DANIELLA

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

My mother's chair was empty but the king's chair wasn't...
I would have been happy to see my dad except he wasn't the one sitting on the throne

I clenched my teeth as her smug face lit up.

It's been long since I saw her and it looked like she was aging,, something that rarely happened to mermaids especially royalty.

"Hello little sister!" She sneered

My mind was going around in circles as the only thing that could make Amelia ascend to being the queen was the death of our parents.
But I didn't want to make her know that. I didn't want to satisfy her already big ego.

"Where is mother and father Amelia?" I asked her without emotion.

One thing I had learnt from Elena was that people like her used your emotions against you and my sister was not an exception.

She smiled lazily, moving her tail majestically.

"Bow down to your queen!" She ordered

I thought it was a joke but she wasn't joking around.
"Don't make you force you!" She snarled.

The light in her eyes had faded so much since the last time I saw her but the tons of makeup on her tried to mask it up.
" I won't do it until I know where our parents are," I countered.

She didn't look shocked at this infact it was as though she was expecting it.

She motioned at Brandon who swam towards me and held me painfully..
"She asked you to bow!" He snarled

I had always been afraid of Amelia but it's like the fear intensified because she looked like she was used to this.
As I said before, to her trouble was her ideal fun.

And so I bent down my head and bowed. She didn't look pleased at all and sure enough she asked me to do it more willingly.

I swam back a little and bowed down just as she had asked. The satisfied smile on her face proved that she had gotten exactly what she was looking for.

"That wasn't hard, was it? Now we can talk."

In as much as I wanted her to tell me everything, I already knew the answer to my question.

"Ask the questions!" Amelia said bored.

"Where are they and why is everyone hiding behind reefs??

"I chased them away. No, I actually drove them to Likarica's side of the sea and we both know nobody survives that area. And the people are hiding because they fear me, that's what subjects are supposed to do. "

In truth, that was the last thing I expected to hear. Likarica's side of the sea was avoided by every mermaid and merman because it was a pit of darkness. It's true nobody who went inside ever got out because even though Lika was dead, her followers weren't.

"Why would you do that?" I found myself asking

"That's so easy, I wanted to be a queen but he wouldn't let me and we both know I can't ascend the throne if they're alive unless they willingly give it to me something he wouldn't do."

I knew Amelia was evil but not to this extent.
"Besides a great storm is coming little sister, better choose a side. As the odds are right now nobody will support you because all of daddy's followers were chased with him, including that stupid maid of yours."

I swam so fast as my hand landed on her nose and I heard bones cracking.
Before she could recover, I was tackled down by Brandon who knocked the wind out of me.
I writhed in pain as Amelia spat blood.

" You know you are just like him, that's why he preferred you and loved you more than me. I tried everything to please him but nothing ever worked while all you had to do was smile and you won his heart"

Even in my painful state I still found a sarcastic answer to that.
"Whose heart are you talking about? Is it father? Is it mother? Or is it Damien??"

Her eyes widened as if not expecting me to answer back and the smirk on her face returned.

"You know dad didn't go down without a fight. You should have seen his face as I broke his ribs, his heart, his ego and finally his dignity. He just couldn't believe I could do that."

Somehow Amelia's words felt like human's lies when they want things done their own way. I smirked back at her not saying a word.

But something else caught my attention. Her eyes had changed to grey and they seemed to be headed for black. Her skin was not glowing and she looked really pale.

Emotions overcame my fear and I found myself asking if she was okay.
Of course she wouldn't answer me even if she wasn't but at least I tried.

" Do what we always do with those who can't accept my leadership." She ordered

"Aye milady, are you sure? She is your sister" Brandon actually talked in my favor for the first time since I had known her.

"Are you questioning my orders ?"

Brandon pushed me away from the throne room towards the direction of the main gates.
I saw how his lips twitched upwards like he wanted to say something but didn't have the power to say so and I got lost in my thoughts.

As we neared the gates he spoke,
"We are supposed to escort you to the pit of darkness but we won't. Mermaids can't survive in water without their clan so I'll send you away and you'll have like one moon before you are dead. That's better than the normal punishment."

I didn't have any more strength to argue with him. My heart was heavy and broken. My pearls were all over the place and my energy level was deteriorating. I tried so much to avoid the gazes in the reefs but the hopeful eyes had me weakening a bit more than usual.

They were placing their hope in me and I had no idea how I was supposed to feel or help.
All that was running in my was pain..
Mum was dead ....
Dad was dead........
Anita was dead ........
And God knows how many other people.

The sacrifice I had made hadn't helped with anything..it was all for nothing.

I willingly swam out of the gates and didn't look back.
I swam back to the cave and curled myself into a ball, I just wanted this pain to go away .

I felt him closer to me as he hugged me closer .

"I think I have an answer for both our problems" He said.

@hellenimari