"You seem to be madly sick today, your highness," it wasn't everyday that the Queen before the mirror would have such dark bags and a very haggard face.
"I hardly sleep these days, the general, we cannot find him. I worry about his life," she explained clearly to her fifteen year old daughter who had taken a liking to fixing her mother's hair every morning.
"It is understandable that you worry of him," she sympathized with her as she carried on to comb lightly. "However, should you die of worry, who would continue to lead the Crystal kingdom?" she asked poking her head to the side of her mother's neck. Showing her mesmerising brown eyes through the mirror.
"Don't joke with such words Azania, your father lives and he is the leader," the Queen reprimanded her child from saying such stupid things and suddenly felt a pang of an overwhelming anxiety as she found a frown settle on her lips.
"Your majesty! your majesty!!" a scream shuttered through the walls as a horrifying vibration of the same equivalence roared through the hallway.
The Queen's back tightened, and wondered if she would be able to stand the pain coming for her. What if he was dead?
A second later, a fair lady of middle age walked through the Queen's chamber with her lips wavering from fear and utter sadness.
"Your Majesty," she whispered, unable to hold the broken cords from the sound of her voice.
"Be calm, Inga. What's going on?" The Queen questioned, afraid to hear of what was to come.
"The young Lord cannot get ahold of the General. He begs for your presence in the camps." Inga who had not only grown up with the Queen, but had been her maidservant since young wavered through her shaky breaths.
"Why then must you scream as if the General is already dead? Hold your emotions. Are you not bringing absolute doom to his life if you predict the worst? Stop crying," The Queen commanded with a slight aggression, hating when people lost their composure the most.
"Ania," she then cold for her daughter, holding her hand with her shaking ones. "Accompany me to your brother's camps," Azania who had been stuck on a single spot had been brought back to earth by her mother's actions.
"Yes, mother," she obeyed, however confused as to why she would be needed there.
Azania had been suddenly growing closer to her mother. It was part of her training to learn closely the role of the Queen, there of, if ever there was by any chance she would take the role someday, she would know what to do.
Thirty minutes later, the Queen had been clenching on Azania's slender hands trying hard to keep herself from losing her will to walk.
Azania had shared a sympathetic look towards her mother. It was not for the purpose of learning that her mother had asked her to be of witness that very day.
It was because she was the only person to whom she could show her weakness. She was afraid, Azania understood this.
Inside the tent, were a few lads surrounding a table that held not only the past, but the present and future.
"general do you copy?" The light lad could have swore he couldn't hear a single shuffle on the other end.
"General!?" He screamed, hoping there'd be any kind of noise as evidence their general was still alive.
"Do you think he's still alive?" Asked the other, afraid he wouldn't like the answer.
The light lad took a deep sigh showing the amount of pain and fear he shouldered on his broad arms, "There's no way he survived," he finally crumpled.
They could not had seen the Queen and the princess who stood on the far right of the table. She was too stunned to speak, she could feel her entire body tremble.
"He could be dead?" the Queen finally found her words hoping what she heard was not true.
"Your Majesty," the few lads all bowed in unison after recovering from the shock of noticing that the Queen was already present.
"Older brother," Azania acknowledged to her brother as the others turned to bow to her also.
"Sister,," the younger lad acknowledged in return.
"the general?" the Queen questioned after the little engagement of formal greeting between them.
"Mother, We are not sure as of yet, but, we can no longer sense his breath," her eyes had been bloodshot red from the amount of shock. A few tears were already ready to escape.
Azania had noticed how her mother was losing breaths and forgetting to breath. She squeezed her hand as comfort, hoping to bring her back to the present world all over again.
"Report!" From outside, a waging voice was heard before a men entered the tent to kneel before the nobles.
"You may speak," the young prince uttered.
"We found this gift at the front gate," the messenger explained.
It was a box, covered with fair, white in colour and richly made.
The prince extended his hand to receive it, and opened it, out of mere curiosity as to what was inside.
Regret was filled on his face after seeing what had been kept inside. General's head, swollen, almost unrecognisable.
He jolted from shock and quickly threw the box away. Azania had screamed on top of her lungs as the Queen remained in deep shock of non response.
"Royal uncle," she whispered seconds later.
Her legs moving in sync to the head rolling on the floor. Blood covered the bead. too much blood, he touched it and her hands also came to alignment of her eyes. She searched for them, the blood was cold. He had been dead for a day.
The Queen had prepared to kneel as she sobbed salty tears. The rest of the tent at large kneeled along with her, afraid to receive the bow of the Queen.
"I failed you Uncle, I failed you." she sobbed out as she carried on to cry. "I failed you,"
She knew how dangerous it was for her to send him to the wolves. Her husband, who had been afraid of the Queen's uncle, had been sighing day and night because he worried about the state Uncle's power.
When he had suddenly sent for him to do such a mission, she knew it was a way to help him sleep at night. Her power had been greatly weakened. Only for his insecurities, he had to weaken the power of the Crystal.
She watched silently on the side, knowing her only Uncle was being sent to his doom. "When I come back, I will bring outmost victory to the kingdom's name. And then, you shall prepare a brunch in my name," those were the last words that were told to her by him. However, Before the Brunch, he had already been dead.