Page 16 - Book Week 2024 Special Edition Digest
P. 16
The Facades of Royalty She found herself right Hetty’s eyes drilled into the The shadow brought a can-
in front of the painting, picture. The queen had never dle up to its face and Hetty
A Story by Chizaram Opara | Year 10 Volta
hands clammy with sweat mentioned the man in it and recognized him as the man
beauty walking in front of her, found herself in an unfamil- and breaths so strained they no one in the castle had spo- in the painting. Those misty
she who was graced with the iar corridor, although she was pierced through her lungs. ken of a king. But, no one in eyes made Hetty uneasy - al-
poise Hetty could only dream sure she had been on her way Queen Mary Anne has been the castle had really spoken to most like he could see right
of having. to the tea room just a second painted beautifully: her icy her at all. With shaky hands - through her. ”Who’s there?”
ago. blue eyes which seemed to trembling from the cold, only he called, in a voice about as
“Hetty,” the word rolled out freeze everything in their path they seemed to feel - she ad- audible as a single snowflake’s
of Queen Mary-Anne, bathed The corridor in question was were captured with artistic fi- justed the painting. descent. “Hello?”
in a thick Victorian accent,” lined with portraits (all paint- nesse; every bordeaux frill of
etty trembled as she Be a dear and fetch me some ings of monarchs before her her crimson gown was an at- “There,” she muttered, as a Light tapping sounds of some
scuttled behind the tea. I am parched.” With her master) Even in their still, traction in its own right; and breath she didn’t realise was sort of rod confirmed her
Hqueen. The contrast mind still half clouded, the lifeless photos, they demand- her crown twinkled like a halo trapped within her escaped. suspicions. The ‘king’ was
between the two could be seen maiden girl set Her Majesty ed more respect than Hetty - a delightful contrast to the “Just right.” Hetty snatched blind. Hetty couldn’t bring
from a mile away. Dark flow- upon the velvety cushions of had ever earned in her life. A queen’s ghostly, expression- her hand away like a fright- herself to respond - not with
ing hair on a ghostly white the rose-gold, glinting dining sick feeling bubbled under her less face. But it wasn’t Mary- ened rabbit as the picture be- the questions bubbling inside
face, that belonged to a body chair and ambled off to the tea skin - she was a misfit, incon- Anne’s portrait that caught gan to cave in. her. Who was this man? And if
with slender limbs and a ball room. gruous with the suffocating Hetty’s eyes. Beside the queen he was king, why was he in the
gown so emphasised that Het- air of royalty that enveloped was a man, clad in a sapphire Pandemonium erupted in- walls of his own castle?
ty was surprised by how well The dining and tea room - the entire castle. She turned imperial mantle, studded with side of her, a wave of anxious
it blended with the corset like every room in the palace to leave…… but something what Hetty believed to be dia- thoughts flooding her mind. The maiden girl found her-
(which seemed to be stran- - carried an aura of royalty so stopped her. monds. The painting creaked to a self overwhelmed as her knees
gling the queen). overpowering that one almost halt, leaving a wide, open buckled beneath her as her
succumbed to the thought of At the very end of the corri- The man’s smoky hair was path in the stone walls. Dim thoughts buzzed in her ears.
‘Blemishes’ emphasised them- bowing before entering. In- dor was the most recent royal perfectly coiffed and his elab- lights attempted to brighten In one frail motion, she found
selves in her mind making her tricate ornaments were placed portrait. Maybe it was because orate crown sat atop it with the glowering darkness of the herself in the arms of this
painfully aware of their pres- on every table, twinkling like of the hazel sheen emanating such hubris it was a reflection path and Hetty found herself strange man. She hadn’t real-
ence - the way her chin jutted little stars when the teasing from the frame as it caught of regality at its finest. His enchanted by them, stum- ised how close she was to him
out, and her eyes seemed to rays of light flooded into the the only beam of light in the eyes were a misty storm (the bling towards them in an irre- due to his soft voice.
squash up against her nose; room from the stained-glass corridor (which was sprinkled focal point of his ethereal, al- sistible trance.
her flaming hair that sat atop window dome above. with darkness). Maybe it was luring face) and his lips - vi- A shadow swept past her, pull- She took one last baleful look
her head like a whirlwind; and because it was the only picture brant red and piquant- were ing her back into reality. Het- at him - her expression remi-
her burly arms - reddened The ‘poor’ maiden girl, as not aligned with the others. curled into a subtle smile. ty prepared to scream - her niscent of a deer in headlights.
from work, they all chose to- she was often referred to, had Whatever it was, Hetty found Hetty had never seen a royal hair stood on end and her eyes Her vision faded into oblivi-
day to make her insecure. been at the palace for mere- her legs edging towards the smile and she thought it was grew rounder than plates. on, the last bits of energy in
She sighed deeply as her eyes ly two weeks and her naivety portrait - her control on them a pleasant touch to his cherry, her, completely drained.
drank in the quintessence of tended to precede her. She negligible at this point. cherubim cheeks.
THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL 16 16 THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL 17
