Wigget and Anton went back to the tunnel and closed it off to move to their position. Only Cathrine and Alex remained.
"We have some time before we have to leave," Alex said softly as she approached the gazebo. Cathy nodded and sat down on the only bench inside it. She gave a breathy laugh.
"You remember when we met?" She asked.
"Always sweetness," Alex said standing, looking down at her love. "I sat there and you just appeared out of nowhere" she said chuckling. "I almost contemplated bringing the guards to arrest you for trespass," she said sitting down. Cathy leaned on her shoulder.
"I didn't know this garden was forbidden! And when I did find out I-"
"You said that I reminded you of that princess who was stuck in her castle," Alex finished her sentence with a laugh.
"Oh how the time has passed," Cathy said with a smile. Alex nodded
"And now we're in a war with demons and my mother," Alex said quietly. Cathrine without a word stood up and walked to the edge.
"Alex we need to talk about that," she said turning and leaning on the railing.
"About what?" Alex asked confused.
"You know I'm half human right? My father was human," Alex nodded still confused.
"My mother wasn't. And she taught my father and me all about her cultures and her people," Cathrine continued firmly. Alex kept quiet, she was never one for social etiquette or social cues. "The term 'demon' isn't actually what we're called, it's just a villainized name for our people. It's actually the tribes of Zenzontle," Cathy said proudly. "That's what my people are called Al, not demon, not monsters, we might be different but we're just as valid," she said defensively despite Alex not saying anything.
"I think Zen- Zenzoney is a beautiful name, I'm sorry for calling you a demon," Alex said firmly.
"Zen-zon-tle babe," Cathy said. Alex opened her mouth to say something but suddenly they heard a faint whistle. Alex stood and walked toward Cathy.
"That's the signal, we should be on our way," Alex said offering her hand. "We've got to save the Zenzontle after all," she said with a smile. Cathy grabbed her hand and nodded firmly with a soft smile
...
"Ready?" Alex said perched on top of the ceiling of the throne room. Cathy nodded.
Alex began to lower Cathy into the throne room in an opened window behind a pillar so they didn't spot her.
Once Cathy landed, Alex mimicked a bird calling. Suddenly an explosion was heard near the throne room entrance. Martial leader Remari and her squad did their job. Alex thought proudly as the guards left the room in order to assist in the explosion.
"What's going on!" Queen Sali screamed as she stood from her throne.
She was finally alone, it was Cathrine's time.
"Queen Sali," Cathrine said loudly as she stepped away from the safety of the pillar.
"You! What have you done!" She said pointing her long nail to Cathrine. Cathrine continued forward to the throne approaching her.
"I know you know about me," Cathy said calming. Queen Sali began to chuckle.
"And now Alexis does too." She said with a smirk sitting down. Cathrine refrained from saying anything, only tried to swallow the knot forming in her throat. "You know, for so long Dribrin has forced us to keep quiet about you by threatening to tell the kingdom about our superweapon. I mean of course we could've had him killed, my husband and I had been contemplating it but we couldn't risk anything when it came to Alexis,"
"Why did you send the tribes of zenzontle into poisonous lands?" Cathy, aware of the fact that she was on a timer.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sali asked looking at her nails arrogantly "you're baiting me, you're trying to make it seem I'm the bad guy in order to get Alexis back on your side. But it'll never work. Because she'll never see you again," she said smiling.
"But Alex is already on my side your highness. She knows and she doesn't care. She's actually here helping me take you down," Cathy responded firmly. Queen Sali stopped smiling. She stood.
"She escaped?" she said quietly, clutching her chest. She looked at Cathrine and snarled. "How dare you!" She charged at Cathy. "SHE WAS MY WEAPON!" Cathy easily dodged and ran to the throne.
"Alex was never your weapon! She's not a weapon! And soon this chair won't be yours! It'll be hers!" Cathrine yelled. The Queen lost her composure.
"She was born a weapon! While Carter wanted a child heir, I wanted a weapon. Which is why I went to a demon florillorian to make sure she was born with powers. a soul for power he told me. So I offered 20 souls and hoped it'd be enough for my eventual takeover. but all of that was thrown out the trash when you turned her on me! you made her think it was okay to not obey her creator! This is all YOUR fault!" she said huffing.
"You committed genocide by sending the zenzontle people into poisoned lands! You banished them because they were different! and when they perished after countless of ruthless attacks you rewrote history in your favor!" Cathrine said enraged. "If you had half the gall Alex had! you would admit to your action! And not run from it like the pathetic coward you are!" Cathrine said moving to her. Queen Sali stepped back.
"I don't regret killing those filthy demons," she hissed. "I just regret not killing the demon who infiltrated my kingdom and manipulated one of my highest ranking nobles before she had time to breed!" Sali spat out. Cathy was right in front of her. Emotions hit her like a train when she realized she was talking about her mother.
"you killed my mother?" She said softly "but- but my- my father- he said it was because of childbirth," she said, feeling like all the wind in her chest was knocked out.
"Because that's what he thinks. We had planned to kill those two little monsters too but you came into the room and my assassins couldn't finish the job," Queen Sali starkly said.
Guards pounded on the heavy doors that were sealed by Alex.
They were running out of time.
"So Cathrine. What now? You've run out of time. It's just you and me. And when I get my hands on you I'll execute you and make an example of you," she leaned in "pathetic demons have to be put in their place," she whispered softly with a grin. Cathrine's back tensed. She hadn't gotten what she wanted yet she had to hold on a little longer. Alex would understand. She'd wait till the code word.
"If you kill me, Alex will stop at nothing until you're in jail," Cathrine said softly turning to the throne. She looked at the kings chair.
"One day I'll sit here. The day I earn my worth," Alex said sitting at her fathers chair. It was midnight and only a candle illuminated her. Cathy laughed
"And one day I'll be here too! As your helper! My dad says I'll take his place in the royal court when I'm older," she said kneeing and giggling.
The Queen snickered
"Alex is here isn't she? Watching?" She asked Cathrine. Cathrine only looked forward turning her back on the Queen. "You know what? I did do all those things. I sent the demons to poisonous lands to kill them off because they were freaks! And when they came looking for food and more resources I ordered an ambush on them and killed the females so that the population would die off," she admit. She reached out to Cathrine and pulled her toward her. "Oh Cathy, I killed your mother. And I plan to kill your father and your little siblings that are so disgustingly horrifying and soon I'll kill you," her nails dug into Cathrine's shoulder. Cathrine flinched and yelped. "And I'll break Alex, to the point she'll just become my mindless slave, a weapon to conquer all the kingdoms!" She leaned in grinning cheek to cheek "no one will stop me, most certainly not a pathetic weak little demon like you," she said softly. Then she violently hit Cathrine's knee and forced her to knee, "Look at you! Kneeing for your Queen!" Then she took out the dagger in hidden in her dress "I had this saved for Alex in case she went rogue. But it'd be such a waste to hold your life in my hands and not use it," she said choking Cathrine causing her to gasp for air desperately.
"Pl-ple-" Cathrine gasped, she couldn't get any air she began getting blue. The Queen raised her blade ready to strike.
"So long Cathri-"
Suddenly there was a thump and the temperature of the entire castle shot up.
"You get your hands off Cathrine now," Alex said through her grit teeth. She walked toward Queen Sali. The Queen released her grip on Cathrine and turned to Alex grinning. Cathrine fell to the ground gasping for air.
"Alexis, it had to come down to this," she said waving her dagger. "It's either you or Cathrine, and I still need you," she said teasingly. Alex furrowed her brows and shook with pure rage.
"It'll be you," Alex said quietly with a bitter taste. "Mother," she finished, slowly walking toward where her mother was.
"Oh Alexis," Queen Sali began.
"Alex," Alex corrected her, circling around Sali to block her from Cathrine. Softly turning to her and reaching down to touch her gently. "We're getting out of here sweetness," she whispered. She stood and turned her mother, flaming with rage.
"I don't think so," Queen Sali said fiercely. she said "You haven't gotten all that you need. You're not even going to ask about your father?" She grinned. Alex looked down, debating whether it was worth the fight. Her father was dead, her mother was probably to blame. She was tired, she didn't ask for all of this. She wanted to run away with Cathy and never return. She looked forward.
"No more games. Whether or not you confess, you will pay for your crimes Sali of Kauldrin," Alex created a sword of ice and raised it to meet her mother's gaze.
"So that's how it's going to be?" Her grin dropped. "Let me tell you what's going to happen. You're either going to help me or you're going to get out of my way,"she said with cold eyes and a straight face. No longer was she the conning, manipulator that enjoys this, she was serious. She was done playing.
"Mother, your time is over," Alex said approaching her mother. "It ended the moment you killed my father, imprisoned me, gave orders to slaughter creatures of life and tried to hurt the woman I love," she felt Cathrine's hand lay on her shoulder. She felt strong. "I'm sorry," she whispered looking deeply into her mother's eyes. She tossed the sword in the air and caused it to shatter in an explosion. Rebellion soldiers flooded into the room. Queen Sali was surrounded. Anton and Wigget entered with a camera crew.
"We're broadcasting this live, throughout the nation, they've heard connected audio from Crown Princess Alex and Noble Cathrine Belmi. The citizens know what you've done and what you've confessed," Wigget said.
"Sali Loft, for the crimes you have committed, you are sentenced to life in maximum security. You won't be calling the shots anymore," Alex said firmly, approaching her mother, taking out the cuffs she had.
"No. NO. NO! THIS CANT END LIKE THIS! THEY'RE LYING!" Sali ran to the camera "THEY'RE LYING YOU CANT BELIEVE THEM! THEY MADE ME SAY THOSE THINGS!" She violently turned to Alex.
Screaming she charged at her raising her dagger. Alex stood in her place, frozen. Suddenly Cathrine pushed her out of the way and blocked the knife, pinning Sali to the ground.
"Just finish me demon," Sali grunted. Cathrine leaned in,
"I'm not like you," she whispered, "and I'm no demon,"
—-
After former Queen Sali was taken away by guards. Alex stood there staring at the path her mother had walked down. She didn't know if she'd ever see her again. She didn't know if she wanted to. Cathrine softly nudged her and gestures toward the broadcasting crew who was interviewing rebellion soldiers.
"Excuse me," Alex gently said approaching the crew, "if I could say something to the kingdom," she asked. The crew nodded vigorously and turned.
"You're live," one of them whispered. Alex cleared her throat.
"Citizens of Kauldrin and possibly the other kingdoms. You may not know me, my name is Alex Loft, crown Princess of Kauldrin. My mother and father, the king and queen, hid me away when they realized I was born with gifts. I am a suprime elementalist, which means I can control all the elements," she said demonstrating by forming an ice ball. "They intended to use me as a weapon and stored me away. I grew up hidden in the castle, and you grew without the knowledge of me. When I met the Zenzontle people, the people my mother called demons, they explained to me the true situation that had been going on. The Queen was killing them by sending them to poisoned lands! I then along with members of the castle staff and soldiers formed the rebellion which aided the Zenzontle with survive, allying with a chief who was kind and had a good character. All my life I was told things that were made to warp my reality, just as Queen Sali told you all those terribly false things about the Zenzontle. Therefore..." she nervously looked at Cathrine who was behind the cameraman, Cathy nodded encouraging Alex. Alex took a breath. "Therefore, as royal monarch in line I have decided to end the monarchy. It has done nothing but poison our narratives and control what shouldn't be controlled by a bloodline but by a democracy. A leader chosen by the people," people in the audience gasped. Alex looked at wigget and Anton who simply nodded. "But before I do, I will be making sure that the Zenzontle people are properly situated in our lovely kingdom, and to be the bridge to connect our people and them, to create a better environment, to enrich our minds by opening ourselves to newer ideals and opportunities. I understand there will be a struggle to acclimate, but I will be here to support you, as a friend, and a servant. I intend to use my powers not for what my parents intended, which was for power and control, but to use them for my people, for my citizens, to help and to aid them in whatever they need. Thank you, and may Deus guide us," she finished walking off camera.
Cathrine approached her
"Are you sure?" She asked, Alex looking up at her smiled.
"It's been the first time I've been 100% since falling in love with you sweetness," she said. Cathrine leaned in, touched foreheads with her. "Besides I was never meant to rule, I was meant to love you and roam,"
she said grinning leaning in and closing the gap.
...
-Aegean✨