Artemis
Hipployta screamed in pain as she gave into labor. I held her hand and kept telling her to breathe. Hipployta suddenly held her breath as we heard the sound of piercing cries. Cassia smiled as she held the queen's child in her arms. Carefully wrapped in a blanket, Cassia handed the now quiet child to Hipployta. She quietly cried as she held her sleeping daughter. And as if on cue, the young girl opened her eyes. Indigo blue. Alarms immediately went off in my mind. As the captain of the guard, it was my duty to protect the people of Themiscaryia. And having a blue-eyed heir, it was a recipe for disaster.
About four decades ago, Themiscaryia was in a war with itself. Sister vs. Sister. It was a massacre. All because our sisters with blue eyes believed that man was kind and pure. We had to kill them all. I was just an apprentice at the time. My mother was the former captain of the guard. She was killed by a blue trying to protect Hipployta's mother. Ever since then, I hated every blue and vowed to kill every last one. And the princess was next on my list.
After saying my congrats, I walked out of the queen's chamber and headed to my own. My chambers were second largest in the palace. But instead of my sheets being pure white, my sheets were rich blood red. It was my favorite color; my mother's too. I looked into my mirror as I always did when I needed to see the resemblance. Big almond shape-hazel eyes with a hint of dark green. Long red orange hair that flowed down to my waist. I was the most beautiful in all of the island and everyone knew it. I was always told it and I acknowledged it every chance I got when I was talking to my troops. Then as I stared as my reflection, I started to worry. What if the princess was going to be lovelier than me? It was all the more reason to kill her.
So that night I planned. The following night I would kill the girl. It was the perfect plan. I made my way to the nursery. The queen was there, humming a sweet lullaby near the crib. I wasn't expecting that. She turned around and saw me. I quickly put the kitchen knife I had snagged behind my back, slipping it in my sheath. I flashed her smile.
"Oh,hello Artemis." She said. I walked toward her.
"Hello my queen. How is the princess doing?" I asked, trying to maintain my innocent facade. She looked down into the crib. My gaze followed hers. There, lay the princess sound asleep, her chest rising with every breath. She was very much alive.
"I still haven't decided what her name would be." She said. I instantly thought of my mother's name. Diana.
"What about Diana?" I suggested. "No, I don't think so." She replied. That made me so angry. How could she not name the girl after my mother?
"I was thinking on more the lines of Lily or something like that. You know, my mother's name." She said. I couldn't handle that anymore. I unsheathed the knife. She looked at me and fear spread across her face. She quickly grabbed her daughter and moved back. She was so scared.
I was too.
"Artemis," She pleaded. "Please don't hurt my child. Not my baby girl." She was crying. I was ready to slash her neck open, to just see the blood come out. What is wrong with me? I was acting so sick and twisted. My knife was just inches. Inches away from piercing her skin. But I hesitated. She took this moment and ran.
I chased after her. No one was out so all we could hear is our breathing and our footsteps. When I came to the ballroom. It was dark, black as night. I carefully focused on my hearing and I heard her panting near by. I knew she knew where I was. She knew that I found her. She bolted for the door leading to the courtyard. I was able to catch up to her and grabbed the child from her arms.
And then I did it.
With the baby held in one arm, I slashed her neck with the knife. She fell on the stone steps, causing her to crack her head open. She wouldn't have survived anyway. I didn't bother to look at the child. I walked to the fountain and was going to throw the child in, leave her for dead. The baby started to cry as if she knew what I have done.
"What have you done?!" A voice called. I turned around to see Lola, a warrior and the queen's friend, attending now to the dead body. There was streaks of tears.
"She ran. I pursued. She was carrying an abomination of a child." I looked back at the child, who was still dangling from my hand.
"You killed our queen. Right in front of the eyes of the gods," She points to the eyes of the gods on our mural. The eyes were staring at me. And in a moment I knew there was a greater power than mine. One that can strip me from my immortality. They were displeased.
"What do I need to do?" I ask. She looks at me with Hipployta's head laying on her thighs.
"Take the child in as your own." She said. I almost dropped the child to the sound of that.
"You want me to care for this thing?!" I almost yell. It was insanity. To take care of this child. A blue. I wasn't exactly skilled in the department of taking care of a baby. I instantly regretted killing her mother. But a wave of satisfaction came over me as I looked at the bloody Lola. With the queen having no heir, I guess it was my turn for the throne. A small smile appeared on my face.
"We'll have a deal. But only if you hide her." I said.
"Were would I hide her? There is no room."
"The bell tower." I say, "Have her ring the bells instead of you. It was certainly make your jobs easier."
And with that, we made arrangements to keep the child in the bell tower. She asked what I was going to do with the body. I told her I will bury it. She was still very much angry with me. When she walked away, I just dumped her body at the ocean. Poseidon could have her corpse as a friend. There was no questions asked or anything. There was a funeral, but we said the queen had decided to commit suicide after having the baby.
I didn't kill the child, but something dark and twisted grew inside of me when I held the child. Something I would never forget. I named her Diana. No one knew of her well being except for me and Lola. I hated her with all my heart. A blue eyed girl. At night I'd go to her crib and watch her sleep. I may not kill her now, but perhaps later.
Someday.
