WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 85

Julia

Julia listened with amusement to Marko, who was a veritable chatterbox in his sleep. Also in wolf form. And to her great joy, her sleeping brother felt compelled to answer the werewolf.

Marko yelped softly in his sleep. "No, I'm not giving you my socks", Peter muttered. "I need them to bake bread!"

Giggling, she listened to the two of them. The others were also asleep. Fiete hugged Peter in his sleep, who was now trying to convince Marko that he was a little caterpillar. Finn snuggled up in Marko's fur. Josef had rolled between Julia and Leopold as a little cat. Leopold hugged him close deep in his sleep. And probably a little too firm. Josef looked at Julia pleadingly, so she freed him from Leopold's grip. The cat meowed and snuggled up to her. "You should get some sleep!", she whispered to him.

"No! I'm not a leprechaun!", cried Peter in his sleep, whereupon the sleeping Marko growled. "I'm a beautiful butterfly from Glitterland. Tomorrow, I'm going to visit the Cloud King and we'll have tea in a closet!", Peter continued.

"Sometimes I wonder what's going on in my brother's head!" Laughing, Julia kissed the cat's black fur. Josef purred softly.

She couldn't sleep. A terrible dream had roused her from her sleep and was now keeping her awake. In the dream, Leopold left her in the burning elf village, and Peter died in the glowing flames. An arrow was stuck in his body.

She couldn't get the images out of her head.

Since Julia couldn't sleep, she decided to do something useful instead. She wanted to try to find out her mother's exact plans. She called for visions of the present and the future. It took a moment, especially since Peter disturbed her concentration (he now wanted to dance with Marko), but then, the pictures found their way to her:

Queen Agathe is only three years old. She walks by her mother's hand through a small market. The queen is a teenager. She is standing in a burning apartment. The queen dances with a man with black hair in the palace garden. The two laugh. The man picks a rose and puts it behind the queen's ear. He kisses her forehead.

Sighing, Julia opened her eyes. That wasn't what she wanted to see. This wasn't the first vision of her mother's past. Julia often saw pictures of the past. Agathe had lost a lot in the first war. Julia, therefore, understood some of her decisions. But her mother's past was no excuse for her cruelty. Julia stroked Josef's fur and tried again:

An army stands in front of the gates of the castle. Soldiers aim at four dragons with large harpoons from the balcony and palace garden. Julia's army is coming closer. Harpies shoot with bows and arrows or scratch the faces of soldiers with their sharp claws. Flordelis holds a bow in her hand.

The Military School. Students are equipped with special swords and sent into battle. Marie. She kisses Theo. Centaurs and humans rush toward the castle gates. The castle is the trap. A strong spell protects the walls. Anyone who touches it suffocates within seconds. The queen divides her armies. They attack from the sides and especially from behind. In the midst of the bloody chaos, Marie hugs Julia.

Frightened, Julia looked around the tent. She was back in the present. She had seen what she needed. Julia knew what her mother was planning. And she knew how she wanted to react. At the same time, she tried to keep not only herself but also her own plans away from her mother's visions. She hoped to do this with sheer will. If she succeeded, then she would have a great advantage.

For the first time, Julia used magic consistently. And also several types of magic at once. Three years ago, this would have been impossible. She grew stronger. And that worried her. But Julia was not her mother. No. And she had a plan.

If her mother divided the armies, then she had to do the same. The queen could lull herself into a sense of security. Julia wouldn't let her win.

Something rustled in front of her makeshift house. With the sleeping Josef in her arms, she got up to see what it was. Please, don't be a will-o'-the-wisp! But it was not a will-o'-the-wisp sitting in front of the tent, but a large bird with red plumage. It looked at her curiously and hopped a little closer. The red feathers shimmered in the pale moonlight. They reminded Julia of flickering flames.

A phoenix. She had seen pictures in an encyclopedia. But they didn't do justice to this beautiful creature. "Hello", she greeted the animal and crouched down. Josef hissed softly and snuggled up to Julia closer. With one hand she stroked his silky head. The bird did not seem to be a threat. "What are you doing here? Can't you sleep either?"

The phoenix tilted its head and came a little closer. Smiling, Julia stretched out her hand to the bird, with the other she held Josef, and stroked the red feathers. They felt warm and soft. The phoenix carefully nibbled at her fingers, then spread its wings and flew away. Overwhelmed, Julia looked after him.

"Why don't you sleep? Did Peter wake you up? He's trying to kick a troll. But he only ever catches Fiete." Leopold looked out of the house, yawning. "Come back to sleep, Juli."

"Good." She got up and followed him back inside the house of leaves.

Fritz

Fritz couldn't sleep. By late afternoon, a letter from his mother had arrived. In it, she announced that she planned to marry Prince Marlon and join their kingdoms. In addition, she expected Fritz to appear at the wedding.

This news robbed the prince of sleep. He sat nervously in the matrimonial bed.

His mother and Prince Marlon? He was much younger than her! The queen was planning something. She was not interested in the prince, Fritz was convinced of that. But it was a different story when it came to power. Did she want to...? Annoyed, he dropped into his pillow.

"At least try to sleep", Paula grumbled. Fritz had accidentally woken her up.

"Excuse me. The letter. I can't forget it."

"I know." Paula yawned. "We'll come up with something."

"She wants to enlarge the kingdom." He stroked his wife's hair. "I need to talk to Hany. This wedding does not bode well. I have to warn the rebels."

"But not this night. Sleep now", Paula whispered and fell asleep again.

(c: sasi)