NIGHTMARE

Somewhere in the dark realm, Xena kept rolling on her bed. Her eyes were shut and her hands didn't let go of the sheet as she spoke from her sleep;

"Dad no, please no, I'm not evil, I-i promise, it's me Xena, your little princess." She struggled, fighting against the force pulling her towards a dark vortex.

"You should've never been born!" Her father roared angrily, ordering for her to be thrown into the vortex.

"I'm not evil!!!!! Dad! I'm not evil!!!" She let out a high-pitched, piercing cry as she jolted up from her sleep with beads of sweat glistening off her face.

She turned so fast that her neck almost snapped when she felt a strong, rough hand on her shoulder.

Her face came alive upon seeing his face and she exclaimed, "General Lynx!"

She desperately latched onto him, with no intention of letting him go, as if she had been craving contact for a long time. Her heart was beating so fast that he could feel it drumming against his chest.

"You can't afford any distractions, especially not nightmares, so get some sleep," General Lynx ordered, "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

And just like that, she fell back asleep. General Lynx spared one last look at her sleeping figure, snoring softly against the pillow, before shutting the door behind him quietly.

"I'm sorry!! I'm sorry, I know, I regret everything, please don't kill me, please!!!!" She wakes up in horror, her eyes scanning her bedroom for any signs of dark magic. Just then, her old looking Maid Ann dashed into her room with a worried look on her face.

"What bothers her majesty in the late hours of the night?" Zina looked at Ann, her face seemed pale like her blood had been drained, her shivering arms only stirred up Ann's worries. She took in a deep breath before she whispered to Ann's hearing,"it's Xena".

"She looked so scary, her hazel eyes shined brighter than the sun, her hair stretched out high almost reaching the sky, her teeth gnashed together, she was surrounded by darkness that made her float and her dress looked so tattered like someone tortured in hell. She said she's coming back!"

Ann nodded, but didn't seem pleased. "Your majesty, we don't talk about Xena, please respect your parents wishes and I believe Xena is gone forever."

Zina tried to object but Ann was quick to counter her,

"we don't talk about Xena," She spoke in a more harsh tone to Zina, "Whatever concerns Xena is in fact irrelevant to the royal household,

get some rest tomorrow is another day to cater for the Kingdom."

Zina laid back down in obedience as she drifted away into dreamland, she seems to have gotten used to Ann's nagging after all she took her like a mother figure.

Ann had been a guardian to Zina ever since her parents passed. She was elderly and showed little or no emotions at all. This sometimes scared Zina but she had gotten used to seeing Ann's grumpy face and her emotionless lifestyle of which she tried to emulate.

Ann never spoke about Xena because this was prohibited by the late king and queen, they believed she was the cursed one, the misfortune of the royal household.

The sun shone brightly, the birds were singing and the palace was filled with maids and guards attending to various duties assigned to them. The breakfast table was elegant as ever, floating alongside its chairs and a sumptuous breakfast was set on it; dandelion tea and toast.

The magical energy that came from the throne made the first realm a very magical place, a place where unnatural things happen, from floating of the dining tables, to the dancing roses and plants, to the made alive utensils and the melodious sound of the wind.

Princess Zina gently ascended up the magically assembling staircase that disassembles immediately one gets to the dining. She sat down, trying to have her breakfast which seemed impossible as she pondered over the nightmare she had.

All that lingered in her mind were unanswered questions and hurtful thoughts that wanted to rip her heart apart.

"We have a lot to talk about, you may be dead but I will get answers from your graves." Zina uttered, thinking about her parents who laid peaceful in their graves.

After Zina forced herself to have breakfast, she headed to the garden to get some flowers( purple hibiscus) then she went to the graves of her parents' which wasn't too far away from the garden where she picked the flowers from. She dropped the flowers on both graves, falling to her knees because she felt so weak and she needed comfort.

"Mom, dad, I hope Xena isn't coming back," she rolled her hands into fists, trying to control her anger."I have overseen the kingdom's affairs for years, I don't need a competition right now. I won't let her take this kingdom away from me, it is mine," she exclaimed, hitting her hands on the grassy area close to her parents' graves. "I will keep her where she belongs, in a place filled with darkness."

Zina was jolted back to reality when she heard her name; no one dared call her by her name and so she was offended. She turned around to find Levi staring and smiling sheepishly at her. All of a sudden, his face turned serious, "Who is being a threat to you Zina?"

She stood up with widened eyes due to his act of foolishness, "how dare you call me by my name, have you got no manners for your to-be queen?"

Levi, who wasn't surprised by her reaction, quickly apologized but threw another bombshell question,

"Your majesty, who is a threat to you and your kingdom? Let me know, I am willing to protect thee with my life your majesty." He placed his hands on his chest, pledging his loyalty to her.

"What brought you here you low life servant?" She replied to him with a question, "aren't you supposed to be in the garden pruning the flowers?"

He smirked, showing his perfectly chiseled jawline,"your majesty, I am here to care for the flowers but then my eyes caught the most elegant of them all. I can't deny it, I'm a gardener, I wouldn't see a beautiful flower in distress and not care for it. I was hoping to be the one to own this flower when it is fully bloomed."

Zina didn't spare him another glance, She stormed away in rage, pulling the wind together with her as she left. she murmured to herself, recalling what the young man said to her. "Such a pestering fellow, can't he mind his own business? I wonder what sought of training he got, talking rubbish here and there. He even talked about a bloomed flower, am I a gardener? How am I supposed to know what he means?"

She raged on like a bull who had been tampered with, even the door to her sturdy wasn't spared as she slammed it hard enough for it to be removed from its hinges. She took in deep breaths, closing her eyes to make sure she calmed down. Once she had done that, she sent for her private secretary to give him very important instructions.

"Organize a meeting with the kingdom's council. We have important things to talk about which includes the plans for my coronation ceremony."