Queen Amanda stood there with a frown on her face, worrying for her husband. She was aware of his ruthless habits. He was no kind man. If he encountered any trouble tonight, she doubted it would end well. Her husband held no regard for women and it worried her to her core how his ill habits would affect her children. But no matter what, she knew she couldn't stop him once he decided on a thing. So she decided to pray for him.
She walked towards the palace gates where the king and his team were ready to depart for the hunt. Rushing towards her husband who just mounted on his horse, she said, "Please return before sunset, Your Majesty. It is full moon tonight and I do not want you to encounter any witches around there".
"I will return soon", the king said. "Do not worry. Go inside and rest. A beautiful queen like you do not deserve a frown on her face."
The king left his palace grounds with his hunting team.
Queen Amanda walked back inside the palace. She was busy thinking about her husband when she saw her son running down the corridor from the opposite end. When he neared her, she catched him and yanked him towards her. Both laughed and she asked her beloved son, "Where is my prince running to? And where is the servant who is supposed to look after you?" She glanced behind him noticing no one.
The little prince giggled and then proudly said to his mother, "He is not as fast as me. I left him in the garden and came here. Now, I will punish him for leaving my side".
The queen saw mischief in her son's bright blue eyes. She smiled at him before saying, "You must not scold people for things they didn't do, darling. You are going to be a king one day and you will only punish people who deserves it".
"Father punishes everyone all the time".
Queen Amanda ran a loving hand through her son's midnight black hair. She smiled saying, " Yes, but you are going to be an even better king. Always remember, kings provides justice and security to their people".
Little Aaron thought for sometime, his tongue peeking out from the side of his mouth in an adorable gesture. Then he smiled and hugged his mother who too engulfed him in her arms. She heard him say, "I won't ever make you sad. I will be a king who will make you proud, mother".
"Of course you will, darling". The queen smiled warmly. Hearing her son's words made her happy through the distress for her husband.
"Now, I am going down, mother. You can be assured I will behave now". Little Aaron ran towards the stairs.
"Where did Arnold go, Amanda?"
Queen Amanda turned her head to look at her mother-in-law coming towards her. She saw how strongly her husband's features resembles the dowager queen. Even though her skin had wrinkles, she still looked perfectly gorgeous and can give anyone who looked at her a glance of how beautiful she must have been in her youth. With her gren eyes, the dowager queen enquired about her son.
"His Majesty has gone for hunt, mother. But I did ask him to return before sunset and he promised to".
The dowager queen sighed. "He will not listen though. If he knows we want him before sunset, he will hardly bother to return on time. Well, let's just pray he won't get on any trouble."
"Today is full moon, mother", Queen Amanda said worriedly.
"I know."
"I want to ask you something, mother".
"Yes?"
"Do you believe in witches?"
The dowager queen sighed before answering, "If I have to say something based on the things I have seen since arriving in this kingdom, then I have no choice but to say yes".
"What exactly has happened on full moon?"
The dowager queen gestured Queen Amanda to enter to the nearby chamber. Locking the door, the dowager queen stood near the window overlooking the entire kingdom of the Heavengate. Queen Amanda stood beside her mother-in-law, looking at her. She seemed to be lost in her past days.
She sighed and spoke,"The witches of the Heavengate kingdom are believed to be the creatures of the night. They harness their energies and powers through the moon. They are the most powerful when moon is at it's peak."
"Which means on the full moon night", queen Amanda said.
"Yes", the dowager queen said before continuing. "They celebrate this night. People say they dance, drink. Some even says they sacrifice. Some says they mate. This night is like a festival for them. A very divine night. And anyone who tries to make any sign of difficulty or complication in their celebrations, they do not take kindly to it. Especially if someone makes any problems for their daughters, they don't even think before destroying that person. Daughters are precious for them. They are the ones who are born with witch-powers. Unlike us, women are their heir".
Queen Amanda who was listening intently asked, "How exactly do they destroy? Do they kill?"
The dowager queen shook her head. "They feel killing is the mercy on their culprits. They choose to punish them in a way that would make their living become hell".
Queen Amanda felt every hair on her body rising. Her husband was on his way to the region believed to belong to these witches. She asked her mother-in-law, "Why haven't we yet made peace with them after all these years?"
"It is not a one person's task, Amanda", the dowager queen said solemnly. "Many times the royalties of both sides decided to make peace. But, someone or the other from any one side used to harm others. And then, both sides again used to engage in fearful spites. But, after many years of deaths and voilence, the witches decided to be seperated. It was believed that all of them were dead. Or maybe, most of them. To preserve the lives of the remaining, it was believed they remained hiding in the woods".
Both the dowager queen and the current queen of Heavengate stared at their kingdom through the window. The lush green lands, the mighty rivers flowing, people carrying on with their daily life all seemed to be peaceful. But both women of Ambrose family were far away from peace today. Their worries marred over their faces.