Chapter 14 - 15

Chapter 15: Broken Promises

Ruby layed down into her bed, she felt like all her life has been in Solarist, and that her family and friends from E-arth never really existed. So many nights already that Ruby felt like eternity, she needed to get back. Ruby started to sing a song she had heard the poor folksmen sing. Ruby smiled, she had fallen in love with those villagers, they didn’t have much, but they had the basics in order to survive, they didn’t need any luxuries because the one thing that they considered luxury was each other, and that was enough for them. Soon enough she dozed off to sleep.

Feather was desperately trying to find a way to escape, she knew Leigh was going to be in seriously big trouble, no one really understood the bond between them, but they are worth more than billions of diamonds to each other. Feather had noticed a loose bar when she first came in. She slowly went to test it, the previous prisoner might have bashed it pretty hard. Feather wiggled it, determining the best way to execute her plan. She just needed to break this one bar before sunrise. The bar was getting looser and looser, and with her final attempt she pulled with all her strength. Feather pulled back and the bar suddenly came off, it had knocked her back hitting her on the head, unconscious. Feather fell to the ground there was a huge crack her head bounced once, twice and then there was no movement. Her eyes fell, her expression, her body. Only red blood oozing out.

Ruby walked down the narrow staircase to the prison to visit Feather. She was horrified. Speechless. She just wouldn’t believe what she saw. Ruby squeezed through the bars, and saw the little girl’s pale face.

“No,” Ruby whispered kneeling down next to her. “NO!” Ruby screamed, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face. She rocked the poor girl in her arms, Feather still lay lifeless as if she was a doll. Ruby hurried to her room, everyone she passed stared seeing the princess in her arms. She laid Feather down carefully on her bed. She got her staff, she wished, she pleaded and begged in her mind. Slowly a slither of light came swiveling out from the magic stone, it reached Feather’s body and circled around it. Suddenly a few more multi colour slithers of light came dancing out. They all joined the first light and circled around Feather, getting closer to her every second, when finally it disappeared into Feather through her mouth. Her mouth moved, and Ruby quickly went to sit next to her.

“Feather?” Ruby whimpered softly.

“Ruby, get to Leigh. He is in trouble,” Feather somehow managed to say without moving at all. She lay there as if she was always dead.

“Feather!” Ruby shook her a bit.

“Ruby please save Leigh before you go,” she said again. Ruby nodded and immediately ran to Leigh’s room. She took the piece of wood off and walked in closing the door behind her. Leigh was sitting on the bed, all the food that has been delivered to him wasn’t touched.

“Leigh, you must at least drink something,” Ruby said. She got his goblet that was filled with water, and put it up to his lip. Leigh let Ruby slowly feed him, he drank the water slowly, then Ruby got a few grapes carefully feeding them to him. “Leigh, what would you do if you became king without your sister?” Ruby asked. Leigh was silent for a while, until he finally spoke.

“I would go be with her, and mother, and father, and my baby sister,” he whispered. Ruby nodded, she just couldn’t let Leigh go, if she did it would feel like she broke a promise that she promised not to break.

She opened the door and lead Leigh out. He seemed just as scared as he was when Ruby first met him. Ruby sat him down at the table and the maids and servants had placed down special lollies from Solarist at the table to try cheer him up.

“Um Ruby? Can I um see my sister please?” he was scared to ask.

“Leigh, uhh, she still needs to stay another night,” Ruby tried to make an excuse.

“Oh, you can get her out can’t you,” Leigh begged. Ruby shook her head. Leigh sighed and ate a piece of candy on the table. Even though he didn’t have much of an appetite, he still thought he needed something to eat. He managed to nibble a bit of steak that was on his plate, then he trudged along to his room. Ruby followed him sneakily, and once he was in his room he started throwing tantrums, he obviously tried to control himself when he wasn’t alone, and Ruby appreciated him for that.

Hours later, Leigh, whose eyes were still red and watery, came out of his room and walked slowly outside. I need to have some more fun outside without Feather,  he thought, trying to control himself. He ran over to the horse, Grace, jumped onto her and started to ride her towards a near cliff. He then realised he was straying too far from the palace and started to ride back. Ruby was waiting for him, nervously looking at her watch, waiting for him to come back. When she came to Leigh’s sight, that’s when he started to think, a lot, and his insane emotions started to overcome him. “Ruby, I really need to see Feather,” Leigh asked.

“Now’s not the right time,” Ruby replied.

“I WANT to see her,” Leigh said starting to raise his voice, Ruby knew she needed to do something before he went insane. She just needed to calm him down somehow, and reassure him that everything is okay.

Soon night came, and Ruby’s worries became more of greed. It wasn’t greed for riches, but more of a greed for a companion in a strange world of hers. It came to her, if he couldn’t take the truth she had to make up a lie. Leigh was in a deep sleep, so Ruby ordered some guards to tinker a coffin made specially for Feather. She had already planned out where this coffin would be. It would lie above the ground, surrounded by red roses and pink and yellow tulips. Feather was very special. The gods of Solarist had chosen her to bring joy to future generations and special messages to her close friends and relatives, but mainly Ruby and Leigh.