Mama bore a girl with a gun for a mouth, teeth dripping lead, and lips bleeding red, lashes curled for war, onyx armour for my eyes, tongue waxing lyrical of both beauty and battle cries.
-i.g.p.

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- Victorine -

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My blade cut quickly and sharply through the air as I parried my opponent's attacks and lunged for lethally wounding moves myself. When the gleaming iron was inches away from his neck, I stopped abruptly and looked my opponent in the wide-open eyes.

For a few seconds, we remained in this position and my opponent dropped his shoulders. "Not bad, Victorine." He looked into my eyes, then at the menacingly close blade near his carotid artery, which I then slowly lowered and stowed in the sword sheath.

"And you really didn't use your skills?" my combat instructor asked with a piercing gaze, putting away his own weapon.

"Of course I haven't. Do you think I'm a fraud?" I wanted to know with a bitter undertone.

"No. Your fighting talent just amazes me again. I probably don't want to realize that you're much better than me by now either," he said, muttering the last sentence a bit more quietly.

Amused, I looked at the tall, strong man and wondered if he was also a little proud secretly. After all, he had been training me for many years, so this achievement was partly due to him.

"Royal Highness Victorine," I suddenly heard someone say behind me. I turned around and caught sight of a bowing royal staff member. "Your presence is expected shortly in the dining room."

So early? Dusk was probably not imminent anytime soon, and I had hoped to stretch out a bit before dinner and make a brief stop by Deidamia in the mountains. Suppressing a sigh, I glanced at the clerk. "Thank you very much, I will be on my way immediately."

The young man in uniform nodded, bowed once more, and then disappeared as quickly as he had come.

"Now then, Victorine, same time tomorrow?" my instructor inquired as he cleaned his weapons and paraphernalia and packed them into bags.

"An hour earlier would probably be better," I reasoned aloud. If they came for me that early again tomorrow, I'd have some time to run before then.

"Deal," he smiled, tossing his luggage around. "See you tomorrow then."

Lost in thought, I looked after him, then turned and left the combat training field. Fresh wind came up and cooled the sweat on my forehead, a chill ran through me and goosebumps formed on my arms. I took my time walking back and showering afterwards, but not by putting on my hated evening dress.

On the way to the dining room, I looked at the huge portraits of the previous throne couples and felt almost small looking up at the large paintings. My footsteps echoed through the room, breaking the icy silence. It was an awfully long hallway.

As I pushed open the heavy door to the dining room, I was unsurprised to find that I was once again the last one there.

Today was Sunday, and on Sundays we traditionally ate in close quarters, that is, my parents, my two siblings, and me. Accordingly, the huge table was quite empty. Normally, I also liked to sit next to my combat instructor, my father's cousin, and talk to him about weapons, combat techniques and historical background.

Now I sat down next to my younger, eighteen-year-old sister Crescentia, who gave me a lovely smile.

"Have you been waiting long?" I whispered, adjusting my chair as quietly as possible.

"No, don't worry," she replied reassuringly, moving her silverware an even distance from her plate. As always, she sat almost stock-still with her back stretched out, waiting patiently.

As soon as the entire family was present with my appearance, employees entered the room and handed out our appetizer, a vegetable soup, which just smiled at me with glee after the hard workout.

"So, Victorine, how did the combat training go?" my father finally inquired.

"Quite well," I replied, wiping soup from the corner of my mouth. If he knew I was getting better than his cousin, he would surely find me another instructor, which I definitely didn't want.

I was the only one in the family who spent so much time on combat training. The others' skills were quite useful for protection and combat, mine, however...

"Father, what is the reason for tonight's early dinner?" my older brother finally inquired as we ate the appetizer largely without words.

"We have something to discuss, there is news outside and inside the country..." he continued, but was interrupted with an affectionate gesture from my mother.

"But not while dinner, Alveric."

I looked at my mother's delicate face, with its friendly-looking arched eyebrows and large blue eyes, thinking that her beauty had clearly been inherited by my sister Crescentia.

My father nodded and turned back to his food. My mother always treasured family time and usually tried to keep business at a distance during it.

So we chatted a bit more about this and that, ate the main course and the dessert that was handed to us.

We were just rising when a royal household servant hurried over and bowed deeply to my father. "Honored King Alveric Mortimer Ulric of Arphaxad, please excuse the intrusion, but an extremely distraught servant awaits you in the conference room. It seems to be very urgent."

Expressionless, my father looked at him, then turned to us. "I will send clerks to you as soon as I am finished," he then explained. I wondered what he was so anxious to tell us.

We nodded and watched as he left the room with some employees. Then my mother turned to me and gently put a hand on my shoulder. "Victorine, would you please come with me for a moment?"

"Of course, Mother," I replied, already wondering at the same moment what she had to discuss with me. Silently, I followed her through the castle and up three flights of stairs until we entered my parents' bedroom. My mother closed the heavy door behind us.

Then she strode elegantly along the large room until she reached the window and then silently looked out into the dusk for a few seconds. From here, one could look down over the castle walls to the surrounding village.

"Victorine," she then suddenly spoke my name slowly and softly, but without turning to me. "There is something I must ask you."

"What's that?" I asked with my heart pounding hard.

"Your brother will probably ascend our throne here at some point. How do you feel about that?" Now she turned to me and analyzed my features. I had inherited her ability, so I knew that lying was pointless.

I looked at her for a long while, then stepped closer and looked out the window she was standing next to. "Honestly, I'm glad I'm not the oldest. I don't want to rule a kingdom. Probably not ever in the future either."

"Being queen is much more than being on time, looking appropriate, and behaving according to the norms," my mother said as she slowly removed the crown from her head and placed it on my head. The metal felt warm, yet bad and uncomfortable on me.

"I guess I'd rather be a warrior than a queen," I admitted.

"I know that, my darling. You've always been like that. Head through the wall since you were little. Always came to dinner with bloody knees. Could never sit still. Can hardly do it even today," she told me with a grin. "You're very brave and loyal, Victorine."

"But not very responsible," I laughed then. "That's Darius's task."

"That's right. Your brother will make a really good king," she agreed with me, smiling. Then she looked back out at the village for a moment.

"Sometimes those who don't really want to should rule," she then murmured, taking the crown again.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

She looked at me, but all of a sudden a terribly loud bang sounded from a direction I could barely place.

"What was that?" I exclaimed, startled, looking out the window and trying to make out anything. Then I ran to the other window and caught sight of the gate of the castle wall, which had been lowered. Individual parts of the front courtyard were on fire.

"Do you have any weapons here?" I shouted and turned to my mother, who, however, just stared at me standing unconcerned in the room.

Her blue eyes shone brightly, her long hair blowing a little in the air, though not a bit of wind circulated in the room. "No, no, this is really not the time for a vision," I cried, shaking her by the shoulders, but it was absolutely no use.

Feverishly I thought about what to do, but time was running out. So I ran to the door to push the latch forward, when suddenly it was pushed open from the outside. I braced myself with all my strength, but then I lost my balance and three soldiers of our royal house rushed into the room. I had no time for relief from the fact that they were not attackers but protectors.

"You must flee, now! What about the queen?" one of the men shouted as they lined up in front of the door and secured it.

"She has-" I continued to explain, but then I was already grabbed from behind. With half a heart attack, I turned to my mother, who pulled me across the room by the arm.

"I love you, Victorine," she said, looking into my eyes. Tears stood in her eyes as a shock ran through me and I felt paralysis take possession of my body.

Hard knocks drummed on the door, then I heard the sound of an axe being struck again and again on wood.

My mother pressed a button next to her and a dark room opened up beside me. I was unable to move as she pushed me into the room. Likewise, I barely felt myself bounce violently and roll many feet down a rocky, tunnel-like hallway.

"That's an order!" I heard my mother shout, then I heard another muffled sound and instantly all light was gone. I came to a stop and remained lying on my back in complete darkness.

What was happening to my mother? Why had she done this? Why and by whom were we being attacked? How were my father and siblings?

I heard nothing, absolutely nothing, except for my racing heartbeat and the blood rushing through my ateries and rushing in my ears. My breathing slowed down, then so did my heartbeat. Paralysis took possession of my whole body.

I fought it with all my might, because I had to get myself up and find a way out of here, I had to protect my family with my life, and yet here I was, unable to even lift a finger.

My thoughts slowed down and became as tough as leather until eventually my eyes closed. Then at some point they opened and closed again.

It was impossible to begin to estimate after what length of time I opened them again. Were they open at all? In this darkness, it made no difference. Panic overtook me from the uncertainty of whether my eyes were now open or closed. Still I could not move any of my body parts.

Then surely my eyes should be closed? Unless I was lying there with my eyes open because I was dying. My heart was beating slower and slower, barely noticeable, my chest wasn't rising, my lungs felt barely filled with oxygen. I wondered how much time had passed.

And then my right index finger twitched.