Ren and Elena were shocked stunned. The once regal and powerful Queen was slumped lifeless on her throne, and in her place sat a woman Fey with red hair cascading down her back like molten lava.
She had an aura of power and danger around her that made Ren and Elena uneasy. Her piercing green eyes seemed to look right through them, sizing them up with a calculating gaze.
Without a word, she stood up from the throne and walked towards them. Her every step echoed through the room, and it was as if the air had become charged with an invisible energy.
Elena stood frozen and uttered in a low voice, "Lady Russet . . ."
"You know her?"
"She's Queen Aurora's sister and currently the ruler of Autumn Palace."
"Half-sister," Russet corrected. "You must be the adventurer who was sent to investigate my half-sister's missing body."
Ren was baffled as to how she had known that, or was it part of the quest?
Elena stepped forward, and Ren didn't know if that was a good move. The woman up there was definitely not on their side. And to make matters worse, her ATP was above the Princess.
If worse comes to worst, he would summon Pii, and hopefully, Russet had come alone.
"What's the meaning of this, Lady Russet? What have you done to Queen Floraia?"
"It's Queen Russet to you, Princess. And what do you mean what have I done? What have YOU done to the Queen?"
Ren and Elena exchanged baffled glances. Elena was about to open her mouth when Russet reformed into Queen Floraia right before their eyes. They could hardly believe what they were seeing and stood frozen for a moment, staring in disbelief.
As the transformation was completed, the Queen rose from her throne and approached them, wearing a look of concern on her face. "My dear friends," she said, her voice laced with worry. "What have you done? I'm afraid I have to arrest you for attempted murder of the Queen."
"What?" Elena was shocked while Ren watched as Queen Floraia's body disappeared.
"This isn't good. We have to leave," Ren uttered in a low voice.
Elena was still stunned, and she muttered in a daze, "That couldn't be . . . Lady Russet doesn't have the capability to transform into someone else . . .
The Princess looked at Russet carefully and asked seriously, "Who are you?"
Russet, with Queen Floraia's face, let out a sinister laugh that echoed throughout the throne room. Her eyes glinted with a malevolent gleam as she stared at the Princess.
"I am Queen Floraia now," she hissed, her voice taking on a deep, gravelly tone that sounded nothing like the Queen's gentle voice. "And right now . . . you're the fugitives who tried to kill this Queen. Oh, Princess of the Elven Realm, you really don't know what you have done."
Elena felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of Russet's twisted smile. Ren stepped in front of her protectively, his eyes trained on Russet or whoever she was.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, his hand inching to summon his scepter.
Russet's eyes flickered toward Ren, and she let out a low growl. "War," she spat. "The Princess had breached protocol and now had attempted to murder a Queen! This only meant war!"
She gestured toward Elena with contempt, causing the Princess to bristle with anger.
"Y-you . . . no one will believe you! I will testify in court that you're lying! I will unmask that pretentious face of yours and bring you to justice for what you've done!"
Russet's laughter echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down their spines. "You can . . . but only if you can get out alive from this. Guards!"
The Queen's bodyguards poured inside the throne room and drew their weapons, surrounding Ren and Elena, ready to strike at any moment.
"Seize them! They have attempted to murder me!"
With a wave of Elena's hand, she sent the guards flying across the room, knocking them unconscious.
Russet's expression turned cold as she glared at the two. "You can't escape, so I suggest that you surrender to your inevitable death. It would be less painful."
"Dream on!" Elena hissed, and it was the first time that Ren had seen her angry and worried at the same time.
Was this part of the quest? He wondered. Where they had in the first place? Where the enemies aimed for this so the Fairies could have an excuse to wage war with the Elves. But why the Elves?
Ren didn't have time to think about this sudden change of event. This wasn't the script he used to know in the past. Everything changed the moment he had brought the Princess along.
Ren tried to initiate a battle with Russet but failed.
Yep. Their goal here was not to fight Russet but to escape alive. He quickly deducted.
Ren put a hand on Elena's shoulder, looking into her eyes with a sense of urgency. "We can't fight our way out of this. We have to go."
"But she killed the Queen! She would wage war against my home!" Elena exclaimed, her voice rising in anger. "We can't just let her get away with it!"
"I know, and we won't," Ren said firmly. "But we have to be smart about this. She's too strong, and we're outnumbered. We'll regroup, come up with a plan, and then take her down. But right now, our priority is to get out of here alive. Can you do that for me?"
Elena hesitated for a moment, her fists clenched in anger. But she knew Ren was right. They had to be strategic if they wanted to have any chance of stopping Russet or whoever she was. "Okay," she finally said, her voice low with determination. "Let's go."
Ren and Elena looked around, feeling trapped with guards surrounding them on all sides. They needed to act fast if they wanted to make it out of there alive.
Ren quickly scanned the room with his [Probe], searching for any potential escape routes, while Elena readied her bow, preparing to defend themselves if necessary.
Suddenly, Ren's eyes lit up as he spotted a hidden door behind a tapestry on the wall using his [Probe]. He grabbed Elena's arm and quickly pulled her towards the door.
As they ran, the guards started to close in on them, but with a flick of her wrist, Elena sent a powerful blast of magic toward the guards, who barely managed to dodge it in time.
The battle had begun, and the fate of the kingdom hung in the balance.
With one final push, they burst through the door and found themselves in a narrow passageway. They ran as fast as they could, the sounds of shouting guards echoing behind them. The passageway led them outside the palace, where they quickly mounted Tiki and rode off into the night.
