Tonight, Regina was a queen. She held her court in the flowery isles and stood before her subjects with her crown and scepter.
“O queen of the flowery isles, please regale us with your wisdom,” said her handmaiden.
“What do you ask of me?”
“The queen of the clouds has taken this subject’s daughter,” the handmaiden pointed to an old woman kneeling nearby “she said that the queen of the clouds had heard a rumor of the daughter’s great beauty and took her so that she would be the loveliest in all the islands.”
“That cannot stand!” Regina rose from her throne.
“Handmaiden send my for my chariot, I will handle this personally.”
Her handmaiden fetched the queen’s golden chariot. The chariot itself was a grand sight, the wheels studded with diamonds, the gold shining brilliantly in the sun and it was drawn by five winged horses, the bentohangin of kahangian.
Regina was accompanied by her handmaiden and flew towards the castle of the queen of clouds. The guards knelt at her approach. Everyone had known who the queen of the flowery isles was, known for her wisdom and strength. She was quickly rushed to the chamber of the queen of clouds to hold a private audience.
“Well, we meet again.” The queen of clouds reclined on her throne. She was lovely, in her own way. Jet black hair cascaded down her shoulders and her face almost seemed like it was made to catch the sunset, though this was marred by her demeanor. For all her beauty, the queen of clouds had a perpetually cruel look on her face.
Regina would not be intimidated. She had come here to rescue her subject’s daughter and she reminded herself that was what needed to be done.
“What have you done with the girl?” Regina asked in a dignified but assertive tone.
“Now what are you talking about my dear? “ The queen of clouds almost looked bored.
“You know very well what I am talking about. Release the girl immediately, the court of the clouds has no control over the subjects of the flowery isles.”
“I have no idea what you mean, you must be tired from your trip dear, let me get you some refreshments,” the queen of the clouds clapped her hands, “Guards! Fetch the queen some wine.”
“I am not thirsty,” Regina said. “I am sovereign of my lands as you are yours. I do not want unnecessary bloodshed to happen because of this.”
“Well then what do you propose?” The queen of the clouds stared haughtily.
“I have heard that you have an interest in games, my fellow queen. Perhaps we should settle this matter through that?”
“You would risk the lives of one of your subjects in a game?”
“No, I would risk my own. If I lose then you shall have me in place of the girl.” The queen’s handmaiden gasped.
“Well, well. This day just became a lot more interesting,” the queen of the clouds smiled wryly, “I accept your terms. What game shall we play?”
“The oldest one, my fellow queen.”
The handmaiden had heard of this game before. There were only two players; each would ask a question that the other would have to answer with another question. One would lose if they could not think of a question to answer with.
“I shall start,” The queen of the clouds said, “What pierces the heavens with her loveliness?”
“What is only beautiful on the exterior?” Regina knew what the queen of clouds was trying to do, and she would not give her opponent the satisfaction.
“What is beauty but the reflection of the soul?” The queen of the clouds had a brief look of resentment on her face, but she would not allow herself to be distracted either.
“Will beauty matter when all is lost?” Regina looked the queen dead in the eye.
“Will all be lost when beauty endures?” The queen of the clouds shot back with a tense stare.
“Will beauty not fade with the passing of the suns?” Regina was trying a new tactic, getting the queen to lower her guard.
“If beauty will fade then is that not more reason to preserve it?” The queen of the clouds was sweating now, trying her best to keep up.
“How will beauty be known when there is no one left to know it?” This was no longer a mere game to Regina, she knew she had to prove something to her opponent.
“Will not beauty be all that is left?” The queen of the clouds was trembling on her throne.
“What about love?”
Regina stared at the tears streaming down her opponent’s cheeks. Even in sadness, her loveliness shined through.
“Take the girl and never enter my court again,” The queen of the clouds covered her face with her arms, “Everyone leave me be!” she shouted as the guards raced away from the throne room.
“It is never easy to lose someone you love,” said Regina
“How did you know?” The queen of the clouds said through her tears.
“The tales of your beauty were not exaggerated, neither were the tales of your kindness,” Regina walked towards the queen. “The queen of the clouds was always known to me as a beautiful face, and a beautiful soul.”
Regina sat next to the queen and said “No one is ever ready to lose someone they love, but trying to hold on to what we can’t control is never the way to live a life. One day your beauty will fade, as will mine, as will the girl’s. Time will take everything we have from us if we let it.”
“Everything?” The queen of the clouds stared into Regina’s eyes.
“Don’t let it take love away from you.” Regina smiled.
Regina stood up and left the throne room. The girl was sitting by her handmaiden on her chariot, ready to leave.
“What did you tell her my queen?” Her handmaiden asked.
“What she needed to hear,” Regina commanded the five bentohangin to fly to her palace as they were chased away by the last rays of sunset.
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Today, Regina had to wake up early for her chemotherapy treatment. She stared into her mirror and tried to brush what was left of her hair.
She stared at the strands of hair that was left on her brush and sighed. It was time. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but she just couldn’t ignore what was happening in front of her.
She borrowed her brother’s electric shaver and did the deed herself. Regina stared at the girl in the mirror and repeated the mantra her mother taught her. Her mother always said that she had a guardian angel watching over her, but Regina thought that that was something mothers tell all of their daughters.
As she walked into the hospital, she bumped into a woman rushing to walk outside. The woman apologized before walking away.
Regina couldn’t help but have a faint feeling of familiarity from the woman. She was sure she had seen that face before. Maybe as a handmaiden? Or a guard? Or a Queen?
She shrugged and continued on towards her therapy. Regina breathed in and hoped that everything would turn out okay.
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Diwata Illustration by Patricia Ramos
FB: The Art of Patricia Ramos
Color by Yanna Gemora
FB: Yannami
Inspired by the Diwata myths.
