Crimson Reprisal [STOPPED FOR NOW]

XVI | The Only Princess

MERRILYN

The resonance of the sacred woods along with the hissing of tiny creatures triumphed over the secret garden within the walls of Amor. Hidden behind the blacksmith tower at the edge of the castle, the secret garden also known as Lelia's Garden had been a forbidden place. 

It had been almost a decade since the King had stepped onto this very soil. Dedicated to his beloved sister, Princess Lelia Auburn, Myras built an entire sacred hideout for her. Her love towards Lelia was beyond any man's descriptions. 

Carvings on the skin of the trees were signs of Lelia's faded residence. Every plant and creature living in Amor seemed to be emitting her long lost presence. Lelia used to spend her whole life in this fantasy world the King had provided her. Her optimism had filled this place until she was kept under the ground.

Since the day the Yellow Plague took place, no one was ever here, except for one - that ice cold princess, Merrilyn. 

The noisy clanking across the castle hallways was cacophony to the princess' ears. As an escape, she took her leave towards Lelia's Garden to give a visit to her mother.

Turning and cutting through the castle's familiar hallways, Mary noticed an unusual traffic of royal guards patrolling around. At the exit of the castle near the secret garden, a large concentration of red cloaks were standing by. The sight didn't slow her down however, as she continued dashing towards the garden with her bare feet.

Her lovely white dress with beautiful long hair just like her mother's, Mary charmed every young knight despite her coldness. Eyes gazed towards her but she couldn't care less.

Upon setting her bare feet onto the soil, her mind was completely calm. Instead of the chaos represented by the sigil of Amor, the iron fist, her thoughts were the opposite - at peace. Mary lost her consciousness to the surrounding as she could feel every single heartbeat surging through from her chest

Wait. Something's different. As she took several steps deeper into the garden, she noticed a presence. A shadow cast onto her mother's tomb, it was Myras'. His knee was mushed down to the ground and his head was looking down towards the Rog Hells. 

"Your Majesty..." Having her eyes set upon the King, her thoughts were frozen. This was the last place she had expected herself to meet the King. 

Almost feeling like he had expected her forthcoming, Myras Auburn murmured a reply, "Mary."

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I've lost your mother..." His words, denser than ever, projected every single remorse he had ever felt struck the princess like a chained voice. "I can't... I can't lose Lyna as well."

The only two women Myras had ever loved was his sister and his wife. The missing Queen definitely tortured the King internally as he could not bear her lost.

Mary did not reply a word. She took a few careful steps towards a sacred stone, with her mother's name, 'Lelia' embedded on it and traced it. Her smooth fingers ran across and she felt every bit of roughness and edges on the stone.

With a placid tone, she uttered, "She'll always be in your heart, Your Majesty. The Trees had told me that my mother had always loved her brother. With a long sword on his hand or a crown on his head, my mother loved you as much as you did for her." Mary fingers stopped, at the edge of the rock.

"How would you know that?" Myras asked, but his eyes never left the tomb.

"I've been here for years. Every scratch and mark she had made were all at the back of my palm. I know her just as much as you do, Your Majesty."

Myras let out a solemn exhale. He was devastated, crushed all the way as if he was beneath the deadly mountains of Alora. 

Mary knowing the King needed some alone time, she blurted, "The Queen is still alive, Your Majesty." Though sudden, her voice sounded like it was empowered with absolute affirmation.

"How can you be so sure?" Finally, his vision moved towards the princess. Elegant and pretty, her sparkling cold eyes certainly reminded him of Lelia.

"The Trees told me. I could sense it."

"The Trees?" The King was bewildered.

"Yes, the Trees. Look at those rocks across the pond." Her hands gracefully pointed towards the rocks. They were no ordinary rocks. Towers of rocks stacked together with perfect balance was visually impossible to have existed. "With a cleared mind, the Rogs have granted me the access to communicate with the Trees. It almost felt that... that I was talking to another dimension."

Having her entire life living alone in the castle with no friends, Mary had spent majority of her time meditating in Lelia's Garden. It was no doubt that she had formed a special connection between the Trees and herself. The Trees, which she believed, had granted her magical powers that she could not have explained.

Myras Auburn, finally stood up. With his right hand holding tightly onto his Alorian crown, he gave a modest yet humble bow towards Lelia's tomb. He looked towards Mary and muttered, "I hope you're right, Mary, for everything that you've said."

"I hope so too, Your Majesty." Mary, looking towards the King, at his weakest moment... but that was about to change.

With a confident grip onto the handle of the black sword which was leaning onto the side of a tree, Myras placed his Alorian crown back onto his head. He voiced out, "Thank you, Mary."

Deep inside Mary, she was relieved that the King got back up on his feet. It was necessary for him to do so. The words about the rebellions have spread across the castle walls and it seemed that the King was too crumbled to focus on them. Not anymore. She thought to herself.

"They are waiting for you, Your Majesty." With a last look into her beautiful eyes, reminding himself of his own sister, he walked away from Mary serenely.

Mary shut her eyes and allowed darkness to fend her from light. As she search for the Trees within her matte space of thoughts, she froze. Her thoughts shattered like a cracking glass as she felt a magical surge of unknown energy going through in her body. Flowing from the soil of the garden towards her head, she felt safe, connected.

Flashes of memory of the skies turning ruby crashed into her thoughts as she tried to comprehend it. It was a mess as she seemed to not have mastered the meditation. Images of short men leaping across a forest and Alorian knights took shape inside her.

Suddenly a tremendous sound interrupted her thoughts. Thunder.

Before she could leave the Trees, she heard a girl's scream. No, it couldn't be. It was the Queen's voice. She was certain of it. Apart from the few personal maidens, the only girls ever known within the castle walls were only Queen Lyna and herself.

Another strike of thunder woke Mary up from her dream - a visit to the other dimension. With her gentle hands, she placed her hand onto her mother's tomb once again.

"I wish you were here, mother."

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