DISCLAIMER: I do not own the fairy tale, blah, blah, blah.
Author's Note: Okay, sorry the first chapter was so short. It was really more of a prelude than anything else. I know things aren't very exciting right now but just give it time and PLEASE REVIEW! I promise I'll listen to you and I appreciate suggestions.
~~Chapter Two~~
Far across the ocean, at what seemed like the edge of the Earth, the day dawned bright and clear. Pink, purple, and golden rays shot forth over the glistening sea as Helios broke from his golden gates and rose into the sky. This glorious display was lost however, on the one person who observed it. Queen Marigold's eyes watched everything, but saw nothing. If you were to gaze into the windows of her soul you would see only the eyes of a dead woman. There was no fire, no life behind them. It was as though Marigold had seen horrors unfit for human eyes.
She sat, silent, on a windowsill, tracing scars on a pane of glass that had been mended after she had shattered it with her fist in anger the previous week. The scars on her own hand were still an angry red from the surgeon's needle. Still, she did not feel their sting. Even the cool of the windowpane on her forehead was foreign to her.
It was the most unusual room that she sought solace in. It was a bedchamber, located at the zenith of the highest tower in the Palace of Eldron. There were twelve windows in this room. Spaced around the circular stone walls. On the floor was a giant carpet, depicting the night sky and the phases of the moon. The four poster bed was carved of the darkest mahogany and hung with midnight blue draperies. An ancient, forgotten spinning wheel sat in the shadows, gathering cobwebs. Oddly enough it was carved from the same mahogany as the bed, and each was inlaid minuscule carvings of roses. But the most curious aspect of the room was not the furniture, or the décor, but the ceiling. The tower crown was made entirely of glass, flooding the room with the sun's glory of dawn.
A soft knock was heard on the door. The Queen did not move. Not even a wisp of hair betrayed that she had heard the rapping. When the door was not answered, the young King Frederick quietly entered. He was a tall man, with piercing blue eyes and a glorious mane of tumbled golden hair beneath a lightweight silver crown. His build was strong, and his laugh was thunderous, but today his laughing eyes were solemn as they rested on the face of his Queen.
Marigold was quite the King's opposite. She was petite, with hair the color of ebony and large, exotic brown eyes. Her skin was a light brown, but today she was pale, and the usual foreign coloring of her face was lost.
Frederick crossed the room and placed a hand on her shoulder. Still she did not move.
"My dear, you must stop this. You haven't eaten in days. Nor have you slept." "Why should I?" Marigold's voice seemed to come from across the ocean outside of the window. Far from this world. Her eyes still focused on the horizon.
"Everyone is worried. The servants in the kitchens speak of nothing else but your condition," Frederick sighed, "And I need you. You must be strong now."
Nothing but silence was heard. The King turned Marigold's face towards himself and forced her to look him in the eyes.
"Mari, people are beginning to talk. They are saying that you have gone insane! I know you're upset but darling you've got to go on!"
For the first time the Queen moved. She violently pushed his hands away from her face and stood up. "Well maybe they're right! Maybe I have lost my wits! Frederick, this is the third child I've lost before it even left the womb! How do you expect me to feel? I've tried every potion concocted by every doctor in the land, and nothing works! I cannot bear a child!"
The King reached for her hand but she jerked away and focused her attention on the spinning wheel, tracing the engraved roses with her long, delicate fingers. "All I want is a child. I would give my life for just five minutes with my own baby." Tears began to well up in her eyes and she gave a shuddering sob. As she did her hand fell away from the spindle and received a small puncture from the needle. Marigold let out a small whimper and sank to the floor in tears.
At that moment, another man entered the chamber. He was tall, even surpassing the King in height. His hair and beard were silver, cascading over his long blue robes. A staff in his hands was crowned with a small crystal sphere at its pinnacle. Premature wrinkles lined his eyes, as though he had seen a thousand ages of man pass by. He made no noise with his feet as he crossed the room and knelt next to the Queen.
"Madam, fear not, this will pass. You must keep up your strength if you would bear a child again. You must eat something!"
"Fear not?! Even you're powers are to weak to help me Maximus! I am beyond reach. Death is less fearsome than facing another day alone!"
The enchanter sighed, "I assure you that we will find away to cure this problem, whatever it may be, you must just give it time! Do not exile yourself from life!"
The Queen's eyes opened and her sobs suddenly ceased, "Exile."
"Precisely, Maximus is right, you must."
"No! Exile! That's it!"
"I'm sorry madam, what do you mean?" "Sylvanna."
"What?"
"The Witch Fairy."
Maximus rose abruptly. "Absolutly not1 She's a demon!"
Marigold rose as well. "But if anyone is powerful enough to give me a child it's her!"
"Are you insane?!" King Frederick cried, a little louder than he meant to.
The Queen's eyes flashed. In a cold deadly voice she said, "Don't you ever call me crazy Frederick. Ever." She paused and turned towards the door, "I'm going to see her."
Maximus desperatly caught her wrist, "Mari, she'll kill you! You know she has had her sights set on destroying the monarchy for years, you'll be walking right into her hands!"
Queen Marigold wrenched her wrist out of his grasp, "So? What have I to live for?" With that she marched out the door and down the spiral staircase, footsteps echoing behind her.
Author's Note: Okay, sorry the first chapter was so short. It was really more of a prelude than anything else. I know things aren't very exciting right now but just give it time and PLEASE REVIEW! I promise I'll listen to you and I appreciate suggestions.
~~Chapter Two~~
Far across the ocean, at what seemed like the edge of the Earth, the day dawned bright and clear. Pink, purple, and golden rays shot forth over the glistening sea as Helios broke from his golden gates and rose into the sky. This glorious display was lost however, on the one person who observed it. Queen Marigold's eyes watched everything, but saw nothing. If you were to gaze into the windows of her soul you would see only the eyes of a dead woman. There was no fire, no life behind them. It was as though Marigold had seen horrors unfit for human eyes.
She sat, silent, on a windowsill, tracing scars on a pane of glass that had been mended after she had shattered it with her fist in anger the previous week. The scars on her own hand were still an angry red from the surgeon's needle. Still, she did not feel their sting. Even the cool of the windowpane on her forehead was foreign to her.
It was the most unusual room that she sought solace in. It was a bedchamber, located at the zenith of the highest tower in the Palace of Eldron. There were twelve windows in this room. Spaced around the circular stone walls. On the floor was a giant carpet, depicting the night sky and the phases of the moon. The four poster bed was carved of the darkest mahogany and hung with midnight blue draperies. An ancient, forgotten spinning wheel sat in the shadows, gathering cobwebs. Oddly enough it was carved from the same mahogany as the bed, and each was inlaid minuscule carvings of roses. But the most curious aspect of the room was not the furniture, or the décor, but the ceiling. The tower crown was made entirely of glass, flooding the room with the sun's glory of dawn.
A soft knock was heard on the door. The Queen did not move. Not even a wisp of hair betrayed that she had heard the rapping. When the door was not answered, the young King Frederick quietly entered. He was a tall man, with piercing blue eyes and a glorious mane of tumbled golden hair beneath a lightweight silver crown. His build was strong, and his laugh was thunderous, but today his laughing eyes were solemn as they rested on the face of his Queen.
Marigold was quite the King's opposite. She was petite, with hair the color of ebony and large, exotic brown eyes. Her skin was a light brown, but today she was pale, and the usual foreign coloring of her face was lost.
Frederick crossed the room and placed a hand on her shoulder. Still she did not move.
"My dear, you must stop this. You haven't eaten in days. Nor have you slept." "Why should I?" Marigold's voice seemed to come from across the ocean outside of the window. Far from this world. Her eyes still focused on the horizon.
"Everyone is worried. The servants in the kitchens speak of nothing else but your condition," Frederick sighed, "And I need you. You must be strong now."
Nothing but silence was heard. The King turned Marigold's face towards himself and forced her to look him in the eyes.
"Mari, people are beginning to talk. They are saying that you have gone insane! I know you're upset but darling you've got to go on!"
For the first time the Queen moved. She violently pushed his hands away from her face and stood up. "Well maybe they're right! Maybe I have lost my wits! Frederick, this is the third child I've lost before it even left the womb! How do you expect me to feel? I've tried every potion concocted by every doctor in the land, and nothing works! I cannot bear a child!"
The King reached for her hand but she jerked away and focused her attention on the spinning wheel, tracing the engraved roses with her long, delicate fingers. "All I want is a child. I would give my life for just five minutes with my own baby." Tears began to well up in her eyes and she gave a shuddering sob. As she did her hand fell away from the spindle and received a small puncture from the needle. Marigold let out a small whimper and sank to the floor in tears.
At that moment, another man entered the chamber. He was tall, even surpassing the King in height. His hair and beard were silver, cascading over his long blue robes. A staff in his hands was crowned with a small crystal sphere at its pinnacle. Premature wrinkles lined his eyes, as though he had seen a thousand ages of man pass by. He made no noise with his feet as he crossed the room and knelt next to the Queen.
"Madam, fear not, this will pass. You must keep up your strength if you would bear a child again. You must eat something!"
"Fear not?! Even you're powers are to weak to help me Maximus! I am beyond reach. Death is less fearsome than facing another day alone!"
The enchanter sighed, "I assure you that we will find away to cure this problem, whatever it may be, you must just give it time! Do not exile yourself from life!"
The Queen's eyes opened and her sobs suddenly ceased, "Exile."
"Precisely, Maximus is right, you must."
"No! Exile! That's it!"
"I'm sorry madam, what do you mean?" "Sylvanna."
"What?"
"The Witch Fairy."
Maximus rose abruptly. "Absolutly not1 She's a demon!"
Marigold rose as well. "But if anyone is powerful enough to give me a child it's her!"
"Are you insane?!" King Frederick cried, a little louder than he meant to.
The Queen's eyes flashed. In a cold deadly voice she said, "Don't you ever call me crazy Frederick. Ever." She paused and turned towards the door, "I'm going to see her."
Maximus desperatly caught her wrist, "Mari, she'll kill you! You know she has had her sights set on destroying the monarchy for years, you'll be walking right into her hands!"
Queen Marigold wrenched her wrist out of his grasp, "So? What have I to live for?" With that she marched out the door and down the spiral staircase, footsteps echoing behind her.
