Chapter 4 Rescue Red As A Ruby

• Alice woke up scared. She was in a bright room with light walls and cream-colored curtains. Their sheets were white and the quilt of the same color as the walls with golden details.
• The healer remembered the day she had been kidnapped by the king.
• They arrived in that unknown kingdom, in a castle with high white towers with blue tips, wide wooden and iron doors, and large glass windows. A strange atmosphere hovered in the air, a silver and white fog that joined the site, making the walls twinkle.
• The guards dragged her through the huge corridors that came just past the white wooden door, pictures of several men and women who appeared to be kings and queens adorned the dark walls. After these, several white wooden doors were seen, something very rare to find. They stopped in front of one of these, and as soon as she stepped in the room the woman’s vision became blurred, the fog entered through her nostrils and she fainted.
• Currently, she noticed that there was a table next to him with fresh fruit. I was hungry, but preferred not to risk it. There could be something in them.
• "Oh, good! You woke up! " said someone opening the door.
• The "someone" was a woman with silver hair, light brown skin and yellow eyes. She wore a black dress with shine, worthy of a queen.
• She certainly wasn’t a servant. Was Alice there to be a slave?
• "I’m sorry to ask you something right away, but... could you tell me where I am?
• The other smiled and sat on the bed.
• "Sure, honey! We’re in Harlisze. In the castle.
• "Harlisze? " Surprised. " Can’t be. " said worried.
• "You’re here because of Mira. " replied the other.
• "Mira? What do you want with my daughter? " exclaimed Alice, worried.
• "I’m sorry, but you were used as bait to lure our daughter here. " said the woman sadly holding Alice’s hand.
• "Are you Queen Sophie? Her real mother? " said Alice remembering what Liam had vaguely told her about Mira’s story.
• "Yes. I believe Liam has already told you something about me.
• "Yes, but not much. All I know is that you wanted to protect her from something.
• Sophie stared at her.
• "How is she? How is she?
• "She’s become a beautiful woman. Mira is a little clumsy. "Laughed Alice. " But she does what she can. She’s really good with her meds and she’s trying really hard.
• Sophie smiled.
• "It seems that the part of the cure is in the family. " said the queen.
• "Are you also a healer? " asked Alice, interested.
• "Healer? Almost that, I was apprenticed to a priest. " replied Sophie. "Not a royal priestess like Mira, we only learned to use magic together with nature to heal, but I have had true priests in the family. Of course they are from centuries ago, when this group still existed.
• "That’s great. Mira would have learned a lot from you. "Alice smiled. "Her hunch about Mira was correct. "What happened to her going to my world?
• The queen’s gaze became obscure when she began to tell the story to the other:
• "My husband, the king, wanted to kill her. He was one of the faithful followers of the god Temenis and wanted to please him at all costs. Neelas was a cruel and vile man. He hated fairies and mongrels for some unknown reason. That’s why he murdered several families. I believe you know the history of the gods. Well, even though he was imprisoned, Temenis was furious, since he wanted all species by his side for something I do not know. The only species the god wanted dead was the priests. But there was no living priest, at least that’s what we thought, until Mira turned 6. Her powers awakened. I prayed to the gods to help me. And so I and the healing god, Eluin, sealed his powers. But it was too late. My husband found out and he didn’t care about Mira, or the fact that she was his daughter. The only thing the former king wanted was to kill her to please Temenis.
• "It can’t be... you’re the queen. And Mira... I never knew.
• "You don’t have to treat me any differently, Alice. Call me Sophie. Besides, you have my eternal gratitude for being a great mother to my daughter. I didn’t want her to be treated differently.
• "Thank you. What happened to your husband?
• "Dylan, my eldest son, killed him.
• "I... How? " asked Alice, surprised.
• "It was the right thing to do. That tyrant had to be stopped. " said Sophie with disgust.
• "My mother is right, miss. " said someone entering the place. "Someone had to stop him.
• In front of him was a young man of maximum 18 years, white hair and honey-colored eyes, wearing a black cloak.
• "Who are you and want him from me? " she said backing away. Somehow, despite the color of her eyes being different, Alice knew that this was the man who had taken her there.
• "I am the king, Dylan Idies " smiled. " And as my mother told him, the lady is the bait to bring my little sister here.
• "Why? What did we do for you? " asked angrily.
• "Nothing. But I need her.
• She stared at him for a moment. "Why would a brother want to lure his sister into something? It sure wasn’t a good thing."
• "Alice, remember I told you about the families my husband destroyed? " said Sophie. "Well, a relative of one of them took revenge. She cast a curse on us. That’s why Mira is needed. But because of the seals we put on her to lock her memories and her powers, beyond the curse, our girl has to come here of her own free will.
• "What kind of curse?
• "I can’t tell you, whenever I find something about it, my memory about it is erased. I believe the fairy wanted my children to pay for their father’s horrible deeds.
• Alice looked at the young man wondering if he would tell her about the curse. But what came out of his lips was something totally different.
• "Come on? Your boyfriend’s waiting.
• "Boyfriend? Does he mean Liam?" Alice thought.
• Dylan reached out to her.
• "Come, I must show that you are well.
• "How do I know if I can trust you? " he asked.
• "I don’t think you have much choice, right? " He smiled mischievously.
• The king took her to the entrance of the palace. There was Liam with someone else. A man with orange eyes and blue hair. Both wore a pair of dark green light fabric, brown boots, a coat of mail that protected the breastplate and a cloak with a hood, which was the piece that differentiated the dress from the two, Liam’s was green and the other’s red.
• But what she noticed differently was pointy ears in both. And Liam’s cap was gone, revealing his short red hair alive and rebellious.
• However, she did not mind. She ran to Liam, but Dylan stopped her by holding her arm.
• "Let’s talk inside, cousins.
• "Don’t you dare touch her, Dylan! " cried the redhead.
• "I’m not. " I said as she smiled sarcastically.
• When Liam entered the palace, Alice ran to hug him finally.
• "You’re safe now. I’m here. " he said holding her tightly.
• "You can go, cousin. You can take her. I won’t stop anyone from leaving! " Dylan exclaimed.
• Alice stared at the king without understanding anything. How were they cousins?
• As if guessing his question, Dylan exclaimed:
• "Liam and I are cousins, since our mothers are sisters. But I know your real curiosity is why you were brought here, right? "The king stared at her with sharp and cunning eyes. "The lady heard about the curse, Mira will come to me anyway. I just needed a trigger. I’m sorry to use it as such.
• "I will not allow her to return. " the woman replied.
• Dylan laughed.
• "You think so? We are brothers, we have the same blood. And nothing prevents such a connection. One day my little sister will come to me. It is her destiny to find her family and free herself from the seals. And there is nothing you can do.
• "Come on Alice, come on! " said Liam.
• "Thank your mother for me, Your Highness. " Alice bowed before him even hating him. " She was very kind to me.
• "I will. I think we’ll see each other soon. We’re family now, right? In many ways... " replied Dylan’s facing Liam
• Before leaving, the woman looked at him with hatred.
• "Thanks for helping me, Liam. " She smiled.
• However, a thought was present in his mind.
• "Or if Queen Sophie is your mother’s sister, she must be royalty, right? I should call you Highness? " she laughed.
• "Don’t worry about it, dear. I may be the prince of the other realm, Idys and my mother the queen, but treat me as you’re used to treating me.
• She looked down, ashamed.
• "Ride my horse. You’re still weak. Let’s ride together. " the man said caressing her hand.
• The prince helped her ride and sat behind her with his arms around her waist, guiding the animal.
• "What about your friend?
• "My brother must be with my aunt right now" smiled.
• "With the queen? " exclaimed surprise.
• "Yes. They’re very close.
• Alice looked at him shocked and he laughed.
• "Rian is not my mother’s son. Only my father. Of a case he had before the two of them got married. But she treats him as her own.
• "I get it. " She replied less shocked.
• Upon hearing this, Alice remembered her daughter.
• "Are you worried about Mira?
• She nodded.
• "Don’t worry, I think I know where our girl is. After her abduction, Mira was taken by my aunt to a high school, Luminus Theorys. It is considered a neutral zone, it does not belong to any kingdom. I will send a friend of mine there. I don’t want you to go, I think I’d better keep you safe in my kingdom, it could be dangerous. And I can’t go because... in, say I wasn’t the best student. "Laughed. "I just didn’t get kicked out because of my dad.
• "So you were a naughty boy? " Alice laughed.
• "No! It wasn’t... "Liam tried to defend himself. " People just didn’t like the pranks I played " he laughed making an innocent expression.
• "We arrived! " he exclaimed at last.
• At first the healer saw nothing, until the horse began to walk and Alice felt something icy touch her like the drops of dew falling on her body after the rain.
• It was obvious that Liam lived in a castle. The girl just did not imagine something like that: the place was surrounded by trees as bright as the stars, you could hear the sound of waterfalls that sparkled in various tones touched by sunlight. The castle was covered in shades of silver and gold as if absorbing sunlight and the moon. It was magnificent. The woman had not seen something like that before.
• "It’s... wonderful! I’ve never seen anything like it.
• "You can see it every day if you wish..." the elf meant, but held back.
• "Thank you. Come on? My mother is waiting for us...
• "Your mother? But... I’m not even presentable.
• "You look beautiful. Besides, she doesn’t mind things like that. Even if you were wearing rags the queen wouldn’t mind.
• Alice looked at him worried and the man smiled encouraging her.
• Arriving near the castle, he helped her get off the horse and offered her his hand. Willingly accepting it, the woman followed him with a beating heart. She was worried about her daughter and finding that queen.