Chapter 2

"Mother," I mouthed, staring at her groan in pain. Who could have done this? I ran back out of the room as fast as my legs could carry me. My dress kept getting in my way, but I kept running. I had woken up today thinking the morning was the most beautiful one. I never knew everything could turn so cold. I needed to get my ather and tell him what was going on. I knew he no longer loved my mother, but he wouldn't want her dead. I rushed back to the dining hall, but it was empty. No one was there. I felt my head spinning. Even though the maids saw how distressed I was, every one of them chose to act like they didn't see me. How could the world be so unfair? If Father wasn't in the dining and the throne room, I knew he could only be with Queen Venessa, doing what they spent the whole day doing. I was ready to stop them and end whatever fun it was they might be having. I just needed to save my mother. I ran down the stairs, with my shoes clicking aggressively against the ground. I finally reached the entrance of the room on the second floor, and I knocked until my hands began to hurt. "Queen Venessa! Father! Father!" I yelled, banging the door with my eyes streaming with tears. Before I could place another knock, the door was pushed open, revealing Queen Venessa's face. She looked into my eyes, but this time, I didn't see that fire that always burned. She stared at me with a little bit of warmth for the first time in my life. I didn't understand why, but she held my hand. "My mothe... .my mother is ill. I need to tell Father, please, where is he?" I asked, holding her hand as I pleaded. Queen Venessa's eyes were soon filled with concern. I was sure the heavens were on my side. "Raya is ill?" She asked me, desperate for an answer, and I nodded shakily. My heart was pounding hard against my chest. "She has blood flowing out of her mouth and nose. I found her in the room like that. Please, help me get to father....help me," I cried, and Queen Venessa let go of my hand. She rushed into the room and immediately came back with a small glass bottle in her hand. It was the size of my fist, and it had green liquid in it. She held my hand up and handed it over to me. "I have seen it happen before...it once happened to Alfred. Here, make her drink it, fast," Queen Venessa said to me. I paused for a while, holding what she called an ointment. I kept staring into her blue eyes, hoping to see a glimpse of hatred or a lie in her eyes, but I couldn't find any. All that I saw was concern and maybe a little bit of remorse. Did Father talk to her? Did they finally get things settled? Is she feeling guilty? But how could it be so soon? It all didn't matter at that time, and I was desperate for help. She must have seen the fear in my eyes. She took it from me and took a sip from it, swallowing it right before my eyes. "I wouldn't hurt Raya," she assured me. It was the calmest she had ever been. I took it back and rushed back to my mother's room. She was already so weak, and the floor was filled with blood. I held her in my hands and raised her chin. I emptied the bottle and poured it all in her mouth, waiting for it to work. My eyes were fixed on my mother, but instead of an improvement, my mom spat out loads of blood from her mouth. How? I didn't understand...she was supposed to get better. Queen Venessa drank it. She said it's an ointment. "Mother," I called, and I could slowly feel her getting weaker. "Aurora," she called my name, and my whole body shook with regret. What have I done? "Don't forget what I told you, Aurora. Marry the devil," she said to me. Those were her last words before she stopped moving. Her body grew cold. I held her hand...I just wasn't ready to lose her. "Mother!" I screamed until my throat began to sour. What has Queen Venessa done? How could she have done this to us? The next minute, I heard the sound of footsteps running towards our room as I cried, failing to accept my mother's death. The witch, Venessa, was standing next to my father with her soldiers and her son. I wanted to yell and say what she had done, but my voice seized, and before I could say anything, she screamed. "She killed her mother! The witch killed her mother!" She cried out, pointing her finger right at me. I shook my head, and I didn't even know which to do. Was I supposed to keep mourning my mother or defend myself?. I didn't know if I was meant to call Venessa a liar or just cry and handle the pain. My hands slowly slipped from my mother's body. "Father....father, it's not true," I cried, stuttering, but when I looked into my father's eyes, he didn't seem like he was going to hear a word from me. "I didn't do it....she.....she gave it to me....she told me it was going to heal her," I cried,, ut father kept looking a me and I could feel his gaze burning me up. His gaze was so cold and filled with hate. "How could you?" Father asked me. His thick voice ran across the room. I thought he hated me those times when he yelled at me, but this time, it was different. It was filled with resentment and disgust. "Father," I called, trying to make him hear me out for once. Father turned away from me, but before he left, his voice was cold. "Seize her!" Father ordered, and I was dragged like a criminal.