The Lord ✔️

Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The True Identity

Queen Cora rolled her eyes, a ghost of a cruel smile lingering on her lips. "Mother?" she chucked, then imitated Andromeda's voice: "mother!?" It made Andromeda want to viciously claw her across her face. Before she could act, though, Queen Cora spoke, her voice deadly calm. "Who told you to believe that I'm your mother, Andromeda?"
"You are," Andromeda said.
Queen Cora laughed again. "Really?" She paused, then said, "really. Now, Princess Andromeda, do you really think a mother, especially a Queen who has been taught to love and cherish all, would treat you like I did?"
"Well—"
"Cora" continued. "No, so why would I be your mother?"
Andromeda was confused, but she refused to believe the wolf standing before her wasn't her mother. Yet, there was this voice in her head telling her to believe the wolf, despite all she had done. "If you weren't, how would you disguise yourself? Smear dirt over yourself? I'm not stupid, you know."
"Cora" laughed again. It was really getting on Andromeda's nerves. "No, but you see, dear, there's this wonderful thing called magic that I was able to use to disguise myself as a completely different wolf."
"You don't have magic, though," Andromeda said. She prayed "Cora" wouldn't hear the small bit of uncertainty in her voice.
The smile on the "Cora's" face stretched out so it covered most of her face, and, somehow, made her look more deadly and terrifying that ever before.
"You're right—I don't have magic. But, you see, Ina does."
Andromeda's eyes widened. "Ina's dead," she snapped. "She died a long time ago. So did Queen Estella."
This time, the queen-but-not-the-queen didn't smile. She took the tiniest step forward, so her face was almost touching Andromeda's. Andromeda could feel her breathing near her ear, bloodlust evident. Unconsciously, Andromeda took a large step back, allowing her to fully enter the North-East Cave's Highest Tower.
"Did it ever occur to you that a wolf as—great—as her, in some wolves's eyes—could be immortal? Judging by your facial expression, dear, I am sure it didn't." Her voice was cruel and raspy. Andromeda inhaled.
"Where is she?" Andromeda's voice was shaky, but it held the determination she had preserved so long, all the way back when "Cora" had banished her, and all through her stay at Skystar.
"Queen Cora" gingerly lifted a paw and pointed in the direction of the faint glow, allowing Andromeda to take a few steps closer before she stepped towards her, affectively stopping the princess from actually seeing her.
Andromeda peered forward, then gasped.
A female wolf, old, wise, and worn-out, lay down on the floor, her eyes only barely open and her breathing heavy. She had white as snow and eyes and blue as the deepest ocean trenches, her paws were slightly darker, a light shade of grey. Her paws were pressed against the ground. She couldn't move.
"Lord Ina," Andromeda breathed, shocked to the core.
Hearing her name, the old wolf looked up. She saw Andromeda, and a wry smile formed on her face. "Ahh," she said, her voice quiet yet full of emotional depth Andromeda couldn't even begin to understand. "Finally, you have come here, Princess Andromeda, to take your place as The Lord."
"What do you mean?" Andromeda asked. She didn't have the words to greet the great seer Ina, certainly not when "Queen Cora" stood in a close proximity with her, watching the conversation. But she hadn't interfered.
"You are The Lord," Ina said, slowly, so Andromeda would understand.
"The Lord?" Andromeda asked. "The legend who would save everyone from their misery, me?"
"Yes," Ina said.
Andromeda turned away. Her? The Lord? She remembered the time when she had lead wolves as they left Findrut, and when she was young, as she rescued a herd of dying elk from a disease. She remembered when she had lead Skystar peacefully, how she had defended, and how she had fought against all the injustice as spared those who needed to be spared, and hunted those who needed to be hunted.
"I can't be The Lord," Andromeda said.
"Queen Cora" stepped forward haughtily, rolling her eyes. Ina sighed when she saw that Andromeda wasn't alone, and "Queen Cora," out of all wolves, was with her.
"Oh, just listen to the old brat, will you," she growled. "Learn all you need to learn, then die. Is it really that hard to believe? That I'm not the real Queen Cora, the Fake-One, and you're The Lord?"
Then Andromeda noticed, for the first time, there was something on her right front leg. It was slightly faint, but becoming clearer, and Andromeda knew it was new, shaped like a snowflake. The relic. It was the relic of The Lord. I'm The Lord. She felt breathless and amazed, like she was on fire.
"You're the Fake-One?" Andromeda's voice sounded breathy and amazed, even to her own ears. It sounded as if she would drift off, as if she was too drowsy.
"Can't even believe that?" The Fake-One's lips had curled into a smirk. "If you can't believe that, what can you believe? It was me that kidnapped your true mother, and took her role. It was me who destroyed the kingdom's balance, not Queen Cora. And you, out of all wolves, were supposed to stop me. But, you didn't." She laughed.
Ina said something inaudible, something that Andromeda nor The Fake-One managed to catch. That didn't matter. Andromeda's heart was thudding at a speedy pace, and the guilt she had stowed away for so long was beginning to creep back in slowly, haunting her. She sighed deeply.
"If you're not Queen Cora, what's your real name?" Andromeda asked. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know.
There was silence, where Ina closed her eyes and Andromeda's breath quickened. The Fake-One hesitated, before answering: "My name is Saeva."