Chapter 4: The time keeper
"My love," Queen Ercel whispered, stroking young Ysabel's hair. "Do you know why I gave you the name Ysabel?"
"No," came the soft reply of the little princess. "Why did you name me Ysabel?"
The Queen chuckled.
"Because you have been God's gift to me."
The scene suddenly shifted, melting away from Ysabel's grasp, snapping her awake from the delusional dream.
Bright sunlight and a bluish horizon blinded Ysabel her for a minute before she readjusted her vision.
A butterfly flew above, forcing Ysabel to sit up. Bewildered, she took a moment to take in her surroundings.
Tall grass tickled her skin. Flowers of various kinds, shapes, and sizes accompanied it.
"Memories," a man dressed in white sat beside Ysabel, surprising her with his sudden appearance. "Are beautiful, aren't they?"
Ysabel stared at him, trying to place where she might have seen the stranger. But her mind couldn't register where and who he was.
He had olive skin and Hazel eyes, which held Ysabel's curious gaze. A soft smile curved on his lips, emphasizing his attractive features.
"Who are you?"
The stranger looked away, focusing his attention on the clear skies.
"I have many names, Your Highness. Listing each of them would be a waste of time."
Blinking, Ysabel became even more confused, her brows furrowed in a frown. She was concerned about how he had addressed her, as though he knew who Ysabel was.
"Am I dead?"
The man held Ysabel's gaze for a few seconds before plucking the nearest flower bud. It had yet to bloom, shying away by furling its petals inward.
Touching the tip of the bud, the man caused it to spread open, revealing a beautiful red rose in its full bloom.
The phenomenon immediately attracted a butterfly—the one Ysabel saw earlier, fluttering its wings as it hovered on the delicate rose.
Mesmerized, Ysabel didn't anticipate for the mysterious man to hand the flower to her.
"For you."
Reluctantly, Ysabel accepted the offering, her attention caught by it. A myriad of colors played on the flower's petals, deepening Ysabel's amazement.
When she lifted her head to ask the mysterious stranger about the matter, she found that the man was gone.
Not only that, but her surroundings shifted.
The field of flowers disappeared.
Ysabel found herself back in her chamber, seeing herself with Reis and her mother.
Dropping the flower, she got to her feet, wanting to stop her mother from what she was about to do.
However, Ysabel was too late.
She helplessly watched her mother cut her throat, spilling blood.
Ysabel tried to scream, but no sound came out of her lips. The tears came in its stead, having Ysabel dropping back to the ground.
The scene changed again, bringing Ysabel to the banquet hall. Fancy dresses, elegant music, cheerful laughter, and half-hearted conversations assaulted her senses.
It brought awful memories to Ysabel.
While everyone else feasted, reminiscing about her late father, they imprisoned her inside the dungeon, cold, hungry, and abandoned.
Her sorrow immediately dissipated, replaced by the burning rage as she spotted Gwendolyn. He was exchanging laughter with the other monarchs, drinking to his heart's content.
He was enjoying the calm before they would announce him as King.
Curling her hands into fists, Ysabel was on her feet in seconds. She tried to rush toward her stepbrother, wanting to give him a taste of her wrath.
But the banquet hall had disappeared by then.
Finding herself standing at the edge of a cliff, Ysabel screamed, her voice finally coming back to her.
"This isn't fair!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, fighting against the crashing waves and howling wind. "This isn't fair! I didn't want to die!"
Admitting that she was dead brought Ysabel to tears. She dropped to her knees, punching the ground until her knuckles bled.
She couldn't even feel the pain.
Covering her face with her hands, Ysabel cried harder.
"This isn't fair!" she repeated, her voice muffled.
Amid her desperate sobs, Ysabel recognized the voice thundering in her surroundings.
It was not too loud, but neither was it whispered. However, Ysabel heard it clearly, as if the man had screamed it right in her ears.
"Do you wish to make everything right, Ysabel?"
Wiping her tears away, the lady stopped crying and liftedher head.
The cliff was gone, her surroundings shifting again.
Several clocks of various shapes and sizes surrounded Ysabel. Their ticking replaced that of the restless waters and the relentless wind.
"Yes," came her whispered reply. "I want to live."
A tense silence followed her response. Ysabel gripped the hem of the white dress she had just noticed.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and the sound of the clock made her even more anxious, driving her to think that she had given the wrong answer.
But was there even a right one?
"A great monarch rarely comes by," the stranger's voice echoed, taking Ysabel by surprise. She didn't understand what that supposed to mean.
"You, Sienna Ysabel Valerya, is destined to be a great Queen."
Ysabel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her heart pounded faster.
"But alas! The power of greed made you lose the battle you never even knew existed. You had failed your people upon your death. Hence, the fate of the Kingdom is doomed. Unless a new monarch arose, but that would take years before it happens."
Not knowing where the man was going with his speech, Ysabel opened her mouth to protest.
Was he toying with her?
Who was he, and what was he?
But before she could try asking her questions, the man continued.
"The great gods have heard your pleas. Your desire to save them from the grasp of an unworthy ruler didn't pass through deaf ears. Do everything you must to fulfill what you were destined to do, Queen Ysabel of Eyeris. Do you accept the challenge? Will you rise to meet these demands no matter what it takes?"
Ysabel's memories of her last moments returned to her.
She had died trying to protect Reis and knew she would do it again if the same incident happened.
Her mother's last words resonated in her mind, "I'm sorry, my dear Ysabel. I love you."
Curling her hands into fists, the last thing that flashed in her mind was Gwendolyn's sneer. It ignited her rage, curdling and unforgiving.
"Yes," Ysabel replied, determined. "I accept."
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