The Crown

Rebirth

When Antonia woke up, she immediately felt... lighter. As if, the phantom ropes that held her bloodied wrists close to the memory of her jeweled cage simply... left.

Antonia placed a hand of Victoria's side of the bed. It was cold and empty. The dark haired woman squished down a paranoid pang of worry, telling herself over and over that her lover was quite alright.

The blue eyed woman placed her bare feet on the floor. Antonia felt her hair touch her shoulders. Was it always this long?

All thought of this was forgotten when the woman felt the coldness of the floor, when she smelt the distinct aroma of the room, herd the distant harmonized cacophony of birds outside, took in the vibrant yet subtle colors around her. Had the world always been this real? Why had she been blind to all of it, for all this time?

These endless, meaningless questions ran free inside the woman's mind as she twirled and jumped, shouting in glee.

Another happy moment, such as this one, sneaked its way at the forefront of her mind.

Antonia had been in a different room then, but her glee had been the same.

For a second she lost herself. Lost her way inside days long gone. But the twirling, jumping and laughing continued.

"Look, mama! I did it! I mastered your spell!" Antonia's voice was tinged with a more youthful, innocent version of itself that now belonged to the past.

Antonia placed a hand on her mouth, willing herself to be quiet as all the new joy she felt faltered slightly.

Antonia let her hand fall to her side. She breathed deeply. Once. Twice. She couldn't look back. But the part of herself that never quite grew past her childhood days couldn't help but wonder. What would her mother say about what her children became? Would she lament the wasted potential, the wasted time? Perhaps it was best not to dwell on such things.

Antonia twirled about the room, moving in circles. Her keen eyes spotted a brief flash of pink as she danced near a mirror. That was odd. Had she ever worn pink? She abruptly stopped, her breath quiet, as the crazed happiness left her. Now that it had left, the woman wasn't sure if it had ever been.

She blinked. What Antonia saw in the crisp image of the mirror wasn't herself and that terrified her.

She saw Victoria where she should have seen herself. Antonia touched her cheek. The reflection did the same. A small whimper of agony fell from her lips when her knees buckled, making her fall.

Antonia gained what she wanted, a new body. But she lost so much more. She had dreamed of this very moment in her jeweled prison, the moment of ultimate freedom. The woman grasped the thing she desired so long for only a moment before it slipped away into the harsh, endless emptiness she had always known.

"Life never changes, does it?" Antonia asked bitterly, knowing there wasn't anyone who could answer. Then, she risked a glance at the mirror once again. The realization hit her like a bullet. Something did change in her life. She was staring at said change directly in the eye.

Victoria. Victoria who felt for Antonia love, love which the latter thought had been lost the night she turned nineteen. Antonia was staring at the beautiful face of the woman she, deep down, loved in return.

And now, Victoria was long gone, never to come back. Antonia screamed in anguished rage. What made her angry, she didn't know. Maybe she was angry at the hands of fate or at herself. It did not matter much now.

Antonia spotted the mirror once again. Victoria's face showed Antonia's anger with lips curled in a snarl and two colored eyes streaming furious tears down reddened cheeks. It was wrong, horrible, grotesque and Antonia just couldn't stand it.

Her fist connected to the part of the mirror she could reach before Antonia could think better of it. It didn't quite shatter, but Antonia smirked in satisfaction when she saw the cracks that resembled crooked tree branches. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.

Blood fell from her knuckles, staining her purple skirt as the woman finally got up. Antonia stared blankly at it for a few seconds before it limply fell to her side.

"Victoria?" Someone asked uncertainly. Antonia shakily got on her own two feet before whirling around to face the intruder.

Her blood ran cold. Benjamin was in front of her, shuffling awkwardly as he waited for her to respond. The cold knife of jealousy and spite jabbed at her still confused heart, making her feel all the more furious. Frankly, Antonia wanted to hit the guy. And if Ben got his nose broken from a weak little punch, well, that wouldn't be her fault. The woman restrained herself, barely.

"Ben." Antonia spat out the word as if it was poisonous.

"Are you... okay?" When he was met with silence, Ben sighed. "Look, I know I haven't been the... greatest partner for all our years together but this has taken a toll on me. And I know it has affected you too, so can't we be there for each other? At least for a little while?"

Antonia studied Ben more closely. He hadn't exactly apologized but he seemed at least somewhat honest with what he did say. She only shrugged.

Ben seemed to take this response positively, as he took a step forward. It was only then he noticed her still bleeding hand. Ben grasped it gently, raising it to eye level.

"Let me get some disinfectant and bandages, alright?"

"No, there's no need, I-" Ben was gone before her words could even reach him. She didn't need his help.

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Antonia looked at her now bandaged, clean hand.

"Perhaps you aren't so bad after all."

The man laughed. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's so funny?" Antonia tried her best to keep her voice at least somewhat friendly.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that... you said that to me when we first met."

Ben moved away from her as she paced around the room. For that she was grateful.

"So will you take a chance on us?" He asked softly, his demeanor betraying his confidence in her answer.

"No." She said simply.

"No? Why?" Ben asked, seemingly baffled. Antonia wouldn't lie, she enjoyed shaking someone's confidence and watching it break away like a mask in her youth. It far more enjoyable now.

"Because." She grinned. "Our relationship is like a risky bet and my gambling days are far behind me, sweetness." It was true. Antonia couldn't play wife like Victoria did. She had gotten herself out of tricky situations before, there was only one way to escape this one.

"Mind the shards, dear." The woman called out cheerily.

"Wha-"

Ben didn't get to finish his thought as he herd a resounding shatter.

Antonia hummed to herself as she jumped over the tiniest bits of glass. She picked up the shard she deemed the longest, sharpest. When the thumb she ran across the edge turned red, she seemed satisfied.

"This will just have to do, won't it?" Antonia mockingly asked the frozen in place Ben as she moved forward, holding the broken glass like a sword.

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Antonia inspected the blood stains on her dress with growing disinterest as she closed the bedroom door behind her. What had happened wasn't her finest work but the job was done and finished with. Ben was for the worms an decay now. Let him rot.