She headed toward the castle and began to take delight in her walk as the landscape around her grew more familiar. She had played in these plains as a child and stalked her friends and her family in many games that had taught her how to use her lioness body. As she slipped through the field, she let a sense of home fill her mind. If she found Sara’s stories true, she would make them all pay. Each family would have no choice, and she would make them all watch.
Sasha quickened her pace, her gate long and stretched as she ran through the plains that surrounded the roads towards what was her castle. The thought of her uncle being the only one let to sit on her throne made her skin crawl. While a part of her loved her Uncle Royal, a huge part of her hated him too. He was always watching, always involved somehow, and always pushing for his chance at sitting on the throne. He had even attempted to have her engaged to his son to give him a chance to “Teach her all he could.” It was beyond strange, it was creepy.
Maybe once she regained her throne, she would see him destroyed in a public game of some sort. This delighted her even if she wasn’t sure why. It would have to been put to the test run here for when she got home from this other world. If she got home from this other world? The if sent shivers down her spine and left her feeling bereft, she could not imagine being stuck in the false version of her home forever. How the fuck she had even gotten her was another mystery to be solved. The last thing she remembered before waking up here was taking a walk to see the headmistress of the magic academy, and then her mind was blank.
Had someone set a spell on her? Was this their idea of punishment? Sasha didn’t know, but when she found out who had orchestrated this little spell, there would be hell to pay. The pads of her paws had grown soft in recent years and ached with each step she took; she knew it wouldn’t be any better in her human form, so she slowed her partial run to a slow trot wincing with each step. Has she thought to look, she would have seen bloody paw prints leaving a trail behind her, but her focus was on one thing and one thing only; the castle.
If she could just reach the gate, the guards would have to let her pass. It was obvious by her golden coat that she was a royal of the Nightshade clan. It was an unspoken law that all lionesses could gain admission to the castle grounds since there were so few of them born. Boys were more common in the mixed unions, and she was a rare and precious prize by the Nightshade court’s standards. At least she hoped that would be how it worked. She had no qualms about fighting her way in; it would at least provide her a decent meal and recharge her magic stores. This world was draining to her, and she had no idea why? It seemed to suck the very magic she had stolen from others from her very pores. It was aggravating at worst and troublesome at best.
She wondered if this version had Malenhiem the court mage; well, more lich if you asked her opinion. By the smell of him, she swore he was more dead than alive. She couldn’t tell if it was bad hygiene or if he truly was the undead, all she knew was that he stunk of sweat and mold. It was not a combination that was pleasing to any of her senses, no matter the form she chose. If he was apart of this court, she would woo him into her service just like she had in her own world, and he would find her a path home.
He couldn’t resist her in her world, and she had a feeling it would be the same in this world. As she approached the gate, the servant s stationed there looked at her wide-eyed and then dropped to their knees in submission. Sasha was a little disappointed that they did not want to fight, but if she was honest with herself, she just wanted a hot bath and rest. She wound her way forward toward the main entrance of the castle, amazed at all who saw her. They simply stopped what they were doing and dropped to their knees. Most reeked of fear instead of awe. It was a scent that left her lioness more angry than hungry, and she didn’t like it at all.
As she neared the doors of the castle, she was pissed to find them thrown wide with no guards to watch over them. It literally looked like anyone who dared could walk right in and take what they wanted. She roared loud and long until a servant was bold enough to peek their head out; at this point, she flashed and changed her form, eliciting a hiss from the servant as she ran screaming from the disheveled appearance of the long-dead princess. Well, this was an interesting development.
She took one dainty step and then another into her home. It looked the same and smelled the same only certain scents were missing. The scent she noticed missing the most was that of her mother. It took all her will power to reign the beast in her chest in. She knew no matter how angry she got, she could not bring the dead back, and in this place, her mother was no longer apart of this world. She wavered on her feet and decided she would sit down before she would attempt to make it to the courtroom. She closed her eyes for one tiny second, and that was where Lady Winterborn found her curled up on the receiving couch fast asleep. She rubbed her hands in delight, she would be the first one to play with the little doll-like princess, it was uncanny how much she looked like the real thing, but that didn’t matter because before long she would just be food for the court to play with.
Gently Lady Winterborn reached out a hand and shook the pretend princess awake. “Sasha, Sasha, child, you must get up.” She cooed. Sasha startled, sat up, and gripped the woman’s hand. “Who are you to touch me?” She growled.
“I am Lady Winterborn of the Nightshade court. Don’t you know me, Princess Sasha Nightshade?” She asked, feigning familiarity with the beast princess. It was all part of the game, and it was the ruse she enjoyed at the moment. Though the renting of this soft flesh would be a delight as well.
“I have been lost for some time and have only made my way here in hopes of reclaiming what is mine. I must confess your face does not look familiar to me. Would you be so kind as to help me find a decent dress and some food?” Sasha asked in her sweetest voice. She feared the Lady in front of her. The woman felt off and held a hint of madness in her scent. In a lioness, that was never a safe bet and could mean your doom if you did not tread carefully.
“Of course, child judging by how I found you, you must be exhausted. Let me grab a servant or two to help us, and I will personally help see to all your needs.” Lady Winterborn cooed at her. It made Sasha feel as if she was being treated as a child, but at this point, she did not care. Lady Winterborn clapped her hands, and servants seemed to appear out of the walls themselves. It was unsettling, but at least help had arrived.
“Take the Princess to her quarters. Have her fed and bathed so she may meet with her Uncle King royal as soon as possible.” Lady Winterborn instructed before walking off into the hallway. She did not even say goodbye. Sasha definitely felt like a child again, and her anger began to rise. Even with Zoey dead in this world, she was still ignored and cast aside at the whims of others. Lady Winterborn would be one of the first to pay the cost of her anger once she had taken the throne from her Uncle’s weak grasp. No one simply handed her off like this.
A young servant girl stood waiting and making small gestures she showed Sasha the way to her chambers without speaking a word. As Sasha followed the mute servant girl, she was glad that at least one person in this awful place knew the proper protocol. Lady Winterborn had the audacity to touch her and treat her like a mere child when Sasha was an adult! For fuck’s sake, she was old enough to marry. She was a full-grown woman and a queen!
She would show her Uncle Royal that she was something to be feared, but first, she would make herself presentable. In order to be taken seriously, she would have to look the part of a queen if she were ever able to retrieve her throne from this pathetic man child. The serving girl led her to unfamiliar doors and threw them open on silent hinges. The room before Sasha was not her own familiar dwelling, but someone else's room entirely. The door lacked the gilded animals that showed her station, and the room itself was sparsely decorated, not to mention small. Gone was the luxury she had been accustom to. Gone were the plush carpets and her grand bed covered in silk
In their place was a carpet so thin that it was threadbare an
d a small plain bed covered in an old quilt. Sasha seethed in anger as her eyes searched the room for her wardrobes made of black marble and found no wardrobe at all. What was her uncle playing at? Did he really think this kind of quarters was allowed for her, especially in her own home? Sasha turned her rage showing in her eyes.
“You will escort me to my proper chambers, or I will take your life. My lioness is quite hungry, and I have had enough of this game. I am Princess Sasha Nightshade, Queen of Astra. Do you understand?” She hissed and spat like a mad animal. She watched as the servant girl paled and covered her eyes in fear. The servant girl turned dropping her shoulders and made frantic gestures in another direction, her head bowed. Sasha could smell her tears as they crept from the girl's eyes, and the beast in her began to plan anew.
They headed towards the opposite end of the hallway towards doors Sasha recognized. As the doors grew grander, Sasha was able to find her own path to the room she sought. Stopping in front of the gilded doors to her favorite place, she frowned. The door s themselves were covered in dust and looked as if no one had opened them in years. Sasha trembled her body, shaking as she touched the hand and found her hand to leave fingerprints of gold in the layer of dust. How long had her twin in this world been gone? How did she die?
Sasha pushed in to her room and found the same layer of dust had found its way over every item. Nothing had been spared. It reeked of pure disuse. Even her favorite smelling perfume had seemed to dry up in the bottles on her vanity. Muttering a restoring spell under her breath, Sasha cast it to remedy the failure she saw before her. The Sasha of this world had failed when she chose to kill her sister. If Sasha ever made it home, she would find a different route. Zoey wasn’t all that bright in Sasha’s opinion, so it shouldn’t present too much of a problem.
In the meantime, she would clean up the mess here as practice for her rule once she returned home. Sasha refused to believe that the world she inhabited was the same world she had lived in the day before. Her instincts would not let her fall for such a banal trick. She would be cautious here; she had to if she were to survive.
She turned to the serving girl, “You will speak and tell me why my uncle is king and what people believed happened to me.” Sasha demanded. Annoying as it was, she needed information if she was to decipher the game being played. She refused to be a pawn. She would not perish in this world never to return to her home. It was something that could not be allowed. Since the land had always moved at her whim at home, she would make it move here.
The serving girl shook her head, pointing at her mouth with her face distressed. She pointed to her mouth and signaled no. Sasha looked at her puzzled and opened her eyes to seeing the magic around her. No spell covered the serving girl so she could see no reason why the girl refused to talk. In her anger, Sasha decided to teach the girl a lesson. Marching to face the young girl, Sasha pried the girl’s lips apart and scream at what she saw. The girl could not talk because instead of a tongue, her mouth contained a stump of flesh where once a tongue may have been.
“Who did that to you?” She asked appalled that one of her servants was treated in such a manner. The servant girl’s eyes filled with tears as she raised her hand and pointed at Sasha. Sasha could only suck in a breath before she turned away. Knowing it was possible that the girl signaled the truth. She had been planning to rip the girl’s tongue out for refusing to speak, and here it had already been done. Was she really the monster Sara had seen and accused her of being?
Refusing to dwell on it any further, Sasha composed her face and turned to face the crying, shivering servant girl, “Find me someone who can talk and send me a servant to help dress and feed me. I promise not to hurt you.” She said as softly as her fear and anger would allow. She watched fascinated as the servant girl bolted from the room to take care of her request. The reeking trail of fear she left behind made Sasha gag thinking about the healed stump in the girl's mouth. She pulled open the door to her bathes and used another spell to make it clean so she could use it. The simple spells were beginning to weigh on her, and she needed food quickly, or she would start losing some of her gifts. She could feel them waning, and she wanted every defense. She found her pull cord and yanked on the cord, sending her familiar summoning bells ringing for the cook.
A servant appeared carrying a tray of her favorites. She knew from the smell and was awed that they had already been prepared. She had the present servant test a bite of every item to make sure none of it was poison before she began to feed herself like a glutton. She shoved mouthwatering pancakes, sausage, and other breakfast food in her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Already her loss of power had stopped, and to her delight, she began gaining power again. Maybe her loss had been just good old fashioned hunger. She had not eaten much at the cottage Sara had found her in and what she had eaten before she found herself in this world seems like days ago even if it was only a few hours back. Her lioness was in battle mode, it was the only way Sasha would eat like food was going out of style. It was obvious that her lioness knew more than she did about what was going on, and Sasha would have to pay more attention to her lioness if she was to survive. Even though they were one in the same, something about her beast had always been darker than the other lions around her.
Sasha had always felt compelled to be aware of and in charge of her surroundings. It was one of the first rules she learned from her mother after the assassin attacked her and cut her mother’s face. It was a rule she had lived by and apparently died by here. She finished eating and slipped out of her torn clothing and into her bathing pool. The luxurious warmth of the water and her favorite lilac scent eased the tension from her body and began to heal her.
She washed her hair in the huge bathing pool and then let herself float as she pondered how she could regain control of the court. It would definitely take some very hard work unless she could find willing pawns to help her. As she stepped from the bath and began to dry her body, a voice could be heard from the other room
“Princess, I have come as requested. You wished for a servant that could speak?” the voice of a woman announced. Slipping in to her robe Sasha put her hair up into a towel and marched in her chambers.
“Tell me why my uncle sits upon my throne and what the country believes happened to me,” Sasha demanded as she looked over the round aged servant woman. Her face looked familiar, but Sasha could not place her name, nor did she care.
“I can, please, have a seat, your majesty, as the story is not a pretty one.” The strange woman said. Sasha felt more relaxed after her healing bath and took a seat in her favorite chair, finding that it molded to her body just as the one did in her world. With a wave of her hand, she gestured to the servant woman to begin.
“I was a day like any other in the castle, now that the usurper Zoey had been executed, you demanded, and we obeyed. It was as it should be and always would be in the kingdom of Astra. The rich used the poor, and we lived to serve.” The strange woman said her voice devoid of emotion; her eyes held the fires of revenge.
“You had planned a trip into the city to visit your favorite tailor shop. Lydia had only grown in fame since you decreed that all who wanted to curry favor must be dressed by her hand. You had made it almost law that all in the court who wanted to keep breathing had to obey your whims. As you readied the guards, who would travel with you, the advisor came. He begged you to stay inside, saying that he had it on good authority that the remaining forces of Zoey’s coup had planned to kill you in her sted. You looked offended and angry as you struck your advisor down, leaving him to bleed on the cobblestones in the front yard. No one would dare attack the Queen. In your mind, you were well-loved, but everyone secretly feared you.” The woman said hurriedly
“And you don’t fear me now?” Sasha asked, amazed at how this servant was speaking to her.
“What is to fear, you are not our princess anyone with enough magic in their blood could see that if they just looked. We have nothing to fear from you fo
r the one we truly feared is already dead.” The servant replied.
Sasha fumed and gestured for the woman in front of her to keep talking. This would give her time to figure out how to make this all work in her favor.
“You left the castle and went unmolested until you were a block away from the tailor's shop. Every turn you took was blocked by some unforeseen force. In one direction, there was a huge cart turned over on its side, making it impossible to pass. There was a group of mourners clogging the side street with their rituals for the death they celebrated. Her right was filled with what looked like a makeshift theatre where the beautiful princess seemed to riped apart in the street by a mob of people. Frustrated, you decided you would head back to the palace. As you turned around, you found that your path there was blocked by a host of people. You ordered them to disperse, and that is when they attacked. Your men were few on this trip, so great was your confidence. They fell faster than you could have ever imagined. The crowd overwhelmed you before you could utter one spell or change forms to fight. They ripped and tugged at your body with a thousand or more hands and began to tear you apart. You screamed your commands, but no one listened, and when it was finished, they say all those who had participated in this horrifying ritual ate the piece they had taken to make sure you could not reappear. Yet here you are strange, don’t you think?” The servant asked as she stood. “I have better things to do than tell stories to a foolish girl pretending to be our princess. Do not scare Abby like you did today ever again, or you will have me to answer to false princess.” She said as she left the room.
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