The Queen's Prophecy || ON HOLD ||

O n e | Ignorance Is The Worst Chivalry

PRESENT TIME

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CRIMSON ISLE IS A GINORMOUS stretch of land over the wild currents of the sea; sweltered in mountain peaks, fauna-infused grasslands, endless rivers and rocky hills.

Atop one such hill with acres of plain surface at the centre of the isle, rests the magnanimous Castellejo castle in its bronze and maroon glory. The crimson silk flag with the royal sigil of a half-moon and a sword crossed at the centre in a sparse imitation of an 'X' welcomes me even from heights apart as I winnow myself at the foot of the castle's entrance.

My late grandmother—the crone witch—spelled the entire isle with a protection spell that conceals its presence from the neighbouring kingdoms and any uninvited onlooker.

It wasn't like the neighbouring kingdoms were a threat, they were all in a peace treaty and I trust the kings and queens enough to know they would never do anything to jeopardize my safety. They were in some words, my closest friends. And I was, at the end of the day, their ultimate queen.

Yet I couldn't reveal my accommodations for the sake of others. People have paid when I'd been let out in the open. My parents, my mate, my sons, among many others.

I'm always meant to remain hidden, like a dynamite set in an enemy's base intended to stay unseen until it is to explode.

But like they say,

Three things can't ever be hidden. The sun, the moon and the truth.

One day all of my hiding game to conceal my existence from the outer world is going to blow up in my face.

Until that day arrives, I shall rather focus on the task at hand.

I don't bother to get changed from the plain silk red gown I'd pulled on earlier and storm past the empty hall towards the meeting room at the right-wing, crimson and bronze interior displaying everywhere I pass through.

Joshua joins me midway in the hallways, huffing and puffing and absolutely complaining.

"Do I always have to remind you of everything? What am I? An alarm clock? A notepad reminder?!" He bellows, brushing back his sweat-streaked dirty blonde hair out of his sculpted face.

He's regrettably my most trusted confidant, protector the elders shoved at me to stay by my side and he claims himself to be my secret best friend.

Brown eyes glare at me when I don't make a retort, "The elders are here. They've found something, it seems important. I had to lie to them you had an urgent matter to look after and had to send you a signal in secrecy since you refuse to let anyone know you're grieving and just pretend it's petty revenge."

"I'm not grieving." I snap, a bit too defensively as we make it to the meeting room.

Joshua rolls his eyes, "Alright, you're just sulking."

Ignoring him, I push open the gilded burnished gold doors to the marbled confines of the meeting room.

Three figures rise in greeting from around the cherry-wood table.

The elders—there are five of them, two absent today—like their name suggested, are centuries older than me and that is saying something since I'm almost a millennia years old myself. They're the last few of the crimson court members who'd lived from my grandparents' reign. They've kept their true elder identities and ages hidden for eons now. I might hold stronger powers over them but wisdom? They did. And that is why I'm to seek their guidance for whatever I wish to do.