Beneath the shining, golden domes of the kingdom lay a dead city. The darkness on the streets echoed on the walls and into the sky; there was little life to be found, the occasional rat, sometimes a mangy dog or a starving puppy. Outside the walls of the grand city, there was greatness. Farms and towns were not left in poverty, but better off after the fall of the Kingdom. The only life left to the Kingdom, inside the walls, was the ever-glowing palace, which seemed not to rot in decay or crumble with age as the surrounding area seemed to do.

There were stories for the younger generations, passed from their grandparents, but highly imaginative and over-eccentric. Although, sometimes the stories were not imaginative enough; sometimes the stories were only, “The economy crashed because of the king’s selfish spending,” but that was hardly the case. With the fall of the Kingdom came the fall of magic and witchcraft, which played a large part of the story in itself.

The rusted gates no longer opened for trade and the streets were no longer clean, allowing passage of visiting royalty. But, sometimes in the night, late in the summers, music could be heard from behind the palace walls. It was never lonely, sad, music; it was often ball music, and laughter sounded, as if a party were going on. However, no one was ever there to enjoy the ghostly party. Often, a tinkling music seemed to just barely pass the gates. Only those walking very closely to the wall would be able to catch phrases, as the music seemed to come from a box; something rare and ornate, that only a queen could possess.

Beneath the enchanted palace, and outside of the walls of Kingdom, rumors were constantly flying. One rumor, however, was considered true: the last queen to rule Kingdom was a witch. In every story, she was always a witch. Her name not often used, she was only known as Witch outside Kingdom’s walls. Very few of the elders scattered along the border of Kingdom knew her real name, but they dared not to speak it, fearing for their spirits in her grasp. They did not speak of the unnamable horror of what she had done, but were often found gazing out their windows, at the golden domes, never blinking, their eyes withdrawn into their inner beings.

Now, the truth comes out.

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Kingdom was a grand place to be. It was poverty-free, prosperous, and promising. The streets were made of rough ivory and shone underneath the sun that was never clouded. Trees reached to the top of mountains; the air was fresh and clean, and the streets were always filled with people, busy with life.

In one of the middle-class areas, a young woman was born. She was born with brown skin, black hair, and deep, black eyes. She was named Revai. As she grew older, she was always the favorite among her other siblings. She had two other sisters and four brothers, none of which could match her beauty or her intellect. Her eyes, black pools of thought, never gazed inward; constantly looking out and about the world around her. Revai was charming, warm, and was considered to be very kind-hearted.

While she was growing up, her family held many balls and special occasions, mostly for Revai. She was paraded around, showing off her ebony eyes, smiling a white smile, fluffing her curly black locks with a graceful hand movement. Nothing about her seemed to be upset; she seemed a perfectly content girl, who would be very content to marry a rich merchant.

For Revai, a merchant was not good enough. While shopping in town for petty lingerie, the palace gates opened. A very richly furnished carriage with white horses trotted from the golden gates, and stopped at the stall in which Revai was shopping. She knelt, as one was to do in the presence of royalty, and heard the carriage door unlatch and swing open.

She listened intently, not even daring to breathe or blink, as the sound of expensive-booted feet began to walk toward her. She half thought – and half hoped – that those booted feet of the prince would pass her by. When they stopped besides her, she knew her life would never be the same.

Revai heard the prince clear his throat, and slowly she gazed upwards. It was the first time in her life that she felt unsure of what to do; other young women had also looked up. But, the prince was looking down at her, his dark face beaded with sweat. He was frowning at her. Slowly she rose, completed a small curtsey, then stood before him. She felt her shoulders taunt, her ebony locks tumbling around her shoulders and back, sweat trickling on her skin under the hot sun. She never cared much for her appearance, but she suddenly wished she had had time to formally prepare to meet the prince of Kingdom.

She gazed into the prince’s brown eyes. She saw his angular face, broad shoulders, wide chest and hands. He had arrogance and selfishness written all over him; he had success and ruling and intelligence and only the best of the best in education. She suddenly