Chapter One

"A dwarf?...", Screamed the first Queen...

The ire in her aggravated like a Lion that was ready to pound. The hatred he had for the second Queen fired like a fiery furnace which water ascended. She treaded hither thither in her room like someone who was in haste to a place, whereas he was saddened with the news she just heard. She held a traditional hand-held fan. She was a lanky woman with a mark on her left cheek, the injury she sustained when she was a palace maid before she got married to the crown prince after his inauguration. During the period, there was a contest in the palace battlering, she was one of the maids who were seated beside the king blowing him an air, unknown to the king that the Woyoe opponent was an assassin who was sent to disguise as one of the contestants, the assassin threw his sword towards the king's direction after a lanky duel but fortunately for the king, the sword hit Yon. She was laid on the couch for a month before she regained her health. She was initially a docile woman who was loved by everyone in the palace but she changed immediately the king married the second Queen. She changed from being a docile and a meek woman to a monster who yelped and screeched at every denizen of the palace. The name of the second Queen was Kara. Kara was the daughter of the king of Huye. She was a very elegant woman and the king decided to married her after the demise of her father. He had adored her for long but couldn't marry her due to the enmity between her father and his father.

The name of The first Queen was Yon when she was enrolled as one of the palace maids, she grew to impress everyone with her exceptional ability and talent which prompt the Queen mother to marry her off to her son, the incumbent king.

She posed on a sofa in her room soliloquising different thought in her psyche. She abhorred Kara from the onset and the hatred she had for her had augmented because she gave birth to a dwarf. The reason for her aggravated hatred was because having a dwarf among the prince in the palace could be a sign of calamity for the kingdom according to her thought. The report reached her through one of her maids whom she kept as a spy on Kara. Yon had a daughter and two sons. She had a kinda big eye which had become so scary to everyone forthwith she changed her behaviour to that of a monster that they did try to avert her like a plague.

"Are you sure?", asking her maid queerly with her eyes wide open.

The maid who had been dreaded by the reaction of the Queen forthwith she broke the news. She was allayed and frenzied at a far-short distance from where the Queen was. She dragged a step back forthwith the first Queen screamed. She knew what the reaction of the Queen would be before she broke the news. She panicked when she was treading from the nurse department to break the news to the Queen. The Queen doesn't act like this before. The change in her character put all the maids in bemusement. The shift in the manner she did behave toward them. The Queen had become a nightmare to the everyone especially the maids since the second Queen arrived in the palace. Some maids did reiterate that she was given mind toxin by the second Queen because she doesn't act like that before. She abruptly became a plague to her maids who always tried their best to make sure they avoided her. One of the maids had tried on several occasions talking to her but the day she chastised one of them and accused her of judging character whereas the maids were just trying to know if they had hurt her feeling for her to have begun to treat them unfairly. They were always in awe any moment they were with her or saw her. Though the maids were everywhere In the palace. No maid was assigned to anyone. The Queens had the privilege to call on any of the maids they intended to send errand or anyone available. Though the two Queens had their preferred maids out of all of them.

"Yes! her majesty", replied the maid...

The maid described the corner where the second Queen was laid after she put to bed. The maid's hand shuddered as she referred to the department. The Queen peeked at her and twisted her eye. The maid expected the Queen to instruct her out of the room as she stood in terror. She Queen gazed at the ceiling as if she was counting the lines on it. The maid who was standing condemned herself to have brought such report early that morning. She knew the Queen had become unpredictable. She could solicit for anything at any time without a second thought of its shortcoming. The Queen suddenly sat on her bed. The maid who was still standing right there at her front was frightened by the bustle she sat down with and she stared at the floor in dismay. The Queen flapped her two legs while she seated on the bed. The maid seemed startled as to what would have made the Queen so remorseful toward someone she felt hostility toward.

The maid was still statued at the entrance of the Queen's room. She couldn't vacate without the Queen directive. The Queen moved swiftly to the window side and peeped through peeking outdoor as if she was expecting someone. Her room was a gigantic accommodation. Its indoor was painted with brown colour, the same colour as all the indoor of all the rooms in the palace. All her entrance and window covers were red. Red was her favourite colour though, one couldn't infer because there weren't any glimmers of such in her lifestyle like dressing or in her room except she confessed. Limited of her appurtenance were red but weren't ample. Her room was two-bedroom flat though, she did sleep alone since the king had married had a new Queen, which had also amplified her hatred for the second Queen. She was confident that no one could outstrip her two sons to the crown prince except if they wanted to see her wrath. There were also slight designs made by her maids which were hung on the wall of her room. The entrance of the room was classically structured for the fact that the kingdom of Weyoe was blessed with enough skilled architectural artisan. An elegant table was positioned beside the mobile bed. The bed was shrouded with a white bed sheet. Rooms were also at the subsequent door entering through the second door, there was a wardrobe in the second indoor room. No glimmers of her favourite colour in everything in the room. The floor of the room was tiled by some floor layouts made by the palace architectural artisan. The window of all the rooms was broad.

One of her maids entered while the initial one was still standing. The second maid susurrated into her ear. Her facial reaction worsened as the second maid took her to leave forthwith. The first maid who was still dawdled at one position was curious as to what was susurrated into the Queen's ear, she expected her to even utter a statement maybe she could have a clue. The Queen squeezed her face like someone who gnawed a bitter leaf. She hushed her nerve. Putting her index finger in her mouth like someone who was trying to remember something. The maid who was still standing wasn't comfortable, feeling a kinda pain in her leg. The Queen was sitting down and standing up, doing that for five times. She entered the inner room as if she wanted to go and take something. She came out with a black jacket held in her hand. She wore the jacket. The maid was stunned as to what she was up to. The reason she went in to take a jacket was that she didn't wear well-shrouded cloth which covered the neck. She paused for a moment.

"Where is the king", the Queen inquired inaudibly from the maid standing at the entrance jiggling.

The maid was quiet for some moment because she didn't the Queen very well. The maid made an effort to imitate in her psyche what the Queen asked because she couldn't ask her to echo what she said so she wouldn't pour her wrath on her for the second time. She echoed repeatedly in her psyche but couldn't get her utterance. She had no choice but to ask her to repeat what she said.

"What do you say, her majesty", asked the maid whose hand was already rising casually to defend any unexpected hand whip from the Queen.

"I said where is the king", she screamed rambunctiously raising her hand as if she wanted to pound on the maid.

"I don't know where he is", retorted the maid.

The Queen wasn't expected to ask such question from the maid because she didn't have any rapport to the king, knowing about the king whereabout was far from she could have an idea. The Queen was always out of her psyche asking the wrong question at the wrong time or asking a question from the wrong person. The Queen paced out of the room. The maid who was expected to follow her did forthwith. And they both headed towards the king's room.