Prologue
The king of Diamonds:
Bringer of Wealth and Riches
The Queen of Hearts:
Bringer of Love and Passion
The King of Clubs/Clovers:
Bringer of Good Fortune and Luck
And lastly....
The Queen of Spades:
Bringer of Misfortune and Darkness
She sat on her throne, her legs folded to her chest as her arms wrapped around them. Her finger traced at her shoes in boredom as she allowed her thoughts to flow in never ending waves. Her face was pale in contrast to her ebony shortly cropped hair that reached her chin, her looming over-sized throne making her seem quite small where she sat. The throne was scarcely decorated, the rails a dark dull red while the cushioning was a fading black from usage. All that stood out was the thin silver that was weaved into the red in swirls that reflected the bright hall lights. The hall itself had been quite large and empty, only a set of stairs leading down from her throne, covered by a black carpet with silver linings. The walls were white with a black horizontal strip along the side of each wall. There were glass vases that help wilted roses, red and black. All that lit the room were the chandeliers, however overall the room was bare.
A witch entered, broomstick in hand, curtsying to her Queen. Her long wavy blond hair cascading to her waist neatly.
“My Queen, a newcomer has arrived.” The woman stated. Her words were short and her voice stern. She looked up from her feet, her dark red eyes finding the witch’s blue ones. The witch had a dry smirk gracing her features. A newcomer? More? How many will fall so low to the land of Spades? She sighed.
“Bring ’em in”, she ordered nonchalantly. A man in shackles stumbled inside. He was thin and pale. Life had nearly entirely left his black, darkly rimmed eyes. The shackles clacked at his movements. She stepped down from the throne and skipped to him, her heels clicking against the floor and echoing across the large open hall. The man was tall and lanky. She lifted his chin to look into his eyes.
“What brings you here dearie? Did little buddy here break his heart” She questioned. Her question was relevant. After all it was only those who have been tainted by darkness that are able to appear in her land to be reborn. They could be reborn as what she deemed them to be suitable for. Whether it be witches, demons or shadows.
He opened his cracked lips to speak, then shut them again. She kept quiet and waited for his answer. He stared back at her wide dark eyes.
“Death... Death has brought me here.” Her eyes widened. Death was uncommon nowadays. One would only be brought if killed. An Untimely Death. Age didn’t matter anymore, their lives would be fulfilled and they would be sent to the Upper Lands.
A wicked grin stretched her pale cheeks as excitement flooded her veins. Was Death back? Finally? She wanted to meet Him!
“Tell me child! Were you killed? Or was it an accident?” She then asked. Her eyes glimmered in their deep darkness. The man drew his lips to a tight line, as though zipping them closed to keep anything more from being let out. She frowned, taking a step back as she held her arms behind her back, before swinging herself back and forth on her heels and toes.
“You won’t tell me?” He nodded silently, his long dark hair shadowing over his lashes. She sighed with a shrug.
“I guess we’ll begin with our normal routine...” She spread her arms wide, her long sleeves nearly hanging at her palms.
“Welcome! To the land of Spades!” She exclaimed with a small twirl, before giving a short bow.
“I am the Queen of Spades, Zephirah!” She straightened herself fully, watching as the mans brow raised in confusion. They all did. Was she that odd? Or was she perhaps different? A Cheshire grin crawled to her lips.
“You appeared here for a reason. I guess we’ll find that out later. Who was your previous King, boy?” She asked. Beating around the bush was not her style. She needed to know for the archives. Being Queen didn’t mean for her to stand there and look pretty. She wished to record all those of her loyal subjects that were to appear. The man quickly answered.
“King Solomon, Land of Diamonds.” She hummed in response, twisting her upper body around with her arms crossed and a finger to her chin.
“Name? Age? Anything else you care to tell me?” She continued her interrogation. He shook his head at this. Nameless? That was fine, for now. She sighed.
“I think I’ve decided....You are to become my Shadow. A follower. A bodyguard. You will be treated fairly. The new abilities you will gain will be yours to figure out, you can ask for help anywhere. Are you ready to be reborn? It is a painless transformation I assure you.” That was a lie. When reborn, all the pain one had previously felt will be felt again, as though a (scorching heat burned) at their hearts and bodies, a heated reminder of why they have come to this land, whether it be small things like heart break and misery or the bitterness of betrayal by one closest to you. The man had shown her no emotions. No fear, no fight against it. She frowned, skipping over to him. She slid out a black dagger from a holster strapped to her back and held his shackled hands. With one swift cut, the chains fell to the floor heavily.
“Let it begin.” She whispered to him, before walking backwards to her throne. She sat, and crossed one leg over the other, looking down at him condescendingly.
“Good luck.”
