A Trio of Anomalies - The Kingdom of Fantasy

CHAPTER 7 - CACKLE'S REIGN

The Queen of the Witches had long been observing the four travelers ever since they stepped foot near the Fortress of Fear, therefore she expected them to show up sooner or later. She got up from her throne and headed towards the trio, wearing a dark red dress ornamented with dragon scales, which allowed her bright vermilion hair to stand out. She found them to be a rather peculiar bunch, one with brown skin and wearing a black leather jacket with jeans and boots, who appeared to be the shortest out of the three ; one wearing a red long-sleeved shirt as well as a khaki coloured jacket and black pants, with curly hair and dark brown, seemingly black eyes ; and one wearing a light blue jacket two sizes too small while holding a wand, with bright green eyes that were framed behind golden glasses. She certainly recognized Scribblehopper, therefore after tossing merely a scornful glance at him she beckoned the travelers to step forward.

Only the sound of the trio's footsteps could be heard in the now quiet room, as she seemingly made no noise walking on the hard, marble floor, which had geometrical patterns made of different stones, branching out from the center similar to that of a snowflake. This throne room, being the largest room in the Fortress of Fear, was similar to a conical shape, with white pillars rising from all around the room and meeting at the highest point. A bronze chandelier hung from the center, containing white flames that illuminated the entire place, yet giving off neither heat nor smoke, thus the room was still as cold as the area outside.

With a flick of her hand, the flames from the chandelier dimmed a little, but still bright enough that the trio could see their surroundings. The small candles burning on the pillars dimmed as well, their flames now with a reddish tint that showed off the many intricate carvings of vines, leaves and thorns on the wall, which were decorated here and there with bronze flowers. Although the fortress was made with bones, they were ground and polished to the point where the inner walls of the palace were completely smooth, like a concrete-like texture.

The windows around the palace weren't designed with much thought, being merely irregular shaped holes in the wall with bronze bars set in place. They were framed with long, deep red curtains made with silk, which hung from bronze rails and were embroidered with the same vines and flowers as the ones carved into the walls. It seems that bronze was a popular metal in this kingdom, being used in most of the furniture as a shiny touch.

She waved her hand once more and the curtains beside her throne parted to reveal a mirror, with bronze vines coiling around it making a frame. She glanced at her reflection before sitting gracefully upon her throne, which was made of thousands of thorny vines (or one very long thorny vine) twisted together around a cushion made with red velvet. It was set on a raised platform, allowing her to observe the entire room all at once. Two humongous crows perched beside her, with Shriek on the left and Screech on the right. They took no notice of the travelers and were much more interested in the supper they were about to have.

Being the ruler and the representative of the Kingdom of the Witches, she spent much of her time on her appearance. Her fair skin was smooth, with seemingly no blemishes, and her eyes, one black and one green, gleamed with menace in the light of the chandelier. She glanced at the mirror once more to straighten her small crown, as she did not need a large one to signify her power over the witches and the fear she inflicted upon outsiders. It was made of gold, decorated with bronze vines and studded with deep red rubies. Once she was satisfied with her touch ups, she turned her gaze towards the travelers now in front of her.

Scribblehopper turned pale and was shaking from head to toe, not daring to divert his attention away from the cold-hearted monarch. "Pleased to m-m-meet you, Your Majesty..." he stammered.