Racheal was seated on her bed, her mind deep in thoughts. The atmosphere in the castle had changed after Jazell was poisoned. A tense and awkward silence loomed within the walls of the castle.
Racheal's brown curly hair was let down brushing past her face and flowering down to her shoulders. She was wearing a white silk nightgown, the gown was plain reaching down to her feet.
She rises to her feet, crossing her hand behind her back she began to pace to and fro in her chamber.
"Something doesn't seem right. There are motives hidden within the walls of the castles and the mere thought of it send shivers down my spine." Racheal contemplated in her head before drawing in a heavy breathe.
Racheal had gone to visit Jazell in her chamber; Jazell's condition petrified her. There was a high chance she might die; everyone within the walls of the castle was predicting Jazell's death.
......
In another part of the castle, Ragaleon's chamber unfolded.
The chamber was vast, yet silent, the hush of night pressing against the heavy curtains. A single lamp burned low, its flame bending in the draft, casting long shadows against the stone walls.
Upon the high bed Ragaleon was seated, his scarlet robe gathered about him like a pool of blood, his crown absent, his brow bare and furrowed.
In his hand, he held a polished globe, its surface catching the wavering glow of the lamp. His fingers traced the ridges and outlines as though he might bend the world to his will by mere touch.
His gaze, however, was far beyond the chamber—fixed deep within himself, as though the globe were the shape of his own thoughts.
A knock came on the door, jolting Ragaleon from his deep thoughts.
He didn't respond; the door slowly creaked open, and a figure walked in…it was Brandon, Jazell's brother, also the hand of the king.
He casts a flimsy glare at the great double door leading to his chamber before retracting his gaze.
"Any news yet?" Ragaleon questioned, his golden eyes desk and void of emotions, as he toyed with the small globe in his hand.
"None that is of value to our quest." Brandon admitted solemnly. His short blonde hair well slipped across his head, his blue eyes peering at Ragaleon.
Ragaleon felt devastated, angered!
"There is someone after my life lurking within the walls of the castle, and no one can dictate who it is? Ragaleon jumped up to his feet, the robe gliding behind him as he walked.
"You all are incompetent! He said with gritted teeth running his lean fingers through his dark shoulder length hair. His handsome face was red with fury, as his hand balled into a fist.
"Whoever did this was clean with the job. No traces were left, no witnesses. There are hundreds of people after your life; my lord, the numbers are endless. We cannot be too sure it was someone from within the walls of the castle."
"Oh, keep your lectures to yourself, Brandon! You are my hand; if anything, nothing should be hidden from you." Ragaleon fired back, resting both his hands on a giant oak table in the middle of the room.
The table had the continental map spread on it, with tiny wooden soldiers and knights placed on strategic points on the map.
"Jazell might know who this person is; she had claimed the wine was poisoned. How could she have known?"
"Now you are asking questions?" Ragaleon shot back angrily at Brandon.
"I am only trying to weigh logic, your majesty." Brandon was calm and composed. All his life he has trained to be the hand of a king; he knew how to deal with the king's mood swings and maintain his station.
"Logic! My wife is dying, and you preach to me about logic! Ragaleon swept his hands through the map, knocking down the wooden statues of knights placed on strategic points on the map.
Brandon sighed.
Jazell was also his sister, yet he felt nothing about her present condition. No remorse or pity, not even brotherly love. Maybe it was because the actions of his sister sounded too foolish to be true.
The Jazell he knows loves her life more than anything. How can a queen who had spent an eternity planning on her to rule as a queen put her life in danger all in an attempt to prove a point? It sounds ridiculous.
Yet that was the case, even if he didn't want to believe this was happening. Jazell was in her chamber right now, and she was on a death roll; nobody knows whether or not she will survive.
"I shall leave you to gather thoughts; the night is far gone." Brandon said with a bow before turning to leave.
"Have all the maids questioned, and if none of them say anything, have their salaries cut short for six months. Everyone is a suspect, the other queens included. I want you to get to the root of this matter. If Jazell is to die…she must be avenged." Ragaleon said without sparing Brandon a glare.
Brandon nodded in obligation and then finally made his way out of the room.
A few minutes later, Ragaleon could hear soft mumblings outside his chamber. The voices were beginning to become high-pitched.
He was seated at the edge of his bed, a cup of wine in his hands, deep in thought. But with the voices intruding on his profound thoughts, he rose to his feet, the cup of wine still in his hand, and then made his way to the door.
He opened it, his eyes darting around, before finally landing on Tamina.
Tamina had been standing in front of his chamber for a while. The guards guarding Ragaleon's chamber had refused to let her in.
"The king said he doesn't want to be disturbed." Those were the words they kept saying, but Tamina was adamant.
"My lord," Tamina bowed courteously before slowly raising her gaze. Ragaleon pressed his lips before muttering.
"Let her in." He said, and then he turned away and walked into his chamber.A sly smirk spreads across Tamina's face as she gives the guards a mocking glare and then brushes past them, purposely stepping on one of the guards' feet as she makes her way into Ragaleon's chamber.
Ragaleon was arranging the wooden statues of knights and flags on the map, the ones he had scattered in anger. Tamina glided into his chamber, clouded in a red scarlet robe. Her red hair was let down, her grey eyes fixed on Ragaleon.
"Frowning doesn't suit you, my lord." She started off while taking a stand next to him.
Ragaleon was quiet as he arranged the mini statues he had knocked over in rage.
"Jazell's condition bothers all of us, but as the king, these matters shouldn't weigh you down. The realms might think you are weak if you falter in the face of adversity." Tamina cooed, playing the role of a comforting wife.
She rubbed her baby bump, a faint smile on her face.
"For all I know everyone is a suspect. How can I be so sure you are not the one trying to end my life?" Ragaleon questioned straightening up, his gaze fixed on the map, trailing on the mountains, the east, and valleys…then he placed the flag of a kingdom on a point in the map.
"Because I have nothing to gain from doing such a thing. The gods have blessed me with a child; what more could I want?" Tamina answered genuinely.
Ragaleon trailed his gaze to where Tamina stood. He knew what she wanted, but he wouldn't give it to her; he wasn't in the mood.
Tamina grew tired of his ignorant attitude. She walked around his chamber before finally leaning on the railings at the terrace in his chamber; a banana she had gotten from a fruit basket on a table in the room was in her hand. She slowly began to peel the banana, then munched on it silently.
Racheal made her way to Ragaleon's chamber. Her golden brown hair bounced behind her as she walked elegantly. When she got to the door leading to his chamber, the guards blocked her path when she was about to go in.
"I am sorry, my lady, we cannot let you in. There is another queen inside the chamber." One of the guards said, and the blood on Racheal's face drained.
"Was Ragaleon banging another queen in such desperate times?" These were her thoughts as she tried to maintain a straight face; she turned away in annoyance and went back to her chamber.
Brandon was walking along the hallways in the castle lit up with fire torches; he came upon a section of the hall where the air felt different.
The torches burned lower, the silence deeper, as though the place itself guarded a secret. He paused. For a long moment, his eyes searched the shadows ahead. A hesitation crept into him; his breath slowed.
After a heartbeat's silence, he drew a deeper breath and turned deliberately toward the path. His footsteps slowed, cautious yet resolute, each one sounding louder in his own ears. He arrived at Jazell's chamber; the doors were heavily guarded with three knights.
But the knights didn't restrict him from going in; one of the knights escorted him into the chamber to ensure the queen's safety.
Brandon took a few steps into the chamber, then halted. His eyes linger on the woman he had called his sister; she has become a shadow of her former self.
As his eyes scrutinized every inch of Jazell's face, his memory began to spring up… A deep flashback engulfed his mind.
......
There was a little girl in a blue gown. Eyes crystal blue, long blonde hair draping over her shoulders. It was Jazell; she was running within the walls of the castle of Vandamonth.
"Catch me… You can't catch me." She giggled, then laughed. Brandon was far behind her, his little legs running as fast as he could.
He finally stopped abruptly, then sighed; crouching down, he placed both his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"I give up. You win, Jazell." Brandon screams before straightening up. Jazell, who was still running, stops and then begins to jump in triumph.
"I won… I won. I love winning." She said it, then flicked her hair backward, and then she started making her way to her brother.
"Why did you give up?" She asked, peering at him when she got to where he stood, her tiny voice piercing the air.
"I hate this game, and you were winning." Brandon admitted feeling inferior.
"That's nonsense! Jazell says, then hits his head with her little hand, and the little boy shrieks.
"Why did you do that?" Brandon grumbled, rearranging his hair.
"You don't give up when you see others winning. Instead let their win make you more thirsty for victory; that is how you take down your opponents. You are my little brother; haven't you learned anything from me?" Six-year-old Jazell hissed before turning away.
"What if I don't have what it takes to win?" Brandon asked, his four-year-old body drained from running round the castle.
"Then you find a way to win, but always know that losing is not an option."
"And what if you still don't win?" Brandon asked innocently, trailing behind his sister. Jazell's eyes darkened
"Then you eliminate your opponents by any means possible."
...End of flashback.
Brandon was still gazing down at Jazell in the stillness of the room. He didn't utter a word; only the sound of his steady breath could be heard.
After a while he turned around and walked out of Jazell's chamber.
"You might be eliminated this time around… Jazell."