WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 36

Cleo

The dragons frightened her, the werewolves growled at her, and the elves tried to be friendly, but Cleo could clearly see that they too held a deep grudge against her. The friendliness of the elves was always accompanied by an icy undertone. But it wasn't the same for Charlotte.

Charlotte got along wonderfully with Peter and also with Flora. Julia's new family members were much more open-minded toward her. But Charlotte hadn't made any of them slaves either.

Unlike Cleo.

Did she regret it? Yes and no. She had been convinced that she was giving her sister a great gift. The idea, of course, came from her mother when Cleo and Lea were collecting ideas for a birthday present. And Lea thought the idea was wonderful. Shortly thereafter, they agreed on this gift, as they did not like all their other ideas.

And what had happened? The elf had kidnapped Julia. That was Cleo's fault. At least that's how she felt. But this elf just now flew over the river laughing and cheered on Julia, who was involved in a water fight with a muscular werewolf and two giant dragons.

Dragons. Charlotte fell asleep quickly the night before, but Cleo heard Julia and Peter follow the dragons outside. They wanted to fly with them. Cleo had briefly wondered if she should run after them, but the dragons were too scary for her. That night she dreamed again of the black dragon and all the fire.

And this dragon was now with Julia.

Her sister had not wanted servants. She had seen it in her eyes. And yet it had taken Cleo a long time to realize this. And now? Now Julia was together with this elf. The queen would freak out. This made Cleo smile as she watched the elf lift Julia high into the air to kiss her and then set her down on the back of the white dragon. Marko scolded and shouted that they were 'cheating'.

The other young wolf, Finn, sat on a blanket at the edge of the river and cheered Marko on.

"Hey, Cleo!" Peter sat down with her in front of the tent in which Julia now lived. Next to a tribe of centaurs... "Where's Charlotte?"

"Flora shows her the entire tent village of the Centaurs", Cleo replied. Centaurs. "Are you happy? Peter?"

"Hm..." He put his arm around her. "Happier than before. And you? What happened?"

"A lot. Mom hit me. Because I couldn't bring Julia back. And then she wanted to marry me off to some snob. Just like Lea. And... I just left. I married Charlotte, the best decision of my life, and started looking for you and Julia. I searched all over the kingdom, but I was also part of the advisors... Mother had obliged me to do this. That's why it took me longer than I would have liked."

"Again?" Peter sighed.

"Huh? What, again?"

"She tried to do the same with me. Babette. A terrible person." He laughed softly.

"Oh. Babette! She is now married and is doing her best to produce children." Cleo rested her head on her half-brother's shoulder. "I heard she wasn't a very good mother. I'm not surprised. She's terrible! Torsten married the princess of vampires."

"Is he happy?", Peter wanted to know. He sounded worried.

"I think so, yes? I never visited them. But I've heard nothing but good things about their marriage."

"That's nice..." Peter sighed. "Julia wants to leave soon... To the harpies."

"Harpies? Why?" Harpies also made Cleo nervous. They were just as dangerous as dragons.

"She had visions. Terrible visions. But she should tell you about it herself. Dad is dead..." Cleo saw Peter wipe a lonely tear from his face. "Mom poisoned him. Don't we have a wonderful mother?"

"What..." Shocked, she looked at Julia, who used magic to pour very large drops of water on the scolding Marko. "Julia saw that in a vision?"

Peter nodded. "She did... We're not sure if it's really happened yet. After all, it was a vision. But presumably, it did..."

"How terrible." She kissed Peter's cheek. "I'm sorry!"

A little later, when the soaked Julia was no longer raging with the dragons, and the other two, Cleo's opportunity came to ask her about her vision. Julia lit a fire in front of the tent. The two dragons lay on her lap as cats and slept. Leopold and Marko harvested vegetables from one of the beds they had planted next to the tent. Flora had proudly told Charlotte about how they grew their own vegetables here.

Charlotte was talking to Elodie. The wolf told her about life in a pack.

"Julia?" Cleo hesitated, but then she sat down next to her sister. The dragons were asleep. Then they wouldn't attack Cleo, would they?

"Yes?" Julia stroked the black cat's fur.

"Peter told me that you had a vision..."

Julia just nodded. "Did he tell you about Dad?"

"He did." The black cat lazily opened one eye. Cleo moved away from Julia slightly. This was the dragon that had set her shadows ablaze... The yellow eyes made her shudder. "And he said, you want to go to the harpies soon?"

Now Charlotte got interested. She apologized to Elodie, who was telling her about Finn's childhood and sat down with Cleo.

Julia ruffled the black cat behind her ears. "Yes. I have seen myself leading an army. Harpies, dragons, centaurs... I saw the Queen's plans. She lost her mind. I have to stop her."

"An army?", asked Charlotte. "But you're almost still a child!"

"The vision showed me. That's why I want to go to the harpies. Fiete is convinced that I can put together an army. But I have no idea about such things."

"But I do", Cleo murmured. "When will you leave?"

"I want to go tomorrow... But now that you're here... Are you sure? It's about our mother."

"I'm coming with you. You can tell me more about what you saw in your vision along the way", Cleo announced. "Whatever our mother is planning, I'm tired of dancing to her tune. It can't be anything good. She wanted Charlotte and me to get divorced! And... She plans to kill your dragons..." Something that Cleo strictly speaking had nothing against, but the way Julia petted the two cats showed Cleo that they meant a lot to her.

"I know. Nothing must happen to Josefine and Fiete! Peter's life is connected to Fietes and... They are my family. And Peters. He loves Fiete. In his own way. Can you help me start an army? Would you do that? Cleo?"

"She can do that!" Charlotte grinned. "Cleo is the best choice. And I'll come with you too."

Cleo gratefully squeezed her wife's hand. Now that she had finally found Julia and Peter, she didn't want to watch them walk away. She would go with them and listen to Julia's plans...

And then...

Then she would see where her place is in all this.

"I will accompany you and, I will make my decision after you told me a bit more. I don't understand a lot yet, but you have time to tell me everything. Everything that happened", Cleo said.

She finally had Julia and Peter back.

(c: sasi)