Querencia World Book 2: The Princess that Tamed the Villain

Chapter 17 Mountain Fortress

After reading Ruininki’s Journal my perspective about him change, he lives a critical and complicated life; he keeps saying we're the same even if I don’t fully grasp what’s that mean, I somehow understand the reason I have soft spot for him and I can’t be mad at him despite all those rumors.

It’s a week before our eighteenth birthday. The palace is busy, everything is almost ready, our dresses, the food in the menu to be served, the expensive utensils to be used in the grand ball. The invitation to the Prince of the five Kingdom, the hundred servants in the Palace who will serve in the grand occasions.

Siana's hand’s on for everything, she wanted everything that she requested for designs are followed. She is busy collecting flowers in the field. She is creating the decorations with the help of the forest fairies, she manages to build a beautiful bouquet that will be displayed in the aisle of the Palace. She assures that the whole Castle is decorated with colorful flowers. The forest fairies can make the flower freshness last for a long time.

The Palace seems like a house of bees and butterflies because of the number of flowers everywhere, I sigh at the sight of it but I can't help but smile when I saw my twin sister happy and active creating all those decorations.

I found her in her room, choosing the fabric for the dress to use for the servant's dresses, it is their official uniform for that grand event. The palace dressmakers will be busy sewing it.

Everyone is busy and I got bored observing all the chaos in the Palace that I’m not even interested in.

The usual routine I’m doing as a future Queen of Querencia is to study and I lazily flipping each page pretending as a good Princess that I' am studying. It’s my way to escape Siana’s pestering me to participate in her plan for our grand birthday.

My twin sister's attention is on me, she walks to me and sits by my side. I’m internally pleading she doesn’t nudge me to help her for the flower ornaments and decorations. She gets closer and whispers to me,

“Mia, I will go and visit Lady Anne and Lady Jones will you come?” she asks me excitedly

“Why?” I ask uninterested

“you know what happen that night, I didn’t check on them after that” Siana whispers

She got my attention and quickly agrees “Okay, I will come”

I suddenly remember the pills that Siana’s gave to Helene to investigate, it is a secret investigation that they don’t want the King and Queen to be aware.

Siana is smart, she can manage to know things on her way without troubling our parents.

I admire her for that, the news, I want to contain that and don’t want to reach the King and Queen especially the Elders. I don’t intend to alarm them about Ruininki.

I wear my cloak, Siana is the one who asks permission to our mother Queen Rianne and she trusts Siana enough and agreed to let us visit Lady Annie with Master Arruis and Helene to come with us and we ride in the carriage.

We reach the house of Lady Annie and Siana knock at the door,

Lady Jones is the one who opens the door, Siana startled when Lady Jones falls unconscious in her arms.

“Lady Jones” Siana gasp worriedly

“What happens?” Master Arruis asks

Helene quickly assist Lady Jones and held her arm in her shoulder,

They wobbly walks inside the house as we follow, the whole house is a mess, a lot of scattered broken glass are on the floor.

Helene seated Lady Jones on the chair, she is weak and she has a lot of bruises and scars.

Siana gasp at the sight, “Lady Jones” she utter, her eyes is teary.

My eyes roam around the place “Where is Lady Annie?” I ask

Siana stare at her worriedly and held her hand

“How do you feel Lady Jones?” Siana asks full of concern

“I’m fine but Lady Annie” she seems out of breath in every word.

“Where she is?” I ask again, my impulse taking over me.

“Mia” Siana tries to calm me as she held my hand

“Since the moment you leave us, every night she is changing back in that violent, scary creature. I try to help her, calm her and wait for the day to come hoping she will be back in her normal state. She wakes up as normal as she is but much weaker and didn’t remember anything she had done. I cry every time that happens, every night I try to contain her. I tied her up and lock her up but last night she is unusually strong that I can’t even come close, she hurt me and gives me all these bruises. She escapes and runs away, I didn’t know where she goes” Lady Annie sobbing.

Siana is mortified so is everyone, I’m anxious. I know Ruininki energy is close, I can sense it.

Siana looks around, quickly get out of the house, I follow her and so is Helene and Master Arruis.

‘Show yourself” she shouted which startled me

“You coward, bring Lady Annie back. I know you are there, I can sense your energy” Siana keeps shouting.

I panic and I’m shocked, Siana is Gifted and she can sense and see energy, she can also sense Ruininki when he is around.

“Siana stop it, what are you talking about?” I hush her even when I’m trembling

“You know what I’m talking about Mia, you can feel him. I know you can sense him” Siana outrage

“Ruininki” she shouts

The tingling feelings send shivers down my spine, I look at Siana terrified; I’m in disbelief, all along she knows about Ruininki.

“What are you saying, Siana?” I ask unconsciously

Master Arruis intervene “Princesses calm down, we can’t afford to have the citizens attention on us”

Helene quickly goes to Siana, “ Princess Siana let’s come inside the house, we better discuss it there” she advised.

“It is not safe here,” Master Arruis said

“I know a safe place, you can sense Ruininki is around. We should keep Lady Jones safe too” Master Arruis advised.

Lady Jones come with us, my hands are fidgeting while were in the carriage. I can’t sense Ruininki anymore, he doesn’t follow us which is good for him.

Now I’m aware Siana knows Ruininki agitates me, I didn’t know what to feel and how to react towards her.

In the back of my head I know she can sense my uneasiness and I hope she may think it is because of the unexpected events.

We reach the safe place Master Arruis had said, we are on the top of the mountain. I scan the place, it is splendidly beautiful. I have never been to this part of the Kingdom.

“This is Master Xavion fortress,” Master Arruis said

“Master Xavion” Siana mutters

“He is my master, the Master of the Light energy; Master Xavion” Arruis introduces the old man who stands in front of us.

Master Xavion has a long white beard and his clothing is typical for a mountaineer, he doesn’t look strong base on his physical aspects.

Master Xavion welcomes us as we enter their fortress, we are inside the house, it is small and the window is all big and from the room, you can view all the green scenery and the mountains seem like portrait painting but it is real.

I’m used to Querencia Kingdom's bountiful nature, it makes our Kingdom even more attractive to visitors from other Worlds that's the reason Ruininki is attracted to our Kingdom. Contrary, Atracia City, their World is fast, always busy and moving, the scenery like trees and mountains are not as bountiful as ours. There’s a lot of tall building and fast cars which makes life there tiring.

I love my Kingdom even if I see the other World, Atracia City; I may admire their technology and advanced way of living but I will never exchange my Kingdom from it.

We sat in the long table and face each other like we're on a meeting, a long silence before Siana breaks the silence;

“Ruininki is here; Mia, I know that is him. He is a vile person from Queen’s Leonor reigns, he is meant to scatter black energy and steal people's light energy. He will be the cause of the downfall of Querencia and the fall of the Both Worlds.” Siana said to me in a rush

“Who told you that?” I ask trembling

“Our mother Queen Rianne, her mother Queen Elisa warned her about Ruininki’s vengeful heart for our grandmother, Queen Leonor she doesn’t love him back and he is taking revenge on the Kingdom. The scattering of black energy will weaken the Passage and will destroy both World.’ Siana said without any doubt.

Master Xavion stand in front of us, and walk back and forth seems like thinking

“As the Master of Light Energy, the dark energy is always present. The dark becomes stronger when fear, doubt, resentment grows in one heart and eat your soul. The dark energy will evade your body. You will have uncontrolled strength that can hurt the people around you. A person whose body is eaten by dark energy is not with himself or herself. They don’t know what they are doing. They can kill and get killed if the person can’t prevent being violent.” Master Xavion narrate

“Why does dark energy suddenly emerges from Lady Annie? Did Ruininki do it? 

Did he made her heart black ?” Siana asks curiously

“Ruininki, I train him as the Gifted. I sense he harbors the dark energy, I try to cleanse his energy and it is not effective on him. I only got weaker because he can absorb my energy and convert it as his and turn it dark. I spent a long time in my fortress to recover the energy that I lose that Ruininki gained from me. That moment Ruininki knew he can absorb energy and make it his and made the person weak but that is not the reason Lady Annie energy turns dark. Ruininki lives three decades as the four Queens from the Royal family already sit in the thrown. From Queen Leonor to Queen Syrielle her younger sister to Queen Elisa, her niece;  now to Queen Rianne, Ruininki lives long enough that he knows everything about the Kingdom. He roams around the Forbidden Forest, he is the only one who can go deeper in the Forbidden Forest. The vicious most dangerous creature lives there and he is at ease with them for his energy matches them. Ruininki is the Master of Ebony Hearts. The slimus monster who lives there never attack him, they listen to him instead. It is his dark forces against the Kingdom Royals. Queen Leonor sacrifices her life to seal by her energy the Forbidden Forest, make a seal that will stop Ruininki from coming out the Forest, and roams around the Kingdom. He is dangerous. How Ruininki turns a person's heart into the dark is still a mystery, a person becomes a scary creature, being violent, and his appearance changes. That is a knowledge that is not known by anyone. How Ruiniki can do that? That is the reason we have to be careful. Ruininki is not ordinary.” Master Xavion warns

  Copyright:

This story is solely my ideas and creative thinking. Please do not copy, use, distribute, or reproduce.

© January Garneth.2020. The Princess that Tamed the Villain