The Meeting of the Queens

“How did you get in here?!”
Raven fumed and stood up from her throne, tossing back her black robes that glittered coldly of jewels.
“Never mind that.” Isabelle Loveling said. “Where are my daughters?”
Queen Raven gave a smug smile and sat back down, leaning back with a contented sigh.
Queen Loveling waited, but only silence from the Dark Queen. Then she noticed something glittering on the stone floor-something familiar. In one graceful motion, Isabelle scooped it up. It was one of her daughter’s rings, her daughter Magritte. She moved quickly to the seated queen and held the ring up.
“This is Magritte’s ring. Where is my daughter?”

Isabelle was calm, but her eyes were an ocean storm and darkening as the seconds passed.
Raven sat up, and looked a bit nervous. She glanced at her chamber door. How did she get in here? And where are my guards?
As if reading her mind, Loveling stated:
“They are indisposed at the moment. It is just you and I.”
Raven stood up and shouted:
“I can kill you in an instant! You and your sniveling daughters!”
Loveling moved closer still and looked her straight in the eyes.
“You can try,” she whispered. “But you will fail.”

“You won’t leave this castle alive!” Raven screamed.
“GUARDS!”
But Loveling had already fled to the beautiful stained glass window that depicted Raven as a young girl sniffing flowers. A window that always filled Isabelle Loveling with sadness-as it showed Raven was once innocent and pure of heart.
Raven waved both hands in the air and screamed again.
“GUARDS!!!”
The castle shimmered. Loveling’s sleeping spell was lifted. She knew she must leave quickly if she was going to leave at all. She tapped the glass with Magritte’s ring, and the window shattered. In the next instant, Loveling transformed into a great white egret and flew out the window.

“Noooo!”
Raven shouted behind her, and pointed at the departing Queen. Little Flames darted from her finger and towards the bird, but an unseen force at the window bounced the sparks back at Raven. She had to duck her head to keep from being incinerated.
“Archers!” she shouted, but knew it was futile.
The bird was already out of range, and disappearing quickly in the darkening twilight.
“My Queen!”
A guard finally entered her chamber door and hesitated at her fury. Raven stormed about her room.
“She can not find them in time. She won’t!” She mumbled to herself.
“My Queen?”
The guard seemed ready to flee at her anger. She noticed him then, and the one cowering behind.
“You are all fools!” She screamed.
She pointed, and incinerated both to ash. She did not feel any better.