The Dark Queen of White `1.10

10.

Gareth had held his sister when she was afraid or cold during her younger age, but he had not held her since then. When she had become a lady, she had taken to hug her friends. But then he had reached out for the Princess, and held her. It was the closes that he had ever been with her.

"She had been visiting me, and when I was in her chamber, she did not appear." The Princess sobbed into his left shoulder. "I waited for her every night and then she came. She told me to leave the chamber and come here. I am here now but I feared seeing her. She told me to bring you here."

It was then an apparition appeared on the pool of water and became the image of the previous Queen.

"Mother..." Princess Clarity pulled away and looked at the image. "Are you here?"

"Yes, I am here." The image of the previous Queen told the Princess. "I cannot come to you in the castle, as there were spirits there. They were stronger than me."

Princess Clarity was to speak when the image continued on.

"It was not your father. There were my mother’ servants. Not the one who birth me. But the one who raised me after her death." The image told her. "Lady Morgana was a witch. She’s still alive, and plotted my downfall. She caused your King to be ...incapable of giving me a child. But he deceived her and got another to do it.

“Queen Morgana? I knew not of her.” The Princess replied.

“No, you would not. She did not attend your birth and never did ask of you before. She feared you, my dear. You are her nemesis. It was foretold that a female child of the Lord would be her nemesis. That was one reason she had you banished. It was her doing to convince the King then that you were cursed.”

“Mother, stop!” Princess Clarity stood up and glared at her mother. “I am becoming troubled by all that you had said. Now and then, when the war was on. Please stop….”

The Princess ran to the nearby tree trunk and leaned on it.

“I am sorry, Clarity. I was trying to help you.” The image of the mother spoke to her. “I am truly your mother, not in body but in spirit. I loved your …King, and his noble sacrifice to have me birth the two of you. It was just that when I was at my weakest point, I was struck by witches spells but I held on to deliver both of you. There were not my doing, but the works of your evil step Grandmother.”

The Princess did not turn to look at the mother but the other continued on.

“Lady Morgana bewitched your Lord Falstof soon after the first Lady died. She was the distant cousin of the First Lady and had resented the former. But there was a curse on her, that she would be overthrown by the ladies of the Lady. She 

had me married off to King Egan thinking I was the one. I fought against the wedding as it was against my will for the King was older than me by many years. But no one could stop Lady Morgana when she wanted her way. With my banishment, she exerted more control on Lord Falstof. She had done worse things to the King and thought it was the end of my line. But later she heard I was pregnant, she mounted her attack on me.”

“I was saved by Lin Denham who had the help of the Helwyr Clans. He had them protected me, and many mystical battles were fought. They won and Lady Morgana backed off. But soon as the child bearing came, I was left vulnerable, as the sacrifice of the bloods was a bane to the Helwyr Clans. That was when she came in and took her attack on me and the King.”

“It took me years to recover back my tattered soul, but the Helwyr Clans had protected you well. So well, that even Alan, the loyal follower of the Clan would not allow even Lin to see you then. I came to talk you soon after as your land was under attack by the evil Lady Morgana. She was destroying your King’s works.”

“Yes! You did. Influencing me by force and telling them how to fight the war. Half of those times, it was you speaking from my voice.” Princess Clarity voiced back in anger. “Did you ever ask me if I was willing to fight then? My own brother?  Blood and flesh of yours too. And those of the others?”

“I would do it if it was my own brother, Clarity.” The image of the previous Queen replied. “We are the broods of the powerful, and many people relied on us to live and die. If we are weak, they would soon revolt and all that we had would be gone. Your brother was under the influence of Lord Falstof acting against his interest to divide the land. He had succeeded to annex one third of it during your slumber. I had to protect both you and Bannion.”

“But we are ladies of the Court. Wars are fought by men and not us.” Princess Clarity shouted out. “I was growing up to be a lady. But you made me a warrior.”

“No, not a warrior but the Queen of the land.” The image replied. “Yes, both of us are ladies. You and me. We are not supposed to fight the men, but if we don’t who would? Let another man who would then take over the land from ours. The total stranger riding in and invading the land that belonged to us. Do you think he would give it all back later? I would say nay.”

“Let it be us who fought alongside the men who would protect our lands, than to see it going blindly away.” The image of the previous Queen sighed. “I saw what were yours and your twin brother, Bannion. I had to stop it before Lord Falstof takes it all for his lady.”

“Did you ever ask me of my thoughts, Mother?” The last word came out in a stern sounding of her voice. Her stern voice also brought out the hidden wolves from the trees line. They stood there and looked at the Princess.

“I had no time. And neither would I. I have said before, we are the daughters of the Elite. We are to do what was needed.” The image replied. “You are Princess Clarity, the daughter of King Egan. You would do as what your royalty position demands of you. You would be tested on this many more times, and you would do as needed. Those are my last words to you as your previous Queen.”

With that, the image faded off.

Princess Clarity fell down to her knees and sobbed by the tree trunk. Gareth stood up and moved towards her, but a big gray wolf came in between them. It growled and showed it fangs towards Gareth. He stood still watching the lady cried there. She leaned her head against the trunk and motioned for Gareth to come over. He stepped forth but the wolf in between them growled.

"Its okay, Michael. I need to talk to him alone." The wolf heeded the command of his mistress. The wolf disappeared into the forest and so were the others. Soon it was only Gareth and the Princess. The later motioned to him to sit down by her side.

"Gareth of Steinheim, tell me of the role of the ladies. The common ones that lived in the village."

Gareth narrates to her of what he knew. It was all from his life with his ma'er and chwaer.

Near to dusk, the animals of the forest would come to the pool of water at the waterfall. There they would quench their thirst, and then be on their way to the place of rest for the coming dark. They were all kinds of creatures'; both the predators and prey, but none attacked the other at the pool of water. It was a place of peace and tranquility.

"I was introduced to this place by Michael. He brought me here daily to learn about the creatures. I soon find myself coming alone when Michael was not around." Princess Clarity told the warrior. They were seated by the banks, and made no effort to disturb the water.

"I would like to thank you for telling me so much about us....the women." Princess Clarity told Gareth. "Helene hardly tells me of that, nor would Alan. When I was growing up, all I ever did was living a life of my own; hunting and running through the forest with the creatures. I soon learned to shoot the arrows as required by the Helwyr Clans. All the members are required to be able to shoot an arrow at fifty paces."

"You were a warrior during the war. A warrior and Queen then." Gareth complimented her.

"No, it was not me most times. It was my mother who took over my body; she was the one who had those plans drawn up for the guards. At times, she forced her spirit into my body. I was upset, but I could not fight it. You saw our arguments."

Gareth remained silent. He had witnessed the argument and understood little then. He was never an intellectual person, but a simple peasant with the skills of a warrior.

"I never met a Queen before you, and since our times together, I had seen more Lord and Ladies than in my earlier life." Gareth told her. "I had seen that they are no different from my ma'er in her everyday life."

"Yes, like stooges to their Lords. They only stand there and smile." Princess Clarity commented back. "So helpless and ....so obliging."

Gareth wanted to correct the Princess but he held back. His chwaer had times argued with the other men folks in the village before, and spoke her mind to them. His ma'er had reprimanded her but she done the same regardless. He did not tell the Princess of that, as his ma'er had told him his chwaer was a fool to argue with men.

"They are as ignorant like the hogs." Gareth had laughed at his ma'er remarks. Nevertheless, he was unlike the others. He allowed the other ladies to argue with him and listened to them. He had heard the rumors of the independent women; they were named the Amazons. They were like the men dressed in armor and wield weapons, while they shunned form men. They were also rumored to steal the young girls to raise as their own. With that thought, he blurted out to the Princess.

"They were one breed of women who fought like man. They were named the Amazons." Gareth spoke up. "But it was only rumors."

"No, please tell me more." Princess Clarity asked of him. "I want to know more of these Amazons."