Calculus and algebra were not problems during my school years, nor did redox reaction, thermodynamic equation, any other equations, or the list of scientific names, or English, or Chinese, or the boring historical events. I rarely got it down to C. I was not the smartest but I worked hard. However—, none of it!, none of the degrees I had, from country's top university or world's top university, could provide me knowledge to deal with a power-drunken sorcerous Queen! Give me more calculus please!
Eldrin swung his sword at magic spurting out from Queen Silvia trying to protect himself and his sister. The sword chipped away at every encounter with the light globes. The blade had already lost almost all of its sharp edges and looked rather like a poor quality giant toothpick within the first ten minutes.
I was responsible for the rest minus Prince Valentine. Pin stood out of the attack not knowing which side to choose. King Julien was a Magician too, and despite greater fencing skills, he conjured magic way slower than Jared. In this battle, I witnessed Magician's awesomeness for the first time. So rapt was I by the convenience of an incantation which canceled and dissipated glowing magic balls which nearly took their chance hitting me in the head in a blink of an eye. I shuddered at the thought of head exploding. It was not going to be a pretty sight. Well, I am not going to see it anyway.
Queen Silvia's power was overwhelming. And even though her son had quite as much, or maybe more, it seemed all of his magic never really directed at his mother. He was tight on defense. If I had had enough time to think, I would realize it was going to be a long fight that we lose in the end, and I would suggest fleeing. Fleeing was not a dishonorable thing. I would rather flee and live to do better than die and chop off all of the way to greater achievements ahead.
After an hour or so, I was on the verge of my limits, Jared could barely voice a word, King Julien, no longer saying anything, flung his nicked sword madly around, Eldrin and Elise had long retreated behind my back. Prince Valentine was the only one left face to face with the Queen. But even him looked barely able to make it in another minute or two.
Finally, we were captured and brought over to Keon. I had not got enough energy to think of what would happen to me next. I was almost grateful that the fighting stopped, only if a Keon soldier did not kick me hard.
"Hey! She's the princess!" Prince Valentine chastised and the soldier who kicked me cowered in fear.
"Princess," Shaph's brows sloped backward. His shiny red eyes were moist. He looked as if he was about to cry. The face fetched me back and I smiled trying to encourage him. "I'm alright." I said and looked at King Julien, Jared, and the Bila siblings. Everyone was dragging their legs, haggard, and defeated. I did hope that I was the real Princess for a moment, so that I could help everybody out of here.
We were not brought to the prison tent but to the Queen's suite camp. The soldiers forced us on our knees but they dared not do the same with their Prince.
Queen Silvia strode to a big carving chair standing solemnly on a raised platform, and with a flourish of her gold dress, she turned around at us. "Observe Val. Your resistance was such a waste of your magic. You all would have lost anyway." The Queen said unfeelingly
Prince Valentine looked away from his mother irritably. "But this is not right."
"Silence." The queen spoke and an intense energy of magic forced Prince Valentine to kneel down as well.
The unpleasant conversation between mother and son had bought me time to think. But still not half a solution came to my mind. And when Queen Silvia casted her magic at King Julien, I felt like I got the blow as well. My feet moved without intention and I threw myself in front of the King.
"Please kill me!" I blurted, already out of my mind. I did not know why I said that but at the time, I was not afraid, I was really determined thinking this really was the best way out there is.
Queen Silvia's peach lips stretched a grin. "Oh, Princess. Do not be so eager to die."
"Mother!" Prince Valentine shouted and tried to get up.
"Princess!" Shaph and Eldrin cried out attempting to move but were held back by soldiers. Jared who was right behind me lapsed into silence from the shock. And Elise's muffling blubbering could be heard almost clear.
"I mean it." I told the Queen with calm voice. My expression calmed down as well and I started to get the sense of my action. Right, I'm not the real Princess so even if I die it wouldn't matter. Princess Carla could come back and take control of everything with her great power. I breathed a determining breath, saying. "If you kill me, you could control Coronale, and this whole world. You would be at the top. There's no need to invade other Kingdoms anymore. Isn't that a lot more convenient than killing King Julien?"
Queen Silvia's face turned inscrutable with her thin mouth formed a single even line. I could not read what she was thinking until that line slanted slightly upward. "See Val? This Princess bears a lot more brain than you." Her amber eyes were like a marriage of Midas hand and Medusa's stare that could turned everything they set on into gold. I might also turn into gold if not for the mind that had prepared for death.
"No Princess!" It was Shaph. He had such an anguish face on when I turned to look at him. It was as if he knew what I was thinking. "You can't—"
"Yes, you can't!" Elise's voice rang out and—maybe because she was a girl so the soldier did not put much force on her—she writhed out of their grasp diving for the Queen. Queen Silvia made a cold glance and waved a hand at her. Tabs of glowing magic appeared and whipped itself toward Elise.
The Bila Princess did not have time to scream. Nor did I. It all happened so fast and when I realized, Prince Valentine was covering over her, having a huge slash on his back. The Queen of Keon looked aghast.
"Pervert Prince!" Elise screamed, despite the dreadful addressing, she seemed worried. I almost tripped at the p-word while putting myself before both of them too.
"Queen Silvia, I have offered my life. Please do not hurt anybody else." I said to her heavily.
"No Mother!" Prince Valentine said struggling. Pin was already at his side. "If you kill Princess Kara, what would become of my task and all the efforts I have invested into?"
Queen Silvia's cold face reasserted itself. "Do not be a fool Val. Seducing Princess of Coronale would no longer be needed when she is going to die. Moreover, from the look of the situation which exhibits no progression of your investment, Princess—" she glanced at me here, "doesn't seem to be interested in you." I could almost make a dry smile here.
"That's—"
"Be quiet," The Queen cut her son off and was back to business with me. "Princess Carla, I have spent all these years, sluggish but steady, gaining control of my power to confounding Magic environment. I believe my son and I would be fine even without your presence. So as you wish, please die."
Queen Silvia finished her last word with me and waved her arms in semicircle. Magic glow appeared, big and shining, it stabbed into my eyes but I tried hard to wrench them opened. I wanted to give the Queen one last look of tranquility and confidence.
The glowing light suddenly snapped off like a broken light bulb. Everyone looked around in confusion. Me too. I was on tenterhooks wondering what kind of cruel magic Queen Silvia is using to kill me.
Nothing happened for a long while however, and murmurs started humming among the soldiers. At length, Queen Silvia made the same gesture of wide semicircle again, but there was no glowing magic this time.
She did it again and again, one faster and heavier than the last. It was almost like she was fanning or swimming or trying to fly. Soldiers clipped their lips to confine giggles. But the Queen kept on working her magic.
"What happened!?" The Queen's gold and purple hair raised and fell to the rhythm of her waving arms. "Where's Magic?!"
"Your Majesty?" The general (I guess) who was standing beside her gave his Queen a worried look.
"Where's MAGIC?!" The Queen bellowed again, fanning ever harder.
Prince Valentine averted his eyes down to the floor and mumbled. "I can't feel it too." Jared heard this and took the chance clouting at the soldier holding him, broke free and took the Queen who was still fanning at the time, pressing a sharp knife at her throat. King Julien did the same, knocking a few soldiers and a general down. He stood before his brother fending and threatening soldiers who tried to rescue their Queen. The table had turned within a blink of an eye.
"Stop! Or the Queen dies!" Jared shouted silencing the whole room.
I felt unbelievably calm at the whole thing. May be it was because the near-death experience had ridded panic off of me. As the Cimon brothers threatened the Keons with their Queen's life, Prince Valentine slowly stood up propping by Elise, and I said, "Keep calm, Prince Jared."
"This woman wants to kill you and you want to be calm?" Jared said to me.
"But there's no Magic now. She couldn't do anything." I told him.
"You cannot trust this kind of person." Jared said heavily with good reason. "And there's no guarantee about Magic not coming back. Quick, do away with her!"
Jared was right. Most of bad people are not able to get rid of their wickedness. I had experienced so many back in my world, the act, the betrayal, the back-stabbing—I despised it all and even swore never to let any bad people have a second chance. I held my breath approaching the Queen. She was having the most exasperated face on, casting her eyes about, muttering for whereabouts of Magic as if gone mad.
I stood in front of her, dithering about what I was not sure. I told myself to just end it and it would be fine. But my arms would not move, instead they hung, riveted to the side of my body.
"Kara quick!" Jared urged once more when something shoved past me, plunging at the Queen. It was a blur of a swift movement and turned into Prince Valentine knocking Jared off when it stopped. He straightened both arms out on both sides casting me the most pleading eyes I had ever seen from this Prince. His voice was emotionally imploring, I could almost believe he cry if I had not seen that his eyes were still dry. "Please spare my mother!"
He went on by hugging both my legs looking up at me with those glistening blue and orange gems. "Kara I beg you! Don't kill my mother!"
I had never ever seen the play-boy Prince out of his cool and try-so-hard charm before. It took me aback unexpectedly, and I staggered backward getting out of his grasp. Prince Valentine retreated to his mother.
"This bastard!" Jared ground his teeth. It seemed, apart from losing his hostage, Prince Valentine had also hurt his right shoulder.
In spite of freeing from the capture, Queen Silvia's scrounging for Magic continued. To me, she looked really mad now. Just losing Magic had made her lose her wits. I shivered at such power addiction, and shivered more when her maddening pale yellow eyes directed at me, the shiver doubled over when she said, "It's you! You took all the Magic away!"
She rocketed at me, long slender hands gripping at my neck, sharp orange nails piercing into my skin. Funny that my first thought here was whether death by Magic or by normal fashion would suffer less.
Everybody seemed to be screaming all at once. Eldrin and Jared broke me free from the Queen, and tossed her back at Prince Valentine. It was all so confuse while I tried to get back my breath. Prince Valentine went white trying to protect his mother against whomever that was going to hurt her. When I calmed down, we were back at where the red head Prince was begging frantically, and Jared and Eldrin fending the Keon's soldiers with whatever they had in hands.
I exhaled an air of decision and turned to Shaph, whispering. "Shaph, is there a way to make people unable to use Magic?"
Shaph dipped his head slightly. "Yes, by the potion that contains Queen Alice's blood extract. It's very rare and only the Coronale's sovereign have it. In fact—" he put his hand into the pocket hiding inside of his waistcoat, "I have it with me here in case—"
I took the tiny bottle containing clear liquid which exhibited no trace of blood. Holding out the bottle in front of Prince Valentine, I said to him, "I will not harm your mother, Prince Valentine, but she has to drink this. I couldn't risk a chance of your mother invading other kingdoms or trying to kill me again. I hope you under—"
Without finishing the string of logical reasons I tried to give to Prince Valentine, he snatched the bottle away and fed it to his mother. Pin and the general were wailing at their Prince's action in the same note which I guessed was a soprano's high C.
"Prince! You mustn't—!"
Prince Valentine's face was doleful. "My mother's not in her right mind." Queen Silvia slowly lost into slumber in his arms. "I guess it's because Magic. Having too much Magic in you is harmful, you know. And since Magic had gone wild for several years, it must have done a lot to her." He stroked her kindly. "I hope she gets better without it."
Although I did not really adore this Prince for his character and the way he was with women, it seemed there were always two sides of a coin. He was such a lovely son, the one I should learn from and respect. A whole new holy side of this Prince Valentine profoundly imprinted a robust impression on me. I grew to really like him.
"Thank you very much Prince Valentine." I gave him the first sincere smile which I didn't have for a long time.