MapleStory: Fate

Chapter 1: Queen's Curse

Ariant...

"Ah...this is the life." Queen Areda spoke to herself happily as she adorned her collect of fine jewels and precious stones. Ariant is still in their state of poverty but on the bright side, no one's in prison unless speaking against the queen. But so far, the queen has gone from bad to worse. From her self-care of her appearance and beauty and taxing the people heavier. Her selfishness sure is as rotten as ever.

Right now, she kept her jewels back in an ornate box and looked at herself in the mirror. "Ah...I am the most beautiful woman in all of Maple World! Nothing can compare my stunning beauty!"

"I don't think so."

She gasped and looked behind to see a woman with a cloak over her head and is armed with a magic wand. "Now don't panic Queen Areda. Before you call the guards, I must tell you that your beauty is beyond others."

"How dare you insult the queen!" Areda exclaimed. "Moreover, who are you?"

"I am Eleanor the Black Witch and I came here to tell you the truth. Hear me out, you still believe that you're the most beautiful woman in all of Maple World?"

"Of course! Why do you come here to talk about it? Or are you here to gloat on me?"

"Actually, I'm here to help you." Eleanor revealed. "By eliminating the competition." She then used her powers and revealed a scene in Elluel. In there, there are elves working, training and then, "Who is that Eleanor?"

"The queen of elves. All men talk about her beauty that shines and radiates with grace and purity. Not to mention she's one of the most beautiful women in all of Maple World. Even more beautiful than you I must say." The words of Eleanor infuriate the queen so great that rage filled. "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!" She shouted. "I'd give anything to see her removed from this world!"

"And that's why I'm here to help you." Eleanor replied as the queen cooled down. "I'm listening Black Witch."

"Most wise." Eleanor replied in satisfaction. "Now here's the plan." And the discussion took several minutes and in the end, a deal has been made and it's all going according to the Black Witch's plan.

Elluel...

Somewhere outside and near the town, there is an enclosed area that no one has ever explored. Nothing much in that area except there's a lake with a waterfall flowing through. And on the ground beside the lake, there's a set of clothes folded neatly and left there along with a pair of dual bowguns.

Now the lake is crystal clear and, "SPLISH!"

"Ah...refreshing. A nice, relaxing dip in this lake really eases my mind." The queen of elves, Mercedes picked the right time to enjoy the lake all by herself for she's submerged up to her neck and is completely au naturel as she swam around letting her long, blonde hair flow through in the water. Giggling to herself, she went underwater and resurfaced a few seconds later as she swam around some more. "I feel like spending the whole day swimming freely." She thought as she continued swimming around.

Sometime later...

In the town, the elders are seen having a discussion when Mercedes now in her royal outfit showed up. "Greetings my queen." Philius greeted. "How's everything?" She asked. "The usual." Danika replied. "But I'm curious, where did you go today?"

"Oh I just went for a stroll in the forest." Mercedes replied as she left for her royal chamber. Where she got there, "Huh? Why is there a spinning wheel in my chamber?" She thought in surprise as she closed the door and examined the spinning wheel. It's made out of wood and it's black in colour and all of a sudden, it glowed in dark purple. "What the..." Before Mercedes can react, her eyes suddenly glowed in the same colour as the spinning wheel. Then, she felt herself walking towards it as she stretched out her hand and she's getting closer to the spindle of the device. Not to mention it's very pointy.

A few hours later...

"No way!"

"Oh yes way my friends!"

The scene reveals the Lumiere where the heroes are gathered around. "How did you get your hands on those VIP vouchers?" Aran asked. "My dear Aran, luck was all I need for it was by my side." Phantom replied. "You see, a party hosted by Gold Richie involves lots of money and let's just say I won first prize."

"For a thief like you, you had too much luck." said Luminous. "And for a magician like you, you don't know how to have fun." Phantom replied. "Sheesh. You're such a child." Luminous thought as, "From what I can see, you won a couple of VIP Vouchers. Who are you inviting?" Shade asked. "Simple. Us 6 heroes and the 5 chief knights and if you have anyone in mind, sure they can tag along. A 2 week vacation at Gold Richie's Gold Beach Resort!" Phantom stated. "Awesome!" Evan cheered when, "Hold on. There's only 5 of us and Mercedes is not with us."

"Which is why we're heading to Elluel. Tell her the good news." Phantom replied as Evan couldn't help but smile over her. For as long as he can remember when he first met the queen, it started out as a small crush n which he stared at her beauty but soon it grew big and he couldn't stop thinking about her almost everyday. Mir tends to notice his masters' smiles but didn't think much. It has been ongoing for a few years and the dragon master who has reached his young adult years was hoping to one day open out his feelings to her.

Then, "Ah, we've just arrived. Let's go!" Phantom exclaimed he and the heroes and Mir went outside to the outer deck and there, he used his magic cards as they envelope everyone and they vanished.

Down there, they reappeared as, "Oh! You surprised me." Astilda exclaimed as some of the elven children noticed Mir. "Look! A dragon and it's so cool!" One of them named Deet exclaimed as they ran to Mir and started touching him. "Master...I feel shy."

"Relax Mir. Children sure are innocent and fun-loving." Evan replied as already, Phantom is explaining to Astilda their purpose. "I see. Well, she went to her royal chamber and come to think of it, she hasn't come out for a few hours."

That sentence made Evan worried. "I don't like this." He thought and so, "Evan! Where are you going?" Aran called out but he ignored her as he ran to the royal chamber with the others following him. When Evan arrived, he opened the door and gasped as the others caught up and gasped too,

In front of them, Mercedes lay on the floor motionless. "No...No...MERCEDES!" Evan ran and cradled upon her body as the others gathered around. "Let me see..." Astilda placed her hand on her forehead. "She's not breathing and yet...she's still alive."

"It seems like she's in a deep slumber." Shade assumed. "But...when will she wake up?" Evan asked in worry. "That...I do not know." Astilda replied as Evan cradled onto Mercedes again and this time, he wept while the rest watched in sadness.

To Be Continued...