Mute Queen (Anyce’s Profile Story) [1/8]

Part 1: Born without a voice

Kingdom of Shaversa, 682AR

Anyce was born mute. Even when she cried as a baby, there was no sound. The people of the kingdom, called her the 'voiceless princess' but once word had gotten out, the priests of a radical religion coined her the, 'cursed princess.'

The king and queen, feared of what the priests could do and asked 30 knights to protect their daughter. Most thought it was excessive, to use 30 of their finest knights to protect one princess but the king had none of it. The knights that were chosen weren't ordinary knights, they were volunteers who had put up their hands, to lay down their lives for their princess.

22 men and 8 women volunteered.

At the start, most people thought, how would 30 knights communicate with someone who couldn't speak. They're basically protecting an heavy burden. This however, never really fazed the knights when constantly asked. All of them felt disgusted at those who would call their princess a heavy burden.

As time moved on, not much had improved of the people's opinions, they feared that one day their home would be ruled by a curse. The religion that started this, Avomsu, convinced the entire kingdom, that their home would be ruined, if the princess, one day will sit upon the throne.

By then, five of the thirty knights left.

Remaining knights: 19 men, 6 women.

On Anyce's thirteenth birthday, the king and queen of Shaversa, lost their lives. Many had suspected assassination but other's placed the blame on the princess and her curse. With the king and queen dead, the kingdom of Shaversa went into turmoil and a civil war broke out. The citizens that sided with the princess, however few there were, fought against those that sided with the Avomsu.

With the news of the king and queen's death, 7 left.

Knights remaining: 18 men.

With the overwhelming amount of protest, the thirteen years old princess was pushed into a corner. Those with the royal blood line, seized the opportunity to take control. They decided to lock the princess away, deep underground where the 'curse' everyone kept thinking she has will be locked away forever.

Chained to a wall and entombed in a chamber 40 feet underground, Anyce cried but her sorrow could never be heard.

With celebration happening above, celebrating the lift of their thirteen year's curse; fourteen knights breached the inner palace in hopes to rescue their beloved princess.

Four of the knights were captured and awaits their execution at dawn the next day.

Heavy guards feet's stomped loudly as they all surrounded the inner palace. Fourteen knights stood in the middle of about 100 heavily armed guards.

"Traitors to the crown, protector of the curse! You are surrounded, surrender yourselves and be free from the curse! Tomorrow at dawn, all eighteen of you will be executed!"

All fourteen men heard the captain of the guards threat and laughed. In a sense with the fourteen men, four other men could be heard laughing with them.

"Why, should we surrender and then let you guys execute us?" One of the knights shouted.

"Why would we, her knights, that had been with her since she was born, leave our princess, all alone down there?" Another shouted after him.

"You imbeciles! Would you want to rerelease that heavy of a burden, upon us once more?" The Captain of the guards, shouted back.

"What did you say! Say that again! I DARE YOU!" Roared a knight that stood at the left rear of the group.

"Come on, you guys had to babysit that little girl for thirteen years. Don't you think that, that's enough? Let it be, let her be."

As soon as those words left the captain of the guard's mouth, the fourteen knights of Princess Anyce, surrounded by 100 heavily armed guards, fought for their and their princess lives.

"For our princess, protect our princess!" The fourteen knights roared and the four knights that is currently held in the cells could be heard too.

Cling, ting, ting, argh!!!

All fourteen men had barely made it out of the battle alive as one of the knights pulled a guard's body off his sword. This was a testament of why they were the best in the kingdom. Out of the thirty knights that had originally volunteered, twenty of them could be called the best in the kingdom. Eighteen of them still protected the princess whilst the other two left when the death of her parents was announced.

"Come on guys, our princess awaits."

***

[Please press continue to proceed to part 2.]

{Continue}

Aww, and I was engrossed in the story too... I sighed as I lifted up my finger and pressed continue...

***

Part 2: Her hope

Anyce stared at the door on the opposite side of her in the dimly lit room. The light of the torches that was placed a couple of hours ago was now only a small flicker.

Her hopes of seeing her knights or getting out of this place was slowly diminishing. Dried up tear streaks ran down her cheeks from the hours of silent crying.

Hanging by chains on the wall, it felt like if she had her whole heart, hallowed out. She had never thought that her family would abandon her but as she remembered their faces, she had come to realize that they weren't on her side from the beginning.

They only gave her parents some face but when they were finally gone, their true motives became more apparent.

Anyce hadn't gotten over her parents death yet, only thirteen years old, her world had turned upside down. She couldn't voice her sorrows, all she could do were to expresses them but there was no one to see them. No one could them... she was all alone in this cold, dark, dingy chamber... left to die.

She felt her body recoil from the cold but with her hands chained to the wall, she couldn't do much but to shiver.

As time went on her thoughts went dark as she thought of all the things that happened to her and why it happened. She was ridiculed and was called repeatedly as the 'cursed princess.' She was the plague that brought chaos to the kingdom of Shaversa, she was the disease that ruined her family's name. Thoughts after thoughts, they all kept coming in, in the dark where her mind was beginning to be eaten away.

Loud footsteps echoed around her chamber as her heart jumped a beat and startled her. She shook her head before her eyes trained at the door and as if her wish had finally came true, the door opened. Her wish that she made the first hour she was in here, came true as knights rushed through the door with torches. Her eyes gleamed with tears as she slow recognized that these weren't ordinary knights but her knights.

Her knights rushed to her side and released her from her chains.

They all knelt down before her and removed their helmets. Eighteen knights bowed their heads to their princess.

"Princess, we're sorry for coming so late."

Anyce shook her head with solemnness.

She knelt down to each of them and pressed her forehead to theirs, then gave them all a cold hug.

When she gave her last knight a hug... she collapsed into the knight's arms. Her eyes was closed and she scrunched herself up against his cold hard armor. The knight's carried their princess out of the chamber and climbed 40 feet of stair well back up to the top.

The eighteen knights marched onwards with the princess in hand, through the throng of dead guards that littered the floor. Once they were through the doors, they were now in the outer areas of the palace. Servants ran in all directions as chaos brew on the outside. Riots swept through the kingdom of Shaversa and this was all they saw as the knights returned with their princess.

Turmoil and destruction was all that's left of their home. A kingdom divided, it would take a miracle to mend it back together.

Anyce woke up to the noise of angry shouting and Anyce witness the scene that unfolded before her, tears rolled down her cheeks as silent yelps of hurt left her mouth. The knight that held her in his arms, held her tighter.

When she finished crying, her eye changed and something glimmered with them. She looked upon her knights with newfound determination and mouthed a few words.

"Please, help me, rebuild our home."

***

[Please press continue to proceed to part 3]

{Continue}

Ah! I lifted up my finger to press continue.

***

Part 3: Queen of Shaversa

With her knights help, they went upon rebuilding their home. Avomsu was still at large within the kingdom's walls but as Anyce started to show herself to her citizens, they couldn't help but to side with her. It was like a light bulb that had finally been switched on and most of the citizens now saw what the Avomsu really were. This had driven the largest church within the kingdom to disband.

Over time, her kingdom was finally pieced back together and with her heart laid out in hopes to reunite everyone, she ascended the throne and became their queen. Only fourteen years old, Anyce Shaversa became Queen.

On her fifteenth birthday, Anyce asked her knights if they could teach her how to fight. Her knights were delighted that their queen wanted to learn how to fight, she's just like her father. And indeed she was her father's daughter, displayed her natural talent and moved elegantly, graceful with a blade in hand as she danced the art of sword fighting.

When she turned eighteen, she had become the most revered queen of all the lands and was known as the 'Mute Queen' by her peers.

It was then, Anyce and her knights were locked into an never ending war.

They fought well but fell to a legion of shadow beings and a electrified black fog swept over them.

When they woke up, they were no longer human but creatures with bladed hands and floated in the air.

Anyce and her knights had transformed into shadow beings.

Out of no where, she heard a voice that called to her.

{"Welcome to your new family, Queen of Shaversa, Queen of the Knightmares. Welcome to the Shadow Legion."}