The Switch

05| Only A Petrova Descendant

Silver Petrova:

I cannot believe I must deign to sit next to this dreadful, spoiled and naively pampered princess. What have I done to deserve such an unbearable punishment? As I listened to Lady Helen drone on and on about queen knows what, (just because she was addressing my classmates and me, did not mean I felt inclined to listen), I did not bother to take notes. I mean, why should I? That's what my inferior classmates' notes were for, after all. Upon noticing my lack of writing, Lady Helen points her disapproving frown towards me, stating, "Explain to me, Silver, why you are not bothering to write anything down? I do believe it's in your best interest to take notes, provided that you actually aim to pass my class." With a superior air of nonchalance, I scoffed delicately as I examined my long, manicured ebony nails."With all due respect, Lady Helen, I am not taking notes because I've come to the educated deduction that it's merely a waste of time for me to learn how to listen and be compassionate towards my future subjects. After all, as the next Evil Queen, my subjects must listen and obey my decrees, not the other way around. You don't mean to tell me that I should stray from my tale, do you?" Folding my arms defiantly across my chest, I raise one of my arched eyebrows, daring Lady Helen to respond to my cleverly worded verbal attack, that pinned my illustrious teacher in a rebellious light. It was common knowledge that in no one wanted to be accused of being a rebel, an associate of rebels, or even an encourager of rebellious behavior, for the consequences were brutal. After all, it was these rebels, also known as rogues, or as they are called in Velaris, the Zhul'ye, who were my mother's main adversaries during her reign as the sole monarch of my kingdom, and it was these people my mother had condemned to a fate worse than death. My cutting accusation had Lady Helen flailing about desperately in search of a response, as I watched her with amused satisfaction. "Ah-well-I-" Shaking her head in an obvious effort to physically shake her thoughts into order, Lady Helen tried to assume a calm and confident demeanor once again, tried to act as if she were unfazed by my cunning twist of words. Finally, Lady Helen says, "Of course my intention is not to convince you to stray from your tale, Silver. Instead, I am attempting to provide you with essential tools that you may employ in your rule as Queen of Velaris. I am trying to instill an attitude that will be beneficial for you and your subject's future, within you, as I am trying to help you develop good habits. After all, if your subjects do not like you or your reign, they may seek to overthrow your ruling as queen, which will greatly endanger you." Having completed her explanation and defensive statement, Lady Helen takes a seat in her raised, silk cushioned chair as she smoothes out her white, airy dress. A sweet, feminine voice then spoke, garnering the class' attention as she said, "I don't believe anyone would try to overthrow the next Evil Queen." It was Rose, the daughter of King Philip and Queen Sleeping Beauty, (now commonly referred to as Queen Aurora), who pointed this out. "Well, no one other than Serena and I will overthrow the ruling of the next evil monarch." Tamlin Charmante clarified, as his deep, friendly male voice drew attention from the petite, raven haired beauty to himself, the dashing and gallant blonde haired prince. Princes, essential characters in the tales of the residents of the world of Magix, are individuals whose destinies differentiates from any other storybook characters. Essentially, the main difference is the fact that princes are not aware of their story or tale until they turn eighteen, which is after graduation. Rather, they must wait to be the recipient of a fated dream that will reveal to them their storybook destiny. Despite this, it was widely assumed among the aristocratic circle members that Tamlin would be Serena's prince, thus the two would not have been inexplicably drawn to one another if they were not in the same tale. Or so most everyone deduced... The class all turned to see how I would react to Tamlin's hubristic statement. The so called 'Great' books of Grimm can be damned, because there is no way I will allow myself to end up with the same ending my mother now resides in! ‎As I angrily opened my mouth to respond, the classroom's French doors opened, revealing Headmistress Blue's pristine presence, decked out in a cerulean colored silk suit. Immediately, her soft brown-eyed gaze sought me out, and I promptly shut my mouth and willed my face into a somewhat neutral expression in an attempt to mask my newfound acrimony. "Helen, you would not mind if I take but a moment of your diligent class's time?" Headmistress Blue cordially asked, causing me to almost laugh. As if Headmistress Blue required permission from Lady Helen. Nevertheless, Lady Helen nodded in agreement as she addressed my class, "Everyone, please focus your attention on Ms. Blue." Ms. Blue thanked Lady Helen and then began, once we silently looked towards Miss Blue's way. "Class, I am here today to make an extremely important announcement!" Clearing her throat, Miss Blue pauses for the sake of suspense, then finally, the woman reveals her purpose for being here in front of me and wasting precious moments of my time, "On behalf of Everadon Academy, allow me to announce the beginning of the arrival of your charms!" A cheer rose at Miss Blue's words. I‎n the world of Magix, everyone receives a charm, a magical object that only the owner may use to manipulate the power the object possesses. According to legend, charms are supposedly helpful during times of need and dire circumstances. In fact, it's said that for individuals like me who possess magic, we are able to gain a stronger semblance of control over our powers with our charms. It's perhaps similar for a painter to use a paintbrush to paint, I suppose. "Moreover, I am here to express the surprise that myself and my fellow colleagues of this illustrious Academy have decided upon. There will be a celebratory ball in three weeks time to celebrate this momentous occasion!" At this, more cheers sounded, along with ripples of excited, eager whispers, as everyone expressed their mirth at Headmistress Blue's announcement. Miss Blue waited until she had complete silence before continuing."Now students, I will take the courtesy of reminding you that every individual's charm will come at different times. Of course, we do not know when your charms will be allocated to you, as these magical objects arrive when they deem themselves and their presence essential. Thus, I now strive to emphasize the importance of remaining calm, even if your charm takes some time to arrive, as they will not all arrive before the ball. Some charms will, but not all. Therefore, we must all practice employing longevity in our patience and tolerance for your charms' arrivals." With a genial smile, Headmistress Blue concluded, "And so, I wish you all, my dear students of Everadon High, good luck on your journey with your charms, which will come when they may!" Turning to Lady Helen, Blue says, "That is all Helen. Have good day." "Good day Ms. Blue, thank you." After Ms. Blue left, closing the double French doors behind her, I tuned out, despite my best efforts to focus and avoid another reprimand from Lady Helen. Alas, all I could think about was my ever-growing trepidation for my charm's arrival. See, I am aching to receive a staff similar in design and power to my mother's. Hopefully, upon the arrival of my staff, my powers will finally start to emerge in a relishing torrent of magical properties. I would never reveal to anyone other than myself, in the intimacy of my own personal thoughts, how worried and anxious I've become, how I've been obsessing over the fact that my powers have failed to rouse and instead have remained deep in slumber within me. I mean, I am Silver Petrova, daughter of the most notorious, villainous, magically powerful and seductive queen, thus I know I am destined to wield great power. So I refuse to let anything, even my currently inactive powers, be my downfall. Sighing, I try to have fortitude, try not to rush the process, since magic is said to grow as the individual grows. Hence, it will mature as I mature. Despite my effort to remain patient, I cannot help the ember of anger burning within me, due to the fact that right at this moment, I have as much magic as Serena- namely, none! Much to my embarrassment, I even had to temporarily drop out of my Magicology class, and instead take Music class (as that happened to be the only class with an open spot. Well, that and Ballet class- but there was no way I'd deign to prance about in a frilly tutu, so I was all but forced to opt for the music class.) I'd never admit this to anyone, but I do in fact enjoy taking music class. Surprisingly, it's a class in which I strive to attend with optimism, which, unlike my other tedious courses, is a first. In fact, by taking this class, I've realized that I have a naturally exceptional proficiency- my vocal range is shockingly wide, and I possess a melodic, dulcet voice. Truth be told, my teacher is currently trying to get me to try out for the school's annual singing competition, which is coming up soon. Although it's always judged by a mermaid, as these creatures have amazing,  euphonious voices, the competition is open to all entrants. This year, it's being judged by Adrianna's- (a girl that goes to this school) mom, The Little Mermaid. Personally, I would secretly love to enter, singing a song and playing my silver and black guitar, to impress Adrianna into proclaiming me the winner. However, my mother would sooner die rather than allow me such a liberty. I can practically hear my mother's imposing voice in my head saying, "My daughter, the next Evil Queen, performing. That is not what queens do, Silver. Petrova's watch and order plays to be made, not perform them for commoners." And my mother being, well, herself, would twist that word, 'commoners', into a such a negative connotation and state it with such hatred, that I find myself wincing at the illusion of thought. A tap on my shoulder returns me to the classroom and I turn to see who dared to touch me. Soon, I find myself peering into the delicately gorgeous face of the Fairest's daughter. Serena is now holding a creamy, thick, expensive piece of paper that accentuates the sophisticated, astoundingly beautiful calligraphy that is distinctly Serena's handwriting. I grasp the paper from Serena's French manicured nails without waiting to be granted permission, as I instead now inspect the parchment further to view its floridly decorative penmanship, before I realize that Serena is looking at me as if she's expecting an answer to a question I did not hear. "What?" I say, hearing the distinct ring of annoyance in my tone. "You weren't listening to anything Lady Helen just said, were you?" Serena accused me, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Can you just get on with your point, if you have one?" I shoot back at her. Sighing, she explains, "Lady Helen just assigned us to write an essay on how Maleficent rules her kingdom and to discover whether or not she listens to her subjects, and the effects of Maleficent's choice of ruling techniques. It's due at the end of the week and we'll only have this class and tomorrow to work on it, the rest we'll have to do outside class." Come again? Me, partners with this spoiled brat? "I will not be your partner." I state, huffing angrily. "Look, I know you don't like me, but we will have to put our differences aside so that we may successfully complete this project. Alright?" I remain silent in my brooding, so Serena then resorts to pleading. "Please, Silver!? After we're done, then you and I may go our separate ways and never speak to each other again. Or, until-" Serena pauses, uncomfortable, then states, "Until... you know." Yes, I do know. We may never speak to each other again until I rewrite the wretched ending of our sequel, exploit your weaknesses, take your crown away from an undeserving creature like you, and become the villain with the happy ending. Garnering an ending I deem happy, an ending that is advantageous to me alone. So yes, Princess of Everadon. I do know. But do you? No, you do not. Serena, the oblivious, naive idiot that she is, carries on in her pathetic attempt at persuasion. "Please... Silver, look, you can go back to disliking me as soon as we completely finish this project. I'm sorry, but I've already asked Lady Helen and she refuses to allow us the opportunity to change partners. You have to work with me, please?" Serena pleads. Wrong, Serena. I do not dislike you. I despise you with every fraction of my cold soul. I despise your mother, the vain, wretched thief for stealing away the title of 'Fairest One of All' from my mother, Natasha. I despise your parents, who still remain King and Queen of Everadon, who still remain unpunished for their crimes against my mother and me. I despise your family's prestige and power, and yearn to claim it for myself. So the fact that you believe that I have a simple dislike for you, that I am no more than an insolent child with a playground enemy, is delightfully humorous and beneficial for me. For you... well, your incorrect assumption is very, very, dangerous. "Please?" Serena repeats, as if I had not heard her mind piercing whines earlier. Rolling my eyes, I force myself to keep these revelations to myself. No good will come of revealing my plans too early. Instead, I allow myself to consider this girl's offer. Well, pretending to set aside my deep hatred for the girl, pretending to become her ally, only to be her enemy in reality, could prove to provide me with a favorable advantage. Furthermore, as annoying as Serena was, she did manage to make a sufficient point, Lady Helen would not allow us to switch partners. Suffice to say, I could not afford to once again place myself on Lady Helen's bad side, so I suppose... "Fine, Serena. I will allow you to be my partner." Ignoring Serena's dreadful squeal of delight, I reach down towards the mahogany desk I'm seated before, and grab my dark blue fountain pen, as well as my leather bound notebook. "Well? I do not wish to remain in your presence any longer than necessary! Let's begin."‎ After grabbing another paper from her purse, a bag which looked garish to me, Serena turned to face me. Then, with an annoyingly perky smile, Serena rushes to get us started right away, patiently explaining the necessary aspects of the project we must complete, (I assume Serena was basically repeating what Lady Helen had explained earlier, while I was away in the realm of thought). So together for the remainder of the period, the two of us work side by side in almost comfortable companionship, working to list our main points and examples, to find instances of proof, to begin to write our introductory paragraph and the like. Notice; however, that I referred to my temporary companionship with Serena as almost comfortable. For despite our temporary truce, the deeply stained truth of our parents' pasts and our future, dripped and flowed‎ in thick, scarlet colored rivulets and threatened to blacken both our souls as it dried. For only one queen would walk away from this war that was sure to turn one of our kingdoms, (the losing one), into an abattoir, only one queen would claim ‎this saga of power as her own. And I was determined, willing to go into any dark depth, play any dangerous political game, beat any cunning enemies, avoid any taunting smiles, so that I may remain one step ahead. So that one day soon, the crown will be on my head. After all, no one can hurt me, only queens with hearts can bleed, and I took care of that problem. You see, 

My story is not one of happily ever after.

 My story is one of the victor. 

My story is one of the Evil Queen.