woman.
His
ancestors believed she was some kind of demon, and one who wasn’t even was a
full woman. It was well known the Evil Queen was a hermaphrodite and that she
indulged in the pleasures of the flesh with both men and women frequently.
Yet
peace, the King felt was more important than his own, or his daughter’s,
comfort and he accepted talking about the deal.
Soon
enough, but not so soon that it would seem desperation, the White King drafted
a response.
Negotiations
were long.
Every
little detail was debated upon, from the date and location of the ceremony, to
what their united kingdom would be called, to details about the education of
any and all future children the couple would have, until finally, a little over
a year after the negotiations had started, the Evil Queen and the White King
agreed to marry.
*******
It
was sunny when the White King and the Evil Queen married.
For
months, nobles and commoners travelled to the White Kingdom’s capital, where
the celebration would be held. Some hoped for a glimpse of the royal couple,
other’s looked for work and coin, other’s came simply for the party.
The
Queen rode into town in a carriage pulled by black unicorns, animals almost
twice as big as regular horses, as black as night with eyes red like blood.
The
people cheered her.
They
didn’t care that she had been the monster mothers frightened their children
with for generations, they didn’t care that she was one of the persons
responsible for perpetuating a war of misery and devastation – they cared for
glamor, they cared for royalty and they cared for the possibilities they saw in
a united kingdom.
When
the throne room opened and the White King gazed at the Evil Queen for the first
time he was smitten by her beauty.
He
had always heard she was both a heartless and horrible monster, but the
beautiful woman he saw coming towards him couldn’t be such a being.
He
smiled at her, and she replied in kind, both of them turning towards the White
Kingdom’s councilor – the one who would celebrate their marriage.
It
wasn’t long before the ceremony ended and they were pronounced husband and
wife. A resounding cheer was the reply to that declaration, as nobles from both
kingdoms celebrated together the end of the war.
Amongst
those where the ones who had conspired for that peace, and they silently
congratulated one another, feeling they had done a good deed.
After
the celebration came the party.
On
the streets food and alcohol brought by the Evil Kingdom was distributed to the
people and the soldiers, while fireworks illuminated the skies for hours on
end.
Inside
the place the merriment was just as great, and a ball was held. Noble’s
daughters from one kingdom mingled with the noble sons of the other, meeting
new persons and simply enjoying the newly found peace.
After
several hours, when the turn of the clock approached, the King and Queen left
the ballroom under the whistles and cheers of their subjects.
The
King led his newly wife to their new quarters, drink and lust marking his pace
as he swiftly moved towards his destination.
She
followed behind at a more sedate pace.
After
entering the room, the King turned toward her and slowly, hesitantly, he
embraced her, shy all of a sudden. She replied warningly, and gently kissed him
on the lips. He grinned at her and started unlacing her garments then there was
a knock at the door.
Irritated
behind measure, he gave her another peck on the lips and apologized, before he
turned around and moved to see who was bothering them at such a time.
He
never got to the door.
He
felt an immense pressure on his head and tried to scream in pain, only to find
out that he couldn’t, his mouth wouldn’t move. He fell to the ground and found
his newly wife looking at him with a smirk in her face.
He
understood then what happened, and the last thing he did was close his eyes and
beg God for mercy on his kingdom and his daughter before he died.
The
Evil Queen
Robert Easton
Kent Harrington
Shay Savage
R.L. Stine
James Patterson
Selena Kitt
Donna Andrews
Jayne Castle
William Gibson
Wanda E. Brunstetter