“It was a mistake, Brave Men. I didn’t even know Lord Commander had killed them.” Queen said.
A warrior killed Lord Commander after hearing it.
“Now it is your time to pay for your mistake.” The same man said.
She got up and thought for a while.
“I am a Queen. I will choose how I die. Cassandra, bring the poison which you had made in case Stone Emperor broke in.” she yelled at her witch.
The warriors didn’t argue.
Cassandra came with two cups of poison.
“I thought I would never have to drink it.” Queen held the glass. So did Cassandra.
“They didn’t order your death, Cassandra.” Roderick said.
“A Queen’s Witch dies with the Queen.” She said and gulped the poison. Both of them finished their glasses within seconds.
“I won’t be able to raise the cubs, Roderick.” Cassandra said and fell unconscious soon.
Muscles of those women began twitching. Then they wriggled like worms on the floor. Horrible choking sound came from their throats while their eyes were becoming blood red.
Blood started leaking out from their nose first. Their mouths and noses were the next to embrace bloodiness. The blood which was seeping out began to dry on their skins and remained there.
When Roderick’s eyes moved from their bleeding faces, then he saw the change in their skin tone. Their beautiful skin had became blue.
Blue turned into dark blue as the sign of lives began to appear very less. Those women kept suffering till their breaths shortened. They watched Queen and Cassandra die in the end.
“Was this necessary?” Roderick asked those warriors.
“It was.” A warrior said, “And I am glad we had a reason to do it. Otherwise it would have been a murder.”
For Roderick, it was nothing other than a murder.
“Ever wondered who will get the throne?” questioned Roderick.
“There will be someone to sit on the throne sooner or later.” A brave man smiled, “And there will be the reign where veterans are respected and wise decisions are made.”
He could not watch at the corpses anymore. So he turned his head towards other direction.
“Are you scared, Roderick?” he heard.
It was when he realized looking at the other side was not enough. Without making any response, he began walking towards the big gate.
Warriors did not stop him. They did not talk anything either.
Leaving the warriors’ company brought some comfort within him. At least he didn’t have to hear their preaching, which wasn’t making any sense to him.
Those brave men did not know where he was going. And it was good for him.
If they knew he was going towards the witch’s possessions, then they would not have let him go there. Roderick slowed down after walking for few minutes, took a long breath and began walking to the place where the cubs were kept.
Roderick walked past Emperor’s Commander’s head. Every step he took was taking him closer to the cubs. He heard some squeaks. Roderick didn’t know if those noises were because of hunger or grief.
Thanks God, those cubs are safe. He took a torch from a holder on the wall and followed the sound.
Are they hungry? He questioned himself after hearing the cries. Or they are missing Cassandra?
After reaching to the room, he saw Queen and Cassandra there.
Queen was consolidating Cassandra who cried, “My cubs died for me up there.”
Transfiguration potion! Roderick realized.
“You could see future?” Roderick snapped at her, “You could have avoided this war!”
“I can’t see the future.” She cried, “The cursed women told me what the consequence of killing them was going to be.”
“So why didn’t you free them?” he went towards Queen.
“Because they already were fed poison before they told us about it.” Queen answered him.
She took the crying witch from the secret tunnel for a new life.
Few hours later, funeral started. The coffins were being taken out of the city for burial. Coffin carriers were feeling something unusual. The weights of coffins were decreasing gradually.
Little did they know the bodies were becoming cubs. The effect of potion was coming to an end.
They placed the coffins inside the pits and people carrying coffins looked at each other.
“What’s wrong?” one of those warriors asked.
“Coffins were light.” They answered.
“Do you think Queen was a fat? Now hurry and put over mud.”
Those people clutched their shovels.
