The Faerie Queen

  The sun was setting marking the end of the day and painting the sky in bloody hues before everything was numbed by the dark blanket of night. The forest was a hive of quiet activity as the animals busied themselves with the process of going to sleep or waking up, waiting for the shadows to fall so that they could prowl around and prey on the unsuspecting fools who lingered amongst the trees after dark.

In the far distance, mountains were on fire, set aglow by the setting sun; their snow-capped tops reaching out to embrace the sky with open arms as though longing to merge the world into one as the day faded away, unable to be caught by the surest pair of hands.

Bella lay, staring unseeingly at the changing colours of the sky with her brown eyes. She could not move as her body was numb and she was barely aware of the fact that she was lying on the cold, stone paving of what was once a terrace of a beautiful house. All around her, the city burned and smouldered, the opulent buildings reduced to nothing but mounds of bricks or charred wooden beams littering the ground. Small fires burnt quietly around her, filling the air with smoke and consuming what was left of civilisation. But Bella kept staring at the sky relentlessly, her lips moving soundlessly. Her face was pale and expressionless except for a tiny tear falling down her cheek, glistening like a diamond, the only precious thing left.

  Darkness was beginning to descend, the stars shone down sympathetically as Bella lay motionless and cold amongst the ruins. Everything was silent except for the sound of a thousand anguished screams echoing in her ears. A bitter, cold wind howled through the ruined city, biting her skin, but Bella did not notice, she was too lost in the shrieking silence, sinking further and further down into the swallowing emptiness.

She was the only one. The only person left, all the inhabitants of this once vibrant and prosperous city had perished, doomed to a painful, torturous death. But not Bella, she was the sole survivor, fated to remain alive; the one speck of life in the barren sea that reminded everyone that life existed in this dead city.

The wind stopped and the air seemed to thin as Bella felt her troubled heart still. She could hear the hum and feel the warm glow of magic in the cool air as she watched the stars extinguish, one by one as though snuffed out by an invisible hand. Now it was just her, lying hopelessly in the dark, the nothingness growing and growing until it consumed her.

  Bella gasped as she caught the faintest flicker of light in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to get a better look and saw a striking narrow circle of light in the blackness. It shone, getting brighter and brighter; the white light was almost blinding her as it approached slowly. Her eyes widened as the light dimmed, her breath swept away at the sight of the apparition standing before her.

He was a tall, beautiful man, his face was angular and he was wearing a stoic expression. He looked young, despite his long hair glinting like flowing silver, cascading down his shoulders. She stared into his green eyes, green as the forest with tiny flecks of brown. She was lost in them, she could see everything, the years of wisdom he had acquired, she knew that he had seen the beginning and he would see the end. Her eyes travelled up to his forehead crowned with a circlet of leaves as bright as emeralds and she could see the faint outline of beautiful wings sprouting from his back. She gasped as a bolt of recognition struck her, she knew who this man was.

Come, his voice floated into her mind, deep and soothing like peaceful music echoing in the air. She stared as he held out a slender hand expectantly, waiting for her to take it. Bella stayed where she was, lying cold and motionless on the floor, her eyes sorrowful.

But what happened here? She asked, ignoring his request. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

The end has happened,; the Faerie King explained as his voice entered her thoughts, cool and calm, everyone has gone; you are what is left.

Me? Bella looked bemused, b-but why? Why me? Wait, am I —

You know the answer to that question, he interrupted her, it lies within your own heart.

  Bella lay there thinking for a moment, she watched feeling slightly bemused as he held out his hand, expecting her to take it. He was glowing with golden light as magic radiated from him.

Come, come with me, his voice was barely a whisper in her thoughts, creeping around in her head. Bella was about to tell him that she couldn’t move when she found herself complying with his wishes. She gasped as she slowly lifted her aching, exhausted, battered body off the ground and walked towards him in cautious, deliberate steps.

She took his hand, feeling slender effeminate fingers close around hers, warmed from the magic pulsing around in his body. He led her, slowly off the terrace and through the broken city. Bella walked as though she was in a trance, barely acknowledging her aching feet, or the sheer destruction of the houses and buildings that met her eyes as she walked through the barren streets.

The pair seemed to walk for days, at least it seemed like days to Bella. They walked through the city, through the plains and now they were in the forest, walking amongst the trees in what seemed like an eternal night. They had walked together in silence, melding into their surroundings, becoming part of the forest itself. Despite the fact that they had walked without rest or food, Bella felt more energised with each step she took as she walked through the forest.

Eventually, the Faerie King led her to the mouth of a small cave, hidden amongst the trees and covered in moss. Her eyes slid to his ivy green ones, they were glittering mysteriously, his mouth curved into a small smile as he saw the questioning look in her eyes.

Come, this is home for you now; he gripped her hand tighter than ever as he led her through the mouth of the cave. Bella stopped as she walked into the cave greeted by the faint sound of drumming. She stared at him curiously.

Where are you taking me? A million questions were spinning around and around in her mind, Why me? Why are you doing this? What’s going to happen?

  You’ll find out when you get there, he replied mysteriously, he paused listening to the faint strains of a drumbeat and added, come Bella, they have started already; they’ve been waiting for you for so long.

  Me? But why? I’m nothing special – you expect me to go to a ball like this? She stammered gesturing her white dress covered in ash and blood, it was torn in so many places and her hair was a mass of knots, her face pale and covered in soot. She was a mess, but the Faerie King did not seem to notice, he just smiled at her enigmatically as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

  As they descended down the narrow stone stairway, Bella could hear the drumbeats getting louder and louder, only this time they were accompanied by the sound of flutes and harps. Her heart started beating in time with the rhythm as she could hear the shouts and laughter of the revellers, a thousand thoughts and questions were bouncing around in her mind so fast that she had no time to express them, to think clearly. She wanted to bolt, to run as far away from this place as possible, but she couldn’t; there was something, something stopping her.
  
They reached the end of the stairs; curiosity was starting to flood through every pore as she looked around at her dark, dank surroundings. She noticed some green mould growing in the corner of the rock and wrinkled her nose in distaste, what was this place? She looked at the Faerie King’s eyes; they were sparkling even more brightly than before, for some reason, this made her anxious, the bitter taste of foreboding all to strong in her mouth.
  
  Together, they entered a large cavernous room; Bella shrank back as the deafening noise reached her ears. As soon as they stepped in the whole room fell silent and parted to let the couple through. Bella trembled as the Faerie King led her down the aisle the crowd had created. She could feel several hundred pairs of eyes staring at her, she stared back at them equally fascinated and appalled. Some of the inhabitants were beautiful delicate beings with long flowing hair and bright flowers adorning their outfits, others were grotesque beings, freaks of nature with almost translucent skin, bulbous eyes watching her avidly and black rags hanging off their deformed, emaciated frames.

He led her into the centre of the room; Bella looked up and saw a huge, ornate blood red chandelier hanging above her head, bathing the room in ruby light. She stared back at the Faerie King, his lips still curled in a small, knowing smile as he took her other hand in his.

And now, we dance.

Bella opened her mouth to protest as the music started and they began to dance to the slow rhythmical beat of the drum. She stared at the unfamiliar faces of the crowd as she revolved slowly around, some of them were smiling at her, their faces glowing with happiness, others were jeering at her, their faces screwed up making them more grotesque and disgusting.

Bella gasped as the pace of the music got quicker and quicker. The crowd started to join in, their feet pounding the floor like a million angry fists as they shrieked and laughed, throwing flowers in the air. Bella felt nauseous as she was whirled around faster and faster, she wanted to stop, to run right out of this room, to be as far away from this as possible, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She could feel the music move right through her as though she was the music, every note, every beat in her ear, inhibiting her thoughts, cluttering up her mind.

She screamed in horror as she felt a million tiny hands, cold and clammy against her skin, grab her and pull her out of the arms of her mysterious partner. Her eyes flashed in alarm as she was sucked into the crowd, her partner out of sight. She found herself being pushed and pinched, thrown from one leering partner to the next, cackling, sneering at her  as they spun her around so fast that she feared that she would knocked over and crushed to death in the stampede.

The room seemed to spin sickeningly fast as the music, the flowers, the mix-matched crowd of faces all blurring into one. She found herself crying as fear gripped her, screaming in her ears. She shrieked, begging, pleading for them to stop, for the music and the dancing to stop, for the fey to let her escape. She longed to be set free, to run away from this cursed place back to civilisation, back to what was familiar and comforting to her.

But her pleas went unheard, her voice too small, too quiet to be heard over the unending din of the music and the revellers. She could feel shards of pain shooting up from her feet as they were stepped on repeatedly, the fingernails of some random dancing digging into her skin as they tore at her dress and pulled at her hair. She gasped as someone bit her; her dress was slipping off one shoulder, exposing her skin.

Bella found herself being pushed into a familiar pair of arms. She clung on tightly to the Faerie King, sobbing uncontrollably and shaking as she felt him wrap his arms around her. The music faded away and the crowd seemed to blend into the walls, they only thing she could see through her teary eyes were the flowers and black rose petals floating idly down around them.

She continued to clutch to him, unable to stop crying, to be comforted, to feel safe. He was holding her too close, far too close for someone she had just met. She looked up and sniffed, mesmerised by those deep green eyes, as green as forest leaves. Her heart was bursting through her chest as she stared at him, his mouth curled at the ends as he buried his hands in her hair.

Suddenly, Bella found herself kissing him; not a soft gentle kiss, or a passionate lover’s kiss, but a hungry kiss filled with desire. Realising what she was doing, Bella pulled away, feeling sick. She wanted to run away, she knew she wasn’t safe. She stared into his eyes, glittering with malice as he locked her into an unwilling embrace. Shuddering, Bella felt him push her hair aside as he kissed her neck. Her knees buckled as she gasped in horror, her vision blurring. She could feel tiny pinpricks of pain as the Faerie King sank his fangs into her soft, smooth skin, drawing out the blood; the narrowest stream of rubies adorning the side of her neck.

He caught her as she collapsed, her face pale and translucent, she felt as though she was dream. He half dragged her to the other end of the room and onto the dais. Caught somewhere between waking and dreaming, Bella slumped back into the great throne and watched hopelessly as her vision wavered, she could just about feel the air of anticipation from the silent, faceless audience watching eagerly for what would happen next.

She could feel her vision starting to fail her as she saw the Faerie King come at her with a knife, she felt him slash her arm, the warm blood pouring out, dimly aware of the pain, but helpless to prevent it. She felt the cool metal against her skin as he held a chalice to the fresh wound, determined to catch every last drop. She watched in terror, gripping the arms of the throne tightly, as he held the cup high and poured the blood — her blood into his mouth. She almost vomited as it ran out of the corners of his scarlet mouth, dripping down his skin like a crimson waterfall. Her grip on her throne went as the room faded into darkness. She wilted, unaware of the crowd cheering and crying loudly as the Faerie King crowned their reluctant Queen.