For task # 3 by Contests-Rants

Deep down in the Kingdom of Oceania,

Queen Alexandra was in her chamber, lost in her own world of thoughts, reminiscing the tragic incident that had happened before a few decade. Even now when she thinks of it, an unknown fear and pain grips her heart. Guilt rips her apart as she was the main reason for those catastrophic events. Her soul will never rest in peace till she restores peace in the kingdom.

Oceania was once a kingdom filled with love and peace. The residents of the kingdom led a happy life under the shelter of their King Andrew. There was a darker evil lurking in the farther corners of the kingdom which no one knew of, until that day. The day that doomed the kingdom. Though the King and Queen of Oceania were always skeptical of that side, they never voiced their fears. Being a little princess, Alexandra was never allowed to travel across the kingdom especially to the darker side. The efficient guards made sure the residents never crossed their limits. Alexandra and her friends were the naughty pranksters of the kingdom. They were quite inquisitive of the hidden facts and territories. As they were never allowed to the other side of the kingdom, they had a wish to explore the other side of the kingdom to find out the hidden secrets. 

One fine day, they grabbed the opportunity that knocked their doors. The mighty King and the kind Queen had gone for a stroll around the kingdom along with their guards. Alexandra and her friends sneaked out of the castle. As they passed the borders, they caught a glimpse of the beautiful coral reeds, starfishes, dolphins and seahorses. Little fishes and mermaids greeted them as they made their way out to the borders. 

They slipped out of the protective gates silently when the guards were off their guard. The moment they put their step outside the protective gates, they felt a strong negative pull.  The surroundings were the exact opposite of their kingdom. It seemed as if the brighter side was replaced by a darker one. The bright colorful flora of the underwater world was lifeless in this part of the kingdom. With the help of the minimal lights that the pearls emitted they moved further inside the dark kingdom. 

The deeper they moved the stronger the negative pull was. The flora held untold miseries and mysteries. Far away, a faint beam of light was visible and they advanced further to the source of light. They had an odd feeling of being watched. Shaking off that feeling they stepped forward with their hearts thumping loudly. Their fears were clearly visible in their eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity there found themselves in the middle of a huge castle. The castle looked lifeless and dirty. Huge puddles of black sluggish liquid were found on the floors and sticky green plants were grown covering the walls and doors of many chambers. Moving inside the castle was difficult with those plants and the disgusting smell. Amidst all these a sparkling tiara caught their attention. With great difficulty they took the tiara and examined carefully.

The tiara was well contoured and studded with precious diamonds. A few moments later, a gruff voice echoed through the rooms stating, "The dark powers have been unleashed and the curse of the witches has fallen on your kingdom."  Moments later, they could see the walls of the castle quiver and the puddles of black liquid that lay motionless on the floors had risen from the grounds and stirred along with the waves. Panicking they rush out of the dark to their kingdom. Alexandra's hold on the tiara never loosened. As they near their kingdom, they could hear the high pitched screams of the residents. The guards who were in the borders were nowhere in sight. They hurried to the castle but the sight they witnessed in and around the castle shocked them to the core. They stood transfixed to the spot. A small voice reverberated in Alexandra's mind "You are responsible". She turned around to look at her friends but a tight pain gripped her heart when she saw them.

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Word Count - 704..

What happened to the kingdom and Alexandra's friends will be revealed in the next chapter :) 

Hope you like it....