Chapter Thirteen: Alura (Patreon)

                                                                              𝕬𝖑𝖚𝖗𝖆

Nible worked tirelessly cutting the flowers from the stems and brought them over to the Queen who put them together with strings. The older woman could see everything twisting and turning in the blonde woman's mind so she did what a handmaiden rarely did and sat beside her. With the certain level that most people sat at being lower, it was very unbecoming to be so close to the woman who ruled the kingdom. Only her son and the little Princess could come even close. The Queen seemed to be lenient with the Princess as even she was supposed to sit a few feet away.

Alura knew what that meant, however, when her old handmaiden broke the rules of command, but she kept her eyes on her fingers that put a tight knot to keep the bouquet together. The older woman was like a mother to her, so that meant a few lectures and talks that only Nible could get away with saying to the Queen was coming whether she wanted it to or not. "Spit it out," Alura said with a heavy sigh.

"Antonella." Nible paused. "You have taken a liking to her, my lady." She took a few moments before she let her eyes float up to see Alura's reaction.

The Queen didn't say anything as she took one individual flower and spun it between her fingers making a few petals fall to the table. The beauty of blossoming plants had always caught her attention, they were such a delicate example of beauty that she often wondered how others could find love when humans were so sub-par to nature. Maybe Antonella was a flower, "She is-" the Queen let her tongue rest at the back of her mouth as she became annoyed at her lack of words. Her want to even discuss the alluring girl was too low for her to make anything she thought come to life for others.

"She is young." Nible took her flower and joined it with her as she tied the string fast like the skilled worker she always was. "She is to be betrothed to your son." The woman held out a finger before the Queen could interrupt. "That was your wishes."

Alura rolled her eyes like she did when Nible gave her talks as a teenager, Her talks usually came from trying to rule a kingdom with hormones and opinions. "If I made the commands then I should be able to change them." She swallowed a sudden swelling in her throat. It almost felt like tears were welling up in her eyes. She was never one to be emotional, especially in front of anyone who could see her acting in any way like a human would. "I have never taken a liking to anyone like I have to her."

The handmaiden nodded remembering every suiter that ever tried with the Queen. One warrior even went as far as to bring the head of her enemy into the throne room. That didn't sit well with the stoic Queen who had him set the same fate. Her reasoning was that he was too willing to take the lives of those he did not have the right to take. Another promised acres and acres of land, The same land that was flooded under the sea, perhaps he thought her stupid because of her sex but she quickly disproved his ideals by accepting his offer. The next day she had him thrown to the sharks. Her words being: "I never wanted him to feel homesick."

Now with the drought that had fallen on the east side of the kingdom, she used the land to gift to soldiers. "What you and she decide to do behind closed doors is no one else's business my lady but you must realize this can affect your own son." The older woman took the Queen's hands into her own and waited for her eyes to meet hers. "He is to have children with her, I know how well you can turn a blind eye to facts you do not want to face but when she shows up to your corridors with his child inside of her how will you cope...how will you look at her?"

Taking her hand away the Queen pushed her chair back and looked over the railing at the kingdom below. She didn't let her gaze stay there long as she examined the clouds in the sky. "Everything could have been different if I was born a man Nible." The fluffy white colors in the sky moved faster than they usually did.

"Maybe easier but that does not necessarily mean better."

"Mother and father tore this kingdom apart, how much more could I have gotten accomplished if I were only a boy? I would not have had to earn my respect, I would not have had to pick up all the pieces of drunken warlords and fix the economy of a whole kingdom behind closed doors!" Holding onto her forehead the Queen tried to fight off a headache. "To indulge in one weakness I have should not make me the same as the disappointments before me." Her velvet shoes hit the side of the stone, a nervous habit she had obtained.

"Your mother was not a disappointment."

"She was!" Alura knew her voice was raised so she calmed herself for a minute before continuing. "She allowed a mad king to bring her down to the same level and I refuse to do the same. No man will ever bring me to their level." She felt the anger that she had built up for years feeding her throbbing heart that sped up.

Nible leaned back in her chair. "My sister was not the best person before him either Alura."

"So I suppose I am just destined to fall into madness like them?" The spring air puffed a wind towards them that caused a chill, the floral scent faded away for a minute to accompany the horses and stables from below. A smell the Queen wasn't overly fond of. "I do not want to be labeled insane because of my abnormal feelings for her."

"You are not insane and you are not your parents." Nible got up slowly feeling the aches of all her years of work. It took her a few seconds to warm back up to standing but when she did she placed her hand on the blonde woman's back and rubbed soft circles like she did when she held Alura as a baby. It used to soothe the screaming when no one else was there to comfort her in the giant room that sat empty and cold. Nible often wondered if she was trying to calm away the same screams, The Queen was alone and angry. Not much had changed. "I do not want you to think about this carelessly, that is all." Nible watched Alura's face become confused as she glared down below so the handmaiden followed her gaze to Wellbourne going mad, running towards their homes and off of the streets.

"They are chanting something." The Queen stood straight and tried to follow the opposite way they ran, it wasn't uncommon for any place no matter how tightly or loosely they were ruled to fall into some sort of chaos now and then but this wasn't just a simple quarrel between commoners it seemed. "Someone is dead." Letting her eyes fall to her hands the blonde woman held her breath remembering who she had allowed to go to the Arena.

"Surely Lenal did not lose my lady?" Nible seemed just as confused as she looked around at the guards who whispered to one another. She rested her sights on the tall woman who fell out of their conversation and went back into the mode that no one could ever crack, when there was a crisis no one could ever put aside their feelings better than the Queen. Her face went still and her eyes went blank as she clutched her hands together and called for a close guard.

"Accompany me to the throne room." She straightened her dress and ensured the crown on top of her bead was sitting correctly before tilting her head slightly as an apology to Nible. She left her there as she walked calmly through the hallways and down the dark doors that led to the room she dreaded. The room where she could never be anyone but Queen Alura. There she sat with her guards taking their places with their sharp spears sticking out just in case trouble was to fall inside, something that could happen very easily with the chaos.

The voices and chanting of the people became louder and louder as her own guards warned the people to get back. The large doors were opened by not a calm and stoic Imil but a panting and scratched-up Imil with wide eyes, behind him fell Lenal who was still sweaty from his fight, and the girl she had hoped to see, her face dried with dark red blood and yet another dress of hers ruined.

All of them fell on their knees in front of the Queen as she looked them over one by one, the only one not there kneeling was her own son so she looked down at her crossed legs for only a moment before meeting the girl's watery brown eyes, Alura could tell she longed for her but she wasn't able to reciprocate how she wanted while she was seated at her thrown so she only tilted her head as some sort of sign to calm down. "Take her to my chamber."

A few guards bowed before lifting her up, Antonella's face wild with confusion. "to your chamber my Queen?" The shorter man asked.

"At once!" Her voice echoed louder than the people outside of the walls, making the room fill with silence. She watched the girl tremble from fear but the Queen only observed her with her face that turned red from being questioned, they brought her up from her knees and guided her out of the room leaving the Chief of Command Imil to stand up slowly.

"Prince Nikolai is dead my Queen." When she said nothing he continued by looking down at the stone floor. "Shot in the heart with an arrow as the fight ended."

"Where is he now?"

"My men are clearing the stadium now. They will bring him back my lady."

She kept her face still except for a slight twitch from her eye, keeping her emotions in check was never easy but to listen to the news of her own son, the baby she once watched learn how to walk to be found dead broke her for only a second as she let her head fall. "Find the man who murdered my son." She stood up making Imil fall back to the floor on his knees. "Hang the murderer's body outside my window for the birds." She walked over to Lenal who kept his head low she could tell he was hiding his eyes from her. "Go home boy, get some rest." She let her dress flow past them as she left the throne room and everyone in it.

Her mind filled with every single thought that could possibly run through a childless mother's head, she couldn't stop it as she picked up her pace. The thought that her only blood was gone and would not be back to shoot his smirk toward anyone who would listen broke her heart in a way that had never been broken before.

She went inside her room and closed the door behind her leaving the darkness to eat up much of her view. No candles had been lit except for one by the bed that Antonella sat on. The Queen leaned against the door and tilted her head seeing her silhouette shiver, she was never good at comforting. It was always something she knew she needed to work on when her son fell and scraped his knee. She would make him get up and keep going even if he limped. He did it for her even though he tried not to cry.

Alura rang a rag that was draped over a bucket near the fire that faded and went to the girl who struggled to find words. "I am sorry." The girl whispered as the fabric rubbed against her skin, the once-dried blood smeared across her cheek as the blonde woman wiped it up leaving only a faint stain left behind. "Do I- do I have to go home?"

The Queen didn't respond as she dropped the used rag to the ground, she couldn't find anything to say as she made her turn slightly so she could untie her dress that held the blood of her son. Making her stand the older woman took the clothing off of her leaving her bare, her skin was raised with chill bumps and her eyes were big and worried. "Do you want to go home?" She let her fingers which were filled with golden rings and large gems rest on her arms.

The girl shook her head roughly as the Queen's pointer finger lifted her chin to look back at her. "You will stay here Antonella, you will be a LeVane." She forced the girl to kiss her lips even though tears ran down her face leaving streaks between the blood stains. The Queen didn't want her to cry so she wiped the tears away with her thumb. "I am your home now. Not Wellbourne nor this castle but me, do you understand?" The Queen picked up the last candle that spun around from the draft in the room. "Tell me you understand Antonella."

The girl's head nodded as her body was turned to face her and the flame between them. "I understand your Majesty."

Queen Alura lifted the small flame to be between their faces, its soft light casting a shadow into the ceiling as their eyes locked into one another. "It's only you and I now little bird." Her head tilted slightly as she studied the lips that were now hers a small smirk dancing across her own face for only a millisecond. "You must forgive me now for what I will do to keep you safe."

"I forgive you, my Queen."

The two faces came closer as they both blew out the flame together, the only thing left was the darkness that surrounded them and the chanting of the people heard from the open windows.

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