Chapter three

The two girls had shown Ruby almost everywhere around the palace they could, because she kept asking them what different rooms in the palace were.

The three girls began their journey to the nearby river after so much acknowledgement of the princess by people around the palace, while the guards led them to the carriage.

They got down from their carriage and the coachman kept it secured by tying the horses with a rope to thick long poles at the start of the humpback bridge. The trio started walking to the middle of the bridge.

“Why is it called the rainbow river?” Ruby asked curiously, not giving the thought of the bridge being what the name implied, a chance.

“It has all colours of the rainbow in a straight, never ending pattern.” Rose answered with pride dancing around her face.

“Wow, really? All colours of the... Rainbow...” The word hung in her mouth as she saw the truth in what Rose had said. She was stunned by the wonder below her. The water below her was red, Orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, they flowed calmly without falling over each other.

“This river is just straight, never once falling into each other.” Rose said. She felt very wise with her words and her face was lifted.

“Legend has it, that the river takes its source from a large cave, which leads to heaven.” Lilly spoke after being quiet for some time.

“No, not heaven, it's a cave filled with treasures and leads to a field of flowers and good things.”

“And with that, is it not heaven?” Lilly asked Rose who no longer had the will to argue. Soon, fishes of colours, the same as that of the river started displaying what could only be termed as magical.

“It's so colourful.” Ruby said slowly, watching the show of fishes of the same colour jumping forward and backwards. Never trespassing into parts that weren't theirs, it looked like it was practiced again and again for what seemed to be a grand finale event. Then suddenly an orange fountain appeared over the orange water, splashing on the girls who laughed hysterically at each other. It alternated it's colour, changing position over coloured water. It splashed on the girls at every change.

“Stop!” Ruby got uncomfortable with the whole situation, and she couldn't imagine more water. The fountain slowly retreated into the water as if it had been threatened. Ruby had a feeling of guilt, but thought it was only water, there was no way she could have hurt its feelings. The three girls walked slowly away from the bridge.

“Legend has it that the river has feelings” Lilly said jokingly.

“Come on, now you want me to feel guilty about scolding water, as if it isn't weird, me talking to it in the first place.” The girls rode back to the palace. Ruby enjoyed her time, the day passed and her night was favoured.

Ruby looked down through her window at the still vibrant market. Everything was clear at her height. Every house, the market, scanty carriages, some horses with their riders, she could even see some farm fields. Her view was wonderful. She worried about how long the events had unfolded, and cancelled the possibility of it being a role-play.

'People can't possibly keep this up for a whole day. And there's almost nowhere in the world still like this, so I must be dreaming.

But can I dream for a whole day?' She wondered.

Then if she was dreaming she would wake up to her world, to everything she knew.

She sat down on her comfortable bed and felt it with her hand.

Thinking, for her to be a princess, there must be a King and a Queen.

She wanted to see them. They might also end up being her real parents.

The teenager hopped off her bed and the door flung open. Ruby paused in shock, seeing her father. She ran into an embrace.

“You're here too!” She said, more like whispers. The King took Ruby by the hand and led her towards the window. He peered at her with concern.

“Are you alright?” Ruby looked at her father in amazement.

“I am fine, fantastic. I love this place.” Ruby replied.

“The handmaid told me about you referring to dreams and forgetting a lot of things, too many things.” He looked deeply disturbed as he rolled out the points of the handmaidens' complaint.

“I am fine, I enjoyed this place while it lasted, but I have to get back home.” The smile on Ruby's face began to disappear.

“You are not going back to anywhere. This is your home.” The King stated firmly.

“I am dreaming Dad, of course you are not real, and you don't know that, you are not even going to believe that.”

“You are not dreaming!!” He blurted loudly. There was a long moment of silence.

“About you, it was said that you would forget too many things when it was your turn to hold the object of our newly found tradition. In my time, it was sickness, for my father, anger. You forget too many things. It is not your fault, and it is going to end soon.” He admitted softly. Ruby paced around in confusion before finally coming to a halt.

“Where is my mother?” The King trembled hearing the question. Had she forgotten that too? The place fell silent as the princess stood, waiting for an answer from her father.

“I also have to relive the pain from three years ago.” He walked over to his daughter and cupped her face in his hands.

“Your mother died three years ago.” Tears quickly formed in her eyes.

“She died while protecting you from a witch.” Her brows furrowed and her lips were pressed together in sadness.

“No, How?” She separated herself from her father.

“It's just a dream, she isn't dead, it's not real.” She looked to the floor as tears slowly streamed down her eyes.

“You will wake up, and she is going to be there, right in your room with the big smile she always has.” These words fell out of Ruby's mouth as she paced around the room trying to calm herself.

“You are going to be fine.” He embraced her, and she broke down in tears not knowing why it hurts so much, even though to her, it wasn't real.

“Happy birthday princess.”

“What?” Ruby asked unsure of what he said. “Tomorrow is your eighteenth birthday… In case you forgot that too.”

“Yesterday was my birthday.” The tears had cleared away from her eyes. Her father gave a loud sigh.

“Well have your rest. Tomorrow is a big day for you... Good night.” The king walked out and closed the door behind him. Ruby sat on her bed and gave a thought to what the King had said.

'Your mother died protecting you from a witch.'

“It's a dream.” She said to herself before finally going to sleep.