Forever Fair: Chapter Two

The second chapter in "Forever Fair"

         

Chapter Two

 

            Rain started to make pattering splats on the suit Azelia now wore on her small, agile frame. Fury filled her breaking heart, which was all she could think about as she made her way swiftly towards the castle. That…that vile creature she ranted in her mind why on Earth would he want to get rid of me? He loves me! The sharp silhouette of the castle emerged from beyond the tiresome cluster of trees.

            “Whoa,” Azelia whispered to the horses, holding the reins tight against her chest. They snorted then began to gallop more slowly. The horses’ hooves splashed in the murky puddles and clacked against the pebbles on the bridge as they approached the solid gold gate. Azelia pulled the helmet forward, hiding her face deep within its dim shadows. Two knights stood watch at the front of the gate; their faces remained perfectly still and emotionless as the disguised queen made her way to their presence.

            “Whoa,” she muttered once more to the large brown, black-speckled beasts. The one with a slightly tanner coat turned its head back towards the queen and looked at her with one of its deep, haunting eyes, as if it knew what she was about to do. Azelia shook the horse’s gaze and turned her eyes to the ominous gate in which she now stood in front of. Her unrecognizable reflection in those thick golden bars shocked even Azelia herself as she held together her alter-persona. She studied the walls standing against the gate as the men within indents inside settled some unknown matter. The rocky walls, held together with brown, red, and gray bricks and stones, strained the gate against each side to ensure no unexpected arrivals. They extended forever into the turbulent clouds above and spun into poignant towers, reminding Azelia of the dark purpose for which she was returning.

            The guard finally turned towards her and inspected the carriage behind her. He then looked at the center of her helmet’s eye slits and asked, “Was the package delivered?” Blood boiled in her veins but she bit her lip and nodded in response.

The creaks and groans of the gate echoed in the armor encasing the queen’s trembling incensed body. She nodded once more to the gatekeeper and then trotted her way to the stables. She let the peasant women working within the hay take the beasts and left without facing that unsettling horse’s stare.

            She just began running right to the castle’s doors. Soldiers, knights, and anyone else guarding those colossal wooden doors regretted getting in the way of the concealed servant when she skipped up the steps towards them. Many tried stopping her, but she made sure to cast them out of her way. One tried to clasp his gloved fingers around her neck, but she kicked him in the stomach and struck his face with the back of her helmeted head. Another punched her vehemently in the face, but after stumbling a little, she punched him right back and tossed him off the cold concrete staircase.

            One of the guards grabbed her by the helmet, thrusting it off, and tossed her to the stairs. She fell limply and skidded down a couple steps, quickly getting up, adrenaline pulsing through her blood. The stunned men looked down at their queen with horrified faces. They just stood there, looking at each other, and then back at her. She let out a shriek and turned around briskly; her coiled dark curls bouncing around her porcelain, grimacing face. She elbowed the man that had just been behind her, and then booted him down the steep stairs. The other men quickly let their queen through, bowing their heads as she looked down at them, disgusted, and spit on the ground next to them. She then proceeded to trudge into the gates of her dream life’s demise.

            Silencing any servant that got in her way by either a vicious scowl or a swift punch to the stomach. She dragged her feet down the long rows of red carpet lining the castle floor. She passed the dimly lit candles that lined the golden spiral staircase she now found herself clacking her metal shoes on. She slowly started taking off her metallic gloves, casting them off the banister she then clamped her fingernails onto, scraping it in her fury as she ascended up the next forty stairs.

            Her heart thumped faster and faster the closer she got to the top. And when she finally took that final step, she closed her eyes and took a deep, long breath, inhaling the scent of wine that drifted beyond the curvy gold-plated doorway. Azelia just stood there for a moment and stared deep into the lines of the smoky gray door. The lines from the wood the door was carved from leaked down onto the carpet of blood. The ruddy tint of the carpet she found herself standing on seemed to whisper for her to avenge for her husband’s unholy deed.

            The Large grandfather clock, which stood next to the bright gold entrance, ticked and tocked slower and greater as she shifter her feet towards the grim door within the misleading gilded coating. Finally, the startling frigidity of the doorknob touched her mucky skin as she wrapped her flesh-warmed fingers around the curve protruding from the somber, crying door. She quickly glanced over to the clock, her eyes observing the hands: four o’clock in the morning. She switched her gaze back to the door, a million thoughts racing through her mind.

            She placed her other quivering hand on the smooth wood of the door, jolted the doorknob, and pushed it wide open. Her fingers left the door that revealed the scene she now found in front of her flaming eyes. King Jonathon dropped a goblet filled with ruddy, bloodshot wine as his face turned ghost-like at the sight of his wife.

            Azelia gave him a sadistic smile and teased, “Whatever could be wrong, my love?” She began pacing the room around him, circling him; a vulture around its prey. The king froze and swallowed hard. His silence made the cracked queen cackle" her evil yet beautiful face now coated with sweat and fury.

            “You have lost your mind, Azelia,” King Jonathon desperately yelped, tripping on the sword sheathed in his belt by his slender side. He tumbled to the ground and scooted away from Azelia like a dog afraid of its master.

            “Have I, Jon?” She moved in closer and tilted her head forward, casting a shadow over her eyes. Her teeth were all Jonathon could see on her face, her dark curls blending in with the shadows caressing the bedroom walls. His back hit the bed and it was too late to run�"Azelia was centimeters from his face. She leaned in to whisper in his air while one of her hands drew circles on his chest.

“Why do you have that belt on, my dear?” She hissed. Jonathon squinted his eyes shut and blubbered incoherent cries. He was in underclothing of white cloth with a fine golden robe loosely hanging open around his chiseled body; why was he wearing his belt? The belt with the family crest engraved on the side�" the brown belt that encased his sword with proper protection. “Aw,” she pouted her lips mockingly, “Were you afraid someone would hurt you tonight?”

“Azelia, you know I love you,” he said between trembles. Azelia backed her face away from his and shot lightning through her pupils.

“Is that why you ordered me away!” She shouted and extracted his sword from around his waist.

“Azelia no! I saved you!” He howled in desperation. She roared and pushed him against the thick wooden bedpost with the cross-hilted sword’s piercing blade pushing against his Adam’s apple.         

“How is that?” she growled, “How?”

“Other kings would have killed you! I�",”

“Sent me away to be imprisoned in a tower for the rest of my life?” She finished and scoffed. She spit on the king’s face and whispered, “I trusted you after what happened two years ago,” the king sheepishly blinked, “I gave you your chance.” Then, summoning every ounce of strength she had left inside of her trembling body, she thrashed him in the stomach with his own sword. With her mind and conscience now forever gone, she smiled and dropped the weapon to her side.

            “Jonathon, I heard a yell, are you all right?” Azelia’s eyebrow cocked and her grin spread across her face. She turned around to look at the horrified mistress’s gaping face.  The trembling woman looked all around the room, clutched the doorknob and looked as though she were about to scream.

            “I would not do that if I were you,” Azelia suggested with a sinister sneer, “Why don’t you close that door and come bow to your queen.” Tears burst through the woman’s cringing eyelids. She knew she had no choice�"she was the mistress of the king. She had no connection to the royal family and could not be protected by the guards from anyone, much less the queen. She shuffled slowly forward and kneeled in front of Queen Azelia. Azelia stroked the sword with her threatening fingertips, taunting the young woman whom was now clutching her waving golden hair frightfully�"her body shaking as she gulped back cries.

            Azelia placed her hand on the pretty girl’s sopping wet face, “Oh my dear,” she whispered sardonically, “this will only hurt for a moment.”

Reviews

[diane]

Very well written and intriguing; I wanted to continue reading til the last page.

[Elise Pehrson]

Thanks! It comes out in print and as an ebook next month! It will be available on Amazon March 20th

[diane]

Congratulations Elise; I see a great writing future ahead for you!

[Elise Pehrson]

Thanks! Let me know if you get the book and read it :)

[A. H. Pinley]

Sounds great. How far along are you?

[Elise Pehrson]

Pretty far--the book gets released next month in print and as an ebook