THE NEW QUEEN

It was two nights later that everything reached its climax. When it all happened,

the youngest prince had been sent to the Empire for diplomatic reasons, at the insistence of the king. In the morning the king had ordered a banquette for all citizens of the capital, and so the royal family hosted, a feast for all of Al Zarar to remember.

Later that night.

Anesia was gazing at the stars atop the central tower, her telescope was positioned on the far edge. One star in peculiar seemed especially vibrant, that red one that had been acting strange for some time now.

Anesia had mastered the arts of divination and she could easily foretell something rather great was about to lay roots that night, it was when she had acknowledged this to herself that she heard an odd noise, something like a water pump or blowing air. Intrigued, she decided to investigate.

Looking down from the tower, her unique eyes quickly caught sight of a grappling hook that had been used to scale the palace wall. Whoever had used it was long gone. Expecting the worst, the princess quickly descended from the tower going straight to the royal chambers, where her father was asleep. As she approached the grand door, she slowed down collecting herself she knocked only to find the door ajar. Fear took over as she thought off all possibilities, she entered and caught sight of her father in his bed, as she breathed a sigh of relief and approached his side, she saw that there was a pool of blood. Quickly accessing the situation, Anesia rushed to confirm the death of the king. Aeron was smiling, his eyes were closed his heart had ceased.

Anesia was gifted at keeping a cool head, running as quickly as she could she raised the alarm, but the gigantic bells which should have rung did not, it was in the main hall that the bell was located, but the rope had been cut. She ran towards her brother's chambers noticing the absence of all the guards, she slammed open the door to the room and caught sight of a hooded figure moving towards her sleeping brother, "NO" she screamed, the intruder looked at her and hastened towards the crowned prince, as the intruder tried to stab, the prince slid to the side avoiding the strike to the vitals. Having failed to put an immediate end to the crown prince the intruder fled or tried to but the prince caught hold of his leg crushing it completely with sheer strength. He crushed the intruder to the ground who, realizing defeat pulled a cord and exploded. The explosion was heavy everything in the room got shattered but it didn't lay a scratch to the white ones. Prioritizing, Anesia approached her injured brother calling for the guards who were rushing towards the castle. The prince called for Caius the general of the military as well.

"Brother, father was ..." Anesia began, but the prince was well prepared, understanding the situation in moments he answered,

"I understand, you did well baby sis" the prince replied coughing, as he waited for the general, "Unfortunately the blade I was struck with was poisoned, I fear I have not long enough to live," He continued spewing blood.

"What am I to do?" Anesia inquired.

"Anesia you are the only successor to the throne after me, our youngest brother is in the empire and I fear he is not capable of handling such matters, please."

"I- I can't..." Anesia replied, as her brother nodded in understanding,

"I ask of you this my sister, for me, your dying brother and for our father please do what is best for our people."

Guards entered the room gasping. "My lord the general is nowhere to be seen."

"He has been abducted." Anesia said looking out the window.

"How do you..." The prince began,

"There" she pointed and far across the fields, they saw the intruder along with an accomplice carrying an unconscious Caius away. The prince smiled, shaking his head even in his death, the white ones were strange that way.

...

It had happened in the darkness of the night, the king of Neraya had been assassinated, the prince was on his death bed, one of the two generals of the army had gone missing and the general of the guard corps was severely wounded. This was the story that came out anyway. What had really happened was far more disturbing. As the case which held the jewel, the most prized treasure of the kingdom had also been stolen.

It was a day before the prince finally died that he crowned his sister as the Queen, leaving the fate of the people in her hands. By no means was Anesia incapable, she and her brother were both raised to rule, but perhaps Anesia herself had other thoughts in mind.

With skin like porcelain, fair and smooth, eyes like emeralds green and large, her hair were long and beautiful of a bluish ash white shade, her fairy like alluring appearance stole the breaths of those who gazed at her, like an elf she stood tall with pride, an aura of wisdom and understanding about her. The queen was as majestic as a queen could be, donning a silk gown that complemented her hair, the gown was stylized to present her individuality enhancing the nobility of her appearance, covering her beautifully so as not to expose but to enchant.

The queen wore her crown, a simple silver crown that held a small crystal in its helm, contrasting to how she looked there was mischief in her eyes, her smile though beautiful being jeweled by her supple lips, held some sort of wickedness that one could only slightly sense. The aura of wisdom that surrounded her hid in the contrast an aura of a child who had planned some sort of trickery.

The queen crowned after the untimely death of her father and brother was the sovereign and inheritor of the kingdom of Neraya and all its riches.

...

"Let it burn," she whispered.

"You go there and put out that fire, you there bring more water! what the hell are you doing!" The bear of a man was barking out orders as the raging fires spread and consumed the megalithic structure...

"Your highness please retreat for now I will handle this," he continued addressing her.

"Let it burn, let it light up the world, let it turn to ash," She spoke a bit louder,

"Where the hell is he. If only- wait... did I hear right? You want me to let it burn?"

"Yes ... I am done with this. I have had enough," She spoke in her calm gentle voice.

"My queen, this here is a thousand years' worth of heritage, your ancestors lived and died protecting this," the bear like man spoke with an incredulous tone.

The eyes of the mystical looking queen gleamed as she smirked at the flaming inferno in front of her.

"This, this castle, this vestige of the ancient past, this is the reason for me, and my family being bound to these lands... tell me oh wise general, if this weren't here would I still be obliged to reign?"

"My queen, please, your late brother, his father and all their ancestor lived and died protecting these relics that you are condemning to ashes. Would you lay waste to all their efforts, make meaningless their lives?" the general tried convincing the Queen as the people around were all looking to their queen waiting for her command.

"My knight, the lord of my armies, My child hood friend Kaiser, you and all these people as well as all my ancestors were cursed by these lands, the dragons curse, we were cursed to spend our existence guarding the treasures here, but think... with them gone, with them no more we will be free, free from these bonds. I intend to allow these fires to consume this structure as well as the curse that is upon us. As your Queen here is my last order, after this you are all free, free to go whereever you desire, free to do whatever you want."

"My Queen, I beg you to reconsider," the general said sensing defeat in his argument...

The queen smiled, "Address me with my name, friend, it's been ages since I have heard it and besides have you ever convinced me?" She laughed.

The general just shook his head, disappointed.

"Ah well, so for my last order as the Queen, plunder this castle my subjects, and take whatever you deem worthy."

A mere month after taking the throne, Anesia had raised her own castle, her youngest brother was to reside in the empire, and Neraya was to be seeded to the empire as well, the decision was taken by Anesia as she realized that without the jewel and with the lack of generals it was only a matter of time before some foreign power took over her kingdom. Perhaps it was what she saw in the future, regardless this was the course of action she took. The agreement was simple, Neraya would become a part of the empire, the royal family would remain in power except for the authority of the emperor over them.

Neraya held untold riches which were to be taken as tribute by the empire, so Anesia a day before signing off the agreement, had ordered her own castle to be plundered, taking with her what she desired.

Leaving the governorship of the kingdom to her youngest brother she planned to set out on a different quest

"What do you plan to do?" Kaiser asked,

"I plan to set things right," Anesia's answer was simple.

"Of course, I am coming with you,"

"You wish"

"You father ordered me to protect you with my life, and as you are not the queen anymore, I shall guard her majesty of my own free will."

"Humph... well seeing as I am not the queen, quit it with the 'your majesty thing, it's annoying."

"As you will, your majesty," Kaiser answered smiling.

She had planned to set out alone, but Kaiser insisted upon accompanying her, and she had to agree.

And so, Anesia the white, along with a small force set out, on a quest that would do so much more than the seer could see.