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Kohra

He's in my room again. He says mother mandated we slept together. I could see he's not lying as mother's head enunch verified his words, albeit with much disdain.

Since the last painting was destroyed by the council member, I ask him to paint for me. I give no specifications and deep down, I was hoping he would draw me.

I watched as his hand danced beautifully on the canvas, forming the outline of a face. My heart lurches, thinking he would finally paint me.

My full attention is on the painting and every minute, I waited in anticipation. Minutes dragged into hours and two hours later, he's done.

He's drawn a woman but she's not me. I feel my temper rising.

"Who's that?"

"That's Tia. She was the one who taught me how to paint when I was in the monastery, your majesty"

"Why did you paint her portrait?" My anger fades into curiosity. He took special care to paint her, every stroke filled with tenderness. It made me ache for something. I wanted to know what she meant to him.

"Well, she was someone I admired. She gave me purpose in some ways and taught me how to express my feelings through painting. She's a significant part of my life"

So that's why his painting felt like magic. It carried the power of his feelings and he transmitted them through his art. It felt beautiful to me. It felt sacred.

"Where is she now?"

"She disappeared a few years ago. Many presumed her dead"

"And you? Do you believe she's dead?"

"I don't know your majesty"

"Hmm. You may go to bed now"

"Okay"

He's tired and falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillows. He looks so peaceful, so unaware, so safe.

In some ways, he's lucky he's oblivious to his fate. He wishes to learn about the world but I know he isn't prepared for what he would eventually know, no one ever is.

I stand in the balcony and stare into the sky. The moons were bright that night and the air was cooler. The wind carried voices and whispers, most of which I drown out. There is one however, that's very persistent.

"Kohra....kohra.....kohra" I try to ignore the voice but it keeps calling my name.

"Ignoring me won't change the fact that I'm right beside you" her celestial voice says. She's a projection wearing a crown, dressed in a bluish white gown which cover her legs. She's hovering over the railing.

"You're awfully persistent. You're like a pest, just on a celestial scale"

"I'm just trying to talk to you"

"About what, oh celestial pain in my ass?"

"Your refusal to conceive. You've ignored the council's warning for three months so I'm stepping in"

"Of course. I'm just your pawn whom you use for your personal convenience with no feelings of her own whatsoever"

"Don't be so mopey Kohra. It's the job description"

"If I remember correctly, I didn't ask to be Queen. You forced this on me in one of your twisted schemes"

Of course, like the asshole she was, she conveniently ignored that and proceeded to feed me bullshit about how righteous she was.

"Oh cut the crap Muni! What are you really here for?"

"To give you a little gift" she says with a smirk and I get a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach immediately. She waves her annoyingly perfect finger and I'm hit in the face with her magix.

When I regain my sight, she's gone. I growl in anger as my body started to heat up. That bitch!

I start to feel dizzy and I lose my footing, crashing to the floor. My sight is blurry and spasms are racking my body every minute. My body grows warmer and I'm getting wet.

I circulate my magix through my body and regain normalcy. It doesn't last long before I'm hit with a much larger wave and this one brings pain.

I groan and topple the night stand. That apparently woke Lesker who rushed out of bed immediately. He looks around confusingly and his eyes spot my miserable self on the floor.

He comes quickly to my side and puts a hand to my forehead. My hand shoots up impulsively pulls him closer to my face and I kiss him.