Be Careful What You Wish For
"You told me that no one in my family would be hurt!"
Shuriki chuckled as she rapped her nails along the throne's armrests. "Oh but my dear Esteban, I never said that I wouldn't eliminate them." She threw her head back and laughed, the chilling sound echoing throughout the corridor.
The young man curled his fists, his face burning as his lips curled at the woman sitting before him. "If I had known your intentions, I never would have-"
"Never would have what?" Shuriki tapped her wand impatiently against her knee, the magic in it sparkling at the tip. "You would be wise to hold your tongue, you insolent pup. I could easily spread the word of your treacherous actions to the public. I can only imagine how they would react to that little tidbit. Life imprisonment? Or perhaps they'd stone you in the street."
Esteban stiffened, looking down at the floor shamefully.
"Not even a thank you for being of assistance?" Shuriki tsked. "You said you wanted power, a chance to prove yourself, and I give it to you on a silver platter."
He couldn't even argue with her, which only made his heart feel heavier with guilt. He put his hand over his eyes, squeezing against them as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I didn't want it like this..."
"How else did you think this was going to go?" She scoffed, rising from the throne and going out to the window, surveying her newly acquired domain. The people's cries for their fallen royals could be heard all over the city. It was the only music she desired to hear. "It is too late to back out now, Esteban. The fact is that your family is gone, never to return. I am Avalor's new queen and you shall be my new chancellor. Unless of course you'd rather end up like your precious aunt and uncle."
She would never admit it, but she needed him. She had no idea how to run a kingdom and juggle its never-ending list of intricate needs. As naive and foolish as the young man was, he already had far more knowledge on the subject than she cared to learn.
Esteban turned his face away from his uncle's empty throne only to be faced with the eyes of his grandparents and youngest cousin. Alacazar had thankfully spared their lives at least, casting them into a tapestry before he fled. Could they see him, hear him? Or were their minds slumbering in a magical fog?
He felt Shuriki's long fingers grip his shoulders from behind, a chill going down his back. Her nails dug into his skin even through his jacket. "I wonder what they would think of you right now," she whispered into his ear. "How would they feel knowing they raised a traitor?" She laughed before she shoved him away from her. "Have the servants cover it up. It won't match the new decor I have planned for this dump."
His family's lifeless eyes seemed to burn into his. He was more than glad to shield the tapestry; he could not bear to have them staring at him every day the rest of his life. Forgive me...
"Chancellor Esteban," Shuriki snapped at him, causing him to tense. "I will not wait all day. I have a list of new laws I would like you to announce tonight to the people." She sensed his pause. "Don't forget, I could easily do with you as I did to your darling aunt and uncle." She tapped her wand against her empty palm, eyeing him from the side.
"Yes...your majesty..."