Reborn By Fire

All that could be heard were the sounds of heavy breathing, the rush of the wind, and the orders from the chief guard as he yelled nonstop.

“Don't let her escape! Get her!” He yelled as more guards joined in the chase.

Elsa kept running as fast as she could while being careful. She didn't want to trip and end up dropping the little infant, which was safely cradled in her arms. Nothing else mattered to her now except this baby's life. If not for anyone else but for her queen. That was the least she could do since she couldn't protect her queen.

“Get her!” She heard the chief guard's voice and knew they were gaining on her. She couldn't let them catch her; she couldn't let them kill this child. She increased her pace, running deeper into the forest even though she knew it was forbidden. Neither vampires nor witches were allowed into this forest because it was sacred ground and the home of the white wolves. She knew that, and so did the guards, but they still chased her, knowing that their new queen would have their heads if they didn't catch her.

Elsa glanced at the little infant, and strangely, she was still fast asleep. Even with all this noise, she could still sleep peacefully. That was a relief, at least if she managed to escape the guards.

Suddenly, she couldn't hear the guards voices. The forest was now covered in a white mist that blurred her vision a bit, and she knew the cause. She stopped running immediately, trying her best to see through the mist. It was obvious the guards had also stopped chasing her, as they too were blind.

“You shouldn't be here.” She heard a familiar feminine voice followed by low growls. Elsa couldn't see, but it was obvious she was surrounded by white wolves.

“I know I shouldn't, but she should. Help me save her, please.” She pleaded, and that was when she finally saw several pairs of golden eyes in every corner, waiting to attack.

“And why should I do that? Why should we trust you?" Cecilia yelled and finally revealed herself to Elsa.

“Because we are both witches, and just like you, she's special. Her father was a powerful hybrid, and you know that. You can't let Sheila get to her, please.” Elsa pleaded. She knew she was dead the moment she entered this forest, but she had to try to save this baby. She knew Cecilia would help since she probably saw everything that happened. Cecilia is a hybrid of a witch and a werewolf, and that's why she was charged with the responsibility of protecting the forest. Whenever there were invaders, she would create the mist to blind them, giving the wolves the upper hand to attack.

Elsa stretched the baby towards Cecilia with a slight smile on her face. The little infant moved and suddenly opened her eyes, but they didn't have their normal color this time; they were sky blue.

“I guess she's happy." Cecilia chuckled as she carried the baby in her arms. “Queen Margery is a witch, and King Arthur is a hybrid. We must keep her identity a secret if we want to protect her from Sheila.” Cecilia added with a warning gaze, and Elsa nodded immediately.

“Which means you can never leave this forest alive.” She said that, and Elsa's eyes widened, but before she could do anything, three white wolves pounced on her, biting every part of her body while she screamed in agony.

Cecilia held the baby tight and turned away, leaving Elsa to the wolves. It pained her to kill her fellow witch, but her duties came first, and she knew Sheila would've killed her if the guards had caught her, so it was best to make her death less torturous.

***

Sheila kept tapping her right foot on the ground as she waited impatiently for the guards to arrive. She had waited for this day for a long time, and now that it's finally here, she can't let anyone be a threat to her queenship.

The doors finally came open, and the chief guard came with three other men. He had a blood stain on his armor, but it was obvious it didn't belong to him.

“My queen.” He got on one knee along with the three other guards.

“Why are you empty-handed?” Sheila asked, trying to be calm as she wanted to believe they were successful in their mission.

“She went into the dark forest, my queen.” He replied, still on one knee.

“Is that supposed to be an excuse? I told you not to come back here if you didn't have that woman!" She yelled, finally standing up from her throne.

“Forgive me, my queen, but she's probably dead already. The white wolves attacked us and killed many of my men. I'm sure they got to her as well.” The chief guard rushed his words. He knew any form of blabbing would cost him his head, and he wasn't ready to lose it now.

“That better be the case, or it's your head that'll be hanging on the gates!” Sheila yelled and stormed out of the throne room with some guards tailing her.

She went straight to the dungeon, and the gates were immediately opened for her to enter. A wicked smile plastered on her face as she walked gracefully to a particular cell, stopping in front of it.

“How do you like your new room? I hope they are treating you well." She asked sarcastically, still carrying that smile, but got no response.

“It's a crime to ignore your queen when she's talking to you; you know that, right?” She asked and chuckled. “Of course you do, since you were once ruling." She added it with a smirk.

“How could you do this to me? How could you betray your own family?” Margery asked weakly. She was covered in blood from the beating she had received, and her clothes were a mess, making her look haggard.

“Family? You stopped being my family the day you married the king!” Sheila yelled but suddenly laughed.

“Where are my manners? I shouldn't be yelling at you since it's your last night amongst the living.” She said this and crouched down to Margery's level since she was seated on the cold floor. “It's over, little sis. Your reign is over. Your precious daughter is dead."

“No! You're lying!" Margery yelled as hot tears fell from her eyes.

“For the first time, I'm not. She's dead thanks to the white wolves, and you're going to join her tomorrow. Did you think you'd be queen forever? Even the people, your so-called followers, who adored you couldn't come to your aid.” Sheila said with a chuckle as she stood from her squatting position.

“Sleep well, little sister; tomorrow you lose your head.” She said it coldly before walking away from Margery's cell.

“No! Sheila, come back here! Don't do this! Margery yelled as more tears fell. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, and no one needed to tell her the cause. How could she not have seen this coming? She didn't want to believe her daughter was dead, but what's the point? She would die tomorrow, and Sheila would take over Greenville; it was really over for her.

***

The people had tears in their eyes as they watched their beloved queen get tied up, ready to be hanged.

They couldn't do anything, even if they wanted to. Sheila was royalty by blood, and even if she did betray their queen, she's still the rightful heir to the throne since the queen's child is dead.

“Civilians of Greenville, we are gathered here today to witness the death of your beloved queen Margery. I want you all to know what happens to anyone who betrays me!” Sheila announced before going back to take a seat.

“If you have any last words, sister, now is the time.” She said it, but Margery remained quiet. What could she possibly say? She never thought she would be betrayed by her own sister. If she knew it would happen, she would have had her killed a long time ago. It wasn't her fault anyway. She might be a witch, but she wasn't a powerful one. She wasn't a silver-haired witch who could see the past, present, and future. She could only perform random spells like any other witch.

When it was obvious Margery wasn't planning on saying anything, Sheila gave the go-ahead sign to the chief guard, and he immediately pulled the lever, causing the ground under Margery's feet to open, and she fell, but not too deeply, just enough to choke her to death due to the rope that was tied around her neck.

Sheila smiled as she stared at her sister's pale skin. She had dreamed of seeing her lifeless body for a while now, and no feeling is more satisfying than watching your dream come true.

“Cut her down and bring me her head.” She ordered before leaving the square, and everyone began going back to their homes as they didn't want to watch anymore.

All these were seen through the magic orb deep inside the dark cave of a silver-haired witch. She smiled slightly as she watched the guard cut off Margery's head as instructed.

“And so it begins.” She said to herself: