The Cursed Queen

Explanations

I yawned as I slowly got off my bed. It was 7 in the morning I quickly went to get ready. As I hopped out of the bath and trudged back to my main room. I found two flowing dresses lying on my bed.

"Your Majesty, his highness requested for you to pick between dresses." A small woman says cracking open the door.

I stare in horror at the two dresses placed in front of me. One was white and had fairly thin straps while the other was red and form-hugging, tight, scandalous even. Themis then comes stumbling in also shrieking.

" Yem, pick the red one. All the royals and higher-ups wear this style"

I grimace, it looked like if I stepped in it I wouldn't be able to step out of it. I shook my head i wouldn't be able to fight in this dress.

"It's too tight Them, If want you can wear the red dress" I reply

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets and she quickly scoops up the dress, she spins around before squeezing the air out of me.

" Thanks, Yem"

I nod

"No problem"

"So white then" The maid smiles." it suits you"

I chuckle at her compliment but don't say anything afterward. She still thought good of me after I beat up her former crown prince and her queen.

"Well, Yem change into it" Themis exclaims.

I walk back into the bathroom and run my fingers through the silk material. I had never worn anything like this, it was different and I couldn't tell whether I liked it or not

"Yemmm" Themis whines

I roll my eyes and slip the gown on, it fit me like a ..glove. It highlighted my collar bone which was littered with some scars. even my toned arms didn't look out of place in this delicate ensemble. I looked different, I look like a young girl. Not the way I always looked, like a soldier hardened by war. I looked my age.

I stepped out again and Themis clapped

"Give us a spin"

I laugh and give her one long slow turn.

"Like a true princess," the woman whispers

"Well it fits me, hopefully, I can just relax after this," I say heading back to take it off.

"Let's head to the garden," Themis pleads

I chuckle you could hardly call that cluster of weeds a garden, I would call it the entrance to an abandoned morgue.

"Sure, Them, we'll head to the garden in a second" I reply

I throw on my combat outfit minus the loves and step out of the bathroom, the maid and Themis both stare at me in shock and I frown why were they staring at me like I had two heads?

"What" I question

"Nevermind let's just go" She smiles

 We walk out of the room leaving the old woman by herself in the room, we walk down the winding spiral steps as we laugh. When we make our way outside I'm hit with how much I missed Celestia. It was so dark, while a part of me reveled in the darkness, a part of me longed for light as well. Themis tugs my arm slowly and we sit on an old rickety swing. We swung around in silence for a while just watching everything pass by, from the dark, heavy clouds, to the occasional shrieks.

"Was it always like this?" Themis whispers

I turned to her what did she mean? I thought she loved it here.

"I talked to my brother about our trip, how different everything could be." She begins to choke up" He laughed in my face, and told me our family had chosen a side and he planned to die on it"

"Them" I start

Her brother meant a lot to her, he was all she had left and they were close. Well as close as they could be with this war going on.

" He knows that I'll never experience what you and Tunji go through, but because we aren't like everyone else, we aren't White or Black we have to go through stuff - do stuff so we can stay safe, or at least that's how he explained it"

I nodded in acknowledgment, Themis wasn't White, she was Asian, but she too was still held to a standard to treat people like Tunji and me like dirt. While I didn't blame her brother for his way of thinking I was disappointed that society here had to be like this.

"He told me of our history, how we were conquered by Pyros and forced to work for them until we regained our freedom. He told me about how our ancestors choose to align with Pyros in the great war for protection."

A wracking sob escapes her and I hug her patting her back softly.

"This is the country my parents served until they died, that had my people do slave labor for, that I foolishly praise and felt a foolish sense of pride for - god I'm such an idiot"

"Them you had no idea, you were blind it happens to all of us"

She shakes her head, before scooting out of our hug and slamming her fist on the wooden swing. Her body now shivers with a new emotion- rage.

"I tried so hard to get you to stay here not understanding the pain you went through, I didn't understand - I don't think I will ever understand but I think I'm starting to"

"I can't leave I have unfinished business"

Now it's her turn to listen I listen to her sharply inhale before allowing a pregnant pause between us.

"What do you mean," she asks

"Varlene and Zayn" I reply

I wanted to tell her more but knowing my best friend she would try to convince me to let go of my vengeance, but I couldn't it, would smother me like a fire, and I'd never be able to put it out

"Yem, you know what I'm about to say" she starts

I raise my hand interrupting her.

"So don't say it"

I sit up from the swing, contrary to her belief I would not be swayed, not in the slightest. Not from anyone, this was my personal fight, one on one with the woman that was the reason I suffered all my life. If her son decides to join our quarrel, which I knew he would, he would also face her fate. Death.

I was tired of seeing Varlene living, after wasting almost all of my life based on her greed for another woman's man. I wanted her to taste, to feel, the fear both my mother and I felt when she split us up. The rage I had towards her was unbridled, the next time she provoked me I would send her to hell way before I was scheduled to.

My father coughs and taps me, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Yemisi I need to speak to you"