Tales of the Royals

Prologue

AN: Try guessing Aurelia's power and comment it below! And what do you think of Charles and his last thoughts? Do you think he was right to be with Emalia? 

Emalia

As Queen Emalia carefully regarded her reflection, she waited impatiently for her Huntsman. She examined the eyes staring back at her, dark blue and unfathomable. Her honey blonde hair was tied in an elegant bun to reveal her slender neck upon which a blue sapphire necklace glinted. Her lips pursed as she brushed some lipstick over them and her soft skin shimmered in the light. Her beauty was unparalleled and with the Queen removed, there would be nothing stopping her from seducing and marrying the King. He was quite handsome but all she craved was his power. Her sister had been made Queen, causing her jealousy to know no bounds and she’d schemed constantly, the envy and want for power eventually consuming her. Perhaps once, she had been sweet and generous, but that was in the past. Sweet and generous didn’t help you fulfil your goals, she’d learnt her lesson. As she continued to sweep powder along her high cheekbones, she reflected upon her sister. Her sister may not have been as beautiful, but perhaps she was more seductive. Surely she had been no leader, always trailing behind her sister nor had she been an active public figure. And yet the people had still loved her.  Was it the mystery? Or was it simply the fact that she was a Queen and demanded that loyalty from her subjects? However, in due time, none of that would matter any longer. Queen Aurelia would be dying on the forest floor, and no one but the Huntsman would hear her screams. She laughed at the utter cruelty of such a death and called on her magic mirror. It knew everything and could answer all her questions but her real power lay in her own ability to summon spirits and drain the energy of others.  Her powers had manifested early and reflected her inner most soul. All the royals had powers, mainly because of tradition. The first royal had had the power to make predictions so all his decisions had made the country flourish and grow. Another had been able to persuade people to do whatever he asked of them, and yet another had the power to turn objects into gold when he wished. From this, it was surmised that the royals should have powers, in order to help their subjects. But the most powerful royal had been the one that could control all the elements and spirit. Another with those powers had not been born and probably never would be. She was thankful because such a royal could have unseated her from her position of power, in the same way she was killing the Queen. And now she merely had to allow the King a period in which to mourn. She’d known her Huntsman could never kill a child however, so she’d caused Aurelia’s child to disappear. Now he had neither wife nor daughter to worry for, and would be able to give his undivided attention to her. And the populace would need another queen and she was much more powerful than the last. In fact, Aurelia had never displayed any power at all. All Emalia knew was that, everyone was instantly taken with her, whether she said anything of value, whether she looked beautiful, it didn’t seem to have any importance. But Emalia had to work in order to gain someone’s trust and she didn’t wish it to be any different. That bratty child didn’t seem to inspire the same sense of love in people however; she’d heard talk that the populace were sad about the child’s disappearance but there was no visible change in their temperaments compared to when they’d heard of the Queen’s decreasing health. She had contemplated allowing the Queen to die slowly, but no, it was too slow a process and would not fulfil her purposes. As she gently adjusted her midnight blue gown with the silver embroidery, making sure there were no wrinkles, she fluffed her hair and practiced her coy smiles at the mirror. Within the month, she’d have her man. She was still wondering whether or not to kill him though, she’d consider that later. After all, she had the rest of her life with him in which to consider that thought. She’d smiled in triumph as she heard the gentle knocks on her door.  “Come in!” she’d called but as Henry the Huntsman stepped in, she already knew what he’d say. The Queen was dead and she could begin her plans in earnest.

 King Charles 

The King was devastated by the loss of his beautiful Queen and daughter and didn’t know what to do. As Emalia stepped in however, he could not pretend she didn’t look ravishing in her attire. As she walked over to him, he’d watched as a solitary tear slipped down her flawless cheek. She’d curtseyed low and he’d stared at the amount of cleavage she’d flashed. But as he looked at the empty crib in despair and recalled the news his messenger had brought, of his Queen’s death in the forest by some wild animal, he once again felt as if he were drowning in sadness. It was going to swallow him, it was going to…

“My King”, Emalia had said, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he stared at her slender neck, she sat a few inches away from him and slowly rested her hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m dreadfully sorry, I understand your pain, you understand, I have lost both my sister and niece. This is a sad day for us all.”

She didn’t try to sugar coat it, merely letting him know that she felt his pain. He was glad because it was better to know that there were people empathetic rather than just sympathetic towards his plight. He stared at those generous lips and into those dark eyes, shining with unshed tears. As he’d pulled her close and hugged her, he could feel the curves of her body and smell her wonderful fragrance, something like roses. But then she’d pulled away from him, leaving him feeling bereft. For a brief moment, he’d forgotten all about his Queen and he wanted to leave her in his past, move on so he didn’t feel the dreadful ache constantly. It was why he’d extended the invitation to Emalia to join him in his rose garden the next day for a stroll. Emalia had accepted with a coy smile and he’d smiled at her in return. The next day, as they’d slowly walked through the garden, she’d pointed at a large red rose and sniffed it delicately.

“Wait a minute, I’ll cut that rose for you since you seem to like it so much” he’d offered.

“Oh, would you? I do love this rose”.

As he’d snipped it off, he’d failed to see her triumphant grin. She’d gently laughed as she held the rose and before he could stop himself, he’d kissed those soft lips. She’d gasped in surprise before returning the kiss and the next day they’d had dinner. As they continued to learn more about each other, he’d begun to revel in her company and at the end of the month, he’d proposed marriage to her. The population were suspicious of the new Queen but showed none of their feelings as they rejoiced, danced and celebrated. As the King and newly crowned Queen Emalia retired to their chambers, he’d slowly pushed her onto the bed, where they’d softly kissed.

“Oh Charles” she’d moaned as his hands had softly pulled at her laces, causing her clothes to part and reveal her form to his eyes. As he continued to pull out her hair pins and suckle on her, she’d continuously moaned. Once they’d finished, she’d rolled over onto his body and softly purred in pleasure. They were sated and she was happy that her plans had come to fruition. But as she stared at him sleeping, she realised that once she was with child, she would not hesitate to kill the man, after all, he was merely her means to an end and nothing more. And she was not willing to share her power with anyone, or answer to him, defer to him. She was a queen; she should not be confined to a role as a mere housewife! As she stared at him, she had to admit that he was a good lover, and she’d keep him alive for that reason. They’d pleasure each other in bed and then he’d die in a tragic accident, while fighting for his Queen’s honour as a man carried her away and tried to assault her. In that way, he’d die a seemingly noble death and suspicion would not be called upon her, after all, she was a victim. Nine months later, after she’d given birth to twins, the King had watched his wife be carried away and chased after her. But when he began to fight against her assailant, he’d seen his wife slowly walk towards him, smile on her face as she called forth spirits from the Underworld. As they’d dragged him down, he’d watched his wife slowly kiss the man as Aurelia’s face floated in his mind’s eye. Emalia had deceived him but at least he’d be with his Aurelia now, despite his courting of Emalia, he’d never forgotten Aurelia and never stopped loving her. Emalia had always been a distraction and object of lust, never someone he could love like Aurelia. She’d never be Aurelia.