Elena took a deep breath and uttered as she gazed into the horizon. "Still . . . this place really is depressing. There's not even the warmth of the sun. You'll easily lose your mind in here."
"It's because that's how it was intended. To lose your mind . . ." Ren paused when something clicked in his head.
Wait . . . Ren repeated the riddle. 'I am broken without fault and may fall but not break. What am I?'
"What?" Elena asked when Ren went silent. "What is it?"
"I think . . . I might know the answer," he told her.
Elena's face brightened. "Really?"
Instead of replying, Ren went back to the White Queen.
"Do you know the riddle?" asked the White Queen, face unperturbed.
Ren nodded and said, "The answer is Day and Night."
". . ." There was a ripple breaking the White Queen's stony face, and the corners of her lips rose a little. ". . . Correct."
"Whoa." Elena was amazed. "How did you know that?"
Because of you, Ren wanted to say, but instead, he explained, "The first words, 'I am broken without fault,' pertains to the break of dawn. And the rest, 'may fall but not break,' pertaining to the sun when it went down."
Elena's eyes rounded. "I see . . . now that you said it . . . I kind of see the resemblance . . ."
"Are you ready for the next riddle?" the White Queen asked.
Ren wanted to say a big flat NO. He wanted to rest his brain first because he seemed to be exhausted with the latest riddle. However, he was pressed for time and found himself saying, "Yes."
The White Queen didn't waste any second and said the last and final riddle, "Gold be good. Great, be bold. Stone is hard. Cold be cruel. Glass be fragile. Broken be sorrow. What am I?"
"Ugh . . . T-that . . ." Elena knew that this riddle was hard to understand even when she didn't look at Ren's constipated face. "Can we request for another one?" she bargained.
The White Queen's stony face remained calm. There was even a slight downward curved at the corner of her lips.
"The riddle has been spoken, and its words cannot be undone," the White Queen declared with a tone of finality. "Once the riddle is set in motion, its power cannot be revoked."
Ren and Elena exchanged concerned glances, realizing the irrevocable nature of the riddle's impact.
Ren had a headache. The last two riddles he could somewhat decipher because they contained clues within them. But the last one . . . the last one was a puzzle that even his prized brain couldn't comprehend.
"R-Ren . . . ," Elena uttered, face thick with worry. She glanced at Prince Zeroth and Ren, couldn't decide what to do.
"You have an hour and two tries," the White Queen ended.
This wasn't looking good. Ren thought. He really didn't have any inkling as to the answer to the riddle. None of it had any clue about anything. They were different things and totally unrelated to each other.
No . . . every riddle had a clue. He was not just thinking hard, and maybe he was looking at it from the wrong angle.
"Ren."
Elena's light tap on his back jolted him to reality.
"Yeah?"
"We should take a break. It would do you no good to overthink. Like I always said, overthinking only leads to stress and brain exhaustion and often will lead you to the wrong answer," she said with pride.
Ren released a wry sigh. "That's something coming from you." But maybe she was right.
Elena pouted. "And what do you mean by that?" she then sighed and uttered, "But this riddle is so hard. No wonder Prince Zeroth failed."
"Oh, no," the White Queen interjected with a note of concern. "It appears that the Prince didn't even make it past the initial stage of the riddle. Alas, he faltered right from the start."
Ren and Elena glanced at each other, and the former repeated in a daze. "He failed?"
The White Queen nodded, and Ren couldn't believe what he heard.
The first riddle was so easy! How could he have failed it?
Could it be that . . . Ren glanced over at Prince Zeroth. He was also on the brawn side than in brains, just like the Princess.
Not in a bad way, of course. The fact that they would rather fight their problems with their strength than think logically kind of way.
"I can't blame him," Elena said. "These riddles are so hard."
"Please stop patronizing him," Ren replied dully. "Anyway, what did you like about him except for his good looks?"
Elena was stunned at the sudden question before she looked to the other side and clamped her reddening cheeks with both hands.
"Egh . . . suddenly asking me that out of the blue . . ." she swayed side to side. And then she realized that Prince Zeroth might have heard Ren.
She only released the air she held when they were meters apart, and was sure that Prince Zeroth didn't heard them. He was still pounding and yelling something behind the mirror.
Ren was about to open his mouth, but Elena had already answered him before he could utter a word out.
Elena collected her thoughts. Her eyes wandered to the distance, a soft smile gracing her lips. The gentle breeze seemed to carry her words, whispering them to the surrounding air.
"For starters," she began, her voice tinged with a hint of dreaminess, "Princes Zeroth possessed a noble and compassionate heart. Like the heroes in the cherished books I adore, he displayed a genuine concern for the well-being of others. His kind and selfless nature shone through his actions and words, leaving an indelible impression on my heart."
Elena's eyes sparkled with a glimmer of admiration as she continued, her voice growing softer as if sharing a secret. "Moreover, his unwavering determination and unwavering loyalty to his kingdom and his people were truly captivating. It was as if he embodied the chivalrous knights of old, standing valiantly for what he believed in, ready to defend and protect those he held dear."
