GLIMMER AND DECAY [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 12

"WE HAVE FOUND THE cure, Your Majesty!" Lord Allison proclaimed as he entered the royal couple's chambers.

King Frederic who was tearing up beside his unconscious wife instantly wiped off his tears then he stood up at the sudden proclamation of the royal physician.

He stroked her hair gently, examining her pale face as he spoke, "I will return quickly, my love." He kissed the queen's forehead before leaving the room.

Lord Allison led the king to the royal library where he and the others were searching for the queen's cure. Countless books were scattered on the floor, on the table and chairs, and some were stacked beside the door.

The physicians were divided into two groups; the group who needs to find the queen's cure and the group that needs to ascertain the cause of the queen's illness.

"His Majesty, the King, is here!" One of the royal guards announced it when he saw the king's arrival.

His royal subjects immediately closed the books they were holding and gave their respects to the king. It had been a while since King Frederic showed himself to anyone aside from his courtier and the servants who were taking care of his dear wife.

The king raised his right hand, acknowledging their respects and allowing them to proceed with the discussion about the cure they found.

"Her Majesty, the Queen, needs to take in the essence of the boiled Sundrop Flower," Lord Allison began, then he showed a picture of the Sundrop Flower that they found on one of the dust-covered ancient books sitting in the royal library.

King Frederic looked at the book and examined the drawn image of the flower. It was a unique one that resembled the shape of the sun on their kingdom's coat of arms.

"How can we find this sunflower you speak of?" The king inquired.

The people in the room glanced at one another and the king fell into confusion. They knew that the flower existed somewhere in the world and that they could surely find it. However, they worry of the dangers that the flower holds and the chaos it might ensue.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak," Adira raised her hand while bowing her head. It was an act of respect when asking permission to a person higher than them.

"You may," the king allowed. Lord Allison guided the king to a comfortable seat while his assistant stood in front of the king.

Adira bowed her head as she gave the book she was holding earlier to the king before she spoke again. "The Sundrop Flower is a heavenly, magical flower that can heal any mortal wounds or illnesses. It is believed to be found in the west domain of the Kingdom of Corona. However, anyone who knows of its existence avoids it."

Adira paused for a second to show another book to the king. "Its heavenly powers are believed to hold a destructible fate to whoever sought it. If we are able to find the Sundrop Flower and we take it from its roots, we may awaken a curse that we cannot break."

King Frederic knew how heavy of a responsibility it was to assure their royal subjects that they will have their backs if a curse truly broke out, however, he was chained in a desperate situation.

"If you found another cure aside from this flower or if you figured out the cause of my wife's illness, then please speak up," he commanded.

He wanted to give them enough chances to change his mind. Frederic weighed his options as he awaited their answers.

The physicians stayed quiet, head bowing as a display of their inability to find an alternative cure nor the cause of the queen's condition. The king sighed as he watched his royal subjects stand still in front of him, giving him a clear answer that they didn't find anything aside from the Sundrop Flower they mentioned.

"Then we shall find this flower and use it to cure the queen," he announced, which was much more anticipated by everyone knowing how important their queen was than their lives. "Nothing will come out from this meeting. Whoever opens their mouth about this matter will be beheaded. Understood?" King Frederic warned.

Everyone bowed and kneeled in front of the king, a silent vow that all of them would never speak of anything they had talked about at this very moment.

That same day, King Frederic gathered a hundred royal guards and set them out on the quest to find the Sundrop Flower, his wife's only cure.

A few days passed and eventually it turned into weeks, but no good news arrived at the castle yet. It occurred to the king that the cure may not be as visible as how Lord Allison and the other physicians mentioned it to be.

They may not be able to find it either in the west where Adira assured them of its current location.

"What shall I do, my queen?" The king spoke, his head bowed down in the presence of his unconscious wife.

He was starting to lose himself because of his wife's condition and because of the fact that her ninth month of pregnancy is approaching. They may not have enough time to cure his wife, the kingdom's queen, and even save their child's life.

The king did his best to distract himself from the fear and anxiety of losing his dear beloved by focusing on the internal affairs of the kingdom.

He buried himself into the mountain of paperwork that he wasn't able to complete because of his insistence to take care of his wife. However, none of it was helping him. It was only pushing him to his mortal limit.

One stormy night, as he was slowly losing his hope and Frederic was eventually falling into his misery, a dark entity appeared in front of him. He was in the throne room at that time when dark smoke filled the room and a woman dressed in black clothes materialized in front of him.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the throne room?" The king's voice thundered at the sight of the woman.

The woman only smiled in return, showing her pearly-white teeth. Half of her face was covered with a black laced veil and her dress was sheltered with a black satin cloak.

The woman bowed with the mocking smile still painted on her face. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my king."

King Frederic was in a maze of confusion at the calmness of the woman bowing in front of him. "I ask you again, woman, and I will not ask you another time," the king uttered with a warning. "Who are you and what are you doing in the throne room?"

And the woman, instead of answering him right away, walked towards the golden throne situated in the middle of the room. She appeared as if she was admiring the whole space, as if she had existed within these very walls once upon a time.

"I can see that this room hasn't changed since the last time I saw it," she mumbled, grinning as she reached the front of the smaller throne dedicated for the queen.

King Frederic frowned at her actions. It flabbergasted him to know that a peculiar looking stranger can resist a royal's words.

"You may refer to me as Gothel, my king, and I am a witch," the woman said, finally answering the king's question.

She then turned around to face him then gently placed herself down, occupying the queen's seat. The king's frown deepened and he was ready to call the royal guards standing outside the room when the woman called Gothel spoke again. "I may have what you are looking for," she said.

The king's eyes squinted and he stood in front of her. He stayed silent, letting her speak her mind as if to answer his unspeakable question.

"You are looking for the Sundrop Flower, are you not?" Gothel chirped. Seeing how her words seemed to have piqued the king's interest, Gothel continued. "I have the Sundrop Flower in my possession and I can give it to you to cure the queen."