Living Nightmare

The sunshine's brightly onto Queen Elena's already golden hair, the living nightmare illuminated by holy light. She smiles down at her subjects as if she had some right to sit on the throne. Conspiring whore, her consort sits next to her a merchant jeweler she meet when she was still my father's Head Consort. What a joke. For once I am grateful for the crimson veil that covers my face, or else how would I be able to roll my eyes at the ridicule before me. Subjects come and go all paying their tally to the wretched whore, with a few asking for more time yet never receiving it.

Queen Elena's coffers are full while her subjects starve only a select few are allowed to progress most being descendants of her bloodline or favored subjects. She smiles like a fool as she sends them to their death. All who helped her gain the throne were executed the moment she acquired more power for what use would a Witch have fort traitors that could easily turn on her as they did my father. For while the people believe he perished in a foreign land I know better. Just like I know she's the reason my mother went mad.

Two milkmaids approached the dais one whispers to the other, "isn't that the princess?"

"Don't look," the other says, "I hear she's hideous and cruel."

"That's right, I heard she killed one of her knights for simple looking at her."

"That's nothing I heard she tortures her servants and drinks their blood."

"I only drink the blood of fools, who know not how to mind their tongue," I say, rising from the small throne I occupy. Appearances must be kept, I step down and walk over to the milkmaids pretending to sniff them I say, "your blood's not pure enough for me to bother."

The first milk made holds her breath while the second falls to her knee's tears streaming down her freckled face.

"Please forgive me, your highness."

The fools, if only they knew the monster, they call their Queen bathes' in their blood and hard-earned coin. I walk past them without a second thought exiting the throne room. No one follows me for no one cares, I make my way to my chamber and find Dahlia has already set up my lunch on the table inside the library. I ignore the food and head back into my sleeping chamber and straight for the armoire. Who wants cured meats and bland tea?

A crow lands on my window as I change into leather pants and riding boots selecting a midnight blouse and red cloak, I fasten a blade onto my thigh and hide another in my boot. Grandmother will surely have better food. I fold the veil tucking it into the pocket of my cloak and place a porcelain mask on. The mask is quite simple the designed having faded long ago. The crow watches as I move drape hanging next to the armoire depicting a dancing maiden surrounded by wolves. The moment I open the secret passage he swoops in landing on my shoulder. Carefully I fix the drape and close the secret door locking it from my end.

I don't need light to see as I make my way down the familiar corridor. Having done this a thousand times I've memorized every passage within the palace walls. The smell of freshly baked bread seeps in from the kitchen that's two passages below. The crow doesn't make a sound he doesn't even move as we make our way down and around then at one point up only to come back down. Where it, night time I could have taken a faster route but at this time of day, the longer route will have to do, can't have anyone spotting me.

The wind howls as I near the exit this tunnel will leave me near the Shadow Market my first stop. All is silent this time of day most merchants preferring to do their dealing at night in the safety of the shadows. I make my way to the temple of Rania as some of the merchants call her. She is the mother goddess of all who deals in the Shadow Market they say the goddess and her descendants once ruled these lands but that we disappointed her and they left. Those outside the market call her Celeste daughter of stars.

Her story is one of my favorites the star that chose the underworld as her home. So, it goes one day the Prince of the Underworld was making his way to the Bridge of Eternity when he spotted goddess Celeste looking down. When he finished his trial, he went to the Celestial Realm in search of her eventually binding his eternal soul to the goddess and naming her Empress of the Underworld his father officially allowing him to rule in his stead the Prince became the god of the Underworld. Of course, there are different variations of their story one thing that remains true in all of them is their eternal love.

The path to the temple is lined with crimson spider lilies and cypress trees. The goddess stands at the center her hands outstretched a pomegranate in offering her head is held high as if bathing in moonlight she's carved out of obsidian the stone of the Underworld. A rabbit caved out of jasper rest at her feet. They say that's the form the god of the Underworld gave their daughter when he sent her for her first trial, without consulting the Empress. The Empress was so angry she left him to ponder upon his mistake, taking on a variety of trials until he could earn her trust back. But not before removing the ninth level of the Underworld and creating the Shadow Realm.

I incline my head and light one of the candles at the goddess's feet, "for my mother," I say lighting a second candle, "for my father," and a third, "for all the souls she's taken without cause." I don't need to specify who she is for the goddess will know. An acolyte comes over in robes of violet and crimson she carries a tray of persimmons she sets at the goddess alter. Having forgotten my offering, I take the dagger from my thigh and prick my finger offering a few drops. Blood exchanges were considered sacred during the goddess's time in our world and while rare, a few still practice the action of exchanging blood with their mate only.

My father didn't believe in having a mate and so had a harem filled with concubines. When Elena took over, she executed any who didn't escape including their children. The only siblings I have left live in hiding in foreign lands, they probably forgot me long ago. I tuck my blade away and look as my wound heals. Where it not for this ability I would have died long ago. Well, that and if mother hadn't had an assassin train me in secret all of Elena's attempts would have succeeded. From the moment I could walk and read I was sent to a special school where I would learn to be a lady mother had told father. Truth was, she sent me to the Queen of Assassins where I learned to survive.

Mother told me father had tried to kill me once that the guise she'd placed on me had saved me. Problem is, Mother is gone and I'll be eighteen in six months. My ten-year grace period ending. I pray the goddess helps me, for I know not what I'll do.