Snow White Queen [NaNoWriMo 2018]

Chapter Ten

Lilia had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve herself. She'd probably only been gone for two minutes at the most.

When she got back, Neva was bent over the sleeping king. A flash of lightning revealed that both Neva and the king were covered in blood.

It was all she could do to stop herself from screaming.

No, this isn't happening. This wasn't Neva - Neva would never do this.

Maybe she was in a trance. Maybe this was like what happened with Cassandra. If it was, that would be strange. Tamela had said that by now that kind of thing wouldn't happen anymore. Maybe it was a relapse.

Lilia wanted so, so badly to believe that this wasn't Neva's fault.

Do you think you'd mourn my dad if he died?

Had she asked that as a way to try to gauge how Lilia would feel about this kind of thing happening?

No. I wouldn't miss him at all.

Had her answer encouraged Neva to go through with this?

"Neva?" she cautiously called out.

Neva's head snapped up. She started walking towards her slowly, like a predator stalking its prey.

Lilia started backing away. "Neva, hey, it's me. It's Lilia." Like that's going to change anything.

Something in Neva's demeanor changed, like she was switching from predator to monster. She stopped and looked back at the king's bed. A flash of lightning illuminated the realization and horror on her face.

Lilia cautiously stepped towards Neva. "Hey. It's okay."

Neva said nothing. She just turned and ran.

~~~

The king was found dead this morning. Lilia told them she hadn't seen who had done it. She'd gone to do something in the middle of the night and when she got back the king was dead. Neva claimed that she had been in her room the entire night; Lilia backed her up by saying that she had run to Neva's room immediately and found her there sleeping soundly.

Thankfully there was no one who could contradict their story.

The public was told of the death, which went about as well as expected. A funeral for the king was to be arranged.

Lilia knew that she should feel sad about the king's death. She certainly put up the mask of a mourning wife. Instead, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She was far from free from the life she'd been forced to, but at least the thing she'd hated most was gone.

~~~

The funeral for the king was held a week later. Neva watched from a distance as an entire kingdom mourned.

It's done.

Neva didn't regret what she did. She wanted to say that this didn't make her a monster. She'd done it for the greater good - hadn't she?

What real reason did she really have to kill the king? To get out from his suffocating, hateful presence.

His death benefitted Neva, and practically no one else.

Even as she came to this realization, she still didn't regret it.

What use was there for regret? What's done is done, there's no going back. She could only move forward and make sure his death didn't slow anything down.

She may not be the monarch yet, but it was time for her to be a leader. She had ensured that herself.

~~~

Neva was standing near a wall when she heard someone call out her name.

"Neva?"

It was a male voice, and one she knew well. She looked up and saw the face that had been the light of her childhood. "Dorian?" she said, smiling.

"Hey! It's been a while."

"It definitely has. How have you been?"

"Well, and you?"

"The same- well, a little less recently." She vaguely gestured at the mourners.

"Right. I'm sorry for your loss."

Neva shrugged. "We were never close."

"Still. It's not easy to lose a parent."

The two talked for a while longer, trying to keep their voices down so as not to attract the unwanted attention of the mourners. They caught up on what had been happening in the other's lives that had been failed to mention in the letters.

Neva couldn't help but notice the changes that Dorian had gone through. He was fifteen now. He seemed just as spirited as he had when they were younger, if a little more mature. He seemed to have figured out his passions a little more - she loved the way his eyes lit up when he got going on something.

Despite the mourning atmosphere and her own doubts over the morality of her actions, she felt her spirits lift just from talking to him.

~~~

"Neva?"

Neva looked up. Lilia was standing in the door.

She didn't ask for an invitation to enter; as soon as they made eye contact, the invitation was implied.

Neither said anything for a while; both were trying to think of something appropriate to say.

"Do you miss him?" Neva asked.

Lilia didn't immediately answer.

"I know you didn't like him."

She shook her head. "I'm guessing you don't either."

Neva nodded. "I know I should - he was my dad. And I know that the country is going to have a hard time recovering from his death. But... I'm honestly kind of relieved."

Lilia nodded. "I feel the same way."

Someone knocked on Neva's door. They both looked up; it was one of the pages.

"I was told I could find Lady Lilia here. The high court said to tell you: you're going to be crowned queen."

I finished this chapter a while ago and I forgot to post it.

Day nine
Words written: 2454
Total: 13312

Day ten
Words written: 351
Total: 13663

Day eleven
Words written: 526
Total: 14189