Queen of Death

The bride at the bridge's edge

Ysabel

'Nooooo! I screamed while I ran down the bridge. Nooo Haylan. Nooo. Don't please don't leave me!' I screamed from the top of my lungs while my salty tears ran down my cheeks. 'Please Haylan stop!'

I felt my legs getting tired but I kept running, running towards the bridge's end. He looked back at me with a distressed smile.

'You were meant for this life Ysabel, you! They knew it, I know it but you just don't see it yourself! It was you! Always you! This is your destiny, not mine!'

He screamed while he ran further down the bridge to the other side, that felt like his freedom. The side without me

'No Haylan, I need you here. Don't leave me, I can't do this without you'! I screamed but it was no use anymore, I had lost him. I dropped to my knees and saw the distance between us widen. I watched him, running out of my life. The rain poured down on me and the mud had ruined my dress but the only thing I could feel was the pain. That moment my whole world shattered. My heart ripped into a million pieces. He looked over his shoulder and screamed: 'I love you and so you know why I have to leave you. I would only hurt you with my misery'.

'No you'll get used to this, you'll learn to love it, please stay!' I screamed back at him but I knew in my heart that it was not true. He hated this place and would never be happy here. He belonged out there, free and not kept in my little world. I screamed one last time: 'please don't leave I cant do this without you' but he disappeared into the woods.

'Miss, miss, wake up it was just a dream!' I heard the friendly voice of Gertha. 'Miss your nightmares have returned am I right?' She asked.

'No Gertha they haven't it was just an unpleasant dream, nothing more' I said. She looked at me with her brown eyes, full of pity. 'I'm sorry miss, you didn't deserve this, Haylan should have stayed.'

Those words enraged me. I screamed. 'Shut your mouth, or I will shut it for you! I'll never hear that name ever again!

she recoiled and bowed her head. 'I'm sorry miss, I'm sorry'. But I knew that she was right, I was miserable and alone. I changed, first people screamed my name, now they whisper it. I can see the fear in their eyes as I walk past them. The light left with him. What used to be my home had turned into a dark empty castle. I looked at myself in the mirror, what had I become? I looked at my eyes, eyes filled with anger and hate. Like the people said, there's a devil on my shoulder where the angels used to be.

I awoke from my thoughts when there was a knock on my door. I heard the soft voice of Gertha: 'Miss the lords have arrived'.

The maids came in and brushed my hair, they helped me get into my dress and left, quietly. I pulled a few strands of my raven black hair from the tight braid. I don't like the feeling of my hair pulling my skin of my skull but according to mother that's one of the sacrifices I have to take. As if I haven't sacrificed enough.

My head is spinning as I walk down the stairs towards the great hall. Behind that door are the most eligible men, according to mother. All these men want to marry me, Ysabel, better known as 'The Blood Queen'. I'm the most skilled assassin in the country, my father always wanted me to be able to defend myself. I learned how to use my dagger and bow from the best master in the world, the old Elias. He knew my dark side and learned me how to control the monster deep inside of me. But short after fathers death, when Haylan left the monster unleashed itself

It took complete control over my body and thoughts, it absorbed the old me and tore it to pieces. And now I have to marry a man, a powerful man because I can't take the throne without one. Those men are all the same, they think they're better than me and that I'm weak but I will prove them wrong. I will prove mother wrong and show her I can rule the kingdom on my own.

I can hear their voices as I get closer to the big wooden doors. I pull at my dress and fix my hair before I open the doors with more force than needed. I walk into the big hall, my head held high looking down on them. They're just boys, not to be called men. They become silent as they stare at me. Then I hear my mothers squeaky voice. 'Ah Belle there you are, come and sit so the men can introduce themselves'.

'Men? Mom those are boys, not men now please excuse me', I said as I turn around and walk towards the door. 'Ysabel come and sit down!' my mother shouts in anger. 'You are responsible for this kingdom so behave' she hisses at me as I sit down. I roll my eyes and look around.

Allister

The doors open, there she is, my future queen. She strides trough the hall with grace. She is gorgeous and I can't help but let my eyes wonder over her perfectly shaped body. That's a nice trophy to have by my side after this bullshit is over. I know I'm going home with her, my kingdom is at least twice as big as the others here and I have a great life to offer her. She looks around with a disgusted look on her face, seems she likes this just as much as I do. She looks into my direction and our eyes lock, I smile at her but she raises her eyebrow and rolls her eyes.

I'm intrigued by this woman, they say that there's madness in her bloodline. But who am I to judge, I took many lives for my father, but that is over I kill for myself now. Just like she does I heard.

I wait patiently for my turn to talk to her, she looks tired so I ask if she wants to take a walk trough the garden. As we walk outside I can't help but wonder how she changed so much. People told that she once used to be like a ray of sunlight, but turned into the darkness itself.

'You know..' I begin, 'You should not be put in this position'.

She turns to me and answers with a mocking voice 'really..?'.

'Yes milady, you should have more time to get to know your suitors'. You shouldn't be here.

She looks up at the blue sky and says 'No you shouldn't be here. I, however have to. That's what happens when you give your life serving the kingdom'.

'But milady, you will be in charge of the kingdom so there's no serving'.

'Oh no? and the freedom that I have to give up, the fact that I have to decide about all the lives here? You really think there's no 'serving' part in that?!'

I laugh and turn to her. 'Then you should marry a powerful and wise man like me, I can take those decisions for you'.

She frowns 'Well then I have a really hard decision to make because they all say that they're powerful and wise. But none of them have anything like a heart. Oh and also, I'm not GIVING my kingdom to any man, understood!'.

I smile, she's a wise woman. 'I do, I have a good heart milady'.

She stops walking and turns to me. 'sir it's hard to have a heart when you've stopped so many others'.

She sighs and walks away. 'Milady, they say that you go to war with a smile on your face, so what is the difference between us?'

She turns around and smiles. 'Sir, it's because I am the friend of death himself'. Then she disappeared into the crowd. I shake my head, this is getting harder than I thought.