Gilded Serpents

Chapter Eighteen: The Cursed Queen

Hair of crimson red swirled like thick molten lava, cascading in waves and spread through the tarnished pewter and silver throne room. In one hand she held the engraved golden blade of Galbrand, still shining brightly in the dim room as its sharp point balanced on the blackened throne's swirling arm. Her other hand, white and glowing, was held, palm upward, pleading with an invisible captor as it rested on her lap. As expected, she wore the ancient Halmore armor, still shining as if newly polished in the decaying chair of tarnished silver vines. Upon her head was a once grand but now rusted and deteriorated crown, tall and sharp upon her radiating red hair. The air was thick, misted with a rotten magic, making it difficult to breathe - and when I stared at the floor beneath me, I noticed the unmistakable waving movement of millions of tiny insects, swirling like fogged breath around my every step.

But no, this was not what caused me to stop in my tracks. It was the pale glowing face of the Cursed Queen, face cemented in eternal agony like a death mask. Her beauty was haunting, profound, and struck me more than I could have ever anticipated. Even Lumo seemed affected by the lachrymose sight, stopping stiff in his tracks beside me.

I looked to Lumo for direction when I was finally able to pull my eyes away from her, unsure of what to do next. Although she did not stir when we opened the heavy doors to her chamber, by the legend's lore, she was still alive somewhere in her porcelain shell of a body. The curse's grasp held her here, to wither in mind only, as she waited for a visitor who would never come. I took a hesitant step forward, trying to get a better look, when I spotted it.

Around her pale, glowing neck, was the cursed amulet - a golden necklace with a silver rose pendant. There was a black veining stain upon the queen's neck where it lay, curse festering still into her translucent skin.

It was Lumo who moved first, taking wide dancing steps to avoid her waves of hair pooling at our feet. Once he was in front of her, he took a deep bow of respect. I followed his lead and did the same.

"Dearest Queen of Castle Locus, it is an honor to be in your presence," Lumo said.

As I turned my face upwards from my deep bow, I looked at her face, and watched as her crystal blue eyes turned from the ceiling in slow, unsettling fashion. Her body then followed her gaze stiffly, like an automaton, turning to face us.

I watched, uneasy, as the Cursed Queen raised her gilded sword towards us, pointing the sharp golden blade directly at Lumo's chest.

"I... Do... Not... Know... You..." she breathed, and a mist of small flies swirled from her open mouth.

I let out an involuntary shiver, and Lumo pushed me behind him with a stiff sweep of his arm, hiding me away from the blade.

"Dear Queen, we mean no harm. We have heard of your beauty from across the land and wanted to see it for ourselves. Please pardon our intrusion," Lumo bowed again, taking a slight step backwards to avoid the point of the sword.

"Dear... Queen...?" she breathed.

It was then that the Cursed Queen slowly put her hand on the chair arm, stiffly pushing herself upwards to stand. She lifted her head back, staring down with a newfound fury, high above him upon the raised throne.

"You.. Don't... Even.. Know... My... Name," she shrieked between clouds of flies.

Lumo pushed me further back behind him, using both hands this time, as her sword lifted towards him once again, almost touching him this time.

I moved backwards, almost stumbling over her thick waves of hair, when I noticed a shadow in my periphery. The entire wall behind us was now lined in rows by armored ghasts, memories of knights whose names were long forgotten. Yet here they stood behind us, visage ready to protect their queen.