ASH QUEEN

“Not all queens’ start as princesses, some begin in ashes”.

Once upon a time there lived a maiden, with hair as dark as coal and skin as dark as chocolate. The maiden loved a handsome prince and the prince loved her, but there was an evil King and he sent her betrothed to his death and the poor maiden's heart turned as grey as ash.

One night, in her despair, a priestess came to her and promised her that, all of the worlds might be hers if she would but give up the last of her love for her dead prince. Though she wept to lose the part of him that still lived deep inside her, she did as she was told, in hopes that all her dreams might still come true.

When the night that was set for her to meet the evil King came, the maiden got ready, dressed up in the best kente cloth and fine beads, and waited for the servant of the priestess to escort her to the palace. The servant came and as they walked on the cold stony path, she began to second-guess her actions but there was nothing she could do the plan was already in motion.

And so it came to pass that the ash maiden was brought to the King’s palace. When she finally got to the gates she knocked. There she met a servant, who hurried her inside;

“Get in!” she instructed.

The ash maiden did as she was told.

Through the scullery door, she watched the elders of the land enjoy a scrumptious feast with the evil King and his Queen. During the feast, the maiden saw an elder slip a substance into the Queen’s drink and waited. When she finally took the drink she fell off her stool and died, clearing the way for the ash maiden to become Queen. 

To the ash maiden, the awful part about this arrangement was that she had to marry the evil King.  Her wedding night of consummation of joy and pleasure turned into hatred and sorrow. That night, she felt one monster on top of her and another inside, when she felt what her soul was becoming she learned her first lesson as Queen; Be careful what you wish for.

She served as the Queen to the evil King for two years, which felt like two thousand. When she couldn't take anymore, she went to see the priestess and begged her to turn her back into the ash maiden, but the priestess refused, showed her all the kingdom that laid before her, and said;

“The King is old and will die soon, and when he does, All this is going to be yours one day”.

The maiden understood that there was no turning back, she would embrace her role as Queen and all the power that came with it.

That night for the first time she used that power, by poisoning the King, leaving him dumb and paralyzed.

That night her innocent world began to turn upside down.

She embraced her darkness

And so the Queen came to rule the King and all his kingdom.

Thus became the Queen of the night and she lived…happily ever after.

With evil in her heart.