Laughing maniacally, Queen Elena mocked, "How sweet! Love is quite interesting. What do you say, Lord Khan?"
With due respect, Lord Khan replied, "My Queen, I never knew you were such a badass," as he bent a knee with a smirk on his face.
"I must admit your acting skills are quite repulsive,you have done well," she acknowledged.
"You have my gratitude, O Queen. But what is the next course of action?" he asked.
Waving her left hand, she motioned for him to rise. "We should gather those who support us and eliminate those who oppose us. Then we will rule," she commanded.
"Yes, my Queen," he bowed low and departed.
Queen Elena stood at the edge of the hill, watching the battle unfold below. Suddenly, a piercing sound rang through her ears. She clutched her head and stumbled as a voice echoed in her mind.
"How does it feel to see your enemies at your feet?" her shadow asked.
"Who said that?" Queen Elena demanded, laughing nervously and looking around.
"It doesn't matter. I asked a question," the dark shadow insisted.
"I have no idea what you mean," she shouted.
"Oh really? Look behind you," the shadow taunted.
Turning, she saw King Xaiver lying lifeless on the ground. She gasped and rushed to his side.
"What have you done?" Queen Elena cried out.
"You should ask what have YOU done," the shadow replied.
Realizing the truth, she shook King Xaiver's body, tears streaming down her face. "My love, I'm sorry. Heavens, what have I done?" she choked out.
"Yes, I like this look on your face. Miserable. Victory is mine," the shadow smirked.
"What do you mean" Queen Elena demanded, confused.
"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten what you did to me when we were young," the shadow replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't even know you," Queen Elena insisted.
"Elena, Elena. It is I, Camelia," her dark shadow replied.
Queen Elena's expression shifted from shock to horror as she clutched her chest
"No way! no, no, no, no,no. You died. I saw you die in that fire," Queen Elena stammered.
"So true. But my soul didn't die. It lives. And guess what? It lives inside you," Camelia replied.
Queen Elena trembled. "What does that mean?" she asked, her voice quivering.
Annoyed, Camelia retorted, "After what you did, you thought you could have a good life while I, the innocent burn in hell? Not quite. I am your shadow and I have been for a long time. How can you still pretend?"
Choking on her words, Queen Elena pleaded, "Camelia, I didn't do anything. I don't understand."
"No need to rush. I'll explain," Camelia replied...
******FLASH BACK********
Thirty years ago, an influential master's castle was invaded. Screams filled the air as dead bodies and blood covered the floors. "Nobody should be left alive," commanded a robust man in his fifties. He wore full body armor, had short grey hair, piercing red eyes, a scar across his face, and a crown on his head.
"Father," called a five-year-old girl with short grey hair and crimson eyes, dressed in a plain black dress.
King Tharros Hanksworth the unyielding turned and chuckled. "Yes, little lady?"
"Father, I am not little," she protested.
Ignoring her reaction, King Hanksworth asked, "Did you find anything you like, Elena?"
"Not really. Everything is damaged," she replied. "Anyway, father, why did you bring me here?"Little Elena asked.
"I am teaching you the line of our clan's trade for your takeover," King Hanksworth replied.
"But father, I don't want to kill people," Little Elena said.
"It's not just about killing people, but our enemies. Getting rid of enemies is our duty to the Phoenix Clan, since they have helped us a lot," King Hanksworth explained.
"Oh, so what's going to happen to that kid?" Little Elena asked.
"What kid?" King Hanksworth replied.
"The one hiding behind that pillar," she said, pointing to a crumbling pillar.
King Hanksworth looked in the direction she pointed and commanded, "Come out, whoever you are."
A girl of five years, with brown skin, long black hair, and brown eyes, emerged from behind the pillar, trembling, in her pink dress adorned with Pearls, white tiara and white shoes.
Scanning the girl's attire, Little Elena remarked, "She must be the little lady of the house. Quite girlish," she added, irritated. King Hanksworth drew his sword and walked toward the little girl, preparing to strike her. Little Elena quickly ran in front of him, stretching out her hands. "No, father," she exclaimed.
Surprised, King Hanksworth asked, "What are you doing?"
"You can't kill her, father," Little Elena replied.
"Why is that?" he asked.
"I like her," she said.
"What?" king Hanksworth replied, astonished.
"She can be my personal maid. That way, she is useful," Little Elena explained.
"But you have a personal maid," King Hanksworth pointed out.
"Dolly is too old for me. For heaven's sake, father, she is in her eighties," Little Elena said quickly.
"Okay, little lady," King Hanksworth replied.
"Father, I said I am not little," Little Elena corrected.
"I know, I know. Fine, we can take her. But if she misbehaves, I'll cut her down," King Hanksworth said seriously.
"Yes, father," Little Elena replied.
A knight walked in, bending a knee. "My king, we are ready to move out," he said.
"Okay, let's move out," King Hanksworth ordered.
Little Elena faced the girl. "What's your name?" she asked.
"I'm Camelia," the little girl replied.
"No need to be scared. We can be friends, right?" Little Elena said.
"Yes, my lady," Camellia replied almost in a whisper.
******Twelve years later********
Twelve years had passed, and the castle garden was as serene as ever. Princess Elena wandered through it, calling out, "Camelia! Camelia! Where are you?"
Her voice carried through the flowers and hedges until a reply came, "My lady, I'm here." Camelia stepped forward, dressed in her maid's attire.
Elena rolled her eyes. "Where were you? I have something to tell you."
"What good news?" Camelia asked, curiosity piqued.
Elena's excitement was palpable. "My betrothed, Prince Xavier from the Phoenix Clan, is visiting."
Camelia couldn't help but tease, "The fact that you are excited shows that you like him."
Elena immediately went on the defensive. "Not really," she replied, a hint of blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Camelia smiled knowingly. "My lady, you don't have to be shy."
Crossing her arms, Elena insisted, "I'm not shy, and it's just not true."
Camelia shifted the conversation, her curiosity piqued. "What are you going to wear?" she asked.
Elena smiled and took Camelia's hand, pulling her along. "Come with me," she said, leading her to a simple room adorned with swords and shields. A huge mirror stood against one wall, with a large bed across the room.
Camelia glanced around and sighed. "My lady, why won't you decorate your room?"
"It's not needed," Elena responded with a shrug.
Camelia sighed again, but her eyes widened as Elena excitedly revealed a dress. "Here is the dress I'll be wearing."
Camelia gasped, her eyes fixed on the black gown. "But it's black. You can't wear black, my lady."
"Why not?" Elena asked, puzzled.
"It's just not proper. Pink or blue would be preferable," Camelia replied, concern evident in her voice.
Elena shook her head. "That's too girlish."
"Please, my lady, listen to me. Just this once," Camelia pleaded.
Elena considered for a moment before agreeing. "Okay, you can choose what I'll wear," she said, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"I'll be right back, my lady," Camelia said, hurrying out of the room.
*******Moments later********
Moments later, Camelia entered the room, carefully holding a dark blue brocade dress. Elena stared at it in disbelief. "For heaven's sake, no way I'm wearing that," she exclaimed.
"Come on, my lady, let me help you put on the dress," Camelia replied, undeterred.
Rolling her eyes, Elena reluctantly agreed. "Okay."
As Camelia helped her into the dress, Elena grunted. "It's too tight."
"That's how it should be. You are a lady, my lady," Camelia said, satisfied with her handiwork.
"I just hope I don't choke to death. It's so uncomfortable," Elena replied, clearly displeased.
"Now, for the other accessories," Camelia said, bringing out a blue tiara and matching shoes.
A little later, Camelia stepped back and admired her work. "You look pretty, my lady."
"I do look stunning," Elena admitted, twirling in front of the mirror.
"My lady, have you met your betrothed before?" Camlia asked, watching Elena's reflection.
Still amused by her appearance, Elena replied, "Yes, I have. When I was five. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing really, just..."
Just then, a bell rang. "He's here," Elena said. In her haste to run, she tripped on the dress and fell. Camelia gasped.
"My lady, careful! You shouldn't run in a dress. Are you hurt?" Camelia asked, rushing to her side.
Groaning, Elena replied, "Dresses are the worst."
Camelia laughed heartily.
In the grand dining hall, the table was a sumptuous display of various foods and drinks, Seated around the table were King Caspian Mountbatten-phoenix,King Tharros the unyielding and Princess Elena.
King Caspian, his gaze lingering appreciatively on Princess Elena, remarked, "You look rather dashing, Princess Elena." His words were accompanied by a discerning scan of her elegant attire.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty," Princess Elena responded with a graceful bow of her head, her demeanor poised and gracious.
At that moment, a young man of about eighteen years entered the room. His charm was evident as he accidentally collided with a maid passing by. With a quick and instinctive reaction, he caught her in his arms. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
The maid, named Camelia, looked up shyly. "I'm all right, my lord," she stammered, and, feeling the weight of the gazes upon her, she quickly disentangled herself from his embrace and hurried out of the hall.
Prince Xavier drew out a chair and seated himself beside Princess Elena, causing her cheeks to flush with a soft pink. With a courteous bow, he greeted King Tharros. "Greetings, Your Highness," he said warmly.
"Greetings, My Lord," King Tharros replied, acknowledging the prince's presence.
The discussion of the Prince and Princess Royal Wedding soon commenced. However, after a short time, Prince Xavier excused himself from the table and left the dining hall. He meandered through the lush garden and soon spotted a girl sitting alone, her eyes fixed on the sky. He approached her and took a seat beside her.
"You're the clumsy maid," Prince Xavier remarked with a mischievous grin.
Camelia jolted upright, her face flushing with embarrassment. "My Lord, I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I never meant…"
Prince Xavier chuckled and extended a reassuring hand. "No need to be scared. I'm not going to bite. I'm just teasing you," he said.
Relieved, Camelia thanked him, bowed, and started to leave. But Prince Xavier stopped her. "You don't have to leave. Please, stay," he insisted. "You can have your seat."
Feeling a bit uneasy but reassured, Camelia sat back down. Prince Xavier smiled warmly. "As I said, I'm not going to bite. Trust me."
Gaining a measure of courage, Camelia asked, "Do you love my lady?"
Prince Xavier looked puzzled. "I don't understand."
"Do you love Princess Elena, my Lord?" Camelia clarified.
"Why do you ask?" Prince Xavier responded.
"I care about her," Camelia said softly. "She's like an elder sister to me. Despite our differences in status, she has always been kind to me."
Prince Xavier looked at Camelia with a deep, heartfelt gaze. "Of course I love her. I've loved her since I first saw her as a baby. Why do you think I'm here? Do you really think I can't go against my father's wishes?"
Camelia's eyes filled with tears. "I'm happy for my lady. She found the perfect man to love her," she said softly.
As tears streamed down her face, Prince Xavier gently reached out and wiped them away. At that moment, Princess Elena walked in and saw the tender exchange. Her expression turned to one of anger, and she turned abruptly, storming back into the castle.
Feeling the tension, Camelia quickly withdrew and said, "I'm sorry, my lord, but I need to take my leave." She gave a small bow and hurried out of the room.
Camellia rushed to Elena's chamber and found her lying on the bed, already out of her dress. "My lady," Camelia called out excitedly, "I have something to tell you about Prince Xavier."
Elena sat up and glanced at Camelia's eager face. "Walk with me to the animal shed," she instructed, standing up.
As they walked toward the shed, Camelia asked, "My lady, why are we going to the animal shed at this hour?" Elena gave no answer.
When they reached the shed, Camelia placed the torch on a stand. Elena looked at her confused . "Wait for me. I'll be back," she said, and then walked out, shutting the wooden door behind her.
Puzzled and anxious, Camelia banged on the door. "My lady, my lady, please open the door!" she pleaded. In her desperation, she struck the door so hard that the torch fell onto a pile of straw, setting it ablaze.
The fire quickly spread, causing the animals inside to panic. Camelia felt the intense heat and pounded on the door even harder, her cries growing frantic. "My lady, my lady, help me! Please, help me!"
On hearing her screams Elena turned back and froze with shock. Her face was filled with horror as she heard Camellia's desperate pleas. "Camellia, oh heavens, Camellia," she cried, tears streaming down her face, but she could not move.
As the fire grew fiercer, Camelia, with her last breath, summoned dark magic. As a witch, she transferred her soul into Elena's body as a shadowy presence.
The magical transfer caused Elena to collapse, unconscious outside the shed. As the flames continued to rage around Camelia,she took her last breathe.
******Coming back to reality******
Confronting Elena with a firece anger Camila exclaimed"for no reason you locked me up and it led to my death"
"it was a misunderstanding"Queen Elena replied with tears streaming down her face,I'm sorry,I regret what I did".
"it doesn't change anything, It's all done"Camila replied coldly.
"Besides I wasn't aware you were a witch,they are quite rare these day" Queen Elena sobbed harder.
Camila replied "would that have changed anything if you were aware?"
"my work here is done"Camila said her voice echoing with finality,with that Camila's dark shadow the essence of her being vanished from Queen Elena's body.
Queen Elena sobbed harder,consumed by guilt and sorrow. At that moment,Lord Khan and his men appeared on the hill dragging the Lord of War and other captive who refused to pledge allegiance to them. Lord Khan approached Queen Elena his eyes narrowing he asked"My Queen is anything the matter?"He asked with feigned concern.
Queen Elena glared at him with fury"this is all your fault"she screamed. In a desperate attempt she lunged at him trying to strike him down.
Lord Khan reacted swiftly, moving back and drawing out his sword,with a single precise motion he slit her throat. Queen Elena fell to her knees, clutching her throat as blood poured out,with tears on her face she collapsed forward dead.
Lord Khan picked up the sword (excalibur)and signaled his men,they began dragging the captives including the Lord of war,who was to weak to resist,her body was covered in sword injuries and she lacked magical abilities to fight back.
And so the cruel some battle ended with the fall of commendable heroes,their sacrifices making the end of an era.The echoes of their bravery and loss lingering in the air like a mournful dirge.