GERDA ( Love Is The Only Thing Stronger Than Magic )

Thirty Five : "Murder... Again."

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Gerda drank a cup of wine. The throne room was starting to fill now. People strode into the room, taking in the decorations and food. The villagers went straight to the table where the food were kept. Gerda noticed that some of them even had played with them. But the maids guarding that table told them to wait till the reception. The moon shone through the big windows, or holes, that no one could reach. And it was a pleasant sight.

Gerda had an eyes on all the maids. She didn't ask anyone where Fiona was. She didn't want anyone getting suspicious. She took another goblet of wine and was about to drown it when a hand stopped her.

It was prince knell.

Gerda jerked her hand away. "What do you want?"

"I don't want you to get drunk before the Coronation." He said. "Have did it feel to live among the villagers?"

"Much better than living with you." She said.

He frowned. "I see you haven't gotten over our fight."

"Nope. You slapped me."

"So did you. But I think my own hurt the more."

Anger boiled inside Gerda. And then sparks sparked around her head. Prince knell moved back. His eyes widened. "You have your powers... Stay away from me, you witch." He drank his wine and walked away hurriedly.

A servant stepped up on the high floor and blew a trumpet. By now, the room was already filled up. Gerda wanted to have another goblet of wine, but she saw her family moving to their thrones. She rushed to join them in their slow walk to the thrones. Prince knell and his father sat down beside the thrones, and so did the Council.

Gerda looked at the crowd as they gathered. Her eyes were scanning, looking for someone she knew. Anybody! Then she spotted Nanny Powrell and Mike. Powrell was smiling towards Gerda but Mike had a face of shock.

"Isn't that Daphne?" He whispered to Powrell.

"Who?"

"Daphn—"

"Hey, do you want some wine?"

"Yeah, but what about Daphne?"

"Shhh! The Coronation is starting."

A messenger walked in with the King's crown on a red shinning pillow. The crown was bathed in gold and rubies. Plus it had some weight. Gerda liked the design. Her eyes wondered back to the crowd. She spotted Patrollo and Cabel almost immediately. They looked so handsome and Gerda noticed that they were surrendered by girls. Mostly maids.

But Lafey was nowhere to be seen.

Gerda's attention was broken when her father begun to talk. He was putting all his blessings on Garry, who looked like a duck before birth. It was obvious that he didn't know how to handle all this attention. Then the crown was carried and handed to the king who made Garry knee before him.

After words were said, promises were made and tears had fallen, the crown was just coming down to Garry when a spine chilling scream filled the air. The crown fell out of King Melondian's hand and hit the floor. A ruby fell from its place.

All heads turned towards the scream. The guards ran quickly to investigate. Gerda ran down and into the crowd. She pushed, shoved, and elbowed till she was in the front of the scenery. She gasped. On the floor, was a maid. Her eyes were wide open with surprise. She was lying on her side, and Gerda saw what was behind her. It was a knife. A kitchen knife. And it was sticking out of her back.

"Murder... Again." Cabel whispered.

The people moved back. Some covered their children's eyes. Some children thought it was silly of a maid to sleep on the floor. Slowly, a puddle of blood begun to gather behind her. Gerda searched the surroundings for anything that was out of place. There was none.

But... She thought, who had screamed?

The royal family soon appeared. Their faces bore shock, fear and disgust. Another murder. And this time, the lights were still on. The torches on the dry sticks on the wall didn't not even flinch. Then how? Everyone knew Queen Elizabeth was an evil witch and if she was seen in public, she would be arrested. How was she able to murder someone openly when —

The shape-shifting spell!

She must have been disguised as someone. But who? Gerda looked around. Everyone was shocked and scared. No one was secretly smiling. No one was just staring. No one was thinking hard. No one was moving about. All eyes were on the body as it sent more blood into puddle. But the puddle was no longer a puddle, it was a now becoming a pool.

"Who — who, who screamed?" Gerda stammered. But no one heard her. So she said the question loudly.

Everyone looked at her. Then they begun to murmur and shrug their shoulders.

So Gerda tried another question. "Who found the body?"

No one talked again. Then whoever had screamed had ran away. But
Why?

The royal guards walked through the crowd and spread a sheet over the maid. Garry had a face of anger. It was no shock that he suspected his mother. No, he knew it was his mother. She had done this. But why —

When he carefully went over her face, he knew the answer immediately. He moved to Gerda and took her out of the room, holding her elbow. When they were in the hall, he let out a shaky breath and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"Garry, do you know who did this?" Gerda said this sentence very slowly.

Garry waited for some seconds before he nodded. "I think so."

"You think?"

"Yes. And I have a reason why she did it."

"Well. Speak."

He paced two times and stopped. He rubbed his chin. "Gerda, do you know who that maid was?"

Gerda shook her head. She might have been in the castle for seventeen years but that didn't mean she could remember all the names of the maids. "No."

"That's Fiona. My mother's person maid."

END.

*****************NEXT ON GERDA****************

"What did I miss?" Rebecca asked.