East Kingdom, Present Day
A Few Minutes Earlier, On the Other Side of the Castle
While Camilly was stepping into that mysterious room with the huge mirror, Freya was settling onto her throne in the great hall, the Queen completely unaware of what was happening on the other side of the Castle at that very moment, she had no idea that her little Lioness was right then discovering things she had always feared, uncovering secrets about her past that even she herself didn't know.
Freya let her gaze wander across the nearly empty hall, she sighed, bored out of her mind, she hated having to just sit there doing nothing but wait for the soldiers to get back from their patrol around the Kingdom, but there was nothing she could do about it, it was her duty as Queen, as dull and tedious as it might be.
On autopilot, the Queen reached for the pendant on her necklace, it was impossible not to think of Camilly when she did that, a faint, discreet smile tugged at Freya's lips, thinking about the girl with the brown eyes was one of her favorite pastimes when she was away from her, the older one couldn't really explain her feelings, she just felt infected, like every single cell in her body was completely infected by Camilly, and she couldn't deny she loved it just as much as she hated it too.
As if to prove her point, the memory of Camilly's smile when she received the necklace flooded her mind, Freya gripped the moon pendant tighter, she knew very well what had almost happened in that moment, the Queen had nearly heard those three words slipping from the younger girl's lips, she'd noticed Camilly had opened her mouth to say them but had backed out at the last second before doing so, and the older woman was grateful for that, she did know Camilly loved her, even if the girl had never actually said those three words directly, it was always there written between the lines, but Freya was aware that if she actually heard the younger one say she loved her, plain and clear and with all the letters, she would panic.
It might sound like an overreaction or an exaggeration, but those simple words would unleash a flood of memories for Freya, memories that hurt her, terrified her, and made her shut down all over again, she remembered all too well the last person who had said those three words to her, it was the person who had hurt and betrayed her, the prince she had been in love with, the man who had the courage to coldly kill an innocent child, the person who took away what the Queen loved most in her life, her daughter.
Since that tragic day, the Queen had never heard anyone say they loved her again, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to believe it, because she had believed once, and all she got in return was darkness and pain, so yes, she still hated love, but this time there was something that left her confused, because she could hate love all she wanted, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hate Camilly.
– Your Majesty... – the deep, rough voice of one of the soldiers snapped Freya out of her daze and daydreaming.
Freya shook off her thoughts and stared at the soldier standing before her, she immediately furrowed her brow when she saw he was holding onto a young boy, he looked about Camilly's age, thin and dirty, and seemed to have taken a serious beating judging by the bruises and injuries on his face.
– What is this? – the Queen asked in a confused tone, and the soldier roughly forced the boy to his knees in front of Freya.
– We found this kid trying to steal from one of the royal carriages, Your Majesty. – the soldier said, gripping the boy by the hair.
Freya raised an eyebrow as she sized up the situation and analyzed it, if this had been a few years ago, she wouldn't have thought twice, she would have killed the boy for sure, but now, the Queen didn't feel like killing him, she could even understand why he'd tried to steal the carriage, she pressed her lips together, not recognizing the feeling that was washing over her, what was that? Could it be... Compassion?
– Let him go. – Freya ordered, hardly believing her own words, but somehow feeling good saying them.
– W-What? – the soldier asked, staring at Freya like she was from another planet.
– Are you deaf? – the Queen snapped, irritated – I said let him go, or do I need to draw you a picture too? – Freya said sharply and harshly.
– N-No, Your Majesty, sorry, forgive me. – the soldier shook his head frantically – I'll release him where we found him. – the man said, pulling the boy back up and steering him toward the hall's exit.
– Soldier. – the Queen called, making him stop in his tracks and look at her – Remember, I have eyes all over this Kingdom, so if you do anything to this boy, the next body dropping lifeless to the floor will be yours. – Freya said coldly, fixing him with an intimidating stare.
The soldier's eyes went wide and he nodded frantically, Freya then glanced one last time at the boy, who looked back at her, and that's when she saw something in that young man's gaze that she hadn't seen in a long, long time, gratitude.
It didn't take long for both of them to disappear from her sight, Freya leaned back against the royal throne and closed her eyes, she took a deep breath, she could see things gradually changing around her, she could even see things changing inside herself, it scared her but at the same time made her feel curious and anxious, after all, not all changes are bad, right?
Freya opened her eyes again, she decided to stop dwelling on things like that, she knew that when she was alone, she was at the mercy of her fears and insecurities, so she wouldn't think about any of that, not until she had Camilly by her side again.
And then Freya fixed her gaze on the exit door of the great hall, the one that led straight into the Castle corridors, her breath caught in her throat for a few seconds when she saw a newly familiar figure standing right there, in that very place, staring back at her with those bright green eyes, the Queen shot up abruptly from her throne, it couldn't be, her eyes were playing tricks on her, how had that girl gotten into her Castle? Freya asked herself mentally, still in shock, Maleficent, the girl she and Camilly had met during their visit to the Kingdom of Stefan, was right there, just a few feet away from her.
When Maleficent smiled and slipped out of the great hall's doorway, heading into the Castle corridors, Freya didn't hesitate to follow her, all that ran through the Queen's mind at that moment was that the girl was after something, it didn't take long for her thoughts to jump straight to Camilly, was that it? Was Maleficent there for her little Lioness? She shook her head, she definitely wasn't going to wait around to find out.
At some point, Freya lost sight of Maleficent, the Queen sighed in frustration, realizing she was alone in one of the corridors lined with empty castle rooms, she shook her head and decided to get out of there, maybe it had just been in her head, she thought.
The Queen was about to turn around and head back to the great hall when a noise echoed through the previously silent corridor and made her freeze in place, all Freya could wonder at that moment was, was that a voice?
– It's not what it looks like now. – the voice spoke again, and then Freya recognized it, she knew who that voice belonged to, Megan, and for some reason, she felt she should go to wherever the General was.
Freya strode quickly toward the voice, soon she came upon one of the rooms with its door open, the Queen stepped through the doorway and felt her heart stop for a few seconds at the scene before her.
– Enough talk, enough conversation, time for you to die. – Megan said, ready to strike Camilly with the red sword.
In that moment, Freya felt her blood boil, her heart pounded even faster and she felt the darkness surge inside her, she was thirsty, thirsty for blood, and right then, Megan was her prey.
As the General brought the sword blade down toward Camilly, who was on the floor with her eyes still closed, Freya teleported to her side and grabbed Megan's arm tightly, stopping her from killing the young woman who still had her eyes closed and her hands wrapped around her necklace pendant.
When Megan's gaze fell on Freya, she went pale and her expression turned to pure terror as she faced the sheer fury in the Queen's eyes at that moment, fury that was completely directed at her, the General writhed in pain as part of her arm was frozen by Freya, this made her drop Camilly's sword and yank her arm back toward herself, soon Freya's almost maniacal, nearly evil laugh echoed through the room.
Camilly, who had kept her eyes closed until then, upon hearing the sound of Freya's voice, forced them open, her vision was still blurry, she felt weak and about to faint due to the wound on her head, but even so, she managed to see the Queen right in front of her, now approaching Megan and grabbing her by the neck.
– Now... – the Queen whispered as she looked deep into Megan's gray eyes, now filled with pure dread, that made something inside her vibrate and hum with excitement – It's your turn to die. – she smiled, feeling her darkness and hatred take more and more control of her actions – You should never have dared to touch Camilly. – Freya spoke in a macabre tone before freezing Megan's entire body in seconds, the General had become an ice statue.
Freya squeezed Megan's frozen neck hard, making the ice shatter and sever the General's head from her body, the head hit the floor and broke into dozens of pieces, the Queen smiled and blew the remaining ice crystals from her hand, then she watched the frozen, headless body of her former General crumble completely before her.
– W-What... – Camilly murmured, confused, blinking heavily, she had seen everything that happened, but still couldn't process or assimilate a single word, her head hurt and her vision was already starting to blur and get hazy.
Hearing Camilly's weak, trembling voice, Freya seemed to snap out of her trance, as if by magic, she felt all the darkness in her heart recede and the hatred give way to a warm feeling that, instead of making her want to kill, made her want to take care, take care of her little Lioness, the Queen turned toward the girl on the floor and felt a lump form in her throat seeing the state she was in.
– Oh, little Lioness... – Freya whispered, kneeling in front of the younger one and gently touching her face – Don't worry, I'm here, I'll take care of you. – the Queen said before, very carefully, picking Camilly up in her arms.
The girl said nothing, she didn't even have the strength for that, she just rested her head on Freya's chest and let herself close her eyes completely, this time with the certainty that she was safe in the arms of the woman she loved, the Queen stared at her face for a few seconds, the older woman felt a strange sensation in her chest, it was an uncomfortable pang, a sharp pain that made her feel suffocated, she knew it was because of the girl now sleeping in her arms, seeing her like that devastated Freya, completely.
The Queen tilted her head and placed a gentle, simple kiss on the top of the girl's head, then she pulled herself together and concentrated to use her powers so she could teleport them to her room, and there, she would tend to Camilly's injuries and wounds, Freya glanced one last time at the pieces of what used to be Megan, she felt nothing looking at them, this wasn't new to her.
Megan had become rubble and debris, just like everything that crossed her path.
_
A few hours after the incident, Camilly woke up, the girl opened her eyes suddenly and rolled off the bed, landing on her feet and immediately assuming a fighting stance and position, her chest was heaving, showing how breathless and scared she was, her eyes had reddish irises and her jaw was clenched tight, it only took a few seconds for her to realize she was no longer in that mysterious room with Megan about to kill her.
– Freya? – the girl asked, confused, seeing the Queen approach her, her eyes automatically returning to their normal color.
Freya walked over to the girl, who was still a bit disoriented, and hugged her tightly, Camilly was tense at first from the sudden contact, after all, she'd almost been killed not long ago, but it didn't take long for her body to relax and surrender to the embrace, resting her head on the older woman's chest.
– Don't worry, Megan won't hurt you anymore, I took care of everything, it's all okay, everything is fine. – Freya spoke calmly while stroking the young girl's brown hair.
Feeling Freya's touch on her head, Camilly frowned, noticing that, as far as she remembered, her head and back had been hurt and injured, but now neither was even bothering her or causing her any discomfort, she carefully pulled away from the Queen and looked at her.
– What did you say? – the girl asked distractedly, she hadn't caught what Freya had said, too lost in thought and in the soft touch of the Queen's hand in her hair.
– I said Megan won't be a problem anymore. – the Queen explained, caressing Camilly's face – Your body doesn't hurt anymore because I healed you while you were unconscious. – Freya said, noticing the confusion on the girl's face.
Hearing Megan's name, Camilly shuddered, the memories of everything that happened hit her hard and directly, she quickly grabbed Freya's hand, stopping her from continuing to stroke her face, the girl wore a fearful and insecure expression as she looked into those blue eyes that now gazed back at her with doubt and uncertainty.
– I need to tell you something. – Camilly finally let out with a heavy sigh, the girl took the Queen's hand from her face and held it between hers.
– You're breaking out in a cold sweat... – the Queen commented, somewhat worried, feeling Camilly's hands gripping hers – You can tell me anything you want. – Freya said sincerely, in her head she thought the younger one would tell her something about herself or her past as a princess of the Southern Kingdom, she really wasn't prepared for what came next.
– I-I... – the brunette closed her eyes and swallowed hard, she had to brace herself for Freya's reaction, which certainly wouldn't be good at all, the younger one opened her eyes again, staring into the blue orbits she loved so much, oh this would be hard – It was Ravenna... – she whispered, gathering strength to continue – Ravenna was the one responsible for your daughter's death, Freya. – Camilly spoke in a slightly louder tone, she felt her heart might tear through her chest, it was beating so fast.
Camilly's words echoed both through the room and inside Freya's head, silence had already completely taken over the room, they stared at each other while their eyes reflected many feelings, Camilly's brown ones held a lot of fear and hesitation while Freya's began to reflect a wave of doubt and... Anger? The Queen's hand slowly slid out of the younger one's grip.
– You don't know anything about this. – Freya spoke coldly, her expression tense.
Camilly sighed, also looking serious, she knew this conversation would be hard, but she had to at least try to convince Freya of this, she couldn't let Ravenna use her as a puppet and psychologically abuse her like she had been doing since she arrived at the Kingdom.
– Freya, listen to me... – the girl took a few steps forward but stopped as soon as she saw Freya step back the same distance – I saw everything that happened, I saw you and the prince you were in love with planning to run away together, I saw you happily packing your bags and your daughter, but I also saw something that even you yourself didn't see happening. – the younger one looked at the Queen with more confidence – Ravenna bewitched your former love, Freya, she made him kill his own daughter, he didn't want to do it, he loved you and the child... – she paused, feeling a lump form in her own throat – He didn't have a choice, Freya. – Camilly said, looking at the other woman with a sorrowful, pained expression.
– That's not possible! – the Queen exclaimed, raising her voice – You must have been 2 years old at the time, I myself was only 19 when it all happened, it's impossible that you saw anything! – Freya shouted, irritated and confused.
– I know it all seems crazy and insane, but you have to believe me, I would never lie to you about something like this. – the girl spoke, her voice breaking and faltering, in that moment Freya wavered and lowered her guard a little, the Queen felt weak because she couldn't resist the younger one's tone – I don't know who or what wanted to show me all this, but it did, and I saw everything, Freya, I know your hair was light brown, that your skin was rosy and pinkish, and that you loved that man, truly loved him with all your heart. – Camilly felt her heart ache uttering those words, it was a mix of jealousy and... Envy – Ravenna bewitched him, Freya, she didn't want you to be happy and for some reason wanted your daughter to die. – said the young woman with brown hair.
Freya took a deep breath, her head throbbed and pounded with so many thoughts overwhelming her at once, she didn't know what to do, didn't know what to believe, deep down she knew Camilly would never make up things like that, and also there was no way the girl could know what she looked like before her ice powers awakened, but at the same time, the Queen couldn't, or didn't want to, believe that her sister would betray her like that, in that way, Ravenna could be many bad and terrible things, but would she really go as far as doing something like that to her own sister? Freya didn't have the answer to that question, actually, she didn't have an answer to any question at all.
– You took a hard hit to the head... You must have imagined all this. – Freya argued, trying not to give in to what Camilly was saying.
– If I imagined all that, how could I have gotten right what you looked like before your powers awakened? – Camilly asked, getting a little agitated and worked up, she was nervous, confused, and afraid Freya wouldn't believe her words, she couldn't let Ravenna win so easily.
– I don't know! – the Queen shouted, frustrated and angry – My sister wouldn't do this to me! She's the only person who loves me! I can't just turn against her, everything I am is because of her, thanks to her. – Freya spoke, breathing heavily as she stared at Camilly.
In that moment, a flashback of everything Freya had been through with Ravenna invaded her mind, it all came back at once, the insults that made her feel insignificant, the physical and psychological abuse and aggression, the times she was locked in her room as punishment, her sister had indeed given her a roof to live under and decent meals, but she had also tortured her for years, made her and her late brother submit to all her wishes and will, feel obligated and forced to be loyal to her, all of that was still vivid and alive in Freya's mind, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't face her sister, she was afraid of Ravenna and knew very well what she was capable of.
– That's not true! – the younger one shouted, snapping Freya out of her thoughts – Your sister might love you, but I love you too, Freya... – she felt a weight lift off her shoulders admitting what she'd been holding in for so long – And watching you destroy yourself because of your sister destroys me too. – Camilly said, her eyes welling up and her voice hoarse from the tears threatening to come.
Silence reigned again in the place, only the sound of their labored breathing was present, Camilly and Freya stared intensely at each other as if locked in a war of glances, the younger one's eyes were watery but she didn't let a single tear fall, she wouldn't cry at that moment, she needed to be strong and she would be, while Freya heard those five words echo repeatedly in her mind, Camilly loved her and had just admitted it loud and clear, she felt her heart racing from the momentary happiness coursing through her body and at the same time lost herself in the memory flashes reminding her why she hated love, at that moment the Queen was fighting two wars, one against Camilly and one against herself.
– I know Ravenna was all that was left of your family... – Camilly broke the silence with a calm, steady and firm voice – But don't let her hurt you just because she carries the same blood as you. – the girl said with a serious expression on her face.
Freya felt those words hit her hard and directly, how could Camilly know what was going on in her head or even in her heart? The Queen questioned herself, confused, before either of them could say anything, the sound of raised voices reached the room, still muffled by the walls, Camilly frowned, confused, wondering if she had imagined it, but soon had her doubts cleared when the sound grew louder and stronger, as if two people were arguing and discussing.
Camilly quickly recognized one of the voices, her keen hearing helped her with that, one of the voices, the angrier and more irritated one, was Madson's, and the other, which seemed to carry a more sarcastic tone, was Ravenna's, the brunette could hear more muffled voices as if it were a crowd of people and not just the two, she couldn't make out or understand what any of the voices were saying, so Camilly deduced they were coming from the great hall, which was a bit away from Freya's room.
– Damn it. – Camilly muttered to herself as she turned her back on Freya and headed for the bedroom door.
When she placed her hand on the doorknob, Camilly stopped and turned her face toward Freya, the Queen seemed detached from everything around her, oblivious to anything, the brown-eyed girl opened her mouth to say something but ended up giving up, she looked one last time at Freya before completely turning her back and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.
When she was finally alone, Freya leaned against one of the bedroom walls and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, the Queen placed her palms against the wall and felt it start to freeze behind her, her head was a huge mess and confusion, everything seemed about to come crashing down on her, maybe her own sister was responsible for the death of her daughter and her former love, Camilly had said she loved her, plain and clear with all the letters, and left the room probably ready to declare war on Ravenna, Freya sighed heavily, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back until it touched the wall behind her.
And there she was again, watching her world fall apart.