Headless Chicken

"Good morning, Your Highness. I have breakfast for you!" Maisie cajoled softly as she gently crept into the room with a plate of Daphne's favorites. The queen had been sleeping in her private rooms, with the curtains pulled shut. It made her room look as welcoming as a mausoleum, which suited Daphne just fine. 

She felt like death anyway.

"Please eat something today. This isn't good for your body otherwise," Maisie said worriedly as she spotted the lump of her lady under her blankets. "Your Highness, are you sure you don't want me to open the curtains? It's a beautiful day."

Maisie wasn't there for the disastrous Spring Parade so she didn't see what happened, but rumors were flying thick and fast throughout the country, claiming that she was a witch who made a deal with the devil to enslave a dark creature. Eyewitnesses swear they saw her wielding fire and water at the same time, drowning innocents and destroying the floats as though they were wet paper.