Nanowrimo 2023 Best Bit and Word Count - Day 9 (Patreon)

I wasn't able to do much writing yesterday due to the emotional drain of attending my father's stem cell transplant procedure, but today I was able to mostly catch up by adding 2,976 words to my project, bringing the total to 14,562!

A sharp, ringing slap sound filled the air, the royals flinching at the sound as if they themselves were feeling the impact. And yet, the Queen of Blue was not moved by the strike on her cheek. This only seemed to enrage the Red Queen farther, her eyes losing the last sparkle of malicious mirth.

"Not only did you fail to contain that wretched creature, but now she's fully escaped," the Red Queen hissed. "Your ineptitude has ruined us all."

The Blue Queen stared her down with cold, dispassionate eyes. "The child can do nothing without help. Someone aided her." She paused, glancing around the room, head lolling like a broken doll. "Where is your beloved nephew again, dear Iskra?"

Another slap, this one hard enough to move the Blue Queen's head, her loose hair flying. "How dare you imply -- "

"There is no implication, Valiant Red," the Queen of Blue said flatly, turning slowly back to stare her down. "That was your carriage she escaped in, and your nephew is nowhere to be found. Neither, I should add, is the young Lord Pine."

The King and Queen of Green cowered as the Queen of Red turned her venomous glare their way.

"It's no fault of mine that the sons of your hues betrayed you," the Queen of Blue continued, a hint of bitter anger coloring her monotone voice. She smirked as the Red Queen slowly turned her attention back to her. "It seems the boys of Red can't resist the women of Blue."

"You!" The Red Queen's hands reached for the Blue Queen's neck, only to be stopped by the sharp smack of the Queen of Yellow's fan on her knuckles.

"That's enough!" she snapped like a mother scolding children.  "Throwing around blame will not help us here. Nerissa." She turned to the Blue Queen. "Where would she go?"

The Blue Queen gestured broadly. "How should I know? As I said before, before today I wasn't even sure if she was still alive in that tower. The machinations of her mind are as much of a mystery to me as they would be to anyone else. But if I were her..." Her expression darkened, fear and guilt warring with anger in her eyes. "I would seek vengeance against those who wronged me."

"Then why didn't she simply kill us while she had the chance?" the Queen of Violet asked, her voice shrill with fear.

"It wouldn't be prudent to attempt such a thing with so many guards," the King of Green pointed out. "She'd be dead before she could get to her first victim."

"You say that, but the guards did nothing this morning," the Violet Queen huffed.

"She didn't threaten us," the Yellow Queen pointed out. "Perhaps she simply wished to leave the castle to die with some dignity?"

"You saw the look she gave us," the Violet Queen reminded her. "That was not the look of a woman looking to 'die with dignity.' That was the look of a woman who refused to die at all."

The Queen of Green shuffled nervously. "I suppose I can't fault her her anger. She was only a child..."

"That was not a child!" The Red Queen snapped. "That is a demon born out of a disregard for the last words our goddess gave to us! And now it's out in the world, and apparently very unhappy with all of us. Just because you cannot 'fault her' does not mean it will show you any mercy."

"Her name is Ayden."

All eyes snapped towards the Queen of Blue, who met their confusion with a steadiness that they had not seen since before the debutante ball.

"My daughter's name is Ayden," she said plainly. "I would insist that you refrain from referring to her as 'it.'"

"You are not in a position to insist anything, dear Nerissa," the Red Queen hissed.

"As a matter of fact, I am," the Queen of Blue corrected, making a rolling gesture with her hand that brought forward several guards. "Just as I am insisting that you leave now. This reunion has been uninspiring, and I tire of it."

The Queen of Blue could practically see the Red Queen's hackles rise like the irate cat she was. But the Blue Queen could bring herself to care anymore. The swirling guilt and shame still ate at her belly, as it always would. And she had no one to blame but herself. She failed to protect her daughter, giving in to the fear and the pressure of others. And now Ayden hated her, as she should. Her girl was free, for however long she could be before the curse took her. She would be back to exact her revenge on the queen eventually. If anyone needed to prepare to die with dignity, it was her.

"Might I remind you that it was my carriage your spawn took off in?" the Red Queen snapped.

The Blue Queen rolled her shoulders back, standing tall for the first time in three years.

"Then walk."