Dawna: 24
Pixie: 21

Always trust your gut. It knows what your heart hasn't figured out yet - unknown.

The pale Queen sat with her hands in her hair at the head of the table, watching the man explain their theories. Some were even more ridiculous then others, yet the Queen listened to them all. Dawna had been searching for the manic that killed Mathias all those weeks ago. He or she was still out there and the thought that this person would come back to kill the little boy and his mother too made her heart ache in a strange way. She would never admit it out loud, but the thought that there was someone out there over whom she had no control whatsoever killed her slowly. The pale Queen loved being in control and she certainly loved being the most powerful creature in the realm.

'Alright, alright,' her irritated voice sneered. 'Your theory is awful; whoever is the killer must have had a good reason. He or she did not murder her because he wanted to steal their money; it cannot have been that. Something else is going on here and I wish to know what, so think harder and search better!'

Not knowing who it frustrated the pale woman endlessly. If there really was a maniac on the loose then she had to do something to stop him. The only person allowed to take lives from innocent people was the Queen herself.

All of a sudden, a soft knock filled the room causing the white-haired woman to turn her face at the door while a sigh left her lips. She really was not in the mood for another idiot with an even stupider theory. All the pale woman wanted was to find whoever responsible and continue with her life on top of the food- and power chain.

'Come in!'

Slowly, Pixie walked through the door with a frown in her head. 'Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you saying Mathias' name and I want to help. He was my husband and I knew him better than anyone. Perhaps I can help you. You can help me by finding whoever is responsible so it will be a win-win situation.'

The young Queen frowned at her before a satisfied smirk appeared on her lips. 'You know what they say right; the more the merrier. So please, Pixie, do take a seat and tell us what you think happened that night.'

Pixie slowly sat down besides her Queen, looking shyly at the others who were all dressed in fancy suits and dresses. 'Well, I think that it was an ambush.'

'Obviously.'

'And I think that it was someone unfamiliar,' the dotted woman spoke, causing many frowns to appear in many foreheads. 'If it had been someone familiar the kill would have been differently. He was strangled, but I believe that someone he knew would most likely kill him off in a quicker way.'

'Not necessarily, but I like the way you think,' the pale woman complimented her. 'So, a stranger with a bloodlust. What else you got?'

'Well, I think that someone paid the killer to do it.'

'So a serial killer or just any killer who does crimes for a reasonable price,' the white-haired woman spoke with a little twinkle in her blue eyes. 'Do you hear this guy? Now this, this is interesting. So, let us assume that someone wanted your husband dead and indeed paid someone do to the dirty work. Who would it be?'

'That's just the thing,' the dotted woman spoke before swallowing visibly. 'I can't imagine anyone who would want to do him harm. Mathias was a good man and an even better father. He didn't have a second agenda or whatever and he had no ghosts from his past. So, that got me thinking: what if someone did this to hurt me?'

Dawna got a wide smile on her lips as she leaned forwards. 'Now we are talking!' she cooed happily. 'Do you have a dark past then? An ex-boyfriend that wants revenge because you broke up with him and smashed his heart to pieces or perhaps a teacher that you upset and got fired. The endless possibilities here are killing me!'

'Well, Mathias was sort of my boyfriend, I was a good kid and I always made sure that everyone liked me. So no, I don't have any enemies. However, my father had a little fuss with the King a few years ago, but it was nothing too important and I don't want to jump to false conclusions or accuse someone of something he or she didnt do, but if I had to name someone who would do harm to my family it would be your father.'

'My very dead father?' Dawna frowned. 'Oh, please, if this means that you think that I did it for some ridiculous reason than I can assure you that it really was not me. I would have gone with a more spectacular death and besides, when I murder someone, I always let everyone know I did it.'

The dotted woman shook her head before torturing her lower lip with her teeth. 'I'm not accusing you, Dawna, but I do believe that it was someone who lives in this castle.'

'Ah,' the pale woman hummed. 'Well now the game got a lot more interesting. Ladies and gentlemen there is a killer in our midst. All we have to do is haunt this person down and believe me: we will.'

The meeting ended after at least three more hours. The women were both exhausted from all the information, plans and other things they had discussed. Dawna could not help but to appreciate the dotted woman for all she had to say during her first meeting. The pale woman knew that talking in front of big groups was not something Pixie enjoyed, yet it seemed to come very easy to her. She had made some strong points and had demanded to be involved in every meeting, discovery and every suspicion. It was her husband that had been murdered after all.

'Pixie hold on for a second!' the Queen shouted loudly, causing the other woman to turn around and stop. 'I want to talk to you.'

'Why? We just talked for hours,' the dotted woman pointed out. 'Unless this is about the other night because I swear that I haven't told anyone!'

A laugh left her plump lips as they took a seat on the one of the small benches. 'No, do not worry about that too much. I just wanted to make sure that you know about the dangers. If there truly is a murder walking these hallways, I want you to take extra precautions. I do not want you to go out alone and I do not want you to leave little Loöys with random strangers. We do not know who had a blood thirst just yet, so you have to be extra careful.'

A small smirk appeared on the other womans lips as she pulled her eyebrows up. 'Does this mean that you care for me?'

'It obviously does not,' the pale woman hissed. 'It just means that I want you to be safe; those are two different things.'

'Of course they are,' Pixie shrugged before smiling proudly. 'But thanks anyways, I really appreciate it.'

'You do realise that we are going to find the bastard that did this? I will break this castle down, stone by stone if necessary.'

'It does sound like you care, just a little bit'.

'I just really enjoy the hunt and the chase. Normally I am the one being hunted down, it is quite nice to have the tables turned for a moment. Perhaps I turn out to be really good at it and I will become one of the good guys, how does that sound huh?'

Pixie could only laugh at those ridiculous laughs. 'It sounds awful and so not like you.'

'You are right,' the pale woman shrugged. 'I suppose I will take over my role as soon as we find this person.'

The dotted woman nodded before her eyes drifted off to the gorgeous view. The castle stood on top of a large mountain; the villages surrounded the castle. It was another way to show the people who were the most powerful in the realm, but it was also strategic to have the castle build on the top of the mountain. From here you could see almost the entire Kingdom and Pixie would never grow tired of the beauty of it.

'Do you think that they'll go after my family too?'

'Probably not, the message was directed to Loöys and you so I think it is safe to assume that at least they are safe.'

'Have you heard anything from the resistance?' the dotted woman blurted out suddenly, while a red colour found its way to her cheeks. 'I mean: has there been another attack?'

'Strangely enough no,' the Queen answered with a frown in her forehead. 'It is odd how they attempted to take my life with such a bad move and then completely disappear on me. They probably think that being a Queen is easy and that I have plenty of leisure time to play their games.'

'Wait, you don't?'

'Of course I do not. Have you ever tried being Queen? It is exhausting. I must keep my friendships with the nobility intact, I must keep a close eye on our neighbours to make sure that they do not try to invade, I must keep a close eye on the people to make sure that there is not going to be a civil war or anything and I must always be alert in case something unexpectedly happens. Sometimes it is exhausting to be Queen and sometimes I absolutely love it.'

The dotted woman made a humming noise before locking her eyes in a pair of blue ones. 'Here I was; thinking that you loved having this job. I always imagined you loving the power this role gave you.'

'Oh do not get me wrong there, I absolutely love the power I have. But do try to keep in mind that I was not born for this role; my brother was. Damien would have absolutely killed being King, I am so sure that he would have cared about the people the way he cared about me. He always dreamt out loud about being the first King to negotiate with his people about their hopes and desires. He was a dreamer and a carer, if anything. You kind of remind me of him sometimes; always looking out for others and always against blood spilling. You two would have hit it off amazingly, I can tell you that.'

'Do you miss him?'

'Every day,' the pale woman answered. 'At first, I wondered what he would do if he was in my position, until I realised that I will never know what he would do. I knew him for eight vague years, and we were just children. The sad truth is that I do not know him that well. Most of my memories of him are faded or too vague to remind them clearly.'

'It must have been so hard for you to lose him at such a young age,' the dotted woman pointed out. 'Did you say that he was murdered?'

For a moment the young Queen got a lost look in her eyes, almost as if just thinking about it made her mind drift off to the worst places in her mind. However, somehow Pixie could get all the answers out of her with great ease. Dawna made the horrible mistake to trust the dotted woman, going after the safe feeling she got whenever they were together.

'He was sort of murdered; it was an ambush. The resistance had taken over the castle and this horrible man took us outside. We thought that we could trust him, until he turned out to be in the resistance. He had betrayed us, and my brother died that night. Even I could not save him.'

'What happened to the man?'

'I found him, a few weeks ago actually. I burned him publicly while his son was watching so I suppose that we are even now. He hurt my family, so I hurt his.'

The dotted woman nodded before her eyes travelled to the ticking clock. 'It is feeding time, Loöys must be hungry, she spoke before hoisting herself off the bench. Will I see you later?'

Dawna smiled kindly before nodding in agreement. 'See you later.'