Daughter of Death -Chapter 30 (Patreon)

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CHAPTER THIRTY

Word rapidly spread to other kingdoms about the ‘miracle’ that had occurred in Bayern.  Their Anointed Future Queen had not only been found at last but now by the grace of God had been restored to life, like Lazarus in his tomb!

Prayers were said across many kingdoms to God for this miracle of life. People of all levels of worship could agree that this was divine. Furthermore, it solidified in the minds of many that Princess Reina truly was a heaven-send to Bayern. Why, she had been born miraculously to her parents after so many years and now despite tragedy riddling her short life had indeed pulled through and had been kept safe by the Lord God himself. It was certain. Believers looked forward to her soon-to-be rule as Queen. What an age she would bring Bayern into!

The Royal Council themselves were still in disbelief even though it had now been two days since Reina was discovered to be still living. It had been a shock, certainly, but after the official inquest and hearing the words of Reina herself as well as new evidence from her dwarfed companions and even Lord Ferdinand himself it was clear what Her Royal Highness had gone through and how fortunate the kingdom was to now be aware of the deception and treachery that had gone on.

The utter disbelief and devastation could not be contained at the revelation that Reina disclosed: “It was her; my step-mother that has been lying all along!”

“But Your Royal Highness we saw the document that excused Dowager Edeline from blame or guilt in the assassin’s plot!” a councilman spoke up in worry.

“Clearly a forgery,” Ferdinand spoke up. “The woman drugged and poisoned our beloved prin- your future queen with such witchcraft that you and I all believed her dead! Certainly forging a document would be like child’s play to one so versed in the Dark Arts!”

“I should not be surprised if The Devil himself was the one to pen the document,” Reina added for good effect.

The Council members crossed themselves in fear. 

“So then, she hired an assassin to murder you, Your Highness, and upon discovering your life had not been taken came herself to the cottage whence you’d been living and tried to poison you?”

“Yes. She disguised herself well –again no doubt the work of her master—and attempted to gain my trust and the trust of those who harboured me. But she certainly did try to murder me thrice. First with pretty ribbons to tie the corset of my dress next with a poisoned comb and last with food. As I told you in detail from what I can recall we were deceived all of us!” Reina proclaimed emotionally.

“This...this is a most heinous crime of treason,” a Council member muttered. “It cannot be taken lightly.”

“Nor should it,” Lord Ferdinand agreed, “Let us confront the witch and find her out. Certainly there are ways; holy ways to dispel the truth from her lips.”

“As I am sure there are we must also consider that should these accusations somehow prove...untrue and that perhaps The Dowager was indeed framed by some hideous plot this shall reflect poorly upon Bayern. For though Her Majesty is a citizen to this kingdom she hails from another and would upon your coronation, Your Highness, have possibly returned to her home for she has no ties here that legally bind her.

“Should we accuse her of treason and be wrong, her kingdom could have the grounds for quarrel and should they wish it, war for slandering her so. We must proceed with caution.”

“And that we will,” Reina assured, “let the inquest into her dealings be done discreetly. I am well aware of the politics of this matter and of the workings of my own kingdom,” she went on passionately and the men around her began to feel timid remorse for suggesting otherwise that she did not understand what she was doing, young as she was. “And then should evidence be sufficient she will be tried for her crimes and word of her treachery to be public.”

The Royal Council spoke only a short time longer with their anointed future queen before deciding that indeed further proof would be needed to find Edeline out.

“What is the meaning of this?” Edeline gasped as she was apprehended by members of The Royal Guard and brought before The Council the next morning after breakfast.

“Dowager Queen Edeline you are hereby officially charged with the highest treason: regicide.”

“Wh-what?”

Lord Ferdinand took the opportunity to speak, “Do you deny that you tried to have your step-daughter, Princess Reina the First assassinated?”

“I do! I have the documents to prove that said assassin wished to frame me! Besides, what reason have I to get rid of Her Royal Highness?”

“That is what we intend to find out,” a councilman responded.

Princess Reina was not present in the chamber lest this woman make another attempt on her as per the council’s wishes. Reina accepted in the knowledge that some truth would come out and Edeline shackled she would then be able to make the surprise announcement to Edeline herself by coming to visit her in person. The Dowager Queen did not yet know of Reina’s resurrection.

“Madam, books of witchcraft were found in your possession,” another councilman announced as a royal judge and his bailiff listened and made notes during this arraignment on Her Majesty.

“Witchcraft!?” she repeated in surprise. A sinking feeling entered into Edeline’s breast but she did not betray it to them just yet. If they had uncovered her books and made some connection to Reina then certainly they had been looking for such evidence! But then who had led them on towards this?

“Do you plead guilty or deny that you intended harm upon Her Royal Highness Princess Reina?”

“I have never intended harm upon her for she is the beloved daughter of her father whom I loved and cherish to this day and Her Royal Highness is— was the beloved heir to this kingdom. God rest her soul but the poor child did not deserve what befell her. No one does!”

“Do you confirm or deny that you study dark subjects as are present within your books?”

“I have read a little from each of them I cannot deny it but it does not place me into the role of a practitioner of dark and evil deeds!” Edeline argued. “I am interested in folklore and how to counter evil as I am superstitious of such things. My duty and love is towards God Almighty. I wish to save my soul from damnation or corruption! My books help me to understand what evils I may encounter and how I might steel myself.”

Though Edeline made sense in her responses, The Council was barely moved. For they had been bewitched by Reina and Ferdinand not to believe Edeline’s defences that may prove opposite to the story that the woman was behind a plot for Reina’s life.

“Did you visit upon one or more occasions the forest that borders here to seek out Her Royal Highness or any of her companions?”

“I was unaware of Princess Reina’s whereabouts after her disappearance! But certainly we all have visited the forest in search of her.”

“Then in recent months, Your Majesty, after the search for Her Royal Highness had been called off?”

“No. If I did enter the forest it was for leisure certainly not for seeking out a young girl who everyone believed to be dead!”

“But you knew her to be alive!” Ferdinand put in heatedly. “I dare you to deny it!”

“I deny it!” Edeline insisted with widened eyes and arms extended out searching for mercy. She certainly appeared the picture of pleading for her life mixed in with anxious concern.

Ferdinand felt amused by her vehement denial and thus decided not to force the truth from her just yet.

Reina on the other hand had been listening from the adjacent chamber and was growing impatient. While Ferdinand saw this as a game; a study of a mortal under the most severe pressure, Reina was impatient that vengeance should be given.

She listened to Edeline deny her charges for a short while longer before Reina stepped out and made herself known.

Edeline gasped and fell to her knees, weakened by the sight of her step-daughter back from the dead.

“You may speak the truth, step-mother, for they have already heard all from my lips,” Reina declared though she did not yet use her powers of persuasion upon the frightened woman in front of her. The mere sight of Edeline’s fear intoxicated Reina beyond belief. She was curious to see Edeline respond to this revelation that she, Reina, had not died but lived still despite the woman’s seemingly best efforts pathetic as they were to The Princess.

“Re-Reina! You live! B-but...how!?”

“Your efforts were not enough,” the young royal summarized. “As you can see, you did not murder me Your Majesty. Or should I even be calling you that? Soon, you will be stripped of all titles,” she went on.

“We saw you we all saw you laid low in your casket. You were dead for days!”

“Thanks to whatever poison you used on me I was merely laid...dormant. But all wore off and I am revived. You failed, step-mother!”

Edeline went to argue but realized who she stood before: witnesses. She could not defend the truth she could only deny it.

“What have you to say?” Ferdinand challenged when The Dowager remained silent staring at Reina in complete disbelief.

“I say tis a miracle! She is alive and praise God!” Edeline declared, feeling her gut clench at her blasphemy.

“And I say you are a witch! You used your witchcraft against the future queen of Bayern for what purpose perhaps only you and your master Satan knows but by God you will be brought to justice for this high treason and treachery!” Ferdinand declared passionately.

“I am not a witch!” Edeline argued anxiously. “I swear in God’s name! I swear by the soul of my late husband King Arnaud! Please, may God and His Majesty be my witnesses I did not practice witchcraft! May they strike me down now before you for profaning their names in an unholy lie if I do not speak the truth!” Edeline pulled out her crucifix from beneath her undergarments where it hung on its cord around her neck. She held it up between her fingers in both hands as a talisman and evidence of her devotion.

“Enough!” Reina grumbled, “You are lying. You made attempts on my life! Tell them! Tell the truth!” she hissed and Ferdinand’s grasp on Reina’s arm was the only thing stopping the girl from stomping right up to her step-mother.

But Reina didn’t need to be within arm’s reach of Edeline to do damage. The Dowager Queen had made the fatal mistake of looking Reina in the eyes just now and so Reina’s commands took effect:

“I did! I did try to kill you!” she admitted easily, “But it is only because you are an unholy demon sent by Satan himself to scourge this world!”

“Your Majesty!” a councilman exclaimed just as several others gasped –some due to her admissi0n of guilt, others for her foul words against The Princess.

The Dowager turned to them all with one last shred of hope in her heart, “Please sirs you must believe me! The Princess is a vampir; an unholy demon that feeds and lives off of the innocent! Please if you read my books; those books you so accuse me of then you too will see it is true! Princess Reina is—”

“That is enough!” a senior councilman exclaimed passionately, “Do we not have an admission of guilt!?”

“Aye!”

“Yes!”

The lawman himself even nodded.

“Then it is so: Dowager Queen Edeline you are hereby stripped of your title and are to be imprisoned for high treason against The Crown of Bayern! You will be thrown into a dungeon cell to await trial!”

“NO!” she shrieked, “PLEASE!”

“You admitted of your own free will your guilt!” the high councilman responded.

“It was her! Her!” Edeline insisted making notable effort not to look at Reina again, “She bewitched me! She’s bewitched us all! We are all under her unholy spell! Please! Let us pray now! May God release us! May God save us!”

“You will do well to keep The Lord’s name from your lips lest you blaspheme!” the bishop proclaimed. He too had a seat on The Royal Council and thus had heard and seen all.

“Take her away to her new quarters in the dungeons!” Reina commanded haughtily.

The Royal Guards did as they had been commanded even without looking directly at their future queen.

Edeline would not go without a fight: she shrieked and tried to lunge at Reina out of the guards’ arms if only to place her silver crucifix upon her step-daughter’s exposed skin and prove in some small way that the girl was not pure and holy as all believed her to be. But Edeline could not manage the feat and screaming shrilly at the top of her lungs and sobbing and begging for mercy she was taken from the chamber to the dungeons to be locked away for her crimes.

The Council took pity upon their anointed princess who cried out in alarm at the attempted attack and even went so far as to fall weakly into Ferdinand’s strong arms trembling. The two lovers played their parts well. None suspected that they were enjoying every moment; every scream and every shocked face as all unfolded before them.

Though The Council was shocked by the revelations, they were grateful to God that the evil Dowager Queen had not succeeded in her foul and sinful plots to kill Princess Reina. The poor young woman had been through so much but soon justice would remedy in part all of the terrible tragedy, heartbreak and bad fortune that Her Royal Highness had had to endure.

And so it was announced officially to Bayern that very afternoon about the miracle of Princess Reina’s return. The young girl even appeared briefly upon a balcony of her castle to show herself to over two dozen courtiers but quickly retreated back inside claiming that she was still weakened by her ordeal. In truth, it was Lord Ferdinand who needed to retreat from the sunlight and Reina had done him the good honor of bringing them inside. Though it was against official protocol for the nobleman to be there, Reina and her love had been quite persuasive...

It did not take long for the word to rapidly spread to other kingdoms about the ‘miracle’ that had occurred in Bayern. Why, only three days after Ferdinand had revived her news had made it to all the surrounding kingdoms and even a few beyond including Lord Ferdinand’s own kingdom of Moravia.

Longer still though did it take for word to reach the other kingdoms of Princess Reina’s betrothal to a nobleman of Moravia. This news was met with varied opinion but unbeknown to most by the time the news had reached them about the betrothal the two had already been wed.

And by then, it was too late to stop what had begun so long ago when Princess Reina had met Lord Ferdinand in the forest. Or even longer ago still when her mother, Queen Imogene had traded three drops of blood for her child to be conceived. It was too late and had been for too long.

A/N: Interesting fact about this chapter: it is 2616 words long and took me approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to write -give or take! (I tried to time all of my writing sessions on it).