CATHERINE ONCE AGAIN made her way through the soldiers, marching for the castle's gates. The sooner this would end, the sooner she would get back to Jest. See if he found a healer. If he was all right.
She didn't wait for anyone else, someone to protect her back; she just made her way through the soldiers and entered in the castle.
As she expected, everywhere you looked, there were black and red decorations, from the tapestries to the furniture.
The entrance seemed to go on for miles, with tall, red curtains lining both sides of the hallway, leading to a grand opening where the castle's main hall lied. There were rows of red carpets running down the center of the hall, with black lanterns hanging from the ceiling, casting shadows and adding to the ominous feel of the room. It was clear that the Red monarchs wanted to project a sense of power and superiority.
The walls were made of a dark red marble, shining in the light, and the floor was covered with black tiles.
The castle was more of a fortress, than a home.
Cath made her way through the labyrinth of hallways, searching every room for the Queen and King. Every turn was dizzying; every door seemed to lead to yet another hall. But she was determined, she was prepared. She dodged and parried, struck and counter struck, taking down soldier after soldier.
Catherine finally found the throne room. But, to her surprise, one of the thrones was unoccupied. She held her sword tighter in her hand. 'Where's the King?' she demanded an answer.
The Red Queen rose from her throne, her guards quickly behind. Catherine took a second to study them.
As the Queen stopped right in front of her, she straightened, hand on her sword, ready to attack at anytime. She stood still as the Queen leaned in and whispered into her ear, 'You're too late.'
Cath scrunched her eyebrows in confusion as the Queen smiled. 'You know,' she started, 'you started wrong from the very first step, Catherine.' She turned to her and smiled wider, as if her name was a mystery she had solved. 'You brought your dear king here.' She walked around the room. 'What did you think was going to happen?' She started laughing.
Cath's eyes widened, realising her mistake too late.
With all the thoughts swirling in her mind, with worrying over Jest being all right and wanting to end this quicker to get to him, she forgot their weak spot.
Cath cursed in her mind. The Red Queen didn't waste another second on her as she quickly disappeared from the room. No, no, no.
The whole point of her leading the army as queen was that the real Queen, the White Queen, was not brave enough, was weak. If the King died . . .
Catherine's feet moved before her brain could think. In a second, she was at the gate again. Literally a second. Her breathing accelerated and she realised she was faster, faster than usual.
She looked around for the Red Queen, for the King, for Hatta and Raven, they were somewhere around here and, surely, they were protecting the King. That, if they could even see the Red Queen coming, because of her speed.
A movement. Not far from her. Maybe the Red Queen couldn't find the King either.
Cath hoped her speed would activate. Like nature. She took a deep breath in and out and ran to where she saw that quick movement.
Soon enough, she was facing the Red Queen again. Cath saw that, this time, she had a sword in her hand too.
The two circled each other, their swords locked in a tense standoff. The Red Queen broke away first, her turquoise eyes filled with rage, charging forward, her sword gleaming in the midst of the chaos. Cath's eyes followed her every move and she stepped up to meet her opponent. The two swords clashed with a loud clang, locking together as the two traded blows.
The Red Queen was moving so quickly that Cath could barely keep up. She spun around, her sword swiping through the air in a deadly arc. Cath dodged at the last second, barely avoiding the blade.
The two continued to fight, moving so fast that the rest of the battlefield seemed to move in slow motion. The Red Queen was trying to get to the White King to kill him, but Cath was not going to make it easy for her.
While the Queen had the power, the King still guided most decisions. And now knowing the White Queen, Catherine knew she would not keep up without her king. The White Queendom would go in disarray.
Cath and the Red Queen charged at each other, swords raised. The sound of steel meeting steel echoed through the valley, almost drowning out the roar of the battle raging around them.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Catherine parried and dodged the Red Queen's attacks, each thrust of their swords creating a burst of sparks in the air.
The Red Queen was relentless, though, and soon Cath was forced to retreat.
She shifted her stance and charged forward, using her speed to dodge the Red Queen's attacks and land swift strikes with her sword. The Red Queen, seemingly unimpressed, continued to press forward, her eyes searching for the White King.
In the midst of the fight, Cath spotted an opening. She jumped; sword raised, and brought it down hard on the Red Queen's shoulder. The Queen let out a cry of pain and backed away, leaving Cath a brief moment to catch her breath.
But Cath knew the fight was far from over. The Red Queen was strong and determined, and Cath would have to use all her skill and speed to defeat her.
With a final burst of speed, Cath charged forward, sword raised. The Red Queen's sword met it, and the two clashed in a blinding flash of steel. As the sparks settled, Cath saw that the Red Queen was on the ground, her sword broken in half. Cath stood tall, looking down at her.
The Red Queen tried to get up, but Cath put her sword to her throat.
She stared at her, then the place where her heart was. She remembered what Jest had told her a long time ago. 'And whenever it seems that one side has finally won and the war should be over . . . it's as though Time resets and we start from the beginning. We do it all over again. Over and over.'
It hit Catherine suddenly. She was not here to end the war by killing the Red Queen. That would not do anything. Matter of fact, it would only bring more chaos, as chess is supposed to have two sides. Without the Red Queendom, what would even become of Chess?
When the White Queen told Jest that Catherine could change the fate of Chess by ending the war, she didn't mean by spilling more blood. If she even knew how Cath could end the war, that was. It never occurred to her to ask the Queen how she had come to believe such things. Who told her those things?
Nevertheless, as Cath looked at the Red Queen, helpless on the ground, she saw not a tyrant necessarily, like she knew she was back when she was the Queen of Hearts, but rather . . . a fierce spirit. And who decided which side was bad and which was good, either way?
Cath let out a deep breath and moved her sword from the Queen's throat to her heart.
YOU ARE READING
Heartfelt - sequel to Heartless
Fanfiction'Nothing ever really stays dead, Catherine.' After a year of dullness, the Queen of Hearts finds entertainment in a peculiar blonde girl. However, the only way to find the girl is to bargain with Time, but it might not be as easy as she thought. And...
