The clicking of heels echoed throughout the dark halls, the ominous sound warning all who heard it to stay away, lest they want to face her wrath. The black iron crown nestled into her dark hair glinted evilly in the broken streams of light entering the corridor, the light flashing off of the spires of metal so carefully crafted for the Queen.

The clicking stopped when the owner of the heels entered the library, opening the large oak doors and letting them shut by themselves, the slamming of the heavy wood deafening in the silent castle. She was the only person on the grounds of the castle that could make noise. She made sure that her servants would never speak a word, and her guards were obedient soldiers, they would never defy an order.

The musty smell of old books hung in the air like thick fog, almost visible in the room lit only by the thousands of candles covering almost every available surface. The Queen strode over to a desk and picked up a candle, the wax melting off and just barely missing her hand. She ignored the splattered wax and wandered down the aisles of books. The tomes and scrolls containing hidden knowledge that was lost for centuries to the other kingdoms. The malicious smile that cut into her face was made even more disturbing by the flickering light of the candle she was holding.

Finally, she made it to the very back of the library, in the spells section. She passed by hundreds of spell books, from animating objects to ripping apart the fabric of reality itself. The Queen passed by all of these books, only coming to a stop when she reached the west corner of the library. She ran a slender finger across the spines of the books, searching for the right one.

Her finger landed on a spell book on the art of secret doors, locks, and entrances. She smirked, letting her finger rest against the book's spine for a second, before uttering a spell. A simple spell, but the previous king of the castle wasn't the brightest. Either way, the Queen would change the spell as soon as she got what she came for.

The bookcase shimmered, seeming to hesitate for a second, before disappearing, leaving a dark spiral staircase exposed. The Queen checked behind her to make sure there were no nosy servants trying to spy on her before descending the staircase.

The stone walls were damp, producing a moldy smell that made the Queen scrunch her delicate nose in disgust. Her heels made the clicking sounds as she made her way down into the dark. She sensed rather than saw the widening of the staircase, until it ended in a large circular room, high ceilinged and made entirely of stone. The Queen whispered a couple words and the candles in the room were immediately set ablaze, illuminating a smaller library than the one upstairs. Only a couple of shelves, but they were stuffed to the brim with old grimoires and forbidden spell books from before the Age of Glass.

The cobweb covered books seemed to shift out of the corner of her eye, the webs appeared to sway in a phantom breeze. The Queen walked, her head held high, through the rows of books that stood at attention like leather-bound soldiers. She could feel the heavy magic that encased the room, preventing the books and knowledge so carefully preserved here from getting damaged by the hands of time.

The Queen stopped in front of a bookcase, reaching up to a shelf just above eye level to grab a black leather-bound book with gold detailing at the corners. The title was in the Old Language, making it impossible for anyone to read it, for the Old Language was lost to the seas of time during the Age of Iron, all of it's knowledge was lost. But not it's magic.

The common people of the kingdoms couldn't read or write, much less read or write the old Language, but the Queen was the daughter of no mere commoner. Her father made sure that she was taught spells that could translate the Old Language, though he never would have guessed that she would be using the spells to conquer the other kingdoms.

The Queen grasped the book, pulling it off of the shelf and blowing on the cover, causing the dust that accumulated there to explode into the air. Using a handkerchief to block her nose and mouth from the thick dust hanging in the air, the Queen hugged the book to her chest and ran, knowing of the traps that laid in wait for those who ventured to open any of the forbidden tomes.

Angry whispering followed her, their voices growing fainter as she dashed up the steps. Her dark dress barely brushed the stone stairs as she fled. She burst into the library, the whispering almost on top of her. She quickly whipped around, her lips moving in a silent incantation as the bookcase shimmered back into existence, trapping the spirits inside.

Releasing a heavy sigh, the Queen brushed herself off, schooling her face as she turned around and headed back to the throne room, the dark book grasped tightly in her hands as if she expected someone to try to steal it.

Walking up the steps to her dark throne, the Queen opened the old book. Thumbing through page after page, the Queen finally found what she was looking for. Muttering a couple of words under her breath, she summoned the supplies she would need.

The only sound that echoed through the castle was the sound of chalk on stone and the crackling of an other-worldly fire. Black symbols appeared on her palms, and her eyes were dark. She called for one of her maidservants to enter the room.

The girl hurried into the room, not wanting to displease the Queen, but stopped in horror of what she saw. A large circle with strange symbols lay at the feet of the throne, the Queen stood beside it, her hands clasped and her eyes like dark wells. The girl shook in fear as the queen beckoned her forward, near the awful circle.

Shuddering, the girl cautiously stepped forward, staying as far away from the circle as possible. Suddenly, up close, the Queen wasn't as young and healthy as the girl thought she was. Shallow wrinkles adorned her face, her eyes, still dark and terrifying, were sunken and her cheeks were pallid. The eyes however, the eyes were still as sharp as ever, threatening to cut the girl if she misspoke.

The Queen's authoritative voice filled the room like acid, poisoning and burning through flesh like it was made of paper, commanding the girl to stand in the center of the circle. When the girl refused, the Queen's eyes became fully black, staring into the girl's soul.

The girl's heart jumped to her throat as the Queen's lips moved, uttering a spell. Cold metal wrapped around the girl's wrists. She tried to scream, but before anything could leave her lips, another cold, metal band wrapped around her face, covering her mouth, effectively cutting off the shriek that bubbled in the girl's throat.

The chains that the queen had summoned dragged the innocent girl to the center of the circle. The Queen rifled through a pouch, finally pulling out a pair of scissors. She neared the girl, ignoring the muffled pleads and cries from the girl, and cut some of her long, blonde hair. The Queen summoned a mortar and pestle, and a bowl of some sort of crystals.

The girl watched with wide, teary eyes as the Queen crushed the crystals with a flick of her hand and combined it with the hair and a strange green liquid. The Queen lip curled in a malicious sneer as she took the mixture and poured it into a goblet. She downed the contents, opening her eyes afterwards and smiling evilly at the girl. She fixed the girl with a pitch black stare, boring holes into the girl with her eyes. She smirked when the girl thrashed and pulled against the chains, knowing what was to come.

The Queen held her hands up, making the black symbols visible as she started chanting underneath her breath. The circle started to glow as the chanting grew louder. The girl gasped as she looked around. Three spirits in black robes had taken up positions at the other three cardinal directions, the Queen being North, strengthening the spell. Waves of energy spilled out from the Queen's hands, the source being the symbols.

The wind picked up as the chanting got louder, soon filling the room with the evil words. The girl seemed to be in pain, jerking against the chains that bound her in place. The chanting reached a crescendo and the chains glowed white hot, then the girl let out a piercing scream that even the metal band couldn't hide.

Blood soaked into the lines of the circle, the intricate patterns and symbols on the inside stained crimson with the life of an innocent girl. The body dissolved into a small glowing sphere, which the West spirit captured into a small gem by uttering a few words. The gem floated over to the Queen, melding itself to the metal and becoming just another jewel on the crown.

The Queen's eyes were closed, her lips still moving, this time in a different incantation. The black symbols on her hands and inside the circle turned to black dust and dispersed into the air. The red-soaked circle glowed, then crimson vapor started to rise, drifting lazily to the Queen. She gathered the vapors into her hands, then inhaled, the scent metallic and intoxicating.

The Queen's face gained shape, her cheeks filling out, the wrinkles replaced with smooth, unblemished, pale skin. Her aura swelling with the power of the young and innocent. Her eyes opened slowly, now their normal dark brown color, but almost glowing with power. She smiled, reaching up to touch the new addition to her crown.

She flicked her wrist and the black circle was gone, like it was never there. She walked up the stairs to her throne, sitting on the dark metal, her hands on the armrests, tapping her long nail against the metal. She smiled again, red lips curving into an evil semblance of a smile.

She gazed at the spirits, nodding and dismissing them with a wave of her hand. Drunk on power, the Queen smiled at the place the spirits once stood.

"I will need you again. Until next century, my sisters." The Queen spoke, cackling after the last word, the dark laughter ringing through the halls of the castle, dripping with malice and malevolence. "Until next century."