The first Queen's trial to take place was between the granddaughters of Queen Orianna. For when King Niklaus eventually passed on his throne, it had to pass down to her son and not his heirs. The reasoning behind this links back to the contract that was signed in order for the Mad Queen to surrender. That it would still be her son to take the throne once King Niklaus' reign ended. The Mad Queen's son, Prince Orlando, was only a babe when his mother was executed. He was raised by his uncle.

When Prince Orlando reached maturity, he married Lady Anika Drake. The eldest daughter of one of the highest nobles in the kingdom. Once married, Lady Anika became Queen Anika as King Niklaus abdicated his throne. Completing his agreement when his sister surrendered.  She, like King Orlando, was loved by the kingdom. They showed kindness toward the people and he ruled fairly.

Though Prince Niklaus' own children and wife were not happy with the Mad Queen's son taking the throne they did nothing serious to interfere with King Orlando's reign. After twelve years of marriage, the King and Queen still had yet to conceive a child. With every passing year, Prince Niklaus' meddling family grew more confident in the fact that the two would never have heirs of their own. Meaning that the crown would fall back to them. As they felt it rightfully should have when Prince Niklaus abdicated.

It was in their thirteenth year of marriage when Queen Anika fell pregnant. Only to miscarry a few months later. Queen Anika miscarried many times after that. It wasn't for another five years when she became pregnant again when the atmosphere around the palace turned dark. For the first five months of Queen Anika's pregnancy, Prince Niklaus' family waited. They waited for her pregnancy to fail, much like it had all those other times. The Queen was being closely monitored as the pregnancy continued. Doctors were always around her. Examining her completely to make sure nothing went wrong. The news spread fast.

"The Queen is perfectly healthy as are the babes!" The kingdom was overjoyed and waited excitedly for the new royals to be born. Prince Niklaus had passed a few years earlier, leaving his family alone with their scheming. As their desperation grew, so did their own madness. It was the eighth month into Queen Anika's pregnancy when Princess Meadow, Prince Niklaus' eldest daughter, slipped into the queen's chambers. Appearing in the queen's chambers as a supportive family member who had also been through childbirth. Multiple times in fact. Giving birth to three sons. She offered the queen fresh soup from the kitchens. However, between the kitchens and the queen's chambers, the soup had been changed. Princess Meadow had added a little extra to the food. A potion of her own making for she had always had a gift for chemistry.

Not long after the Queen consumed the food, she began to feel unwell. Her nose started to bleed as did her eyes and ears. Though she could not get a sound out. Blood filled her lungs and body. Princess Meadow stood and watched before whispering in the queen's ear.

"My sons are more worthy of the crown than any of your babes could ever be. It never belonged to you or the Mad Queen's bastard," she spat.

What she didn't know is that a doctor was scheduled to give the queen a checkup. Their timings having been changed due to some unusual symptoms the queen was having. It was he and his team who overheard everything, rushed to save the queen. Princess Meadow who knew she could not fight the doctors fled from the scene. Though word spread quickly and she could not escape the red guard. When the King found out what had happened, he rushed to his wife. When he arrived in her room, blood stained the sheets and she was surrounded by a sea of doctors. She was already dead. He arrived at the doctor's cutting open her stomach and getting to the babes before the poison reached them too.

That was the night when the first Queen's Trial was set into motion. The night three baby girls were ripped from their mother's womb.

~The History of the Queen's Trial

I jump off the final stone step, landing on the ground of the forest. I close my eyes and lean against the smooth stone of the cliff face. My breaths are heavy and my heart rate is fast from the terrifying climb down. I focus on calming myself. I can't do anything if I am a panicked mess. Finally, I open my eyes again, ready to look into the Lost Wood. I gulp. The Forest goes all the way up to the walls of the crater itself. Whilst descending at the same height as the forest canopy, I had to battle with branches sticking out in awkward places. Now I stand in the forest, everything is darker. I look up. The canopy of the trees hangs high above my head. Their thick branches are full of dull grey leaves. So dense, that it blocks most of the light. Even though the heavy clouds above give little light anyway.

I draw my sword and gaze into the wood. The wood of the trees is dark. The branches curl and twist around each other and fog hangs in the air meaning I can't see more than a couple of meters in front of me. A screaming howl erupts from in the forest. I jump as the piercing noise suddenly cuts through the silence. It's long screeching call hurting my ears and making me jump at the same time. I press my back against the wall of the crater and take a few deep breaths.

Come on Illyana.

I push off from the wall and tighten my grip around the hilt of my sword. Slowly, I walk into the forest. The fog swallows me up and I can hardly see. The trees moan deeply and with every creak of the branches, I am spinning around toward the haunting sound.

A weird clicking sound echoes above me. I look up wildly, searching for its source. It vanishes yet I stay rooted to the spot. My heart races wildly in my chest and my throat is so dry. I gulp. I need to continue. To find whatever I need to. I have no idea what that even is. Though the feeling of being watched causes me to shiver, I continue onward. Taking, quiet steps on the forest floor as I tread. I don't know how long I walk for. The fog getting heavier the deeper to the centre of the woods I get. Well, I think if I am going toward the centre of the woods. I actually have no idea which direction I am going in. I am very disorientated. I jump, coming to a still as the same screeching howl fills the silence. This time it's closer. I freeze completely. The noise vanishes again, leaving my heart racing heavily in my chest and adrenaline pumping in the veins. My breathing is loud in my ears as my eyes dart around me. Looking for anything out of the ordinary in this ridiculous fog. I go to continue moving when a deep, fast thudding fills my ears. Like something running. It gets louder and louder. I find myself spinning around trying to find the direction it's coming from. I get myself ready for a fight. Tightening my grip on my sword and strengthening my stance.

"Illyana!" I hear someone scream. I frown, lowering my sword slightly. That voice sounds familiar.

"Rayana?" I whisper. What is she doing here?

"Illyana! Help me!" she screams and my eyes widen. Without even thinking about it, I am racing toward her voice.

"Rayana!" I shout back, trying to find her. Though I can hardly see in this fog.

"Illyana! Help us!" It is Cordelia this time. Tears begin to spring from my eyes and descend from my cheeks as Cordelia lets out a horrific shriek of pain.

"Illyana, where are you? Why can't you protect us?" It is Shaelyn.

"Where are you?" I shout to the forest as I race between the trees.

"Illyana hurry!" It is Fallon. "I can't keep them back much longer!" I let out a sob as my visions blur from the tears.

"Where are you?" I scream with a frantic, shaking voice. My whole body is shaking as I try and navigate my way through the thick fog to find them. They continue to scream for me and I can do nothing but listen to their pained cries. Then, they go quiet. I stop, my eyes wide. My body is frozen with fear. The fog clears slightly and I see my sisters lying on the ground, their bodies dismembered. I can't breathe as I look at them. A shriek exits my mouth. So loud and agonising, I hardly recognise it as my own voice. I run over to them and slide on the floor as I reach Fallon's body first. I cradle her body tight as I sob.

"Wake up!" I beg with a shaking voice. "Please," I say as I kiss her bloody hair. Her blue eyes stare back at me.

"Why did you all follow me here?" I ask through my sobs.

Her body vanishes, causing me to fall onto my stomach. I frown, the tears still rushing down my face. I shakily sit up and look around. My sisters hover around me. Their bodies are strangely translucent. Almost as if they are an extension of the fog.

"Illyana, why didn't you save us?" Shaelyn asks. I shake my head.

"I tried," I whispered. They don't say anything else. Rayana just shakes her head slowly before looking away from me. They all turn their backs to me in unison. They slowly begin to disappear into the fog.

"No! Come back! Don't leave me behind!" I shout, standing up quickly and running after them. I trip, my limbs shaking too much. I am up again quickly though racing into the fog. I scream their names as I try to find them. Eventually, it all gets too much. I stumble to the ground and sob. I have failed. I haven't saved them.

My father appears. With a flick of his hand, the fog disappears from around me. I sit up slowly and look at the cruel grin on his face.

"Oh Illyana," he sighs. "Did you really think you could run from me?" he asks. I shake my heads. 

"How did you find me?" I ask with a shaking voice.

"You're predictable," he shrugs. I shake my head.

"No," I gulp. "I only decided to come here four days ago. How did you get here before me?" He laughs.

"You never should have run away Illyana. You should have done your duty and completed the Queen's Trial. Had you done that, your sisters would have had much nicer deaths. They would have died peacefully, painlessly. Now because of you, they have died horrifically. Did you hear their screams Illyana? Did you hear the sound of the beasts of this forest ripping into their flesh and tearing them limb from limb."

"Stop," I plead as I sob.

"Now, when you return home, you'll be the False Queen. The Queen who won by having her sisters brutally murdered before the trials ended. You'll be the coward queen who knew she could not win over her sisters so she set up an elaborate plan in order to get them out of the way," he taunts again.

"No," I shake my head.

"It is poetic really," he laughs. "Your attempts to save them only caused them more pain and suffering," he shrugs. I can't move. My whole body shakes as I stay completely frozen.

"Oh and Illyana, we found Kristoff and he is very much recovered. He is very much looking forward to having you back in his possession and already coming up with some brutal ways to teach you a lesson." I can't focus on what he is saying. All I can think of is my sisters. Of their mutilated bodies. Of how I am going to spend the rest of my life without them. How I am the reason why their last moments in this world were full of pain and torture. My hand reaches for my sword and I bring it to my throat. Slowly, I stand. I look up at my father, gazing into his eyes with angry defiance.

"I am never going back!" I snarl.

Just as I am about to run my blade along my throat, there is a roar as a huge mass of fur and claws springs from the fog. Its throws me against the floor. My head and back slams into the ground causing pain to erupt in my body. I scream as a heavy weight presses against my body. I open my eyes only to see teeth and saliva as it drips onto my face. It growls lowly, its breath filling my senses. I try to move but its claws dig into my shoulders. I let out a grunt of pain as I struggle. The beast's claws sink further into my flesh. The beast lowers its head toward me. I stop moving as it sniffs slowly at my neck and around my face. It gets so close that I feel the teeth grazing my skin. It lifts its head up and howls up to the sky. My ears burn as the piercing sound echoes around the woods. My eyes widen as the monster turns back to me and snarls. Then, rage burns through me. Was this the beast that killed my sisters? I turn to look back at my father but he is gone. I frown and look at the mouth of the beast again. It then pops into my head as I remember the stories of the lost wood.

The beasts are cruel and dangerous, but it is the fogs you must be careful of. They cause the mind to madden. They wrap around your thoughts and find your deepest fears. Once they have them, they exploit them and push on them until you are all too ready to end your own life.

As the realisation hits me, I feel an odd pressure leave my mind. I find myself smiling with relief. My sisters are alive back in the capital.

The beast licks as my face, almost as though it is tasting me. I shudder and feel the fear build up inside me again. I have broken free from one danger only to be caught in another. I don't even know which one is worse.