1 Week Later...
Camilly walked calmly towards the Queen's room, that neutral expression that had been on her face for over a week still perfectly in place, the girl was serious and carried herself with an exemplary posture, as she passed by the other soldiers they would move out of her way, she had become the perfect soldier, no weaknesses, no feelings, just obedient and loyal, at least on the outside, the girl was the ideal soldier for any King or Queen, maybe except for Freya.
– Your Majesty – the girl called out respectfully while opening the bedroom door right after knocking three times – Your sister is summoning you to a meeting in the strategy room – Camilly said in a serious tone.
When she heard the girl's voice, Freya pulled her attention away from her own reflection in the vanity mirror and stared at her through it, as soon as her gaze met Camilly's the Queen felt that so familiar ache in her heart, the girl's look was dull and lifeless, for the past week it had been like this, Freya couldn't even see that unconditional love that was so known to her anymore, the sparkle had gone out, and that was killing her inside a little more each day.
– Did she tell you what this meeting would be about? – Freya asked, trying not to let her emotions show, the Queen knew it was a silly question, but she just felt the need to talk to Camilly, even if only for a few more seconds.
– No, Your Majesty – the girl seemed to think for a few seconds – But I imagine it's about the war against Snow White – Camilly said, still staying formal.
The Queen sighed deeply upon hearing the younger one's answer, both her formal manner and the answer itself had left Freya frustrated, the war against Snow White was close, very close, and that sent an uncomfortable coldness into the Queen's stomach, she knew this battle would be bloody and bring a lot of destruction, and because of that the feeling of guilt that haunted her was unavoidable, she was the one responsible for bringing Ravenna back, she was the one responsible for not being strong enough to defeat her sister, and she was the one responsible for extinguishing the light in Camilly's eyes, that simply left Freya devastated.
– Alright... – the Queen finished combing her hair and quickly placed her crown back on her head – Tell her I'm on my way – Freya said reluctantly, she hated the fact that Ravenna was controlling everything as if that Kingdom belonged to her, it enraged the Ice Lady like nothing else, but whenever the idea of reacting came to her mind, the memory of her sister's words would come too, and that made Freya back down, she couldn't risk it, she couldn't let Camilly die because of her, especially not in front of her and at the hands of her own sister.
– As you wish, Your Majesty – Camilly said coldly before turning her back on the Queen and getting ready to leave the room.
– Camilly... – Freya called out to the girl in a low tone before she could leave the room, the Queen saw the girl turn to face her through the reflection in the mirror.
– Yes? – Camilly asked, staring directly at Freya, her expression still neutral.
– Do you hate me now too, don't you? – the Queen asked while keeping her gaze locked on the girl's through the mirror's reflection.
Silence reigned in the room for a few moments, Freya could swear that any minute her heart would tear a hole right through her chest, she was nervous and knew that depending on the girl's answer, everything she was going through would either get worse or not.
– No... – the younger one whispered, shifting her gaze to some random corner, Freya felt a brief relief upon hearing her, but that didn't last long – But I wish I did, if I hated you now, this wouldn't hurt so much – Camilly said coldly before turning her back on the Queen and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Freya let out the air she hadn't even noticed she was holding, she rested her elbows on the vanity and hid her face in her hands, if Camilly had said she hated her, maybe it would have hurt less than that, a deep emptiness took over the Queen's heart at that moment, an emptiness bigger than when the girl had first arrived at her Kingdom, everything was too confusing for the ice woman, she had never been a person to feel much, to let herself be affected, the only time she allowed herself to be like that was when her daughter and Daniel died, Freya didn't understand why everything involving Camilly affected her so much, automatically the memories from a week ago invaded her mind.
_
One week ago...
When Freya felt the ground return beneath her feet after a second, she opened her eyes, the Queen walked slowly to the bed in the middle of her room and carefully laid the unconscious girl's body on it, she took a deep breath while staring at Camilly's serene face, how had things come to this? How had she let her sister take control of everything like this? The Queen asked herself, irritated with her own actions.
Freya sat down next to Camilly on the bed, her eyes began to wander over the girl's exposed torso, on it were some superficial wounds and some very deep ones, burn marks, cuts, scratches, every bad thing someone could imagine, the Queen looked at her own arms and soon noticed that both were stained with the girl's blood, some of Camilly's injuries were still bleeding and staining the white sheet of Freya's bed.
The Queen felt her stomach churn when she noticed how badly Camilly was hurt, her heart grew heavy with guilt and her eyes welled up before she could stop it, Freya leaned her body forward and pressed her forehead against the girl's, she gently stroked the brown hair and allowed herself to stay like that for a few seconds, just feeling the girl's presence there with her, feeling her in her arms after so long without having done so.
– I should have protected you... – the Queen whispered, her voice breaking – Taking care of you, it's my duty too, little Lioness... – Freya said, pulling her forehead away from Camilly's and staring intently at the girl's face, she brought her hand to it and gently traced its outline, just feeling the warmth of the girl's skin against her own cold one – I think maybe I can't live without you anymore – the older one said, barely paying attention to her own words.
The Queen spent a few more minutes stroking Camilly's brown hair while staring fixedly at her, hoping to make the despair that had gripped her heart in recent days disappear, after a while Freya sighed and got up from the bed, she went to her washstand and gathered some water in a small pot, then the Ice Lady returned to her room and opened a drawer of her nightstand, she took a white, fluffy cloth and then headed to the bed, sitting next to Camilly again.
The Queen placed the pot on her lap and concentrated her powers to form a bit of magical, sparkling snow in her hands, she poured the snow into the container and watched it melt in the water, making it sparkle too, Freya took the white cloth in her hands and dipped it in the water, then she wrung it out to remove a little excess and began to carefully run it over Camilly's wounds.
As the damp cloth was passed over the injuries, they began to heal, Freya did everything calmly and carefully, at one point she reached the girl's shoulder, it was swollen and bruised, the Queen touched it lightly and soon saw Camilly's expression twist in pain even while unconscious, the older one took a deep breath upon realizing that injury would take longer to fully heal, even if she used her powers.
– Better use the snow directly on this one – Freya said to herself before forming a little more of the magical snow in her hand and applying it to Camilly's shoulder.
When the front part of the girl's torso was almost completely healed, Freya placed the pot of water on the nightstand beside her bed, she held Camilly under her arms and lifted the upper part of her body, sitting her up on the bed, the Queen kept her sitting with one arm while the other wet the cloth again, as soon as her eyes fell upon the whip marks on the younger one's back, Freya felt a lump form in her throat.
– What did she do to you in that dungeon, little Lioness? – Freya asked in a tone mixed with anger and sadness while shaking her head.
Freya cleaned every wound she found on Camilly's body, once she finished healing everything possible, since there were some injuries that were a bit more serious and would take longer to improve, the Queen laid the girl back on the bed and stood up, she threw the water, now dirty with blood, down the drain of her bathtub and placed the cloth in the bathroom trash, the Ice Lady returned to the room again and picked up Camilly's shirt which was on the bed beside her, she dressed the girl in it and then arranged her comfortably in the bed.
– Rest, little Lioness, you've been through too much these past few days – Freya said before leaning down and kissing Camilly's forehead, after that, the Queen got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom, she needed to take a shower and wash the girl's blood from her hands.
It would be good if the water could wash her soul too, Freya thought.
_
Present Day
Freya sighed deeply while massaging her own temples, that day she had let herself be affected, but then again, how could she not feel bad seeing Camilly in that state? She might be the Ice Queen, but it had been a long time since that girl had melted the ice around her heart.
– Enough of this Freya, don't think about it now – the Queen said to herself, she had to focus now, after all, she would soon be face to face with Ravenna, so she needed to be strong.
Freya got up from the chair she was in and looked at herself in the mirror one last time, an expression of disgust took over her face as she was confronted with her tired and sad reflection in the mirror, there were even dark circles under her eyes making it clear how hard it had been for the Queen to sleep without Camilly, the girl had made her get used to her presence, so much so that Freya missed the warmth of the girl's body against hers during the night.
The Queen shook her head and stood up straight, she assumed a serious expression before leaving the room, it was time to face a long meeting with her sister.
_
In front of the strategy room, Camilly stood still, staring fixedly at the door, the girl tapped her fingers frantically against her own thigh, she tried to focus her mind on something other than the memories of the time she spent in the Castle dungeon, now she would have to talk to Ravenna, and that made her nervous, after all, a week ago, that woman had tortured her for days and humiliated her in the Royal Hall.
Camilly took a deep breath and decided to stop stalling, she knocked three times on the door and soon heard a muffled "come in" from inside, the girl swallowed hard before entering the room and closing the door behind her, once inside she caught sight of Ravenna, the sorceress had her back to her while looking at the large model of the Kingdom on the table.
– Excuse me, your sister sent me to tell you she'll be here soon so you can start the meeting – Camilly said seriously, trying not to show how terrifying it was to be in the same room as Ravenna.
As soon as she recognized the younger one's voice, Ravenna smiled maliciously and turned to face her, since the incident a week ago, the sorceress's favorite pastime was messing with Camilly, she felt powerful seeing how docile and submissive the girl was to her compared to before, Ravenna prided herself on having managed to "tame" the so-called East Red Lioness.
– Always running late, that sister of mine... – the sorceress clicked her tongue and shook her head, then she crossed her arms and tilted her head while staring at Camilly, the girl felt her stomach churn under Ravenna's gaze.
– I-I'll be going now, excuse me – Camilly said nervously, turning to the door and gripping the handle ready to leave that place.
– Wait a minute – the sorceress spoke, making the girl freeze instantly – I didn't tell you to leave yet – Ravenna said with a wicked smile on her face.
Camilly swallowed hard and squeezed the doorknob tightly before letting it go completely, she slowly turned back to Ravenna and lowered her head, feeling her hands turn cold and her heart race with panic.
– Do you need something else? – the girl asked in a thin voice.
Ravenna smiled even wider and walked slowly towards the girl, who took a few steps back until she felt the wood of the door against her back, the sorceress approached Camilly and placed one of her hands on the door behind her, trapping her with her body.
– Why so nervous? – she asked cynically – I don't bite, don't worry – the sorceress smiled ironically – You've been very obedient this past week, I like seeing that – Ravenna said sarcastically.
Camilly didn't say a word, just kept her head down while feeling her body tremble from Ravenna's proximity, the sorceress stared at her for a few moments and then grabbed her chin firmly, lifting it and forcing the girl to look at her.
– Not feeling like giving a sassy reply or anything like that? – Ravenna asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
– N-No, ma'am... – Camilly said, holding back all the rage burning in her heart.
– Don't try to lie to me... – the sorceress smiled and shook her head – I can see you're boiling with anger, your eyes are getting reddish right now – Ravenna said, amusing herself by messing with the girl.
– I don't have control over that – Camilly said in a low tone, shifting her gaze away from Ravenna.
The sorceress stared at Camilly with an expression full of amusement, she released the girl's chin and traced her jawline with her fingertips, Ravenna's gaze swept over the younger one from head to toe in a lascivious way, she smiled maliciously, bringing her face close to Camilly's.
– You know... – she slid her finger from the jaw to the girl's collarbone – I think Freya wouldn't mind if I had a little fun with you, don't you think? – Ravenna said in a low, malicious tone.
Ravenna brought her face dangerously close to the girl's, Camilly tightened her jaw and closed her eyes tightly, feeling every muscle in her body tense up, the sorceress slowly brought her mouth close to hers and stopped when they were about to touch, she smiled.
– I'm just kidding – the sorceress pulled away completely from the girl, making her open her eyes – My interest in you isn't in that sense – Ravenna said, smiling sarcastically before turning her back on Camilly and returning to the table where the Kingdom model was – You can go, you're dismissed – the blonde said, waving her hand.
Camilly didn't wait a single second to leave that room, the girl quickly withdrew and closed the door once she was in the hallway, she leaned against it while trying to control her erratic breathing, Camilly felt a strong revulsion take over her when she remembered how close Ravenna had gotten to her, the girl brought her hands to her mouth and covered it to stop herself from vomiting, her body seemed about to collapse.
When she was calmer, the girl pushed herself away from the door and took a deep breath before starting to walk down the hallway, Camilly still felt her stomach churning, she walked quickly with her eyes on the floor, then her shoulder bumped into something, the girl lost her balance a little but soon felt two hands grab her shoulders, steadying her.
– Are you okay? – Freya asked, staring at Camilly with a worried look, the girl was pale and seemed spaced out, the Queen rarely saw her like that.
– I-I'm fine... – the girl looked at her and then steadied her voice a little – Um, Your Majesty, could you please let me go? – Camilly asked, a bit nervous from the Queen's proximity.
– Oh, of course – the Queen released the girl's shoulders, she hadn't even noticed she was still holding them – I just... didn't want you to fall – Freya said awkwardly.
– Thank you, Your Majesty – Camilly said expressionlessly.
They stood for a few more seconds in silence, both staring intently at each other, Camilly swallowed hard and cursed herself for feeling her heart race inside her chest, stupid, idiot heart, the girl thought.
– I'll be going now, your sister is waiting for you, Your Majesty – Camilly said, turning her back on Freya and walking away quickly.
Freya followed the girl with her eyes until she disappeared into the hallways, she sighed and shook her head, that situation between them had been awkward, the Queen decided to stop dwelling on the brown-eyed girl and go talk to Ravenna, the sooner she did it, the sooner it would be over.
_
After her encounter with Freya in the hallway and her unpleasant conversation with Ravenna, Camilly decided she needed to cool her head a bit and stay out of sight of the two sisters for a while, the girl left the Castle and walked calmly into the small woods of the East Kingdom, she headed to a part where the forest was less dense and soon found what she was looking for.
Camilly let go of the neutral expression she had worn on her face for days and walked slowly towards the two wooden crosses stuck in the ground side by side, the girl took a deep breath and sat on the ground in front of them, her eyes soon fell upon the names carved into the wood, Samuel Wilson and Madson Montgomery.
– Hey guys... – the girl whispered with a weak smile on her face – Sorry for not coming these past few days, I haven't had much time for anything lately – she sighed – Things haven't been easy either, Freya and I are barely exchanging a word, and this is being harder than I imagined – the brunette shook her head – If you were here, you'd definitely be scolding me for acting like this, wouldn't you? – Camilly asked, looking at the cross with Madson's name.
The girl huffed in frustration and hugged her own legs, she stared at the river that cut through the small woods and sighed upon seeing her sad reflection in the crystal clear water.
– It's not that I don't love her anymore, it's just that... – the girl tightened her arms around herself even more – Thinking that maybe she sided with Ravenna even after everything, even after you guys... It devastates me, I've never loved anything as intensely as I love her, and that terrifies me because I know that Freya is the only thing that can completely ruin me, and at the same time, she's the only thing that can save me, save me from this emptiness – she swallowed hard, feeling her heart squeeze inside her chest – I feel so alone, I miss our conversations during the late nights, Sam's stupid jokes, I miss my best friend... – Camilly spoke, feeling her voice already starting to tremble.
Camilly stared at Madson's name and felt her eyes well up, the girl gently traced the wood, feeling the carving of her best friend's name against her fingertips.
– You were my family, Madson... – the tears started rolling down the girl's face – I think I'm never going to stop missing you – Camilly said in a thin voice while staring at the wooden cross, that was too sad and inhuman, her friends' bodies weren't even there, both had been thrown into the river near the Castle, the bodies of two of the only people Camilly loved, carried away by the East currents.
The girl shifted her gaze to the small river hoping to ease her pain, when she did, her eyes found in the water's reflection a human silhouette covered by a black cloak watching her hidden among the trees, Camilly frowned and wiped her own eyes, she turned to where the person with the dark cloak was, but there was no one there, had it been her imagination? The brunette wondered.
Camilly took a deep breath and shook her head, that must have been her imagination, the girl got up from the ground and brushed her hands against her pants, removing any dirt that might be there, she looked one last time at her friends' graves and smiled weakly.
– I have to go now, see you later guys – Camilly said before starting to walk back towards the Castle.
A few minutes later, Camilly entered the Royal Hall intending to cross it and head towards the corridor where the bedrooms were, but as soon as her feet touched the floor of that place, a voice unfortunately known to the girl echoed through the Hall.
– Camilly, glad you're here – Ravenna said, drawing the girl's attention to her.
Camilly sighed and turned her attention to the throne dais, she had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes as soon as she saw Ravenna sitting on the throne, that made the girl furious with rage, the sorceress was not the Queen of that Kingdom, Freya was.
– You were... Waiting for me? – Camilly asked, a bit suspicious of why Ravenna was staring at her with a wide smile on her face, the girl approached until she stood in front of the dais.
– Of course – Ravenna said, crossing her legs and smiling upon seeing the lost expression on the younger one's face.
– And may I know why? – Camilly asked, already feeling that nothing good would come from that woman.
Ravenna tapped her metal claw against the marble of the throne repeatedly, creating a sharp sound that sent shivers down Camilly's spine, the sorceress smiled maliciously while staring at the girl.
– I have a special mission for you, Red Lioness – Ravenna said.