Sardonic Break: Chapter II
"You've not changed a bit since you were last with me Ser Knight."
The Knight stopped abruptly and turned her blazing glare towards Regina. Snow choked on air as sheer panic overwhelmed her. Her Knight was teetering precariously on the edge. For Regina had made her doubt. A tiny flicker of doubt, which began to fester, like a disease, of nothing but deep-seeded torment.
"Regina! By the gods, I implore you! DO NOT DO THIS!"
Snow never believed that she would ever be begging The Evil Queen, Regina, for anything. She was The White Queen, and a queen does not beg, they only command. Yet, here she stood, pleading with this foul woman, that her Knight be sparred the unbearable pain that she knew was to come if Regina continued down this road. But when she was the look of crazed deviousness on Regina's face, she knew her pleas were for naught.
"You have allowed yourself to be caged and paraded around like a filthy animal of the White Court. All for the selfishness of the one you supposedly pledged your life to. You have the ranking of General. THE General, to be exact, yet you are as blind as ever as to what truly lies in front of you."
The Knight paced slowly. The wind caught her long hair and the sun made it look as if fire was dancing to music unheard. It gave the Knight an almost ethereal appearance.
"You do not know that which you speak, Queen Regina."
"Please do enlighten me, Little One."
Something seemed to snap in the Knight.
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!"
Magic spilled forth. Silent, blinding white laced with a deep, dark purple slammed into Regina's body. She was thrown harshly, bouncing along roughly on the terrain as she was not expecting such a harsh reaction from the Knight.
Her muscles spasmed as she gathered herself up slowly from the dirt. She stretched, letting her magic run along her body, easing the pain from the magical onslaught.
"My, oh my. Little One is testy."
"I do not take lives unjustly. But you, Queen Regina are truly trying my patience."
"Is that a threat I detect?"
The Knight's eyes burned dangerously as she glared at Regina. Snow had stood there in shocked silence. She had given up on trying to pull her Knight away. Her Knight had tapped into her magic and now, Snow was truly scared for her Knight's soul.
Regina began pacing slowly. She looked as if she was hunting and she had found her prey. It was only a matter of time before she struck.
"So tell me, Little One. What do they call you in this Kingdom?"
The Knight shook her head wearily as she began removing her heavy silver armor, piece by piece.
"I told you not to call me that."
Each piece echoed as it hit the earth. Each metallic bang seemed to bring out more and more of the Knight's magic. White and purple pulsed around her body as more of it became visible.
"Well now you just insult."
The Knight was left in a black tunic with black leathers. Her body seemed to breathe as the wind blew around her.
Even though Regina feigned indifference, her eyes did not leave the magic that continued to pulse around the Knight.
"I do not need my armor to defeat you, Queen Regina. Though, I cannot guarantee that both of us will be walking away from this."
Regina blatantly stared at the gall of this Knight. The magic kept pulsing around the Knight, ready to be unleashed.
"Elizabeth please do not go against her. You have no idea what she is capable of."
Regina watched in awe as the magic intensified when Snow placed her hand on the Knight's shoulder. If anything, it should have dulled. She was sworn to protect the White Queen, yet she let her power continue to grow. Magic was unruly. It always has been, yet here the Knight stood, wielding it like it took no effort at all. It appeared that this Knight had reached her threshold and even the White Queen could not control her any longer. There was no coming back, not now.
"Elizabeth, please…"
The Knight politely side-stepped Snow and her honey colored eyes found Regina, who looked thoroughly confused.
"You allow them to call you Elizabeth?"
The Knight visibly cringed as the name fell from Regina's lips. Snow felt a pulse, from something that she preformed so long ago and panic gripped her heart.
"Regina, STOP!"
"Of course they call you Elizabeth. It would be a slap in the face after all."
She pinched the bridge of her nose in apparent frustration, or hurt, it was hard to tell as the mask ever very rarely slipped from Regina's composure.
"At least you still have part of your strong name."
The Knight walked slowly towards Regina. Each step was calculated and precise as it took a lot of strength to tame such magic. Long red hair caught the breeze and it blew around her stoic face as she closed the distance between them. The blonde streak in her hair caught Regina's attention. It seemed to be glowing from either the sun or barely withheld magic. Neither Regina or Snow could tell which it truly was.
Regina had to swallow the minute panic that welled in her chest as Elizabeth stopped only a couple of feet from her.
"Pray tell Regina, what was my name in your Kingdom?"
She could not stop the audible gulp that she almost choked on because of the close proximity. The waves of intense magic that pulsed from the one in front of her did not help matters either.
"Your name…"
"Regina, NO!"
Snow was now in a full blown panic. She could not get to her Knight fast enough. She felt like she was running in slow motion. She stumbled over a piece of the armor that was discarded. Her entire world seemed to be caving in around her as she watched on, in horror as Regina's lips formed the words she so desperately wanted to keep hidden.
"Your name was Vedante Elizabeth. But I always called you Liz."