Nightmares of the Lion and the Rabbit

Chapter 1

The sun was barely setting over the distant mountains. The kingdom was settled in a nice forest, surrounded by lush fields, forests that provided more than enough trees to give them multiple animals and fauna as well as lumber for upcoming projects by the king. The mountain range that surrounded their southern side made it the perfect barrier from other kingdoms that wanted to wage war.

A young girl was skipping through the halls, admiring the way the flames danced from the torches. Her knight following her at a distance before they both abruptly stopped at the sound of a sudden scream that echoed in the halls of the castle.

"Princess, I believe that is your signal to head to bed." The knight spoke calmly, watching the nine-year-old take a few steps back toward the knight assigned to her.

"That was mother..." She whispered.

The staff within the cobblestone walls seemed to fall silent at the sound of the scream. The next to follow were the large wooden doors being thrown open by large wisps of magic that were visible to the naked eye. Three of the kingdom's most powerful mages came bursting in, their long cloaks trailing behind them, rippling in the wind they were creating from moving so quickly to the Queen's aide.

"We heard the cry. Where is she?" The master mage spoke urgently, nearly pushing the King out of the way.

"In the birthing chambers..." One of the handmaids shakily pointed toward the closed door.

"It is dangerous..." Stella grabbed the master mage's arm, holding her back. "The darkness has seeped out of her. She must be contained."

The master halted, hearing the pained cries on the other side of the door. She could feel the tense aura that oozed out of the room into the hall, no doubt coming from the King himself, mixing with the Queen's innate magic that found itself manifesting into the unborn child she carried.

"We will handle the birth. Clear this section of the castle. We cannot afford to have anyone infected with this plague." The master spoke rationally. It wasn't an illness, but the corrupted magic would have a full effect on anyone it touched. The three mages knew how to combat it away from them, but they would need to protect unwilling citizens. Innocents from the darkness that would take them and manifest itself.

The royal mages were trusted by the Queen herself. The King wasn't fond of them, but utilized him in his own bidding. Was he happy that instead of nursemaids and handmaids there were now mages handling the birth of his son? No, but he did care for the safety and health of his wife.

"Don't let her die. Or my son." He glared before stepping away from the hall.

The mages were hand picked by the Queen, right before she took to the throne. The master mage was just barely of age, accepting her role as a royal. She recalled the days when she did run around as a child, playing with the princess and showing off her magic, only to be cast into training. Her own journey being long and filled with multiple different types of magic that allowed her to understand more and more. Being skilled in multiple different areas that life had to offer, even able to skirt passed death itself once or twice. The other two that followed behind her were younger, the youngest barely being back a full moon when the Queen approached her, asking to be part of the royal court.

"Your majesty, we are going to seal the room now." The master spoke.

It hurt to see such a long time friend in so much pain. The Queen lay in the bed, blankets scattered everywhere, pillows thrown in every direction, all sorts of medical equipment set up around the room. All for every single possible outcome for this birth.

"Stella, draw the curtains. Lucy, please make sure the room is cleansed. This child will be a problem tonight."

"Ann, are you sure that this will work?" Stella whispered.