Great Castle of Hatred

The little princess ran across the field and jumped into her mother's arms. The smell of the Queen's rich leather throne and musky scent was heavy on her body. The little princess breathed in this smell and sank further into her mother's elegant body.

"My Anna" the Queen said, touching the end of her daughter's nose playfully. Princess Anna giggled as she was carried into the castle. The Castle Nyxia was a gigantic structure built entirely out of black stone, it was the apotheosis of castles, grandiose and imposing. It was matte and seemed unremarkable (save for its size) in the day, but at night, when the moon was out and shining, the castle came to life. Beautiful shapes and colours danced mysteriously across the walls, magic flowing within them. As the moon moved through the night sky, the colours became more intense before burning away just as the first peak of sunlight was seen from the Skies.

Little Anna loved to stand outside the castle with her mother, gazing at the enchanting walls of her home. She would always create stories in her mind of little people that walked along the lines and waved to her. Each person always had a story of how they got there. Whether they had passed on to another life and their spirits remained, or a dastardly genius had found a way to trap the poor souls within the wall. It didn't matter what Little Anna saw, ideas and characters and words always flashed through her mind at a million miles an hour, as quickly as a meteor shooting through the night Skies. Little Anna was never happier than when she was writing her stories.

One day, Little Anna walked into the throne room while her father was talking to his advisors. The queen chased after her quickly, trying to stop her from entering the room.

"Father!" Little Anna exclaimed excitedly, "I have a story to show you!" her father looked up, disappointment and anger flashed momentarily on his face.

"Anna, can you not see that I am working?" the King asked, voice booming around the Royal Hall.

"Aryn," the Queen threatened.

"No." the King began, "She needs to learn that I am working, and she needs to keep out! How many times have I told you, Petunyia? Keep. Her. Out." Little Anna felt tears form in her big eyes. A single drop of salty water rolled down her cheek.

"Stop crying, girl." her father sighed. Those words were cold, emotionless. That's when Little Anna knew her father had no love for her.

After that encounter Little Anna locked herself in her room, her mother sitting beside her. The girl was bawling her eyes out, and the Queen simply sat there, rocking her daughter gently. The Queen whispered words of comfort to her child, but Little Anna cried still. That day would always stick with the Wintrin Princess.

The following years were hard for Anna Wintrin. Her father would see less and less of her, and Anna would do more and more to annoy him whenever she could. Her mother would be exasperated as Anna locked her father into his chambers, stole his horse and rode it, whatever the princess could do. Each punishment meant a lot less than the worst, and by the time the Wintrin Princess was seventeen, the news had spread that the great Wintrin King of Gyrd's daughter was a misbehaving, unkempt brat. But Anna Wintrin didn't care. In fact, she liked the attention and publicity this news brought her.

The Wintrin King of Gyrd was a stone-cold ruler, disliked by most of his people. He was smart, and cunning, and always found a way to upset his country. It was almost as if he enjoyed it. What he didn't enjoy was his daughter. Their relationship was strained to say the least. After the exile the tense air dissipated and all was right in the King's world. Anna Wintrin was the scum of the world to him. The King often thought of how strange it was for his daughter and himself to despise each other. But there was nothing he could do about it. The Queen was the King's only love, however their relationship was falling apart at the seams.

One day after the exile, the Queen approached the King.

"Aryn," she began. It took the King back to that day, where he refused to read Anna's story. That day when his daughter learnt the way of the world. He didn't know why he had such an affinity for refusing the affection his daughter craved. It came to him as naturally as breathing did.

"She's gone, my daughter." the Queen continued. She tried to detach all emotion from her voice, but a knot formed in her throat and added just a hint of upset to her words. A hint too much of upset.

"Our daughter. And good," The King replied emotionlessly, writing on parchment with his long quill, "Is there a point to why you are here? Are you still mourning the murderer?" The King sighed as he said these last words. The Queen choked on her words before forcing out,

"You are the reason she is like this," with those last words she swivelled quickly and walked away. A tear rolled down the Queen's cheek. Just like the Little Princess on that fateful day. The Queen tried hard to love her husband. At times, it was easy, at times it was impossible. The love she held for her Anna would always come before her husband. The exile hit the queen like a hurricane hitting a city. Her head was drowned with upset, the extreme winds of her mind trying to break her from the inside. But the Queen was resilient. She had to be after what Anna did.

The King believed he had got rid of his daughter for good. But little did he know he was soon to have his entire world flipped on its head. And the future of his country too.