East Kingdom
— Mirror, mirror on the wall, is there anyone more powerful than me? — the words left my mouth coated in confidence and magic.
I stared at the beautiful glorious golden mirror in front of me, barely able to believe I actually had it, Ravenna's mirror, my unfathomable sister, was finally mine. I took a deep breath, ready to finally have what I'd been searching for years, the magic of that mirror would make me even more powerful, would make me invincible. I'd rule all the kingdoms, transform everything, command everything and everyone.
I felt eyes burning into me, didn't even need to look to know who they belonged to, I knew Camilly was staring fixedly at me right then, she was in attack position, ready for any sign of threat against me. I glanced sideways to where she was, her expression was serious, her gaze switching between me and the mirror, I knew she wasn't liking any of this. Camilly was always against my plan to find the mirror, she says objects like that only bring sadness and destruction, I didn't blame her for thinking that way, this girl had the purest heart I'd ever known, I still didn't understand how she'd fallen in love with someone like me. But, I also didn't question that fact anymore, either way, I know she'll be with me, when I become even more powerful and rule all the kingdoms, I want her by my side.
My attention was pulled from Camilly when the mirror started melting, I stared at the melted gold streaming across the floor without understanding, before I could do anything, the melted gold on the floor started taking shape, the shape of a female silhouette, I was too surprised to take any action. Everything happened really fast, within seconds, Camilly was already in front of me, standing between me and the silhouette, which had now completely transformed. I stared at the woman who was just a silhouette and felt my heart stop for seconds, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it couldn't be her.
That was Ravenna, my sister.
She was right there, in front of me, staring at me without even caring about the sword Camilly was holding against her neck, she hadn't changed or aged, her gaze still sent as many chills down my spine as years ago, it was really her, Ravenna was back. But, how?
— Who are you? — Camilly asked, even though her voice stayed icy, I could feel her irritation.
She must be really angry, after all, from the beginning she warned me this mirror wouldn't bring anything good. But still, I kept my obsession with finding it.
— Not going to control your little pet, Freya? — Ravenna asked, sarcastic. She didn't pay Camilly any attention at all, which irritated my little lioness even more.
— Who are you to call the queen by her first name? — I could almost imagine her reddish eyes fixed on Ravenna.
I was still looking at the woman in front of me, not knowing how to react. Ravenna was alive, as well as if she'd never died. How? How could this be possible?
— She's my sister. — my voice was nothing but a tormented whisper.
I could see Camilly falter, silence reigned for a few more seconds. Camilly seemed as much in shock as I was, her shoulders rising and falling faster than before, showing her breathing was ragged, I could almost hear her heartbeats they were so fast, or maybe, that was just the sound of my own heart beating furiously against my chest. When my sister shifted her gaze to Camilly, the racing beats in my chest lurched.
— Ravenna. — Camilly whispered, seeming to fit all the pieces together in her mind.
I had no idea what she knew about Ravenna, but, from her reaction, I could guess it wasn't very good things.
— Well well, your little pet recognized me. — Ravenna dripped with sarcasm and acidity. She hadn't changed at all since the last time I saw her.
I moved closer to Camilly and touched her shoulder, almost automatically, I felt her body relax at my touch. I had to take my sister's attention off her, Ravenna couldn't set her eyes on Camilly or notice her existence, I couldn't let that happen. Even if, deep down, I knew that was something inevitable.
— Go back to your post, Camilly. — I ordered in a low tone, so only she could hear.
Camilly glanced at me from the corner of her eye and lowered the sword still at Ravenna's neck. She put her weapon away and nodded, without questioning, she did as I commanded.
— Oh, she's quite obedient. — Ravenna said, her lips curved into a malicious smile.
— My soldiers aren't the focus right now. We have a lot to talk about, sister. — I tried to draw her attention.
— You've gotten more serious since the last time I saw you. Looks like you've evolved a lot since my departure, haven't you, little sister? — Ravenna was being clearly sarcastic.
I breathed deeply, trying to summon all the patience that existed inside me. Which wasn't much anymore.
— I've evolved in many things over the last few years, Ravenna. But yes, you leaving helped me a lot too. — I returned the provocation. If there was one thing that got on my nerves, it was my sister's arrogance.
— Got a sharper tongue. — she smiled — I can even imagine where you've been putting it lately. — Ravenna sneered.
Her gaze turned to Camilly again, suggesting she was the one her inappropriate comment referred to. Almost no one there understood what Ravenna meant, except Madson, Sam, Megan, Camilly and me. When Camilly understood the context of Ravenna's phrase, she blushed violently. I rolled my eyes, frustrated by how many problems my sister had caused in the few minutes since she'd been resurrected by me.
— Enough. All of you, go back to your duties! — I ordered the soldiers in the hall, it didn't take long for them to start leaving — Let's go to the strategy room, we have a lot to talk about. I have many questions you can answer, sister. — I said, looking directly at Ravenna.
My sister nodded, I looked to the side and soon noticed that Camilly, unlike the others, had stayed in the hall. I stared at her and saw on her face that look that told me she wouldn't leave my side while Ravenna was with me. It was inevitable, she would be part of our conversation.
— Well then, let's go.
We went through the castle corridors, Ravenna walked beside me, her gaze evaluating every inch of the place, judging every little thing, as if telling me, silently, that everything I'd built over the last few years, wasn't enough. Camilly was a few steps behind us, her rare silence was suffocating me, I could guess all the possible disasters running through her mind. It was torturous minutes until we reached the strategy room, I locked the door as soon as we entered, I wanted to make sure no one would interrupt us.
— I thought you were dead. The news that Snow White had killed you and regained control of your kingdom spread everywhere. So, how are you alive? — I got straight to the point. My patience was already running out.
— I'm alive thanks to the mirror's magic, I merged my magic with it, that kept me alive. I survived and healed inside it, until you found it and summoned me. — Ravenna answered, as if that were an everyday thing.
— That's unbelievable. — she had surprised me again.
"How cunning does a person need to be to come up with a plan like that, seconds before their own death?", I asked myself.
— I know. — the arrogance in her smile didn't go unnoticed by me — Now, my dear sister, let's start working, we have a lot to do. We're going to invade that kingdom and destroy everything and everyone who gets in our way. — her expression turned dark — I'm going to take my throne back and make Snow White kneel at my feet while she begs for her own life. — Ravenna said.
— We don't destroy villages. — Camilly said, drawing our attention.
Ravenna hadn't noticed her presence in the room until that moment. She looked at Camilly, the same way she'd look at a stain of dirt on the floor.
— Oh, you're here, child. — Ravenna sneered.
— I am, and I'll repeat it in case you didn't understand; we don't destroy villages. — Camilly said, serious. She stared at her without fear.
Ravenna approached her until they were face to face, I felt my heart race thinking about how that would end.
— You're a very ill-mannered little pet, you know? I think Freya hasn't been punishing you enough. That's the only explanation for you thinking you have any decision-making power here. — Ravenna said, harshly.
— I'm the queen's right hand. Decisions involving the army, belong to me too. — Camilly didn't back down.
— How dare you challenge me like this? Don't you know your place, child? — Ravenna questioned, seeming even more irritated by Camilly's audacity.
I moved closer to the two of them, already preparing to intervene if that went too far.
— I'm not a child. — her chin lifted, her gaze fixed on Ravenna's — I owe my loyalty and obedience only to the queen, and right now, there's only one in this room. — Camilly retorted, staring at her as an equal.
That was the last straw for Ravenna.
— You insolent little—!
Ravenna summoned a magical claw, that moved with the agility of a whip, and tried to strike Camilly with it. As fast as Ravenna attacked, Camilly defended herself, with just one hand, she partially drew her sword from its sheath, the blade blocked Ravenna's claw just inches from her face, all of this, without even shifting her brown eyes away from her.
Now, my heart was racing.
— I'm not afraid of you. — Camilly said.
My sister raised an eyebrow curiously while minutely analyzing Camilly's eyes, which, most likely, were being filled with that reddish coloring. Ravenna shifted her attention from her eyes to the mark a little below Camilly's collarbone, a strange smile formed on her lips. I didn't know what that smile meant, but, I wasn't interested in finding out.
— Enough. — I said, after approaching the two of them and holding Camilly's shoulder.
She fixed her sword in its sheath again, lowering her guard. Ravenna stared at her eyes again and then stared at me, she must be wondering how I managed to get that girl, who had shown herself so petulant, to obey me so immediately.
— It's been a long day. I'll order someone to show you your new quarters, Ravenna, tomorrow we'll finish talking. — I informed, discreetly pulling Camilly to my side, moving her away from Ravenna.
— Next time, without your guard dog present. — Ravenna said, smiling ironically at Camilly.
I held Camilly's wrist in a silent plea for her not to respond to Ravenna's provocation. She stayed silent by my side.
— Whatever you want, sister. — I conceded, so that subject wouldn't continue — Find Megan so she can show you where you'll be staying. You'll find her easily, she's the woman with gray eyes. — I explained briefly, not wanting to stay another minute there.
— Tomorrow we'll talk more about our objectives going forward. We have a lot to do, Freya. — that sounded more like a warning than a proposal.
Ravenna stared directly at me, her eyes as hard and inflexible as they always were, my chest twisted, as if I was unable to breathe while her eyes were on me. She didn't care enough to wait for my answer or to look at Camilly one last time, Ravenna just turned her back on us and left the room, her heels announcing each of her steps with irritating sounds.
When Ravenna left, I let out a long sigh, the last few minutes had been completely exhausting. I stared at the young woman beside me, who now kept her gaze on the floor.
— What are you thinking about? — I asked, positioning myself in front of her.
— Now that you have the mirror's power, what are you going to do? — she questioned, shifting her gaze toward me.
— I haven't stopped to think about that yet. — I sighed, tired — This power will help me protect and strengthen my kingdom, with it, wars will be won much more easily. — I was trying to be convincing.
— And what's the price we're going to pay for that?
Camilly stared deeply at me, her eyes begging me to change my mind and return the mirror to where it was before.
— Don't worry about that. — I traced the outline of her jaw with the tip of my index finger — I'm very tired now, I was thinking of taking a bath in the tub. Would you join me? — I asked, smiling.
My smile was, shamelessly, filled with ulterior motives.
— As if your majesty even needs to ask. — Camilly said, smiling back at me.
I got lost for a few seconds in her smile, it was a habit to try to find any trace of lies or falseness in it, even though I never found anything. She really smiled because of me, smiled at me. And that, that voluntary and spontaneous honesty, was simply unbelievable to me. I came out of my thoughts when I felt her forehead gently touch mine, now I could look deeply into her eyes, they were right in front of mine.
— You were doing it again. — she whispered.
— Doing what?
— Analyzing me. — she hugged me around my neck, pulling her face away from mine — Sometimes, you keep analyzing me like you're expecting something to happen, or like you're searching for something. — Camilly said.
— I didn't know you noticed things like that. — I said, genuinely surprised by the attention she gave even to small details.
— I notice everything that involves you, Queen. — Camilly said, smiling.
— Sometimes, that even scares me. — I murmured.
— You don't need to be afraid, I would never use the things I know about you against your majesty. I'd rather hurt myself before hurting you. — Camilly said. Her brown eyes held that inexplicable sparkle.
— I think that scares me even more. — I let out, without even realizing it.
— You know, sometimes, fear is a good thing. — I stared at her, confused, then a smile full of affection appeared on her face — Only those who have something to lose feel fear. And, if you have something to lose, it means you have something. — Camilly said, calmly.
— Don't you think it's better to never have something, than to have and lose it? — I was curious about her answer.
— No, it's like saying it's better to never be happy than to be happy and then become unhappy. I believe that our good moments are what keep us strong during bad moments, and, if we never have good moments, what will keep us standing during bad moments? — she spoke, confident in her words.
— Sometimes I forget you're only 18. — I said sincerely. It surprised me that someone so mature and aware was so young.
— I learned that age means nothing in this world. — Camilly said.
That was true, no matter what age we are, it doesn't spare us from any of life's evils. She and my daughter were perfect examples of that, Camilly saw everything she loved be destroyed in a cruel way when she was still just a child. And my daughter... well, she never even had the chance to have a life.
— Can I ask you something? — Camilly pulled me from my thoughts.
— You just did. — I said, sarcastic.
Whenever she asked me questions, she pulled confessions out of me. And I didn't like confessions.
— Are you okay with your sister coming back?
Her question made me think, after all, my sister's return, whom I thought was dead, must have somehow affected me, right? Besides, Ravenna was a difficult person to deal with, she was always like that, she was the first and most important of us, we had to submit to her because she was the person who kept us alive, she was the person who conquered kingdoms for us, she was the queen. That's what was imposed on us since childhood, so much so that our younger brother, Finn, sacrificed his own life for her. He was always more dependent on Ravenna than I was, always doing everything for her, living for her, his blind loyalty was what killed him and, as much as it should have, his death didn't cause a single tear in my eyes. Finn never considered me his sister, Ravenna was everything that existed to him while I was nothing, just a shadow of her, of the great and powerful Ravenna.
— I'm trying to deal with this sudden return of hers, seeing Ravenna again, after so long, brought back many memories. Memories I wish I could forget. — I confessed, letting out a tired sigh.
Nothing could ever be easy when it came to me, I don't know why I didn't consider the possibility of Ravenna having merged with the mirror. That's something very expected coming from the great queen Ravenna.
— Was she there when... — Camilly didn't have the courage to finish the question, but I already knew what she was referring to.
— She was. — I pressed my lips together, reluctant to have to talk about the worst moment of my life again — It was Ravenna who caught him with the torch in his hand.
I felt my chest ache with the horrible memory of the soldiers holding the man, who at the time, I judged to be the love of my life. That was one of the reasons I hated love, it was blind and treacherous, if I hadn't been blindly in love with that man, I would have considered the possibility of him doing what he did. But, I was a foolish girl in love who thought he would never do something like that, love blinds us, we don't see what people really are, we see them the way we want them to be, we don't realize that, the person we love, can hurt us as much as the person we hate, love prevents us from seeing how much that person hurts us. That's what happens with Camilly, her unshakable love for me prevents her from seeing how much I hurt her, prevents her from seeing who I really am, that's why she stays by my side. I'm too selfish to force her to move away, her love and her presence make me feel alive for a few minutes, I'm selfish to the point of not wanting her to stop loving me, because her love does me good, even if, for her, it doesn't.
— That doesn't seem to be the only reason you were so shaken by her return. — she said, staring seriously at me — Your sister arrived here just a few hours ago and already wants to wage war against one of the biggest existing kingdoms, and you're giving in to this suicidal plan of hers. I know you well enough to know that, if this idea weren't Ravenna's, you would never agree. — Camilly stated.
It was in moments like this that her petulance and audacity irritated me.
— What are you trying to say with that? — I questioned, irritated with the direction this conversation was taking.
— Your sister seems to me to be someone who knows how to convince the people around her to do what she wants, especially you. I'm worried that she'll use the regard you have for her against you. — Camilly said firmly, there was no trace of humor in her words.
— You don't know what you're talking about. — I retorted, irritated.
I walked out of the room and entered one of the castle corridors, Camilly followed me.
"Ravenna use me? Convince me to do what she wants? I'm not like Finn!", I thought.
— I may not know your sister completely, but I know you, and I know you don't give in to things as easily as you did with Ravenna since she came back. — Camilly continued to argue, walking right behind me.
— You're right, you don't know her completely! — my tone became raised, I held the handle of my bedroom door and stared at Camilly — It was that woman who kept me alive since we were just two little girls, it was she who allowed me to live in her conquered kingdom. So yes, you don't know anything about her. — I spoke coldly, then opened my bedroom door and entered.
This was all just gratitude, why couldn't she understand that? Why couldn't Camilly understand that, despite everything, Ravenna was still my only family?
I heard Camilly's heavy footsteps behind me, felt her grab my wrist and turn me toward her.
— You know what I do know? — she questioned, irritated, staring intensely at me — I know you're not a child anymore who needs someone to keep you alive, I know you no longer live in the kingdom conquered by your sister. And also, I know you don't have to do all the things she imposes on you anymore. — she breathed deeply and released my wrist — You're not tied to her anymore, Freya. — Camilly said.
Silence reigned between us, we stared intensely at each other, I could see the concern in her gaze, I knew she must have heard and read many things about Ravenna, and that she was worried about what kind of effect my sister's presence would have on me. Having someone who cares about small things like that for me, was still something new in my life. My heart filled again, flooded by that warm and unstoppable feeling, burning me without me being able to avoid it.
— Wait. — I said while grabbing her wrist and preventing her from leaving my room.
— It's already late. — she opened a humorless smile — I think it's better if we go to sleep, it's been a long day and it will certainly be a long year from now on. — Camilly said.
— Wait, I... — I twisted my lips, searching for the right words, this was harder than I imagined — I want you to sleep here tonight. — I said.
— You want me to stay here with you? — Camilly asked while frowning, she seemed confused and surprised by my attitude. I myself was.
— Yes. — she raised her eyebrows as if questioning the sense in which I was suggesting — Just to sleep.
That bright smile returned to her face, illuminating all the reality around us.
— I'll stay.
I watched her happy expression for a while, all I thought was that she always got so happy with demonstrations, even small ones, from me. I didn't understand why so much happiness, of course, some things like asking her to sleep with me tonight, were things I wouldn't have done a short time ago, at least not this way, without any ulterior motive or malice.
— Alright, I'm going to change and get ready for bed. — I said, then deposited a quick kiss on her lips and headed to the bathroom.
I needed to be alone, at least for a few minutes.
_
After taking a relaxing bath and putting on more comfortable clothes, I left the bathroom and looked around my room, found it strange that Camilly wasn't there. I barely had time to question why when the bedroom door opened, a Camilly wearing only underwear and a t-shirt entered the room casually.
— Oh, you're already ready. — she smiled — I went to my quarters to take a shower and get my sleep shirt. — Camilly said, normally.
— You walked through half the castle, dressed like that? — I asked, indignant.
Camilly frowned and looked down, analyzing her own clothes, or the lack thereof.
— Yes, why? — Camilly asked, not understanding.
— Nothing, don't worry about it. — I ended the subject, deciding not to stress about it now. It was already late and I was tired.
And, anyway, if anyone looked at her while she was coming here, I'll find out, and I'll make sure to tear out that person's eyes.
I went to my bed and lay down on the left side of the mattress, looked at Camilly, who was still standing in front of the bed, and raised one of my eyebrows as if questioning whether she was going to lie down already. Camilly seemed to wake up and came to the bed quickly, she lay down on my right side, on her back, staring at the ceiling. I put out the lamp flame, when the room got darker, only the moonlight remained, I lay on my side, turned with my back to Camilly. We stayed a few minutes in silence, her breathing was fast, I knew she hadn't fallen asleep yet.
— Freya. — her whisper echoed through the room, breaking the suffocating silence — Are you sleeping?
I thought many times about pretending I had already fallen asleep and not answering her, but, a greater force made me turn over in bed and lie on my side, this time, facing Camilly. She did the same, lying facing me. Camilly stared intensely at me, I could see the sparkle in her gaze just with the light the moon gave us, and there was her unshakable love, slowly burning me through those brown orbits.
— Good night, Queen. — Camilly whispered, simply.
Then her body slowly moved until it reached mine, her legs tangled with mine, one of her arms hugged me around the waist and her face nestled against my chest. Everything was done slowly, she had given me the chance to pull away or reject her touch, but I didn't, I just felt her warm body slowly nestling against mine. And that's how I fell asleep, smelling the scent of her hair just below my nose and feeling her skin warming me, it was then that I realized, finally.
I no longer knew how to live without her love.