Chapter 2: STRANGE BIRD IN THE WOODS
Queen Eva swiftly turned and with brisk steps, she headed towards the rack Iris hid behind. Grabbing a book as a weapon, she slowly moved towards the spot while scanning the place for any movement.
As soon as Iris felt her drawing nearer, she ran quickly and hid under a table nearby. Slowly and painstakingly, she pulled chairs towards the opening and concealed the space she occupied.
Now, the blonde-haired woman reached the spot where the book lay and seeing nobody there, her brows knit together in confusion.
Did she not hear a gasp? she mused, and with a loud sigh, she turned to leave.
Iris held her breath in and impatiently waited till she heard the door close with a bang.
Hurriedly, she crawled from the table and stretched her sore limbs as soon as she stood up.
Her thoughts were running in a thousand directions as she wondered what Raelle and her mother were up to. Her piqued-up curiosity got the best of her because in no time, she found herself out of the library.
Scanning the corridors for any sign of the two, she found it empty, as usual.
Iris half-ran through the corridors and just as she took the left turn in the halls, she caught sight of Raelle heading towards the royal stables.
Iris carefully trailed behind Raelle slowly, such that there was a good distance between the two.When Raelle entered through the door, Iris did not follow suit. Instead, she stood at the entrance, waiting for an opportune time to enter.
Holding both glasses in her hand, Raelle craned her neck hoping to catch sight of Keith- the only living prince of Luxor, the Western Kingdom.
Keith was over a year older than Raelle who was in turn, a few months older than Iris. As soon as she caught sight of him, her lips curved into a pretentious smile.
''There you are!'', she exclaimed and surprise etched on Keith's face.
Holding the reins of his horse in hand, he led it gently into the yard.
''What brings you here, Raelle?'', he questioned.
Raelle recited the lines she had previously rehearsed, ''Well I thought to share a glass of milk with my brother. You know, like we used to'' she smiled whilst nudging his arm playfully.
Iris, who stood behind the door rolled her eyes upon hearing Raelle's words. Since when did she care about bonding with siblings? she thought.
She saw Raelle stretch her hands to offer Keith a glass of milk and instantly, she felt warning signals blaring in her mind.
Taking this to be her cue, Iris loudly sucked her breath in and bolstered out through the door. Her intrusion startled both Keith and Raelle and Iris faked a smile of surprise.
Walking towards them, she asked, ''What's up with you two?''.
Upon receving no response from the two, Iris arched her brow and gave them a questioning look.
Raelle, who's hand still hang mid-air awkwardly retrieved it and said, ''Oh Iris, Keith and I were just reminiscing those times when we used to be inseparable."
Iris snorted, amused. So far as her memory permitted, Raelle only stuck closely to Keith like a parasite, deriving personal benefits while harming gullible Keith.
Back when Iris' brother, Reynolds was alive, they all used to be closely knitted. After his capture, things gradually started changing. Raelle was the first to disseminate and she dubiously lured Keith with her. But that was only for a while before Keith wisened up and saw through her antics. He merely sat on the sidelines, not willing to get involved in the matter of his half-sisters. Soon hate and envy tainted Raelle's heart as Iris became the fastest, most skilled and the smartest. For Keith, it didn't seem to bother him so much.
What favoured Iris' however, was the fact that she was the youngest, much to the annoyance of Raelle.
Trying to diffuse the awkwardness amongst them, Keith asked, ''Well, what are you doing here, Iris?'' His question caught her off guard, and she quickly lied, ''I came to take a ride with Heaven''.
Heaven was Iris' horse. Their father the King gifted his three children each a foal when they turned ten. He made it his priority to train his children in horseback riding, swimming, sword fighting and other skills most royals did not learn.
Keith nodded his head at her head. After glaring at Iris for the intrusion, Raelle stretched her hands again to offer Keith the glass whilst adding, ''Your milk is getting cold''.
Iris, who caught the earlier exchange between Raelle and her mother wondered what substance the milk was contaminated with and why Raelle urgently wanted it consumed by Keith.
Keith accepted the glass gladly and was about to gulp down its content when Iris intentionally nudged her elbow into his arm. Due to the bump, the glass slightly tipped over and almost half of its content poured on Raelle's foot.
Raelle's eyes widened in shock and Iris, who could barely contain her laughter wittily feigned surprise at her actions. Raelle could hardly contain her anger as she stared at Iris with narrowed eyes.
Shrugging her shoulders, Iris offfered an apology to both Raelle and Keith. Though she didn't initially mean to spill the milk on Raelle's feet, she did not in the least regret her actions. She couldn't help but scrutinise Keith's face for any reaction as he gulped down the remnants of the glass.
Finding nothing suspicious, she brushed those thoughts away and dismissed herself. She then headed towards the compartment where Heaven laid.
A smile curved on her lips and her eyes shone with joy the moment she saw her horse. Heaven was a pure white horse with contrasting black manes and hooves.
Playfully, she clapped her hands against its back and ran her fingers through its mane.
Collins, the stableboy prepared the horse for the princess as she changed into her knitwear at an enclosed corner. Climbing onto Heaven, Iris rode out of the stableyard further into the woods.
She rode at full speed as the dusk breeze whipped her inky black hair backwards.
She only slowed her pace when she caught sight of her favorite spot; a huge rock that had caved in at one side. A wry smile curved on her lips as she remebered the times her mother, brother and herself held picnics at the spot. When her father was less busy, he joined them.
Climbing off her horse, she tied its reins to a nearby tree and trudged towards the rock. Reclining in the hollow section, Iris closed her eyes as the sounds of rustling leaves and crickets chirping flooded her mind.
But her mind picked on a peculiar sound. Opening her eyes, she saw a blackbird on a willow tree staring right back at her.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and as she attempted to stand up, the strange bird flew away. Disturbed by this, Iris decided to leave and headed towards Heaven. As she untied it, Heaven let outt a low grunt and Iris gulped hard. She was right after all. There was something inexplicable and even Heaven knew it.
She swiftly turned around and scanned the woods but she only saw the twilight darkness enveloping the place. Mounting Heaven, Iris rode away in the direction of the castle without looking back.
As soon as she was out of sight, a shady figure emerged from the woods and watched her back retreat.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone