She sat on the throne with her head held high and her fist pressed into either side of her chair. Her voice filled the whole room as she spoke.

"Why haven't they found her yet!"

The guards' hands flew over their ears as they hunched their shoulders up and the hairs on the back of their necks stood up. They hated when she used that spell...Dragon's Roar was meant for the battlefield, not a meeting room. A man stepped forward to calm her down.

"We are looking everywhere for her, Your Grace. It's as if she has fallen off the planet. Maybe the rumors of her living were untrue?"

Her son's Second stepped forward and motioned him to take a step back.

"No, this information came from a very reliable source. The nurse maid's body that oversaw caring for the child was found in a village not far from here, Yorland was its name."

"Not to mention the guards who my dead husband relied on heavily were present when my guards were there trying to gather information...no she is very much alive, and they are hiding her. Find her...find my precious stepdaughter who was stolen from me. My poor husband, may he rest well with the Ancestors, would have wanted her to be raised by me."

She threw her hands over her heavily made-up face and wept. The Second looked over his shoulder and nodded for a guard to step forward. The guard stepped forward and he whispered in his ear,

"I want every space on this planet to be checked for any signs of the late king's lost daughter. No one is to return until she is found. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sire. Right away."

The guard turned around and looked at two of his fellow guardsmen, pointed to them, and gestured for them to follow him out of the room. The queen still cried and sat with her hands over her face hiding the fact that it was dry. The Second walked up to the throne and bowed his head.

"Your Grace, please do not cry. I have sent more guards to look for her. We will not rest until she is located. You have my word."

The queen peeked up and then dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief she had hidden in her sleeve. She sniffed a few times and hid the lower half of her face behind the handkerchief. He waved off the rest of the guards and other spectators as the queen continued with her act. Once the room was clear the Second looked over to the queen.

"You are being a bit dramatic are you not, Your Grace."

The queen relaxed her shoulders a bit and sighed. Her eyes rolled to the side, and she scoffed.

"How else can I convince them? It has been years and to this day the Royal Court only befriended me because of my status. We need to find her and bring her back to Serenity. That maid more than likely poisoned her against me."

"That poor display might have only made you look suspicious. Remember there are still those that believe you killed the king."

"I know this, and you know I did no such thing. Why would I stain my hands with blood?"

The man sighed then looked up at her and smiled a bit.

"Of course, Your Grace, I know full well that your hands are never soiled by such things."

She smiled back and then giggled a bit. She looked at his hands then at his eyes and her smile vanished. It was he who killed her husband and it was he who killed the queen before her. It was a miracle that her stepdaughter survived. If not for the man before her, where would I have ended after the birth of her first son?

"Exactly, yours, on the other hand, are drowned in the color of blood."

"If it is for our benefit, I shall commit a thousand more sins, My Queen."

She stared at him. So many years had passed since that nightmare happened and he was the reason. Yet if not for him she and her son would not have made it to the throne room as royals but as prisoners. They had formed an agreement over the years. One where now and then it would involve a bit of intimacy. Being an ice queen was lonely at times and not many lined up to show her romantic affection. He filled the void that was slowly swallowing her up.

"Yes, my sweet little pet, you are the most loyal one out of all of them aren't you, Sire Jayel."

He stood straight as he watched the queen get up from her seat and walk up to him. She stroked the side of his face and let her finger play a bit with his wavy light brown hair.

"My sweet, sweet Jayel...it is times like this I wish I could keep you locked up close to me forever. Come to my room after dinner, we have much to discuss."

She pecked a kiss on his lips and went to walk past him. Jayel peered at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Why do you play such unnecessary games, Your Grace? Please do keep in mind that the one who runs this kingdom is I and not you."

The queen chuckled a bit and smiled.

"Oh, come now, Jayel. You only hold power because my son cannot take the throne due to his illness. He favors you like a brother, so he trusts you with his throne. Let us not have all that power go to our head. I am still the queen."

Jayel scoffed and turned her body to fully face him, and he glared at her.

"Yes, and if not for me both of you would be dead or exiled like your other children. I am your only true ally here, Your Grace, and it would be wise not to play games you do not yet know how to fully play."

The queen pouted her lips a bit as she tilted her head and let out a gasp.

"Dear sir, your words hurt me so. I only wish to reward you for all your hard work and effort."

Jayel pulled her in, and she could feel his breath on her cheek as he whispered in her ear,

"Do not mock me. I may hold a deep affection for you, but my desire is not to be toyed with. Such a prize is not something I should have. As you stated, you are still the queen, even if it is only in name."

The queen ground her teeth and scoffed at him as she pushed away from him. They had shared a few intimate meals and some nights he would come to her and massage the tension from her muscles. Was she wrong to think that maybe they could take things further? Her face turned red, and she looked away from him.

"Just remember the plan and find my stepdaughter. The sooner we find her the faster we can move on with bigger things."

"You needn't worry yourself, my queen, we will find her and proceed as planned. Unlike some, my mind is focused on what the next step should be and not who will be laying beneath my sheets."

He then bowed his head slightly and gestured his hand for her to exit the room.

"Your words will get you in trouble, my dear. Do not test the strength of a woman who has nothing much to lose."

"Your threats will only cost you your neck. Remember this, my queen, one word from me, and the secret is out about what happened to the king and your dear precious stepdaughter will be able to take the throne from your son."

"My son cannot be removed from the throne; he is the rightful heir."

"Is he really, we both know the true reason you want the princess. Because the king left your son nothing and gave it all to the princess. She is the true heir to the throne; she is the one who threatens you the most on Zanooma. So, tread lightly, my dear queen, your dreams may soon become nightmares."

The queen looked at him as he motioned towards the door again dismissing her. She clenched her teeth then grabbing hold of her dress she stormed off to her son's room to check on him.

Jayel smiled and watched her disappear down the hall. A guard that had been hiding in the shadows of a pillar stepped forward and took a knee before him.

"Sire, may I speak."

"You saw what took place? What are your thoughts?"

"Do you think it wise to anger the queen so early in our plan? She has been a helpful asset in keeping the young King in check."

"That is true, but I will not be used as if I am a toy. She uses my unspoken feelings to get her way and I will not be played. We must speed up with the plan. Those fools out there think I am nothing more than the queen's puppet and I refuse to be looked down upon any further. Do you have anything to report? "

"Yes, Sire, we've good news for you concerning the princess. It won't be long now."

"Make sure when you find the princess that no harm comes to her. She is to be my future queen after all."

"Yes, Sire, my men believe they have a lead on her whereabouts."

"So, you've found her. Where might she be?"

"Ay Su, Sire, she is attending the royal university there under the guise of being the princess of Mossca."

"Interesting...this will be tricky."

"I already have a plan in motion. Once I am finished with my report I am to set out immediately."

"Okay, tell your men I want you to confirm that she is there, nothing else. We will have to plan a way for us to take her back without causing a war with a neutral kingdom. Ay Su is not a kingdom we want to become our enemy...go I have much to think about and plan. Watch over her movements for the time being and report back to me."

The guard nodded his head and stood up and said,

"She will come to no harm, Sire, on my life, I swear to this."

"You are a loyal one. I can trust you with getting this done. For that, I will reward you greatly after all is done, Vestin. You have been a great asset to me, and I consider you a friend."

The guard looked up and smiled.

"You are too kind, Sire, I will take my leave now."

"Yes, you may go."

Vestin walked out of theroom and Jayel watched him as he managed to fade into the shadows.