Her quarters were larger than any others. Her bed, the most elegant piece of furniture in the room, was pushed against a wall, the frame was made of a dark wood, the sheets were made of silk and the finest fabrics in the kingdom and across the seas, posts that nearly touched the ceiling were carved and shaped gracefully, twisting into the wood like snakes. The rest of the room was filled with the necessities: an armoire, a maquillage table with a large mirror, a cushioned bench at the end of the bed.

The queen paced around the room, her dress waving and whipping behind her. Her fingers pressed against her lips, her other hand tucked under her opposite arm. She was panicking, chasing the thoughts of Cora away from home, away from the security of the kingdom, away from the sight of her own eyes.

Leticia sitting on the bench in front of the bed. Her hands laid on top of the other, her head followed the Monarch’s path, back and forth, back and forth, over to that corner, then to the window, to the other corner, back and forth, back and forth. Her eyes looked dull, the color drained from them, the eyelids drooping over them. She was falling into and out of a deep sleep.

“My dear, please, stop your fussing,” Leticia said in a weak voice. Vitana turned to her and stared.

“It’s midday and my daughter is not present. She is gone, off in-in…”

“In her kingdom? Your kingdom?” Leticia let out a raspy and shaky breath. Vitana froze, looking at the elder woman. A look of puzzlement fell on her face. Her nose itched, her eyes staring her down.

“Why are you so afraid of your own kingdom?” Leticia tried to stand, struggling to get to her feet, so she grabbed one of the bedposts.

“What are you insinuating, Leticia?” The queen spat.

“How well do you know Aecor?” Leticia asked with a subtleness to those words.

“I know Aecor like the back of my hand. This is my kingdom, don’t you ever threaten the knowledge of my kingdom.” She lips twitched. Her teeth clenching as she stepped closer to the woman.

“Never dare my power nor my intelligence, ever again.” She pointed a finger close to her chin. Leticia remained calm. She looked into the queen’s eyes, a feeling of loss, fear, and overwhelming guilt swilling in the blue hues. Leticia could feel the queen’s reason for her solitude.

“Why is the window open?”

“What? There is no relevance to that questions. It is open to let light in.” Vitana huffed deep breaths through her nose. She was enthralled with rage. Her power, her title, her everything to her had been threatened. To her, it was threatened.

“Why is it open if you are not going to look through it?” Leticia stepped towards her, limping weakly to grab onto her shoulders for support. Their faces closed in as they both leaned in. Leticia’s calm expression to Vitana’s fiery fury was mixing like a storm, the cool, calm winds spinning around the hot air, enveloping it all.

“I open my window to let in light, whether I look through it or not does matter.”

“Look out the window.”

“I will not look out the window!” Vitana snapped, her arms flying into the air, her head shaking violently close to Leticia’s face.

“Look out the window, Vitana.”

“I have had enough of you.” She pushed the window back onto the bench, staring her down with a contorted face, “I do not need to look out the window if I choose not to. It is for light and unless there is light outside, it will be opened.”

“Why won’t you look out the window?”

“It is a damned window! There is no point. Enough of this.” Her arm waved at the window. The window was wide, framed in white. It covered most of the wall, the doors hung outside of the room, a perfect view of the sea and sky, a perfect view of everything…

“What are you afraid of?” Leticia brushed the hair that hung in front of her face. Her wrinkles created shadows on her skin giving depth to her near death look. The pale skin and grey eyes and hair.

“I am the queen of the strongest nation in the Damned Sea. I am afraid of nothing.” Vitana inhaled deep, standing tall as she looked down at Leticia. Her face was slipping from anger, the contortion relaxing and falling, but she continued to keep the stern look, demanding it.

“What are you afraid of?” Leticia asked once more. Vitana’s face failed to hold her vexation as it depressed into a state of realization then sadness. She was overwhelmed by the thoughts that washed over her, the memories of good and bad, the days of silence, the days of love, the bluest of eyes.

“I am afraid of losing him again!” She let out in an exhausted breath. Tears now beginning to fall down her face. Her sobs were heavy and deep. She took the biggest and smallest of breaths as she fell to her hands and knees and cried.

Leticia slowly kneeled on the ground, leaning over to grip the fallen queen’s hands. She lifted them up and turned Vitana’s head up to her. Vitana’s eyes were puffy and red. Leticia looked at her with a small, gentle smile on her face.

“Sweet, never hide your fear from yourself or those dear to you. It is yours to defeat and own.”

“But… I don’t want to lose him again, she is all I have and I lost her.” Vitana sniffled and shyly rose to her feet, helping the older woman to hers.

“And you shouldn’t be saddened by that.” Vitana nodded.

“Now look out the window.” Vitana let in a deep breath and pushed it out, still holding Leticia’s hands, She shut her eyes and slowly turned into the direction of the window. She breathed in again and let it out. Vitana opened her eyes and stared out the window.

She missed the blue sky, white feather clouds, and shining ocean and stared directly at a ship. A ship that had left the docks and was too far from the kingdom to sea from the ground. Her breathing raced and her hands let go of Leticia’s and ran through her hair, moving towards the window.

There was a sudden knock, then the squeak of the door opening. There stood Everdeen with a silver platter, two golden domes with food underneath.

"Ma'am, I took the liberty of bringing you and madam Leticia's meals up for..." She stopped as she looked towards the monarch staring out the window. Leticia stood, shakingly walking towards Everdeen, and weakly gripping the tray and laid it on the bench in front of the bed. She sat next to it and opened both domes, seeing the same meal so she covered one, picked up the other and resting it on her lap. She picked up a knife and fork and began to enjoy the meal.

Curious about the sight, Everdeen walked next to the monarch and looked through the large window with her. Everdeen's breath gasped and let out in shudders. Vitana's nostrils flared as she looked, her eyes strained as the sun beamed in both of their eyes. Everdeen did her best to keep herself composed, gripped at the fabric on her chest. The queen fell apart.

She gripped the hair at the scalp and let out an elongated, raspy scream.