[wattys 2018 shortlisted]
Humans see her as a dangerous threat -a witch that must be executed. With the uncontrollable ability to form ice at her fingertips, Ravenna is forced into hiding amongst the humans, stealing to survive. That is, until she h...
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A SLIVER OF resistance rose immediately in the form of several brave Imperial guards. Those guards charged whole-heartedly at Ravenna, their swords raised and aimed at her chest. Screams and cursed shouts electrified the air. Weaponless humans cowered against the walls of the room, shielding themselves with anything that they had.
She simply snapped her fingers.
Ice soldiers materialized around her. The guards were easily overpowered. The bloodshed was swift. Vyses waved a glowing red hand and their bodies were disposed of before anyone could blink.
The screams died out swiftly. Those that remained stayed frozen around the edges of the room, their terrified eyes glued to Ravenna. She stood and glanced around the room, offering a warm smile.
"I intend to bring great changes to this kingdom," she announced. She snapped her glowing fingers again and her ice soldiers vanished. "Changes that I hope will create a safer and more accepting attitude throughout. I have traveled through almost every city and small town located within our borders. I have seen the difficulties and hardships that our people face daily."
She stepped away from the throne and moved toward the crowd of people in front of her. "We have the power to change that. To create a world that is peaceful, that is worth living in. And I intend to make that happen. I will do whatever it takes."
Her hand lifted and she pointed her index finger at the double doors that marked the exit to the throne room. A small beam of ice blue magic burst from her fingertip. It engulfed the doors and forced them open.
"You are all dismissed for the night," Ravenna said.
There was no immediate resistance after that.
The entire kingdom seemed to transform overnight. Ravenna moved into the official royal chambers, while Vyses and Lyth claimed their own rooms within the palace. Vyses eased into his position as lead royal adviser. He worked directly with the other advisers and Ravenna.
Word of Eoin's death traveled fast. Ravenna permitted an extravagant funeral for Eoin, along with the customary days of mourning. Those days passed quickly — too quickly for Ravenna. It took all of her strength to stifle her feelings of guilt and sadness regarding Eoin and focus on her newfound job as Queen.
Ruling over an entire kingdom was a lot harder than it initially had appeared.
She did her best to meet with her advisers for hours each day. Their discussions centered around the specific changes that Ravenna wanted to make, as well as any potential issues that arose within the kingdom. She did her best to remain level headed and compassionate when communicating with the royal advisers. She wanted them to trust her and to be able to understand her perspective. Despite her initial show of power, she genuinely wanted to avoid using brute force to get her way unless absolutely necessary. To do this, she tried to focus on some of the smaller changes that she wanted first. She did her best to make more food and funds available to the people outside the Capitol. Expenses used for celebratory feasts were cut back and refocused toward aiding farmers on the outskirts of the kingdom.
