The Queen's Curse (47 page)

Artride dismounted and ran towards the castle. Tirsa walked off towards the stables with her mount. The guards looked surprised and alarmed at her pace.

They bowed for her and said as one, ‘Welcome back, your Highness.’

‘Thank you, good men. Everything well?’

‘Nothing out of the ordinary happened while you were gone, my Lady,’ one said with questioning big eyes.

‘Good. Now, go and find me some beeswax candles!’ and she gestured at the heavy doors.

‘My Lady?’

‘You heard me: I need a black, a red, a white and a blue beeswax candle. Even if you have to knock on every door in Satrea, find me those!’

The guard scratched his stubble and repeated her words, then nodded, thinking the queen to have gone mad. She explained quickly, ‘There will be a party. I’m getting married!’

They opened the doors for her and nodded.

‘I shall see to it straight away, my Lady.’ The guard smiled, relieved.

It felt as if she’d been away for years; so much she had changed in these last weeks. Life never would be the same again and looking at the castle she was bound to make some changes around this place too.

She climbed the winding stairs and noticed all was quiet in the castle.

P
anting heavily she crossed many a floor, noticing the sun setting with a spreading red glow through the big oval windows on the marble staircase, and on her face. Artride moved on until she walked through a narrow corridor and stopped in front of a black door heavily locked. The Chamber of the Law Book.

Unlocking the door by touching the lock, by magic it clicked open; only Royalty could
do that, she pushed the door gingerly open. She held her breath.

The book will soon punish me for the death of my uncle and a slow death will befall me. How slow and how soon I do not know
…

~ ~ ~

With a dry throat and her heart heavily beating Tirsa walked over to the open black door and peeked in. The candles were li
t in each corner and flickered; one red, one black, one blue and one white.

It was still dark; the night sky falling through the large oval window, but still she could see the sliver of the old waning moon rising in the night; its light falling on the long
, black hair of her queen. And soon it would be the moment in between for the magic to work; the passing of the night meeting the new day empowered by the rising of both the sun
and
the moon at the same time.

‘You’re early
,’ Artride said.

Tirsa smi
led, ‘Of course.’ And she looked in awe at how stunning Artride was; she had bathed and was dressed in nothing but a thin light blue nightgown. She had to look away as not to be carried away too soon. She spotted the small round table with the closed thick book on top.

Artride had already removed the protecting cascade the book normally lay in.

‘Be careful not to touch it, Tirsa.’

‘I will. Er, I mean I won’t.’ And she looked at her and bit her lip in yearning.

And together they waited, in silence, the presence of the book so oppressing, and excited about what was to come; they could not talk or do anything else other than wait awkwardly.

And when at last the sun was on its way, they undressed. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen each other naked before, but this was different. Slowly
, Tirsa let her clothes drop on the floor and took Artride’s face gently in her hands and their lips met. They kissed long and hungrily as if their lives depended on it, well Artride’s did. Tirsa wrapped her arms around Artride’s neck and Artride’s hands glided over Tirsa’s bare back and pressed her body against hers. Tirsa helped her out of her nightgown and started kissing her neck, shoulders and breasts and they laid down on the rug, their bodies and hair, black and gold, moving and merging as one in front of the book, the candles, the rising sun and the waning moon …

~ ~ ~

When the sun rose higher and the moon went down and they had forgotten about the book and all around them, they felt a wind of change blowing through the room. They looked up from the rug. It had built up into a storm above the book; so vivid they had to close their ears against the sudden noise, and a reddish black light rose from the now opened book, lifting it up about five feet, before dropping it. Holding close to one another, the next thing they saw was black smoke rising and slowly circling from out of the book, leaving. And the reddish glow together with the thick black smoke drifted through the window, smashing it, leaving pieces of shattered glass on the windowsill and floor.

The shock overwhelmed them, but not just the quick
departure of the curse they literally saw descending; no, Artride even felt it inside her body and her spirit, something evil was leaving them.

The two women stood and watched the
book, surely empty now, but to be sure, Artride picked up one of the candles; the white one, and set the book on fire.

It burned on its altar, it burned like a normal book would; its cover and pages scorching, blistering and crumbling to ash.

Artride turned to face Tirsa, tears streaming down her face, who opened her arms and held her while she wept tears of joy.

‘It’s over Artride, truly over. Our lives can start now
,’ she said stroking her hair. Artride spoke gratefully through her smile, ‘If I hadn’t had you, I would not have known what to do.’

‘Same here, my
queen. Same here.’

~ ~ ~

‘Perhaps there will be a day kings and queens no longer will be needed,’ Artride said to her wife a couple of days later, sitting on a comfortable, broad rocking chair in the Royal Garden when they finally, after days of celebrating, were alone again. They had to speak to so many people and explain so many things and it had been tiring, but well worth it. Well, at least there had been a wedding. It was the most perfect wedding one could ever imagine and both wore the most stunning dresses, one light green for Tirsa and one pale blue for Artride. Elimar was present and so was Tirsa’s mother and her sister Fiosa; they were all surprised, but couldn’t be more pleased. As for the Ceartasians, well, people will be people and some were happy for them and some narrow-minded about it, but at least they could not be happier with the curse being lifted and the explanation from the queen that all this time it had been just that and not her, who saw to the penalties. At least now they knew she wasn’t cruel, that was a start. They would have to learn to get to know her now, and so they would as the queen’s plan was to be nearer the people and choose a government to help her rule. Together they would be strong.

‘People will always need leaders; that is the law of nature
,’ Tirsa yawned. ‘And we shall make excellent leaders.’

‘Hmm, perhaps. However
, when power falls into the wrong hands things could seriously go wrong. Look at Volmer and Sempervirens and other dictators in the world. Those people were not chosen. They just took the power into their hands and sometimes people let them, out of fear or wanting new changes, hoping for a better future.’

‘Apes, monkeys and wolves, our closest relatives have leaders and they know order. It does not mean it has to be a bad thing.’

‘No, you’re right of course. But they were chosen, sort of, or fought their way to become a leader, without too much bloodshed. Even you, you earned the rank of commander and most certainly earned the right to be my queen.’ And she smiled warmly at her. Tirsa kissed her, caressing the ring on her finger with the blue gem; Artride’s ring. Tirsa had given her a ring in return with a real diamond in it; she had bought it with all her savings in a neighbouring city. Artride had not expected this and felt a little guilty, but very honoured. Tirsa would have riches beyond her imagination, although Artride could finally share them with her people now, whereas before she was not allowed to. Times would change; she would make sure of that.

‘But how can you still talk like this, after all you did both for Ceartas and Dochas? Believe me, you’ll make the best
queen ever, don’t worry.’

Humbly she
lowered her face.

‘It is a great responsibility, one that is new to me, but as long as I have you by my side to help me, I will be alright.’

‘True, for now that Ceartas has not got one, but
two
queens, what could go wrong?’

And they smiled and walked back hand
-in-hand towards the castle. Much work was to be done yet, but there was enough time now, at last.

THE END

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