The room was a large and regal hexagonal shape, the walls and ceilings were lined with gold and pearl fixings and details, deep purple fabrics, almost black in colour, lined the furniture and ruby red curtains hung from impressive arched windows, each one holding a perfect view of the city from every angle. Placed in the centre of the grand room was a mahogany table, its feet were in the shape of claws and it was draped with a white, lacy table cloth adorned with doilies as place mats. The Queen sat in the seat facing the doorway to the room dressed as always in a fancy suit, royal cape and her crown, its jewels glistened and glinted. Late afternoon sunlight shone weakly through the window behind her, casting a horned shadow upon the table in front of her. A lone figure stood within the dim lighting in the corner of the room. No sound was heard other than the odd rustle of a newspaper changing pages and the clinking of a tea cup leaving and returning to its saucer regularly.
“I heard you visited Reverend Fabien, darling.” The Queen began as she broke the silence, not looking up from her newspaper she was reading from the head of the table. “Confessing to more secrets I may be privy to?” she took a delicate sip from a china tea cup. Her tone gave the impression that she was just making polite conversation but it held a certain danger to it. She knew the answer already and was daring them to lie to her.
There was a heartbeat of silence before Ragneth answered from her position at the side of the room, arms behind her back and her posture straight. “I did, Your Majesty. However, there was no confession. I learnt my lesson from last time”
The Queen looked up from her paper at the woman and placed her tea cup down gently. Raising an eyebrow at the mage. A light smile pulling at her blood red lips and amusement sparkled in her eyes. “Oh? So you finally sort out retribution against him? I must admit, it took a lot longer than I expected. I mean, if someone sold me out, I’d have made sure they suffered as quickly as I was able to. Or at the very least, killed them.”
Ragneth gave a small shrug “I play the long game. Make him wonder everyday if this was going to be the day he gets what he deserves. Strike fear into his every waking moment. You of all people know the importance of fear.”
The Queen folded her newspaper in half, poured herself some more tea from a matching, steaming china teapot. She stirred her tea spoon slowly, tapping the side of the tea cup with it twice. Picking up her cup and saucer, she brought it to her lips and blew before taking a sip. The silence was palpable. She crossed one leg over the other before she stated “And I assume the little trip you went on to their records vault was for revenge also?” her tone was almost casual but the sentiment behind the words meant that this was dangerous territory.
Surprise flickered across Ragneth’s face for the smallest of moments, but the Queen noticed, she hid a smirk that threatened to cross her own features. The Queen continued to sip her tea periodically as she waited for Ragneth to reply.
“I thought the contents of the vault might have proved...useful for the search for the mage, Your Majesty. It was the main reason I was at the church. Payback came as an after thought” she replied. Choosing her words carefully.
The Queen stuck out her bottom lip sadly but her eyes still sparkled with amusement. Her sadness clearly fictitious “Is my library not good enough for you any more, my pet? I made sure to stock it with all your favourites. All those books on magic that I revoked from the people.” the Queen placed her tea cup down on the table and sauntered over to the mage, wrapping her arms around Ragneth’s neck “What does that stuffy old church have that I don’t?”
Ragneth hid the disgust from her face. Her arms ridged behind her back, she fought the urge to push the taller woman away. She had to look up to look the Queen in the eye. “Your library is lovely, Your Majesty. I just required some separate information not readily available to me in the Castle.”
The Queen let out a playful sigh and tapped Ragneth lightly on the nose “Oh you and your thirst for knowledge, did no-one teach you curiosity killed the cat?” her tone was still coltish and light but there was a hidden darkness to it. Ragneth blinked and attempted to keep her distaste of the action to herself.
The Queen settled back in her chair, taking another sip of her tea. The bright red lipstick she wore left an imprint of her lips on the cup. Like bloodstains on a white sheet. “Is that why you brought your child with you?”
Shock was evident this time on Ragneth’s face. She never would have thought that the Queen would have known about Veylyn’s existence, having tried so very hard to keep them out of the Queen’s penetrative gaze since she had adopted them.
Seeing Ragneth’s eyes widen and fill with fear even for the most fleeting of moments made the Queen chuckle quietly from behind her mug. Nyxara could almost giggle with glee, she loved watching dread enter people’s eyes, no matter who they were. It was an intoxicating feeling.
“How did you-” Ragneth started before she was silenced with a raise of the Queen’s hand.
“Nethy, my darling. You know how good I am at getting information out of people. It helps too, that I have that priest eating out the palm of my hand. He’d sell you out for a sugar cube.” Nyxara’s smile widened as they saw rage fill Ragneth’s pale eyes. The green slowly fading into red as they fought the fury inside them. The Queen let out a soft, mocking tut “Are you really surprised at the man? He’s the human equivalent of a weasel.”
Ragneth spoke through gritted teeth “You are correct again, Your Majesty. A cheetah never changes their spots so they say.”
The Queen, returned her tea cup to the table and picked up a sharp knife, the mage reflected in it like a mirror. Nyxara leant across the table and grabbed a small bread roll from a woven basket in the centre. She cut the roll in half before leaning off to the side for butter. “So, tell me more about this child you have.” She spread soft butter over both the rolls “I must confess, I’m a little hurt that my favourite little mage never told me they had a child of their own.” She waved at the chair opposite her with the knife, directing Ragneth to take a seat. There was a tiny crack in the arrogant smirk. The briefest moment of hurt and self loathing was visible. How could something so significant elude her grasp? It was unthinkable.
Closing her eyes for a second, Ragneth gathered herself, attempting to return to her stoic nature, slowing her breaths. She could figure out a way to keep Veylyn safe. It was going to be harder to keep them safe if the Queen knew about them. She had to be careful with this. Crossing her arms over her chest, she tried to give off a sort of nonchalant attitude towards the question.
“What would you like to know, Your Majesty?”
“How long have you been keeping this secret from me? Are they as old as my own children?” The Queen took a bite of the roll, her eyes scrutinizing Ragneth’s every move. She noticed that Ragneth’s eyes were back to their original green. Her face a well placed mask of normalcy. She was giving nothing away with her face. But her crossed arms gave off a hint of nervousness. The Queen smirked inwardly, it was one of her favourite games to play with the mage, ‘Guess the Emotion’. Like their own little game of cat and mouse.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“They just turned eighteen, Your Majesty. Their birthday was in October. Not quite as old as Prince Thorne and Princess Lyra” Ragneth answered, only giving as much as necessary
“What a shame,” The Queen smiled but it was tight and looked forced “perhaps we could have arranged a play date for them when they were children, had they been a bit older.” her eyes were narrowed slightly, alight with a dash of anger. The secret had been kept from her for almost two decades. Festering between them. “That is an awfully long time, darling, for you to never have mentioned them.” her voice held danger in it but her tone was sickly sweet. She was angry but trying not to show it. She hated feeling like she had been made a fool out of.
Ragneth could sense the simmering anger in the Queen’s tone and smiled lightly at the idea of getting under her skin but played the smile off as a reaction to the play date idea “You never asked, but a play date would have been nice.” Ragneth poured herself a tea. A bold and risky move which, had it had been done by anyone else within the castle would have landed them an appointment with the gallows. “But what would the public have thought?” Ragneth added in an almost sarcastic tone as she blew on her tea.
The Queen let out a dangerous chuckle, her eyes dark as she stared at the woman across from her. “Of course, we can’t have the public thinking mixing with magic is good now, can we?”
The two women exchanged silences as Ragneth waited for Nyxara to ask more questions. Nyxara took her time to bite and swallow each mouthful of roll. Taking the time to observe the mage in front of her as she sipped her tea, her eyes skimming around the room as if bored while she did so. The woman had a child, which she had managed to keep secret for eighteen years. If they could have kept this a secret, what else were they keeping from her? Dusting the breadcrumbs from her lap and dabbing her mouth politely with her napkin, Nyxara broke the silence, her tone dripping in sarcasm and fake sincerity “You know, I must ask – and I wouldn’t unless absolutely necessary, you understand – are they magic? I value the safety of this kingdom, especially with this new, powerful mage running around. These are dangerous times and I wouldn’t want your child to get hurt in any way.”
Ragneth had been about to take a sip of her tea but paused to answer “No, they’re not magic, Your Majesty.”
The Queen tutted “Ragneth, my dear, a powerful mage like you having a child with no magic? I find that hard to believe” her tone was laced with steel but was mockingly polite.
Ragneth placed the mug down on the table “My apologies, Your Majesty. I hope it did not come across as me lying to you, perhaps I should elaborate.” Ragneth crossed her arms once again “Veylyn is my adopted child. We are not biologically related, Your Majesty”
The Queen raised an eyebrow “Adopted? How very noble of you Ragneth.” Nyxara leant forward in her seat slightly “I am curious however, when you realised that the child had no magic, what made you continue to raise the child? When a woman of your magnitude has such power at her fingertips? Was it a challenge or perhaps you were trying to make up for past mistakes?”
The Queen gave a small, all knowing smile. Hinting at the past Ragneth had tried so hard to keep a secret. She watched as the woman in front of her lost some of her steely composure as her mind flickered back to that day. Nyxara leant back in her chair, grasping the handle of her tea cup with deliberate grace and raising it to her lips, smirking over the rim of the cup. “I must admit, with your track records of secrets. I sure hope you are not keeping any more from me, my little mage”
Ragneth’s eye twitched at the mention of her past, she fought to stay above the water and remain as stoic and calm as ever. Not willing to give the satisfaction of knowing the Queen got under her neatly polished facade. Distracting herself with refilling her cup, she took a breath before replying quietly and calmly, ignoring the Queen’s smug stare “Veylyn was adopted because they needed help – Needed a family that would love them. Not because they were seen as an act of redemption. You know as much as anyone that I cannot redeem my past actions.” She took a sip of the now lukewarm tea, making a face at the temperature before continuing, steadying themselves as they stared into the Queen intense gaze. “Plus a woman as resourceful and as intelligent as you would have found out my secrets had I had any left.”
Nyxara placed a hand over her heart and a cocky smile appearing on her face. “A compliment from my little pet? Ragneth, please, you of all people know flattery won’t get you anywhere. But I appreciate the comment regardless” there was a small pause before she went on “Tell me more about – Veylyn, was it?” Ragneth nodded. “When did you adopt them?”
“A few hours after they were born, Your Majesty.” she replied, leaving as much information out as possible. The rumours about a bad omen and magic were reverent as much in the castle as they were out on the streets. Ragneth needed to be careful that Veylyn’s birthday wasn’t released to the Queen, it wouldn’t take long for her to put two and two together if she did.
The Queen nodded, looking almost deep in thought. “And how did you raise them? A newborn baby takes a lot of work and I know how dedicated you are to your job” the sentence ended with a smug smile since the dedication was forced rather than through loyalty to the job.
Ragneth’s brain flew back to the times she had with Mrs Garrett, her face lit up with a sad smile before quickly returning to its neutral position and her fingertips traced the rim of her tea cup absent-mindedly “I had help from my partner, we never officially married – I never had the time – but she would help raise Veylyn when I wasn’t there.” her eyes narrowed slightly and her tone held an anger to it “It was a little harder after that once you sentenced her to death, however.”
The Queen merely shrugged “You know the rules, it is not my fault you fell in love with a useless magic user.”
Ragneth’s eyes blazed and anger flooded into her voice as she placed the delicate cup down a little harder than it was made for, chipping the bottom of the mug. “the day she burnt, Veylyn lost two parents. Mrs Garrett died and I had to spend my time in the Castle working for you instead of comforting my child. They were twelve.” her nails were pinching the skin of her palms, dangerously close to drawing blood.
The Queen seemed to freeze, her fingers tightening on the handle of her delicate cup, with an audible creak. Her own eyes narrowing dangerously and her voice dripped with venom as she spoke to the woman across from her. Her voice was as sharp as a blade yet eerily calm. “Watch your tone, mage. I’m still your queen whether you like it or not. You know what I’m capable of, don’t make me remind you personally”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I apologise” she quickly stated, almost fumbling over her words in a rush to appease the queen. Now that she knew of Veylyn’s existence, it wasn’t just her that would be in danger now if she acted out. Ragneth’s voice dropped into a more business like tone as she attempted to rapidly change the subject, forcing her voice to become her armour. She couldn’t let the Queen know she had gotten under her skin. “Speaking of secrets...” Ragneth paused as she pulled a small notepad from her pocket and started flicking through the pages before getting to the right page with trembling hands. She growled inwardly at herself for allowing herself to show this sort of weakness and willed her hands to stop shaking. The feeling of failure twisted and stung her chest. She could not afford to show this kind of weakness, especially now.
“We need to discuss the Vombardy Kingdom. Your own secret doesn’t seem to be as fool proof as you once thought. Your Vombardy spy was found dead at the steps of our embassy in their city this morning.”
The Queen instantly switched gears, her face falling from its signature smirk to a more serious expression as she placed her teacup down and getting up out of her chair, striding over to the nearest window and looking out to the landscape with hard, cold stare as her mind worked overtime. “I assume another has already been sent in his place?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A mummer of acknowledgment and a nod of the head was all that came from the woman for a moment. “If our spy had been killed, that means they know we are aware of their stance towards war.” The Queen stated as she clasped her hands behind her back as she thought, tapping her foot as she did so. It was a habit Ragneth had noticed she did when she was typically deep in thought, so she let her think in silence.
Eventually, Nyxara spun back towards the mage, her royal cape whipping behind her. “Double down on the original plan. I want multiple doctors to agree on the primary cause on death as being natural causes. His current death certificate says a heart attack, Pay off whomever you need to make sure it stays that way then make sure that something happens to that death certificate, an unfortunate fire in the records office, a cyber attack in the computer department. I don’t care, make sure that that death certificate is not seen by anyone other than those we trust with this.”
Ragneth was scribbling in their notepad as the Queen spoke, getting down everything they said “You should make a public display of mourning, Your Majesty. A televised speech on how his death has effected you possibly? Maybe even plan a kingdom wide funeral or day of mourning?”
The Queen nodded then held up a hand to stop the mage from speaking further as she strolled over to a small, ornate bell that had been sat on the table the whole time and rang it. A servant came scurrying into the room, a new kettle filled with tea was placed on the table, replacing the cold one they had previously been drinking out of. Once the servant had hurried out the room once again, Nyxara spoke up again “I could state that the funeral should be held in the Vombardy Kingdom, use it as an olive branch of sorts. It may appease the Prince, or at least buy us some time.” The Queen let out a sigh before dropping elegantly into her chair before waving her hand in dismissal “You may leave me, little mage, but do not wander far. I wish to keep my secrets close.”
