Few Hours Later...
The blindfold over Gwendolyn's eyes was pulled open and she could finally see where she was. After spending hours undergoing the tortures of having her skin shrub with hard sponges and having her nails picked, her skin hair plucked right off her legs and neck, she was finally dolled up to the satisfaction of those ladies.
Then she was blindfolded and led away to somewhere she had no inkling of, still she followed silently since she has experienced the pain of having to try to struggle with the ladies, Her scalp hurts already from having her hair pulled on when she had tried to struggle earlier on.
Now that the blindfold was taken off she could see the grand room she was brought to. The exquisite design and Flamboyant furnitures were enough to tell her where she was.
this beautiful paradise is the palace?
She heard footsteps and lifted up her head, there was a middle age woman dressed in fine long robes, a towering wig on her head and her face plastered with makeup till she almost looked like a doll. Every step she took was accompanied with royalty and elegance even her brows were lifted up in a condescending manner.
Accompanied by a train of maids and guards, she walked to Gwendolyn's front then took a sit at the Queen size throne that was there.
A thought came to Gwendolyn's head when she saw this woman.
Why was the Queen meeting with a doppelganger of her daughter?.
She has never really been privileged to see the faces of the Royals, even though she lived in Greecia, she was several meters away from the Main city and the royals had no business in such a shabby place, still she had gotten to see Queen Jordyn's portrait. Traders who also go into the city would come bearing stories of the Palace affairs.
Queen Jordyn sat there looking at Gwendolyn, her eyes lifted up slightly in amusement and a hint of discomfort. The surprise in her eyes was but for a few seconds and then she looked away not wanting to stare at Gwendolyn's face anymore.
She spoke "so it is true"
'what is true? that I look like the princess?' Gwendolyn thought to herself. The woman's next words confirmed her thoughts.
"You looked like the princess...That wench kept you after all " as she said this, there was a load of anger in her tone and her eyes looked at Gwendolyn displeased.
Kept me? What does she mean?
Even though this was the question in Gwendolyn's head she didn't show any confusion in her face. Curiosity kills the cat, she was less concerned about the palace affairs so who was who and who wasn't was absolutely not her concern, all she wanted was to go back home to her love and... the kids!
Oh how could she have forgotten!
The little kids! Ash and Aki!
Few years back when her mother was still ill but not yet dead, She had climbed the mountains to pick mountain herbs for her mother and there she saw two kids lost in the mountains, they didn't seem to remember where they had come from neither did anyone seem to recognize them. She could only take them in and began taking care of them as her siblings.
She had left them this morning with the message that she would be back in a few hours but now it was evening and she was not yet back, they must be worried sick. Remembering this, she became anxious than she earlier was. She was all those kids got, if anything was to happen to her they would be left all alone.
A little disappointment in the Queen's eyes as she said "You might look like her but you clearly aren't her. You have never been"
"Yes I am not the princess so what do you want from me?" Gwendolyn summoned courage and answered hastily, it was better they cut to the chase with whatever they are doing so that she could be free.
Queen Jordyn's eyes furrowed, she didn't answer the question rather she snorted and clapped her hand, signalling two of the maids. The maids nodded and walked out of the grand palace accompanied by two other guards.
Soon they returned but they were not alone, dragging along with them, they brought two little kids.
"Aki! Ash!" Gwendolyn screamed frantically, her heart broke into a thousand pieces when she saw those two kids with the guards. She had never expected they would have brought them here.
The Queen waved her hand again and the little kids were immediately strapped on a wooden table.
"Sis Gwen! Sis Gwen!" The kids shouted as they were being strapped to the table, they struggled to break free but how can their miniscule strength rival that of trained guards.
"No no leave them alone!" Gwendolyn rushed forward to separate the children from the guards but she was held back by another pair of guards and held to the ground. Tears found its way to her ear, she struggled too but to no avail. The hands of the guards were like iron clads on her wrist, she had held back so firmly that only her head could move about.
'Did I jinx them by thinking of them?' Gwendolyn wondered, she had only but thought of them few seconds ago and here they were now strapped to a table and God knows what the Queen would do to them.
"What do you want from me?!" Gwendolyn turned and yelled at the Queen her eyes flooded with tears, within the mist was also unbridled anger.
"It's clearly you who needs my help at the moment" the Queen uttered nonchalantly, the guards proceeded in dragging out a box of tools. The glittering blades and shining ends explained their use. No doubt these belonged to an executioner.
Gwendolyn was even more frightened to see those tools. Frantically she asked "then why are you doing this?"
"It's simple." Queen Jordyn sat up and looked Gwendolyn straight in her eyes "This can't be helped, You mother's treachery has been uncovered. It's unfortunate that she is dead, so you three have inherited her crimes and as her children would have to pay for it."
Gwendolyn exclaimed fidgeting "they are not my siblings, I am the only child of my mother, so let them go and take me instead"
"it's a pity but they have been robed in already. Unless there is a way you can attest for her crimes, you all will pay with your lives today, starting from them"
Cunning and slick.
Only these two words could define these lady. Gwendolyn could tell what her scheme was, the Queen didn't want to be the one to suggest anything to Gwendolyn, she was pushing Gwen into agreeing to do her bidding. How cunning!