kitsune_wolf (kitsune_wolf) wrote in lg_chronicles, @ 2007-08-04 13:39:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | royal sisters |
TCoLG: The Royal Sisters. Chapter 2
The Chronicles of Lowerground – The Royal Sisters
Chapter Two – The Black Queen Midnight
Word Count – 4089
In which there is an argument.
Age of Darkness 4116 - 8th Day of Thawing
In a large rectangular room, chairs lined the long the grey stone walls leaving no space for decoration of ether painted stone or hanging drape; the third wall was a large pair of doors made of dark and valuable wood, and opposite that, against the fourth wall, was one stone throne. It was engraved with images of war framed in twisting vines, and sheathed in the left arm rest was a sword, the hilt of which was shaped like a wolf’s head. Its hand and half long handle was covered first in black leather, then green and purple cloth: the colours of royalty, death, and magic. The blade was called Wolves Bane.
On that throne sat a young black adult vixen. The Black Queen Midnight was slender and fragile-looking in the seat of her ancestors’ Wolves Bane, sleeping under her arm, unaware of Tasha's organised resistance growing in her city. This was the feared Black Queen Midnight, and she knew little of what happened outside the palace walls. Her advisor, and the royal council, saw to that- of course the Queen wasn’t meant to know that, but despite their best efforts their queen’s ice blue eyes saw enough to know that she was being used as a tool. She just couldn’t see a way out.
Hidden behind the stone throne, out of sight of the advisors and other council members, was a young fox cub. She had white and red streaked hair; the fur on the rest of her body was red, turning orange on her hands and feet, and white on her muzzle.
She wore blue culottes and a blue tunic, over which she wore a purple knit cardigan.
The cardigan was held closed by a brooch near the collar. The brooch held a pink stone which was glowing slightly.
The council was arguing over the new taxation rise on food. They hadn’t raised the tax for the money, but to prevent so much food being bought, because simply,
There wasn’t enough to go around.
The underground city was running out.
The Black Queen muttered some words under her breath, lips barely moving, and only the cub behind her heard.
The cub repeated the words, whispering them to the pink stone that glowed slightly, as more of the magic within was drawn upon to make her words louder, and to make it sound like a male voice, coming from the direction of the crowded seats.
“Ration the food instead of Taxation!”
The stone glowed again and another voice was heard, from another area of the council room.
“Use the money in the treasury to pay for new growing caverns!”
The council members looked around, trying to find those who had spoken up.
A few of the more highly ranked members frowned at the queen.
The Queen’s face showed nothing but boredom. The cub tried to make herself appear even smaller than she already was, using the pink magestone to ensure that no one saw her.
The chief royal advisor, a heron, was glaring at the Black Queen even after other councilors started shouting answers to the questions.
“Rationing will panic the population!”
“How can we start new growing caverns without the miners’ guild?”
Finally, the advisor looked away, calling the meeting to an end.
People started slowly filing out. The Black Queen muttered under her breath as the cub lifted a trap door behind the throne, and disappeared down a secret passageway, closing the door after her.
The last thing the little Vixen heard was the click of the heron claws as he walked up to the throne.
A few hours after the Council Meeting, the Black Queen entered the little vixen’s room; the room of a young princess that no one outside the palace knew existed.
“Inia, I don’t want you sneaking into the council hearings anymore.”
The secret princess’ head snapped away from the window she had been gazing out of, to stare at her sister.
“What?” Inia blinked. “Why? You need me there! Midnight, no one there ever listens to you!”
“They don’t listen to your phantom voices either!” Midnight snapped back. “Please, Inia, you were almost seen. Just because that Sense magestone Tasha gave you lets you pull a few tricks...”
Midnight bit her lip and forced herself to keep her tone down. She knelt next to the bed, smoothing a strand of red and white hair from her watery blue eyes.
“Inia, it’s just not worth the risk. I don’t want you to get found out, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Do you have any idea what might happen to you if they know that you’ve been interfering with the meetings?”
“But…” Inia glared at her sister. “I’m helping you. You need all the help you can-.”
Midnight stood up. “It’s not worth the risk. And that’s the last I’ll hear of it.”
Midnight walked to the door to leave.
“But...”
Her black hand tightened on the door handle.
“Inia please.”
“I want to help!”
“It is not worth it!” Midnight shouted. “Why won’t you listen to me!?”
Midnight slammed the door and fell back against it. She had not meant to shout.
The door jerked slightly as the queen heard and felt something being thrown against the door, and the sound of crying.
Midnight wasn’t sure if Inia was crying, but she knew that she was. She moved her hand up to brush the tears away, but hissed and brought her other hand up to her shoulder instead.
Looking up, she saw the tall elegant heron walking down the corridor.
Only a back eye marred his grace, and that was mostly hidden by his white feathers.
“I do hope that there will be no more rogue comments from the seats.”
“There won’t be.”
The heron nodded. “Good. And how is your young sister? I would hate for anything to happen to her.”
Midnight’s icy eyes pinned the heron.
“Just as I would hate for any harm to befall you, my advisor. After all, bird bones are so difficult to splint correctly, aren’t they? And they do take such a long time to heal.”
The heron glared back at the young black fox before stalking away.
Midnight growled at the retreating figure.
“Someday heron, one day.”
She turned and walked in the other direction.