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1- Another year gone by

I, princess Alaura Bay had just turned 14 years old, the whole kingdom was celebrating. It were as if someone had painted smiles on everyone’s face, everyone’s but my face. I stood on my balcony, observing what the people were doing below; shopping, chopping chickens, and kids hanging out with each other. 

The wind rippled across my face, the birds chirped sweetly and the sun was sinking under the waves of the beach. It was the most wondrous moment of my life, but even that couldn’t lift up my smile. I held the charm on my necklace on the palm of my hand, and watched it shine and glimmer in the remaining sunlight. Soon Yen Yen, my best friend, walked over to my balcony to join me. 

“Princess Alaura”, she said, bowing.

I forced a smile.

“You okay Alaura? You seem troubled”, said Yen Yen, frowning a little bit.

 I turned around and looked at her, she hasn’t changed the last six years. She still has the same raven black hair, hazel coloured eyes, and a way to figure out how I’m unhappy. But apart from that nothing else changed about her, she was still the same Yen Yen when I met her in the woods.

“Come on Alaura, I know there’s something wrong with you”, said Yen Yen getting a little impatient now.

“I don’t know how to explain this feeling, it’s just that …my mom has left me with my dad for four years. It’s just that feeling of being deserted. You know?”

Yen Yen didn’t say anything; I saw the shiny layer of tears  forming in her eyes. I knew I’ve said the wrong thing, because what I just said reminded Yen Yen of her own mother.

“Oh Yen Yen, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean t-”

Yen Yen didn’t say anything,but she patted my shoulder. 

“ I’ll go get some more cake”, she whispered, as a tiny, pearl shaped tear trickled down her face.

 After she left it was just me alone on my balcony again. Making my best friend upset made me feel like the most horrible person in the world. I tried to push away the thought of saying sorry to her again later on, so I closed my eyes and tried to remember what my mother looked like: brown hair, blue eyes and a shiny smile.

“Mommy”, I whispered, “I miss being called sugar”. I held the charm on my necklace, a golden wing; which my mother had given it to me before the divorce.

“May god protect you whilst I’m gone”, she had said. Then she put on her matching necklace, squeezed my hand and left. 

I wore the necklace everywhere and I never took it off. My eyes filled with tears as I held the charm tight, as if giving my mom a tight hug.

***

2- Yen Yen’s story

Some people think I’m selfish, that I only think about myself. Some people think I’m stupid or bold because of the way I act. Clumsy, not responsible, silly, whatever they call me; isn’t who I really am. You see, I’m not as stupid or as pure as I look; with pretty hazel eyes and raven black hair. I’m a two-face person. The first one I use is the one I use with everyone outside my room, that’s the selfish and bold one. The second one I use is the one I use with the people I trust the most, like my mom. This one is the serious and naive one. 

The reason I have two personalities is because I need to protect myself from the things I don’t want to hear. For example: Once, no one asked me to dance to the floral ball we have every year in school, you do not know how it feels like to be left alone in the corner with no one to dance with. I acted like I was totally fine and headed back home, even though I spent hours getting dressed in my room. I just didn’t show how I felt to the annoying girls who purposely do everything to make me embarrassed; even though I felt like running to a corner and crying my eyes out. I know why those girls are mean to me though, they’re jealous that I’m much more prettier than them. But I can’t do anything to stop that from happening, those girls are way wealthier than me, so I’ll just have to bear it for now.

I’ve always had the will to explore, but I didn’t know that my curiosity and my courage brought me to the edge of the cliff.

One day, on my way home from school, I found the girls hanging out near the school’s driveway. I was just about to walk away in the opposite direction when I heard one of the girls shout out my name: “Hey Yen Yen!”

I turned around. The five girls were smiling and waving for me to come over to them. I did some fast thinking of going or just walking away. If I went, the girls might be nice to me and I might get popular. If I didn’t go, the girls might hate me even more. Holding my breath I decided to give it a try and walked forward, getting closer and closer. 

“Hi Yen Yen”, they said together. Then without warning, one of them snatched my bag of my shoulder and made me land on the floor with a thump. 

“Fell for it didn’t ya?” smirked another one of the girls,whose name was Irene. “Now let me see what’s in here”.

The girl holding my bag dumped everything on the floor.

“Hmm…a notebook, a pencil case, a baseball cap…. Oh! What’s this? A secret box?” asked Irene looking at me curiously. I didn’t answer. Irene shrugged, then tried to open the box, but it was locked.

“Try pressing it down”, I suggested, trying not to smirk.

Irene eyed me up and down, suspiciously, but she took my suggestion. She held the box gently in her hand, but had it as far as possible from her, as if the thing inside was a dart frog.Then she cautiously pressed the box’s lid, then let go….and..1,2,3..SPLAT! Out popped a puppet! Irene screamed and dropped it to the floor. 

I hid my expression, saved it, because I knew something ridiculous was going to happen. Irene’s girly gang rushed forward to help her up, but Irene held up a hand to them and looked at me like I was some sort of gladiator challenging her. I just sat there on the ground, expressionless. Irene reached for the box, avoiding the puppet’s limp body. She felt the puppet, there was something squishy inside. She squeezed real hard, it was like squeezing my eyeballs out. Just as soon as she let go, a splatter of paint sprouted out of the puppet’s mouth and stained her dress and her face. She dropped the box again.

All the other girls ran to her aid to see if she was okay. Irene was such a sight! Her glossy blonde hair was blossoming in red. Her white dress was dripping in orange and green.

“My mirror,” Irene mumbled. One of the girls dived into her bag and handed Irene a mirror.

I exploded with laughter. Irene opened her eyes in disbelief, she closed and opened her eyes several times as she reflected herself in the mirror, as if this was just a mere dream. She turned her head around and looked at me, I stopped laughing. Irene stiffly walked towards me and held her hand out, I knew she was going to slap me. I quickly stood up grabbed my bag and the box, and charged out into the open, I heard Irene scream “Get her!” 

I ran as hard as I could and as fast as I could. My bag was in my way, so I took it off and hauled it backwards, I was sure it hit one of the girls because I heard a shrill scream. I ran and ran and ran, until I reached the woods. 

Double checking no one was behind me, I layed on the grass and gasped for air. What a day! I thought. When I felt I could breathe again, I got up and wandered into the woods, not worried about anything. Once or twice I thought I wandered into another world, I had a feeling someone was watching me. It was getting dark and I was tired, but I had nowhere to go. Soon, I stumbled across another portal, and found myself staring at a beautiful night sky. There in front of me was a girl in pretty blue eyes and wavy brown hair, she was holding a woman’s hand with a crown on her head, which I presumed to be her mother. The girl let go of her mother’s hand and ran to me.

“Hi my name is Alaura”, she said, as she helped me up. I smiled.

“Hi, my name is Yen Yen”.

***

3- Key memories

I soon grew tired of standing near the balcony, so I thought about taking a stroll to the library. I really didn’t feel like reading, but the library always made me feel welcome. Its warm glow of lanterns, its squishy purple sofas, and its humongous bookshelves made me feel small and safe. I didn’t feel like going over to talk with Yen Yen because I didn’t feel like I was ready for it, yet. She was like my half sister, we grew up together, and my parents were like her parents. If only my mother was here, then she would use her tender voice to guide me to Yen Yen and say sorry, but she isn’t here, not anymore.

As I walked over to the library, I put on my fake smile and cast it on the people who walked by to congratulate me about my birthday. I acted like I was totally fine, even if I wasn’t eager for their conversations. It was a big role to play the mature 14 year old princess, even if I just felt like a 12 year old one, but I did it anyway.

After what felt like a million years I finally reached the library. As soon as I stepped into the library and shut its sturdy oak doors, my fake smile was replaced by a natural one, it was almost magical. The warm glow of the library soothed my senses, and the familiar smell of roses cleared my mind. I walked over to a bookshelf, and ran my fingers across all the spines of the books. Memories came flooding back; the day I found Yen Yen, the day my mom left, they all came back to me. They were all so clear; the books were like the keys to my memories, because the library was my favourite place to be in, I always came to visit the library if I’ve had a really good day or a really bad day.

4- A Secret Room

I chose a book and sat down on a velvet armchair. I didn’t feel like reading, so I gently stroked the book with my finger. I wonder how many years this book has been here, I wonder if this book has been here when my mother was younger. Just thinking about my mother brought tears to my eyes, I just couldn’t bear thinking about her. It always felt like as if someone had just put a very sharp knife down my throat. I didn’t know why, but a piercing scream always came to my mind when I thought about my mother.

Suddenly I heard something. It sounded like someone crying, and it was coming from behind a bookshelf. I got up and tiptoed to the bookshelf, silently I put my ear close to it. 

“Oh mother…you t-told me to to be stro-ng…But I’m no-not..”

I heard the person inside weeping. It sounded like a woman. I sighed. I didn’t know who she was or how she got into this ‘secret’ room, but I felt sorry for her. I took a deep breathe and knocked on the bookshelf.

“Hello? Anyone one in there? Are you okay?” I asked, louder than I meant to. I heard a gasp and something being knocked over.

“Hello?”  

“Who are you?” asked a frightened voice. This person’s voice sounded oddly familiar.

I didn’t know how to answer without revealing my identity, I had a feeling I knew who the person was. I scanned through the books until I reached a velvet colored one titled A Hidden Place- Beyond Bookshelves. I plucked the book out from the other books surrounding it. Instantly, as soon as the book was separated from the bookshelf, the bookshelf began to turn. It turned itself 180 degrees and revealed a young teenage girl with raven black hair and hazel brown eyes. 

I squinted into the dim-lit room, it was messy; ivy, cobwebs, and weeds were everywhere. Right in the middle of all this crisis sat the teenage girl, which of course was Yen Yen. Yen Yen was in a very poor shape; her hair was in a mess, her white dress had holes in them, and she had bleeding scratches on her arms.

“Yen Yen!” I cried, “What happened to you?” I rushed forward to her, but she shrank from my touch.

“Is something wrong Yen Yen?” I asked timidly, anxious to hear what happened to her.

“I’m fine”, she whispered quietly. Her weak reply made me even more anxious about her.

“Are you sure?” I stepped carefully into the room.

“Please”, she whispered, “Leave me alone, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Tell me what happened Yen Yen, please”, I pleaded her, “Tell me what happened, then I’ll stop moving forward.”

“All right”, she said nodding her head faintly. “I’ll tell you the story, but you have to stay where you are or I might hurt you.”

I nodded fairly quickly and took a seat on an armchair outside. Yen Yen took a deep breathe and began….

***

5- A Kidnap

I didn’t know why I was so mad at Alaura. She must have just talked about her mother without thinking about mine. I know it’s hard to think about other people when you are in deep thought about yourself, that happens to me too. 

I wanted to hold my tears back, I wanted to show Alaura I could handle it, but I couldn’t. Tears simply shot out of my eyes. I knew I’ve made Alaura unhappy too, but I couldn’t bring myself up to say ‘it’s okay’. I told her I would go get some more cake, but I didn’t go to the dining room, I went a different way instead. I went outside to the palace  garden. Outside the noisy palace was a peaceful, graceful setting. I’ve always enjoyed being outside, ever since I was little. I enjoyed the cool breezes, the aroma of wild flowers, and the cheerful sound of birds.

When I was little, I would imagine myself as a fairy whose powers was to control plants and animals, I used to play with my mother…until she..passed away. Then I used to play with Alaura. 

Just thinking about my lighthearted past, brought a smile to my face. I sat down on the tender grass and sighed. A smile is just so simple, I thought, it’s so simple it’s almost complicated.

 The sky’s wonderful blend of pink and orange soon turned navy blue, Times up! I thought. I grinned and turned around, but found myself face to face with a man in a black hood. The color from my face quickly drained away. My smile turned to a gasp. My heart beat faster and faster, while my palms became wet. 

I was so engaged in my thoughts that I didn’t notice someone was behind me the whole time.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep my face still. The man laughed, then he pointed at me.

“Who do you think I am?” the man asked in a thundering voice. He reached into his hood and pulled out a small bottle.

I suddenly felt very thirsty, so I couldn’t resist myself saying no when the man offered it to me. I quickly opened the bottle and drank the mysterious liquid inside; never have I ever felt my mind become clearer in my life. I don’t remember anything else later on, but I do remember the burning pain of drinking the liquid afterwards. 

When I woke up I was in a dim-lit room. My dress was torn and my arms had scratches on them. I felt confused and anxious, but when I tried standing up something sprouted from my hands! Ivy! Weeds! Flowers! How and when did I get this power? I tried to remember. 

What in the world happened to me?

6- An Unexpected Turn

I found myself frozen as Yen Yen finished explaining what happened to her. 

 My hand was over my mouth, I couldn’t believe what Yen Yen just told me was real. 

“So…he kidnapped you?” I asked nervously.

“I told you, I don’t remember what happened to me after drinking that potion,” said Yen Yen, shaking her head.

I nodded slowly, uncertain of what to do next. Yen Yen twirled her long hair with her finger and stared into space.

“Are you sure he didn’t give anything else?”

Yen Yen shook her head. I sighed sheepishly and looked around the secret room, but something caught my eye: a bundle of ivy. Something was shimmering in the bundle. I cautiously walked towards the bundle. 

From the corner of my eye I saw Yen Yen get up. She yelled something to me. I ignored her and kept on walking towards the bundle. Her shouts grew louder and louder. 

Suddenly I felt something wrap around my waist, I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I looked down at my waist, it was ivy! I turned my head around and almost fainted with terror; Yen Yen’s eyes were scarlet red, her hair was floating in the air. She had managed to use her powers to trap me; thick bunches of ivy binded me tight and pulled me towards her. I struggled with all my might, but she was stronger. 

“Didn’t you listen to me?” screeched Yen Yen. I tried to anchor my feet to the ground, but failed. I stole a quick glance at Yen Yen behind me, I have never been so terrified of my friend my whole entire life. I didn’t want to hurt her, but this time I had to choose between death and survival. I hatched a plan in my mind. Yen Yen dragged me closer and closer to her; soon I was right in front of her. 

This was the point between death and survival; I knew one thing dark magic could resist, it was love. I tried thinking about all the times we spent our time together, and all the love we shared with each other. Sparkling tears fell from my eyes, and somehow they turned gold before it touched Yen Yen’s skin. As soon as my tears sank into her skin; Yen Yen’s hair stopped floating, and her eyes turned back to normal. She collapsed in a heap on the floor.

I lay on the floor, exhausted. When I recovered I walked toward the bunch of ivy and uncovered the shimmering thing. It was a beautiful metal box, with roses engraved on it. I opened it and found a letter and a rainbow colored flower inside it. The letter was addressed to Princess Alaura Bay. It was from someone called Queen Areen. I eagerly unfolded the letter, it said:

This is a warning for the unexpected turns ahead; you may not know this but I am your mother.

7- A Warning from Queen Areen

This is a warning for the unexpected turns ahead; you may not know this but I am your mother.

I know you must hate me for everything I’ve done,  I accept this as a punishment, but please do not ignore me this time. You are in danger. Your most trusted friends will either betray you or die. You must listen to me in order to survive. 

Fourteen years ago, before I met your father, I promised a man named Simone Black that I would marry him after he returned from the war. 

During the four lonely years I stumbled across your father and fell in love with him. Five years later Simone came back to purpose me, but he found me in the arms of another man. Simone was enraged. He vowed that he would return when my first child turned fourteen years old, and perish everything that they loved the most. Along in this box is a rainbow colored flower, once you touch it, it will immediately turn into a silver sword.  Use it carefully; I give you permission to hate me, but please listen to me this time.

Your faithful mother,

Areen 

I read the letter over and over again, confused and anxious. I couldn’t believe my eyes, this must be a make-believe. I glanced over at Yen Yen and remembered my mother’s letter: Your most trusted friends will either betray you or die.  Is Yen Yen betraying me or is she going to die soon? No, she isn’t betraying me, she’s probably just possessed. She couldn’t possibly die, can she? I walked over to Yen Yen and knelt down beside her, she isn’t supposed to go through this, she isn’t supposed to suffer. I’m the one who is supposed to suffer. 

For a while, I just sat down and looked at her, and thought of every enjoyable moment I’ve spent with her; how can I bear losing her? 

Slowly, the sun started to set, and still  Yen Yen did not wake. Her body was ice cold and her face was pale. My heart beat faster and faster. Questions kept on swimming around in my head: Does she feel pain? Can she remember anything? 

All of a sudden, Yen Yen opened her mouth and gasped for air. She opened her eyes and unexpectedly sat up.

“Yen Yen!” I cried, hugging her tightly around the waist.

“What…happened?” asked Yen Yen, drowsily. I didn’t say anything, but I smiled and took hold of her hand. Yen Yen smiled back. Neither of us noticed the man in the black hood leave the library.

***

8-  A Quest to the Seventh Hill

Yen Yen and I were hiking through the woods in the scorching sun, we were on our way to the Seventh Hill. I had my sword packed ready in case of an emergency.

After I saved Yen Yen from that horrible potion; we worked on Yen Yen controlling  her powers. She has managed to get rid of the ivy, and let flowers sprout from her hands instead. My friend, Liam, managed to help us locate the last place my mother has been to before she disappeared.

“You might find clues somewhere near the Seventh Hill,” he had said, “ Seventh Hill was her favourite place to go hiking.”

***

Liam was my best friend apart from Yen Yen. He was like my big brother when we were younger; I would tell him all my dreams and secrets, while he told me his. After a while he was more of a big brother to me, and I soon developed a crush on him. I know that I could always trust him, no matter what.

***

Liam warned us about the dangers ahead, and told us seriously not to trust anyone. When we told him about the man in the black hood, he simply shook his head and smiled mysteriously. ‘He must have been a fool who thought you were pretty’, he explained while laughing.

***

9-  A Damsel in Distress

Halfway through the woods, Yen Yen and I heard a shrill scream. It sounded like a young lady. Yen Yen and I argued for a while about either rescuing her, or just leaving her there and continuing on the path. In the end, tired of arguing, we both followed the sound. The sound lead us to a small village; its houses were all made of either gold, silver, or platinum. 

“They sure are wealthy,” murmured Yen Yen, under her breath. 

Blacksmiths and Goldsmiths thumped and carved their pieces, then a few of them got out of their huts and walked away in a different direction. Using bushes and hedges as our cover, Yen Yen and I followed them in that direction. 

Soon we came upon a young girl; she had flaming red hair streaked with purple and orange, and was in chains. She was pretty, so it was a pity to see her in ragged clothes. Craft workers were in some sort of line, all holding their pieces. A burly man walked forward to the girl and placed his piece on the ground next to her.

“What do you want?” asked the girl in a frail tone.

“Gold, make it gold,” he said. 

I was confused, what did he mean by making it gold? 

There was a man with short brown hair guarding the girl behind her, he had a whip in his hand. He looked at the girl with cold, greedy eyes.

The girl slowly put her hands on the piece, her eyes glowed gold, and a minute later the craft had turned to pure gold. Instantly, the craft man snatched the craft and walked away. More craft workers joined the line, while the girl lay exhausted on the ground. The man behind her started to whip her, and her screams filled the place.

I couldn’t bear watching her anymore, so I turned to Yen Yen, and found her looking away too.

“Why? Why do so many people have to suffer?” she whispered quietly.

I put my arm around her and gave her a hug.

“This is the world Yen Yen, if you don’t fight back, you will be crushed. This is about your will to fight against the world.”

Yen Yen cried silently on my shoulder, I tried to make my eyes dry.

***

10-  Run! As fast as you can! 

The sun soon got replaced by the moon, the stars twinkled brightly on the sky. It was a perfect night for stargazing, but for Yen Yen and me, it was the perfect night for a rescue. When the craftsmen have all gotten into their beds, we creeped over to the place where the girl lay, sound asleep. There were two men guarding her, but they were asleep.

 Quietly, without waking them up, we woke the girl up. The girl was startled, but she didn’t make a sound. I signaled with my hand for Yen Yen to build a cage around us. The girl watched amazed, as Yen Yen her powers to build a cage made completely out of plants. 

Meanwhile, I drew out my sword and started to chop through the chains. I made a complete racket, I know the plan was a bit noisy, but we couldn’t think of anything else.

Soon the girl was free, but on the other hand, guards were swarming all around us. Yen Yen battled them using her plant powers.

We heard a guard shout:

“Quick, wake up and sound the horn! Before they escape!” 

The three of us ran for our lives. Yen Yen tripped a few guards, but more guards were appearing before our eyes every second.  

Then, without warning Yen Yen turned around and yelled “RUN! AS FAST AS YOU CAN!” 

The three of us bolted away, unsure of the direction. As the guards came closer, the girl eyes started to glow gold, so every time she touched them, they turned to gold. There we were, the three of us running away from a stampede of guards; I led the way with my sword,  Yen Yen shot vines and ivy, and the girl turned things to metal. We barely knew each other, but we were working well already.

***

11-  A Bewitched Curse 

My name is Celine. I was a normal girl cursed to be a witch. 

My whole life has been an absolute tragedy; ever since since I was young, my mother died of cancer, my father had no choice but to marry another woman. I was raised up by my stepmother, and she treated me horribly. You see, my stepmother was fair of face, but a witch by heart. Her two daughters were just as wicked as she was. 

My father was almost never home, so it was just miserable me and my ‘adopted’ family. Everyday they would let me mop the floors, weed the garden, and wipe the furniture. I would always be sweaty-faced and foul-smelling, while they drank from fancy cocktail bottles and fanned themselves with delight.

You would probably connect me to the story of the girl who lost her slipper to a prince; but I’m not that girl, and I will never meet a prince or ever get out of this life.

***

One day, my stepsisters ordered me to go to the local well to fetch a pail of water. On my way there I met an old woman who asked me if she could drink the water I fetched, I said ‘yes, but only if you help me fetch a pail of water’. The old woman and I worked briskly, so we soon had a fresh pail of water. 

Although I promised her I would spare her some of the water, I took back everything I said and quickly ran away without saying anything to the old woman. I was fast, so the old woman soon fell behind. As I ran back to my house, the wind carried the old woman’s last words:

“Beware my wrath, I shall make you pay back.

Golds and silvers, you shouldn’t lack,

For they shall appear, 

As your worst fear.”

I was confused and bewildered, but I wasn’t afraid. Until the next day; I was thinking about gold and silver as I was weeding the lawns, suddenly the whole lawn turned into pure gold! I thought I struck it rich. 

A passing soldier saw me, he had short brown hair and he was very handsome; he thought I was blessed with powers. He gave me a bag of coins and asked me to come with him; I didn’t make the right choice by then, anywhere would have been better than here, so I followed him. The actions all happened fairly quickly:

For one moment, I thought that the passing soldier was my prince, who was about to take me away to a wonderful place. The next moment, I fell to the pit of the Earth; the soldier had just sold me to craftsman. My life never appeared to be the same after that.

***

12- A Memory to Dream

“So, your name is Celine?” asked Yen Yen, confused.

We had escaped the stampede of guards and were resting under the shade of the tree. A cheerful crackling fire illuminated our faces, as Celine had just told us her miserable tale.

“It was,” said Celine, “ before the chief craftsman renamed me to Acantha, meaning thorn or a sharp-pointed object.”

“Why would he name you that? That name makes you sound so…sharp.”

I privately agreed with Yen Yen , but I didn’t say it out loud; her name reminded me of an acanthus, a flower Liam gave me everyday when we were younger. Whenever my father took him out to hunt in the woods; if Liam found an acanthus, he would tuck it somewhere safe, then after his training he would give it to me. 

Suddenly, a memory appeared into my mind, it appeared so clear it startled me: 

It was a breezy spring day, and a cloudless sky; I was standing on my balcony, waiting for something. It was afternoon, but it wasn’t hot outside. A pink magnolia tree shaded me from the sun; the sunlight peeked through the gaps of the pink leaves, leaving light spots on the floor of the balcony. Those spots were like tiny candles placed on the ground, while the pink and orange colors made my blue frock a shade of purple. I was resting my face on my hands as I stared into space, not knowing why a smile appeared on my face.

Just then, I heard the cheerful, booming voice of my father. I snapped up and narrowed my eyes, to take a closer look at the two figures walking towards the palace. It was my father riding a horse and Liam, jogging to keep up. 

I couldn’t help, but let out a chuckle. Liam must have heard it because he looked up at the balcony and saw me, then he grinned a little. My father, noticing that Liam wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, looked up too. He and Liam waved at me, and I waved back. My father bent down to Liam and whispered something into his ear. Then my father waved to me again before he set of again. Liam rushed through the palace doors with a huge smile on his face. 

Soon he I saw him come upstairs to the balcony.

“Liam!” I squealed, “How are you?” I buttoned up the loose buttons on his shirt. I looked at those blue, blue eyes that looked back at me.

“Never been better,” he said proudly, as he ruffled my hair. He was twelve then, I was eleven. 

“I got something for you,” smiled Liam, he searched around his shirt until he found what he was looking for: an acanthus. He handed it to me, grinning from ear to ear. I held the acanthus, it was a little bit wet but, I admired its spikes and its spiny leaves. 

“Thank you, Liam!” I said gratefully as I gave him a hug. 

“C’mon, I have so much more to show you… your highness,” said Liam in a playful tone. He stretched out his hand. I laughed, then I put my hand into his….

***

I found myself crying silently, tears seemed to trickle down my face automatically. I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand, I opened my eyes wide. It was very dark, Yen Yen and Celine have both fallen asleep. Was all that a dream? Had I put myself to sleep without noticing it? Why would I dream or remember something about Liam?

13- Seventh Hill

Weeks passed, days passed, and we were getting closer to the Seventh Hill. The three of us had bonded exceptionally well during this period of time. Celine was getting along quite well with us now, a few weeks ago, she threatened to turn Yen Yen to gold if we didn’t listen to her. 

My dream was left far behind; with the excitement of finally finding my mom and bringing her back home. 

My father would be overjoyed to see her, I haven’t talked to him ever since my birthday. That was because I felt angry, that he left my mother, I felt deceived by him. I only left a letter for him when I left the palace.

You may think I was immature to do this, I regret now, too. What would you have done if you had a problem like me?

***

The green hills sparkled under the sunlight, the flowers were like jewels. The birds and butterflies were getting along, while the insects buzzed happily. We have finally reached Seventh Hill! After all this crisis we have finally reached it. Yen Yen breathed in the scent of fresh grass, while Celine bent down slowly and sat on the ground. She hasn’t seen such a beautiful sight in such a long time. I surveyed the ground, no wonder my mother loved this place so much! The three of us hiked a bit more, soon a village came into view. Celine hid behind us as we got closer, she explained about how there might be more craftsman there. Yen Yen and I assured her that this village would be safe enough for her, which was kind of true.

This village wasn’t as grand as the first one we saw; it didn’t have shiny roofs, it had straw roofs. It didn’t have gold, silver, or platinum walls; it had brick walls. The whole village looked like it had been through a war.

 As we walked nearer we noticed the glass shattered all over the ground, there were chipped and damaged furniture both inside and outside of the houses. Smudges of scarlett red could be found every now and then.

Suddenly we heard cold evil laugh pierce over the silence. It was coming from a hut that seemed recently repaired. I beckoned Yen Yen and Celine to move forward, I put my finger to my mouth to warn them about the dangers ahead. As we got closer we caught a few words of the conversation: 

“….only those with minds of hatred and those with no mothers can defeat you,” quivered a voice that sounded like a young boy.

“Then I have no one to fear! Isn’t it, my boy?” laughed a man.

“I’m not so sure about that,” exclaimed the boy. 

Although they didn’t see it they heard a loud slap.

“Take him outside, he is no use to us any more. Make sure he suffers as much as possible,” said the cold, cruel voice.

“Yes, sir,” answered another voice. This voice sounded oddly familiar to me though. There was a cry from inside the hut, the sound of furniture knocked down, and a shout. 

The door opened, and out came a black hooded man holding a black-eyed boy. The three of us gasped, so did the black hooded man. The boy smirked. 

“Alas my antagonist, you shall live no longer, for the heroes of the motherless have arrived,” he spoke smoothly. The black hooded man punched him hard on the nose, and the boy fell backward shielding his nose.

“Master,” he stuttered, “ they have arrived!”

Out came the scarred man, he wore black and had short brown hair.

“Who are you?” I asked keeping my voice steady.

The man eyed me up and down carefully, he noticed my bright blue eyes first.

“I presume you are Princess Alaura, one of the motherless,” he said his thin lips curving into a smile. “Your blue eyes remind me so much of Areen.”

I gulped, here before me was no other than Simone Black!

14- A Betrayal

If it wasn’t for Celine who spoke up first, I swore I was frozen to the ground. Celine spoke with fire in her eyes, her voice prickled like thorns. This man was the young soldier years ago, who sold her to the craftsmen. Celine remembers him, even with his ugly scars, her expression scrunched up with hatred. Now I understood why the chief craftsman had once named her Acantha, she exactly matched her name when she was furious.

Simone, however, didn’t take her words to heart. Once Celine fired something at him, he simply tore them away, like paper. 

“So she remembers me,” said Simone delightfully.

Celine looked as if she might have burst. She suddenly held out her hand, her eyes glowed gold. I knew at once she had to be stopped, or she could get herself killed.

“Celine NO! ” I screamed, reaching my hands out, but it was too late. 

Simone just lazily lifted up his hand and reversed Celine’s spell, so poor Celine turned into solid gold. It was a mixture of awe and horror. Her hair was in the air, her hands were stretched out, and her expression was mingled with fury.

Yen Yen gasped with fear. I shuddered.

“Now”, he said, facing us; “let me explain why you’re all heroes of the motherless.”

He gestured to the boy, who sat in the corner all forgotten. The boy nervously walked towards us.

“My dear, why don’t you explain to them?”

The boy gulped twice and stared at Celine. Simone now gestured to the black hooded man, who walked forwards and looked at Celine’s solid face, then he circled his hand once around her face. 

Slowly the gold started to thaw, colors started to appear; soon enough Celine was able to breath again. When her body fully recovered, she fell to the ground and gasped for air. Yen Yen rushed to her side.

The boy started to explain:

“Celine,” he said bowing, “daughter of a diseased mother.”

Celine looked at him, blood rushing from her cut lip.

“ Yen, daughter of a broken-hearted mother.”

Yen Yen, remembering her narrow escape from the mean girls at her school, nodded and continued to wipe Celine’s lip; silent tears fell down her cheeks again.

The boy pitifully looked at Yen Yen, but after a few moments, he moved towards me.

“And finally, Princess Alaura,” he said bowing lowest of all;  “daughter of Queen Areen.”

I looked deep into the young boy’s eyes as they filled with tears. Even though his face has been bruised all over, his tears made me have sympathy for him. It made me want to fight back for him, it made me want to fight back for all the people who suffered from the wrath of Simone Black.

“Simone Black,” I declared, “ I believe you have reasons for all your wrong doings?”

Simone laughed, “You think I was the one behind all this? Not really, the man who has done all of this is…him.” Simone turned around and pointed at the black hooded man.

“Take of your mask son, it’s time they knew before they perish.”

The hooded man, hesitated. I drew out my sword I had from behind my back.

Reluctantly, the man took of his mask, and revealed a young teenage boy with smooth blonde hair. He had bright blue eyes. I nearly fainted, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was….Liam! After all these years, how could he betray me? 

“Liam..” my mouth went dry, “how?”

Simone laughed a cold laugh, 

“Put all the pieces of the puzzle together Princess, I hear you were very smart.”

 I glanced over at Yen Yen, who also had her mouth open.

Liam spoke up:

“I was the person who gave Yen Yen the potion, I was the one who possessed her. Thanks to me, she now has amazing plant powers.”

Liam grinned, that grin certainly did not match his handsome figure.

The letter you received was a fake, I wrote it. Why would you think she would write you a letter, when she barely had time to comprehend her own death? We put it in the room, so you would waste enough time for us to get a head start.”

“ A head start on what?”

“Your father,” replied Simone, examining his gloves. “The letter was a distraction for you to go to Seventh Hill.”

“But Liam…helped us with the direction,” squeaked Yen Yen.

“I lied, you two were too gullible,” smirked Liam. “That got you out of our way, so we could murder your father. You should have seen his face!”

I was shocked, so shocked I fell to the ground.

“Alaura!” Yen Yen and Celine rushed to my side.

“And,” continued Simone gleefully, “ Celine was a distraction, too. Didn’t you notice the man behind her? It was me! I drank a potion and pretended to be him, when actually the real one was dead inside his hut!”

Simone laughed like a crazy man.

“YOU DISGUSTING MONSTER!” shouted Celine angrily.

My face turned pale, my lips purple. Yen Yen supported my frail and limp body.

“Liam,” I said weakly, “ how could you? You swore to my father you would devote your whole life to him. You promised me you would bring me an acanthus each day…”

Liam stared at me for a moment, that memory suddenly started playing in his mind.

“I remember,” he said softly. “But I have always loathed your father strongly.”

“Why?” I muttered. 

Liam gave me an apologetic laugh.

“I hope you will forgive me one day; I just wanted you to know I’ve always loved you,” saying this, Liam disappeared, with a twirl of his cloak.

I wanted to throw up, but I couldn’t. My insides churned uncomfortably.

Simone’s lips curled gleefully, “ I’m sorry Princess, but I’m afraid you have to leave this world, the way your mother did.”

He held out a hand, but before I could move a muscle, Celine dived right in front of me and Yen Yen. She instantly turned into a transparent statue. 

Simone looked at our astonished faces, and cracked his knuckles: He had just missed a shot.

“I despise you,” he spat. 

Then he looked around at all of us.

“I will be back one day, to make sure all the witnesses are dead.” Then with a twirl of his cloak, he disappeared.

With my remaining strength, I limped over to Celine. I wrapped my hands around her frozen expression.

Dark clouds filled the sky, thunder rumbled loudly, it was going to rain.

Heavy drops of rain started to fall; a raindrop landed on Celine’s face. It looked like Celine was weeping from the inside.

15- The Dream

“My name is Ashley, I used to be Queen Areen’s servant, I can read minds,” said the boy. 

He gave me a charmed necklace; it had a golden wing as a charm, which meant it was my necklace’s twin. I knew it was my mother’s, so I held it tight. It was a wonderful sensation, it was like my mother holding my hand again.

With my mother’s necklace, all of this seemed like a strange dream.

“He said he was going to come back one day right? We shall avenge him in favor of all the people who suffered under his wrath,” I said calmly.

I thought of Liam, my parents, Celine, the boy, Yen Yen, and me.

Then I stood up, and walked west, where the sun was setting.

“Today the sun sets, but tomorrow it arises again.”

~End~