Power and The Queen

Chapter Thirty - Eight.🟢

The chills produced a tickling effect on her skin,slowly, causing her to rouse gently. Opening her eyes slowly, she shivered, adjusting them to how bright the room was. She stood up, realising how familiar this place was and what it meant to her.

A drop of tear escaped her eyelid, freezing before it reached her chin. Why was she back here again? As if to confirm her suspicions, the sound of ice cracking drew her attention side ways.

"No," she whispered, taking backward steps.

"No, please not again."

Her boots caught something behind her, and she struggled for balance. Thankfully, she found it not falling on her backside.

She slapped her mouth with her hands, keeping them there, unable to control the tears flowing from her eyes. There were bodies on the floor of the castle hall. Lifeless bodies of people she was sure she cared very much for. They laid unmoving, with dark blood and other fluid leaking out of cracked areas of their face.

She focused on a particular face and subconsciously touch her hair and just as she thought there was a crown sitting there; this woman had placed it there, and she had smiled at her. She remembered it all too well, for it had been her torture for many moons.

She stifled her sobs, scanning for a way out of the castle. She could not stand being back here for a second longer. Deep in her heart, she knew she loved these people, yet she failed to protect them. Moving around in her dress proved very difficult.

She pulled it up, only to find that her dress had soaked up most of the blood on the floor. But that did not scare as much as looking at her hands. They were glowing red and were smeared up to elbow level with blood.

"This is not supposed to happen," she cried. "I am in control."

She tried convincing herself.

"Are you now? Dear child." a shrieking voice came.

She tried to find the source, but it sounded like it came from the entire hall.

The ice cracked louder nearly making her scream, but she had no clue who or what was responsible for this so she tried to make as little noise as she could. She looked up the ceiling bearing painting of the constellations expecting what would come next but it was as still as ever.

The shrieking voice from before however came to her sight in the physical form of a cloud of dark midst. She forgot her plan to stay hidden and decided to call out.

"Who goes there?!" she shouted. Her voice broke with each sound and she was sure she was still crying.

"You think you are in control, child," the shierking voice replied.

Cora became sensitive to her glowing hands and crossed them below her breast. She felt guilty when she remembered it was the dress she had once idolized. She dwelt little on that thought and continued to search for a way out of the castle but it seems she was trappped. Not even a window was in sight.

The shrieking whispers came again, but she could not hear what was said. The tongue was too foreign for her to comprehend.

"Stop hiding behind the fog, show yourself!" She shouted, putting up her bravest font.

"You killed my friends," she cried. "My family."

She was still not completely certain, but that was what they felt to her family.

"Come now, Child aren't you tired of the games? You think I killed them?" the voice responded.

Each time she heard it brought a fresh wave of fear to her bones. She could see nothing but dark midst floating around the hall and the voice was too small to be real.