Chapter 10 | nouveaux endroits

nouveaux endroits

New Places

"YOU what?" I shout at Guru.

"Princess listen to me, this is the safest place for us right now. Your father too had approved of the plan during his reign. Please, listen to me, princess." Guru says.

But I am too shocked to reply. This wasn't the plan I expected to be. Not at all. The fact that it was the best alternative for us right now, just sent shivers down my spine. If this is the best plan, then we are in a grave danger. There is no way we can go back to our kingdom now, reclaim what is ours. For a second, I am angry with Guru for taking us here but then I trust my father. If he had thought this was the best possible escape, then so be it.

We were in the Kingdom of the Emeralds.

The kingdom which fought with us all these years and will not hesitate to take an opportunity to ruin our kingdom if possible. I doubt the new lines of the rulers of the Emeralds are any different than the earlier ones. I have personally never met any other Outsider ruler and I don't intend to.

I was supposed to meet with the Outsider ruler in a few days but I wasn't looking forward to it exactly. And now I am in their lands without their permission, just makes me scared.

Guru has taken us to their capital, One. It is weird to name the city after numbers but then who am I to complain? They were highly intelligent and logic ran in their veins. I just don't know why would Guru take us to their capital. We have to be away from the Royals as much as possible, not closer. And if the people gaze into our eyes, they shall know that we are Rubies.

Hell, we don't even look like Emeralds. We have very fair skin, so we will surely stand out. But Guru seems to have figured everything out. By the looks of it, my father had been expecting this for far too long. They were just too prepared. Was my father so sure that we have to flee our kingdom like cowards rather than fighting for the crown. If my brothers were here, I am sure that would have been exactly what we would have been doing. But my father thought otherwise.

I feel that I had failed my father. He didn't trust us to be strong rulers. Were we that bad? I don't say anything. I am sure he had his reasons. I just feel like I don't know my own father anymore. What else was he hiding from us? From me?

Right now, we are resting against a tree located just at the outskirts of the capital, One. We have to walk for a few kilometres to reach the entrance of the capital where we have to pass a security check. Guru is busy on a device, he calls phone. It's just a box of metal that can talk. How he communicates with it is still a mystery to me.

My magic is still there. In the land of Emeralds, I am not as strong but my magic won't leave me. It will be weaker but it will be there. The magic is the only thing that will help us trick the Emeralds.

I look at Zara and Junior. Zara is sleeping, she is too tired to do anything. Junior is sleeping on my lap. He looks so calm in his sleep. He looks like a child in his sleep with all his innocence. He is an orphan now, and I feel sorry for him. I know what it feels like to lose their parents. So, I had taken a decision. I have to tamper his memories a bit. I don't want him getting nightmares about how his mother got killed in front of him and how I ruthlessly murdered someone in front of him. He would be scarred for life, otherwise.

We are waiting for someone to arrive. It has been about two hours or so since we arrived. The phone shows time too, apparently. I am injured and tired but I stay awake. You might never know what might happen next.

Guru looks tensed. He had given his shirt to me so that I could cover up the blood flowing through my bandages. Apparently using too much magic caused my wounds to reopen. Black magic is dangerous for my body, that's all I can tell.

I have to find a way to purify my blood of it.

I gaze at Guru and admire his body. His biceps are covered with tattoos. There are roses drawn on his arms and a sword. There are some ancient texts written on his arms as well. His body is perfect. His abs look delicious, I just want to lick them. His strong arms call for me, and I want to give in. His hair are a mess and I just want to run my hands through them. He looks like a model.

He keeps his phone back into the pocket of his jeans and then looks at me. I don't let go of his gaze as he looks back at me. His red eyes look back into mine and I smile. He smiles back, and I feel the urge to kiss him. Heat rushes into my cheeks and I know I am blushing. A cough interrupts us and I mentally curse the person.

I see a woman standing behind Guru. She looks like she is in her mid-twenties. She has black hair tied up in a messy bun and is wearing jeans with yellow shirt. She has green eyes and I quickly stand up to tackle her down. An Emerald knows about our existence and we have to deal with that. It is too dangerous. We would be gone as soon as we came here.

"Your majesty, it is my pleasure to meet you." She says and then bows to me.

What?

"This is Pamela, one of the many warriors sent to the kingdom of Emeralds by your father. She is the daughter of Lord Francis, I assume." Guru introduces her.

I am shocked for a moment. My father sent Rubies to the land of Emeralds? Why? And if she is a Ruby then why are her eyes green and not red like ours?

"The pleasure is all mine, Pamela. But before we proceed further, I would like to know what is going on here. Why are you in the lands of Emeralds? And there are more?" I ask her.

"Yes, your majesty. Your father never trusted the Emeralds. So, he sent to group of Rubies here to keep a watch on him. The Emeralds don't know about it, obviously as they don't understand magic. They think that the Rubies can enter their land only through the one portal installed in their palace. But we Rubies can open portals anywhere, as we were gifted by the Diamonds. Obviously, such an information is known only to the king, Enchantress and the commander-in-chief. You would be told about the same when you take the throne." She says.

It is a lot to take in but I believe her. I have no other option but to trust her. If Guru trusts her, then I have to.

"Your father selected a group a warriors every five years to train and send them here. They don't age here as the Emeralds do and hence, they are replaced every 5 years so there isn't much suspicion here. Your father came to me last year with the problem and I helped him with it. They have a potion which helps them age every two years now. That was the best I could do. They use a potion to turn their eyes green, when they leave this land, they will get their eyes back to red, though. They have to take it every month to maintain the color of their eyes. Fake records are created to help them fit in." Guru says and I simply nod.

Pamela then produces a huge bag. She takes out some clothes from it and hands them to me. I sort them out. I wake up Zara so that she can change into these clothes. She does as I ask, without even questioning what is going on. I wake up Junior next and help him change. He is too sleepy do that on his own. I do the same. I first cover myself with some bandages to stop my bleeding. Guru helps me with that. I use some magic to heal the wounds and help soothe the pain for some time.

Then I change, behind a tree, into blue jeans and green off-shoulder top. The bandages on my hands are removed and Guru works his magic to heal some of the cuts. They don't disappear.

I ask Pamela is she has anything to cover them up but she shakes her head in a no.

"Wait up. I know of something." I tell them and then walk towards the back of a tree. I don't want them to know what I can do. Guru might know I can do black magic but I don't want him to think of me as a monster. My body knows what to do. I grab onto one of the small plants around the plant and start chanting.

I don't know the words, they come to me naturally. I feel energy flowing into my body and the wounds on my hands and legs healing. My body feels fresh and energized. I am tired no more. I get up to see that there is an entire patch of dead plants around the tree now. I killed too many of them. I take out my jeans and then remove the bandages. They were only scars left in the place of the wounds. Then I fit back into the jeans. I look at my hands and the wounds there seemed to have healed as well. The bullet mark is gone too.

I burn the bandages with my magic and after having a good look at myself I head out of the tree. Zara is standing with Junior sleeping in her arms and is talking to Pamela. Guru comes out from behind a tree in new jeans and white shirt. His hair are now combed and he looks amazing. They look at me in shock but don't say anything. I know what they are thinking. After all I was injured just a few minutes ago and am now fine.

I take the comb from Guru to do my hair. I then give it to Zara who gives Junior to me. I don't want to disturb Junior but we need to clean up our faces. Pamela gives us some water bottle and soap. I wash mine and Junior's face who is now very much awake. He still clings onto me, refusing to let go. I take him in my arms. We drink some water and then Pamela gives us some bottles with potion in them.

"This will make your eyes green and your skin will be darker, princess. Not exactly as dark as the Emeralds but good enough to not arise any suspicion. Also, your father had told us to prepare documents for you all long ago and we have been maintaining them since. You are in the Emerald's database so I don't think so there will be a problem in the security check. These are your wallets, your majesty." Pamela says and hands us the wallets.

"Your name is Olivia Thorne here, your majesty. You are 16-year-old, and a student from Two. You are here to complete your high school and work as a seamstress at Cooper's Salon, which is owned by father of a friend of mine. The salon is famous so they will know about it. The royals shop there." Pamela briefs me.

She then turns to Zara.

"Your name is Zara Thorne, you are the wife of her majesty's younger brother who was murdered by Rebels in an attack on your village. You work from home as of now due to your pregnancy. You wish to accompany her majesty to the big capital to raise your child. Is it fine with you, Lady Zara?" she says.

Zara nods. I don't know how she knows so much about what happened with us but then, it was essential for her to know.

"Sir Orrin is Lady Zara's son. He is three right now and starts his school soon." She says.

I simply nod. School. Junior is going to start kindergarten soon. The news sends a weird feeling in my stomach but I know we can't keep Junior locked in all the time, or else the others will grow suspicious. The Emeralds believe in imparting knowledge and they take schooling very seriously. Guess, we have to be like them now.

Zara then briefs Guru. He is a family friend and will go to high school with me. I am not sure of attending high school because I am already graduated. And I don't like the idea of learning all the cooked-up things of the Emeralds. It will just make me loathe them even more. But they are the only tools of our survival. The Rebels will never look for us here. It won't even cross their minds. I will still have to be cautious. I don't trust anyone here at all.

"We should go now. It's getting late." Pamela says and I agree with her. She leads us.

It takes us about half an hour to reach the security check. I had a good look of the capital as we were travelling through the forest. I could see a bit of it, but it was different from the ones back home. There were tall buildings, Pamela called then skyscrapers, almost everywhere. There were smaller buildings as well but not as much as the skyscrapers. The buildings seem to be made up of glass, they were dazzling sunlight almost everywhere. I wonder what they look like at a closer look.

My eyes were now green, it felt weird to be honest. Green emerald eyes suited me also but I was more adjusted to the red ruby ones. They gave me the fierce look I had wanted. Now, I looked like a teenager which I absolutely despised. I wanted the power in my look, not innocence. It didn't suit my personality. I guess that had to change too now.

My mind keeps on wondering though. I keep on thinking about what am I doing here. Should I go back? Should I fight for the throne? From what Pamela tells me there are about 100 warriors settled in the capital. They are highly skilled, even the males seem to have found some ability to tamper with magic. It shocked me to be truthful as the only males I knew of who could use magic were my brothers and my father. Some councilmen could do it as well, but not with much expertise.

"The capital has a population of about 5 million. It is the main hub of intellectuals of the Emeralds. Research, inventions and what not is conducted here. The king Robert lives in the palace with his wife Esmeralda and four sons. Edward is the eldest of the sons and he turns 18 next year. He is expected to be announced as the heir to the throne soon. You might have a few classes with him, your majesty. Then come the fraternal twins, Cade and Colin. They are expected to be the commanders-in-chiefs of Edward when he becomes the king. They are 16 right now. Then comes the youngest, Keith who turned 9 last week." Pamela briefs us. We need to know about the royals more and more in order to settle. The Emeralds worshiped their king and their princes.

But the fact that I will be attending Edward's class troubles me. We royals have a bond. It sounds rather weird considering that the rulers of the Five kingdoms can't even stand each other but it is something that our bloodlines call upon. We are chosen by the First Borns to rule our kingdoms, hence we will have some connection. We are suited for each other, there will be attraction between the male and female royal but not that much that it couldn't be ignored.

It won't be like we will fall for each other. It will be like a pull, that wants us to be together. That is why the king William was able to seduce princess Iris easily and same goes for his brother, price Harold and princess Sophia. The attraction was there, they had to just misuse it. I don't know why it is there, it is cruel of the First Borns to do that. But a part of me tells that they didn't do it intentionally. There is a fault in every creation and this seems to be the fault in theirs. I mentally note myself to stay away from Edward. I don't want any unwanted attention towards me.

"Prince Edward has a girlfriend, Caroline. She is the daughter of a councilman. They seem very much in love and it seems to the others that she might be the future queen. Of course, she has to pass the tests and then the crown has to choose her as the queen too. But she seems to be doing everything to stay with Edward." Pamela continues.

Emeralds and their tactics. Of course, there was a test to pick out the brainiest of all in the kingdom. Then there was the crown, which I found to be completely stupid concept.

When the Emerald King will declare prince Edward as the heir to the throne, he has to choose his future queen. The chosen girls shall be presented to the Queen and then she gives her crown to Edward. The crown of the queen is blessed by Sir Emerald so it will draw him towards his true queen, the one who will produce the strongest heirs to the kingdom and will be the perfect wife and lover to Edward. It just seems so stupid to me. How do you even know that the girl will be present during declaration of heir? And why does she have to be a bookworm to be so?

Us Rubies have it simple. Marry the ones you love or are mated to and then teach them to be the perfect queen. Of course, there will be an Enchantress but the king's wife has some responsibility too. She has to take care of the household. My mother managed to do both of them at once. I still wonder how.

The thought of my mother brings pain to my heart but I push it away. Her dying face doesn't leave my mind, though. She was a good mother and Enchantress. If it wasn't for her sacrifices, I won't be here. She taught me to be a strong person. I am thankful for her. I wish I had some more time to tell her how much I loved her. But it was too late now. maybe her soul rest in peace.

We arrive at the security check soon and it seems empty. I think not many are visiting capital anytime soon.

"It is late. The line must have been cleared up quick so that the guards take break and head home." She says.

I nod and follow her. I don't hand Junior to Zara even though she asks because she is two months pregnant and the walk must have really strained her. We enter the complex.

There are guards dressed in black suits and green tie. They have guns in their hands and I am sure there will be sniper here and there. They are wearing something in their ears and they seem to be talking in the air. I don't question them even though it feels weird to me.

The complex is old by the looks of it but it appears to be refurnished. There are small black balls like structures almost everywhere on the walls. Pamela asks me to let go of Junior and I hesitate. I wake him up.

"Junior, go to Guru and then meet me in the end." I tell him and he simply nods and runs to Guru.

Guru takes his hand and then reassures me with a smile.

I follow Pamela and she keeps her wallet in an odd machine. I do so and find Pamela stand behind a large metal frame. It has some lights on top.

"This is a metal detector. Also when I leave and the signal turns red. When it turns green you will have to go behind the curtain where a lady will check you with a black colored device. Don't worry, its normal. Collect your person on the other end when you leave the check." She says and I nod.

I let Zara stand in front of me as I have to make sure she is okay.

"Thank you for trusting me." I tell her.

She smiles at me.

"Cal would have wanted me to be with you. I don't know what happened with Katrina but I trust you with my life, Olivia. You are like my sister. I know you will take good care of us." She says and I smile back.

I haven't lost all of my family.

When the light turns green, Pamela goes behind the curtains located at a distance to the metal detector. Then the light turns red. After a couple of seconds, it turns green again and Zara goes behind the curtain. My instinct is to follow her but I stay where I am. When the light turns green for me I walk and go behind the green curtain.

A woman asks me to spread my hands as she inspects my pockets and clothes with a black device. I don't say anything as she touches me my body without my permission. It is for security, I think. I have to learn the ways of the Emeralds.

When she clears me, I come out of the curtains and find Pamela and Zara waiting for me. I grab my purse and head towards them.

"That was new." Zara says and I almost laugh. If that woman dared to touch me like in the lands of Rubies, she would have been punished.

But what can I say?

This is the crazy land of the Emeralds.

Then Pamela takes me to a counter where I find a few other female Emeralds standing. A man asks for their name, purpose of visit and then stamps at a paper and lets them go. I find it weird.

"This is the place where we will get our clearance, your majesty. They will check if you are a criminal or not in the records and then let you leave. The paper is your clearance. It will last for an year after which you have to renew it." Pamela says.

Zara and I nod. I feel nervous, what is the man doesn't approve of us. What if we aren't in the thing Pamela calls as the database. Then they will give us the worst death possible, I am sure. I look at Guru and Junior. They are standing at the counter where males are lined up. There are a few of them so I expect them to be cleared soon.

Pamela gets her clearance quickly and I wait at a distance when Zara does. There is a green line behind which we have to stand. Zara seems to answer the questions confidently and I feel proud of her when she clears. Then comes my chance and I am worried.

I am a princess, goddammit! I should have that much confidence.

I step beside the counter. The man is short and quite healthy I should say. He wears a white shirt and black pants with green tie. He wears spectacles as he looks down at a glass screen from which lights seems to be emitting. I find it weird when he moves his fingers through the screen.

"Look in the camera" he says as he points at he black ball in front of me.

I do as he says.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"Olivia Thorne." I reply.

"Province?" he asks.

"Two." I reply.

"Purpose of visit."

"Education."

He then keeps on typing something on the screen and then suddenly a paper is pops out of a machine with my photo on it. I am shocked on how he got it. It was a photo of me taken last year when we celebrated my birthday. My father had clicked it, as he had asked me to stand in front of a wall. I look carefree in the photo, hair popping out of my loose braid.

My eyes are green in the photo and I know it has been tampered with. I don't look like myself. I am a Ruby; I don't like the green in my eyes. I feel disgusted. Now I know why father asked all of us to stand in front of a wall while he clicked a photo with a camera.

The man stamps on the page and gives it to me. I quickly take it and a bar in front of me that I hadn't noticed before is lifted and I run out. I meet with others, Guru and Junior are cleared too. Pamela then motions us to follow her. We do so.

She then pushes a glass door and we move out as she holds it open for us.

As I step out, I am greeted by surroundings I have never seen before. There are tall skyscrapers everywhere and I see rows of trees. The complex must be really tall as I couldn't see the buildings through it. There are a few cars I see. We used to have cars too but never found any use of them as we had portals. There are people walking here and there.

So, this is the city life.

Welcome to the land of Emeralds, Olivia.