A Court Of Shattered Hearts

• Julia Le, Grade 6, Bennett Road Public School -
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Summertime Fun ONLINE' competition

Lexia Piermont Anvia Valyria laughed maliciously. She watched gleefully as goblins fell over themselves to please her. Lexia's smile dissolved in acid as she fixed her crown of leaves, marking her the Queen of Faerie and the Empress of The Court Of Shattered hearts.

"Go my pets." Lexia commanded suddenly, sudden distaste illuminating her delicate features. Cardan, her new fancy was arriving and she must haste to ready herself. She quickly cast a glamour on herself, making her seem more extravagant than before. If she could send armies falling to their knees in her luminant beauty, she could control the universe.

"Send him in." she commanded.

The rhododendron door opened, and in came Cardan Warstorm. A fae renowned for his beauty, which was quite a feat considering all fae possessed a deadly goblet-full of it. Sporting hypnotic black and gold flecked eyes, an incredible physique, and midnight black hair, Cardan was pulchritudinous.
"Good evening." He drawled, voice crawling an ego that was on its point of bursting...

Jude kicked a rock into the river. It had the audacity to bounce back. "Taryn!" she called, fidgeting as she waited for her soft-hearted twin to arrive.
"What is it, Jude? You know Vivi is in a bad mood about us playing here!" Taryn murmured.
"There might be fae around." her voice dipping into a breathless whisper.
Jude mentally waved off her warnings. Vivi may be her sister, but she was fae, with pointed ears, and her face half transitioned into one of a cats.
"I was thinking that this was an enchanted lake?" Jude postulated.
Taryn stared at her, skeptical.
"Are you okay, Jude? It can't be. I'll push you in to prove it." Taryn mumbled the last bit, so Jude had no idea as Taryn firmly pushed her into the lake. It TRULY being a fae-enchanted lake, an invisible hand immediately clamped across her mouth and nose, and she sank as if she was built of lead. After a second of resigning herself to a young death, Jude found herself crashing onto a banquet table after falling from the rippling ceiling, also interrupting the queen of Fae. Obviously, flown into an unimaginable rage, the Queen ordered for the guards to seize the 12 year old girl sitting on the pudding.

Cardan raised his hand.
All movement ceased to exist.
"Is she a dwarf? Her legs are short."
Jude only stared, deep in thought. There were bricks jutting out on the wall and if she could get up high, she could escape. As The Queen was having a shouting/shrieking match with her fancy for his wretched audacity in such a SERIOUS matter, Jude pondered if this was her chance. She leapt out of the tureen of chocolate pudding and streaked across the floor, surprising the queen that mortals were capable of such feats. She touched the ceiling and was whisked away, unharmed but for a brown stain on her leggings (from the pudding).

THE END!!