Seven

~One~

Sirena Argent. That's me. The ruler of Aelburn. The most powerful witch of the Silverbark Circle. The one everyone's doubting now.

Ok, let's take a step back. You don't know why they are doubting, who 'everyone' is, what the Silverbark Circle is, what Aelburn is, or who I am. Right. Let's look back in time, about 3 years ago to be exact.

If you are living in Aelburn, you've probably heard of the new queen. They call her Priestess of Freedom, Queen of the Night, and Lady of the Veil. They also call her murderer, liar, and worse names. All behind my back, of course. See, I was given the job of Queen of Aelburn by my mother. Actually, I was given the title by my murdered sister. Ruling in Aelburn works like this: the youngest daughter will rule when she turns 17. However, when the eldest sister turns 17, she will rule until the youngest daughter turns 17. The youngest daughters have the strongest minds, so it would make sense to have them lead our country. My oldest sister, Mandy was fit for the kingdom. Everybody loved her, she was the most popular sister, she ruled over our kingdom well. That is, until she was found dead in the morning, her throat slit. This meant I was queen. This meant eyebrows raised, people murmuring behind closed doors, investigation on the murder even though everybody thought it was me who killed my sister. Me, who somehow managed to keep ever flying Amanda Argent off away from the clouds she loved, who could never be called Amanda, only Mandy, please, who somehow found away to keep the always moving Mandy still and quiet. I loved- no, love, Mandy, she isn't dead, she can't be dead, but she is and nothing I say will stop that.

Why would I be suspected? It's not just a game of royals. I am queen next, but that's not the only reason people are doubting me. See, in Aelburn there are covens. Too many of them, as some might say, but I am not that some. Covens are gatherings of witches. There's the Wives of the Willow, dangerously tempting. They bind their spirits to the willow tree and fashion wands from it. So many men and women have been turned aside by the Wives, only to end up a sister or a slave. The Guiding Hand Coven is one of the most senseless covens there are. They worship a voice. Every time there is a full moon, the entire coven travels to the Grotto of Sound and listen to the voice coming from the very walls of the cave itself. Their minds have been snapped long ago, and it's a wonder any of them are still alive. The Nightshadow Witches are deadly. They fill their sleeves with poison and kill when the moon is halfway gone. They are assassins with magic, the deadliest known to mankind. Not even the Elder Flame Ring dare come near them, and they are the oldest coven. There have been stories of farmers tending to their crops late at night and come across one of them. Every time, they see a figure bent over their plants. When they approach, the figure turns, but their eye sockets are filled with a dancing fire that leaves the poor spectator petrified until the figure strides away out of sight. 

I belong to the Silverbark Circle.  My coven is the most powerful coven in all of Aelburn. We pride ourselves on that. We are also the sanest and most helpful coven, which no one seemed to realize. I mean, has anyone heard of the Three Leaf plague? No, because we eradicated the threat before it even happened. What about the Lunar Demon, come to purge the Earth of humans? Yeah, we cast a spell on him to make him kind. He visits us from time to time, bringing food from his bakery. His croissants are magnificent. 

However, here in Aelburn, witches are not viewed as helpful. The fact that I am the most powerful witch in my coven does not help my status as murderess. You'd almost think the fact that I saved dearest Mandy's life a couple times would tend to sway the public viewpoint but by all means, go ahead. Point out my flaws. It won't change the fact that I didn't kill her. Tomorrow, the Source comes to Aelburn to find out who really killed Mandy. Hopefully, they'll be able to prove it wasn't me.