I never really did understand why she had to die; why she had to leave me and Helena alone like that. I would never understand why or when death took its victims, or even where it sent them afterwards. Helena said that she went to Heaven, the place where all good mothers went, and that someday we would join her there if we were good enough to the Church. I didn’t understand what being good to the church meant at the time, I just new that I had to believe.

It wasn’t until then that I realized I had been crying, staring into the beautiful face of the woman in the open casket. She was still just as beautiful, her slender pale face still graced with a smile on her cherry red lips. They shut the icy casket, and began to lower her into the hole below. The hole, otherwise known as the “Icehold”, was a place where they stored all the members of the royal family when they passed on. It preserved their bodies so that one day they might look upon them again. Helena thought this was rubbish, since she new the dead would never rise again.

“No, Helena,” I began, my voice hiccupped by my sobbing. “No. We will see her again remember? When we go to heaven.”

Helena sneered and turned away from the Icehold, her arms crossed, “Hmph, I don’t believe in that stuff. Angels, the devil, it all seems a bit to brain washing...think about it Anca, do you really want this province to fall into the hands of another country because of our belief in faith? How could God stop Wallachia or Moldaiva from taking over?” She asked.

I shook my head furiously, “No! Victor...Victor said he would take care of the guard! He said we wouldn’t have to worry about any of it, Helena!”

“Yes, but what happens if Victor dies? If our brother dies, we are left alone to watch over this province until the people become fed up with our rule, murder us, and find a new ruler; it happens repeatedly in History. Just as I said, Michael “the brave” won’t last much longer until the people revolt. This will happen to us as well when we are queen.” Helena explained, a cruel smile on her face.

“You mean when you are queen, I’m always just going to be the princess. Besides, I don’t even want to be the Ice Queen, Helena.” I pouted, “Then I wouldn’t be able to hang out with Victor the same way!”

“Yes but you would get to be queen, riches, respect and power, Anca, remember? Remember the fear that father struck into the hearts of those peasants? I could do that too, all I have to do is kill a few prisoners...”

“No, Helena! Father was wrong... he was always wrong!” I cried, shaking my head, “Besides, mother said that the needs of one and the needs of few should always be sacrificed for the needs of many.”

“That’s why mother died. She was always so frail and peaceful. It sickened me... I always wanted to be like father, the powerful sinful man who always enjoyed everything he did! He never had to live up to the public’s standards!”

“Yes but father was banished! He never lived up to the needs of the people, he only lived up to his own standards.” I said, closing my eyes in anger.

Helena shook her head quietly and looked up at the castle up on its crag, “Heh, such a peaceful dream, Anca. “The needs of many”...”