HIS QUEEN

Chapter 1

"Gem Gem."

A small whisper flows through the air.

"Gem wake up, Gemma wake up."

The whisper said again, trying to wake her up from her sleep. For a second she thought it was all just a dream and not real. But a touch that passed through her hand felt so real. And that startled the girl immediately. She woke up sitting up straight looking around her beautiful and luxurious room. It was a room for a princess, it was her room. Everything in there was extremely well organized, beautiful furniture, large mirrors, curtains flying everywhere because of the wind of the winter outside.

Immediately her eyes landed on her maid Elle and a few other maids standing right in front of her in her chamber, in front of her large bed. The maids looked at her and looked at her state with sympathy and sadness filled in their eyes for her. She was still very much covered in the blood, which was still rotting in her dress. The red was so dark and was slowly turning darker and darker, closer to black.

"You have to leave Gem."

The maid who has worked there for many years and who has seen Gem grow was the one to say those five dreadful words to her. Elle nodded her head agreeing and grabbed Gems arm and immediately pulled her off of her bed.

She was still very much startled from waking up so abruptly.

"Where."

She whispered.

"You have to go.

Gem, on the other hand, she was too confused, scared.

"Get her a jacket."

The oldest maid Mara said and the some rushed towards her large wooden wardrobe to get her fur jacket because they knew if she went out in this cold, it would eventually kill her and they didn't want any part of that.

"Where should I go ?."

She asked again and this time Gem was wide awake and pretty shaken with this too. She said it slowly scared that someone would hear her or mostly scared that the Queen herself would hear her.

"Anywhere but here Gem. Just run away."

Elle said grabbing onto her arm pulling her towards the door. The maids slowly opened the large doors again and Elle pulled Gem out of her room with all her force. All the other maids too ran right behind them. Still holding onto her boots and jacket and started to make their way towards the royal kitchen. Of course, that was not going to be very easy. The kitchen is on the other side of the palace and they have to be careful because the guards are patrolling all over the place.

All of them very carefully walked from corridor to corridor trying not to make any type sound. And the light from the Moon was brightly shining through the windows to certain parts of the palace. That was the only light surrounding the place the other areas were very dark and very cold.

"Why are we doing this."

Gem asked Ella.

"There is no other way. You just have to leave, trust me."

Ella told her, trying to sound positive and confident but truly she was failing miserably, but Gem trusted her, she was her only family and Gem herself knew that this was the right thing to do for her and for her people.

"The guards are going the other side of the room, this is our chance. Let's go."

One of the maids whispered and everyone nodded their heads agreeing to her and slowly moving forward, tiptoeing.

Eventually, all of them reached the main hall. The moment they reached the great hall all of their eyes immediately started to search for the guards patrolling.

Ella let's go off Gems hand and starts to slowly walk down a few stairs. She bent her head to look around the entire hall. When she saw nobody in the entire place, she climbed back up.

"There are no guards on this floor. we are safe to go."

She whispers to everyone and again they all nod their heads. But they all still have to be careful. There were still some guards patrolling on the first area, they were all talking to each other. And the only good thing about this was the moonlight was hitting only the top areas of the palace.

They still had a little way to go.

The ground area was still very much dark and but the girls' eyes had already adjusted to the darkness very well. it wasn't very hard for them to see around. But still, they had to move carefully because if they made any sound the guards would be triggered immediately.

All the have to do is get down the stairs and make their way towards the kitchen, which was on the left-hand side but that was not going to be easy.

"Okay, when I say run everyone run. "

The maid whispered as she made her way back up the stairs.

"Okay ."

She said and looked around at the ground area again.

"Run."

And it didn't take a minute to everyone to start running down the staircase, and all of them tried their hardest not to make any sound, try not to get anything to echo in this giant empty room. And now they were slowly making their way towards the main royal kitchen.

The moment they reached Gem was literally pushed inside the kitchen and all the maids rushed in and with her without wasting a second they locked the wooden door behind them. Preventing anyone else from coming inside.

Gem still was blank, she looked at the filled kitchen having no idea what was happening. Her brain was jumbling her thoughts. And at an extreme speed a sense of fear to indulge with her. Playing with her mind. Never in her life, she would have taught that this day could come. Although there was always just one motive in her mind for a very long time. Gem had always wanted to run away from here. Run from the heinous life, but she could never gather the courage to leave. To run away.

And it wasn't like Gem didn't have the opportunity to run away, she did. But the fact was she didn't want to leave her people. She did not want to leave her people like orphans, her parents would have never done this to them. They would have never felt them here hopeless. But now she knew she had to go, she had to leave them for their own safety.

"Gem."

She heard a voice from behind her and turned around clueless of the situation. She was too terrified already and she just has woken up from her sleep and was told to run, run where?.

She looked around the room to see all the other maids of the entire palace here, and everyone she knew. Everyone was her family or someone she considers a family.

"Where am I supposed to go ?."

She asked holding onto Ella's hand. Her entire life Ella was the only mother figure she truly had. She is nothing like her stepmother, nowhere close to her stepmother.

"Anywhere but here Gem. I can't help you here and I cannot let you go through all of this your entire life."

She said holding on to her face with both her hands

"I can't leave you. " She said shaking her head in fear for all of them. This could end very badly for all of them and they could end up getting killed for helping her and that she would never want for them.

"Don't worry about us Gem. We promise to your mother our Queen we would always be there for you and protect you."

Elle said looking deep into my eyes. And Gems eyes resembled of her mother's, they looked just like the Queen's eyes. Elle was emotionally breaking, she couldn't help but remember the day Gem was born and the day she promised the queen to look over her and protect her, no matter what happens.

"We couldn't keep the promise we made to her and I regret every single day Gem. But that's enough. I need to keep you protected and I don't care what happens to me and we don't care what happens to us."

Gem eyes were filled with tears. The heart was full and numbness spread throughout her body, Gem does not remember her mother but she knew that she loved her more than anyone in this world and that brought tears in her eyes.

"Get out if here and don't ever return back."

Ella weakly said as the c***k in her voice was very clearly heard as tears started to stream down her face and every single maid's eyes were red and truly right now their hearts hurt to know this day has finally come. And it hurt them.

Gem was very special to them, she has always been. She was the true Queen of the Thoreign Kingdom, she was the rightful Queen of this Kingdom. But the truth was she was never treated like one.

"You can't stay. Give her the jacket."

Elle said the maids rushed towards her immediately wrapping her up in her brown fur jacket and the rest helped her with her winter boots.

"There is no time to waste."

She said grabbing onto Gem and immediately rushed her towards the back door.

"Come on."

Everyone followed Elle towards the back door and one of the maids walked down the stairs were the back door was and pulled out a centuries-old key and slowly opened the back door.

With all her strength Gem walked down the stairs, gathering the strength and walked down the stairs. Holding on to her jacket. Her hands were shaking in a clear sense of fear surrounding her. Taking a few small steps Gem walked out the door and the moment her she walked out the first thing she felt was snow. Snow everywhere.

Snow under her feet. The snowy wind touched her skin bringing shivers in her body. It's then that she realized how real all this was. How true all this was. Her life and everyone's life was going to change from today and this for a second scared her. But anywhere was better than this place. It was better than staying with her.

Gem turned around one more time to look at the people she called family. Her true family she has had all her life. But she had to do this. She had to leave.

Their eyes were also filling up tears for her. And slowly they were slipping down their cheeks to the floor. 

"I love you."

She said to all of them.

"I love you too." Elle said back to her. One last time, letting each other know.

Gem just nodded her head knowing what she had to do to escape this harsh reality. This harsh truth. She knew she had to run and that exactly what she did. She ran.

Ran out the door and because it was night and the moonlight wasn't reaching the back of the castle, she knew no one could see her. Not stopping not even for once second, Gem reached the last gate of the castle which could be manually handled. A sense of victory slowly raised up in her. She felt so powerful suddenly. Fear had already left her body and something new was felt. She couldn't really name what it was but the feeling was strong. It was stronger than what she has felt before.

She held the small iron gate with both hands and dragged it up slowly, putting in a little effort. She was stronger than most people thought and that power came to use now. Gem trying not to make any sound, she didn't want to be caught not now. Not when she was so close.

She pushed the cage higher and higher. Putting in all the strength she had in her body and dragging it up. And the moment it got high enough for her to roll out, she took the chance of letting go of the gate and immediately drop down and rolled out, dropping the iron gate. Surprisingly because of the thick snow, the gate did not make any sound when it landed back down. It even shocked her.

She slowly turned around to see that she was out.

She was actually out of the castle. She slowly stood up, ice covering her entire body, her hair and arms. She simply stood there looking at the entire palace. This is where she lives all her life and there it stood with pride. It stood so strong. It just stood there easily killing, consuming. Growing because of the blood of its victims. And one of that victim was her.

Not wasting another second she turned around and ran. She ran through the snow, ran through the fallen branches ran and ran and ran. Never stopping, never turning back. Not even one last time. This was the freedom she always wanted. It was unbelievable to her. She was here running away from her, running away from reality. 

But there was one thing she couldn't run away from one thing. Never from this thing that was in her.

Gem could never run away from her curse. But away from here seems so much better and so she ran not once stopping for anyone. She just simply kept in running for freedom.

....................................................................................................................................

The snow was slowly covering up everything in its path. Nothing was left as it was before. Everything looks so much more different than it did. The snow had now gotten higher and higher with each and every second ticking. The thickness of it was making it harder for her to be in motion and keep going forward and it was quite frightening for her.

This was the very first time she had ever been out of the castle or anywhere out in her entire life but keeping her fear aside Gem ran and still kept on running still not knowing what is ahead of her. But one thing she was very much sure about was that she couldn't go back. She could not go back to the life she lived through. And for that reason and for her people she just stepped on it not thinking twice.

Her footsteps were the only trace of anything left here. There were no other footsteps anywhere around the surrounding. It was just her there, alone, all by herself. she was the only Being walking on the thick snow. Marking away where she came from and where she was going. But of course because of the snow that repeatedly kept on falling and it started to make another layer of snow. That was the only thing covering up footsteps and keeping her destination a mystery from everyone.

Gem, on the other hand, had now been running for hours and hours. It was never-ending walk and of course, she knew one thing about the place she lived in was far far away from most of the civilization. Her Kingdom was like a cut barrier. A territory that no one likes to pass. A territory that no one wanted to pass. A cut string. She knew she had a long way to go and completely get away from this place and Gem had the courage to do it.

....................................

It has been hours she didn't even realize when the sun had come up. When it started to rise or when sunlight started to shine on the land, on the ground, the trees. She did not notice one thing, nothing brother her and the only reality she knew was getting out and burning the old memories and reaching somewhere safe and far from where she came from. Far far away.

That was the only thing she taught was a priority right now. But she is a human after all. She is a living, breathing thing. Who needs to stop and rest for a while. Not even in her wildest dreams would she even consider thinking about resting her body. But she needs it. Her body was slowly giving up. Her legs were slowly giving up. She was completely drained walking. And not only just walking but walking on snow.

And walking on snow isn't a child's play. With all her willpower she took each step.

As the thickness of the snow was getting hard to surpass or walk through. Still not giving up she kept ongoing. it was just too much for her but Gem tried to be faster. She could also feel the numbness in her arms, hands and also her shoulders. Her cheeks would start hurting too. She knew she had to make it and the willpower in her and the mindset were the only things keeping her going.

She was having trouble breathing like she normally did and just for a second. Just for a small second she stood still, which she hasn't done for hours and looked ahead of her and for a split second, she could see something. She could see smoke. Smoke.

Smoke passing from the other side of the large trees. She couldn't believe her eyes. Through the large trees, she could see smoke. Immediately a chill ran through the body. A new hope was uplifted and immediately a small smile cracked upper face. But she had to pass through a huge forest. a very dense forest at that.

And for the first time, Gem wasn't scared of what is ahead of her. She will do what she had to do to get away and survive. In her heart Gem knew there could be something on the other side of the forest. And with this hoping, she started to walk again. Huffing and puffing throughout the place, she was heading towards the dense forest.

But her body was still shutting down slowly and slowly. It was getting harder for her to breathe now but she knew nothing can stop her. Not now.

But she was a living thing. Eventually, she will have to rest, take a little breather. But she had no other source to keep energized. The only source is out there, on the other side of the forest. Within no time, Gem reached the forest and not thinking about much started to make her way in.

The minute she got in it got silent.

It got completely silent. There was no sound. Nothing and Gem wouldn't look here and there, she couldn't look here and there because of the drain she was in. She didn't have the energy to explore or lookout for anything. Gem just had one direction and only kept that one direction in her mind and that was forward and that is what exactly she did. She started to make a way, forward.

Right after a few seconds of her entering the forest, where there was once pin drop silence. Suddenly out of nowhere the sound of an owl started to echo throughout the forest and then the sound of eagles too started to make the way from one corner to another. And then slowly the sound of crickets and with that followed the sound of the branches breaking.

She could see how the snow had completely consumed this forest. big and large trees looked dead now and they were all covered with thick snow. A few branches were broken and fallen on the ground because of the weakness of the tree. Every time Gem would step on a branch. A loud c***k would echo throughout the area. If there was another human it would have most probably alarmed that person it was just her. Everything was apparently falling apart here just like her.

Snow covering up all the trees in its path. Everything was the same. there was no color and it's all just looked like there was no life left in anything. the entire atmosphere looked dead and that vibe started to slowly spread around, slowly capturing Gem in its arms too. She was slowly getting exhausted. Her legs started to get a little wobbly and hard to put all of her weight on and seemed like they were out of control. They could no longer be able to hold the entire body anymore and right at that moment, her entire body gave out. without any warning. Gem trembled down landing on that thick snow but lands directly on her hands.

They were the only things supporting the rest of her body. Even though she tried to keep herself steady her arms immediately gave out too, just like her legs did.

Her eyesight was getting foggy, heavy breathing was being drawn and out of her. she was having a lot of trouble with something she did very often and slowly her heart started beating as fast as possible. And she could feel its feet in her fingertips and even her back.

"I can't give up."

A small whisper came out of her. This is the very first time she spoke for hours Gemma could not even recognize her own voice.

"I can not give up."

She said it, repeated it again to herself. But even though she wanted it to be as real as she wanted it but sadly her body was tired and it needed rest or it was going to shut itself down completely and right of now it was just a matter of time.

Her head was getting fuzzy and slowly her entire body was shutting down. She had no more energy left in her. Her eyes were closing, even her eyelids were forced to close completely. and immediately Gem lands on the ground as she was slowly losing her senses and also losing consciousness all at the same time.

Still laying on the ground Gem can do nothing more than just let her body completely take over her and the snow was still slowly falling on the snowy ground, still very much covering up everything at this path and all Gem. There was no sound on any footsteps anymore. the forest had slowly started to consume everything in its way. and even her.

...............................................................................................................................................................

A day ago:

"Is she ready ?."

The queen asks as she walks into the princesses chamber unannounced and the right at that moment everything shifted in the entire room. Everyone just fell silent as she stood there in her most dominating form. Threatening everyone around her with her presence. Nobody wanted to move. Nobody wanted to look at her either.

The queen was escorted here by five guards who were here to protect her from anything or any harm and even protect her from the princess too. The most dangerous living being in the world. She turned to look at the maids who were her to help the princess get ready for her day today.

She simply just waiting for someone to say something but all of them had their heads bent down, not making eye contact with the queen. A sense of shiver ran down their backs and she knew this was the effect she had on the people.

Smirking at the power she had the queen slowly looked out the window, to the darkness of the sky and how grey it suddenly looked. How cursed it looked and how it all just looked so dead. Without thinking too much about this she again turned to them and this time she didn't ask them anything, knowing no answer would be acquired by them. It never is. And she didn't ask them one more time but just walked towards the princess who was sitting on a golden chair which belonged to her late mother and was placed right in front of a large and ancient mirror which has been here for centuries.

She looked at the princess who was now all dressed up all in black and nothing but black. It was the only colors she was allowed to wear on this particular day. As the queen said ones that this color resembled her dark souls. Queen Shai walked a little bit closer towards her, she didn't even have to completely look at her to know if she looked beautiful today. She was gorgeous, extremely gorgeous. But the true fact was Gem was always gorgeous and always admired by every single being. It was the same trade her mother had.

That true fact is what she hated for. The queen hates that she was beautiful, charming, charismatic. But there is nothing she can do about it.

Keeping all her thoughts behind her she walks a little bit closer towards the princess whose head was bent down and she was just looking at her hands and nothing else.  And the minute she stood right in front of the princess she could feel the demon raging. The power raging in her. The strength of darkness forcing through her body and through her veins. She could feel the presence of the curse she once put on her.

Slowly she put her hand under her Chin and pulled her face slightly up and the very first thing she saw was her pitch-black eyes. Her entire eyes were black and nothing else. Now she knew that the demon and was completely out and has now consumed all of the gem. Completely pushing her inside, blocking her from any reality and is now taking her place. She was ready and this brought a huge big smile on the Queen's face.

Just like every single year this year the dreadful sacrifice will happen too and the blood drained by the demon will only make the queen stronger and more powerful. She couldn't wait to feel the power flow through her veins again. The feeling of immense power rushing through you. This blood sacrifice was keeping her healthy, beautiful, strong. And she wanted to be all this forever. She always gets what she wants. The queen always does.

She has been waiting all year for this feeling to come back to her. Today is the day for it and she can't contain her pure happiness. And she didn't try to hide it.

Slowly she bends down a little and reaches the princesses. Her faces are now stuck to the dark eyes in front of her and slowly she whispers.

"You are ready."   

She said as she could see her ready for the ceremony. For the ultimate price to be paid. The witch had her twisted way of doing things. With the help of her dark and sinister black magic, the queen can most probably do anything she truly desires. And frankly to know why she could do was purely horrifying and too much of pressure at that moment.

She moves away from her and stands up straight looking directly at her. But the princesses is still.

There was an immensely tensing atmosphere here now. On the outside the screams of people could be heard loud and clear. They all sounded like they were in agonizing pain. And they were in agonizing pain because they all knew what would happen today and what they all had to lose. And they were not ready for it. But then they never are.

The both of them walked down the stairs that were covered with guards in every corner. All of them stood in their respective places, guarding every possible place. They all did fear their life very much and but had no other choice. Except for the queen, no one ever has a choice.