by J. Stone
“Right,” she said with the same feeling nagging at her. Ruby walked to the table and selected a sampling of the various foods. Strawberries, her favorite fruit, were chief among her selection. She returned to the table where Durin was, and she sat across from him, joining him for breakfast. For a moment, she was afraid that there might be something wrong with the meal she had selected, but she once again couldn’t come up with a reason why. Ignoring her fear, Ruby picked up one of the strawberries and bit into the firm fruit. It was delicious, as was the rest of her meal. Every bite of the fruit made her feel better.
The princess sat there and discussed the day with Durin, while the sense of repetition began to fade away. When she had finished her meal, the same young attendant that had helped her earlier came in and took her plate.
Before she could leave, Ruby stopped her and asked, “What is your name?”
“That doesn’t matter, my princess,” the woman replied. She turned and left, leaving Ruby quite confused by the response.
Again, the princess was forced to shrug it off and continue with her day. Durin had already left the dining hall to attend to his other duties, and others had come in to get something to eat for breakfast. Ruby knew that despite the importance of the day, her sister, Leina, would probably not be prepared for it. She left the dining hall and headed toward her sister’s room. Turning the knob and throwing open the door, Ruby was not in the least surprised to find Leina still dressed in her night robe, laying sprawled on the floor, and smearing paints onto a canvas with her fingers.
“Leina,” Ruby said. “What are you doing? You need to get ready.”
“Yeah, yeah,” her little sister said, not looking up. “I just had to paint something first.”
Ruby walked over to her sister and looked down at what she had created. The painting clearly wasn’t finished, but the form of a man could be seen. Over his face, he wore a plain, white mask, and he had on a long, black robe concealing most of his body. The man’s left arm, however, stood out from the rest of him. It was an ashy red color and looked craggy and hard. That same feeling that had nagged at her when she woke that morning persisted. Something about the figure’s hand meant something, but she still couldn’t place it.
“Who is that?” Ruby asked her sister.
“Just something from my dreams,” Leina replied. “Does it matter?”
“That doesn’t matter,” she said, along with an echoing voice in her head. “What does matter?” she continued, under her breath.
“What’d you say?”
“Nothing,” Ruby replied, shaking her head. “Come on. We need to get you cleaned up.”
“Okay,” Leina grumbled.
The young girl stood up, as the same attendant that Ruby kept seeing entered behind her. Again, the princess thought she saw a flash of something special in her eyes, but it was gone before she could identify it.
“Can you get Leina cleaned up?” Ruby asked the woman.
“Of course, my princess.”
Ruby furrowed her brow, still trying to place what it was about that woman that kept nagging at her mind, as she left the room. There was a bit of time before the ceremony would take place, and the princess needed to clear her head. The whole morning had been off and awkward somehow. She needed to get a grip on things, so she walked to where she often did when she needed quiet. One of the spires of the far-stretching castle was abandoned and unused, which made it ideal as an escape for the princess.
Having climbed up the circular staircase so often, Ruby no longer tired from the journey, but on this day, she took her time with each step. The ceremony of the day was important, and it would change Ruby’s life forever. She understood why her father had to take this action, but it would mean that the princess would have to leave her home. The neighboring kingdom, Elythine, and Lavidia had never had anything but a strained relationship, and Ruby’s father hoped to fix that by promising her to marry their king’s eldest son.
The princess understood it, but that didn’t mean she wanted it. Ruby had yet to even meet the young man, and she was expected to wed him, give him children, and serve as the queen of a kingdom she hadn’t even been born in. The experience of having her entire life traded for peace was a surreal one, she discovered.
Ruby arrived at the top of the tower and stepped out to a balcony overlooking the kingdom. She recognized that it would very likely be the last time she could see her home in such a way. It broke her heart to think such a thing, but it was true. She had to say goodbye. The wind rushed past, but it was warm on her skin. She wondered if Elythine would offer the same climate or if it was far enough south that the seasons were somehow different.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone come up the steps behind her. Turning around, Ruby saw that it was yet again the same attendant that she had seen throughout the castle that morning.
“Hello, my princess,” the woman said.
“Hello… you never gave me your name.”
The woman smiled in response. “You are rather persistent when it comes to names, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“Scarlett,” she informed the princess. “You can call me Scarlett.”
“Why do I keep seeing you? I’ve never seen you before, and now… you’re everywhere.”
“You see me, because you need to.”
It was a cryptic response, one that did not give Ruby any answers. “What does that mean?”
The woman approached the princess. “You feel something strange when you look at me, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ruby dismissed. She looked back around to view her kingdom.
“I can’t help you if you don’t let me,” the woman told her, putting a hand on the princess’ shoulder.
Ruby shrugged it off. “I don’t need your help,” she informed the woman. “I have to go. I must prepare for the ceremony.”
The princess started to take the stairs down, but Scarlett added, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen, my princess.”
Ruby stopped. “What isn’t?”
“Your life.”
“I don’t have any control over that,” she replied and continued down the stairs.
“You always have control,” Scarlett called after her.
The princess had no choice in the marriage. She was doing what her father needed, what her people needed. Ruby made for the throne room, where she knew she was expected. She did her duty.
The ceremony went as she would have expected. Her father promised Ruby to the other king’s eldest son, Lucian. He seemed a pleasant enough man, but the princess admitted to herself that upon looking at him and meeting him that she felt absolutely nothing for him. After that, things went much faster than she would have ever thought possible. Ruby was transported back to the Elythine castle in a long caravan consisting of their royal family, their servants, and a large collection of guards. Shortly after arriving, the princess learned that the seasons were generally warmer just as she had heard from her lessons. She began to miss winters. The princess and Lucian were wed within a couple weeks. Her parents and Leina came for the ceremony. That night she performed her wifely duties, and within a couple months of marriage, they conceived their first child. Nine months later, a boy was born which greatly pleased Lucian. Ruby continued to do her responsibilities by giving him more children and raising them over the next several years. She was reasonably happy, probably more than she would have expected on top of that spire looking down at her kingdom for the last time.
Without fail, Ruby had strawberries every day. They reminded her of home. They tasted sweeter and better with every bite. She grew to need the fruit. She almost felt dependent on it, though such a thought was preposterous.
When Lucian’s father died some years later, Ruby’s husband was set to become king and she queen along with him. There was yet again another ceremony, a coronation this time. People from all around their kingdom had gathered to witness the once
in a lifetime event. As the future queen, Ruby had a prominent role to play, and as such, she was both nervous and excited. Behind closed doors, she prepared herself. The chaos of the events had prevented her from eating her favorite fruit. She had an odd sensation that day without her breakfast ritual.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ruby pondered her years serving as Elythine’s princess rather than her own home kingdom. In a way, she realized, she had served them both. Many had feared war would have broken out if not for the marriage, and she thought it strange that such a simple and innocuous thing could cause peace. She had been given a dress to wear for the occasion and was looking at herself in it when a young attendant entered behind her. The princess instantly recognized her even after all those years.
“You again?” Ruby asked. “You were there… on my last day in Lavidia. In the tower.”
“Yes, you call me Scarlett. Hello, my princess.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to help you. Now’s the time you need it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You called to me once before, thinking I might be able to help you, but you found your own way. You managed to free yourself from the gut of that serpent all on your own.”
“Serpent? You’re talking madness.”
The woman smiled. “I remember you liking my madness once upon a time.”
“I think it’s time you go. I need to prepare. I’m going to be queen soon.”
“In time, I think you will, but not here. Not like this.”
Ruby fought herself not to ask more, but she had to know. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re the poison princess.”
Those two words in combination with one another meant something to her. She felt like she had forgotten something massive in her past. Dark purple images flooded her mind. She felt like she might collapse, at which point, Scarlett grabbed her arm, holding her steady. Her touch seemed so familiar as well, and it only brought on more images. She’d seen the woman before, not just on her last day in Lavidia, but before even that. Ruby looked up at Scarlett.
“Is this real?” the princess asked.
“Not this time, I’m afraid,” the woman replied.
“What’s going on?”
“Your perception of reality has been twisted and warped.” Scarlett looked around and examined their surroundings. “Is this really what makes you happy?”
Ruby snapped back to proper sense and shook her head. “That’s all nonsense. Of course I’m happy.”
“Mmm. I think we can both agree that I can make you much happier than that Lucian fellow.”
“Lucian is a good man.”
“Describe him.”
“What?”
“Describe him,” Scarlett repeated. “Tell me what he looks like, how he treats you, what his favorite color is.”
Ruby realized she had no idea. How could she not know, she asked herself.
“You never met him. When you were in the castle, before you became the poison princess, you were told his name. That was all. That is the only thing you know about him.”
“You’re mad. I’ve had children with him. Two boys and a girl.”
“What are their names?”
Again, Ruby searched in vain for an answer, tilting her head to the ground. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t breathe. What Scarlett was saying was somehow making sense to her. Like the tide washing back and forth, the memories rushed to her. The poisoned strawberries. Durin’s interrupted spell. Leina and the craggy hand demon. The Abyss. Her pet imps and the fall down the tunnel. The enormous serpent that swallowed her whole. Then… the fruit. The toxic blissroot. After that, she woke back up in her bed. She ate the strawberries and nothing happened. She’d been fine, but none of it was real. She’d been suffering the effects of the fruit all the time. It had kept her alive, but at such a cost.
Ruby looked back up at the woman to find that she had changed in appearance. Her strange horns were there now, and no longer could the red color of her eyes be ignored or denied. Even her clothing, which had consisted of something much more modest, was now the short, low-cut dress that she had worn at their first meeting.
“But I have years of memories,” the princess said. “How has that happened?”
“You’ve been dreaming for some time,” Scarlett told her.
“But I only took one bite.”
The horned woman didn’t answer, but instead looked down at the ground.
“How do I get out of here?” Ruby asked.
“You need to want me.”
“What?”
“We talked about this before, that there would come a time when you needed me. Now is that time, and for me to help you I need form in your world. You must give me form. Need me. Want me. Summon me. And then, I will be yours.”
Scarlett placed her hand to Ruby’s cheek. It felt good. It felt better than anything she had experienced in the entire drug haze, because it felt real. Ruby did want the demon seductress. It was time to wake up. The dream needed to be over.
The princess looked into the demon’s eyes and realized this was her only chance to escape her current prison. “I want you.”
Chapter 10. The Horned Nurse
Scarlett ran her fingers through her bright, orange hair, felt the ribs and tips of her horns, and then looked down, examining her own body. Her hands explored herself, touch being an entirely new sensation. She rubbed her fingertips against her skin and the fabric of her clothes, as though she were feeling and seeing herself for the first time. The first real time anyway. She’d always imagined what she would look like in the real world, but this appearance had been shaped by the princess’ desires more than her own. She wore the same black dress and shoes she had when she approached Ruby in the dream world. Her princess had made her exactly as she needed her to be.
The princess on the other hand was in a far different condition. Ruby had been eating the toxic blissroot beneath the Abyss for far longer than Scarlett would have hoped, and the princess was still not fully restored. The demon had been given form in Nabiria, but her work was only just beginning.
Since the time Ruby had first bitten into the fruit, much had changed. The chemise she had worn was so deteriorated that she had long since abandoned it, and she had been roaming the caves, wearing nothing at all. Poison had spilled all over her naked body, forming a kind of inky clothing of its own, though. The dress she’d worn was still around, but it had been used as something of a bed mat rather than something she wore.
Unfamiliar with smell, Scarlett didn’t know what to think of the aroma of that cave. The poison and Ruby’s state of uncleanliness made for a particular odor. She suspected that most would find it repugnant, but the horned demon did not have such thoughts. Scarlett had never before smelled anything, and she embraced the fragrance, sniffing in heavily and closing her eyes. She smiled and opened her eyelids once more.
The horned demon looked down at Ruby, who was still rather incoherent and transitioning out of the dream state induced by the blissroot. The toxins of the spicy fruit had kept her alive, but had destroyed her sense of reality. She had also been alone all that time, aside from the nearly useless purple imp named Sniggle that rested beside her. Now though, Scarlett was there, and she was going to restore her princess to her rightful self.
The seductress had a fairly good understanding of the magic that had been cast on Ruby, and while she couldn’t simply change her back to what she had once been, she knew how to help her princess. She needed poison, and Scarlett was going to find some for her. Her princess couldn’t be left on her own though, as she was still very addicted to the toxic fruit. If Ruby had things her way, she would continue to eat it without realizing it, like she had been doing for so long now. No, Scarlett would have to practice a bit of tough love on her princess.
As a demon from the nether realm, she was able to conjure up certain things at will. Though creating a vial of poison woul
d probably have worked, the bond between Scarlett and Ruby wasn’t sufficiently strong enough to create such a complex item yet. Instead, the demon would have to search that out within the cave. What she could conjure, however, was a way to keep Ruby from eating more of the toxic blissroot. With a flitter of her fingers, Scarlett created a set of hard manacles that wrapped around Ruby’s wrists. The chain then extended and pierced into the rock of the wall, preventing her princess from going very far. In her haze, Ruby didn’t seem to even realize it had happened, but it was only a matter of time before she started to yearn for the toxic fruit once again and go out in search of it.
Looking to the imp lying beside Ruby, Scarlett thought maybe it could be of use. “Hey.” She paused, taken aback by the deep and raspy nature of her own voice. That she had a voice at all was a strange new feeling. The word echoed around the cave a couple times, and she turned her head about, trying to follow it, as it bounced off the walls. Sound, she realized, was something she had been deprived of for far too long.
Scarlett looked back to the imp, staring strangely up at her, and issued it an order, “Watch her.”
It nodded, but quickly snuggled up against the princess and fell to sleep. Some watchdog it would be, the demon thought. She had little choice in help, however, as their currently weak bond left her with little magical power. The manacles and Sniggle would have to do, Scarlett realized.
What Ruby needed now was poison, and aside from the toxic fruit, the demon was only aware of two other possible sources in those dark, damp pits. The first was in the form of Sythys’ venom. Since the serpent had died much time had passed, and Scarlett was pessimistic that there would be anything left that would help Ruby. Regardless, the serpent would be relatively easy to find for the demon, having traced her princess’ steps.
She had witnessed everything her princess had seen, and on more than a few occasions, Ruby had spotted frogs in the cavern. Scarlett knew that some of the frogs in the depths were mildly poisonous, and she was hopeful that their toxins would be a sufficient source for the princess.
