3 The Horror

As I entered her chambers, the first thing I noticed was the fragrance in the room. She had somehow found out about my favorite scent.

Cinnamon!

It brought a smile that I tried my best to hide. This woman surprised me sometimes. So she had a sweet side?

"Good evening, Queen Marlena"

"I really wish you would one day, call me mother"

Too fast. Slow your horses Oh queen!

"One step at a time, right, My Queen?", I said.

"Oh, dear. Very true. One step at a time. Please sit"

I looked around the room. It was the second time I was entering here in two and a half years. The decorations had changed. The rugs that were a bright lilac were black now. Was she mourning? Even the curtains were the darkest purple, except the ones around the bed, those were pink. What a strange taste.

"You brought something for me?"

What was she talking about? Me? Bring something for her? Like I can just forget all the maltreatment and meanness?

"Oh. You are talking about this thing I am carrying?"

"Yes"

"It is my own food, My Queen", I gave her a smile that was honestly from my heart.

I can bet that it was anger I saw on her face, then she smiled.

"Oh, my dear. There was no need for you to do that. I will not harm you in any way", Queen Marlena said.

Yeah right!

"I know that. But you know... given our history, this is just me trying to be careful. Do not hold it against me"

"I can never hold anything against you, Karina. You are my stepdaughter, you know. As I do not have a child of my own yet, you are my child"

I am not a child again though. I wish she disgests that.

"You can eat yours, while I eat mine. And I had prepared stuffed ducks for us to enjoy"

Good stars! That is my favorite dish. The royal cook knew how to prepare it to my liking.

"I already had some of that before coming here. I will just have my assorted fruits". A single stuffed duck hadn't even entered my mouth. I was crying inside!!! Wailing!!! I slurped the saliva that was gathering in my mouth and made a mental note to tell the royal cook to prepare mine after this makeup meeting.

As she dished the meal into her personal plate, she said, "Your father mentioned something about making you his next in line"

The grape I had popped into my mouth slid into my throat, causing me to cough a bit. "Really? He told you?", my eyes wide with surprise.

"He didn't tell me. I have my ways...", she winked.

That rubbed off on me wrongly, like someone had used sandpaper on my eyeballs. I removed my gaze from her and looked at my bowl of different grapes.

[My favorite fruit], I consoled myself.

She continued, "Would you like that? I could tell him to go ahead, urge him that it was a good plan since there are no male heirs in view. And far be it from us to hand the throne over to another. That can not happen"

Was she being real right now?

"That would be great, Queen Marlena". It was what I was thinking about this morning. Could this be a sign?

I found myself relaxing and I began to tell her of plans I had to reshape the kingdom if I am crowned Queen. "You will be the Queen Mother"

Marlena smiled at that and nodded, "Promise to listen to my guidance though"

"Why won't I? Especially if it is for the good of the whole of Pridal Kingdom"

She began to cough a little and I thought the royal cook hadn't arranged this particular meal well. "You found a bone?"

"I think so. But it has gone down now", she said as she picked up a chalice of wine and finished the whole thing inside in a few gulps.

WOW.

* * *

Unknown to Princess Karina, that was a cue for the smallish man standing behind the dark curtains. If Karina hadn't let her guard down, she would have sensed the pervading doom in the air that would have alerted her of what was about to happen.

Frodo came out stealthily towards Karina back who was engrossed in explaining the reforms and reshuffling of the people holding important positions now.

Marlena who saw Frodo did not even flinch for it was not obvious on her face that there was a third person in the room. She was listening intently, nodding her head at all the ideas the princess was spitting out, in order to sustain the princess' attention.

The acting... legendary.

In a swift move, Karina's throat was slit from left to right, like a hot knife through butter.

Karina's eyes widened. She struggled... holding her neck together. THE PAIN! THE REGRET FOR TRUSTING SOMEONE SO VILE! [I SHOULDN'T HAVE!]... a faint stream of thought coursed through her fading mind.

Blood filled her hands. Her eyes, which looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets, rested on Marlena. As she was about to say, "YOU"... she fell to the black rug beneath her...she tried, but couldn't get a sound out, let alone, scream.

Marlena stood up quickly and went to the door to stop anyone from coming in. Her hands were shaking... she was trembling. But regret was far away from her as all she focused on was getting what she wanted.

She was frightened, [what if Anna comes in now?], she thought. "Do it", she ordered in a whisper.

"Why does it look like she is still alive?", she asked in a frantic voice.

It was as if there was still life in Karina's eyes. Marlena could not explain what she saw in Karina's eyes.

The way Karina looked at her would remain in her memory till death and probably beyond.

[Who could remain alive after such a cut and blood loss?], Marlena thought.

Frodo began the work immediately as he cut her dress open, around her stomach area.

With the same dexterity, he cut open her lower abdomen. Dipping his left hand into her body, grabbing her virgin womb, he cut here and cut there freeing the organ from the rest of her body.

It was a horrid sight but Marlena kept her eyes open. All she could see in her mind's eye was she covered with blood- but from the birth of her own son, from her own womb.

She smiled maniacally.

"Put it in that box under the chair".

He did as he was told without so much as a sound...

"Roll up the rug and clean up quickly. There's water in the washroom behind you"

The black rug was specially selected and placed there, to absorb the dastardly act. Marlena watched as Frodo wrapped the princess's body in the rug and went the way he came with it.

Queen Marlena had bargained with Frodo and paid him extra to dispose of Karina's body where nobody in this world would find it. He had assured her, telling her that this was his line of business.