The Queen's Curse by Natasja Hellenthal Page A

rode side by side, crossing the Silent Place and Artride whispered as if to comfort herself, ‘This is not that different from any other pine wood; at least it smells the same as any other!’ She breathed in deeply the sweet smell of needles and resin.
    Occasionally a single small sunbeam managed to break through the thick-needled branches and those transparent misty sunbeams did seem magical indeed. Artride rode through such a beam , and its pale, white-bluish light shone on her hair, clothes and delicate face, while she looked around in amazement. She looked very much like a ghost.
    Silence; absolute stillness, other than the sounds they made, the hooves of the horses and their occasional breezes. Where could you find this outside in the wild? And in springtime while everything burst with life? No birds, small mammals, rustling of leaves, no activity whatsoever. It did seem odd to them, and made them feel a little uneasy as they urged the horses to ride faster.
    Why does it frighten us so much? Artride thought. Because it is unnatural? This is a wild wood; no human interference, what is more natural than that?
    Tirsa thought she found the answer : We are not used to complete silence. At this moment we are completely one with ourselves for there are no sounds to disturb us; covering up our true self, and our own voice. If you are scared then you fear your own inner voice, which is you! She could hear her inner voice so clearly as never before, almost like someone else was talking to her. It was like meditating really, which she used to do when she was younger, though only if she could block out her own thoughts, and that wasn’t always easy. There was emptiness inside of her and she could actually hear her own blood rushing in her ears. When she looked at Artride’s face; she could see she was turned inward as well.
    ‘Do you think,’ a few moments later Artride wondered out aloud, trying to break the almost deafening silence ,‘that the gods can hear us when we speak in this forest?’
    Tirsa did not know Artride to be a religious person, considering the fact that the Royal Family saw itself as divine. At least that was how it used to be, she was told.
    She patted her horse on the side of the neck and thought about answering her question a brief moment later, ‘If they, or any divine being can hear us, this will be the place for it.’
    Artride smiled thankfully back, with both her eyes and mouth. ‘Th en I suggest we state our business out loud and pray out loud, so it knows.’
    Tirsa pierced her lips tight as if she was not sure about that. What if someone else hears it?
    But then she thought whilst glancing around, Who? We are alone here! She finally nodded; not wanting to oppose her.
    ‘Give me your hand ,’ Artride suddenly demanded in a friendly manner.
    ‘My Lady?’
    ‘Your hand, please Tirsa. If I can call you by your name that is.’ Call me by my name, why would she want to do that?
    Reluctantly she stretched her hand and nodded. Artride took her hand gently in hers and closed her own warm fingers around her cold hand, shutting her eyes while she cleared her throat. ‘Holy Spirits, please hear us , your children Artride Ceartas and Tirsa Lathabris.’ No titles were mentioned; Tirsa guessed Artride knew that that was of no importance here.
    Tirsa winced when she spoke her name aloud, in on e sentence with that of the queen. All of a sudden, it was so real; as if she, as a person, her identity was somehow acknowledged now that her name was spoken aloud by the queen and addressed to the Holy Spirits by her. All mighty beings.
    Suddenly it was all a little too much for her; her hand in that of the queen, someone she had always despised for her lack of backbone, but who had turned out to be more of a real queen than she had ever thought she would be. In standing so close to that powerful woman, smelling her light blossom perfume that made her feel drugged, she had to act strongly.
    ‘We do not ask much