"I wonder what our kingdom is like now. I hope it is not worse than the last time I visited it." Galena wondered aloud as she put the books on the bookshelf, "All sorts of injustice were carefreely being done, Slave trading, Child Labor, every sort of creature was being treated miserably as assumed, the trees and plants were drying and rotting up, I saw many people trying to revolt against them but all they did was oppress them even more."
I looked at her, my heart scrunching up inside me, "When was the last time you visited your land?"
"Three years before, when I was eight, I thought maybe I could help and fix it myself, that was a dumb move, I don't even know how I escaped from there alive."
"Have you been living here all alone all this time?"
"Yeah," she began, "But it's not that bad really. I am always busy, preparing for your arrival, trying to think of ways to get my kingdom back, trying to contact m-" she stopped in a sentence, I could see the lights clicking off her eyes, as she started to break. She quickly recollected herself back as she turned to look at me with a sham smile on her face, "How old were you when your sister went lost?"
I saw how she have diverted the topic but I didn't point it out as I was afraid, I might break her up, "I was six, my sister was nine,"
"Oh, so, your thirteen, your sister must be sixteen now. That makes you both older than me," she stated.
"Well, how old are you?"
"Eleven," she replied. Indeed, she was young, meanwhile, at her age, I was trying to figure out why the moon was following us every time my mother took me for a car ride at night.
Galen' yawned as she placed the cooking pan back on the kitchen counter, "I guess we might need to get some sleep before starting the huge conquest," she mumbled, half-yawning.
I nodded in agreement, and she lent me a pillow and blanket. She slept on the bed, and I did on the sofa that stood near the bed.
I quickly went into a deep slumber after laying my head on the warm pillow, because of the sudden bizarre adventure which had just knocked into my life, it sure has taken a surprising turn in events-too surprising to believe but if that means I can escape from taking the Math exam, then I am eagerly ready and excited for whatever is next.
I turned as I hummed in my sleep before falling straight on my face on the ground.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed out of pain. I sat up and glanced over to the kitchen as I rubbed my forehead, and I saw the same vexerbud with his head stuck inside the basket of mushrooms.
A mischievous smile spread across my face as I quietly went towards it before swiftly grabbing it. It moved berserk, trying to escape from my hold. I carefully took the basket out from its head and stared at it with a smile, asking for mutual peace but all it did was hiss at me and briskly fly out of my hands and out through the window.
"Well, that is a rude way of saying thanks," I chuckled as I watched it fly freely away into the deep forest.
I sat on a wooden chair near the window and folded my arms on the dining table which faced the window to rest my head. I took a glimpse at the innocent and dewy night of the forest after the rain before going back to sleep.
But the welcoming and sweet sleep was once again washed away by a sudden red and yellow flash of something flying outside near the window as my eyes slowly fluttered shut.
My eyes snapped open as I examined it carefully, before realizing what it was and quickly sitting straight up. It was the same bird that brought me to this place and once again when the bird realized that it had been seen, it flew away.
"What in the world does it want from me?" I groaned as I turned open the window and climbed out of it, onto the tree branch and started to follow it while deciding whether it was a good idea to follow it or not again, which was obviously not but I was too naïve or rather curious to accept that fact.
This time, it brought me near the pond that was created by the waterfall. I looked at it in confusion as it flew over the surface of the pond before melting into a puddle of water and dropping into the pond's water.
"WHAT?!" I hollered in unison with someone.
I flinched and looked at my side and found out that Galena was also there with me standing and looking at the pond equally surprised as me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her.
"Well...what are you doing here?"
"I found the bird which was the same bird that brought me to this world. Then...I started to follow it...again, then it brought me here" I explained, "You?"
"I followed you because...I was worried. You weren't answering me when I was calling your name and then-"
Suddenly bubbles started to form and collect in the middle of the pond, our brows furrowed in bewilderment as the bubbles collected and popped creating a water figure of a lady.
"Mother?" Galena said in a surprised tone.
What?
"Galena and younger sunrise sister, Gregory's soldiers are very near. They may find you both and this place. You must leave this place. Now!" The water lady warned before turning back into shapeless water and dropping into the pond.
"THAT WAS YOUR M-''
Galena grabbed my hand and started to take me back to the tree house in a rush, "We need to get out of here, Quick! We don't have any time for questions!"
I followed her back to the tree house and as soon as she reached it, she started to put anything that she could get her hand on into a weird old jute satchel, which was taking in more stuff than it should have.
We quickly rushed out of the treehouse to the waterfall where the gate to the outside of the cave stood. However, some soldiers wearing crusader knight outfits, except it had a symbol of an owl with its wing spread instead of the red cross, already had entered and surrounded the area.
"We need to go through the secret exit," Galena whispered. She turned and started to run away from the pond, with me in complete cluelessness following behind her.
"There's a secret exit inside a secret cave?" I asked while following her.
"You never know when you need it!"
We dodged the tree branches and broken tree trunks and arrived at a weird tree, with its branches coiled in circles. Galena placed her hand over the tree's trunk and it slid down, revealing the entrance to a tunnel from which you can slide through and go outside the cave.
Galena paused as if just she just realized something very important, "Oh, no!"
"What? What happened?" I asked her.
"The vexerbud...he is still in here; I must take him out of here or else if they find him they will kill him or something worse..."
"But they might find you!"
"I know! I have done my part in helping you and if I will be able to get out of here with vexerbud safely, I will continue to help you by your side but for now, you must go-you are more important!"
"I can't! just...fine!", I sighed regretfully and went through the dark tunnel, rising sunlight hit my eyes, blinding me for a moment. I squinted my eyes and finally saw the dark forest with dried trees, which were in far worse condition than the ones back in the cave, surrounding the cave.
I looked back and saw the tunnel from which I just escaped and, with a feeling of utter guilt, I recalled the words of Galena in my mind, which might be her last ones. 'But it won't be if only you would go and help her' a strange thought in my head suggested.
Should I?
No! You will get killed! Remember what Galena said?
Shoooulddd I....?
Don't even dare-
I sighed, "I should." I thought out loud, climbing back into the dark wooden tunnel as half of my mind chastised me for my great dumbness.
Now, I know you might be thinking as well, that this is an extremely foolish and bad idea, I am risking my life and the future of an entire kingdom. But, how will I be able to save a whole kingdom when I can't even save my friend? And besides, when two people work together it is much easier and quicker to complete the task.
I climbed out of the tunnel and I was shocked after seeing how the views have changed in a matter of second
Blazing purple smoke and green fire danced on the forest floor and air, making the trees burn and fall. When I looked at the tree that was holding the secret tunnel, I found out that the branches were turning into rust. The entrance may soon burst up in flames and disappear too.
I went in, my body piercing through the purple smoke that was covering the entire forest in the cave, I looked around, trying my best to see through the smoke to find either Galena or the vexerbud.
BOOM! BOOM!
I looked towards the sound of the footsteps and saw a huge giant-a robot giant, its bloodshot red eyes were observing the whole forest as it walked through, crushing anything that came between the ground and its foot. I just stood there looking at it, paralyzed in shock and terror, the giant's head slowly started to turn towards me.
Out of nowhere, I felt as if someone quickly covered me with a cloth from behind me, but it soon got invisible and I was able to see through it.
I turned, "Galena?!" I said out of surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came here to help you. Did you find the vexerbud?"
"I didn't, but I told you not to come here again!"
"Yes, but I couldn't just leave you here in such a dangerous situation and besides, you are the princess and possibly the next ruler!"
"And as a princess, I command you to escape this place!"
"And as being the younger sunrise sister, I deny your command and command you to accept help from me!" I said, with my chin set high.
Galena sighed in frustration "Fine! You can help but don't get lost or caught, Ok?"
I nodded in agreement and started to follow her between the trees covered in green flames.
"What is this...cloth-thing that you put over me?" I asked her as I tried to get hold of it.
"Don't remove it! It's Invisibility Hood 6.0, It will make you invisible and nobody can hear you unless they have Invisibility Hood Tracker 6.0, then they will find you but making that is extremely hard, so I don't think so they will find us" Galena explained before tripping over a rock which removed her invisibility hood, the Robot giant's head quickly turned towards us, staring at us with its crimson eyes before roaring like a wild animal.