Chapter 5. The Phoenix's Ugly Spell

"Grandmother Willow, don't cry. I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you worry. I will get Prince Eric to love me, you'll see."

Grandmother Willow looked at her innocent granddaughter and smiled. She replied after kissing her on the forehead, "Yes my dear child. Let's keep trying." 

Ruby hugged her Grandmother Willow's spirit.

After a while Ruby calmed down and lay on her Grandmother's lap. Curiously she asked, "Grandmother Willow will you tell me the story behind this ugly spell?" 

"Alright child, I will tell you." 

"One thousand years ago, there was a creature that descended from the heavenly world to the human world. She was the most powerful of them all, the Phoenix Goddess. Her powers were so great that creatures of all kinds and sizes would bow down to her. With her great power she was able to unify the world together in peace. Once the world was able to live peacefully and prosperously, she had to return to the immortal realm. However, she was poisoned by her lover and lost all her divine power. She was doomed to stay with him in the human world."

"What?"

"Yes?"

"So did he not love her?" question Ruby sitting up quickly. 

"No. He love her."

"So, he did it out of love?"

"Yes. He did it out of love."

"Well, I think that's a bit cruel of him to make her lose all her power just so she can stay with him. I mean, even if he wanted her to stay."

Her grandmother laughed. "Even though she lost her divine power, she knew that her descendent would carry on her magical and spiritual powers. The chosen one with her bloodline will have all of her mystical forces. Due to human's greed, there will be chaos and turmoil in the world fighting for that enormous power. So, the only way to weed out the wicked people was a spell. She thought it was a good idea to put the "ugly" spell on her descendent who inherited her powers."

"What!"

"Yes. However, at that time, no one knew about the enchantment but herself. And the only way to break the spell was true love. Yet, little did she know that this spell cost so many lives of her lineage. Nearly all of the descendants died by suicide. As centuries pass, the phoenix's power could not submerge because beauty outshine a pure heart." 

"Can anyone see past all of this ugliness to love me?"

"My child, the word "love" is so powerful that sometimes we are blinded to things we never anticipated."

"Even if it meant to harm the ones we love?" asked Ruby who was looking down on the grass. 

"Yes, even if it means harming the ones we love. But harming will do no good to anyone. It will only lead to misunderstanding, hatred, and resentment."

"Will I find someone who loves me wholeheartedly too?"

"Of course, you will, my child."

"I hope he comes to realize me soon."

"Just remember that love must come with trust, loyalty, faithfulness, and most importantly no betrayal."

"Yes." 

Grandmother Willow looked at Ruby with eyes of compassion and said, "You know Ruby, there was a saying of the Phoenix's power..."

"Her power will shake the world, and her beauty will break the nation," said Ruby, completing her grandmother's sentence. 

"Wait? How did you know?"

"Oh, I read about it."

"Oh. I'm sure you did. Don't you think there is more to life than that library of yours?"

"No. I like reading. I feel fascinated as there is so much knowledge to gain and so much to learn."

"I'm sure as you get older, you will be able to apply what you learn in those books into reality. Although not everything will be able to apply to real life."

"I'm sure of it."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah."

"My smart child."

"I'm sure that day will come when those knowledge will be used, but not right now." 

Grandmother Willow laughed. "What did Tabitha bring this time?"

"Oh, you know the usual. More books on poisons and medicines. This time she was able to get it from some unknown lands I haven't heard of yet. Although I am not done reading the books yet. I do, however, find that it's quite fascinating as the poisons counteract with ours here. Oh, I almost forgot she was able to get some potions for me too. I can't wait to test them out yet," said Ruby excitedly. 

"How is she doing?" chuckled Grandmother Willow. 

"That little fairy of mine is so lazy. All I ask her to do is find me good books and if she is to come by rare ones to bring it to me, but she says that it is costing her too much life force."

Grandmother Willow laughed loudly at that comment.

"And not to mention I'm the one who saved her life."

"Yes, you did," said Grandmother Willow who turned to look at Ruby. "Listen to me Ruby, remember that I will do everything within my powers to save you." 

"I know."

"I won't let you die."

"Okay. Okay. I know you won't let harm come my way."

"How are you so certain?" asked Grandmother Willows, who raised her eyebrows in curiosity. 

"Because I am your flesh in blood."

Shocked, Grandmother Willow looked at her and asked, "You knew?"

"Ah-huh. I know this whole time that you are my maternal grandmother."

"When?"

"Ummm... I knew from the moment I saw you sprouted in front of my house and grew into a magnificent tree. I also knew that you were more than just a spirit of the peach blossom tree. You have great power with your beauty."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did."

"When?"

"I called you grandmother." 

Grandmother Willow gasped. She did remember that Ruby did indeed call her the moment they started talking to each other. She thought at that time, Ruby was too young to know anything, so she hid her identity. Never did she realize that Ruby knew that they were family. She was only five years old and yearning for some love and affection, so she thought the child called her grandmother by accident. From that day on, Ruby have always called her grandmother. She always thought that Ruby called her grandmother to fill in her loneliness. Never could she imagined her granddaughter knowing it's her. She smiled and thought how smart Ruby actually was. Laughing she said, "So, that's why you called me Grandmother persistently?"

"Ah-huh. But you told me to call you Madam Willow instead. I didn't feel right, so I called you Grandmother Willow."

"Why didn't you just be straightforward and said you knew me?"

"Because I know you had a reason to hide your identity from me."

"Oh." Grandmother Willow stared curiously at her granddaughter. Smiling warmly, she kissed her on the cheek.

Ruby laid back down on her lap. She said, "I don't know why, but the moment I saw you I knew you would never hurt me. And you were here to protect and love me." 

"What else do you know?"

Ruby held out her hand to Grandmother Willow's branches and held her hand in hers and said, "That I am your most precious granddaughter.

"Ruby if one day you know your whole truth of who I am, will you hate me?"

"No, because you will still be my grandmother."

"That's good." 

"I don't mind hearing the truth one day when you are ready to tell me."

"Yes..."

Ruby was humming in a beautiful tone as she looked into the night sky. 

"Ruby, have you ever thought that if the spell cannot be undone with the prince's love, would you consider going another route?"

"Hmmm? What route will that be?" Ruby stared up at her grandmother. 

"Undoing the red string."

"What's that?"

"It's the marriage bondage that will bring you two together."

"You mean to cut our fate?"

"Yes." 

"Well-" mumbled Ruby. She turned her head to the side. She's not sure if she could break away from Eric. For Eric, was her whole world. She loved Eric so much that to part with him would be suicide to her. 

"You don't have to think too much about it. You're still young. We have time until you turn seventeen, but if the spell is not broken by the time you wed him, we will have to take desperate measures."

"I have six years, right?"

"Six years is going to come on by so fast, my dearest."

"Grandmother Willow, I don't want to give up on him yet. I know it will take time, but once the spell is broken, he will love me as much as I love him. I just know it."

"Dearest, how do you know that he will love you for who you are and not your beauty?"

"I-I-I don't know."

"Some men cannot see past beauty. Some beauties cannot last forever."

"But not with me! I am the Fairy Princess. Youth and beauty will stay with me forever."

Laughing Grandmother Willow replied, "Yes."

"You know what Grandmother Willow. I am going to go back to see him."

"Who?"

"Prince Eric. I will go back and show him my generosity so he can slowly open up his heart to me."

"If you say so, my dear child."

"Alright. I am heading to the palace. Wait for me, I will be right back." 

Ruby went inside her house and grabbed a small bottle of ointment. She open up a portal and she stepped inside to enter the palace.