There was so much information being fed to her that the Dark Queen did not know what to focus on.Â
There was the obvious darkening of Reinaâs pure thoughts, the way she stood tall and proud, unafraid of her captor, but rather spewing ownership over the one who had hurt her in numerous ways. Was this what the others called LOVE? Were the affections Reina had uttered about in the secrecy of the study that which caused her to become upset now that it had been publicised?
The Shadow stroked the fingers of her left hand down over Reinaâs cheek until they curled underneath her chin. When the girl was first presented to her, the Queen would have readily strapped her to a table and had every man in her castle take the innocence of their beloved princess over and over again, but time had intertwined two enemies together in ways she could never comprehend.
Had anyone else spoke to her in such ways, the Queen would have no issue in cutting off limbs, or whipping until the blood of the perpetrator pooled around her ankles. Reina was different, Reina held a sort of power over her that the Queen despised. No matter how many times she told herself that time away from the fallen queen would do her good, a tugging at her heart did not permit such a noble deed. It was why she had sought out the woman after a few hours away at the market, wasnât it? Why she took her in such a way, why she opened the door to show ownership where it apparently wasnât needed.
What foolish person would want to own the Queen?
â You are not afraid of me, â she said stupidly, her expression raw and open, revealing far too much. â You are in love with me. â The starling realisation had her push back, the pool expanding once again to have them on opposite ends, the Shadow that lurked in the corners now blanketing the woman who looked equal parts fearful and in awe.Â
There was one thing Reina was wrong about â her monstrous inclinations would not take the eyes of those who had seen them, but rather their heads, and of those they had told. The screams just outside their door with the Shadowâs magical influence told the fallen queen as much.Â
Reina wasnât the only one in love feeling something.
For a brief moment Reina thought the Shadow would end her life with the slightest movement, turning her fingers and snapping her neck, leaving her to marinate in the hot water until she was discovered; swollen with water and head turned at an unnatural angle.Â
The accusation (because that is what it was) was hurled across the space and Reina recoiled from it, head ready to shake in denial and protest lodged firmly in her throat. She wasnât in love with the monster that had taken her family and her kingdom, except her enemy was the body that warmed the bed sheets and showed such gentleness to her daughter, the innocent child who called this monster mother.Â
Her head turned sharply, startled by the sharp agony as the Shadow slipped under the door and back again to comfort the master, wrapping about her shoulders as if shielding her from unexpected snow drift.Â
No. She did not wish to love, she wished to claim. So much had been taken that she wanted to steal something back to satiate her need for revenge. What other shared such intimacy with the Queen? The sanctuary of cold stone walls was hers to rule and if she could not sit upon a throne then she would straddle the one who did.Â
âDo not confuse ownership with love,â Reina shot back with only half the venom she had intended. Her fingers wandered to the necklace that crept along the column of her throat and rose abruptly, dripping water onto the stone floor. She was, after all, still upset and it would take more than some half-thought notion to make her forget her intention to leave the Queen lonely that night.Â
Her robe adorning her shoulders, Reina gathered her hair into a loose braid and perfumed her body with oils, rubbing her skin with a determination that suggested she was still caught upon the thoroughness of such a plain declaration than the completion of her beauty routine.Â
