Aceline blinks her eyes in the dim morning light, trying to clear her fuzzy vision. She rolls over, her tangled onyx hair pinned beneath her. Try as she might, the golden sunlight will not let her sleep. Stepping softly on the old wood floors, Aceline draws the heavy black curtains over the dusty window.
The disheveled queen crosses to her armoire, opening the creaky oak doors. While she was not the smallest of the sisters, she had a small and slight build, with a softly angled face. Aceline scanned the rows of black dresses, which seemed to cover her in shadows. She had always hated the heavy, formal poisoner clothing, with its clean lines and sharp angles.
Aceline pawed through the garments, until she settled on a simple black dress. It had no corsets or lace, as Noella would have preferred. Victoria had always preferred a blouse and trousers, though Aceline didn't care much for them. This dress was a simple garment of black velvet, with ribbons criss-crossing the bodice, and a long, graceful skirt.
Still, even in her preferred dress, Aceline felt dull. The black colors she was made to wear seemed dismal and dark. When she was little, Aceline's old maid had let her wear her small yellow scarf.
Aceline slipped out of her daze, still half asleep. She headed out of her room, down the old, dark halls of Ivywood Manor. She found Noella in one of the sitting rooms, poised like a cat ready to pounce on a worn green sofa. She greeted the queen with a curt nod, and sipped a small cup of tea. Aceline could not help but notice the fresh gashes on Noella's legs.
YOU ARE READING
One Hidden Queen
FanfictionA Three Dark Crowns Fanfic. 400 years before the book, a seemingly regular generation of triplets was born. But what happens when a queen with a death sentence from birth, survives under a false gift? Amid the chaos of the Ascension, how will these...
