The Kingdom

Chapter One

I sit besides the bed staring at my beautiful sleeping Artemis. Her hands lay softly at her sides, her breathing is still normal, she sleeps in a red long lace dress chosen by one of the ladies who bathed her today. I've requested her hair be dyed to her natural light brown color and for a few hair cuts along the way. She's peaceful sleeping, I try to speak to her everyday but I haven't touched her in years. I needed to rebuild our home, I needed to provide a future for our girls, I had to give her hope. The girls visit her daily on their own accord. Both of the girls have dealt with this in their own ways. Mercy stopped speaking when she comes in here, she cries to her, holds her hand and tells her what has bothered her, she misses her mother. Mercy is our most emotional, and she needs her mom. Raven on the other hand never showed much emotion, she was a baby still when I was forced to put her in a sleep state. Raven is more independent, she's quite, she spends her time mostly outside, and is distant. Raising them alone all these years was tough. Mercy would need all my attention growing up while Raven cried for Artemis, I used to bring her here when she was a baby and let her lay with Artemis but as she got older she said she would come in here when she wanted to.
"Tonight is Mercy's 16th birthday, Ravens 11th birthday is in a week too. Mercy begged me for a ball, she wants to make friends as if she doesn't already have enough. I'm not sure where she gets it from, the friendliness, I'm pretty sure you since I've made probably three friends since I've been alive. Raven doesn't wanna come tonight, she's begged me to stay locked away in her room. Ravens the opposite, but she's talented Art, so talent, when she turned nine she had a moment like you had all those years ago. A melt down really, but we have been helping her, we decided to send her to the witch academy instead of the royal like Mercy. Now Raven is top of her class and has so many abilities. Mercy's only powers come from the earth but we trained her as well to have the best outcome and to handle her emotions. The girls are so grown up Art, I'm sorry I didn't wake you earlier. I'm sorry I've kept you asleep for almost a decade, but it's not like you will age, you still look like that girl standing in formation hoping not to get chosen." I almost grabbed her hand but pulled away not before a knock we placed on the door.
"Come in."
"You're highness, your daughters are fighting and Pearl is there now but I'm not sure how much longer she can keep them from hurting each other."
"Okay, can you make sure she is fully checked when I leave? Thank you." I stand up and put the chair back and stare at her one last time before I have to close her door and find time tomorrow to see her beautiful face. I leave the room and roll my sleeves up as I walk towards the girls hall. The shouting could be heard from the bottom of the stairs. I follow the shouting into there room I had made for them to be able to alter there dresses and keep al log there important dresses in. Mercy has the room filled while Raven has one dress that she wears to any event. I tried getting her to atleast have made one more dress but she refuses.
"What's the problem you two?" Both girls stop screaming and looking at me.
"Papa explain to Raven how important tonight is to me and why I think she should wear this dress tonight instead of the ones she's been wearing for two years now!" Mercy's holding up a big blue dress that is very different than Ravens style.
"Mercy, I wouldn't even wear that and I'm a guy." I grab the dress and give it to the seamstress laughing with Raven.
"That's not true! This dress is beautiful." Mercy argues.
"Papa I don't even want to go tonight, please don't make me." Raven begs.
"No absolutely not you can't miss my birthday." Mercy shouts.
"We celebrated your birthday alone yesterday, I have to celebrate it a second time?" Raven says. Mercy gasps and goes to pull Ravens hair but I grab her arm before Raven has the chance to hit her.
"Raven, you're attending her ball and Mercy she's not wearing that dress, how about you go get ready and me and Raven will talk about a dress the wear?" Mercy rolls her eyes but listens and tells the second seamstress to bring her dress with her. Once Mercy leaves Raven looked at me and was about to leave as well.
"Wait. We need to talk about getting you a new dress."
"Papa I don't want any other dress, I don't want to live in a fairy tale that's Mercy not me, I wanna be outside not trapped in the castle."
"I know you do, but this is what your sister asked for just do it for Mercy."
"I don't have any other dresses, I wish mom was here." Raven says.
"I'm sorry I know you want her too, I wasn't thinking." She quickly says.
"Hey relax, I know it's hard for you, you're allowed to talk about her Raven, she's not gone, she's just sleeping."
"She's a ghost, I don't even remember her voice." Raven whispers sadly playing with her hands. I grab her tight holding her against my chest as she cries. Raven is the most emotional about her mom. She feels lost, when she was a toddler she would never sleep in her room, she would crawl into my bed and cry begging for mommy. Sometimes now when she's feeling stressed and feels overwhelmed she brings up Artemis and cries.
"You're mom is far from a ghost, she's vibrant, and headstrong, she's beautiful, Mercy shares the same features, your mom is so smart, and she's a vampire witch, that's pretty badass if you ask me."
"Well I didn't ask you-"
"Rude."
"But I'm glad you told me." Raven laughs.
"What if we went to your moms closet and choose a dress and get it tailored to you?" She raises her eyebrows and opens her eyes wide.
"Really?" She gasps.
"Come on." Seeing Raven smile is the most contagious thing, it's rare to see that smile. But when I do I know it was earned. We go into our bed chambers and into Artemis's closet. A few dozen dresses are lined up in her closet surrounded by jewelry and crowns. Raven runs her hand threw the dresses in awe, she's always loved being around things that Artemis either enjoyed or had, her closet smells just like her.
"I bet she looked beautiful in everything she wore." Raven stops running her hands down the dresses until she comes to a red one, the first dress ever made for her, the dress she wore to the ball. The dress she looked the best in but it's also the dress she was the most ever pissed off in. Raven keeps looking down the line once she's gets a good glance at it, neither of the girls know about the ceremony or how I met there mom.
"What do you think?" Raven says holding up this navy blue long sleeved dress.
"I'd say it would only take three hours to fix, you sure that's the one?"
"Yes I'm sure." She smiles running her hands down the material. I carry it back to the room and let her get ready on her own. I go to Mercy to talk to her about tonight and ask her what she wants for her birthday. I knocked on her door and waited for her to open it.
"Hi Papa." She says.
"How's everything coming together?"
"Good but I wanted to ask you something." She says turning away from me and tidying up her desk.
"Okay."
"Can you wake up mom?" She whispers as low as she could.
"Wake her? Why?"
"You're doing a great job raising us, and Pearl and Lincoln but we need our mom. I at least remember her Raven was a baby when you had the spell casted. It's been almost ten years, the land is restored the other creatures don't want her head or yours, you fixed it.
"I don't know Mercy."
"Papa please? Just think about it." She turns around begging me.
"I'll think about it, but no promises."
"Okay Papa." She kisses my cheek and leaves the room. I'm not surprised entirely that she asked for Artemis. She asks every year. She holds out hope that I'll wake her up soon, and I meant to but I can't bring myself to do it. What if she destroys everything again, what if she wakes up and kills me and then everyone else? I want that as much as both our girls but I'm not ready to face the consequences of putting her to sleep for almost a decade.
"Sir your clothes are ready for the ball tonight and Raven threatened one of the tailors."
"Just ignore her, she's in a mood."
"Sir she is always in a mood." I laugh and nod my head.
"She's your twin sir."
"What gave it away, the face or the attitude?" I reply sarcastically.
"Both sir."
"Youre dismissed Tomas, thank you for letting me know."
"With pleasure." I walk into my chambers and get ready myself once the girls are fully taken care of as well as the town people. It only takes a half hour to get ready myself so I'm really in no rush. I'm in the bathroom searching for my cologne when I find a little wooden box in the back of the drawer that I've never noticed before. In the box is this black obsidian crystal necklace, I remember Artemis wearing this once she began practicing magic, she always said it dispels negativity. I tuck it away in my pocket and continue getting ready. Once I'm finished I pour whisky into a glass and take it onto the balcony. The suns settings, lights surrounding the palace gates with many cars in front of them, waiting for the gates to open to come in. Flowers line the entrance with a red carpet following into the palace. The town took years to fix, the damage was so much once I finally brought my people back we just removed all the homes and businesses and created new and more improved homes, we were also able to give people more space due to many tree falling and a few forest fires due to Artemis. I finish my drink and leave the glass on the railing. A knock was at my door and then both the girls rushed in.
"How do we look Papa?" Mercy says doing a light spin in her dress. Raven stands behind her standing in her shadow.
"You look beautiful my girl. Now slide over let me see your sister." Mercy moves over and Raven does a small smile and looks down at her gown.
"Where's my spin?" I ask.
"Papa..." She groans with a smile. I reach out for her hand and she takes it reluctantly and I make her spin. She looks so much like Artemis wearing her gown.
"You look beautiful just like you're sister, now come on before we are late to your own ball." I miss both there foreheads and watch Mercy run out the room and Raven slowly walks out of the room.
"Raven wait." She comes back into the room and sits down next to me on the bed.
"You know when you were a baby you slept in this bed with me every night, always had to sleep with us but Mercy and your mother always woke up way too early for us so me and you would sleep in for a few more hours till you wanted to eat. You were always different than Mercy, head strong, independent, you value everyone's like they were your people, they are your people, you connect with everyone you meet, but I see how you carry yourself, distant, you don't trust anyone. But out of all those things, the one thing you got from your mom that I could never posses was your gratitude towards life. I found this earlier today and thought you should have this." I pull out the necklace and lay it in her hands. She looks at me and at the necklace.
"Papa, I can't except this." I grab the necklace and unlock it to put around her neck.
"You will, she would have wanted you to have it."
"What about Mercy? This is her birthday, not mine."
"Mercy has memories and gifts from Artemis herself, you my little Raven only have our stories and pieces of her." She turns around and faces me surprising me with a hug, she hugs me tight, and takes a deep breath into my chest.
"Thank you Papa." She whispers, I hold her tightly and stare at the portrait of Artemis and myself with Mercy and Raven before all of this happened.
"Go on to the ball I'll be down soon I just have something I need to do okay?" She nods her head and leaves the room. I stare at the portrait one more time before I close my door and into hers. She's still asleep, she's always asleep.
"It's time Artemis, it's time. I can't be afraid of what's to come if I'm not even willing to face it. You destroyed the world for me when you thought I was dead, and when you found out I was still here I put you to sleep. It's time for you to meet our girls. It's time for you to wake up and be in my arms again, it's time to restore the Kingdom." I tread my hand along the thin blanket and pull it back just enough to hold her hand. I haven't felt her skin against mine in 9 years and now I'm afraid to touch her.
"Please don't kill me when you wake up." I slide my hand in between her fingers and feel the wind blow subtly. Her skin warm and her fingers small, they always fit perfectly into mine, hers small mine large, I felt strong with her besides me, I felt I could do anything as long as I had her besides me. I hold her hand in between both my hands just staring at her hands as I rubbed it gently.
"Demitri?" She whispers.