Fate

"But mom, I don't want to be the next Queen." I complained as my mother was finishing stitching up my dress. My name is Desiria Morningfold and I am the next Queen in line to rule over the kingdom of Questo, my mom being the Queen and all.

"You cannot not be the next Queen, Desi, you're the daughter of the Queen, you're MY daughter, it's tradition."

"But mom, being Queen is boring! You sit around all day, giving speeches, telling people what to do, you're practically glued to the chair."

"That's not what you said when you were 6 years old. You wanted to be Queen so badly when you were young."

"That was years ago mom, I'm 18 now, lots of things changed in my mind. I'd rather fight dragons and monsters and--- Ouch! Mom!" My sentence was interrupted as my mother poked my buns with the needle.

"Sorry Desi, it's just that your bottom is so big that it's making it hard for me to avoid it." My mother let out a soft giggle as she continued. "And it's not true that being Queen is boring, you get to boss around people, tell them what to do."

"Exactly! And that is why it's boring! There's no fun! And besides, I can't be Queen because I have no King by my side."

"Who says that you need a King in order to be a Queen?" My mom asked as she cut off the needle from the thread.

"Tradition mom, a Queen cannot be Queen without a King by her side." I answered, getting down from the stool I was standing on.

"I guess it's time I changed one of the traditions, don't you think? Now, I'll go get your father and tell him that you are all set for your birthday." My mother closed the door behind her as she got out. I was left alone in my room, sitting on the side of my bed.

"Ugh, why must this day come!?" Today is my 18th birthday and as for Morningfold tradition, once the daughter or son of the King and Queen turn 18, they are obliged to be the next in line for the throne. A ceremony is held and once finished, the next in line for the throne can never do anything about it. It's kind of like a prison if you think about it. Bounded to the throne once you turn 18, unable to do what it is that you love after that. "I could be out there in the world! Slaying monsters! Defeating dragons! Living the life of adventuring!"

I grabbed a stick that was leaning against the corner of my room and started swinging it around, imagining that I was fighting monsters and other evil creatures. "I don't want to be a Queen! I don't want to be throne bound! I want to go out and adventure!"

I would argue with my mother about me not wanting to be a Queen, but I went down that path before and the two of us argued. She's a hard woman to bargain. Sure, she's a sweet and caring mother, but when you don't do what you are told, then she's a whole other person. She had me locked up the first time I argued with her about me not wanting to be a Queen.

I kept swinging the stick around, with each swing getting filled with anger as I am reminded of me not being able to choose my own path on the day of my 18th birthday. I kept swinging the stick and I accidentally knocked over my mother's sewing box. Her needles and threads were thrown across my room.

"Oh dear." I got down and started picking up the needles and threads. As I was picking them up, I couldn't help but notice that something, or someone was watching me. I stopped picking the needles and I slowly turned my head towards my closet, feeling that there's someone there. "Hello?" I asked, hoping that someone would answer as there was no one besides my cabinet the moment I looked.

"I can turn your fantasy into reality"

I heard a faint whisper, chills started going down my spine. I don't know where that voice came from and decided to go back in picking up the needles and threads, thinking that it was my younger twin brothers playing a trick on me again. As I turned to look at the needles and threads, they were gone and a green glowing stone of some sort took their place.

"What in the?" I whispered, slowly reaching out for the stone. Before I could reach it, the stone exploded, letting out a bright light, making me fall back. Then, out of nowhere, this shadowy figure appeared and started floating above to where the stone was.

"Want me to turn your fantasy into reality? A world where you are free." It whispered as it kept floating, staring at me.

"W-who are you?"

"For a price of what you value, I can give your fantasy to you. Escape this reality and live in your fantasy." It continued, not answering to the question I asked as if it didn't hear me.

"What are you---" I stopped my sentence as I realized what it said. Escape reality and live in my fantasy? "What fantasy do you speak of? And what do I need to do to receive this fantasy of escaping reality?"

"Your fantasy of escaping reality. The key is nothing but a small fee. A thing you hold value and your fantasy will be given to you."

"A thing I hold value?" I thought long and hard, thinking of what things I value that I can give this smoke spirit to help me escape this reality I am living in. My mother thought me to not talk to strangers, mysterious smoking figure for that matter, but it gives a bargain hard for me not to accept. Escaping this reality? Giving me the opportunity to run way and not be the Queen? That's a bargain I will take any day of the week! But what can I give it? A thing that I hold value?

I kept thinking and thinking for something that I value and it hit me. The necklace my mother gave me when I was young! I quickly took of the necklace that was hanging around my neck and showed it to the smoke spirit. "Will this do? I got it from my mom the day of my 5th birthday and I have been keeping it safe ever since! This is the thing I hold value!"

The smoke spirit floated a bit closer to my necklace as if it was examining it.

"The gift of a family, this is the thing that you value the most." It whispered as it floated back to its original position, eyes glowing whiter than earlier. "The value has been said and fantasy is ahead. Behind you leave your reality and ahead you live your fantasy!"

A bright light started glowing from the smoke spirit, a light so bright that it's making it hard for me to see, almost as if it's blinding me.

The ground began shaking after the bright light disappeared from my sight. "W-what's happening?" I asked, stuttering as I try my best not to fall down from the shaking.

"To live in one's fantasy, they must be removed of their reality." The smoke spirit stated as its eyes kept on glowing bright white.

"What?"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" A loud noise came from outside my window, it was the screaming of the people of Questo. I looked outside and there I saw hordes of monsters were attacking the people, surrounding them.

"What are you doing!?"

"To live in fantasy, one must be rid of their reality." The smoke spirit didn't answer my question and it just repeated what it said.

While looking down from my window, I saw my mother who was ordering the guards, telling them to protect the people of Questo. My father was in the middle of the chaos, slicing through the monster horde with his sword.

"I have to get down there." I muttered to myself, grabbing the sword that was hanging on my wall. It's a sword given by my father on my 6th birthday, it's made of many gems. It's hard as a diamond and tough as steel. It will be a long way down if I would take the stairs so I jumped out of my window, grabbing on to a rope which was swinging besides my window.

"Reality must disappear in order to live in fantasy."

"Mom!!!" I yelled out, trampling on a monster as I landed.

"Desi? Desi!!! What are you doing here!? It's too dangerous!" My mother yelled out, giving me a hug as soon as I reached her.

"I should say that to you! A Queen shouldn't be in the battlefield!"

"Look who's talking! And what's that behind your back!? Why on Questo are you carrying your father's sword!?"

"Mom, I need to tell you something, but promise me that you won't freak out."

"What is it?"

I hesitated a little bit, not knowing what were the right words to say, plus, I don't know if I have the courage to tell my mother that I was the cause of this monster outbreak just because I didn't want to be Queen.

"Well? Go on then."

I took a deep breath and I admitted to my mother that I was the cause of the outbreak. I said the words as quickly as possible.

"I'm the reason of this outbreak! Please don't get mad at me!" After saying the words, I realized something. "Now that I said it out loud, you SHOULD get mad at me."

"You WHAT!?"

"Mom, I know it sounds bad, like really bad. But can we argue over this later? There's kind of an horde invasion happening and we need to get you to safety!"

"What were you thinking!? WHY would you do that!?"

"It's because I don't want to be Queen! Okay!? I saw this smoke spirit in my room and it gave me a chance to not be Queen by going into a fantasy land and leaving reality!"

"You made a deal with a smoke spirit!? You know that nothing good happens when you make a deal with those rascals!"

"I know! I know! I messed up! But we need to get you out of here! It's too dangero--- Hey!!!" I wasn't able to finish my sentence when a monster grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling me away.

"Let go of my daughter!!!" My mother yelled out, grabbing a sword that was lying on the ground. My mother charged towards me with the sword in front of her. I closed my eyes as I was afraid that my mother doesn't know how swords work. I was afraid that she'll slice me instead of the monster.

My eyes closed and I heard the sound of a sharp object, piercing through skin. I kept my eyes closed, waiting for the pain from the sword, but it never came. I slowly opened my eyes and there I saw my mother, both hands at the handle of the sword, breathing heavily.

"Where's your faith in your mother, Desi?" My mother gave me a smile as she withdraw her sword. The sword sliced through the monster's chest, just above my left shoulder. "It doesn't mean that I'm a Queen that doesn't mean I don't know how swords work. Now, get up and let's get to work."

"A quick question before we start. Am I grounded?"

"For a whole week."

"Understandable."

My mother let out a giggle as we start slicing our way through the monster horde.

"You're father and I will be having a very long talk with you." My mother stated a she kept slicing monsters, her back against mine.

"Can we not tell dad that I'm the cause of this outbreak?"

"We could, but I feel like he already knows that you caused this mess. Being run in the family and all."

I stopped slicing monsters after I heard what my mom said. "Run in the family? What do you mean?"

My mother lets out a laugh as she rests her sword on her shoulder. "You really think you're the only one who doesn't want to live royalty? Psh, as if. We Morningfolds hate traditions and we go to extreme lengths to avoid some of them."

"So you're telling me, that you made a deal with the smoke spirits?"

"Made a deal with smoke spirits? No, I didn't. But I did ran away when I was about to turn 18, avoiding being Queen and all."

My eyes getting filled with hope, sure I made a huge mess in making a deal with the smoke spirit and caused our whole kingdom to be infested by monster hordes, but hearing that my parents also didn't want to be royalty made me feel at peace somehow.

"Does this mean that I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Nope, you're still grounded."

"Was worth a shot."

"Now, enough with this talking and let's get back to slicing! Mama needs a new pair of orc skin shoes!"

"That's not a way a Queen should act." I stated, mocking my mother. That's what she always says to me when I would do something dumb. My mother just rolled her eyes as she smiles at me.

"Who says that I'm still the Queen, your Highness?"

I looked at my mother, confused at what she said. I then felt something touch my hair. I looked up and there I saw my mother's crown, sitting on mg head. "What the?"

"Happy 18th birthday, Queen Desi."

"Oh no, no, no, no! I will not be Queen!"

"Too late! Chaaaaaaaaarge!!!!" My mom yelled out as she started going wild, slicing through the monsters.

It took a while but we finally got rid all of the monsters that invaded our kingdom, everything went back to normal but the smoke spirit was nowhere to be found. Although everything is back, there is something that is bothering me.

I really am Queen now.

End