Beautiful Illusions

Chapter 3

Victoria stared outside. The sunrise was beautiful.

The death of any queen was almost always the mark of a new era. I wonder what Winter will bring. The three other queens would almost certainly try to coerce Winter, pressure her, using her naivety to their advantage. But Victoria had never seen anyone quite like Winter, so alert, sly, and clever.

Mother and the others may have a hard time. This will certainly be interesting.

"Shouldn't you be on Eonia's side?" A maid Victoria had never seen before stepped forward. "Forgive me for being so rude, my Lady."

"My loyalty is to Eonia and to the people and the land.. Not to my mother, not to the government." And to myself, Victoria added silently.

"Is it?" The maid's innocent voice continued on. "Are you lying to me or to yourself?"

Victoria didn't bother turning around. "Off."

Guards stepped forward immediately; Victoria heard the clanking of the armor.

Victoria then swiveled in her chair. "I'm not afraid of blood. I don't mind if you do it here. In fact, I would rather enjoy it."

They pressed her to the ground before one drew his cleaver.

"Don't!" The maid cried.

"I execute dozens of people daily, what is your excuse? What makes you special? Oh right, you aren't." Nonetheless, Victoria paused to hear her excuse.

"I pledge my life to your cause!"

Victoria smiled brightly. "Do you really mean that, friend?" Victoria gazed at the struggling maid. There was something in her eyes that burned.

"Of course!"

"Get her out of my sight," Victoria called venomously. "And don't forget your promise."

As Victoria laid back in her chair, laughing to herself quietly, she couldn't help but feel this would be a wonderful new era.

She said 'my cause'. Not mine and my mother's, or Eonia's. She's a smart one.

*

As Victoria entered the room, all discussions went silent.

"Your Majesty," Victoria curtsied politely, feeling all the stares bore into her. "Mother."

"Daughter," the sickly-familiar voice Victoria heard in her nightmares let out a high drawl. "Have I not taught you the importance of punctuality?"

"Then my deepest apologies go out to all of you," Victoria called out sharply, her gaze whisking around the room, trying to find anyone who would dare to meet her gaze. She was easily the most powerful person in the room, no, the second, after all, there was her mother, correct? She watched them all nonchalantly duck their heads or look away. At least they know their place, she thought ruefully.

Victoria found herself a seat before meeting her mother's sharp gaze. "What is it that you have called a meeting for, Your Majesty?"

"Do I need an excuse to see my own daughter nowadays?" The queen's words were gentle yet her tone; her way of speaking; was harsh and cold as ice.

Victoria remained poised as she kept her gaze with the queen.

"I hoped, I hoped, I hoped... Oh... I wanted it so bad it was in my dreams... And here it is, delivered to me." A few quiet murmurs arose from the room, obviously wondering what in the world could a queen possibly want that she already did not have.

Yet Victoria knew. She knew, alright.

"In fact, if I do not take it, I'm sure it would be insulting the gods," the queen continued. "All of you, no, most of you, are wondering..." Queen Corra locked her gaze onto Victoria's. "And here I shall say it; another quadrant."

Instead of gasps, there was nothing but shocked silence.

"And soon I will have it. If all of you incompetent, inept, people, will do half of what was required," the queen's voice was unnaturally high and dangerous as she stood up. "Then the kingdom of Ludia is already, two hundred percent sure, mine." Queen Corra's voice kept climbing higher and higher with excitement, and she started pacing around. "Mine for the taking. And it will merge with Eonia to become the greater state of Eonia, ruled by Eonian queens. And one day..."

Suddenly the queen stopped, shaking her head. Her voice dropped back to it's usual low, formal, tone. "Forgive me for my... burst... of emotion."

Queen Corra sat back down heavily and glanced at the thick-paged book of events that she was supposed to discuss. Victoria had never seen her mother look so excited, or weary, needless to say at the same time.

"This meeting is adjourned," she called out. "And I hope... what was spoken in here, shall stay in here." She smiled a sickly smile. "And for your protection, because of this valuable information spoken today, each one of you will have five personal guards. Just in case." Queen Corra smiled as suddenly guards stepped forward from the shadows and knocked the bottom of their spears into the marble floor in perfect synchrony.