Sasha sat back, amazed. She had never had a servant talk to her in such a manner, let alone one that would be so bold as to dismiss her as nothing more than a fake. She commanded this throne no matter the world she was in. Even with her mother currently holding the throne for her, Sasha would wield the power of all the kingdoms, whether the people here liked it or not.
The rich could easily be made in to slaves if she needed their wealth. She was all about taking back what was hers and would let no one from here or her own world stop her. All worlds were meant to bow to her whims. Sasha would get the serving woman next time she saw her, she would not be disrespected like this! Ringing her summoning bell, Sasha watched a new girl entered her chambers. She said not a word as she worked to brush out and braid Sasha’s long dark curls into an Iron crown. Her fingers nimble, and quick felt soothing to Sasha. When she finished, Sasha dismissed her with a look.
She carefully scanned the room to make sure there was nothing she had missed and crossed to the wardrobe. Pushing a filigreed nob hard, Sasha popped open a hidden drawer that contained her blow darts and her favorite fighting sword. She knew now that even though she was home, she was still in danger. This place was not going to bow to her whims as easily as the true world she belonged to did. They were inclined to fight even if she didn’t like it. Taking her weapons to her vanity, she pulled open her top drawer and found her sheathes. She returned to her wardrobe, her mind racing. What would speak volumes without letting her intentions be known? How could she exude the power needed to cow the mass of nobles? What would allow her to take what would always be rightfully hers?
She fingered the fabrics of the many dresses housed within the great wardrobe. None of them felt quite right. She knew taking a trip to Lydia’s of this world was not in the cards, but there had to be a way to fashion what she needed. Ringing her bell, she summons yet another unfamiliar servant girl and relays her demands. If she couldn't have Lydia, she would have the court seamstress follow her careful designs. What she wanted wouldn’t take long with a little magic in the mix. She sought her favorite riding pants and a grand dress of black leather, the bones of the corset perfect for hiding her sword in her back sheath. Her hair was so wavy and thick it would easily work as a cover for the handle of her prized wakizashi.
Even though she preferred the reach of her Katana, the blade was simply too long for her back. She was shorter in comparison to Zoey and her frame thicker, yet the power her body held was like a rocket always ready to explode. Her swordmaster had always marveled at her speed and dexterity even when it seemed she should have nothing left her reserves had always surpassed that of her opponents. It was a shame her mother had killed him in a fit of rage when she learned that he had continued to train her far passed the queen’s wishes.
She trained by herself from the day of his death forward, but all she could do was hone the lessons he had already taught her. No swordmaster would let Sasha hire them to finish where her beloved teacher had left off. She never learned stealth and was louder than a bull in a china shop, but her skills were stronger than anyone she had fought. This had to count for something, and she would make it count here if she could.
A faint knock came at her chamber doors as the seamstress pushed her way inside. Sasha could smell the lack of magic like a plague upon her senses. The woman held enough that making a meal of her would at least fill the awful drain she felt. She would have to lure a few more servants to her chambers if she was to truly feed her magical stores. It would be no good going in to greet her traitorous uncle running on empty. She pulled the gown and riding pants explaining she needed to combine them into one functional garment. Her only request was the addition of crystals that would sparkle against the black leather like sugar-spun lace in the night sky.
The old seamstress nodded her replies as it seemed she refused to speak to this Sasha as most of the servants she had encountered. Had her counterpart been so awful? Sasha was sorry she didn’t have the opportunity to meet this woman and wondered what she could have learned from such a creature. She knew that she probably would have eaten her and taken her place. This world left her hungry for the rich magicals of her own plane of existence. The food here lacked color and flavor as much as the people did. It was as if the world had been bled of its color and riches by the previous version of herself. It mattered very little to Sasha, for she planned to set things right in this world where the beast princess as they called her failed.
Sasha’s mother had taken great pains to raise her to be the perfect royal. How shocked her mother would be if she knew of her little girl’s appetite for suffering and pain. She was as playful as a kitten with a bird when she found herself a tasty treat. She seemed to like to play with her food before she actually ate it. It made the carcass that much sweeter, and the magic she stole last that much longer.
She waited her eyes ever watchful as the seamstress made the requested alterations. She watched as the woman did her best work while shaking in fear. She was so intent on her final stitch that she did not hear Sasha sneak up behind her as she laid the stitch. With a quick slash, Sasha turned the seamstress around and bit into her throat like a rabid animal. It was only after her death throes had stopped that Sasha changed forms and had her meager magical meal. She regained very little for the frail old woman, but it was enough. Using a small amount of power, Sasha wiped all evidence from the room and the hem of her gown. Not that the blood would have shown against the black, but it did take away some of the sparkles, which would decrease the desired effect in Sasha’s mind.
She had to make a strong showing of her station to press her case and regain her throne. The beast in her chest would have nothing less than absolute control. It was a factor Sasha had hidden from her mother in her own world. In this shadow version, she would get to be herself for the very first time. Ringing her bell, she summoned a hairdresser, a body attendant, and a makeup artist and was pleased to find all three ladies brimming with magic. The feast she would have would be stunning. Her magic would be replenished, and she could clean up with a wave of her hand. Her wicked smile gave the woman pause as they entered her chambers, but their confidence that she was just an imposter won out over their fear, and they set to work.
Sasha relaxed and settled into her chair, and the woman worked their magic. Slowly over the next few hours, they made her into the beautiful princess she knew herself to be. Their ministrations relaxed her mind and allowed her to use her inner voice to converse with the beast. They had planning to do, and speaking aloud in this place was not an option. Breathing deeply, Sasha found her only friend and began to formulate a blood bath like this court had never seen.
Chapter 14
Reenactments
Sasha licked her fingers as her body took in the glorious feast of magic. Her chamber was covered in the blood of the three serving women, but not a drop of flesh would be found in the room for Sasha had eaten every last bite. Full and content, she waved a hand, releasing her cleansing spell, leaving her to look like the perfection she felt she was. She felt no remorse and reveled in the fact that at full power, she would be unstoppable. She let herself out of her chambers and took the familiar path towards the courtroom. She felt that an unannounced entrance would be the best bet for her little enterprise. When she got to the doors, she found her way blocked by guards from the jaguar kingdom.
While both men were handsome, they were not men she knew, and no matter what request she gave, she was met with the same answer. “No one shall be admitted before King Royal requests their presence.” She stamped her foot, which drew titters of laughter from those who seemed to be awaiting their invitations in the sitting area, among them sat Lady Winterborn. They seemed relaxed and untroubled by the rules which felt off for royals of any kind.
“Sasha, dear child, please come join us,” Lady Winterborn said with a wave of her hand. Sasha took a calming breath, she would play their games but only until she had the ears of all those present behind the doors of the courtro
om. Surely her Uncle Royal had missed her presence. He had always been nosy in her own world and tried hard to play the role of father when she had no need for one.
“Thank you, Lady Winterborn. I was not expecting to be stopped. I must speak with the King as soon as possible. My dear uncle and I have much to discuss,” Sasha said, feigning politeness.
“I could see why you would be eager to be reunited with the only living family member you have left, but now is not the proper moment. Only those you see before you are aware of your presence. Your uncle, the king, must choose the proper moment to let the other kingdoms that attend court here known of your remarkable reappearance,” Lady Winterborn retorted. Her words, while gentle, seemed stiff and unkind to Sasha’s ears. She could not fathom why her presence would not garner anything but a celebration.
“It should be a celebration that I still live and have returned safely. I do not understand all this protocol. Have things changed so much in my absence?” Sasha asked. She would use her time with these lazy nobles to gather what information she could. She already had an explanation forming for her disappearance and reappearance. She would make of it a harrowing story, one that would win the court to her side and allow her to slip into her rightful place with no fear of losing it ever again. She planned to punish her dear uncle and banish him from this realm. She would do so by sending him away as an envoy while paying the assassin’s guild a fair amount of coin to kill him and deliver to her his body while it was still fresh.
You see, her uncle held a tasty amount of power, and she would not let such a commodity go to waste. Her thoughts began to plan his demise, and the beast she hid from the world purred in her chest like a well-tamed kitten. It was another noble that tore her from her thoughts.
“Princess Sasha, where have you been all this time. It has been over a year since the palace received news of your death. Your poor mother was so distraught that she threw herself from the mourning tower window,” the woman said.
Tears gathered behind Sasha’s eyes, she had a hard time hearing that her mother no longer existed in this world and that it was her fault lent and even greater form of pain she had not experienced before. “I believe I was in an enchanted sleep. I awoke far from her near an old witches cottage. I did not know it was my presumed death that took my mother’s life.” Sasha said, her voice shaking with the prospect of this ever happening in her own world.
“You do realize she felt as if she had nothing more left to live for in this world, especially with you being the murderer of her precious Zoey? She never quite got over that loss. She had become delicate, and it was your demise, your disappearance, and the rumors that you had been ripped apart and eaten that cause her choice to jump.” A man said from somewhere back in the crowd of nobles waiting to gain entrance to the courtroom.
Before Sasha could answer, another woman spoke, “You really were an awful child. I cannot see why she would mourn your loss, but she did,”
Sasha stood her face scrunched into a reddish ball of anger, “You dare insult me or my mother’s memory! Do you have no children of your own, you awful woman!” Sasha screamed as she stamped her foot. Her eyes searched for the woman who would reply, but no reply came. Instead, the crowd of nobles became quiet as the door to the courtroom were thrown wide.
Royal stepped through the open doors, his face holding a worried look, “Can it really be you?” He asked, his eyes brimming with tears. “Answer me Sasha, is that really you or are you some spell constructed by the dragon kingdom to bring me grief?” King Royal snarled. His lion dripping in to his words like a purred warning.
“I am princess Sasha Nightshade, first of her name and rightful ruler of this kingdom! Of course, it is me!”Sasha said, letting her lioness touch her words through the angry tears that coursed down her cheeks.
“I cannot believe you, child! Where have you been all these months? Why did you not send word or return? Why did you let your mother die?” King Royal hissed.
Sasha felt his words like a slap to her face and took an aggressive step forward. Her hands slipping to the wakizashi hidden in the spine sheath. She pulled the sword to cries of, “Stop her! Protect the King!” but her mind was lost as the beast took over intent on making King Royal pay for not keeping her mother alive. The nobles closed in on her in a hurried mass. The sword was ripped from her fingertips as her clothes were rent from her body. Fingers clawed, and unclawed ripped through her flesh and began to shred her very being to bits. She called her magic but could not hold it long enough through her pain. Bits and pieces of her were slowly ripped away by the mob that surrounded her.
She pushed, clawed, and tried with all her might to gain her freedom, but the pain was overwhelming. She watched wide-eyed as the nobles around her ate the pieces they had torn from her body. Their lips coated in her blood. The last face she saw before she slipped into oblivion was Sara’s. Her eyes sparkled with a vengeance, and a punishment well served on the one who held no remorse even for those still living. Sasha curled on her side as she lost consciousness, the beast still fighting even if in her mind she lay still. Her last thought, “Why?” as final oblivion, took her mind.
Nyx stood watching and used her magic at the last second to transport Sasha’s astral form back to her body out of the dream world. Now her task would begin. Nyx had watched intently as Sasha set the mob on herself. She had armed herself with the intention of taking the throne from her own uncle or father for those who knew the truth. She held no pain in her heart except at the loss of her mother in the dream realm. It let Nyx know she at least had a weakness; in the end, she had watched as the beast had filled Sasha’s eyes. It sent a shudder down her spine to know that the rumors surrounding Sasha and the prophecy were true. She had to be stopped.
Nyx would alter her and make her into something the beast couldn’t take control of, but first, she would need ingredients. Nyx pulled herself from the mirror, happy to see what had felt like days was but mere minutes in the real world. Sasha would be held in a dreamless sleep until Nyx was ready to change the very mind and heart of the fabled beast of destruction. She would be Astra’s hope and change the outcome of the prophecy by force if necessary.
Chapter 15
Zoey, Zephyr and Queen Elise
Zoey was forced to recover quickly for her discussion with Nana had come to an end with the knock of the tailor at her chamber doors. Her search of her father’s room to discover more secrets would have to wait until after her fitting and audience with her stepmother. It made so much sense as to why her mother never seemed to favor her like she did Sasha. Even though Zoey looked like she could be the woman’s child, she was not; her disposition as a child had even differed from both Queen Elise and Sasha. Zoey had been kind while the Queen and her daughter had been rude and hard to deal with. It made Zoey wonder how her life could have been if her father had just lived long enough to set his will into stone.
Maybe he had, and if she could find the proof, she could take the throne. She shook her head as her thoughts ran wild. She listened to Nana explain that Zoey would be out in a moment as she had to finish putting on her shift for the fitting. She was grateful for the instructions from Nana, even if they were spoken to the tailor. She slipped the soft nightgown like shift over her head and slipped her feet into the softest slippers she had ever felt. She had missed the luxury of being a princess, yet part of her was glad she had been sent away to learn to kill. If her guess was right, she would be doing a lot of killing on the queen’s behalf until she could figure out a plan.
She stood steady and unmoving for the thirty minutes it took for the tailor to make her a gown that fit her station. It was made of the softest royal purple velvet and highlighted her eyes, showing the pale eye as a light blue and her other eye as its natural violet. Zoey had to admit that the dress made her look exotic and dangerous all at the same time. She wondered if the court would take her threat seriously, or would she be laughed at as a false warrior princess. She wanted this part over and to
return to her training. She needed time to think. To be thrust in front of a woman who never loved her yet had pretended to was far too great for her mind to process at the moment.
She had absolutely no desire to see the person she now considered her enemy. She needed time to search this room, to plan with Zephyr. She needed this nonsense to be over. To sit as a mere servant when her throne was being taken by a spoilt, selfish beast was indescribable. It would definitely be a test, one she had to pass with flying colors. Queen Elise had always been paranoid if she thought for one second that Zoey knew the truth; this game would become far more dangerous than it already was.
Taking a deep breath, Zoey waited as the tailor gave Nana a few more instructions before setting off back to her own quarters. The breath she had not realized she was holding escaped her lips in the form of a well rehearsed sigh.
“I will hide the weapons of my trade in this garment before we leave to fetch Zephyr. If I know the queen, she will be anxious to see that her trained pets have everything in hand.” Zoey spat, knowing that only with Nana could she vent her frustrations. Zephyr would be taken into confidence at a later time. He at least she knew she could always trust. They had been paired up for a reason, Zoey just had to figure out who had orchestrated their pairing before she divulged such sensitive information.
“Not everyone here is at the beck and call of Queen Elise Zoey; there are many here still loyal to the king,” Nana said, her eyes serious. Zoey nodded her reply; maybe Nana would know if Zephyr could be trusted.
“What can you tell me about Zephyr Nana?”
“I can tell you the one thing that would matter to you,” Nana replied
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