The Poison Princess (9 page)

“Good day, my princess,” the woman greeted
her.

“Hello,” Ruby politely replied.

“Did you sleep well?”

The princess thought about that for a moment,
when she realized she didn’t really remember going to bed the
previous night, nor did she remember any dreams. That was odd for
her, as she recalled almost all her nightly visions. She shrugged
it off and answered. “Yes, it was fine.”

“That’s good, my princess. Shall I help you
get ready?”

Ruby nodded. “Please.”

With the attendant’s assistance, Ruby slipped
into a fancy yellow dress. Afterward, the woman helped weave her
light brown hair into a braid of crowns. When she was ready, the
princess left her quarters and the servant, walking toward the
dining hall. Inside, she found one of their court wizards, Durin,
drinking a big heaping of wine. When he saw her enter, he wiped the
red liquid from his face and beard with the sleeve of his grey
robe, staining the fabric. Again, the princess couldn’t help but
feel that all of this had happened once before.

“Princess,” the wizard greeted her.

She shrugged the sensation off. “Hello Durin.
How is the food this morning?”

“I can’t say. I’ve only just tasted the wine.
I’ve left the strawberries for you to try.”

“Right,” she said with the same feeling
nagging at her. Ruby walked to the table and selected a sampling of
the various foods. Strawberries, her favorite fruit, were chief
among her selection. She returned to the table where Durin was, and
she sat across from him, joining him for breakfast. For a moment,
she was afraid that there might be something wrong with the meal
she had selected, but she once again couldn’t come up with a reason
why. Ignoring her fear, Ruby picked up one of the strawberries and
bit into the firm fruit. It was delicious, as was the rest of her
meal. Every bite of the fruit made her feel better.

The princess sat there and discussed the day
with Durin, while the sense of repetition began to fade away. When
she had finished her meal, the same young attendant that had helped
her earlier came in and took her plate.

Before she could leave, Ruby stopped her and
asked, “What is your name?”

“That doesn’t matter, my princess,” the woman
replied. She turned and left, leaving Ruby quite confused by the
response.

Again, the princess was forced to shrug it
off and continue with her day. Durin had already left the dining
hall to attend to his other duties, and others had come in to get
something to eat for breakfast. Ruby knew that despite the
importance of the day, her sister, Leina, would probably not be
prepared for it. She left the dining hall and headed toward her
sister’s room. Turning the knob and throwing open the door, Ruby
was not in the least surprised to find Leina still dressed in her
night robe, laying sprawled on the floor, and smearing paints onto
a canvas with her fingers.

“Leina,” Ruby said. “What are you doing? You
need to get ready.”

“Yeah, yeah,” her little sister said, not
looking up. “I just had to paint something first.”

Ruby walked over to her sister and looked
down at what she had created. The painting clearly wasn’t finished,
but the form of a man could be seen. Over his face, he wore a
plain, white mask, and he had on a long, black robe concealing most
of his body. The man’s left arm, however, stood out from the rest
of him. It was an ashy red color and looked craggy and hard. That
same feeling that had nagged at her when she woke that morning
persisted. Something about the figure’s hand meant something, but
she still couldn’t place it.

“Who is that?” Ruby asked her sister.

“Just something from my dreams,” Leina
replied. “Does it matter?”

“That doesn’t matter,” she said, along with
an echoing voice in her head. “What does matter?” she continued,
under her breath.

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing,” Ruby replied, shaking her head.
“Come on. We need to get you cleaned up.”

“Okay,” Leina grumbled.

The young girl stood up, as the same
attendant that Ruby kept seeing entered behind her. Again, the
princess thought she saw a flash of something special in her eyes,
but it was gone before she could identify it.

“Can you get Leina cleaned up?” Ruby asked
the woman.

“Of course, my princess.”

Ruby furrowed her brow, still trying to place
what it was about that woman that kept nagging at her mind, as she
left the room. There was a bit of time before the ceremony would
take place, and the princess needed to clear her head. The whole
morning had been off and awkward somehow. She needed to get a grip
on things, so she walked to where she often did when she needed
quiet. One of the spires of the far-stretching castle was abandoned
and unused, which made it ideal as an escape for the princess.

Having climbed up the circular staircase so
often, Ruby no longer tired from the journey, but on this day, she
took her time with each step. The ceremony of the day was
important, and it would change Ruby’s life forever. She understood
why her father had to take this action, but it would mean that the
princess would have to leave her home. The neighboring kingdom,
Elythine, and Lavidia had never had anything but a strained
relationship, and Ruby’s father hoped to fix that by promising her
to marry their king’s eldest son.

The princess understood it, but that didn’t
mean she wanted it. Ruby had yet to even meet the young man, and
she was expected to wed him, give him children, and serve as the
queen of a kingdom she hadn’t even been born in. The experience of
having her entire life traded for peace was a surreal one, she
discovered.

Ruby arrived at the top of the tower and
stepped out to a balcony overlooking the kingdom. She recognized
that it would very likely be the last time she could see her home
in such a way. It broke her heart to think such a thing, but it was
true. She had to say goodbye. The wind rushed past, but it was warm
on her skin. She wondered if Elythine would offer the same climate
or if it was far enough south that the seasons were somehow
different.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard
someone come up the steps behind her. Turning around, Ruby saw that
it was yet again the same attendant that she had seen throughout
the castle that morning.

“Hello, my princess,” the woman said.

“Hello… you never gave me your name.”

The woman smiled in response. “You are rather
persistent when it comes to names, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Scarlett,” she informed the princess. “You
can call me Scarlett.”

“Why do I keep seeing you? I’ve never seen
you before, and now… you’re everywhere.”

“You see me, because you need to.”

It was a cryptic response, one that did not
give Ruby any answers. “What does that mean?”

The woman approached the princess. “You feel
something strange when you look at me, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
Ruby dismissed. She looked back around to view her kingdom.

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me,” the
woman told her, putting a hand on the princess’ shoulder.

Ruby shrugged it off. “I don’t need your
help,” she informed the woman. “I have to go. I must prepare for
the ceremony.”

The princess started to take the stairs down,
but Scarlett added, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen, my
princess.”

Ruby stopped. “What isn’t?”

“Your life.”

“I don’t have any control over that,” she
replied and continued down the stairs.

“You always have control,” Scarlett called
after her.

The princess had no choice in the marriage.
She was doing what her father needed, what her people needed. Ruby
made for the throne room, where she knew she was expected. She did
her duty.

The ceremony went as she would have expected.
Her father promised Ruby to the other king’s eldest son, Lucian. He
seemed a pleasant enough man, but the princess admitted to herself
that upon looking at him and meeting him that she felt absolutely
nothing for him. After that, things went much faster than she would
have ever thought possible. Ruby was transported back to the
Elythine castle in a long caravan consisting of their royal family,
their servants, and a large collection of guards. Shortly after
arriving, the princess learned that the seasons were generally
warmer just as she had heard from her lessons. She began to miss
winters. The princess and Lucian were wed within a couple weeks.
Her parents and Leina came for the ceremony. That night she
performed her wifely duties, and within a couple months of
marriage, they conceived their first child. Nine months later, a
boy was born which greatly pleased Lucian. Ruby continued to do her
responsibilities by giving him more children and raising them over
the next several years. She was reasonably happy, probably more
than she would have expected on top of that spire looking down at
her kingdom for the last time.

Without fail, Ruby had strawberries every
day. They reminded her of home. They tasted sweeter and better with
every bite. She grew to need the fruit. She almost felt dependent
on it, though such a thought was preposterous.

When Lucian’s father died some years later,
Ruby’s husband was set to become king and she queen along with him.
There was yet again another ceremony, a coronation this time.
People from all around their kingdom had gathered to witness the
once in a lifetime event. As the future queen, Ruby had a prominent
role to play, and as such, she was both nervous and excited. Behind
closed doors, she prepared herself. The chaos of the events had
prevented her from eating her favorite fruit. She had an odd
sensation that day without her breakfast ritual.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ruby
pondered her years serving as Elythine’s princess rather than her
own home kingdom. In a way, she realized, she had served them both.
Many had feared war would have broken out if not for the marriage,
and she thought it strange that such a simple and innocuous thing
could cause peace. She had been given a dress to wear for the
occasion and was looking at herself in it when a young attendant
entered behind her. The princess instantly recognized her even
after all those years.

“You again?” Ruby asked. “You were there… on
my last day in Lavidia. In the tower.”

“Yes, you call me Scarlett. Hello, my
princess.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to help you. Now’s the time you
need it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You called to me once before, thinking I
might be able to help you, but you found your own way. You managed
to free yourself from the gut of that serpent all on your own.”

“Serpent? You’re talking madness.”

The woman smiled. “I remember you liking my
madness once upon a time.”

“I think it’s time you go. I need to prepare.
I’m going to be queen soon.”

“In time, I think you will, but not here. Not
like this.”

Ruby fought herself not to ask more, but she
had to know. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re the poison princess.”

Those two words in combination with one
another meant something to her. She felt like she had forgotten
something massive in her past. Dark purple images flooded her mind.
She felt like she might collapse, at which point, Scarlett grabbed
her arm, holding her steady. Her touch seemed so familiar as well,
and it only brought on more images. She’d seen the woman before,
not just on her last day in Lavidia, but before even that. Ruby
looked up at Scarlett.

“Is this real?” the princess asked.

“Not this time, I’m afraid,” the woman
replied.

“What’s going on?”

“Your perception of reality has been twisted
and warped.” Scarlett looked around and examined their
surroundings. “Is this really what makes you happy?”

Ruby snapped back to proper sense and shook
her head. “That’s all nonsense. Of course I’m happy.”

“Mmm. I think we can both agree that I can
make you much happier than that Lucian fellow.”

“Lucian is a good man.”

“Describe him.”

“What?”

“Describe him,” Scarlett repeated. “Tell me
what he looks like, how he treats you, what his favorite color
is.”

Ruby realized she had no idea. How could she
not know, she asked herself.

“You never met him. When you were in the
castle, before you became the poison princess, you were told his
name. That was all. That is the only thing you know about him.”

“You’re mad. I’ve had children with him. Two
boys and a girl.”

“What are their names?”

Again, Ruby searched in vain for an answer,
tilting her head to the ground. Her heart fluttered, and she
couldn’t breathe. What Scarlett was saying was somehow making sense
to her. Like the tide washing back and forth, the memories rushed
to her. The poisoned strawberries. Durin’s interrupted spell. Leina
and the craggy hand demon. The Abyss. Her pet imps and the fall
down the tunnel. The enormous serpent that swallowed her whole.
Then… the fruit. The toxic blissroot. After that, she woke back up
in her bed. She ate the strawberries and nothing happened. She’d
been fine, but none of it was real. She’d been suffering the
effects of the fruit all the time. It had kept her alive, but at
such a cost.

Ruby looked back up at the woman to find that
she had changed in appearance. Her strange horns were there now,
and no longer could the red color of her eyes be ignored or denied.
Even her clothing, which had consisted of something much more
modest, was now the short, low-cut dress that she had worn at their
first meeting.

“But I have years of memories,” the princess
said. “How has that happened?”

“You’ve been dreaming for some time,”
Scarlett told her.