A Land of Tales and Dreams

The Legend of Queen Bana

WEEK 70

Prompt:

"I grew up in a cage."

"A cage? But are you not a queen?"

"Castle... cage... it makes no difference what you call it. Their purpose is the same."

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"But you have access to anything you could ever want!"

She wiped a tear from her cheek. None of the possessions within her grand home could ever bring true joy—could ever quench her thirst for true companionship. "Nothing I ever had was because of me, or due to my work. The life I led was not a life I chose myself."

"But my queen," the servant replied hesitantly, "weren't you the one who volunteered for this?"

"I... volunteered?" Queen Bana said in a faint whisper. She frantically searched the deepest depths of her mind, trying to remember what the servant was talking about. "I was born into this, not chosen," she replied after finding the answer.

"Born into this kingdom, yes, but I assure you you happily applied to rule it, my Queen."

"Do you think I wanted to live a life in which I couldn't choose anything for myself, the only option for me being a 'good queen'?"

"Well... no, your Majesty, but why does it seem you don't remember? I thought they told you all this already."

"What have they told you for anyone to begin to think I ever chose this instead of living a life of choice, where I could choose what to eat and where to go? My deepest wish is to throw it all away and be a normal person—find out what the food of the peasants tastes like, where the river in the capital flows and how far the sky reaches."

"Your Majesty, I understand your wishes, but you already threw away what you originally had on the day they—' Servant Marcus was cut off as guards burst into the room and grabbed him.

"When I die, they will pronounce me a happy woman: someone happy to have the high priest himself read a mantra on her funeral, happy to die a queen of a prosperous and wealthy country, making assumptions about me just like you, despite the last time I ever felt happiness being the day before my sister died," the queen said, following the servant with her gaze. She was perfectly aware of what he was about to say, that was why she had guards to escort individuals like him out: people that thought the queen freely chose her post, and upon discovering the opposite thought something terrible had happened. The kingdom was corrupt with lies about her position, no one knowing for sure how Queen Bana truly rose to power, not even herself.

Well, that was not fully true—the first monarch in her dynasty knew why Queen Bana was that powerful, because the first monarch was the one who accomplished the deed that gave her power over the kingdom. Every queen after that had been born into the position. Most adored it due to being raised to love power and despise low people—but not Bana. Queen Bana was forced into her awful position by no other than... love.

Love not for a man, mind you, or another romantic interest. The love that forced her to stay in the position she was born for was the love she felt for her late sister—although not technically her sister, a queen of another kingdom was extremely close to her and earned the title of sister. This distant sister had gotten ahold of her position illegally, and was to be executed, but Bana, who was next in line in her kingdom but did not want to become Queen, proposed an idea: she would stop rebelling and give up her freedom to rule if her friend could stay alive and keep her position.

But then it all went down. Her sister died of disease, unhappy with her life and choices. The day of her death was the day Queen Bana herself realized her own unhappiness, but from a life she never chose but was born into, controlled by those that did choose their lives. She felt resentment to them, but kept going out of shame for the idea she proposed to her beloved "sister." She never wanted to be in this spot, but she kept going.

However, today, after the conversation with the servant, she realized this has been going on for too long.She went to her room, packed essential items for survival, and went out to live her own life. She galloped away on her horse, ignoring the cries of the servants and guards attempting to follow her, convince her to stay behind, as she was prophesied to rule the world, and had a son and husband that would miss her. From this point on, this was her own life and her own story, and if she pissed off gods and kings and made them want to kill her,she was now ready to fight them for her newly acquired freedom.

"Is this story really all true, mama?" Jane asked as she clung to her mother's arm, hazel eyes swirling with wonder. Rd hair fell down her face and kissed her freckles.

"Maybe, sweetheart. But it has been too long to know for sure, although the prophecy did indeed come true—the queen now rules the world in a way, just not as a monarch."

"Mama, how do you know about all of this?"

"We have accounts." The woman smiled and pointed at the storybook she just closed.

"But- But- But- some of the things you say like you were there!"

The woman shrugged. "That is embellishment and exaggeration, we will never know what she truly thought or if servant Marcus was even real." It had been millenia after Bana became an important historical figure, after all, and inaccurate accounts were unavoidable. She has become known as a hero, saving others from their own trapped situation, like cult human sacrifices or poor people from misery, and throughout history she was followed by a trail of gratitude and curses invoking the wrath of the gods.

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like her: free from the chains of.. Of...?"

"Of the burdens of running a kingdom, dear," the woman said, her heart heavy from the knowledge that her daughter was a distant descendent of Queen Bana, and that one day, Jane would have to take over the long-relinquished post of the Empress.

"Yes..."

"That's enough story for one night. Off to bed, my little rebel."

"Come, ma, just a little more!"

"Hush, my little rebel, it is time for bed," she said as she silently brushed a stray tear from her cheek. Jane didn't notice her mother's despair as she buried herself into the pillows and blanket, happily waiting to be tucked in. "Sweet dreams, Jane."

"Mama, I have one last question."

"What is it, honey?"

"How did the distant sister get the throne of her kingdom?"

"Well, that's..." Jane's mother paused, pondering the little girl's question. That was when she realized nobody even knew how the sister got the throne. There was one who knew all... but the journey to get to her would be ever so hard. "I'm not sure... but perhaps the Keeper knows."

"Who's the Keeper, mama?"

"An old man with a tower in every kingdom who keeps the royal records of all the lands."

"What's the old man's name, mama?"

"His name is Callaghan, my dear. And he has this very powerful ring."

"Well when I get old enough to travel on my own, I will go and search for him, the story, and the ring."

But Callaghan later came to take the ring away, along with the true story of Queen Bana. If there ever was one. Tragically, that answer was never revealed.

The End