The Voodoo Doll

Chapter VI: In The Queen's Chambers

The guards lined up behind the silver gates of the Royal Castle, listening to the calming sound of silence, waiting for it to be completely ripped apart by the loud beating of their Queen's wings as her feathers slapped the winds angrily, as her hands slammed the huge doors open, as her presence shook the entire court with fear and respect.

Three, Two, One...there she comes, one of them counted under his breath, making his neighbour stiffle a laugh.

"Welcome, your Majesty." , the guards chanted.

"Yes, hi" , the queen answered stiffly, waving them off. Lailah was everything but interested in meaningless courtesy, at that moment. It took every feather of her wings to resist the urge to fly directly in Noah's arms. This morning, she had woken up very dizzy, feeling very vulnerable, and she hadn't realized what was up until her wings fluttered violently like a butterfly, and she felt as though the emptiness that was devouring her soul all these years, was finally filled by some presence, a familiar one.

It's Noah, He's still alive, and he's down there, on Earth. In broad daylight. She couldn't believe her own senses.

She headed to her chambers, shutting the doors behind her.

"Michael!" , she shouted as soon as she was alone. "Where is my boyfriend when I need him?"

"Here, Your Highness!", Michael shouted back. His strong voice gave away his position. He had been standing right outside, all along, behind the silver doors leading to her chambers. He knew her so well. How couldn't he? He was there for her at the darkest of times, he was there for her when her beloved husband was gone, when her most precious soul was lost. He was there when she made the decision that changed their lives. He was there when she cried on her dead angels, when she locked herself in her room for days, when she refused to see anyone or to let anyone see her sadness.

And now, he was there for her near-breakdown.

He let himself come in, for she allowed him that privilege a long time ago.

Lailah's chambers looked more like a human teenager's in their rebellious age than a queen's headquarters. Posters lined the four walls, pictures of everything that comes to mind: Heavy metal bands, animated girls with colourful clothes and blushing faces, writings that meant nothing to Michael but their pitch black color and their sometimes unreadable letters. His eyes always hurt him whenever he got inside. Her double bed stood in the farthest corner from the door, on the right. Covered with untidy black sheets and teddy bears, their right half was white while the left one was black, with a twisted smile that seemed to accuse him of murder whenever he stared too much into them.

Traitor. Michael was almost sure he could hear them repeat that word in his head, over and over again.

He stepped inside, nearly stumbling on a forgotten mug on the floor. Typical, he thought. The Queen depended so much on her servants to clean her chambers' mess that one day, one of them started crying when she saw the state this place was in.

"What's so bad about it? Lailah had said that day. I clear my mind by messing up the room.

Despite her childish behaviour, her forgetfulness, Lailah was a wise queen, inheriting a calm, collected mind from her mother, great in combat, and most of all, who put her emotions aside for the good of her people.

Except when it comes to Noah, he grimaced at the thought of the boy.

Michael looked up at the ceiling. Sure enough, her star-shaped lamp still hung, casting infinitely colorful lights on the walls, making the room look like a galaxy.

The Angel queen was sitting cross legged on the red carpet that centered the ground.

Her face was paler than a dying human's.

He stepped closer, sitting in front of her in the same position. This was like a ritual between them, when things weren't going so well for her in the kingdom, and she had to lock herself up until he came and listened to her complaints.

He attempted a small smile to lighten the mood.

"Is my queen close to tears again? May I dare embrace her worries and brush them away with my charm?" , he teased.

"Yeah yeah, leave the flirting for later, will you?" , Lailah interrupted. "Something unexpected happened" , she said, stifling a laugh despite the gravity of the situation.

Michael's grin vanished. He pursed his lips, his features shifting to worry. He stared at her, expecting the worst.

She took a deep breath.

"I found him, Michael" , she whispered, as if afraid the whole universe might hear. "I found Noah"

Silence.

The Head of the Royal Guard looked at his Queen like she had gone crazy.

"What did you just say?"

"I couldn't just leave him like that, in the cold...I..I helped him find shelter. The Oracles will forgive me, will they?" , her voice started to tremble. "I.. I know I'm not supposed to act without their consent, I know I was interfering with destiny, but what else could I do, Michael? What else?"

Tears started streaming down her face, which she made sure to wipe away almost instantly, with the hem of her sweatshirt. She was the queen, she would never allow herself to cry in front of anyone, not even her lover.

She tried to lose herself in Michael snow-filled irises, as big as a cat's, with a look as warm as the sun, always directed at her. But at that moment, she didn't see what she hoped to find, in her boyfriend's eyes. Shadows crossed over his face at the mention of the boy, a slight microscopic grimace twisted his thin rose colored lips. However, all that disappeared so fast that Lailah thought she must have imagined it.

Of course, Michael loves Noah.

Doesn't he?

"You did the right thing, Lai '' , he caressed her head, the smile already back on his face. "Tell me what is it that troubles you, my Queen"

So she told him.

During her narrative, the angel was frowning the whole time, then couldn't contain a laugh when Lailah told him about the part where she turned into a pigeon.

"You turned into a pigeon, then ordered this old man, who happens to be an angel by some sort of miracle, to let Noah inside his restaurant and eat there, sleep there, live there for free?"

She nodded. "Isn't it a good idea?"

"That was reckless, Lailah" , he admitted. "What if the owner of the restaurant was a demon?"

She didn't hesitate with the answer. "I would have sent him to where he belongs, straight to the Core, duh"

The male angel smiled faintly, not the least surprised. "That's my girl"

And that was it. Their usual meaningless chatter, their joking, their flirting, even when everything was on the edge of falling apart. Michael knew that Lailah needed this to get back on her feet, to stop being the anxious teenager and become the Queen again.

The Strategist, the swordswoman, the angels' salvation.

"Gather everyone" , she declared after a while. She wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, her eyes lit with a new kind of fire.

Michael bowed. He put a hand on his heart, kneeling in front of her. "Yes, my Queen"

"I don't know the details, but I saw him running away, as if a monster was chasing him. I haven't the slightest idea why and how he escaped, but one thing is for sure."

Michael already knew what she was going to say.

"The demons will be after him sooner or later, and they will not be merciful."

"Someone needs to protect him--" , the Guard said.

"And someone needs to go ask the Oracles what the heck are we going to do about this situation." Lailah declared, anger taking over her tone.

Wait for me, Noah.

We will see each other soon.