short story, story promptAdellissa has been chosen as the queen for one night for the annual Hallowed Night event. She’s not looking forward to it. Luckily, the ‘king’ is looking out for her, but does she really want a Necromage Apprentice taking an interest in her?


 

“I pronounce you, Adellissa, Queen for the Hallowed Night!”

Adellissa resisted the urge to flinch as the herald’s voice boomed by her ear. That was her cue to kneel. She did it as gracefully as possible in the unfamiliar flowing gown. A young lady in similar, richly-coloured robes stepped forward and placed a tiara on her curled and styled hair.

The herald moved to her left. “I pronounce you, Draken, King for the Hallowed Night!”

Fantastic. Now she was almost deaf in both ears. From the corner of her eye, she watched as the lady put a crown on the head of the young man kneeling next to her. She’d never met him before today. From the look of him, he was probably a serving lad as he didn’t have the colour of the sun on his skin. It made his hair look even blacker.

“Rise, Hallowed King. Rise Hallowed Queen. Join the revelling! Spread the power of happiness and prosperity to all in the land.”

She caught herself before she could roll her eyes. Careful not to step on the hem of her dress, she stood and accepted the arm that Draken held out for her, as they’d been shown to do a few hours beforehand.

Off the raised platform, the crowds closed around them, everyone wanting to touch them and take away a little piece of ‘happiness and prosperity’ for the coming year. She huffed as more than a few male hands groped her butt. This tradition was ridiculous.

“You will treat the good Queen with respect.” Draken’s quiet but firm voice startled her. He was frowning at the men near her, one of them still with a hand outstretched towards her rear. “If our true Queen Saphiron were to walk the town, would you follow after her, grabbing her?”

The group of people closest to them went quiet, the unexpected question making them pause.

One of the men snorted. “Of course we wouldn’t touch Her Majesty. She’s the Queen!”

“Exactly. She’d probably have you executed if you so much as thought about groping her,” Draken continued. “Queen Adellissa doesn’t have the authority to behead you, but I am the apprentice to the Necromage Darshan.” People began drawing away from them. “I don’t even need to touch you in order to kill you, and cursing you is even simpler. Stop groping the Queen and I won’t have a reason to use my powers. Do we understand each other?”

Furious nods went through the gathering, whispers quickly spreading. Draken gently tugged her deeper into the crowds.

“Thank you,” she murmured to him. The people were now only touching her very lightly on the arms. She noticed that no one dared to touch Draken. “You don’t know how much I have been dreading this event ever since I found out I’d been chosen for this year’s Hallowed Night.”

He gave her arm a quick squeeze. “Don’t mention it. Everyone knows about the heckling the Queens receive on Hallowed Night. My sister was last year’s Queen. She came home in tears. Threatening them is sort of my way of getting revenge.”

For the first time that week, she smiled. “Your sister is a lucky girl to have a brother like you.”

“Not really. Being a Necromage Apprentice does not make you a very popular figure in town. The same goes for your family. My sister will be lucky if she is able to find someone to marry.” Bitterness had crept into his voice. “Her chance at a normal, happy life could be ruined, simply because I have dark talents.”

It was her turn to squeeze his arm in comfort. “Anyone worthy enough to love and marry your sister will accept her family too, no matter what.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “I never thought of that. You’re right.” A smile tilted his lips, showing a dimple peeking out on the right-hand side. “Well, my delightful and oh-so-wise Queen, shall we find some refreshments?”

Maybe this night isn’t going to be so bad after all. “I do believe I’m parched,” she said, returning his smile.


I like the idea of a ‘Necromage’! Could be an awesome story. 🙂

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