Sage's POV
My princess came out dressed in trousers and a simple shirt, and for some reason I imagined her in my clothes.
"Let's go, there's something I want to show you," she told me and I was confused but I still got up to follow her.
We walked to where all the extra rooms were and she went room to room checking on people, and a maid followed her around.
She got to a specific room and she walked in. In it was the familiar seeming woman who was in the same cell as her. She was dressed in new clothes and she looked more comfortable.
"Dear you're here," she smiled at the princess.
"Yes, I came here to take you to one of the special guest rooms," Ophelia explained.
"No dear, you don't have to do that," she dismissed.
"No, I want to do it," When my princess wanted to be stubborn she was stubborn.
"Now let's go," Ophelia took her hand and I followed behind them.
She took her to one of the rooms reserved for royal guests and I wondered who this woman was. She seemed so familiar but I could not place my finger on it.
"So Sage I realize I haven't told you happy birthday. So happy birthday,'' she smiled and I smiled back albeit a bit confused on why she was bringing this up.
"Thank you,your highness."
"No, no need to thank me, uh she's your mother," she told me and I was speechless.
"What? Your highness I didn't quite catch that," I could have sworn she said this woman was my mother.
"She is your mother," she told me slower and I nodded along.
I looked at the woman and she was already crying. She walked towards me and wrapped her hands around me and my hands were just there, until I hugged her back.
Now it makes sense why she seemed so familiar.
"But how? I thought you were dead," k asked.
"That's a story for another day."
"I'm so happy you're here and alive," I told her.
"You should thank your lady here," she pointed at Ophelia. He did she …
"I never said-"
"How did you-"
"Oh she didn't tell me, I figured it out," she laughed. How?!
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she winked.
"So I am going to get going," I heard Ophelia said.
"No,no I said I'm going, you should stay here and bond," She told me when I followed behind her.
***********************************************
Ophelia's POV
I left Sage and his mother and went to the gardens where I assumed the royals would be.
Like I expected they were all seated there eating and drinking.
I walked up to the pergola and they all turned to me.
"I would like to formally thank all of you for getting me out of that hell hole. You didn't have to help and yet you still did. I will be forever grateful," I thanked.
"And we would do it again," Queen Beska said.
"That we would. We have to stick together when we have a murderous emperor,"Queen Azura finished.
"Speaking of sticking together, what happened to King Kian and Tariq?" I asked.
"They did not believe you and called you a liar," mother revealed.
"So your mother teleported them back to Saleria,"my father basically ended.
"I am just going to address the elephant in the room. Why in the realms where there are shapeshifters with you? We all thought they were dead!" Prince Argazel finally said. I was waiting for someone to ask.
"So, Magnus was the one capturing them one by one for some reason," I told them and all their eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" my mother asked as her eyebrows drew together.
"Yes, when we thought they died he was just capturing them in the den of night and as the aesthetic cherry on top, he killed some by basically taking their essence from them," I exposed and when I thought their eyes could not go wider they did.
"How did you find this out?" Queen Azure inquired.
"So aside from seeing the wall where all his victims' names were engraved,it was also backed up by some of the captives, so there's that."
"Well that's interesting,"my father said and I almost started laughing.
"I have to get back to my kingdom," Queen Azura said.
"We do too," The orcs seconded.
"I will teleport you all," I told them and they all nodded.
After teleporting everyone to their respective kingdoms, minus my mother of course. I got back home and realized that we would eventually have to tell them that Sage is Magnus' son. It could go either very well or horribly. I am leaning towards the very well part, because he did help get me back.
I went to meet my parents because I needed to talk to them.
"Mom, dad, why didn't any of you tell me about the prophecy?" I asked as I entered my father's office.
"What prophecy?" my mother asked.
"The one that entails me saving the realm from darkness."
"See in our defense, we had no idea this is what it meant," my father said.
"We always told you, you were special," mother justified.
"Wait! How did you find out about it?!" father questioned.
"From the seer that told you about it when I was born."
"How? We thought he was dead!"
"Magnus captured him too and Magnus was the one that kidnapped me and Avila when I was sixteen," and their jaws dropped.
"So, you are telling us that Magnus was the one that kidnapped you when you were younger," my father tried to make sense of the situation.
"Yes, he told me during one of his many whipping sessions," because my thoughts never go in a straight line, I somehow thought of how if I ever had kids they would have the most dramatic bedtime stories.
"I'll kill him," my father fumed.
"No, I'm the one that gets to kill him. It's only fair," I complained.
"We'll bring him down. I promise," and they both stood up to hug me.
I stayed with my parents for a while, I ate in their room with them and then I told them need sleep because I haven't slept in a bed for a whole month. Which sounded weird to say aloud.
I went to my room, took another shower because for some reason I still felt unclean and laid down in my bed and soon I fell asleep.
While I was asleep I felt a weight dip the side of the bed down, and wrap their hands around me from behind.
I turned my body around and saw it was Sage.
"What are you doing here?" I asked my voice hoarse from sleep.
"I just wanted to hold you," he said flatly, and I giggled. Then I thought about the fact that I was giggling and it made me feel weird. I turned and that was my back was facing him.
"You know in the time you were gone I was losing my sanity. I still haven't asked you, what happened when you were there?"
"Well, aside from meeting your mother, I learnt that I am apparently supposed to kill him as according to a prophecy. I also learnt that Magnus was the one capturing and getting rid of the shapeshifters," I replied.
"Well that's a lot," I heard him say and I nodded.
" I found that he was the one that kidnapped me and Avila when I turned sixteen during his extensive whipping sessions," I added and felt him tense behind me.
"I'm going to kill that bastard," he growled.
"Sage, it's fine, calm down. I want to be the one to kill him."
"I don't doubt it,"he told me and I smiled.
"How did bonding go with your mother?" I asked him.
"It was fine. We have so much to catch up on, I feel like we've missed out on so much," he told me.
"It's okay, it'll all work out in the end," and with that I drifted off to sleep.