Painting of Vraruka

This is one entry for the Cabinet of Curiosities (Guillermo del Toro anyone?) Challenge. It is assigned to the prompt "art", but also covers the prompt "Sentient".

Overview

The Painting of Vraruka is a huge oil painting depicting the last Mistress of Vraitha, Queen Vraruka, the mother of Vrinis. It is located and hung behind the huge mahagony thrones of the Mistress and her Consort, overlooking the seatings of the council or other gatherings the Mistress sees fit, even during the weekly hearings of the citizens. The cold gaze of the former queen in the painting is only rivaled by the gaze of the actual ruling Mistress.

Some fear the gaze of the painting more than the actual Mistress who can just nod and ones life is forfeit. This painting looks alive and follows one with the eyes. And sometimes seems grumpy or happy. But that is only an illusion. Right?

History

This huge painting appeared shortly after the vanishing of the old queen; first it was found in her bedroom and after decree of her daughter hung up right behind the throne. Nobody knew why because mother and daughter weren't so fond of each other. Some might say because of their choice of partners and Consorts, others say because of their choice on how to rule Vraitha, others say because of both.

There are voices who think it is distasteful to have this huge painting behind the thrones when nobody knows what has happened to the Mistress herself. They haven't found blood, her body or other traces which might explain her vanishing. So after the standard period of three years of waiting her daughter was assigned Queen of Vraitha with all of her rights and duties.

After the crowning ceremony the daughter hung up the painting right behind the thrones. Some say she talks with the painting. Maybe her grief is too much to bear so she has to talk to her mother.

Creation

Content warning: Body horror, blood, dark rituals, mental pain

In contrary to the believes that Vraruka has left her kingdom behind or was killed, the theory of the third group is closer to the truth than they think: that she is imprisoned somewhere because the daughter had enough of her prude and conservative mother.

The truth is a bit more morbid than just being imprisoned. Vrinis hired a man to paint something for her. But he was no ordinary painter. He was known in Vraitha and the surrounding kingdoms as the Shadow Painter since his paintings were all dark. His reputations preceeded him so Vrinis put a lot of coin in his hand to do her bidding.

And her bidding was bloody and gory. She had poisoned her mother Vraruka with a paralysing poison. Just one drop in her favourite wine and her body was not hers anymore. They brought Vraruka into the old stronghold into its deepest cell where the hellish work began.

The Shadow Painter drew a summoning circle in the cell, laid out his canvas and the clothings of Vraruka on top of that. The nude woman was placed on top of all that and the Shadow Painter opened her up. The moment her blood was spilled, the circle got activated and kept her alive during the procedure. Every organ like heart, lung, stomach, liver, was placed inside one of the small circles with specific runic inscriptions. Vraruka was alive during all this and was alive as the Shadow Painter started to work.

He painted her in her chambers, with the formal, not so revealing or nude attire the daughter and other Queens before her favoured. He painted her in all her frosty glory with her gaze, the upright posture, the black hair, the make-up, the powdered skin and her piercing, nearly ice-blue eyes.

The moment he finished the last stroke with his brush, the circle did the last part: the canvas, the clothes, the organs and Vraruka herself flew into the canvas the Shadow Painter had used. One last scream and Vraruka, Queen and Mistress of Vraitha, was imprisoned in an oil painting. Her daughter Vrinis had paid the price for it and could hear her mother speaking and screaming and wailing, but from afar. Only her normal voice and some whispers were clearly to understand. But only from the daughter.

What happened to the Shadow Painter? Well... lets say he is still alive and painting.

Watching

Since Vrinis hung up the painting of her mother, Vraruka is watching every move of her daughter, every decree, every party, every gathering. She comments on everything and gives advice, wanted or not. Even when Vrinis closes the entire room for one of her special gatherings. Luckily Vraruka couldn't watch her in her bedroom. That would be a bit too much.

And why this nonsense with the Shadow Painter and the ritual? Because Vrinis was annoyed and thought that Vraitha had a better future when a more progressive queen was the ruling Mistress. Not only in partners, but in trade, commerce, military and standing inside the alliance of the seven kingdoms. But she couldn't kill her mother and needed a way to get rid of her. A normal prison was too easy, even one in the mountains. But a painting... nobody would assume that a painting was alive.

And Vraruka was very much alive. She was forced to watch everything which happened in the throne room. To listen. But she couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even breathe in the hellfire which was her painting. She would scream for hours when the dangling organs were too much to bear - the transportation hadn't healed her - and she would cry and sometimes curse her daughter and the wretched painter.

And she would do so for all times to come until her painting is destroyed to the last bit of canvas.

Vraruka by CrazyEddie via Midjourney