The Lost Princess Adventure: Ruby Queen and the Godmothers Avenge

Princess Raelle stormed up the front of her father, King Kieron’s castle—well, actually, it was her parents castle but considering her mom, Queen Rosaline was missing, she had grown quite accustomed to calling it her father’s castle and this was nothing short of a technicality. She was angry and clutching hold of a broken piece of her crown.

Today would be the last day she would let him take advantage of her place on the throne.

Her mom had been missing for years in all actuality, having gone missing months after Princess Raelle was born. But do keep in mind, this isn’t even where our sordid story begins, no, no. You see Princess Raelle had fallen ill to a sleeping sickness as a small child—which is a nice way of saying what actually happened that day—all Princess Raelle remembered was being pricked on the finger. A slight prick, a bee sting. One drop of blood, just one. But we will get into more of what happened as we get further along, have no worries.

Waves of peace ran over her, coursing through her entire body, radiating like the warmth of the most pleasant suns rays, lulling her to sleep as she lay down to rest under a nearby tree. That should have been the end of our story, but that wasn’t to be the case. Of course, by the time her father found her there wasn’t a spindle or a needle in sight, and there wouldn’t be. They never did find what caused her to fall ill. But such is life and thus our story would continue, and as such Princess Raelle would toss and turn night after night until she turned the suitable age of sixteen, old enough to drive a carriage or steer a horse without the aid of stolen magic or the watchful eyes of the King’s men.

You see this was important for the Princess who by this point had relied heavily on the aid of supervision. Her father had kept many things about her childhood private. He was an avid story-teller well-known for his wild tales—long before being crowned King. Her father had spun dark and interesting stories about Princess Raelle’s missing mom’s (Queen Rosaline’s) whereabouts and his many quests to find her—being gone months and even years at a time—all to no avail, and soon we will find out which of his stories are true, one of them was the story of Crystal Lake and the Ruby Queen. A story Princess Raelle had grown quite fond of over the years, and she didn’t know why.

“Mindy,” Princess Raelle whispered one night to one of the three fairy godmothers who slept in a tiny bed on a tiny shelfed alcove in Princess Raelle’ s chamber. Each of the three of her godmothers all had a separate shelf hidden in a separate alcove, tucked neatly in a different corner of the room. Princess Raelle could hear the fluttering of Mindy’s iridescent sea-green wings as she turned in her covers.

“Yes, my dear, what has you up this hour of the night.”

“My mom…my father…well, I’m not really sure. I have been thinking, could you help me find my mom? What do you know about her?”

Princess Raelle could hear both silence and the quiet curiosity growing from the other two corners as glowing blue and purple orbs came fluttering down from their corners as Nora and Felicity joined them.

“We would love to help you but the King will be mad. There’s a reason everything happened this way. You do realize my dear, he’s just trying to help you, to keep you safe.”

“I know but I can’t keep living this way, I need answers. I have to find them and I can’t do it alone, I need your help. Will you help me? As I’ve grown I’ve watched my dad go on countless journeys to find his Queen, my mom. He’s exhausted leads and exhausted himself. Each time, he comes back a little less confident; his spirit—more broken than before—and to top it off, his Kingdom, our Kingdom Arravenon is falling even further into despair with each passing week. If I don’t do something we will lose everything. There are uprisings and talks of committing the King for abandonment.” Princess Raelle paused, looking wearily up at Mindy who had yet to come down and join Nora and Felicity. Princess Raelle continued on—

“Since I was a child I’ve sat up in the tip-top of the castle tower and watched the guards through the frosty window panes as they seal the gates from the growing, angry mobs. From that day forward, I realized there would be no more playing in the woods for me”—she mused, blowing a wayward tuft of hair from her face as she sat cross-legged resting her head on her hands, and peering down into her lap as she scanned the threads for a familiar face amongst the disgruntled townsfolk. Their faces appeared amidst the woven thread count as she quietly picked at the frayed pieces; none of their faces ever looked familiar, her mom was never was amongst them. She’d only ever seen her faces in paintings or in her dreams. “I don’t even know what my mom looks like,” Princess Raelle huffed.

The three godmothers said nothing.

It didn’t help that Princess Raelle was the only one in line for the crown when she turned eighteen—a crown that could be taken from her father at any moment. She was just two-years shy of being able to occupy the throne and it didn’t help that her father’s focus was elsewhere. There was not anything she could do to change the inevitable, or was there?

Princess Raelle jumped up as if a bolt of electricity coursed through her small body, hurrying down the hall as she headed towards her mom’s dressing chamber—quickly locking the door behind her just as Mindy, Nora and Felicity huddled in behind, barely making it in.

“Princess Raelle, you have GOT to work on your etiquette,” Mindy hissed in her usual barking manner. She was after-all the eldest of the three and the bossiest.

“…and your manners…” Nora added. “It’s midnight. You’ve probably woken the whole castle with all that racket.”

“and your dress…” Felicity gushed, waving her purple wand as she swirled a beautiful silken blue dress from Queen Rosaline’s wardrobe over towards Raelle’ s direction. It didn’t help that Raelle didn’t like to dress the part.

“We have two years to make sure you are fit for the Queen’s position and you WILL be Queen young lady. Within the next twelve months you will be taking orders, giving orders, attending balls, meeting other Royals, and all the other this-and-that’s accompanying the Royal life. You will dress the part starting today.” Mindy began, giving Raelle a stern side-eye as she whipped a measuring tape out and let it pop Raelle firmly on the tush.

“No more dressing like a pauper or a child. You are not a commoner, you are a Queen.”

Raelle let out a yelp as she let the familiar purple, green and blue sparks work their magic around her—fluffing and curling her hair into glittering spirals, blushing her cheeks and fitting her into the dress. Before long she was ready.

“Wow, you look just like your mother. Wait…something is missing…” Nora mused…as she whipped her wand furiously around her purse— “ah, there we are, yes, that’s it. You need some crowning jewels. Got them from the vault myself.”

“Perfection…Nora Mabel you didn’t…” Mindy cursed.

“Mindy Eleanor, yes, yes, I did…” Nora replied, a matter-of-fact look on her face.

“Ladies, Ladies, it’s quite alright. No one ever goes up there—they were rather dusty. They look like muddy old river stones if you ask me. Caked with layers of dust. You could run a cool-stream on them and they wouldn’t sparkle under a day’s worth of sun.” Felicity replied as though she was the keeper of jewels in the King’s castle.

“Well surely not in those conditions—but a bit of magic sure did help. Shined those beauties right on up. They will keep find you well. Anyways those are willed to the Princess for her birthday so I got them for her a bit early. Wear them in good health my dear. We will be with you to keep you safe.” Mindy continued— “my dear Princess—what would you like to do tonight? It wasn’t a happy little accident that you found your mothers secret chamber my dear. We were hoping you would… it was her favorite place after-all…We even lit the tunnel for you. You could always go that way to leave if you still want to find your mom. We can go tonight?”

She pondered.

Her birthday was tomorrow. This hidden escape was a door Raelle hadn’t even bothered going into since she was a little girl. Her beloved mom Queen Rosaline had stumbled upon it accidentally when she was playing hide-and-seek with the god-mothers. Raelle had all but forgotten about it…in fact, she had only ever just played in the doorway hiding a mere handful of steps from the cracked door. The vaulted tunnels were far too dark and creepy for her to venture past the shadows, but now, she was much older and far braver as she locked herself in her mom’s treasured dressing room.

The bright red walls always seemed to match her mom’s favorite color—red. Tonight, Princess Raelle wore a silken blue dress with red flowers and a blood-red cape—just like her mom had. Her mom always wore red—in every painting she wore red. Her cabinets and curios were stuffed full of silks and sheers, robes and sleeves with any shade or disposition of red; blood red, burgundy red, gold and red— just red.

In fact, after being in that room, it was as if Queen Rosaline had never left. King Kieran had set his staff about dusting, changing and cleaning the room; lighting the candles and fire daily just in case his beloved Queen was to return.

As Princess Raelle stood in the empty room, she almost forgot why she had come into the room in the first place. That was until she spotted the row of tiny bird figurines carved into the heavy stone fireplace mantle atop a crest of flowers and leafs—mimicking the wayward branches of the castles many trumpet vines that spread far and wide on the hallowed grounds. She counted the third bird in from the left, traced her fingers along the top of the beak all the way to the wing before turning it a slight bit to the right. She heard a click in a series of panels next to her as she struggled to pull the heavy door open. Her mom had used it to hang varying tassels—or so her godmothers had said—Raelle clung to them as she heaved, pushing her body weight into the stone door as it creaked loudly open.

Dust clouded up around her as she violently sneezed, echoing through the dark tunnels until nothing could be heard but a trickle of water.

Princess Raelle stood quietly listening for a few moments before grabbing a lit candle and walking towards the nearest set of sconces where somber bouquets of dried wood still hung from the wall, and although the godmothers orb-like bodies had already cast light to the tunnel she quickly lit her own torch for good measure. She didn’t know when she’d return so she would have to act fast. She figured the wood would burn for several days giving her much needed time to plan her getaway.

As Princess Raelle finished up in her mom’s room—she was stunned to see her father standing outside her bedroom door down the hall— as if waiting for her. He must have planned for her big-day with her being sixteen, Raelle suddenly felt a twinge of pain. It was in that instance she knew she had to leave. She couldn’t face him, if she did she would never leave.

She quietly shut the door and turned to see Mindy fluttering eye-level.

“Don’t worry my dear, there’s a letter on the table nearest his food. He will understand. He always does. He loves you, you’re his daughter, he’s your father…but we need to leave if we are going…you have everything you need with you.” Mindy continued, patting a satchel.

“What’s in there,” Princess Raelle asked curiously.

“Oh, this old thing,” Mindy asked, her wand letting the contents float out around her—” just a few trusty old stones. A sky crystal, some silver magnets, fire stones, guide rocks, river flowers, moon-food, Queens Ruby, a map, a compass, a lint collector, a nail-filer, flint, rope, projector, measurer, you know, odds-and-ends.”

Princess Raelle hadn’t missed Felicity slapping Mindy’s wand arm just as Princes Raelle honed in— “what’s the Queen’s Ruby?”

“That’s just a Ruby. They call it that. An old trinket like a rock. You know…names.”

Princess Raelle was intrigued given the connection between her mom and the color red but before she could further inquire, a quick swirl of the wand sent all the contents of the bag back into Mindy’s robed gown— “enough about that my dear. Did you know you were born under the watchful eye of the second star,” Felicity began, pulling her own wand out as a brightly colored purple constellation popped out of nowhere—“Yes my dear, it was a purple sky, just like what you see here…and as such you were titled the Sun, Sky and Moon princess (which we didn’t fully think fit you) so we became the sun, sky and moon godmothers and YOU became the River-Flower but either way, your formal name was Raelle Rosiryn Alynthia, Princess of Arravenon, keeper of the Sun, Sky and Moon; daughter of Kieran and Rosaline Alynthia, the River Flower.

Princess Raelle was a bright spot in the godmother’s day. She shone with a light that anyone could see but she couldn’t do this on her own. It was up to the four of them to save her father’s kingdom and get to the bottom of what really happened...or so Princess Raelle thought. That soon would change.

Mindy pulled a map from her robed gown— “My dear, if I may, I must be completely honest, your father has been to many places, the map has marked the spots. We’ve tracked them all. Your mom is not there but we know where she is, we always have. So far, the last places to look are here—but be warned, they are places nobody should go, not even a Princess. We’re talking treacherous, dangerous mountains, tepid forests, deep crystal lakes, and jeweled castles of Rosanthium rumored to be where recent Kings were both dethroned and decapitated. Places MEANT to keep people away, for your own good. Are you SURE you want to continue?”

Princess Raelle shuddered slightly— “Yes, I want to continue, that’s what I have you for, I have something they don’t, and I want answers.”

“Oh, and by the way,” Nora interrupted as though this was somehow important, “I made sure to braid your Tiara into your hair—I know you hate that thing—but it’s not so dreadful now, actually came in handy being that it was a gift from your mom. Nearly three-hundred years old. The Tiara of Honesty and Truth. A simple little thing with rubies, beads, pearls and an assortment of other semi-precious stones that were fastened to your head by long gold and cream ribbons. At least you come by the truth honestly. This ensures it...”

“I hate to say it but Nora’s right. We need that for when the hard questions come, and they will. Eventually we will cross a place called the chest of troves, we shouldn’t have any issues here. You don’t have a sticky-finger-handed bone in your body, thank god. But my dear, when you go looking for answers you have to realize that you take on everything that comes with it...and I do mean everything, I hope you are ready…” Mindy paused…a perplexed look on her face as she seemed to think back to a distant time… as though she’d been through this journey once before.

“Last I remember there’s no way over to the island by foot…we will have to find another way. But the boats from what I remember are rather small in size…I hope you are ready…she whispered tapping the map with her wand.”

Princess Raelle shrugged her shoulders, before long they were face to face with creatures no larger than five-inches as she carefully tiptoed into a tiny wooden boat. Princess Raelle was more fearful she would tip or sink them at any moment’s notice.

She wished herself small and light as a feather as she gripped the sides of the splintery wood and closed her eyes—waiting for the moment the water would spill over and render them beached for good. After a few quiet seconds nothing happened. IN fact, when Princess Raelle finally opened her eyes she was seated in the small boat, her knees up to her chest as the small army of elved-creatures fluttered about as if she wasn’t even there. The three fairy-godmothers hovered about laughing and carrying on with them. It appeared they were moving quickly through the water as they coasted towards the dark and foreboding body of islands that jutted just under the moonlight above.

Before long they were softly cresting the side of the most pristine shoreline she’d ever seen. The soft glow of the moon was familiar—just like the stories her father had told. In fact, everything she’d seen and felt was like the stories she’d grown up hearing. Princess Raelle began to wonder if her father had been lying to her all along. She paused unsure if she really wanted to unfold her feet onto this uncharted land.

Would the infamous Ruby Queen be waiting for her in a gilded tower high up on the tops of mountain peak? King Kieron had always described the Ruby Queen as a nameless, faceless woman with robes and capes of flowing red jewels shining in the sun like a firestone with dark brown hair and pale skin looming under a crown of rubies that soared so high it threatened to touch the lowest hanging clouds.

“What are you waiting for my dear, let’s get a move on, these woods aren’t friendly.” Felicity whispered as she motioned a wanded hand in Princess Raelle’ s direction.

Raelle stepped forward, unable to remember why everything felt like such a distant memory, a fairy tale. Maybe even a world her father had created. She wondered if maybe her mother was the Ruby Queen.

“Careful, watch your step, don’t walk to close to the woods or look to long in the creature’s eyes,” Nora whispered as she shooed a few monstrous sage spiders away— “nothing a bout of witches-errant-wind can’t fix.” A foul-smelling, purple dust blew up into the air.

“Gracious Nora, now you’ve done it. The shadows might grow if we stay too much longer. Can’t be around anything sharp. These sorts of lilies have thorns much like the ones that pricked Raelle as a child. Raelle, dear, I don’t know if you remember but you were cursed…wickedly so… That’s why we set out to protect you and never leave your side….” Mindy paused. Bowing her head in shame for the first time ever.

“Princess Raelle, like we were...like I was saying earlier... you are the protector of the Sun, the Sky and the Moon. Maybe it was because you wished upon the stars and the skies but never ever did you wish upon the moon. It seemed to be the one reminder of your mom. You used to wake up in a cold sweat screaming about moons covered in blood. Even as a tiny, tiny child. There were so many young women who had gone missing by the Moon and the tides over many years so we began to hunt, to try and find your mom to set out once and for all to see what had happened to her, and find her we did. It was quite the phenomenon if you ask me, adorned by the Sea, by the lake, disguised by the mists and blinded by the fear of death. Only to be submerged by a great abyss. The Ruby Queen she was, and is…to this day.”

“We only hid her away to protect you my dear.” Felicity added in a somber voice. “She tried and tried and tried to take you away, to kill you in order to take over the Kingdom of Arravenon. So we banished her…exiled her to Rosanthium. An Asylum island where all the misfits go. It’s quite pleasant as you will see. You look just like her… just wait…she's doing much better here.”

Princess Raelle had barely gotten feet into the clearing when the rapture of trumpets ominously sounded over the entire forest echoing for miles sounding the arrival of a royal.

“Her majesty!”

Gasps shook around like fallen dominos as the godmothers tucked themselves neatly into Princess Raelle’s crown.

"They're talking to you dear, they think you are her..."

“Stand tall and whatever you do just keep walking forward.”

Raelle couldn’t help but notice a swirl of burning blood-red embers surrounding her as she headed for the ruby gates.

“My dear you aren’t the only one who had to listen to you father’s droning stories, besides, your mom was emphatic, a fanatic with the color red. I got every detail right... She’s absolutely stunning... Pretty soon, you will see for yourself once we get inside the gates…As a matter of fact if you just hold still…

A loud popping noise exploded inches above Princess Raelle as fiery green embers cast about and her crown broke in half.

“Uh-oh…” Nora gasped as Felicity and Mindy both excitedly jumped around, clapping— “how thrilling, emerald green. Botanical, Exotic, Majestic, Regal, Empowering, perfect…just perfect.”

“I hate to interrupt the party but I never thought I would see you three again, at least not so soon and definitely not under these circumstances.” A stern voice bellowed out over a ruby encrusted balcony—” And my daughter…my perfect, radiant daughter. You finally brought her to me after all this time…and here I thought she'd be red...like me...”

“Well, we have conditions. A peace offering…” Mindy replied, her focus on the shattered pieces of Raelle’s crown as she suspended them in the air. The Ruby Queen by this point had managed to make her way down the neatly polished, marble stairs. She was magnificent, stunningly beautiful. Princess Raelle was a spitting image, it was a wonder they would both make handsome Queens. One red, one green.

“It’s a pity my mind wasn’t right for what the King needed me for but I have no doubt you will do a fine job being Queen. You still have time. I was your age when things started going wrong, the tables started turning. That’s why the godmothers keep such a good, watchful eye on you with their funny magic. It's all in order to keep you safe and out of exile. The pin-pricks, the witch’s brews, the magic-stones, tonics, and guards-men. They aren’t as much to keep the mob’s out as they are to keep me and you in. Remember that my dear, remember that. You are sixteen today. Sweet sixteen. When you are eighteen, you will be of age to be the rightful Queen. Make sure you inherit your crown and Kingdom, make sure Arravenon is yours. Do not fall for me, do not weep for me, for you will swim in a lake with no end in sight. Forge your own way and be prosperous. Be victorious but not idle. Do not let the King think you are weak or weak of mind. Don't come here again...please...I don't want to have to worry about you too. You are in good hands with your father and god-mothers..."

And with that Princess Raelle left, having only met her mom once, in passing, as they say. She turned to face a life she thought she knew...

"I'm sorry dear..." Mindy started.

"Don't," Raelle swatted, before storming off to the pristine water's edge, hundreds of eyes peppered the shore.

"Why would everyone lie to me, keep this from me."

"We were only trying to protect you, to tell you when you would understand it."

MORAL OF STORY/TWIST IS: Fairy Tale's of the day had their own way of telling a story and making one "feel", my version of the original sleeping beauty has the daughter coming to terms with being raised by similar but different women who ALL (4) love her both near and far and want to keep her safe. Everyone has their own reasons and agendas. Mental health is so stigmatized, moreso back then. In this story Raelle would have been ANGRY with her father AND godmothers for keeping this secret and making it seem like mom was simply missing when they had infact gone through great lengths to keep her hidden. Raelle would have gone home and likely confronted her father and maybe even rebelled and had great trust issues which could have great repercussions (threatened the throne).