The Nameless Queen

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One hour and fifteen minutes.

She had left days ago. The princess was gone and travelling halfway across the country to the place I had been only weeks beforehand. The anger and rage that I felt bubbled up inside. But time was turning and time waited for no man.

I had to get out of the castle, out of the city, and out of this country within the next few hours.

Zyemma stood there dumbfounded with a blank expression that was dipped in confusion. "So," the word was drawn out. "What are we doing now?"

"I am going into the city to steal a horse. You, on the other hand, are going to dye your hair, change your name, clear out all the dresses I bought for this courting business and find yourself a job. This is where we part ways."

"But why? I thought..."

"That what?" I interrupted. "That we were friends? That we were going to save the world together? Listen right now, Zyemma and pay attention. I am a horrible person, have killed, murdered, and mutilated more people that you will ever know. I am a twisted, broken person and you don't want to know me. Because all I know who to do is lie, cheat, act, steal and murder, and I don't do friends. Got it?"

The look on Zyemma's face crumpled away to reveal the small broken child that lay deserted underneath all that sarcasm and anger. She no different from the next person in this kingdom and I couldn't be weighted down with that burden. "I was going to say I thought that I could help you."

"Well, you can't. So have a nice life, I'm going to go steal a horse now." I gave her a comical wave and sauntered down the hall.

"But.." The sound of Zyemma's protests was cut off by the slamming shut of the King's door.

"Now," I thought to myself. "What to do about that horse."

"Yeah I know, but..." Zyemma started, but I turned down the hall and left.

The stables outside the palace were draped with darkened shadows, the horses inside silent, the guards well and truly asleep and with the expense of the shadows, I slipped inside.

In the dark, the horses were barely visible but Not even night could darken the cleanly polished name tag hanging on the door. Windwipe. The King's horse. Well, It never hurt to be poetic.

The slam of a door and the wind through a stolen cloak snap the guards out of their sleepy daze, but not fast enough to stop the beast crashing down the gate and running free into the streets, leaving the castle and it's people far behind. God, I really hoped this horse was fast.

Twenty-eight minutes.

***

The sand cracked beneath my feet, dust drenched my eyes, the horse long since gone. I hated walking. The long-distance gave one time to reflect on one awful life decision, which for me was rather disturbing. So I focused my mind on creating a plan, and what I come up with was awful. Really truly awful. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many people who could recognise me, but unfortunately, it was the only plan I could come up with. And its long term effects would really screw up a few counties for a bit.

But I could feel it, it was coming. War. The quality of the air was shifting and the earth itself was waking. The world was ready for a war. A war that would rattle mountains. A war that would shatter moons. A war where people would die. The world had become inpatient, it was tired of all this peace all this laughter. Our world was breed for destruction. And although you could use a spear as a walking stick you can't change its nature.

The night started to eat at the land as desperate light clung to the sheet of darkness, a horrible substitute for days eternal light. This is how the world will end I thought to myself. Our once blazing civilisation will be reduced to nothing more than a candle fighting to stay alive in a storm.

The echo of a lone owl sounded. I almost laughed at myself, this owl was all by itself and yet it still found something to laugh about. And here I was sitting by myself thinking about how the earth will slowly crumble and fade like a forgotten idea in the rubbish dump of time. Was an owl freedom such a wonderful thing even when on their own the joy of life was such an overflow feeling that its body couldn't contain its happy in oneself that and the only way to release it was to laugh.

I envied the owl, I envied its freedom and its life. I envied its unknowingness of the world outside its bubble. But most of all I envied its ability to laugh. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed. Not the psychotic laugh I do when I'm feeling poetic and a murder is fresh, but to laugh because I simply couldn't contain to joy in my body.

I could make a dark shape flying out the mountain. The owl. I bet it could see the castle that I'd felt. The owl let out another scream, that echoed around the valley floor leaving its little ray of joy behind.