The blood rain

Today the entire kingdom was getting ready and making preparations for Elsie and Esteban's coronation. It was on this very day that they both were expected to be crowned the new rulers of Atria.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky but that didn't stop the subjects of Atria from celebrating having a new queen. They had many hopes for a queen who had grown up in environments like them. They hoped that she would understand them and rule fairly.

Elena watched from her room the excitement in her kingdom for a new queen. It hurt her to see them celebrating Elsie's victory. This was supposed to be her coronation day, she had waited for this day all her life and now she had the honor of watching someone else live her dream. She looked at the distance and recalled her memories with her grandmother and all the talk they had and the lessons on what she has to do on her coronation.

Every ceremony and ritual was rehearsed since she was only one hundred years old but today that dream was not hers anymore. The things that she had longed for were slipping away from her and she had no power at all to stop it. She couldn't stop Elsie from taking everything that she had ever wanted away from her. She not only took her crown but also snatched away the love of her life and left her all alone.

She even has to bear such an embarrassing title of being a concubine. All her life she never thought a day would ever come where she would bear the title of a woman who is meant to please a man without being married to them. She not only felt insulted but a flame was burning in her heart. One that was going to engulf everyone responsible for her current predicament.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I will burn this kingdom to the ground," she said as she watched the smiles of the servants at the palace while they made the arrangements. From a distance, she could see her lady royals and they seemed to be enjoying themselves while decorating the palace for Elsie. It was as if they were happier being Elsie's lady royal than hers. She tuned out all the other sounds in the palace and concentrated on their conversation.

"Did you hear? The prince spent the night at princess Elena's room," said lady Nancy.

"Oh, but she is not a princess anymore but a concubine for the princess. She is just performing her duty by attending to the prince's needs," replied Cordelia.

"You are right," the others replied in unison.

"I don't think that it is right for us to have this conversation. Elena is still our friend," defended Lola.

"She might be your friend but we are not. She was nothing but a spoiled brat who only thought about herself," stated Paloma with bitterness.

Elena turned their conversation out and went back to watching the servants. "They are not your friends but your lady royals. Treat them like friends but they won't hesitate to stab you if you turn your back to them," she remembered her grandmother's words.

She brushed the tip of her Phoenix sword and her anger increased. Her heart burned with a rage that demanded revenge with her every breath. She smiled and bit back the tears that threatened to flow from her eyes. She was not going to cry again, her enemies are the ones that deserved the tears in her eyes. She glanced at the sleeping prince on her bed and clenched her hand into a fist.

She was the one who deserved everything that they were taking away from her. Just then an eagle came flying into the room and landed on her shoulder. She took the more on the eagle's leg and read from it.

[We have encountered some minor problems. Help!]

She burned the note after reading and whispered magical spells to the eagle and let it fly away. All her sorrows washed away at the news she received. It might not have been good news but it took her mind out of her current situation.

"I have places to go and people to see, I can't do it all on my own so make another one of me," she chanted and cloned herself.

"Go and see what the problem is and fix it," she commanded the clone that gave her an evil smile before disappearing and going away.

"What are you doing?" she heard behind her and turned around with a smile. She walked over to the bed and sat down after Esteban had created space for her. She hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You are the only permanent thing in my life. Don't ever leave my side," she whispered and smiled.

"What is this all about? And you know that I am never going to leave you," he said.

They stayed in each other's arms and didn't say anything. Elena kept her head in his chest and listened to his heartbeat, it was beating just as fast as her own heart. She placed her hand on her heart and listened to both hearts as they beat the same rhythm. It brought her peace and comfort that there was someone who understood her and was there for her.

She was getting tired of being on the losing end of the battle. She got up and separated away from him, "You have to get ready for your coronation. It will be best if you leave," she said, and without waiting for him to respond she jumps and teleported away.

Esteban sighed, got up, and walked out of the room. He was helpless on what to do, on one hand, was his mother whom he couldn't let down and on the other hand, was the love of his life whom he couldn't see in pain. For the first time in his life, he felt trapped, even when he had been under spells from different witches who used him. He felt free but now he felt like a caged prisoner in the prison called marriage. He walked to his room in a bad mood.

Elena reappeared in her room and locked all the windows and doors of her room. She floated in the sky, her eyes turned marine blue and she looked up to the sky. She cut her wrist and let her blood float into the air. She used her magic to guide her blood into the sky. "All the true blue blood loyal to me are a dear, listen to the voice-only you and I can hear," she chanted and began to whisper in an ancient language.

The blood in the sky formed into thick clouds and rained down on the kingdom of Atria. The people of Atria were surprised by the blood rain but they thought it blessings of their ancestors to the new rulers. Some pure blue blood on the other hand heard had a secret message with every drop of the rain. They left all that they were doing and left the kingdom.

They followed the instructions that the rain had asked them to without realizing it. They were under Elena's compulsion and they did exactly what she asked them to.

"Regina, your doom begins. A new queen will be crown but your crown shall fall before the day ends at midnight."