A Tale of Shadows - THE OUTDATED VERSION

Chapter 12 - The Last Visit

Maria was the only person capable of finding Viola after the great fire. Not another living soul would have suspected the house Maria had bought for her, for most people who noticed it thought it was yet one more abandoned house a deceased family used to live in. She sighed in relief when she realized that that operation of hers managed to stay secret. It was easy for her to recognize the house once she had reached it. She would never forget that small place with light brown walls, curtains the colour of ivory, and a garden with mostly poppies and a coffee table. Gently knocking on the door with her right hand since she was holding an envelope in her left, she moved away ever so slightly, waiting for Viola to come out.

The owner of the house was smiling while walking towards her in the beginning, but that smile faded once she noticed who the visitor was. Maria followed her on her way into the house, observing that she was staring at her envelope with a grave expression, turning away from her when she saw that she was being looked at. After several minutes had passed, they stepped into the living room. They sat on two brown armchairs near the table in the middle of the room, which contrasted the beige walls almost perfectly. The beautiful scent of pink and white roses could be sensed nearby, due to there being a porcelain vase in the centre of the table that contained six of them. Under her high-heels, Maria felt the softness of the rectangular, plain white rug placed below the table. Everything was exactly how she had left it, even after the fire. She smiled, having understood how talented Viola was when it came to regular magic. If only that could have been applied to her oracular abilities.

"Maria, why have you come here and what is that envelope for?" Viola asked, her eyes wide open. "Be brief, I beg of you."

"Who had slain the king of Obscuria? What purpose do Melinda's new laws serve? Why does she refuse to get married again after the death of her husband?" Maria inquired, stressing every word.

Viola glared at her. "Maria, we both know the answers to these questions very well. Amanda is the kingslayer, and that is undisputed. She was the sole suspect and the sole person who would have had a reason to do so. It was to be expected of her after the death of her master, especially thanks to Queen Melinda having confirmed that theory. Speaking of her, her new laws serve to resurrect the vanished legacy that comes from the times when our country was called Xar, and I agree that it was much nobler back then. Also, she erased poverty with her second law, giving all the poor folk jobs under a reasonable wage. And don't even consider the possibility that a sane person could ever blame her for not wanting to get married again, even for her country. She is still grieving after her husband, and a long time will certainly pass before she's ready to marry again. You should lessen your judgments towards her and give her some time to adjust to her new circumstances, and thus you will see just how fair and wise a ruler she is."

Maria left out a deep sigh. "I have got enough evidence to refute all the points you have made. That's why I have brought the envelope."

She continued talking after Viola stared at her unblinkingly for a while. "If she truly was a good person, I wouldn't have these criticisms towards her, but my spies have discovered that it is quite the opposite. She killed her husband to seize complete control of the state in overwhelming desperation for fulfilment - one of them saw him bleeding out on the floor. It is clear that she would not desire to marry anybody after that, as that would ruin her plans. Isn't it suspicious that she would think of resurrecting a long-dead language that the poor people would have difficulty learning if they were in a position where they could learn it at all as well? She also gave them jobs where they cannot contact anyone outside of their workplace. She has got hidden concentration camps, and I can prove it. I can prove all of this with my pictures."

"You must be insane if you presume that I am willing to believe you," Viola hissed. "I will never believe you after what you have done, and I will certainly not believe your pictures. You have clearly forged them with your extraordinary powers."

Maria bit her tongue as to not gasp. "You are in the right. I should have prepared myself for this possibility."

"Yes, you should have!" Viola told her, waving her hands in the air. "Could you please leave my house at once? Your presence has disturbed my soul for too long."

Sighing weakly, Maria put the envelope in a pocket on her dress. "I was planning to do so when you mentioned it. Farewell to you, former friend, and may you prosper after the national catastrophe."

"Without you, I surely will!" Viola said, her face reddening before Maria had left the house in a rush, slamming the door.

The realization of her situation hit Maria like a slap in the face. If she was to ever earn an opportunity to be trusted again, she would have to redeem herself, and the process could not be done easily. Looking at the mountains closest to her, she remembered how they used to mean nothing to her in the past, but the past was a mere memory at the time, which meant that those mountains could be her salvation. She could isolate herself from those she had harmed so much, for she could not bear to glance at them anymore while getting off of those mountains to quietly do a good deed whenever it was needed. However, before she could reach that destination, Melinda walked over to her with a wide smile on her face. 

"I know what you intend to do," she whispered into Maria's ear in a particularly soft voice. "You are a coward who cannot face the obstacles in front of her, which prompted you to escape to the mountains and try to earn redemption while not facing judgment from others. I am aware that you have seen how Amanda died, and why she did. She would have been a traitor to this kingdom had she lived, I am convinced. One cannot trust those like you, especially when one does not know who to trust in the first place, not even themselves. That is how the world works, and it is impossible for you to change it. Face the consequences immediately or end your pathetic life at last. No one will admire you ever again."

"Listen here, you villain," Maria spoke through gritted teeth. "You are not in a position from which you can preach to me about morality. I am not to be trusted, of course, and you may shred all my evidence since it means nothing, but you are a bigger coward and weakling than I will ever be. The allure of power and money entranced you in a time of despair, and you fell for it in an instant, without a sign of hesitation. No matter how much you repent, your damage will never be undone, and don't even attempt to tell me that I am a hypocrite. We are not the same person in different clothes. I used to resemble your current self rather eerily, thinking that life has no meaning and happiness in it if one is not in charge, regardless of how much they harm others. Now, I will pay for my mistakes, even if I have to be tortured in Hell itself for years. I do not know how I was so stupidly blind! That is not important, though. While I am at least trying to do something deserving of respect, I wish you good luck with your heinous deeds."

Before Melinda could respond to her insults, Maria turned around swiftly and went to the mountains, her face as emotional as a stone. Reminding herself that she had no time to waste, Melinda shrugged, using magic to return herself to her palace. She had a lot of work to do.