A Court of Queens

By EmoryBrownAuthor

537 67 15

In this dark fantasy reimagining classic 'Fairytale Princesses are 'Blessed Queens' the matriarchal rulers of... More

The Map
A Princess and a Thief
Daughters and Dynasty
Rags to Royalty
A Night Out
Tunes and Tall Tales
Real Talk
Night Terrors
Night Terrors pt. 2
Be Careful What You Wish For
The Silvertongue
Welcome to Assax
Celena: The Queen of Assax
Be Our Guest
Breakfast at Celena's
Recruitment
Attention!
Cheers
A Heart to Heart on Horseback
Willkommen in Batavick
A Queen a Thief and a Fishman walk into...
A Deep Dive
Snow White and her Seven Brothers.
The Seventh Son
Auslander (Snow's POV)
Family Secrets
Foreign Aid
Foreign Aid pt.2
Brother Where Art Thou?
Bon Voyage
Bienvenue à Gallia
Girl's Night
The Ice Queen
Winter Wonderland
A Remembrance of Red
Smooth Sailing
Under the Sea

A Family Reunion

9 1 0
By EmoryBrownAuthor

Snow found Isaac in the common room nursing a glass of spirits and looking at a portrait of Amil hung above the fireplace.

"Hey," Snow said.

Isaac turned his head. "Oh, what's up?" He went back to looking at the painting.

"Is everything alright?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm good what do you mean?" he said.

"Earlier it seemed like the Agrabhic Queen rubbed you the wrong way."

"Yeah not really I just didn't want to hear all that today," he said

"I get it, but you can't just storm off and disappear in front-"

"I did not storm off, I just left," Isaac raised his hands defensively.

"Okay, but still. For appearances, it's not the best look." Snow advised. Issac made a face, shrugged, and rolled his eyes. "It probably didn't make a difference today, but in the future," she said.

"Oh what would you prefer, I freak out like Cesar?" he said. "Ahh me, Cesar. Fist go BLLRRR!" Isaac vibrated his tongue against the roof of his mouth and mimed his hand drilling into the ground.

Snow muffled a laugh with her palm. "I see your point, don't act like that. Just be Isaac, okay? But you have to admit Cesar is a true showcase! Sends the message real quick, verasach uns nict!" Snow smiled.

"Yeah I'll give him that." he nodded.

"By the way, I have a favor to ask of you..." Snow grabbed the glass from Isaac as he went to take another sip. "...that I need you to be sober for," she said.

"Alright."

"I need you to keep tabs on the Agrabhic Queen," she said.

"What the guards aren't good enough?"

"Something feels off. I feel like there's more to her story than she's letting on," she said.

"Yeah, I get that same feeling. Okay, I got you," he said.

"Thanks I'll be with Theodore." Snow jabbed her finger into the side of her head and then pointed at Isaac. "Keep us posted."

"Aye aye."

Later that night Isaac turned on his skin and slowly the surface of his flesh faded in the darkness. Isaac slowly crept down the corridor toward Jazlyn's quarters. The guard stood beside the door, with a lantern by his feet. Issac walked passed the guard slowly. Stationing himself far enough for the sound of his breath to go unnoticed, but near enough to see with the lantern light.

'Hey, Snow? Theo? You guys awake?' Isaac projected.

'Yeah.' They answered.

The guard rubbed his tired eyes and yawned widely. He leaned his back against the wall behind him. His eyes glassed over and he fell unconscious unnaturally quickly.

'Sleeping on the job.' Isaac remarked to himself.

A rodent scurried past Issac's feet, it approached the door and squeezed its body underneath the frame. Isaac heard Jazlyn move inside the room and then uttered a few quiet whispers to the rat.

'There's something really fucking weird going on here. The guard just fainted and then a rat went into her room.' he broadcasted.

'That's weird, maybe Djinn magic?'

'(I wish for the guard to fall asleep) that seems like a waste of a wish.'

Jazlyn slowly opened the door and poked her head into the hallway. She noticed the guard unconscious, which surprised her as much as it did Issac. The rodent scurried down the hallway quickly, and Jazlyn hesitated following.

'I'm getting the feeling that this isn't her doing, at least not entirely. I think the rat is the one running the show.'

'Follow the rat then.' Snow insisted.

Issac quietly walked down the hallway and then paced quickly to catch up with the rat. The sound of whistling climbed and the light from a swaying lantern crept down the corridor. The guard came into sight. He stopped walking, covered his mouth, and started dry heaving. The guard rushed away to find a place to be sick. The rat turned around and stood on its hind legs waiting for Jazlyn to catch up.

Jazlyn caught up with the rodent panting as she walked. The rat continued walking, looking back occasionally to confirm that Jazlyn was still following it.

'This is definitely not her doing. It's the rat. It's a magic rat!' Should I kill it?'

'Not yet I want to see where they're going first.'

Issac followed Jazlyn down into the lowest part of the palace. They reached a dead end with a massive iron seal.

'I've never even been down here where the hell are they going?'

The bolts on the lock shifted into place with a loud clink, and the entrance opened revealing a large empty abyss and a downward staircase. Jazlyn and the rat plunged into the abyss.

'There's no way I'm going down there. I don't even know what this place is.' Isaac said.

'There's no way I'M letting the Queen of Agrabah know something about my home that I don't! Go down there.' Snow ordered

---. Isaac said

'I'm actually very curious as well, if I could be down there with you I would.' Theodore said.

'Well, that's very easy for you to say from up there isn't it!' Isaac took a deep breath and stepped down on the iron plate

At the bottom of the cavity were two long iron chains suspending a man in the air. He was emaciated and filthy. His tangled blonde hair stretched beyond his body, pooling on the ground beneath him.

'HOLY SHIT! THAT'S RAPH!'

'What the hell are you talking about Isaac!?' Snow demanded.

'Yeah, what the hell is that supposed to mean!?' Theodore said.

'It's Raphael!'

'How do you know that!?'

'HIS HAIR! HIS HAIR IS A FUCKING MILE LONG! It's Raph!'

The siblings shared a bitter cocktail of emotions; anger, betrayal, disbelief, and mourning.

"Are you real?" Raphael asked.

"Yes of course I'm real. My name's Jazlyn, I'm from Agrabah. What's your name?"

"I'm Raphael. Do you wanna be my friend?"

'I can't believe. I can't believe they just locked him up and threw away the key.'

'What state is he in?'

'It's barbaric. They have him chained up like a dog, he's hanging from his wrist.'

The mental image made Snow wince.

'But it's Raph, how has his hair not ripped him out of there by now.' Theodore said.

'I think it's the iron. The door is iron, the steps are iron, his shackles are iron. This cavern was dug from iron ore. I think Mom and Dad finally found a way to contain him.'

'Is he mad at us, at mom and dad?' Snow asked apprehensively, afraid of the answer.

"How many siblings do you have? I'm an only child." Jazlyn said.

"I have this many brothers." Raphael extended six fingers."But one of my brothers I've never met. I've only seen him in paintings, and I have a sister too. She's my twin but she's a girl and I'm a boy." Raphael said

"خمسة إخوة وأخت. واعتقدت أن عائلتي كانت سيئة" Jazlyn muttered to herself.

'No, he's not, I don't think he understands that mom and dad did this to him.'

"I really miss them. I hope they find me soon."Raphael said.

'He thinks we've been looking for him all this time.'

"I'll tell them you're here."

"You met them!?" Raphael said excitedly, with true hope in his voice.

"Uh y-yeah." Jazlyn stammered.

"Oh really! You mean it?"

"Yes, I do. I'll tell them where you are and you'll see your family again real soon."

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" he cried. "I can't wait to see them all again-" Raphael rambled, reminisced, and possibly chatted with someone who wasn't there.

"يجب أن يكون هذا ما تشعر به أن تكون أنت." Jazlyn said to herself. She stared into space for a moment and seemed to be lost in thought.

"I just wish I could eat food again, drink water, or maybe milk. I really miss milk." Raphael sighed.

'They weren't even fucking feeding him! I can't listen to this anymore!' Issac covered his ears, his nose leaked profusely but he couldn't even clear it or else he'd make his presence known, the silent tears rolled off his face and dripped onto the cave floor.

"I'll find you some mil-" Jazly said. A bright light flashed and the iron restraints turned to silver. The smell of sulfur filled the air. "؟ماذا بحق الجحيم حدث للتو" Jazlyn said.

'Something just happened!' Isaac said.

'What, what's going on?' Snow said.

Raphael easily pulled his hand out of the silver shackle, then snapped the other chain easily with a tug of his arm, sending him into free fall. "No way! No way?" he giggled happily.

'He's free! He got out somehow!'

'How!?'

"I don't know!'

"Thank you," Raphael said to Jazlyn.

Raphael's hair dug into the wall and ascended his body up the iron steps and out of the corridor. "ماذا اللعنة فعلت للتو؟" Jazlyn muttered to herself.

Issac reached for Jazlyn's shoulder as he deactivated the blessing. "AH!" Jazlyn shrieked.

"Relax it's me, Isaac," he said.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Jazlyn ripped away from Issac. "You people are monsters! How could you do this to your own family!?"

"We didn't know, I swear we didn't know. I swear." Isaac said urging her to keep her voice down.

"Then why were you following me" she said.

"Why were you snooping around?"

"I-i- wasn't snoop-" Jazlyn stammered and then gave up, realizing she didn't have a leg to stand on.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now we need to get ou-"

"AHH! WHAT THE HELL IS THA-" a guard screamed. The sounds of metal clashing and a blunt heavy thud followed.

'Oh no, he's attacking people!' Isaac said.

'Find somewhere safe and stay there. I'm gonna sound the alarm.'

'I got it.'

"We need to find somewhere safe to hide." Isaac's body faded slowly, he extended his hand to Jazlyn. "Take my hand, he won't be able to see you."

Jazlyn apprehensively grasped his hand, she didn't feel the need to hide and she didn't fear for herself but she could see the fear in Issac's eyes. Jazlyn took his hand and stared at her arm as it slowly vanished, creating a wave of invisibility that engulfed her entire body.

"Okay stay close," Isaac whispered. 

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