... for Debs via GGE...
i. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition || Team Appleby Arrows - Round III - Truth or Dare || Beater II: Write about a Truth that is found by the next generation OR write about a Dare that is carried out by the next generation. || Prompts: #6. (colour) midnight black || #8. (flavour) cinnamon
ii. Written for the Ultimate Writer challenge || Write three AUs (⅓)
iii. Written for the FRIENDS Competition || 2.17·TOW Dr. Ramoray Dies: Write about a lie having serious consequences. Alt. Write a fic involving Veritaserum.
iv. Written for the Ultimate AU Promptathlon || Tropes | Royalty!AU
v. Written for the Funfair Event at Hogwarts || Treasure Map || B3 || Royalty!AU
vi. Written for the Funfair Event at Hogwarts || Swordeater || 11. Write for a genre you've never written for before. [Fantasy]
vii. Written for the Alternate Universe Challenge || 009 (Dragon War AU)- Dragons are not dumb beasts in this AU, but instead have human-level intelligence. The wizarding world is locked in a centuries-old on-again off-again war with them.
viii. Written for the 365 Drabble Day Event at Hogwarts || 189. Cinnamon
ix. Written for the Theme Challenge || Theme Five Chaos || 1. Write about a war
Words: 2,987
A.N.: This is a Royalty!AU
Thank you Sam, Jade and Em for beta-ing! #hugs
My heavenly kingdom (of vanilla lies and cinnamon poison)
The cool night air wafted in the old, wooden windows of the ancient castle. The silhouette of the small village nearby was covered in shadows and the midnight black sky above was cluttered with the brightest stars that partially vanquished the overwhelming darkness of their surroundings.
The only sound to be heard in the silent night was the rustling of the wind whenever he brushed the leaves of a tree in the nearby forest.
Lady Lily sighed and out of habit, straightened her dark, floor length midnight black dress. She loved gazing out of the window of her dorm, located in the highest tower of her father's castle, adorned with a curtain of roses and thorns that entwined around it until they reached right underneath her windowsill. Over and over again, the twenty-year-old was enchanted by the frighteningly beautiful sight that greeted her and the feeling of excitement that came along whenever she looked at it.
It wasn't like she wasn't allowed to leave the castle by nightfall; on the contrary, the beautiful young woman with the flaming red hair everyone envied her for was very well capable of taking care of herself. Admittedly, it had taken her some time – sneaking out of her protected walls into the forest, shooting with bows and arrows, as well as riding on her horse – but in the end, she had been able to convince both her beloved parents – the Lord and Lady Potter – as well as her elder brothers – the most faithful of knights the kingdom had ever seen.
It was neither the many misunderstood creatures that lingered in the shadows of the forest, but rather the feeling of unpleasant uncertainty that came over her every single year on this very day, that prevented her from enjoying the wonderful night.
Six years ago, on this very day, the entire kingdom fell into mourning for their beloved Queen, who passed away after a devastating battle with a sudden and dangerous illness that not even the best of healers in the entire kingdom had ever heard of. It was on that very day, that the people started living in sorrow and fear, for rumor had it that the ebony haired Queen with the kind, sapphire-blue eyes had been murdered in the most cruel of ways.
Ever since, the people – peasants, farmers, merchants, healers, maids, shopkeepers and royalty alike – grew accustomed to honor the deceased on her death day.
These gestures of respect, albeit heavily loaded with grief and sadness, would have been something that made the woman smile; she was always good at heart and had no greater aim than reunite the people after the terrible war with the dragons they had all been fighting in. The century long imprisonment and slavery the dragons were put under resulted in a terrible bloodlust and their thirst for revenge, and it had taken years to finally get some sort of arrangement with the intelligent creatures – naturally, after far too many lives had been lost, and too much blood had been spilled on the battlefields. But the kind, caring, and loving Queen Astoria, the young Lady with whom the King had fallen in love with, had so easily found her way into the people's heart. She was like a flickering candle in the wind, enlightening the Kingdom with flames of hope and peace. She was the symbol for everything that could hardly be found anymore, now that her fire was extinguished.
Over the years, the king tried his best to appear strong and courageous, but Lady Lily was one of the few who could see behind his well-built walls of loneliness, that slowly but steadily threatened to suffocate him. It would only be a matter of time until he –
"Ouch!"
At the sudden and unexpected noise behind her, Lady Lily spun around horrified, her delicate hands clutched tightly over her chest underneath the fabric of her midnight black dress.
Her sight fell upon a pair of hands that were trying to get hold of the wooden window. At first, the young red-head was about to scream, then her emerald eyes fell upon the small, almost invisible golden ring on the intruders right hand: a sparkling scorpion engraved in a bright diamond – the royal crest.
"Prince Scorpius, is that you?" Lady Lily asked, and hurried over to the window.
There he was hanging; both of his hands desperately trying to get hold of something that prevented the young, handsome man from falling backwards off the tower. She quickly reached out and offered him her small hand, then gathered all the strength she could muster and pulled him inside her chamber.
Heavily breathing, the blond young man – clad in his shiny armor – first glanced down at his slightly blood-covered hands, then back at the woman in front of him.
"I didn't remember how painful it was to climb up your rose hedge, Milady," he said with a small smirk.
Lady Lily couldn't help but smirk as well at his retort. She quickly walked over to her nightstand, retrieved some ointment which she softly rubbed on his injured skin. "How many times have I told you not to call me 'Milady'," she whispered, her green eyes twinkling.
The two of them had known each other for a long time; their parents had fought together in the war against the Dragons.
Prince Scorpius' grey eyes lit up mischievously. "Well, how many times have I told you not to call me by my title? And we're not even amongst people, my dearest Lily."
The red-haired woman shook her head in amusement. "Old habits, Scorpius, die hard. And you are to succeed the throne one day, it is only appropriate. But, please, pray tell, what in the Merlin's name are you doing here at such late an hour?" she asked, this time worry clearly swinging in her soft voice. "It's not like my parents don't know about us. There is no need to injure yourself by secretly sneaking into my chambers."
The faint smile appeared on the twenty two-year-old's face – swaying in memories of a time when they were playing together in the royal gardens. Soon, however, his expression changed; sorrow and pain taking over.
Lady Lily sat down on the wooden floor next to him, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it softly.
"It's my father," he said, and she nodded. It usually was about his father. The king and crown-prince had grown distant ever since the Queen's death. "The high council is demanding he should remarry."
The woman's silence and shocked expression spoke for itself. She swallowed hard, but no words formed in her mouth.
"Apparently, it is his duty to be a role-model to the folk. Showing them that death is only another obstacle in life that needs to be conquered."
Lady Lily took a deep breath. She had heard rumors coming from the council that the King shouldn't rule the Kingdom on his own. Though their members never really cared about anything but gold and wealth, much less the common people.
"Has he already decided upon a new wife?" Lily wondered, even though she couldn't imagine that Scorpius' father would ever be able to love another woman like he did Astoria.
Scorpius' expression hardened. It was an unexpected thing to see; usually, the young man was always joyful – and sometimes a little mischievous – but the only time she had ever seen him really angry and hurt was after his mother's death. "We're not as close as we once were when mother was still with us, but he told me that it pained him greatly to remarry. But he wasn't given a choice in the matter. After some time, he revealed that the council suggested – and we all know that means the same as forced him to - propose to my aunt, Lady Daphne, so the Houses of Malfoy and Greengrass would still from a common front in the fight."
'How ironic,' Lily thought as she buried her head in the crook of the young knight's neck. She could still see that the thought of his aunt replacing his beloved mother troubled him greatly. And she understood him well. Lady Daphne, with her dirty brown hair and long nose, wasn't really a likeable woman. She was cold, distant, unloving. In a way, she was the complete opposite of her younger, cinnamon loving sister. And she knew that – despite what the high council might think – the people loyal to the King would never accept her, even if Lady Daphne were to change her entire behavior and personality – which, of course, she never would.
"Isn't there anything that could be done to prevent this union?" Lady Lily finally asked, once again fidgeting with the silk fabric of her midnight black dress.
The handsome knight shook his head. "My father already proposed," he choked out the words, "the wedding will take place in two days time."
All Lily could do was stare at him.
"Father sent me to deliver invitations. I still have one estate left, but I needed to see you."
She squeezed his hand softly. "I'll saddle my horse and come with you," Lily said, and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "You don't have to do this alone."
The hint of a sparkle was seen in his grey eyes, and his lips twitched. "There isn't any arguing with you about it, is there, Lily?"
"You know me well," the redhead said, and as Scorpius got up from the floor, he pulled her with him.
.x.X.x.
The ride was long and exhausting; but once the sun rose and broke through the twilight, they had reached their destination: an old, and very ancient Estate of Black.
Scorpius, ever the gallant knight, helped his Lady off the horse – which proved to be quite difficult, since she still wore the midnight black dress.
After knocking three times, a servant opened the door and led the two inside.
"Your highness," he announced upon entering the living chambers, "may I present you, your grandson, Prince Scorpius and his companion, Lady Lily Potter."
Lily had to admit, that she was beyond nervous to meet the stern Dowager Countess of Black, but her fears vanished as soon as the elderly blonde woman rolled her eyes at her servant, sent him away and crossed the room quickly to embrace her grandson.
"It is good to see you again," she said with a soft smile that lightened up her otherwise strict expression. "And this must be the young Lady that has stolen your heart, isn't it?"
Scorpius smiled at this grandmother; Lily, on the other hand, blushed a bright crimson. "Fear not, my child, he has been telling me only good things about you."
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness," she stuttered, a little helpless, and cursed herself for not paying enough attention in class to know how to address the King's mother.
The Countess, however, only smiled kindly. "Please, my dear, call me Narcissa."
Lily thanked her, and together, the three of them sat down on the table. "So, your father has finally given in and proposed to your aunt, hasn't he?"
The question took both of them by surprise. "How do you know, grandmother?"
The old woman sighed. "I have my informants in the council chambers, my dear. It's the only thing these dunderheads of servants are useful for…"
She poured them a cup of tea. "But I had expected this to happen a long time ago, to be completely honest."
"You have, Your High- erm, Narcissa?" Lily couldn't stop herself from asking.
The blonde's features hardened, and her light blue eyes sparkled dangerously. "You have to know that Lady Daphne has always been longing for the Queen's crown for a long time now," the Countess explained briskly. "The truth is, that once a union had been formed between the Houses Malfoy and Greengrass. Draco, your father, was originally betrothed to the elder Greengrass sister, the Lady Daphne."
Lily's surprise was also mirrored in Scorpius' grey eyes. "I didn't know that…" he mumbled and took a sip of his tea. "Cinnamon?" he asked, equally surprised at the familiar flavor.
"Your mother Astoria always had her tea with cinnamon," Countess Narcissa explained with a soft smile, before she continued her tale. "And yes, Draco was supposed to marry her… But well, my son has always had a mind of his own and I should not have been surprise upon his declaration of love towards Astoria and that he had chosen her to be his Queen."
"What happened next?"
"Well, the Greengrasses didn't really care which of their daughters would be crowned. The people of the Kingdom of course celebrated the young couple for their love and well, you know the rest," Narcissa mused, sipping her tea, "Astoria soon turned the once sorrowful lands into a heavenly beautiful Kingdom."
"What about Lady Daphne?" Lily asked suspiciously.
The Countess' eyes darkened. "You all know her. She's a spiteful, greedy and jealous woman, who – in my opinion – would have sold her own grandmother in order to be crowned," Narcissa spat, her hands balled into fists. "It must have been pure torture to watch her little sister get the life she always wanted. It wouldn't surprise me if Daphne herself had something to do with Astoria's tragic fate…"
.x.X.x.
Time had passed quickly since they visited the old Countess, but neither Prince Scorpius nor Lady Lily were able to forget about the words the elderly woman had muttered.
It was the day of the grand wedding, but the young adults – dressed in their best robes and gowns – were very aware of the fact that they would be late for the ceremony.
After the first theories had formed inside of their heads, they agreed about the urgency to find something that would reveal Lady Daphne's true intentions, so they met in the grand, dusty library to go through all the ancient papers and parchments that dated back to the Queen's death day.
"That's it!" Scorpius exclaimed excitedly, and handed her a paper. She quickly skimmed the paper and her emerald eyes widened. "The tea?"
"Yes! It says that the Queen's sister had personally brought her a cup of tea that day. And the kitchen maid noted that Lady Daphne put her own cinnamon into it."
A moment of dead silence followed.
"She poisoned her," Lily whispered, shell shocked. "She poisoned her own sister."
.x.X.x.
"Something has to be here, Lily!" Scorpius whispered desperately as they searched his aunt's private chambers. By now, they must have turned everything upside down – bed, closet, nightstand, chests, even the fireplace – still, nothing.
Lily, however, didn't really listen. She was staring at a book that read 'Vanilla lies and cinnamon poison – a heavenly death'.
"Lily?"
With a shaking hand, the young Lady pulled out the book and with a rustling and shrieking sound, the bookshelf slid to the side; revealing an old and ancient looking passageway that was lit by candles on every side.
Lily turned around to look at Scorpius; her heart skipping a beat.
.x.X.x.
They followed the dark corridor and descended at its end a stone spiral staircase that lead further beneath the Estate. Dusty footprints on the floor indicated that someone walked here regularly and the adults grew more and more nervous with each step.
Turning a corner, they found themselves standing in front of a dungeon-like cell with a small, iron-barred window at the end.
"Two visits in one day? You're finally going to kill me, Daph?"
The voice, so unexpected that it sent chills down Lily's spine, sounded so fragile, weak, hoarse, and tired.
She exchanged a horrified, yet wishful look with Scorpius, who immediately raced towards the cell, not trusting his ears to have heard right. Lily followed him as soon as she possibly could.
The woman in the cell, wearing nothing but dirty rags, was staring right back at them with scared, unbelievable, but beautiful sapphire blue eyes; the flickering light of the torch reflecting on her ashen face and her ebony hair was falling down her shoulders in frizzy curls.
"Mother?" Scorpius asked, eyes filled with tears and his voice but a whisper.
.x.X.x.
"… I now declare you as man and – "
"Stop the wedding!" Lady Lily screamed as she pushed the grand wooden doors open that led into the ballroom, her red curls falling into her face.
Literally every single eye was on her now – including the Countess Narcissa as well as Lord and Lady Potter, who looked mortified at their daughter interrupting a royal wedding.
People started whispering, but a loud and demanding, "What is the meaning of this?" from the King shut them all down.
Lily could hear Lady Daphne curse underneath her breath, and the King turned around away from his bride-to-be towards the entrance, only to have his mouth fall open.
"Astoria?" Draco whispered, not wanting to believe his eyes as he watched his beloved, long-thought-to-be-dead wife walk on unsteady feet and supported by Scorpius towards him.
Without sparing Lady Daphne another look, the King rushed forward and pulled Astoria into his arms. Tears spilled from the Queen's blue eyes as she buried her head in her husband's chest, but Draco lifted her chin – carefully as if he didn't want to break anything - and kissed her lovingly.
The crowd around them cheered; servants, common folk and royalty alike. Only Lady Daphne cried out in agony and suddenly grabbed Lily's throat.
"You ruined my life, you little – "
But Scorpius quickly drew his sword and pressed it against her back, causing her to release Lily, who immediately pressed herself against Scorpius.
"Lies will always be conquered by truth, Daph," Lady Astoria whispered bitterly; her husband's arm tightly wrapped around her still shaking body. "And no matter how much cinnamon you put in my tea, this heavenly kingdom will never be yours."