Madalin is a member of a royal family that rules over a country named Lysteria. She's brave, bold, smart, yet gentle and caring all the same. The princess dreams of running away from the shackles of a royal life, while her parents try to keep her ca...
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"He's a part of the rebels."
Despite the horror that strung Madalin at Flora's words, she erupted into a fit of chuckles. She dropped her hands from her sister's shoulders and used one to cup her mouth. Her other arm was planted against a wall so she could balance herself and not possibly collapse.
"Have you truly lost it?" Flora asked with disbelief. She couldn't absorb the reaction she was receiving, and that only amplified Madalin's laughter. The hysterical princess slowly removed her palm from her mouth after a while, and when she was sure she couldn't remain serious, she clasped her lips with her hand again when another series of chortles left.
"I can't- I can't believe this!" She managed in between, and eventually, her giggles died down.
"For once, the universe isn't working against me."
Madalin splayed her palm on her chest as she gulped in deep breaths. Although Flora was astounded by her sister's unexpected response, she was glad it wasn't anger or disappointment like she had anticipated.
"So... you're not mad at me?"
"Are you joking? This is perfect!"
The elder sibling realized that her words were making no sense to Flora. And she didn't want them to. Things were coming along well for Madalin after a very long time, and she didn't want to ruin her newly formed schemes by declaring them.
"Flora, I would never be mad at you, I know that love has no bounds. I'm just glad- and quite honestly surprised- that your hormones are still in check." Madalin commented breathily. Flora shoved her away lightly with an annoyed expression, but pulled her in for an embrace.
For Madalin to make up her mind about going after the rebel leader, to then find out Flora was meeting someone who's a part of his group- it was flawless. She didn't want to use her sister in her ambition, Madalin simply wished to uncover the identity of a man that ruled over Flora's lover.
The princess didn't care for the dog, she wanted the owner that held its leash.
♟♛♟
The events from just this morning reeled in Madalin's head, up until she saw the door open before her. A smile graced the queen's face when she saw her daughter, and she stepped aside to let her enter.
The parlor was extravagant, as expected. A fireplace made of timber, blood-red curtains, furniture of an umber wood, and the illuminating pendants that hung from the ceiling beautified the room. It was the king and queen's personal parlor, which was perfect for an important discussion that Madalin hoped to initiate.
Her father was looking out a window, faced away from the two. His hands were clasped behind his back, and upon hearing his wife open the door, he turned around to greet the newcomer. Immediate tension filled the air when his eyes met with his daughter's, and Madalin already began to dread the idea of talking to him for more than five seconds.
"Good evening, Mum. Good evening Father."
"Evening."
"Good evening. Is everything alright, Madalin?" The queen asked with a hint of worry, and the princess nodded her head.
"Of course. There's just something I need to talk about with you two."
The rulers of Lysteria were surprised, to say the least. Her father left the window to approach the two women, and his eyes befell on Madalin's features. Their daughter was one to do what she wanted, instead of talking it out with her parents. For her to do so now was truly baffling, but they were eager to hear about what she held in store for them.
"I want you both to postpone my coronation. Delay it until... Until I..."
"Until what?" The king pried out of curiosity. Madalin had to tear her gaze from her mother and shift it to him, much to her dismay. She formed one of her hands into a fist absentmindedly, not out of anger but out of nervousness. Mind you, she was never uncertain to voice her thoughts, so Madalin couldn't understand why she was now.
"Until I behead the man who leads a resistance against you, father."
The queen's eyes shot wide open. Her husband on the other hand, had his lips parted in shock. They had expected her to declare countless things, and clearly, this was not one of them.
"Come again?"
"I'm going after the king of rebels."
The silence that took over the trio seemed to mock the princess. She felt and even believed, that her parents underestimated her abilities. Madalin knew that they thought she was nothing more than a mere troublemaker, who couldn't do something as simple as running away from home. Then how could she challenge a man capable of turning people against their ruler, let alone behead him?
Her mother looked up at the king as she waited for his verdict, and that lit up a fire of unconventional rage in Madalin. She moved her stare towards the woman incredulously, and her fist had tightened to the point that her nails dug into her palm.
"Alright."
The idea that her father agreed to her request didn't delight her like it should have. Instead, her main focus was on the queen, who looked back at her with confusion. She was mildly puzzled by the glare that her daughter shot at her.
"Are you not going to say anything, Mum?" Madalin's tone was sharp. It wasn't meant to be, but her temper was leaking into her voice. There was nothing she could do to control it, and perhaps she didn't want to.
"That's not how you talk to her. She's not only your mother but the queen of Lysteria."
"And why are you the one telling me this? Why isn't she?" She seethed to her father, then returned her attention to the frozen woman. The queen couldn't place why or how the princess was this enraged. And for what reason? She didn't know.
"All your life, you've counted on father to make the decisions that involved you two. I had just mentioned that I want you both to postpone my coronation. Why was it him that reached a conclusion and not you? Why did you wait for him?"
Realization dawned upon the mother. She was about to interject, but her daughter beat her to it. Madalin brought her clenched hand to hold it in front of the queen, and her fury could easily be seen in her eyes.
"You're the queen of Lysteria, mother. You're a woman. Your words have unimaginable power. Know your worth, because others won't help you realize. If anything, they'll thrive off of your inability to value yourself."
Madalin dropped her fist back to her side. Her steely gaze darted back and forth between her parents, who were currently struck. Especially her mother, she looked like someone had hit her with a train. Madalin leaned in to voice her final thought with firmness.
"The day you let a man take control of your life, is the day you've admitted defeat."
The princess blocked out the shouts of her father as she turned away to leave. His hollers that demanded her to face them again didn't enter her ears.
Madalin ultimately stepped out of the parlor without a single care in the world, leaving behind a frustrated father and a shaken mother.
