Ishara Soli Eldiel's Story

”Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward,
safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
~Princess Diana
Hex Code ~ #0B610B

---

As they walked, Althea took advantage of the fact that they were surrounded by nature. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and let it out in a slow, satisfying exhale. As she did so, it was as though she felt all of the stress leave her body at once, the tensity in her back relaxing by half and giving her a sweet feeling of calmness. The swaying of the leaves in the wind was on par with the soft noises of the animals hidden within the forestry, and alongside the gentle musk of the overall nature brought upon her an overwhelming sense of peace.

Her peace was shattered by the sound of Freddie's panicked voice, causing Althea to come to a pause mid-step as she tuned into the end of the girl’s shriek. Internally she debated whether or not to even look and see what the commotion was about - so far interjecting herself and attempting to help had ended in nothing but trouble for her - but the mental conflict was over in a matter of moments. Whether or not the outcome went badly for her, she had a moral duty as a human being to help if someone else was hurt or in need.

With her mind made up, she spun on her heel and made the short trek back to where Freddie, Reese, and Justice were huddled, rolled her eyes ever so slightly at Justice’s antics as she approached. An internal reminder later to mind her manners and keep her patience, Althea stopped a few steps away, peering around Justice and taking in Reese’s mannerisms and blank expression. After a few moments of simply staring - she really could care less if they thought her to be weird, she needed to study the girl as best she could from the distance that she was at - she turned her gaze to Freddie, completely ignoring Justice’s presence. It was better to not say anything if she had nothing nice to say to the woman.

”As far as I can tell, she was given a sedative of some sort, but in an extremely strong dosage. What I would recommend is to give her some activated charcoal.” At the blank and confused looks on their faces, she went on to explain, ”The charcoal's porous texture has a negative electrical charge, which causes it to attract positively charged molecules, such as toxins and gases. This helps it to trap toxins and chemicals inside of the gut. It is used in a lot of emergency rooms for overdoses. I only have activated charcoal pills with me, but they should work just as well,” she finished as she opened the first aid bag at her waist and fished out a small bottle. Twisting it open, she dropped out two small green and white pills and dropped them into Freddie’s hand before closing the bottle and returning it to the bag, which she then zipped shut.

Once that was done, she crouched down beside her cooler and retrieved a bottle of water, which she also handed to Freddie. As she did so, she managed a slight glance over the other girl’s shoulder, her gaze skimming over the tear-coated face that belonged to Sybilla. She did notice Kinera and Silvia lagging behind the group as well, but to be frank, she could not really care less considering their earlier attitudes towards her. It wasn't like they had been doing anything to try and rein in the chaos that had been ensuing at Lilith's house. At least she tried to help. Noting Sybilla's presence for after she had dealt with Freddie and Reese - as with Kinera and Silvia, she could not care less about Justice's presence as the girl was a complete menace - she turned her attention back to Freddie. ”If you can get her to swallow those pills, she should be fine within half an hour. I would highly recommend keeping an eye on her and monitoring her state for the next few hours or so, though, whether or not she returns to normal. I have no idea what she took, but it looks like she was given far too much of it.”

Althea wrapped her fingers around the handle of her cooler and hefted the bag up on her shoulders slightly to adjust its weight on her back, her feet already taking her away from the small huddle of women. ”Good luck, and if you need anything, feel free to come and ask!’

Taking note of how they were beginning to fall slightly behind the group and that they needed to hurry this up a bit, she came to a stop in front of Sybilla. Her hand reached up and drew down her mask, a soft pah sound escaping her lips as she did so, and she shook her head slightly to take in the fresh air before once again turning her gaze on Sybilla. Before she said anything, however, she reached into a small pouch on her large backpack and retrieved a few tissues, passing them to the other girl. At the same time, she moved a bit to the side and motioned to the cooler as an offering for Sybilla to help herself, her hands sliding into her skirt pockets as she did so. She scuffed the dirt slightly with the toe of her shoe, looking up at the slowly retreating figures of the other princesses and Lilith on the trail ahead of them.

”I know that things are difficult right now, and that the beaucoup d'entre nous* are not getting along that well, but I promise that if you power through, things will work out in the end. So chin up petit chaton**,” Althea said with a slightly sheepish smile. One-on-one pep talks weren’t really her forte, especially with someone who was essentially a stranger, but it was clear to her that the other girl was overwhelmed with everything that was going on and all of the emotions that came along with the events of the last few weeks. It was only right for her to try and cheer her up a bit. At that thought, she was reminded of earlier occurrences, prompting her to once more open her first aid bag, this time retrieving a small vial identical to the one that she had given Lilith back at the house.

Closing the bag once more, she unscrewed the cap, revealing a roll-on applicator, and without actually applying it to herself, she demonstrated how to use it by moving it in circles over both temples and the center of her forehead. As she did so, she explained, ”This is an oil that I made myself and is completely natural. It smells like lavender and is extremely helpful when you are stressed or anxious, or when you have a headache or cannot sleep.” Closing the container once more, she took up Sybilla’s hand without waiting for a response and slid it into her palm, closing her fingers around it and releasing her hand. ”Try it and if it works, wonderful! If not, then all you did was waste a few moments of your time. We should get back, though; we do not want to be left behind! En avant!***” With that said, Althea tugged her mask back up, grabbed the handle of her cooler, and began to walk after the rest of the group, her pace slightly quicker than usual so that they could catch up with them.

*Lot of us
**Little Kitten
***Onward

”We cannot become what we want
By remaining what we are.” ~Max Depree
Hex Code ~ #0B610B

---

With the short break over, the rest of the trek was long but Althea was more than prepared for it. It was hot, yes, but she was accustomed to the sweltering heat of the outdoors and preferred to be outside over the confines of the indoors. Early on into the walk she had layered on some sunscreen and spritzed a bit of bug spray onto herself, knowing her fair complexion and delicious blood to be a reckoning for bad luck later on. She offered it to a few of the other princesses, happily giving it to those who agreed and internally rolling her eyes at the ones with snarky responses. Shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun with her hand, she peered up through the trees at the clear blue through the leaves above, taking in what would be one of her last glimpses of the sky that they said belonged to Earth.

The trip almost seemed to be over within an instant, they arrived at the clearing that quickly to her. She was used to hikes, having gone on them frequently over the years, and was sweaty and a bit out of breath but otherwise none the worse for wear. Her hand reached up and tugged down her mask so as to reveal her lips and free them for her water bottle, which she then gratefully gulped from. Lilith had already set up beforehand, it would appear, and Althea lingered off slightly to the side, observing from afar and listening in on the conversations that took place. Her eyes gazed upon Reese, ensuring that the girl was still holding up okay, and then the rest of the princesses so as to make certain of the same thing. She wiped at her forehead and neck with a small spare towel that she had brought along in her bag as she did, knowing her tendency to sweat a bit.

Lilith’s explanation was detailed and, well, enough for Althea to follow at least. Tucking her towel back into her pack, Althea hefted it up onto her shoulders a bit to adjust its weight as she prepared herself for the portal to open. As she did so, tilted her head back and looked up at the sky once more, drawing in a deep breath through her nose so as to inhale the scents of the Earth one more time before leaving. With a big exhale, she lowered her head and saw that Lilith had begun moving her wand, her lips forming words that made no meaning to Althea and the other princesses but all of the meaning to the magic within them. Instinctively she reached out, straining a bit to do so as she had been practicing so intensely over the past few weeks and was a bit drained, but pushed herself despite the fact in order to help Lilith to the best of her ability. Her fingers tightened around her straps, her knuckles whitening, and fresh beads of sweat broke out across her brow as she focused.

The moment that the portal opened, it was like the air was sucked out of the surrounding area, but not exactly. Althea could still breathe, so there was clearly still air, but there was almost a constricting feeling to the air, as though she were being stifled or an animal of some sort were laying on her chest. It wasn’t necessarily an unpleasant feeling, but at the same time, it wasn’t pleasant either.

Aurora’s scream jerked Sia from her daze, startling her and bringing her gaze to Meridian’s spiraling figure in the air, Aurora tumbling after her. Eyes widening in shock, Althea mentally said her prayers to the Goddesses above, grabbed her cooler, gripped her bag with her other hand, and charged forward after them - the only princesses that she could reliably say were on her team.

There were a lot of things that Althea was expecting when she ran headfirst through the portal. The surge of magical energy came as no surprise - she had calculated that much - and the brilliant colors were to be expected from basically every cinematic work in history involving magic or insane travel of some sort. What she was not expecting, however, was the exit.

When the portal opened and revealed a rather green, rather pretty, yet rather high treeline, Althea instantly felt her blood go cold and her heart plummet. Her stomach dropped and she instantly felt sick, any thrill from the travel whisked away from her in an instant as sheer terror swept through her body. Before they could make contact with the trees, however, they were seemingly caught by an unseen force and safely landed on the ground. For Althea, though, this gave little comfort as she was placed on solid ground on trembling legs. Her expression was one of sheer terror with tears coating her cheeks, and her already fair complexion was a ghastly sheet white. Her legs gave out as soon as she was set upon them and she collapsed to her knees, her palms in the dirt and her fingers curling in the blades of the grass. Small sobs shook her shoulders, ones of relief over the fact that was once more on the ground and no longer so high up, and the spots where her hands clutched shimmered a beautiful green-gold, spreading and snaking across a small perimeter and sprouting beautiful little wildflowers where it touched.

Althea was so absorbed in her relief that she didn’t notice the petite, cute fairy that approached her side at first. When she did, it was due to the woman gently placing a hand on her shoulder and an almost instant wave of calmness cascading over her. Her shoulders stilled and her tears slowed, her soft chokes silencing. Turning her now-rosy face upwards, her gaze met that of a gentle honey one which sparkled with an underlying sense of humor and wonder, adventure and excitement. Pointed ears jutted from each side of her head, encompassed by short, soft light hair that glinted in the beautiful sunny rays. Rosy cheeks sprinkled with a light splay of freckles across a dainty nose rested above a set of plump, pink lips, bringing together a cute, heart shaped face belonging to the one and only Aura, who was now fixating a patiently amused yet somewhat sad gaze upon the princess before her, hands resting upon her hips. A small smile crossed her lips, one that held happiness yet a hint of unhappiness to it.

”Hey there, Small Bite; it’s been a long time.”

As soon as the woman spoke, a new wave of tears broke through Artemisia’s eyes, this one tears of happiness. She immediately rose and threw her arms around the woman, her joy evident in her actions. The woman laughed softly and hugged the girl back gently, lightly patting her between her shoulders for a moment before stepping back, holding her at arm’s length and looking her up and down. Aura withdrew a small hanky from a pouch at her waist and used it to dry Artemisia’s face, which was red and swollen from her tears but now held a smile of relief over seeing a familiar and loved face.

”I am so relieved that you are okay, Miss Aura. You have no idea what I would have done if you would not have made it,” she breathed out, her features relaxing a bit. She couldn’t ease up until they had rescued Appy and the princes, but at least she knew that her teacher and long time family friend was safe and sound. Aura stepped forward and waved her arm out, bending forward at the waist, elegantly bowing with a flourish before Artemisia. ”M’lady, if you’ll entrust me to your care, I will gladly assist you,” she exclaimed exaggeratedly, drawing a giggle of amusement from Artemisia’s lips who quickly complied by offering up her cooler of goodies which the woman took in kind. With that taken care of, it seemed that the rest of the princesses were just about ready to go and recovered from the trip as well, so she prepared to leave, straightening her clothes and gear from the teleportation, ensuring that nothing had broken or been misplaced. Once she was situated, mask hiding half of her face once more, she hedged closer to Aura, preferring a familiar presence over the hostile ones that were those of the princesses as she awaited Miss Lilith’s and Queen Eowyn’s instructions.

”Sometimes,
Remembering hurts too much."
~Jess Rothenberg
Hex Code ~ #0B610B
Aura ~ #FFBF00

---

The trek to the cabin wasn’t difficult, and Artemisia spent it chatting with her long-lost beloved mentor who had been akin to an older sister or an aunt to her, at least when it was safe to do so. Auravale filled the princess in on anything that she wanted to know - at least to the best of her knowledge - of what had happened over the years since the Evil Queen had taken over Rhindeval. The fairy did not miss the fact that the still young princess held a notepad in hand as they walked, taking notes on what the fairy was saying as well as their surroundings while ensuring to keep track of their path by sketching it out as they walked. Ever the arduous student it still seemed, the fairy thought with a mixture of amusement and melancholy.

Artemisia enjoyed the relief that Aura gave her as she carried her large pack, seeming to have no reaction to the weight of it given her capabilities. She stretched as they walked, taking notes and enjoying the surroundings despite their ominous outlook. She could hear the rustling of wildlife around them, be they predator or prey, and at some point she opted to bend down and remove her boots entirely, preferring to feel the ground between her toes. She cared naught for the dirt that clung to the bottoms of her feet, but instead simply enjoyed the comfort that was Mother Earth. It was difficult, but as she did she focused on control. It would be best to start training her abilities sooner rather than later, given their circumstances, she reasoned, and control would be a key factor in mastering her power. Despite the urge for her magic to connect with the ground that touched her feet with each step, she concentrated on not allowing the bond to fuse, but instead enjoying the soothing scent of the trees and plants filling her nostrils as they moved forward cautiously, careful not to draw too much attention to themselves.

When they finally arrived at the cabin, Artemisia was barely able to contain her gasp over the beauty of the massive yet exquisite home that sat before them. Her excitement only further bubbled when she spotted the nearby garden - albeit it malnourished and in need of work - and had to force herself to refrain from beelining straight for it. A few moments later, however, Eowyn flicked her wrist and the entirety of the estate seemed to undergo its own immediate spell of a sort, somehow going from dusty and in need of a good cleaning to beautifully well-kept. At the Queen’s mention of maintaining the household, Artemisia perked up a bit, her eyes fixated on the newly renovated garden in barely contained excitement.

A short while later they had done a quick exploration of the cabin - if one could call it that - and rid themselves of their bags in their rooms. She found herself sharing a room with her newfound cousin, Meridian, and after an awkward moment of dispensing their bags they went back to exploring and finally made their way back out to meet one final time with the fairy Queen.

Over the next several minutes, the Queen relayed information to them that they would need and for the important points Artemisia made sure to write them down as the woman spoke. She stared intently as the ethereal woman began to summon images of the lost princes, imprinting them in her mind and grateful for her photographic memory. She would sketch them out after this little meeting, while their images were still fresh in her mind, so that there would be no issue with them questioning whether or not it was the correct person.

The Queen began with Richard, and when the princely fellow appeared before their eyes, Artemisia stared in surprise. He had always been rather cute as a child, and even as a young boy had held a stately air that made those around him confident in his royal abilities, but the young boy had grown into quite the young man. The next was Niklaus, Freddie’s younger brother, and the moment his face appeared she felt a chill run down her spine. The eyes that stared down at her bored into her soul with a haunting quality, one that could only be named as pure madness. Goosebumps pricked her skin and she found herself rubbing her arms to warm them, uncertain of how things would go should they succeed in rescuing the boy. He was clearly deranged, and that could only be helped to the extent that he was willing to allow it.

When the image shifted from deranged to mutated, Artemisia was unable to hold back the gasp of shock that escaped her lips. Garland, once a mischievous yet charming boy, was now no more than a monster. Her hand raised to her lips and she felt tears prick at her eyes, her heart aching tremendously. ”That evil witch,” she whispered, her fingers curling into a fist as her blood began to simmer. The rage faded as Eowyn mentioned that it was possible to return the prince to normal, and a bit of hope swelled within her.

Rue’s hidden face appeared next, none to the surprise of Artemisia. She would have been more perturbed had his face been revealed, given his passionate compass when it came to never removing his mask. As she studied the mask, she attempted to see his eyes as best she could behind it, and saw only the faintest glimmer of them beneath before the image shifted to reveal Stephen. Although the man before them held a slight smirk and the aura of one who was confident within himself, the dark glint that was hidden within his eyes followed the trend that seemed to be within each of the princes thus far. At the mention of his missing tail and ears, her eyes flicked to each spot in turn, her internal alarm bristling. Her heart twinged in a similar way to when Garland’s face had been shown, and she found herself gripping her amulet at her chest for comfort as she blinked back her tears. Ivelda was cruel, she knew this from the women’s actions towards their parents - but for her to have done such a thing to Garland, and now Stephen - it was too much.

Following Stephen was Rukaiyan, who had grown to be charmingly handsome, yet again, when she met the eyes within the picture, she could not fight back the shiver that went through her body. Each one held a somewhat deranged look, hidden in the depths of their eyes and seemingly their souls, and it made her hurt for them. Viliame followed Ruka, and his bland expression caused the hairs on her arms to raise. Charming he seemed, yet there, again, was that insane glint to his gaze. When Roderick’s face appeared, she found a small smile crossing her lips. The boy’s hair had always interested her, and she remembered trying to touch it when they were small children and him batting her hands away until she cried, at which point Apollyon would chastise Roderick for being too rough with a girl.

The thought of her twin wiped the smile instantly from her features. There were no other princes left, so it was of no surprise when his face was thrust before their very eyes, and yet she was unable to contain the small sound that escaped her throat - a mixture of a sob and a laugh, yet choked in a way. After so many years of being apart, and the last time her having seen him they were both so very small, to see the one person who mattered most to her in any world, be it Earth or Rhindeval, was enough to bring her to her knees were she a weaker person. Instead, without realizing, she reached forward as though to touch the image of her brother, the tears that were once trapped in her lids now escaping the corners of her eyes and trickling down her cheeks. ”Appy,” Sia whispered, her lip and hand trembling. Her heart twinged painfully when she finally met his gaze, having been simply taking him in as a whole until then, and saw that same familiar deranged quality that was so frequently found in the other boys. Her legs trembled a bit and she reached out to grasp Auravale’s arm, who helped to steady the princess with a concerned expression on her face.

His face was gone with a flourish, and Artemisia found herself turning away from the group to wipe her face, Aura simply facing towards her Queen so as to give the princess a moment to collect herself. When she finally turned back, she cleared her throat and raised her hand a bit timidly. ”I have two questions - or I suppose requests would be a better term. If possible, I would like to be in charge of ensuring the garden stays up to par, and also,” she paused, flicking her gaze to the fairy Iris, ”I would like to ask if Miss Iris would be allowed to work with me to ensure the accuracy of my depiction of the princes.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a shriek which startled her, and suddenly there was a fairy in her face, rambling about her brother’s features. At this mention, Artemisia felt herself bristle a bit, her cheeks reddening rather quickly. She moved to approach the small fairy, her anger rising, but felt a small clasp around her wrist and an instant wave of comfort wash over her. At the touch she turned and glanced at Aura, who simply gave her a look, and after a moment she sighed and nodded, taking her hand back from the woman.

At this point she was tired. They were not a team and in fact acted far from it, and so far the rest of the princesses have done nothing but drain her energy. All she wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep, but she knew that there was no time to waste. With that thought in mind, she gave one last glare in the small fairies direction, her disdain evident in her features, before she turned and left the room without another word, her overall frustration with the entire group clear in her stride, and with Auravale sheepishly yet dutifully following behind her.

Once she was back in her room, she rummaged through her bag as Aura eyed her curiously and wordlessly from the doorway, interested in what the princess planned to do. When Artemisia withdrew a pouch and a decently sized booklet, she quirked a brow but simply followed the girl from the room and through the cabin, out into the now beautiful gardens. There she found a spot in the shade below a tree, and she stretched out, allowing her magic to relax into the ground around her as Auravale fluttered up into the tree to sit on the branch and observe from above. Small, pretty wildflowers sprouted around her body where it touched the grass, moving outward just a few feet. Artemisia opened the pouch and flipped the booklet to a blank page, revealing what was clearly a sketchbook and not a booklet at all, she withdrew a basic looking blue and black pencil, and set to work on sketching the face that was freshest and most important in her mind - her brothers’.