The Queen's Rise

The Animal Kingdom

The king lowered his sword as the crowd still cheers. I looked at him and the queen, they both looked so serious. At that moment me and my people left with the royals leading the way. The queen looked at me as we continued to walk to their castle. "Would you like to ride one of our horses queen Nettie? " I shake my head. "No thank you, I'd rather walk really. " She nods. The king was a big man, he had golden blonde hair and a beard that matched. His eyes were small and ice blue, they were extremely cold when you first meet him. But if you get to know him and soften him up his eyes melt nearly into a whole new persona. His skin showed his age, it also showed scars and burn scars. His skin was as white as the winter kingdom's Snow, it was also cold to the touch. That's mostly why his appearance looks much of one from the winter kingdom, because he's from there unlike his wife. His name is Yurchik Solovyov, he was a sign of an alliance between the animal kingdom and the winter Kingdom, his wife was also a sign of this alliance. His wife, Michaela Johnson was a fair lady. Her skin was a beautiful tan and her hair was long and a reddish color. Her eyes were grey, nearly as grey as the moon over our heads. She was short, but taller than me. She is very loyal to her husband, only because she doesn't wish for her kingdom to go into another war against the winter kingdom. She deep down only cares for the animal realm rather than the winter realm.

Michaela was a good friend of mine, she was the one who wanted the animal and winter kingdoms to be in alliance with the forest kingdom. I get along a bit more with her than Yurchik, even so I still am glad that he agreed to our proposal of alliance. My kingdom has definitely grown in power, ever since I took the throne. He says he wants any and even all strong kingdoms to be friends and allies with him. We finally make it to the castle, the town just outside the castle gates was busy with chatter. Animals of all species and breeds run about the streets. Some of these animals could speak, which was rather unusual for a human who had lived in a world where animals only made noises. Rumors of the village was spreading, animals and other creatures were devastated while others didn't seem to care.  Some of the civilians waved and even cheered for the king and queen as we walked past. We entered the gates and into the animal Court. "How long do you plan on visiting? " I looked at Yurchik and smiled. "Only for the night, by sunrise I'll be out of the way. " He nods as he climbs off his horse, he turns to me once he's off. "Well then, let us go enjoy the day while it's still here. " I nod as me, the king and queen all walk up to the doors. The castle was much smaller than the water castle, it also showed years of age. The outside was dull and blank, the colors barely fit each other. It was a grey color with a emerald green that was worn and chipping. There were vines growing up the sides of the castle, some of which were inside windows and were spreading into the castle. Yurchik always complains about the way his wife's family line has treated the castle. When it was first built it was marvelous, now it's boring and tiring to look at. But Michaela always fought back with that it's rustic and brings the animals into the castle. It honestly looks like someone abandoned it and didn't try to keep it in good shape. It showed battles of the realm also, wars that were now only written in pages. There were gunshot holes where bullets once laid. There were sword marks and canon ball holes. Some of the wood was even half destroyed since the castle was nearly burnt to the ground.

The inside of the castle was a bit better than the out but it was still rather hideous. The red floor was so deep in color you wouldn't know if there was blood on them. The walls were all a pale off white, that showed faint stains of where blood was once splattered upon them. The ceilings were so high, you'd have to have angels come clean them. The painting along each wall all had the same pose and facial expressions, regardless if there was a woman or man that was portrayed. The old weapons that hung were rusting in small places and didn't shine like they once did in their glory. The blood stained sword of the castle was even awful to gaze upon. The blood red blade was sickening and the once shiny and glorious handle was dusty and disgusting. But the one thing that did liven up the dead castle was the animals and creatures running about. The animals were the spark of life and color in the dull castle, they show that regardless of what condition the castle is in, it's residents are still joyful and bursting with life. The castle was always the least favorite of any traveler stopping by but what they don't know is that the people show what the kingdom is truly like, not the castle. You could have absolutely awful people with the best looking home, but the home just defines their worth and pride. In which case, they animal kingdom doesn't have much, but has more pride in its people. I'd love to have an ally who cares more about people than wealth and home conditions in their personal life. Because that's the duty as a king or queen, to protect and care for their subjects. Some kings and queens are brutal but others can deter their reigns with kindness and loving tenderness.