The Kingdom
Quintal was a kigdom unlike that of any other. It had been there longer than anyone ever remembered. The villagers lived with in it’s walls. Their grandparents, and their great grandparents lived within these walls. It was always customary to live within the saftey of these stone walls. Everything was built within these walls, no one went out for fear of what would happen to them. Tales of grave danger were told to the children at the schools, warning them to never leave the walls. Laws prohibited it. No one ever dared dreamt to think of it. They were even fearful to bring goods into the walls. Only the extremely rich would import goods to their homes.
This was all customary before King Peter’s first wife, Sarah the Kind, had died giving child birth, and his daughter was thrown aside. It was a law within the kingdom of Quintal. Krista was never to be talked to,as were all children who killed their mother that way. They are abandoned and if they are not lucky, beheaded. It is one of the kingdom’s greatest crimes. No one can pardon it, not even the great king himself.
After the death of Sarah the Kind, peasants were banished from the city and farmers were forced to work on the desert’s dry , unfertile soil. Many were sold to be serfs and others were beaten to death for their land. The kingdom went through several droughts and food shortages. Thousands died due to starvation. Thousands more were killed for practace for the King’s gaurd. This never swayed King Peter. He slayed many people for trying to come into the kingdom.
Krista was taken to the out lands and was raised by a young peasant family. Mark had found Krista lying on the doorstep. He didn’t knwo who she belonged to but his wife had always wanted a daughter. She was raised just like any other daughter, until they found out who she was.
It wasn’t long until they found her locket that her mother gave her. It was gold and had a picture of the king and queen. She was told at mearly the age of two tha
The outlanders used her to their advantage. She had royal blood and she was a splendid leader. At fifteen years old she lead the invasion of Quintal as Czarina Krista. Once she reached the castle she left her troops to enjoy the rampage. “The king and his family are mine!,”she exclaimed.
*******
The castle was exactly the way she remembered it. There were even pictures of her mother still hanging on the wall. She cursed her soon to be dead father for what he did to both of them, and continued to their quarters. She stopped out side the wooden entrance to the rest of her life and took a deep breath. She reached for the handle just as the handle began to turn. She gasped and hid behind a curtain.
“Yes your majesty, I will check on that.” The servant bowed lowly and exited the room and closed the door. Krista slipped up behind him and slit his throat. She didn't need any witnesses. She took a deep breath and entered the king’s chambers.
The blackness that engulfed her, rapped around her like an inpenitrable black hole. She couldn’t see anything, or hear anything for that matter. The room was dead. A sudden gasp for air startled her and almost made her scream, but she held her composure. She was too far to give it all up know. The gasps turn to shallow breathing and slight snores. This was her cue, either go now and kill him while she had the chance or abandon everything she had worked so hard for. But Krista didn’t want to kill the king in his sleep. She found that to be cowardly and exactly how he would kill people. No, she wanted him to look her straight in the eyes and make him beg for death.
“You were my favorite Krista,” a voice in the night grumbled, almost in sleep. “Why do you come to kill me now?” She was startled. No plan could ever prepare for this or what would happen after. She was on her own, and for someone that lived by plans, this frightened her greatly.
“If I was your favorite, why did you abandon me for the dead? Why did you push me aside? I never killed mother!” She was trying to keep her composure but her anger was rising.
“You know the laws, Krista. If Sarah died in pregnancy, I would have been beheaded. In childbirth, it would have been you. I saved you by sending you away.”
“How was that saving me?! You are willing to send your own child to their death?!”
“You should calm down Krista, the guards will hear you.”
“I came for your head. For what you’ve done to me and to my people.”
“This kingdom is your people.”
“Not after you abandoned me. I have a new home now. One that takes care of me. I am Czarina.”
“What will you be once you die?”
This question stumbled Krista as it fell hard upon her ears. “Wha... What do you mean? I will be great! I am Czarina!”
“They are using you, Krista. They even convinced you to kill your own father.”
“I convinced myself the minute you left me.”
“Fine, be it so. Take my head.”
Krista froze. She was never expecting her father to say that. She grasped her sword with her quivering hands. This should be easy, after all the hate she has for him. This should be a piece of cake, but for some weird reason she was unable to. She choked, just like her older brother always said she would.
“Your nothing but a choke,” she whispered to herself.
She dropped her sword to the ground with a loud clatter, and fell to her knees. Then she heard something that enraged her. A slight laughter started and grew louder and louder.
“You had the perfect chance, and you choked. I always knew you were weak. Now I’ll just have my guards take you down and behead you. What a terrible excuse for a Czarina.”
A slight smirk came upon her face when she heard this. A smirk more of insanity and rage than of happiness. She picked up her sword and with one swift swoop, cut the king’s head off.
“What was that again, oh I’m weak? Well look who’s living?,” she said out loud to herself with a slight giggle.
She was wiping off her sword and placing it in it’s sheath when the door began to open with a flood of light and a loud creak. She quickly hid until she realized that this was the queen. Krista then stabbed the queen in her diaphragm and cut upwards.
Blood splattered all over her face making her look more insane that she already was claimed to be. The blood rage that resided in her was unreal. She killed everything in sight, except she left a small 7 year old girl named Isabelle, her litlle sister.
The Outlanders met up with her to see that the king and queen were dead. The shock that came upon them was a mix of fear and confusion. They never expected Krista to be this strong to kill her own father and step mother. They never thought she would have it in her.
“Mark this, as the day the Quintalians fell!” She shouted in a rally call.
*******
Little Isabelle was nearly 7 when this all took place. She was now the youngest queen of recorded Quintalian history. It has been three years since that dreadful day and the war is still taking place. She has tried so hard for peace with the two nations, but peace treaties after peace treaties have been rejected. Her council advise war. She reluctantly agreed.
It was one of the bloodiest battles ever recorded in Quintalian history. Only seven thousand of the forty thousand troops survived. Once Isabelle received word of this she stopped all acts of retaliation and declared a retreat.
This however, lost her a lot of fame throughout the lands. People were talking about her cowardliness and lack of fighting will. Her council was gravely disappointed. She never saw it that way. She saw it as the only way to survive.
The evacuation of Quintal was set for dawn of the next day. Everyone prepared for this difficult journey that lay ahead of them. The Queen even packed, refusing the help of anyone until she almost passed out with pure exhaustion. She knew that her people would need extra rations and what little bit she had might be the deciding factor between death and survival in the harsh desert.
After a while, Isabelle decided that she would need her rest for the long journey ahead. She went up to her chambers to dress for bed. Just as she closed her eyes, a loud crash, screams and enemy attack sirens rang throughout the city. She panicked.
“They are attacking now? Why? Who told them? Why would anyone attack a kingdom that will be theirs by morning?” This questions raced through her mind like lightning. She jumped to her feet and raced to put clothing on. It was nearly a maids dress but it would have to do. She threw it on and ran out to her courtyard where a carriage was already awaiting.
“I want an immediate evacuation. Get everyone out alive,” Isabelle commanded her knights. They were to go to the fortress high in the mountains. If they could make it there than maybe, just maybe, they might live to tell the story. The knights quickly agreed.
After the queen’s departure they sent one knight to the leader of the outlanders. “They are headed for the fortress,” remarked Lord Tristle. “We will catch them and kill them. Once she is dead you shall have your payment. If you bring me her head I will double it. Until then not a single one of you shall be paid.,” Czarina Krista said. She motioned for one of her loyal guards to escourt the knight on his way.
*******
It wasn’t long before Queen Isabelle realized that her enemies weren’t too far behind. It was as if they knew where they were going. And why hadn’t many villagers escaped? She had instructed her knights that everyone was to get out alive. Now, come to think of it, she didn't see her knights either. Had they truly betrayed her? She was lost in her thoughts. She wished she could trust her council, but they had betrayed her in war. She had no one and over eighty thousand villagers to save.
“What would the outlanders stop at?” she asked herself out loud. “Surely after her father’s cruel banishment of them, nothing but blood.” She pondered this to the chirping musical of the night.
How were her people to be safe? This question awoke her from deep sleep. Isabelle then realized that the outlanders wanted her head. “Would they truly stop if they got my head? Or would they continue with their rampaging war path?” she asked herself out loud. She was right about one thing, it was royal blood that got her into this mess. Maybe royal blood could get her out, and keep her people alive.
Isabelle began to plot. It was really hard for a young queen who was only nine years old. How could she possibly think of a plan that would fool some one that was nearly ten years older than she. The monotony of her life would never be the same.
She sent a message to the leader of the outlanders and told her to meet her at high noon the next day in the castle. She told no one of this plan. It was so heroic that many would have mistaken her for an adult and not a child.
*******
When the night sun was at it’s highest she climbed upon a horse and rode back to her beloved homeland.
It was already quite past dawn before she arrived at the once exquisite gates. They were now a pile of ash. The thought of dearth and destruction to her homeland brought tears to her eyes. She rode more slowly now, like a gentle stream over rocks. She didn’t find a need to be seen quite yet.
When she reached the castle the sun was almost directly above her. She ran inside the once spendid castle only to see it turned into ruble. She wept at the the destruction. Paintings were burned, Her heritage was destroyed. The thing that upset her the most was a note written in blood on the wall. “Quintalian blood must die.” Those four words sent her to her knees in a frenzy of tears. After about five minuets she wiped her eyes and went up to her chambers to change into something more suited for her captors. She washed her faced and chose her favorite gown. She put her hair up and took a quick glance in the mirror. She looked beautiful. This made her weep as well. For all her life she had never made a decision that was this hard before. She wanted to live so desperately but she wanted to save her people. She put on her tiara and went down to the thrown room.
*******
When the Czarina received the letter she was shocked. She found the young queen’s urge to be heroic extremely childish, but brave. She admired it, but it still made her laugh. Krista sent for her second in command. “I will be gone to take care of some business today. You are in charge ‘till I return. Keep up the attacks until I tell you other wise. I will send word of any changes.” Killa bowed deeply and agreed to Krista’s demands.
*******
It was high noon and the hottest part of the day. Isabelle was beginning to think this plan wouldn’t work when the doors opened suddenly. In stepped a young woman of about 17. Her long jet black hair flowed like night over her skin tight armor. Her hand rested upon the sheath of her sword. Her strides were strong but with grace. She looked like the leader of a great army.
She stopped and bowed lowly to the queen. Isabelle became confused. Was this Krista, her mortal enemy? Or someone that is a part of her kingdom.
“Good day queen. My name is Czarina Krista. But since we are sisters just call me Krista.”
Isabelle froze when she heard this. Her mortal enemy, her greatest rival was her very on sister. What was she to do? She couldn’t possibly hate her now, could she?
“In my lands when people offer greetings usually one offers it back, my queen.” Krista sarcastically remarked.
Isabelle blushed. “I apologize. Where are my manners? My name is Isabelle. I suppose you have came for my head?”
“Actually, no my queen, excuse me Isabelle. I have came to talk to you like a civilized adult. Though your offer was brave, I believe it was slighty stupid and unnecessary. You have no guarantees that after your death your kingdom will remain secure. You also have no heirs, leaving your kingdom without a crown, to where someone like myself can crush it. You need to learn how to be a child before you can be a queen, my dear. Father must have never taught you that.”
“You keep talking like your my sister but father nor mother ever mentioned you. How do I know your telling the truth?”
“Well besides the fact that we look almost exactly alike? Got our looks from our father that's why. Technically we are only half sisters. We share the same father, the same want to help our people and the same desire to get revenge. Your father was married before he married your mother. She died giving birth to me. She had a decease but your government and laws stated that the child killed her. So your father, our father, took me to the peasants and left me. She told everyone that he had killed me. Then out of spite her banished the peasants. He turned us into outlanders. My cousin went into town to buy some bread for his starving family and your guards captured him and killed him. His family was killed as an example. He was killed last and he had to watch his baby girl die in front of him. Such a loving father we have, don’t we?”
“I know our father did terrible things but he wasn’t a bad man. Don’t talk like he was.”
“Wasn’t a bad man? Listen to yourself. You’re ten times the royalty he ever was. He was a cruel, harsh ruler. The only thing he did was save me. That's it. And he only did that because he couldn’t bare to see blood on his precious hands. My true family, the ones who raised me, made me strong. When I came back for my revenge, my people didn't want to stop there, they wanted every Quintalian dead. I just wanted the head of the King. Your mother came in though and I could not take any chances. I had to kill her too. I didn’t want to and for that I apologize, but I left you alive. I knew you would make a great queen. My people think I didn't know you were there, but I did. I looked in on you often at night to see how you were doing. You are my baby sister. I needed to protect you. You deserved so much more than what he was going to give you. He was planning to ship you off to marry the king of France at the age of 13! Thirteen! Darling, now you have the chance to find true love.”
“You talk so casually about killing our father. I know he hurt you but he was raising me. You left me alone without a family. That I can not forgive. “
“I don’t expect you to. I couldn’t forgive father for doing the same to me. I believe though that if we settle this now we can bring peace between our nations, and we can reunify them. We could have two rulers instead of just one. A Czarina and a Queen. We could combined our government to better the lives of everyone. My people, what you call peasants, are the only family I have. I want to make sure they have a good life. They deserve good farm land and better houses. They deserve public school and medicine. Let us break the traditions of normal kingdoms and bring people together under one.”
The queen nodded. She did want peace after all. “You’re right, they do. I never agreed with that banishment. My father, our father, said that it was to protect the kingdom. It still doesn’t make sense. So will you stop the attacks? My people need to live too. “
Krista wrote a message down on paper and place it in a leather cloth on the falcon’s leg and sent him off. “The message has just been sent.”
*******
It was about dusk when the falcon reached Killa. Killa opened the note and read it calmly. “We have a new mission. The knights are to die for their betrayal to the Queen. It says that she has worked out a peace treaty and has secured us good homes, farm land, schools, water, food, and a better life all in all. The attacks are to stop because under Queen Isabelle and Czarina Krista we are now one kingdom.” Shouts of joy filled the soldiers. They could now see relatives and have better lives.
“It seems like this is a happy ending to a fairy tale.” said Krista.
“Maybe it is, but then again, maybe it’s so much more.” Isabelle stated.
Maeve Sinclair Community Member 
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