The Legend Of The Five Queens : Arabella's tale

Chapter 31- Responsibility and Actions

Arabella stands in front of the stairway with Severus at her side. The two of them wait for the arrival of Gerald. Arabella finds herself feeling slightly anxious as she has never been in such a situation on her own. The front of the castle stays quiet as Arabella had ordered for no one else to be there.
"This man is either playing games with us or is a mere fool. He must know that you never keep a Queen waiting," Arabella says as she lets out her frustration.
"Well, not every Queen is the same, my Queen. Also given that you are new to the role, he may be testing you," Severus says as he turns his head to face her.
"Then he better learn quickly learn my ways," Arabella keeps her tone strong as she looks at the front door of the castle.
Light footsteps can be heard coming from next to the stairway. Arabella and Severus turn their attention to the source of the noise. Their priest slowly makes his way into view and looks at them with a surprised facial expression.
"My apologies for any interruptions. I had been informed that we have a special visitor. I felt that it was best to welcome him with you, my Queen," The Priest speaks softly.
"It is ok Father. Stand next to me and wait with us," Arabella motions him over with her left hand. The Preist slowly bows his head before slowly. He stands next to Arabella and puts his hands together.
A few moments go by before the doors finally open up. A hooded figure slowly walks through the doorway and stands 5 feet from Arabella. He removes his robe revealing his face to them.
His face is pale with a hint of color in it. His eyebrows are thick as well as his beard. He stands just an inch taller than Arabella. The coat he is wearing is made from a grey mountain lion. His boots appear to have been shined recently.
    "Welcome, Gerald. We have been expecting you. My name is Severus and this is Queen Arabella," Severus speaks with a smile as he reaches out his hand towards Gerald.
    Gerald slowly steps forward and shakes Severus's hand while keeping a serious face.
    "Severus, a pleasure to meet you. The same goes to you Queen Arabella," Gerald says while looking over at Arabella with a slight smile.
    "Welcome, Gerald. I am Father Brian, it is an absolute pleasure to welcome you into our great kingdom," Father Brain slowly moves in to greet him. Gerald releases Severus's hand and goes for Father Brian's hand.  He gently shakes Brian's hand.
   Gerald turns his attention to Arabella and gives her a friendly smirk. Arabella holds out her hand to which Gerad holds it and gives it a gentle kiss. Arabella feels flattered by his gestures. A feeling of suspicion flows through her as she knows why he is here.
   "Now that the formalities are over, let us go somewhere privately to discuss the manners of your sudden arrival," Arabella gives him a stern look. Gerald nods at her answer.
   "Right, lead the way then," Gerald gestures for someone to lead him. Severus leads the small group to the Meeting room. When the four of them arrive in the room Gerald is seated across from Arabella and her two men.
   "Now then, King Dietrich is very upset with Queen Arabella. There is a way to resolve this issue peacefully. Why did you board Captain Kratons' ship?" Gerald looks right at Arabella. Arabella lets out a mental sigh as she tries to think of a way to mislead him.
   "I had a journey that I needed to take. Captain Kraton accepted my money and took me where I went," Arabella keeps her face stern so she does not give anything away. Gerald puts his hands together on the table.
   "Queen Arabella, I do not believe you understand what is fully going on. Those pirates need to be turned in to King Dietrich. The other issue is that we were told that multiple gunshots could be heard coming from their ship. That leads us to believe that you may have been using some of those guns," Arabella straightens her back more as she listens to him.
   "I did not use those guns. The men were demonstrating how the guns work. They are too loud and clunky for my liking,"
   "Right...well those guns are prototype models. The real ones will be a lot nicer. I am of course only telling you this since you have already seen the guns. Speaking of which- you have told anyone about the guns have you?" Gerald leans in as he asks the question. Arabella holds herself back from smirking.
   "No, actually I had just come back yesterday from my journey. I do not plan on telling anyone about those weapons," Gerald slowly nods at her response.
   "So, you were not planning on gaining the upper hand before this war potentially breaks out then? Because that is what King Dietrich believes," He strokes his beard as after making his comment.
   "Those are not my intentions. I do not wish for there to be a war. I would prefer for there to not be a war," Arabella hopes to herself that she can reassure Gerald.
   "Well, that certainly is good to know. Tell me, what are your plans in terms of being a Queen? I mean from what I have heard, you have not done much so far," Arabella looks at Severus briefly before looking back at Gerald.
   "I want to do what my parents never could. I want to create a safe world, starting of course with my kingdom," Arabella tries to make her words sound genuine.
Gerald slowly rubs his beard as he looks at Arabella with his eyes slightly squinted.
"How do you plan on running this kingdom in such a way if you are always leaving? After all, you do have a reputation of never staying in the same place for too long. even the other kingdoms know about your need to always leave home," Arabella feels slightly attacked by his words. It is as if he has a point to prove. She slightly tilts her head at Gerald while squinting her eyes just like he is doing to her.
"Those days for me are over. I have too much work to do as Queen," Arabella tries to keep her fist from tightening as she speaks.
"You know now that I think about it, you are taking the death of your mother very well. I heard that you two had been very close. Have I heard wrong?"
"What is the meaning of this? My mother and I were extremely close. Her death is why I had to leave. I could not handle sitting at her desk doing the work knowing that I would never see her again. I choose to not live my life in despair. I must stay strong for my people," Arabella straightens up her back to correct her posture.
"I do not mean to offend you. I just found it odd that a girl as young as yourself is so calm about such a loss, "Gerald gives a smirk that gives Arabella the feeling that he is trying to trick her. Her next response may dictate how King Dietrich reacts to the situation.
   Queen Arabella stares quietly at Gerald as she tries to figure out what his motive truly is. This whole meeting could just be a trap. She puts her head down before looking back up at Gerald.
"I...am heartbroken at the loss of my mothers' death. I was raised to be tough no matter what the situation is. I have chosen to not express my feelings to the public with the fear of my people thinking that I am a weak Queen," Arabella puts on a tough look while looking upset at the same time.
Gerald stays silent as he briefly looks at the ceiling before looking back at Queen Arabella.
"Very interesting. Well, I think that I have all the information that I need. I should be leaving then. King Dietrich expects an answer from me as soon as possible," Gerald stands up and clears his throat. Arabella and Severus stand up and smile at him.
"Well then if that is all then I say that we call an end to this meeting," Arabella gives him a warm smile. Gerad slightly bows to the Queen.
   "Shall I escort you out of our castle then?" Severus asks as slowly approaches Gerald. Gerald raises his hand out in front of him.
  "Oh no, that will not be necessary. I assure you that I am very capable of seeing myself out," Gerald says as he softly laughs. Severus nods at his response.
Gerald slowly turns around and walks out of the room. Father Brian quietly follows behind him as they walk out of the room. Arabella lets out a long sigh and looks at Severus.
   "For a minute I thought that he would never leave. That man was asking too many questions for my liking," Queen Arabella sits back in her chair and looks up.
   "I will admit I had my doubts that you would have been able to compose yourself. Thankfully you managed to prove me wrong my Queen," Severus says after letting out a sigh of relief. Queen Arabella sits back in her chair and lays her head against the headrest.
    She lets out a long sigh and sits up properly, "I need to play my role as Queen and take care of my people. I still want to take over the world but I must do it slowly," Severus looks at her with his eyes wide as if her words have made him feel surprised.  His face slowly turns to a look of relief.
   "Well, that is good to hear. There is still plenty of paperwork that needs to be completed," Severus lets out a gentle laugh. Arabella shakes her head at his comment while giving a smile. Her new hated thing in the world is the paperwork that comes with being a Queen.
"Severus, we should go somewhere more private. I will not be able to achieve anything by just sitting here," Queen Arabella stands up and leaves the room with Severus following behind her.
   Arabella leads Severus back to the office where she sits down in her mothers' chair. The Queen shuffles through her mother's notes and briefly re-reads the pages as she looks through them.
   "There is something about my mothers' notes that has left me feeling puzzled. My mother mention an object called the Well of Truth but she never documented its whereabouts. Perhaps it was just a myth? Or maybe she just never had to time to find it," Arabella looks up at Severus who has a semi-saddened look on his face. "What is it, Severus?" She asks him while laying the papers down.
   "Well my Queen, your mother never documented the whereabouts of the Well of Truth because she found it. The well is here in the castle," Severus answers as he slowly runs the back of his head with his left hand.
   Arabella's eyes widen as she jumps from her seat and stands up straight. Her heart starts to race from the words that Severus spoke.
   "What?! It is here and you never told me? Why?" Her voice is shocked and angered.
   "Your mother did not want you to know about that until you became Queen. The Well is not a weapon of sorts. It shows you what you truly look like," Severus puts his hands behind his back. Arabella squints her eyes slightly at him before calming down.
"Take me to the Well of Truth. I want to see it," Arabella says before walking around the table frantically. Severus nods up his head and turns away from the Queen.
   "Very well then my Queen. Follow me please," Severus says before opening the door for his Queen.
   Severus leads Arabella down the main stairway and across to the far end of the castle. They reach the end of the hallway which houses two large doors that sit side by side. Arabella tilts her head as slightly as she recognizes the doors.
   "I remember these doors. My mother forbids me from entering this room. Now I know why," Arabella says as she takes in the exotic wooden craftsman that was down to the wall.
   Severus opens both of the doors towards them revealing the forbidden room. The room is big and circular shaped. A set of small stone stairs leads down to a large Well that sits in the center of the room. The wall behind the Well holds four large painted windows. The right side of the room leads to a small room.
Arabella slowly walks into the room looking at the Well in awe with Severus slowly falls behind her. The Queen makes her way to the Well and looks inside of it.
"The water, is it special?" Arabella asks s she looks at her reflection in the water. Severus stands next to Arabella and looks down at the water.
"No, as far as we know it's just the Well itself that is special. Through our research, we estimate the Well was enchanted by magic about 100 years ago," Severus explains as he puts his finger in the well and gently touches the water causing it to ripple.
   Arabella watches her reflection closely to see if anything would change. She notices some strands of her precious hair have turned white.
"My God, this stone is aging me. Hopefully, Gerald did not notice," Arabella continues to shuffle through her hair searching for every white strand of hair that she can find.
"My Queen, I do not believe that you have aged enough for it to be noticeable," Severus pulls his finger out of the water and looks at his Queen. Arabella chuckles softly at his comment. She always believed that Severus was too kind to her. Arabella continues to look at her reflection as she worries about the possibility of others discovering her secret. The young Queen would be executed if they realize that she is aging faster than normal.
"Severus, I messed up. I did not even think about the fact that I cannot reverse my aging. I cannot remove the stone from my body. This could be problematic than I had previously realized," Arabella says as he gently runs the stone.
Severus continues to look at the water without saying a word. After a moment of silence, Severus looks up from the water as if he gained an idea.
   "This may sound crazy but do you think the witch Cassandra could help you? Assuming that her sorcery is real of course," Severus says as he looks at his Queen.
Arabella continues to look at the water and ponder his statement. She knew Cassandra spoke about studying witchcraft and even shown the Queen a portion of her book collections. She wonders if her magic could be true. Perhaps it may be worth the chance.
"I apologize, my Queen, I understand that the idea is just ridiculous. After all, magic is not rea-"
"Cassandra may be able to help me. I have to give it a try even if her magic isn't real," Arabella turns around and quickly makes her way to the door.
"My Queen, please be careful. If her magic is real then we have no idea what hole you could be going down," Severus says as he turns around looking at her back. Arabella pauses in her tracks right in front of the door.
   "I will ensure that I do not go any deeper than I need to in all of this," Arabella quietly says before leaving the room.
   Arabella walks out of the room and down the main stairway of the castle. She makes her way out of the castle and down the road to Cassandra's shop. The little shop appears to be empty this evening as the kingdom itself is quiet.
Arabella approaches the front door and knocks on it three times. On the third knock, the door suddenly opens on its own and slides open away from Arabella. The young Queen tilts her head slightly as she feels confused. She slowly walks through and walks down the few steps onto the stone floor.
The inside of the shop is empty except for the shelves full of the trinkets that Cassandra has managed to amass in her life so far. Suddenly Arabella hears a distorted noise coming from Cassandra's library in the back of the shop. Arabella moves stealthily to the entrance of the library.
   Arabella peaks through the open doorway and watches Cassandra shift around her potions and spellbooks. Cassandra's skin is pale like always with a long tight black dress that is ripped at the bottom.
   The Witch looks up and turns around to face Arabella.
   "My Queen, I thought I sensed you at the door. You are here for helping regarding the stone right?" Cassandra asks with a look of concern on her face. Her statement catches Arabella off guard and sends a tingling feeling down her spine. The young Queen knows that she has to not allow herself to get creeped out by the situation.
   "Uh yes. I suppose I will cut right to it then- this stone is aging effects are starting to show and that is a problem for me. I was hoping that maybe you could conjure up a spell or like a potion that could hide my aging?" Arabella's voice slightly studders as her lack of confidence begins to show.
Just as Cassandra squints her eyes slightly the doors behind Arabella quickly slam shut as well as all of the curtains close. Severus small candles around the room immediately light up with a small flame. Arabella flinches in place from the sudden actions that are taking place around her.
Cassandra smirks before walking over to a book cause and pulling out a seemingly random book.
"In my studies, I have learned about different spells that can reverse aging. However, those spells are not only forbidden but also very dangerous. With magic there is always a price to pay," Cassandra says while slowly flipping through the book before putting it away and grabbing another book that sits three shelves up. "Luckily, I do believe there is a potion that has the least amount of consequences. You were correct however, there is a potion that can simply mask your appearance for about one week peruse. I should warn you that once the effects wear off, you will appear as your natural self," Cassandra explains as she starts putting together various ingredients into a cauldron. Arabella watches her closely as she tries to understand the potion-making process.
   Within minutes Cassandra fills up a small vial of blue liquid. She holds it up to Arabella with a smile.
   "Here it is, the potion of your desires. Once you take this one the potion begins its work. There is no going back now," Cassandra hands the vile to Arabella to which she takes the vile and holds it in her hand.
Arabella slowly opens the cap and takes a small whiff of the fluid inside. The fluid gives an alien-like smell that is a combination of the various herbs that Cassandra used. Arabella quickly drinks the potion and lets it make its way into her body.
   The potion soothes Arabella's body as it restores color to the grey parts of her hair. Her face slowly ages back to how it should look at the ripe age of 16.
"Well, my Queen, what do you think?" Cassandra asks as she directs Arabella to a full-body mirror. The Queen feels surprised as she slows rubs her younger-looking face. She cannot believe her eyes.
   "It worked! What are the odds of that?" Arabella thinks to herself as she looks through her brown colored strands of hair. All the grey hair, as well as the wrinkles on her face, have completely disappeared as if they were never there.
"I should remind you my Queen that the effects are only temporary. I would advise that you use caution when out in public," Cassandra says quietly as she begins to fill more vials of potion.
"I will keep a collection of vials here for you to use when you need them. It is part of my duty to keep this potion safe here, " Cassandra says while putting the vials onto a special shelf in the back of the room.
Arabella fixes her hair and turns around to look at the shelf full of potions. The young Queen suddenly realizes how much trouble Cassandra could get into if anyone found out what she has just done.
"Thank you, Cassandra, I know you are risking a lot by doing this," Arabella says softly as she semi awkwardly moves her hands together.
   "It is my pleasure to help. It is nice to have someone believe in magic outside of other witches," Cassandra says as she continues to put the vials on the shelf.
   "Well, I best be leaving. I do not want people to catch me here. Thank you again," Arabella turns around and walks to the door.
   "Queen Arabella, I should warn you that's overusing the potion can lead to consequences. You never want to use magic lightly," Cassandra says as she douses the fire below the cauldron.
   Arabella nods her head slowly and leaves the room. She goes back to the castle and into her office room. The young Queen spends the next 3 days tending to her peoples' complaints and slowly building better relations with her citizens as well as being a good role model for the young girls in the Kingdom. She also finds herself looking at her reflection in the Well of Truth at least once per day.
   The young Queen stands in front of the Well looking down at her reflection. She looks to her left and notices a door that leads to a secret room. Arabella realizes that she never considered venturing off into the room.
   She quickly stands up and walks over to the door. The Queen lets out a short sigh before slowly opening up the door. The door revealed another small circular room with a female suit of armor standing in the center of the room. Arabella slowly approaches the suit as she sees a small white paper note that is attached to the suit. She grabs the note and angles it so that she can read it. The note read "For when the situation occurs that you need to be a warrior. Severus"
   The note is very interesting to Arabella. She wonders how Severus was able to have a suit crafted for her. When did he take her measurements? The metal and the cloth fabric are the tiniest of materials that she has access to as Queen. It is an impressive outfit. Arabella hopes that she will not have to use the armored suit anytime soon.