of years.” My aunt said, reaching for my hand.

            “What do you mean?” I asked her.

            “There is a prophecy stating that one day, the daughter of light and dark would hold great powers, protect the realm, and be the bridge between the fairy realm and the human realm.” She explained. Pulling out a little necklace from her pocket, she handed it to me. “Your mother had this made for you. She wore it every day, never taking it off. I figured it should go to you but hadn’t ever found the right time. Now is the right time. You are such a wonderful woman and will be an amazing queen. You just have to believe in yourself.”

            “I barely know how to be a queen…being a powerful queen sounds intimidating. Add in that I’m supposed to have two soul mates. I feel a little overwhelmed. I miss being a human and the idea of college and dorm rooms.” I whined after taking the necklace from her hands. I know it sounds childish, but I feel jipped.

            “You were never human Elora…I never should have let you believe that. It was a disservice to you and I apologize.” She said softly.

            “It’s ok.” I told her, standing up and walking towards the balcony. I would have to be ready for whatever would come. But I need a little time alone. I can’t breathe here. Not with everything going on around me like it is. 

            I closed my eyes, took a deep breathe, and told myself I wanted to be at my old home. My old human home. That drop in my stomach happened and I landed on solid ground. Opening my eyes, my old home was in front of me. It hadn’t been too long in the human realm and the house hadn’t sold yet. 

            I walked up the front steps and tried the doorknob, finding it surprisingly unlocked. Walking in I could smell cleaner. Whoever set up the house for show wanted it perfectly spotless with nothing inside. Continuing down the hallway and up the stairs, I stopped in the bathroom. The beautiful paint job, that I once thought was done by my father but really my uncle, had been painted over. It was now just a light blue in color, boring. I continued on to my room, just as empty as the rest of the house and looked out the window. 

            How many times had I looked out this window, wishing I could just see the world after my aunt Claire became overly protective of me. Now I had seen what the world holds, or at least the fairy part, and all I wanted was this home again. For that life to be mine once more. Falling onto my knees, I started crying. Hot tears streaming down my face like fire. 

            “I can’t do this!” I cried to the empty space. “I can’t be the queen they want me to be.” 

            All of a sudden, the necklace started radiating the same blue-green light that I do. What the heck? The light became so bright that I had to cover my eyes. Once the light died down, I opened my eyes again. It couldn’t be….

            “Mom? Dad?” I stammered. “How? What?”

            Their response was a simple smile. “Hi baby.” My mom finally said.