The Two Queens- By: Lilly Taylor

The Kingdom of Wolfbane has lived in relative peace with the neighboring kingdoms for centuries, the peace being tenuous at times but ultimately a greater good for the people of the world. The main difference between Wolfbane and most other kingdoms is the simple fact that magical creatures ‘are forbidden’, the late King Eldrich the 3rd believing they would be the kingdom’s downfall after having a recurring nightmare about it in his last days. The nightmare was always as follows: a stunningly beautiful woman with silver hair is bowing before a goddess, her raven hair flowing down her back in impossibly long waves of soft curls. The skies above are peaceful while the silver haired woman remains bowed, but as she takes a stand on her own, the goddess with raven hair vanishes and the sky erupts in flames as the moon explodes. Dragons are destroying the kingdom, while wolves and giant black cats devour the fleeing citizens. Chaos reigns after the fall of Wolfbane- the darkness spreading like an ink cloud of poison tainting pure waters. King Eldrich is the only one left alive, watching everything and everyone he loved and was meant to protect perish before him in varying levels of abject horror. Soon after watching all of his loved ones die, and the darkness devours the world around him, he realizes one lone figure remains. Barely visible in the distance, the figure starts cackling, the flames and smoke raising and lowering as the figure’s voice does. The laughter grows louder and louder until it is all the late king hears- before the figure begins a grotesque transformation. What was vaguely the shape of a woman is now hunched over, the laughter ever present as the king heard bones violently breaking. A groan briefly interrupts the laughter, followed by more bones snapping as they reform and reshape themselves. What was the figure of a woman is now nearly unrecognizable, the things spoken of in myths. Massive black wings layered with glistening, razor sharp feathers can be seen, the smoke clearing as a breeze moves through the ruined battlefield before the king. She approaches King Eldrich, and demands he bow before her and help her overthrow the gods themselves; Or lose his life being slowly roasted alive like he has witnessed his citizens endure before the flames licking their flesh sent howls of pain tearing through the skies. She claims she is someone who was made by the gods, and can end them. Poor King Eldrich always awoke just before being set aflame. These experiences still rattled him, though. Which, evidently unable to shake these very troubling nightmares, decided to “banish” all magical creatures. (Except one particular species, that is. But this was a well-guarded secret.) While this rule has been strictly enforced by previous rulers, King John the 1st was more likely to be swayed by his only daughter’s kind heart- had he had one of his own beating in his barren chest, perhaps he would have understood why his beloved daughter chased every single suitable suitor away in no less than ten seconds. She truly had a knack for it, really, being as she got it down to an exact science. There was the youngest prince of Hammerfell that she managed to offend by asking if he was ever going to grow a beard, then there was the eldest prince to the Thorngrove kingdom- she managed to challenge- and BEAT- him in a duel of honor. That’s not to mention the three other suitors who ran from her before she could brandish a blade. The King sighed deeply. “Dearest Lilith, why must you insist on chasing away all the suitors I bring to stand before you? I am your father AND your King, surely nobody else could choose someone perfect for you other than myself?” The King reproached, feeling tired from the constant charades his daughter was putting on to scare away perfectly acceptable Princes. She raised one perfect brow- her green eyes flashing with anger and defiance as she hurled,” Father, you know very little about me, including who would be best suited to me. If you actually knew me at all, you’d know no man could ever be my match. I will not marry someone who views me as a plaything, as someone to move around for political gains and expediency. Such things may be expected from other ladies in the court- but I will take no part in such barbaric means of finding a ‘life mate.’” She scowled before continuing, her cheeks glowing brightly against her pale complexion; “Mayhaps you should find you another Queen to bear you a male heir and save the posturing of his life and love for him and him alone. I will continue to scare suitors away so long as magical creatures remain banned from our kingdom. This you have my binding word on.” The princess promptly spun on her heel and stormed off, leaving the King alone to shake his head and wonder where he had gone so wrong in raising her. He furrowed his brows and mumbled something along the lines of “only a beast would be able to tame that child…. Perhaps a beast is what I should ensure she gets…” his words trailing behind him as he paced the throne room, and as if a sudden light bulb went off over his head, the king stopped pacing restlessly and moved towards his study, for he had a long letter to write before the carrier departed. He was going to find the perfect man for his daughter no matter the cost- even if it meant involving some magical creatures to do so. As the sun was setting on the horizon, King John was feeling apprehension over the letter he had sent off to the faraway kingdom of Wolfriver- the kingdom that was meant to be the sister kingdom to his own, but the ‘banning’ of magical creatures had driven a wedge between them. A few weeks later, inside Castle Wolfriver, home to the mighty Queen Pandora and her only son, Tiberius. A light shone dimly from the torches on either side of the throne, a lone woman, head held high, sat upon it. She had fair hair down to the small of her back, pulled into a long single braid, her face was covered in blood and soot from her attempts to stop the fire from spreading in the forest nearby. She looked tired, but unscathed and unbothered by how filthy her appearance was. A single servant approached, carrying a large tray with a single letter upon it bearing the royal seal of Wolfbane kingdom. The Queen stood and wordlessly approached the letter, her eyes glinting in recognition of the seal. She swept her braided and ashy blonde hair over her shoulder. “At long last…. “ her voice was soft, she lifted the letter and carefully removed the wax seal it bore, her eyes pouring over the contents of the letter before letting out a loud, barking laugh. “Call for my son the prince- your Alpha. We have news imperative to the kingdom here. He will want to read it as well. And…. Prepare the royal carriage for a lengthy journey. Tell the Prince- and Princess- we depart at daybreak.” “Where to, your Grace?” inquired the only servant the Queen had kept at her side all her years of ruling, Theo. With a towering height, short, curly brown hair, tanned complexion and muscles for days, it wasn’t hard to see precisely WHY she kept him so close. “We depart for Wolfbane. Make sure to pack warmly, for myself, the prince, princess, and of course yours as well,” “Me, my Queen?” his voice trembled slightly- he had accompanied the queen to her bed chambers a few times but had never been brought along to another kingdom on official business. “Did I stutter, Theo? Get moving. Now.” Her tone left no room for arguments or questions. He skittered from the room, and if he had a tail, it would surely have been in between his legs. As she dropped the letter back onto the platter, the words standing out the most in her mind from the letter were “Our Kingdoms have been separated for too long by the superstitions of an ill-king. I wish to bridge the gap and would humbly request an audience with yourself and your heir as soon as possible, in my kingdom. I wish for my daughter to be with a man who is strong enough for her unbendable spirit and her equal in every other way- the only people I could imagine ever standing with her after I am gone are royalty that will treasure her as much as I do.” A small smile creeped onto the Queen’s face as her low heels clacked away. Within a few minutes, the letter was picked up by a rough pair of hands, scanned with discerning pale blue eyes, as the prince finished reading, only one thought occurred to him, 'This is my chance to unite the Kingdoms…. And potentially find a mate- no, a Luna worthy of ruling at my side. Human or not…. Should this King choose me to marry his daughter, she too, will become wolf. I wonder if this princess is as beautiful as the spies report….' Meanwhile, back in the Wolfbane Kingdom: It was one month before the princess’s 18th birthday- and a ball was to be held, for the kingdom would be completely awash with visiting diplomats and royalty from other kingdoms. What a wonderful opportunity to ensure she was betrothed to the prince that would enrich not only the kingdom with trade and valuable goods, but also his only daughter’s life after he was gone. He had been keeping a terrible secret from her- that he would soon be departed from this world, and only wished for her to be safe, secure, and happy in his early absence. He had an illness no court physician had ever seen- and he was not expected to last much longer and still be able to carry out his royal duties. His heart hurt, and he was unsure if it was his illness coming to claim him, or his heart breaking at the thought of his daughter loathing him for trying to marry her off before he perished. 'If I tell the princess she would only marry for convenience and she would resent me for pressuring her, no matter the circumstances. If I wait too long, the kingdom has no official heir to go lean on, seeing as a woman cannot legally inherit the crown in this kingdom… I could try to alter the laws… 'He shook his head softly- 'That would never work. As lovely as Wolfbane is, the people respect men and fear them, a woman alone on the throne would be an invitation for other kingdoms to attack and corner her into a tasteless, loveless marriage. As much as she defies me, she would lose her head before giving up her throne, her kingdom. No, I cannot simply change a law and expect her to deal with the madness that will surely follow without someone strong and reliable by her side. I must remain strong until she is ready. Only one month before she is of age. If only I had any idea if WolfRiver got my letter in time…. I must keep the truth from her until it is the right time. I want her prepared to live a life without me there to guide her. She is young and sheltered, and that is…. My own fault. She should have been told the truth of the ‘ban’ long ago. The curse is spreading.’