The true magic

Lorely sprinted through the hallway, her heart was beating as fast as never and her legs didn't feel like hers anymore. She heard voices and screams, but also the weight on her shoulder as she couldn't stop and gave the enemies the only thing she swore to protect with her own life.

The magical book of healing. Although, not only scars and flu healing but mortality or deathly diseases. Or just death on its own.

She quickly ran through the back door, out of the burning and conquered palace, and she entered the garden.

Red roses welcomed her with their nice flowers scent, but she had no time to waste, especially not by admiring her favorite place.

They were dying in there, her brothers, princes, and her parents, Queen and King, just so she could run away and keep the secret.

Lorely rushed when the scream of her brother, Dio, spread through the whole kingdom and she entered the forest behind the garden.

She would miss it.

She would miss her family as well.

Tears fell down her cheeks, as she was trying her best to avoid or jump over the massive roots of trees, coming out of the soft ground.

It was spring, but it wasn't cold. Still, her hands and legs were freezing. Her dress made it hard not to trip over, but she only had to run a few miles.

Few miles and then she could finally hide into the cave, her mum told her about. She must have disappeared. She must have made them proud.

For the throne. For the kingdom. For her family.

She created her teeth and squeezed the book tighter in her hands when she suddenly heard males voices.

They already knew…

The forest was filled with trees of all kinds. Just as the World was filled with every kind of person. It was hard to see through stems. 

But not impossible.

Lorely hedged them, running through them or under some fallen one. She was warm, still cold. She was scared, but the bravery of her family kept her going.

Her mind was all over the place. Trying not to turn her head to the back, but focused her eyes on the way in front of her. She also tried to stay calm, crying wouldn't have helped her.

It happened this morning, at first, her brothers had come to her room, begging her to follow them, because smoke surrounded the whole palace, but then the sound of steel meeting steel flew through the throne sale and they looked at her, thief youngest sister, with worry in their brown eyes, exact copies of those hers, and handed her book and one tiny knife.

She had lost the knife already on her way to the hallway, when she stabbed a skinny soldier, her enemy trying to catch her, in the leg and began to run for her life.

Now, there wasn't just this one. It must have been at least ten of them. Ten men, who would even hesitate to kill her. She was just a young girl.

But she was also a princess. The only one of her clan.

She would stand against them if she had to. She would fight to keep her people safe. She would have her bones broken one by one if that's what it took.

She didn't mind losing her blood.

Her leg began to shake from the lack of energy and she almost tripped over, but she only stumbled a little.

"There she is!" Someone shouted at her. "Catch that little bastard!" One of them ordered and the sounds of feet meeting ground were louder and louder.

Lovely almost screamed.

There was no way, she could possibly escape them. 

She bit her lips, feeling iron taste in her tongue, and speeded up, no matter how impossible that sounded.

And…

Out of nowhere big root appeared in front of her, making her fall down to the ground, hitting her hand, and scratching her hands.

She squealed from the pain and agony, and now crying, she crawled to the tick book in a leather cover.

"We have her!" The man in the lead yelled. He could be like thirty meters away from her. They all could have been.

She swallowed hard and with the book she tried to stand up. 

Loraly fell.

"Come on!" She hyped herself up, slowly pushing herself from the soft ground. "Come on!"

And then it happened.

She heard million bedtime stories about the royal deer. Some of them were more believable than others, but not of them totally convincing. So she didn't believe them.

Only, now, just as she managed to get herself on her knees at least, prepared to fight, the same golden deer with bright white antlers, as the one on their family erb, stood in front of her, stopping her enemies.

And not only deer. There were all types of woodland creatures, all those from her mum's fairytales. 

So she stood up. She stood up, slowly running with her eyes all over those beings fighting for her. And when the deer looked at her, flames in its eyes, she knew he was about to only buy her time.

She nodded as to thank you because time was more than enough. But then the deep voice filled her head. "For my queen," it only said and then the deer, the royal deer, turned to the men, still frozen from the shock, just as she was, and began to run towards her enemies.

Their enemies.

Her eyes teared up, only soft touch of feathers from the wings of an owl flying around her, made Lorely move again.

"Queen?" She asked it, as she was stumbling through the forest. She barely could walk, from how much pain mounted in her knee.

Owl moved her head, just like she was nodding. "You're our queen, highness. It's our responsibility to keep her safe."

Loraly was surprised from hearing her voice. So soft and so old. But maybe she was now lying on the ground dead and this was a dream.

She kept going, tho. She clenched her jaw, so the agony wouldn't fill her body as much, and after a few seconds, she began to run slowly.

It was the only time the deer bought her. Not eternity. 

"Follow me," the owl whispered and Lorely only listened to her, not wasting unworthy words.

After a few minutes, she finally saw it.

The cave. That one, her mum told her to find. And sobbing from happiness and relief, she entered it. A gasp escaped her lips as she did.

Now, this wasn't a normal cave, no. It was a gate to the whole new world. A world is full of magical creatures, just like the deer and owl.

But much more.

Small walking mushrooms welcomed her, lowering their spotted hats to show respect to their new queen.

Lovely smiled with amazement.

Then small little fairies, looking like leaves in fall, surrounded her, leading her deeper into the cave, tickling her with their soft touches.

But she let them.

They finally walked into the big sale carved into the shiny crystal itself and all of them waited on her.

Not just fairies, walking mushrooms, and alive trees, but also the...

"Welcome my queen. The bravest and strongest of all," he spoke. The golden deer. Not even a scratch on his furry skin. And then he bowed to her.

Every single being did as he.

"The queen, able to save our secrets in that book with her own life. The queen, we always needed."

And just then Lorely looked at the book and opened it. It truly wasn't a magical book of healing, as they had told her.

It was simply a book with bedtime stories. Book with secrets and facts that everyone knew, but no one believed.

The true magic of the World.

"Our new queen, Lorely."