A Queen's Fate

by Nattie Kate Mason

  ‘Thank the Goddess for that,’ Annie thought to herself, catching her breath for a moment.

  “How do you feel Ryan?” Annie asked after taking a moment to rest, gesturing for him to sit up again.

  Ryan did as he was beckoned and held his hand before him, pointing it right up towards the ceiling. A mighty burst of flame erupted from his hand and burst a hole in the ceiling. Sir Tomlin protectively threw himself over the Queen to prevent debris from hitting her as it fell, but the Queen just laughed.

  “I think it is safe to say your gifting has been restored Ryan,” Annie chuckled. “You need not try so hard next time to use it.”

  The farmer flushed pink as Sir Tomlin stared daggers at him, “Sorry Queenie,” he replied guiltily.

  Sir Tomlin, being a water mage, quickly extinguished the remaining flames, and satisfied that the Queen was safe once more, he resumed his post behind her.

  “That is quite alright, Ryan, but perhaps it is time for you to go home. We would hate to keep you from your work any longer. Sir Lawrence will show you out.” She gestured to the knight standing on the opposite side of the room beside High Priestess Elizabeth, who was taking everything in.

  “Yes, I think that might be for the best,” his cheeks flushed pink once more. “Thank you for healing me Queenie,” Ryan nodded respectfully, eagerly taking his leave.

  Lady Margarette quickly walked over to the Queen’s side and handed her a cup of tea before placing a small platter of savory treats on the bedside table, within easy reach.

  “Please eat and drink Your Majesty, you need your strength,” she kindly whispered to the Queen.

  Annie thanked her lady’s maid for the supplies. Picked at the plate for a few minutes and quickly sipped her tea, conscious of the eyes and ears that were no doubt focused on her every move. Annie’s face had paled, her strength diminishing, but onwards she pushed. She wondered what her suitors would make of her actions.

  ‘Will they be impressed by my gifting? Or appalled that it is so taxing on my emotional and physical strength?’

  Annie brushed aside her thoughts to focus on the task at hand. Lady Margarette attempted to help the Queen up from her chair but Annie waved her off, determined to save face and not show any sign of weakness before the High Priestess.

  After rising from her chair, Annie walked around the curtain into the next makeshift infirmary room. A woman with scantily clad, well-worn blue dyed clothing, sat upon the bed with her arms wrapped around her legs. The lady looked as though she had seen too many horrors of the world despite her young age, and Annie empathised with the woman. ‘What circumstances led her to this life and to make the choices she has made?’ Annie caught herself wondering of the lady-of-the-night.

  Annie took a seat in the chair waiting for her by the woman’s bedside. Annie greeted the woman with a warm, soft tone, but the woman refused to acknowledge the Queen’s existence.

  “May I ask your name?” Annie asked in a further effort to engage the woman, but the young lady just stared vacantly into the distance before her. It was then that Annie noticed the woman’s glazed over eyes.

  Annie turned to the nearest healer and asked, “can this lady see me?”

  “No, my Queen,” the healer replied. “The High Priestess says she is blind and partially deaf.”

  ‘Goddess above, the poor woman. I wonder if there is any way I can help her...’ Annie thought to herself.

  Annie raised her voice to reintroduce herself and this time the woman turned her head slightly towards Annie to strain to listen to her voice. Annie placed a hand upon the woman’s arm and felt the woman flinch beneath her grip, but she did not pull away.

  “Do we know what her gifting was?” Annie asked the healer’s apprentice.

  “We believe she may have been a water mage based on the color of her gown,” the healer’s assistant replied. “Many of the town’s establishments dress their ladies in a color reflective of their gifting.”

  “I see,” Annie sighed, thinking of the hard life the woman must live. Annie buried down into her gifting, having to draw deeper this time, and established a connection with the lady’s mind moments later. Annie could tell that part of her brain had been damaged from assaults of some sort. But those areas were sadly beyond repair; not a glimmer of life amongst the neurons. Annie located a small amount of dull pulsing blue lit cells. As the neurons were not connected to any other part of the woman’s mind, she guessed that they were likely the cells of her water mage gifting. The number of cells were considerably less than that of her previous patient’s, so she guessed that the woman’s gifting was likely not as strong when it was active. Annie re-established the gifting’s connections with little effort at all due to the significantly less amount of repair needed.

  Annie burrowed further into the young woman’s mind, searching for the lady’s inner eye. Annie had never healed anyone’s sight before, and she was not sure it was possible, but she wanted to try anyway. Annie probed around, trying to heal the injured cells as she would a severed connection, but they did not feel or function in the same way. Annie reattempted for what felt like hours, with no success. Annie then tried to fix the woman’s hearing but was also unable to achieve a positive result.

  ‘A mind-conqueror I may be, but a Goddess I am not. As much as I wish I could, I cannot work miracles or heal the body of injuries unrelated to the mind. I have failed her. But if I can’t heal her physical ailments maybe there is something else I can do to help her...’

  Annie withdrew from the woman’s mind and removed her hand from the woman’s arm.

  “Can you please try to use your gifting?” Annie asked the lady loudly.

  The woman lifted her head carefuly and released her arms from where they were wrapped around her legs. The woman held out a hand before her and water poured from the girl’s hand in a spiral. The girl then turned her hand back towards her and splashed herself in the face with a small spout of water, cleaning herself, and savoring the rejuvenating freshness of her gifting. For the first time, Annie saw the girl smile as she turned her head in the direction of where she assumed Annie was still sitting. Annie thought the happy surprise on the woman’s face might have been the most beautiful thing she had seen.

  “Thank you,” the woman cried loudly before bursting into tears, heavy sobs heaving out of her body. Annie leant over the woman and embraced her in a hug. This time the woman did not flinch but allowed the tears to fall freely.

  After the woman had calmed, Annie withdrew her embrace and offered the woman, whose name she did still not know, a job amongst the castle staff working in the gardens with her gifting. Annie arranged for the woman to receive a proper gardener’s uniform and safe accommodations in the female servants’ quarters. Annie promised the woman that she would be safe in the castle forevermore.

  Overjoyed with gratitude, the woman began to cry deeply once more, and finally introduced herself as Ingrid. Annie left Ingrid in the assistants’ capable hands and excused herself from the main infirmary, walking out through the side door towards the royal infirmary suite. On unsteady legs, Annie collapsed on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

  ~ ◊ ~

  40

  Princess Anastasia

  Anastasia sat on the bed next to her sleeping twin, stroking her hair soothingly. Alecia had positioned herself protectively in a chair by the bedside. The infirmary room made Anastasia feel physically unwell. The smell of ointments, the stark white sheets, the puddles of blood she could still picture on the floor. The anxiety the room incited was enough to send her heart into palpitations and make her stomach churn, but for her twin, she was determined to endure it.

  “We cannot allow her to go on like this Alecia. She will burn herself out if she is not careful,” Anastasia finally voiced her concerns, worry etched deep into her brow.

  “The choice is not ours to make,” Alecia replied, ever the General. “Our role is to support her, not to question her.”

  “What nonsense! Y
ou question her all the time!” Anastasia retaliated.

  Alecia laughed as she shifted into a more comfortable position in her chair. “True... But I am working on it. It’s hard to push nineteen years of stubbornness and sass aside overnight you know,” Alecia joked, trying to lighten the mood.

  Anastasia threw a pillow at her older sister. “Well right now is not the time to decide to be a good General. Now is the time to put our sister’s needs first.”

  Annie roused from sleep, calling an abrupt end to the discussion. “What did I miss?” Annie mumbled, still groggy from sleep. She had been passed out for two solid hours.

  “Oh, thank the Goddess, you are awake,” Anastasia sighed. “Alecia has just been loyally backing your decision to let you kill yourself trying to heal a few people. Meanwhile, I’m trying to be the rebel for once, convincing her that now is not the time to be diplomatic.”

  Annie released a choked laugh, “gosh, I leave you two alone for a short nap and you swap roles.”

  A laugh escaped from Alecia this time. “Don’t worry. I’ll come to my senses soon,” Alecia joked.

  *

  Queen Annalyse of Alearia

  ‘I don’t know how I can possibly heal three more people today. I am exhausted as it is... Of course, that’s exactly what the High Priestess is counting on. She wants me to appear weak. That was her plan all along... I doubt she intends to stick to our agreement even if I do manage to heal all five victims without killing myself or losing my mind. I have pushed myself too far already. I don’t know if I can do this, but I must try. ‘I am stronger than I realise,’ Lily wrote. For her, I will try.’

  Annie took a deep breath and pushed herself to sit up in bed, her head feeling unsteady from the sudden movement.

  “Alecia, can you please escort me to my next patient?” Annie requested.

  “You can’t be serious Annie!” Anastasia exclaimed, grabbing her twins’ hand to try and keep her on the bed. “It is madness to continue. You will burn yourself out!”

  Annie ignored her twin and turned once more to Alecia, meeting her gaze, “remember your promise Alecia.”

  The General nodded and walked over to the Queen’s bedside to assist her out of bed, forcing Anastasia to release her grip on her twins’ hand. Then, arm-in-arm, the unlikely allied siblings walked back into the main infirmary chamber, leaving Anastasia behind.

  ‘It is for my twin that I must do this. I am willing to risk my life and soul to heal these people so that she may live in a peaceful Kingdom and never fear for her safety again. It is for Tash and my people that I must make amends with the High Priestess. This is the first step towards reuniting a Kingdom, dark and twisted.’

  Annie was assisted by Alecia into a chair beside her next patient, Esmerelda. The old woman in the bed before her appeared unravelled, trembling beneath the blankets despite the warm temperature of the room. The woman’s pupils were dilated, and she mumbled a chant repetitively under her breath. The exact words the woman spoke, Annie could not make sense of.

  Annie laid a comforting hand upon the woman’s forehead and began to work; she did not need to ask the woman what her gifting was for her sage wisdom had already told her.

  Annie created a connection quickly with Esmerelda’s brain, her mind a flurry of poorly discharging neurons and an overload of information. Amongst the hive of activity, Annie spotted a small collection of cells that had been maliciously separated from the rest. Annie theorised that this was one of Agnes’s earlier victims, due to the damage to the woman’s brain that must have also been caused whilst her connection to her gifting was severed. Annie became short of breath as she ventured closer towards the collection of poorly lit neurons, and set to work, gradually repairing their connections. After she had finished, Annie traced her steps back to the initial poorly firing neurons she had spotted. After some time, Annie was also able to repair those injured cells too and restore their function back to normal. As Annie withdrew back down the channel connecting their minds, Annie felt the connection suddenly unhinge and the channel snapped instantaneously back into Annie’s mind, giving her a reverberating headache. Annie slumped forward on the side of the bed, attempting to catch her breath.

  Esmerelda gently pulled away the blanket that she had wrapped around her and the shaking ceased. The elderly woman sat up in the bed and peered wide-eyed around the room in awe.

  “What happened?” she asked disbelievingly.

  Annie forced herself to lift her head, using her arms for support against the side of the bed.

  “What do you remember Esmerelda?” Annie asked gently, the occupants in the room hanging on their every word.

  Esmerelda looked down upon the pale young Queen. “I was lost. I didn’t know who I was anymore, who anyone was anymore. I couldn’t even remember my own family. But you helped me, didn’t you? You restored my sage wisdom and repaired my mind! Thank you,” the woman exclaimed, tears of happiness flowing down her face. “Thank you for helping me find myself again.”

  A tear trickled down Annie’s own cheek as she was taken aback by the woman’s words and transformation. She gently replied, “The pleasure is mine Esmerelda.”

  ‘Is that how I will feel when I lose my own mind after healing these people? I am not strong enough to keep going. The doubt is creeping in. I feel as if a part of me is broken for the first time in my life. I feel as though a piece of my own sanity has been taken in exchange for returning hers.’

  Annie became lightheaded. The light of the world began to fade into oblivion. Then all she knew was shadow and darkness.

  ~ ◊ ~

  41

  Princess Anastasia

  “Annie wake up!” Anastasia yelled at her unconscious sister, embracing her protectively upon the infirmary bed. “Wake up! Don’t you dare leave me.”

  Anastasia could feel someone trying to pull her away from her twin, but she would not leave her. A part of her soul had been ripped apart, fearing the worst.

  “Her pulse is fading. If we do not act soon, she will leave us. General Alecia you must help us!” Anastasia heard someone yelling on the other side of her twin, but Anastasia did not look. She would not leave her sister. They were two halves of one soul, and she could not bear to be parted from her again. “Come back to me Annie,” Anastasia sobbed, endless tears clouding her vision.

  “Tash listen to me, you must give the healers room to work,” another voice insisted... Alecia, she guessed.

  But she only clung harder to Annie, embracing her tighter than she thought possible. “Come back to me Annie,” Anastasia continued to sob. “Don’t give up. Come back to me...”

  Suddenly Anastasia felt two pairs of hands grabbing on to each of her arms, attempting to lift her away from the fallen Queen’s body, but Anastasia only increased her grip.

  “Please, Tash, you must let her go so the healers can try and save her!” Alecia’s voice pleaded again before releasing a resigned sigh. “Sir Lawrence, do what must be done.”

  “I’m sorry Princess, but we do not have time for this,” a male voice from behind her declared.

  Suddenly, the air was sucked from the young Princess’s lungs. The feeling felt like an assault on her body. She gasped but no air came. Her heart rate plummeted, and the hysterical twin collapsed unconscious beside the Queen.

  ~ ◊ ~

  42

  General Alecia

  The war chamber was a hive of activity. The High Priestess, Prince Liquire, Prince Cimmeris, Lord Ashcott, and General Brandistone all gathered around the table in a flurry of heated debate.

  “What is happening in there? Why did she only heal three and not all five of the victims?” High Priestess Elizabeth demanded to know.

  Alecia took a deep breath summoning the residue of what little patience remained. “As I have already told you High Priestess, the Queen is receiving urgent healing care from our most senior healers at this present time. Her health deterioration is a direct result of the ridiculous demands you placed
upon her to earn your allegiance. We will know more regarding her condition soon, but as the healers were able to commence her treatment promptly,” Alecia lied through her teeth, “Queen Annalyse is expected to make a full recovery.”

  “Praise the Goddess for that!” Prince Liquire exclaimed.

  “How very fortunate indeed,” the High Priestess drawled. “However, as the Queen was unable to complete the task, I believe I shall be leaving. Even if the Queen makes a full recovery, a bargain is a bargain. I have no further business here,” the High Priestess declared as she rose from her seat to take her leave.

  A shadow emerged before the now standing High Priestess, and Prince Cimmeris, who was previously sitting on the opposite side of the table, now stood before the representative of the Goddess, blocking her path.

  “What business?” Prince Cimmeris demanded to know.

  Elizabeth attempted to regain her authoritarian position as she stated: “this is a private Alearian matter and it does not concern the people of Shadows Peak, Prince Cimmeris.”

  Prince Liquire stood from his chair and moved to stand beside the Prince of Shadows Peak. “Sit down High Priestess. Whatever Alearian business you are referring to; I believe both of our allying Kingdoms would be very interested in hearing more.”

  “I believe you have some explaining to do,” Prince Cimmeris stated, remaining firm in his stance until the High Priestess backed down and resumed her seat.

  A proud smirk crossed Alecia’s face as the High Priestess was finally put in her place. Prince Liquire resumed his seat as well, but Prince Cimmeris remained standing authoritatively behind the High Priestess’s chair, swirls of shadow roaring around his feet.