The Queen's Fall: Part One

In some alternate universe it's the weekend still. Right? Part 1 of 2. 

****

Charlotte fled down the corridor. Behind her she could hear the sound of the mob. Her bright jewelry gleamed, the emeralds she loved so much catching the light and sending it back, reflecting her lambent green eyes.

Where are the guards! She knew the answer. Most of themhad gone over to the mob.

It was disgusting. Ridiculous! The kingdom needed to maintain its trade relations, and if that meant increasing the taxes on the lower classes, they needed to understand that it was for their own good.

Not… attempt to overthrow the royal house! She hiked her skirt up, showing off her flawless legs, moving faster as the sound of smashing windows sounded behind her.

Her husband, the King, had been the first to leave, taking a carriage full of treasure, including her spare jewels and leaving for the port. He hadn’t bothered to take her, merely telling her he would be back after the guard suppressed the rebellion.

Then they had joined it.

“THERE SHE IS!”

Oh, Saint’s below! Charlotte stared at the mob that had burst out of another corridor. The woman pointing at her was her maid.

Just totally unacceptable. Charlotte hadn’t had her whipped…

Hardly ever.

Well, she’d never left scars. Really, you couldn’t expect to escape a well-deserved punishment when you served cold tea!

“GET HER!” the maid screamed, and Charlotte turned and fled down another corridor, her golden hair bouncing as she ran. That was another hardship. The royal stylist had also joined the rebels.

It was almost as if the people didn’t like her. She turned and took the first escape she saw. She pulled it open, jumped in… and then vanished into the dark chute.

Screaming, Charlotte slid down the metal chute, unable to see a thing in the pitch-black space—before she shot out of it and slammed into a mass of old bedding.

“Disgusting!” she shrieked.

But… She didn’t hear anyone following her. And there wouldn’t be anyone down here.

After all, all the peasants were up there, looting her palace.

Which meant she could escape.  Charlotte fumbled around the room until she found a light crystal.

Not everyone could afford them, but this was the palace, and she wasn’t about to let it burn down at the hands of some idiot with a candle!

She called the crystal up, and then smiled. Now, she was ready to get out, escape, and plan her glorious vengeance.

Fifteen minutes later, Charlotte was hopelessly lost.

It wasn’t like someone came down here, after all. Well, not anyone important. She sent the maids down to get things. And they got them—quickly, if they knew what was good for them.

But now she had to get out of the palace before someone came down here and found—

Charlotte stared at the door to the laundry. It was the same door.

I’m lost! This is ridiculous! When I get my throne, back, I’ll have every peasant in the city whipped to within an inch of their life! I…

Then she heard a sound behind her. People.

“Maybe the Queen-Bitch came down here! Search every room!”

Oh shit.

“Well, my queen,” a voice spoke behind her, and Charlotte jumped up and squealed in shock.

“Who—“ Then she saw him, complete with his robe of office. “You’re the royal mage! Go out and… curse them!”

“Magic doesn’t work like that, as I’ve told you… again and again…”

“Well then, what could magic do for me!” She huffed. “Useless, always useless. You can’t turn lead into gold, you can’t blow up our enemies…”

“As I told you the last time, even if I could turn lead into gold…” he shook his head. “All it would do would be to make our gold worthless.”

“Yes, yes…” Charlotte fluttered her hand. He’d talked like his before, but honestly, she just let the words wash over her. Gold was money, and it always would be. You just needed more. “Now can you do anything useful?”

The mage raised one eyebrow. “I believe I could… but there is a price.”

“Price? We pay you enough!” I wish I knew his name… But mages always worried about someone getting their name. So they had spells so nobody knew their name—unless they gave it to them.

Ridiculous.

“Not the price in money, or jewels, but the price of yourself. What you really desired.” The mage said nothing for a moment. “You will vanish from the eyes of the mob, because you will become someone different.”

“And then I’ll get my revenge, right, because they are totally ungrateful.”

“I cannot say, it depends on what you think vengeance means.”

Charlotte huffed, then heard some crashing sounds. “I’ll do it! But you’d better be right!”

“I am always right. Remember, I was the one who advised against raising taxes. Come with me.”