Kingdom

03. The Witch (1)

It is way past midnight, the wind is howling in the trees and dark clouds are creeping slowly over the night sky, covering the evening stars.

Yona, however, does not pay attention to the outside world. Her attention is focused on the faint light emitted by the amulet in front of her. As she watches the light getting stronger, she knows - the King is coming and he is near.

The witch smiles. King August is visiting his lover on his wedding night, instead of staying home with his pretty new wife. Perfect. Just as Yona anticipated.

The colors reflected in the glass amulet are shifting from red to blue to vice versa. This is how Yona knows the King's feelings are all over the place. He is angry, upset, and emotional. Perfect. She likes it when he is unstable. That allows her to access and drain his power far more easily.

Yona smiles prettily at her reflection in the mirror and adjusts her hair a bit. She is preparing to welcome the King. Yona looks good tonight. She made sure to be ready in advance, in case the King visits her. She lit a few of her favorite scented candles around the room and yet the place remains semi-dark and full of quiet shadows. The witch likes the twilight, it makes things look less defined, it gives the mind more freedom to reimagine reality as it wants it to be.

There are dry flowers and herbs hanging by the wall, there are vials of various sizes and shapes arranged on tall shelves. There are secrets kept in old books and there are illusions closed in glass bottles.

This place is actually not the witch's house - it is an ancient Royal Temple. Yoongi had finally allowed her to move in here only recently. If his Magistrates knew he let a witch stay in this sacred place, they would start a mutiny immediately. There is a lot of powerful magic in here. The Royal spring of Wisdom is right at the heart of the building. In this place Yona's powers flourish and grow, here she feels even more skillful, beautiful and desirable. She feels like the whole Kingdom is already at her feet.

There are only a few things left standing in her way.

Her spy in the palace told her that Princess Nori is kind and good-looking but Yona doesn't worry much about that. The witch knows her own worth, she knows there are hardly any women more beautiful than her in the Kingdom. She worked hard to achieve this beauty and she works even harder to preserve it. Yona eats special food, drinks only pure spring water and uses many magical potions. Her skin is flawless, her hair is long and shining, colored black at the roots and turning bright red towards the edges, as if touched by a spreading fire. Her eyes are dark and mysterious as the night sky. Her body is perfectly sculpted and curved. She is everything a man could ever want.

Yona isn't really jealous of the Princess's looks but she is furious about the wedding nonetheless. She knows this union is just another of Seokjin's attempts to get her away from the King.

Yona despises the Royal Advisor with her whole being. Especially because she failed to seduce him and bring him to her side. Yona wants Seokjin removed, he has been too nosy and too successful in getting Yoongi to do what he suggests and not what Yona wants. Once Seokjin is gone, she should get rid of Hoseok next - a much more naive but no less dangerous individual. But she needs to deal with the Princess first and foremost.

Yona got a letter earlier, delivered by her raven, which confirmed to her that the whole wedding went smoothly. Apparently the Princess has some very powerful protective items because she made it through the whole ceremony without fainting. The witch's gift was simply a test, and even if the results were not as good as Yona would like, it gave her some idea of who she is dealing with.

Yona is planning to find the Princess's magical objects and destroy them one by one. In their place Yona can put other items - such that will render the new bride weak, melancholic, put her in a bad mood and make her unpleasant to the King. The less the King sleeps with his wife, the less love he gives her, the less of a Queen she will be. It will be much easier to get her under the influence of Dark magic. Soon no one would be left around the King to question Yona's power. Soon she will be free to live as she wants.

A sudden loud noise is heard out in the night. The front door slams open. Heavy footsteps are approaching fast, followed by a loud knock on the door. The King is here.

Yona takes her time to stand up and walks slowly towards the door. She can sense his rage and it feels her with anticipation. She can't wait to tame him and have him tied down and begging for her touch.

a/n  I decided to make the chapter shorter so it is easier to read. I would appreciate some comments or feedback - let me know if you like the story or not. Thank you for reading :)