Chapter Two

I travel down the steep slope that leads down the mountain, and take in the sight of the scene around me. Again, the land is very beautiful, with many large oak trees now frosted, and foliage that was once overpowering the forest. Flowers such as roses and other high mountain flowers used to grow; until winter came through. They will of course come again once spring arrives. I make my way down the path, to the main road and head south east. This path is grown with an alley of oak trees, which make the path look like an unending road of white snow and forestry. The feeling has always unsettled me, even from a very young age. Even when I was a young child I was suspicious of this land, and to this day I can’t shake the feeling of its underlying dark past. Today Cantarella is a major trade center, and is known for its various universities and markets. However, despite its obvious wealth and richness, the common people starve it seems, unendingly. I cringe. The commoners uphold society, and in doing so, they are forced to pay the queen’s ridiculous taxes, which overburden most. When I was small, things were better. More people had food, and everyone was happy. Then, the queen took power, and now, starvation and crime wrecks most of the country side villages.

Of course being spy master, I deal with the perpetrators of crime. I mostly work in tandem with the country guard, but they still are suspicious of my behavior. They believe I have an ulterior motive besides helping and protecting the people, though this is a false accusation. Contradictory to what many think, I work for the people, not for the queen. I protect against secret plots of invasion from other countries, I assassinate head thieve commanders, and I often employ professors to teach the common people certain skills. Of course, some things are assigned to me by the queen, like assassinations and invasion schemes, but more often than not, I go on quests to benefit the people on my own accord. This, of course, infuriates the queen dramatically. She enquires that money and my time should be spent doing other enquiries, like her desire for me to plan and assassinations just so she can rule by herself. That would result in an ultimate tyrannical government, considering her harsh and cruel ways and methods.

I sigh, and slowly shake out of the haze that has clouded my mind. It’s nearing evening, and I can see the looming capital gates. Though people flock through these gates in floods, they are unsettling and unwelcoming, with large stone gargoyles, and unsettling statues of past rulers whom seem to hold unsettling expressions. I pass through the large stone gates into the market place, where vendors of all sorts gather to sell their goods. The marketplace goes on for what appears two blocks, and then stretches into shops for blocks in all directions. In about in the middle of the city is the capitol castle, which is the most oppressive structure in the city, and looms at a height greater than any cathedral or castle I have ever previously seen. Behind the castle are the numerous factories and mines, which stretch on for more than one hundred miles away from the city. As I casually gallop to the inner sanctum of this metropolis, I can already see the quick suspicious glances people throw my way. Most of the noble city dwellers find me threatening because of my obvious siding with the commoners, and many urge the queen to have me casted from my position. I snort. The queen is useless without me, and no armed force could ever defeat me. I have weapons no other has, and none of the armies have anything in comparison. The armies are also not meant for fighting me. They aren’t perceptive and light foot, and like most foot soldiers, fall into traps and schemes quite easily.

I finally reach the castle, which is heavily guarded with soldiers and cannons like I expected. An outer wall encases the monolithic building, and I see many towers are embedded in the upper roof of the castle. The castle looks similar to a gothic style cathedral, except it includes many more buildings on the outside, such as barracks, armory, and blacksmith. The towers appear to be connected to the four corners of the outer walls, and four are posted onto the four corners of the castle itself. One large tower spires up towards the sky, and I remember seeing its blurry image miles off before I caught sight of the capitol itself. I head towards the main gate which looms over more oppressively than the first city gate. The five guards to the gate nod at me approvingly, and open up the old stone barricade. I enter swiftly, and am faced with the inner courtyard. The sight is most uneasy to me. Roses of unnatural colors surround the actual castle, and the whole garden stretches for what appears to be a mile before the actual castle is reached. Many floral sculptures surround the castle, all in different colors and flowers, and in simple foliage. Soldiers again give me suspicious looks, and I bluntly give them stern glance, silently commanding them to leave me alone. I quickly gallop to the castle and up the stone steps, where I dismount and hand my horse over to one of the servants, who I thank kindly. I approach the main entrance where two guards ask me my business to the queen. I give a stern reply of my name, and the door is opened a little more quickly than one would have anticipated.

The guards tend to fear me and my army of spies, mostly because we are known to be both merciless and slightly grotesque, given our ways of extracting information by torture. I Pass through, and I am greeted by the head butler who directs me to the throne room. I am amazed at the elaborate decorations which manifest the castle, for there are more scented candles and fine rugs and furs than I would have imagined. It seems that the whole foyer is filled with expensive weapons and many valuable trade items, no doubt for the queen to show off her power and wealth. The color red and black seem to dominate most of the castle though, which is not uncommon in most houses these days. I walk stiffly behind the butler, who leads me through a large hallway filled with the many portraits of past rulers and members of office. It does not surprise me that I do not find me portrait in sight. She probably found it to be to obstructive to house the portrait of a rebellious spy. We come to a pair of large oak double doors, and they open with a groan that I cringe at. The butler announces my presence, and I enter a large columned building, with nothing but black and red as the predominant colors of the room. Candles of great heights are lit everywhere, and as I glance up the crimson rug that stretches the one hundred feet between me and the queen. She sits on a throne of skulls, and drinks from a goblet of a golden skull. This does not surprise me. I never falter a step, and my face is expressionless. I walk silently to the steps that rise to the throne, and kneel before her.

“My Queen,” I respectfully utter.

She waves from her reclined position to the servant, who hurriedly closes the double doors, and I can hear his hurried steps receding from the other side of the door. The queen takes a long draught from the skull, and the wine reminds me of blood. She glances at me, and almost lazily replies, “Rise.”

I swiftly do, and deftly meet her gaze. She wears a sly expression, and I skillfully remain expressionless. I stand before her, trying to dissect her expression.

“This is what you decide to wear for your Debut? How revolting of you to wear those dreary clothes. And for the love of god, please cover up that atrocious eye! Do you have any idea of how repulsive it is?”

I arch a studded eyebrow, and for a fleeting second I feel my blood boil. “Is black and crimson red not this year’s color my queen? I would think because of it my eye would be quite a lovely fashion statement to that wouldn’t you agree?”

She snorts. “As if that atrocious part of yourself could ever be considered fashionable! It’s hideous!”

So is your way of running this bloody country! My inner mind screamed, yet I bit back my tongue. This is not how one solves an argument. One must pose a solution to such volatile discussions like this current one. I calm myself and proceed to talk in my usual calm speech. “I came here for my debut. The Debut ceremony is held to expose a person’s true identity in this kingdom. This is my identity. A spy master of age twenty, whom prefers honorable uniforms rather than the vulgar fashion of today’s society, and whom was born with this ink black eye. This is who I am, my queen, and I will never over my dead body degrade myself to society’s image.” At this, the queen laughed.

“You would rather die than submit to my rule?

I gritted my teeth, and spoke in a voice of a harsh utterance, “I would, my queen.” I smirked. She wouldn’t kill me, and cannot. How would she even try? At this remark she threw the skull chalice at my feet, and stood to overlook me. I knew that would strike a nerve.

“You fool! I was right to make you the beast you are with that wicked arm! You blasphemous creation! You should be honored by the fact that you hold such a weapon on you! You should be glad I beheaded your pathetic and repulsive family!”

A tear of complete anger made its way down my face, and slid down my neck. I was silent for a while, and gripped my right fist tightly. Finally, I spoke.

“Tis foolish of someone to meddle with fire, for eventually it will burn them, as it will burn you. Tis this fire that I am that will burn you to death, and bring your soul to the dark abyss of hell from whence you came,” I uttered coldly.

At this the queen, furious as she was, roared for the guards and laughed accusingly at me. ”You have sealed your fate, Alice Grim! You will meet the fate that all monsters meet, death!”

As those words left her mouth, I felt myself burn with a fire more deeply than any feeling I have ever felt before, and that I daresay is meant to be felt. My blood boiled like fire, and my right eye seemed to change three shades darker. This wasn’t anger, this was not hate, this was revenge. This feeling and desire to wipe her off this earth over powered me to an extent that I felt engulfed by it. I stepped forward, and stood only one step below her.

“Then my queen so be it, I am wicked, but only to you. To the people I am a keeper of peace, and a guardian of their prosperity. You have haunted this land and plagued my mind with terror and sadness, and I stand it no longer. Your actions and murders are the equivalent of the sentence of death, and as the head of justice, I am obligated to do justice in this land.” I withdrew my claws, and swiftly slashed through her heart.

“You shall cause pain to this land no more.”
She fell back into the throne, and a trickle of black came from her mouth. Not even blood, but such a vile substance as of pure black, which corrupted her heart. She inhaled her last breath, and then, death silently lifted her into it’s arms. I closed her eyes, and headed for the oak doors. There I stopped, and dropped the crimson rose I had been wearing. The guards won’t now its purpose, but the people will. I swiftly headed out what appeared to be a back entrance which led directly to the stables. I grabbed hold of Luna, and with a swift jerk, she began a rapid gallop out of the gates, and out of the capitol. I quickly glanced back at the receding kingdom, an uttered but a single phrase:
“God save the queen.”