"Your majesty?" A voice poured into Isabella's ears. A sudden warmth wrapped around her body as she tried and struggled to figure out what was going on.
"Umm?" She could feel her body moving but there was an unknown rhythm to her movement. It was like her movements had been slowed down and she couldn't quite see what was in front of her. A vague feeling of being lost washed over her as light occupied the space of the darkness she could see.
She could hear people moving around her and the rustling sound of the things that were being moved around her.
And then suddenly she snapped as she opened her eyes and swiftly sat up.
She found herself in her own bed and the maids were opening the curtains and making preparations of her breakfast. They were indeed the people she felt some few moments ago.
But one question was disturbing her as soon as she got up - "How long was I asleep?"
She knew that perhaps everything that she saw was maybe a dream. She mumbled the question to herself a few times,
"How long was I asleep?"
"For how long was I asleep?"
And then Serra came forward to ask her , "Are you feeling alright your majesty?" She was truly co concerned. The worry she felt was highlighting the words she spoke to Isabella.
But Isabella wasn't in the zone to answer questions yet, rather she bursted out - "For how long was I asleep?" All the maids along with Serra came to a sudden halt.
They were used to Isabella being hot tempered and irritated sometimes, but this time particularly she was irritated right after she had woken up. That was something new to them.
They stopped a though their actions were frozen in time, but Isabella needed an answer. An answer that Serra herself was trying to calculate would be the right one.
"You.. you, your majesty slept in your room right after you asked me to make soup for his majesty." Serra delivered her words calmly.
"The chef took the order from me but hesitated a little bit when I asked him to make the Abalone soup for his majesty. Although he made a little, he served the main dish as the steak." Serra added as she watched Isabella's expression change with every little detail she was adding.
Perhaps she had no option to stop thus she decided to report thr matter completely to the queen.
"Since you ordered the Abalone soup to be made, it was but no one would dare serve it to his majesty. So at the end Sir Oscar suggested that we only serve the king his steak." She couldn't even look in Isabella's eyes even once.
"What?" Isabella mumbled slowly and almost whispered it to herself.
"His majesty's servants took the steak for him to eat. But we recieved a new this morning..." Serra only now dared to peek a glance as Isabella's expressions and she could tell - "Isabella was anticipating something."
She decided to continue with whatever she was tasked to inform the king. "What is it?" Isabella's eyes almost screamed.
"We got a news that his highness vomited blood this morning." Serra said and finally took a deep breath.
"What?" Isabella screamed in twice as loud voice as before. She immediately looked around, threw away her blanket and managed to get out of the bed.
Her maids, instinctively got ahead and came forward to help her with her nightgown and slippers.
"Be careful your majesty..." one said while the other grabbed Isabella.
"He vomited blood. I must see him." She wanted to immediately leave the room.
"No no your majesty, please refrain from taking these abrupt decisions." Serra came in between the door and Isabella. Her eyes screaming that she should perhaps stop.
"Why? I must see him.. he is my husband." She announced. "I demand you to move or bear the consequences Serra." She commanded, her voice trembling and her eyes teared up.
"I must see him right at this moment." She struggled as her maids held both of her hands and tried to make her stop as they constantly repeated - "Please stop yourself, your majesty."
She struggled and wriggled to get out of the grip of both of them, but she couldn't. Her breath grew heavy and she was unsure of anything that was happening.
"You all must listen to my orders. I am the queen." She said as she almost gave up on struggling anymore. Her arms felt weak and it was almost like she was was going to faint again.
And then she suddenly stopped altogether. She didn't struggle anymore and stood straight.
"Get me my crown" She ordered one of her maids. The maid was hesitant to let go of the queen but she let go and walked towards the table to pick up the crown.
"None of you bothered to put it away?" Asked Isabella as she watched the maids pick it up.
"I apologize your majesty, but we didn't. "Serra being quick witted answered with a lightning speed.
"Hmm?" Isabella turned her gaze towards Serra who still stood near the door, blocking her way to move outside of the room.
"Here is the crown your majesty." The maid gave Isabella the crown with a little bow.
But Isabella took that crown as though she snatched it away from her. She held the crown in her one hand, as though she didn't have even a little bit of respect for it.
She held on to it like a mere paper or something ever unimportant than that.
"Move." She glared at Serra's eyes this time and her words were bold.
"Anyone who wear the crown or is in the possession of even one of the four royal symbols should be respected and their words could never be declined."
Serra was rather slow to realize the motive of why Isabella asked the crown right away as soon as she woke up, but it clicked to her, the reason of why she did so.
She was still in the nightgown though and Serra couldn't let her leave the room just like that. "Yes your majesty, I will move. But please atleast wear a shawl " Serra asked politely to the queen as she made a subtle request.
The other maid quickly understood Serra's intention and went to the wardrobe to get the shawl.
Isabella looked at the quick movements of the maid and decided that she could atleast do that much.
She knew that Serra was genuinely worrying for her, but now she had to play on with diffrent rules. She was in despair rather in jolly for now she no longer was a Stanton but rather Amalde.
Serra helped her wrap the shawl around her body.
"I know I might be crossing my line here your majesty. But the corridors are still cold. The rain hasn't stopped in the slightest so please pardon my behavior." Serra said without once looking in Isabella's eyes.
Isabella couldn't help bit smile a little. "Atleast I have one person beside me who cares about me." Isabella said as she looked at the maids around her.
"Open the doors." Isabella ordered as soon as Serra and the other maids were done with adjusting the shawls.
"Tell the king, I am on my way to his room" she ordered the announcer of her room and watched him rush to the king's room.
Duncan stayed on the floor above her's. His chamber was off limits for most of the people in the palace and that list included her as well.
But today she decided that she would break his petty rule and see him. "I am just worried about him" she thought to herself and started climbing the stairs.
She climbed a few and she could instantly tell - "The corridors are indeed cold. Hope he is doing fine." Isabella thought to herself.
She soon saw the king's door right in front of her. The giant, decoratively carved door was a sight to behold. But she did not have time for that.
"Announce." She ordered the announcer who stood there beside his door.
"Your majesty, he has ordered not to let anyone inside." The announcer bowed to the queen and dared to make his point.
"Announce." She said once again as though she was not ready to listen to anything that his people were going to say.
"Ye..yes. Yes your majesty." The announcer agreed to Isabella's words and announced.
"Her majesty, Queen Isabella is making her way inside." The doors opened right as he announced. "Your majesty," Serra stopped Isabella before she took a step inside the king's bedroom.
"Should we help you wear the crown?" She asked the queen.
Isabella didn't say anything for a moment and then replied, "I don't think he will mind" She felt like she had said those words earlier as well, but there was no fighting the truth. It was perhaps a dream after all.
She held the crown, still, in her hand and clutched it tightly. She could feel, it was rather a sturdy peice of diamonds and gold. It was a strong peice of jewelry, but it was painted red with the blood of people.
It was painted gold with the blood of many innocent people. "I will go in now. Stay here." She ordered her maids and walked inside.
Everything felt like a deja vu. Like it had happen before but this time the scenery inside was diffrent.
She saw Duncan lying in his bed and then she saw the royal physician, along with the head magician and the Commander of royal knights.
"So it is the whole gang here huh?" She thought to herself and soon another silhouettes came in her sight.
She was shocked this time.
"Regina?" She mumbled.
"It means that last night did happen?"
"Yes it did." Somebody answered her in her mind.