Chapter Twenty Five :

The Kingdom /

Desiderio ( the lion ) and I talked during the journey, and Dolion stayed almost silent ( as always ). Our trip took six more days, and I had to take a lot of breaks along the way. Sometimes, as I laid back in the hot sand, breathing heavily, I wondered if traveling to the kingdom was the right choice. I was worn thin, like a thread trying to hold together cloth that weighed too much. 

"This is it," Hollered Desiderio, running ahead of us. "We're here." 

We stood at the edge of a canyon that overlooked the empire. The sight was breathtaking; a province  surrounded by a huge rusted gate made of metal and wood, boxing in countless structures and buildings. The metropolis was in the center of it all, and the biggest establishment of them all. 

It took a little while longer to arrive at the gates, which were wide open. "The entrance is always like that," Desiderio grunted. "They ain't scared of nothin' gettin' in." 

Walking through the kingdom, it didn't seem as bad as the jackrabbit mother had described. Many desert creatures were out in the streets or just outside of their houses - shopping, talking, playing, building new structures. Everything they were doing was peaceful. 

We passed a shop that had antiques in its windows. Pots, chairs, carved objects, mirrors with tiny details engraved in them. I looked into the mirror closest to me. My long hair curled slightly around my face. My skin looked pale in a way similar to a ghost, which didn't make much sense considering the fact that I had been out in the sun for a week. But what I really noticed was my eyes - if I had thought they seemed bloodshot the last time I looked at them, it was nothing compared to how they looked now. A deep red color resided in the parts of my eyes that used to be white, and the soft lavender hue of my irises was still missing. Like I had seen in my mirror at home, they were a deep plum shade, glittering in the way the creatures' eyes did. I no longer had visible pupils; diamond shaped catchlights took their place. I didn't understand how I could still see. 

"Lavender? What happened?" Dolion's voice pulled me from my thoughts, light like a cloud compared to the storm I was temporarily existing in.

I looked away from the mirror and shook my head, sending the images of myself flying. "Nothing happened... I'm just... Have I always looked like this?" I could hardly whisper the words. 

"I don't know what you mean by that." It answered. 

"I mean... I look different - like the creatures from all the other realms -" 

"You have changed. But that's not a bad thing, so don't worry about it." It advised. 

"All right..." I quavered. 

"Are you comin' or not?" Complained Desiderio, who was ahead of us. "I got somewhere to be." 

It was about a five minute walk to the castle. when we arrived, the sun was high in the sky, sending down scorching rays of light. Two words to describe this place were "huge" and "grand." Knights guarded the entrance, pacing around with swords and spears. We walked up to the fortified front door, and were greeted by a few of the knights. 

"What's your business here?" One of them asked. 

"We're here to talk to the Queen," I stated. 

They pulled open the enormous door and escorted us into the palace. "Well, this is as far as I go." Desiderio said in his gruff voice I had grown accustomed to. "Good luck to you both." 

"Thanks," I told him. He walked out of the palace with his whiskers twitching, and the sun made his blonde-grey fur look golden. 

My heartbeat grew rapid as we neared the door to the room that contained Agni. The nervousness came out of nowhere, and I was scared that I wouldn't be able to speak. The knights swung the door open, and what I saw didn't surprise me. 

A huge rattlesnake sat upon a throne in the middle of the room. The room was filled with big potted plants, tapestries, rugs, and vases. Wallpaper with fancy patterns covered the walls, and the floor was made of white marble. Queen Agni wore a bedazzled crown of many jewels on her head, and countless strings of precious gems were draped over her body. Her face held no detectable emotion, and her green teardrop-shaped eyes glistened. 

The knights stood at the doorway. I approached her throne, Dolion at my side. "Queen Agni," I addressed her. She gave a slight nod of her head, listening. "I want to know about this kingdom... Why you took over, and why everything has become so bad." 

"Bad?" She asked in a throaty feminine voice. "I took control of this hellhole and made everything better." 

Confusion was clearly written in my face.

"My brother ruled before me. A spoiled child because he was younger than me - males always inherit the throne, and my parents wanted to marry me away to some fool halfway across this realm. But on my brother's seventeenth birthday, the Corrupt attacked. Everything was destroyed - so many people lost their lives on that day, including my parents. Since my parents were no longer there, my brother took the role of being a King. And he ruled in a complete ruin. He didn't instruct anyone to rebuild things, or help each other. Our people were dying on the streets! Some were even left in the wreckage from the attack. He didn't care about them. He only cared about himself, as always. I couldn't let that happen... So, after weeks and weeks of me begging him to change, I took matters into my own hands. And I took his life. Maybe that makes me cruel, or heartless, or wrong, but - it was either his life or the lives of thousands. And the second I became Queen, I sent for help. Kingdoms across the land came to assist us. I would have paid them all for their aid, but some refused to take the money. I gave the extra payment to my people, who needed to buy medical supplies and food. I took a complete wasteland - and I turned it into a safe haven. Do you understand?" 

I nodded, processing what she had said. "What about the coyotes? A friend told me you had wiped them all out." 

"It's alike to the situation with my brother... Some believed that I was 'bad' for what I did. But the coyotes... They came with the Corrupt. First there was just a few of them, and then they started multiplying at an impossibly fast rate - there was an army of them. And they preyed on my kingdom; when anyone went outside these gates, they were torn apart and devoured. I couldn't allow that. So I brought together an army and put a stop to them all. Once they were gone, there was no more ruthless slaughter, or fires -" 

"The coyotes caused fires?" I asked, remembering parts of the burnt forest back home.

"Yes, they had the ability to set ablaze anything they touched. And they were going to burn down my empire." 

"I saw a coyote... Since you destroyed them all." I admitted.

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "That's strange..." She called a few knights to her and ordered them to search the perimeter surrounding the kingdom.

"Also... Did you know a jackrabbit family?" I asked. 

"Yes, I remember them. They left just a short while before I was crowned Queen, but the jackrabbit woman's husband stayed behind. He's actually here now; he serves in my army. Fenix?" She called out. 

A knight stepped into the room, taking off his helmet. He was a jackrabbit with dark fur and burgundy colored eyes. 

"I think I know your family-" I started.

"Where are they?" He asked anxiously. "Are they safe?" 

"Yes... Why did you let them leave you, and why do you not know where they are?" 

"I didn't know that the Queen wasn't really evil. I just saw what she had done and figured that she was either like the Corrupt or had joined them... But after I realized that she did 'bad' things to protect her people, I wasn't going to fight her anymore. There was only a few of us in the rebelling group, and I convinced them to convert to her side. When I was sure things were safe here, I went to find my family... I've gone searching for them everyday, and I can't find them. I've been so worried -"

"I know where they are, and they're all okay. I'll show you the way there because it's on the way back to my home. We can leave tonight."

I could sense Agni staring at me. "You sound tired - why don't you stay here for now, and leave tomorrow night?" I thought for a few seconds before replying. "I know I won't be able to make the journey back without rest..." She smiled. "Fenix, show them to the guest rooms."