Tales of the Royals

Confrontation

Ravenna

Ravenna was taken aback. 

"What do you mean by - "

"Honey, why don't you just tell me what you DO know?"

"You've been killing mermaids because their scales magnify your powers and you were the one who got the girls killed in the forest! You wanted to kill me for my power and you kill anyone who's a threat"

"Aah, Victor only gave you the condensed version. I suppose you killed him?"

"Yes, we did"

"Hmm... never liked him much anyway. He was just good in bed"

"I did not need to know that..." Ravenna said awkwardly

"So, I see the Beast didn't kill you. It's not like he would have anyway. Adrian, wasn't it?" she said while looking at him. 

Adrian's jaw clenched tightly. 

"And your friend... Arielle? I remember killing you... But unlike the rest, I didn't take your heart. I didn't want RED hair. I just needed you out of the way"

"What are you talking about?" Ravenna asked. 

"Darling, I kill girls but I only absorb their power if I eat their hearts"

Ravenna went pale and Arielle looked like she was about to retch. Even Vanessa seemed a little sickened. 

That's when Ruby and Ella burst through. 

"Oh, and here are your other friends. You know, Amberley and Vanessa are quite disappointed by the way their perfect weddings were completely ruined by you girls"

"I think you're using the wrong tense for Amberley. I believe the correct terms are in the past..." Ruby said

The Queen's eyes falshed with anger as her pitch rose a little higher. Now her tone was tightly controlled. 

"You killed her?" They watched her nostrils flare. 

"I did!" Ella defiantly stepped forward. 

"Well, then you can watch your friend die for the second time"

"Second?"

Arielle looked scared before she started to throw ice shards at the Queen. The Queen pushed them aside with a laugh. 

"I cannot believe that you have the nerve to believe you could beat me! When I created your little mermaid race!"

The girls all looked at each other as Ari stopped her attack. 

"I want to know everything" Arielle said.

"Knowledge is painful, are you sure?" The Queen asked as she smirked. 

"Tell me!"

"With that attitude darling?"

"I need to know"

"You're begging, how cute" 

"Just tell us, your majesty" Ravenna spat.

"How formal daughter"

"What did you expect?"

"Fine. I did kill all those girls - for their beauty. By eating their hearts, I absorbed their physical characteristics - blonde hair and blue eyes. But the redhead - she knew too much. She had to die. But I didn't take her heart. Didn't you ever wonder why your race was so... heartless? They were dumped in the ocean but their want for revenge gave them another life and powers to survive under the sea. By descaling them, I really took their powers over water. But you... you seems to be able to survive either way... maybe because you actually have a heart... And Ravenna, I didn't want your heart - I'd honed my powers to extract your life force. I just needed you dead"

"Because you can't control anything beyond the realm of the dead..." Ravenna said. 

"Exactly. And you were such a disappointment..."

"I think you'll find that none of us are disappointments any more"

"Oh really? All I see are a bunch of young girls who don't know what to do"

"Then your eyesight seriously needs some work" Ella said as she stepped forward. 

"For unlike you, mother, we control the living"

Arielle

Arielle felt herself boil over with anger. To know that she and her family were just a product of murder and revenge... well, she'd make sure they got their revenge. 

She ran towards Vanessa who grinned. 

"Ready to die Arielle?"

"Quite the opposite"

"The girl finally found her voice...too bad she spent such a short time living to really cherish it" Vanessa laughed

Then she watched Vanessa's beauty melt away, replaced by tentacles, long black hair and lots of makeup. 

"You're the sea witch..." Ari gasped in surprise. 

"Actually, I'm just a witch"

Vanessa transformed again, into an ethereal beauty and then an old hag. 

"She's the witch that transformed me" Adrian exclaimed. 

"Indeed I am" Vanessa nodded with satisfaction. 

That's when Adrian charged at her. Of course, she simply flicked her hand and Adrian was knocked aside. Arielle grimaced before turning to her. Then Ravenna saw what had happened and turned. 

"Wrong move" Ravenna said. 

Vines wrapped around Vanessa's body as she struggled against the ties. One wrapped tight around her neck as she began to choke. Then Arielle grinned viciously. 

"You clearly underestimated us, all of you"

Then it began to rain. The shards formed into little shards and flew into Vanessa. 

She gasped as the blood started oozing from each cut and she fell to the ground. She continued gasping wretchedly, trying to stay alive but finally breathed her life as they all turned towards the Queen. She seemed shocked by the fact that her right-hand women had fallen but put on a chilling smile as Arielle gasped. Her breath started coming short as the Queen began draining her energy. 

"No!" Ravenna shouted as she started to drain her mother of her life force. The Queen turned to Ravenna with a shocked look. 

"That's what you get for leaving me to die... you never got to see just how powerful I was"

The Queen let go of her hold on Arielle who took in deep breaths. Ella ran to her and held her tight, telling her it was okay, that she'd be fine. Arielle was scared. She'd never been so close to death in her life and was beginning to hyperventilate. Then Eric came over and wrapped his arms around her. As she relaxed into his embrace, she felt safe. 

The Queen continued to gasp as Ravenna drained her energy. 

"You can finally be a part of the world you've always controlled" Ella said as the Queen began screaming profanities at them. They stared at her dead body and let out a sigh. It was over.