The Forgotten Princess

While we were fixing the things we decided to bring, we heard footsteps coming from the way we used to get here. William and I stopped what we were doing and looked at each other.

William gestured with his finger to be silent and unsheathed his sword. I squatted on a bookshelf to hide myself. I used my magic to make an ice dagger if ever I need to help William fight.

I can hear the footsteps coming near my hiding spot. I gripped my ice dagger tightly while my heat was thumping rapidly behind my chest. When the footsteps were just right beside me I sprung in front and moved my ice dagger to the obvious kill, the neck.

But before my dagger hit where I was aiming, my dagger flew out of my hand. I can still feel the vibration when something hit my ice dagger and make it fly away from my hand. I was surprise with the sudden events. But when I thought the assailant had the upper hand, I saw William brandishing his sword on the throat of the said assailant.

"Whoa… hold your horses!" A familiar voice rang. When I looked at the assailant before me, I saw his bright crimson hair and happy go lucky face.

"Jack!" My voice was unexpectedly high pitched. "You scared me."

"You are the one that scared me princess. Your dagger was just this few inches from my throat." Jack made a gesture with his finger. "Come now knight in shining armor, can you please move that thing away from my neck?" He patted the William's hand holding his sword right over his throat.

But Jack was also using twin short blades in his hand. He one to stop William's sword on his throat and the other one was pointing back towards William's stomach.

"You are good." William lowered his sword. "Well it's your fault for popping out like that." He lowered his sword.

"Well thanks for the compliment. But why do people want my neck today?" Jack grumbled while tucking his twin short blades away and holding his neck. "Good thing I was fast. By the way princess, where did you learn how to fight like that? I must admit, I am amazed." He nodded in amazement.

"That's not important." I said. "Why are you here by the way? How did you get here?" I asked.

"Well, princess Satiana was wondering where you were. She asked Martha to go get you but I offered to be the one to call you." Jack said. "When I arrived I saw a painting moving. Before it was about to close, I was able to squeeze myself inside before it closed completely. Well it looks like you found something interesting here princess." He looked around.

"Yes, this place is hidden away. It must be one of the queen's hidden headquarters. Not to mention, this place keeps a stack of books of information." I said.

"In other words, this is their heart of information." Jack grinned and I nodded. "Well then, what will happen if all this information is destroyed I wondered?" His grin became devilish.

"Before you think about destroying this with the magical stones they have made, I need to take these books with me." I gestured the stacks of thick and big books on the table. "I will need this on my research about the forbidden magic."

"That looks like a lot of books princess." Jack cupped his chin. "Good thing I have just the magical object for that. Tadda!!!"

Jack took out a leather pouch from his pocket. I looked at it curiously.

"Are you thinking of putting all these books inside that?" I pointed at the pouch. "I think one book won't fit into it, not to mention all of these."

"Ahh…ahh. Didn't you here what I just said princess, this is a magical object." Jack said. "Observe."

Jack took one thick book and put it inside the pouch. The pouch maintained its shape as if it was still empty. It was like the book that was put in vanished.

"Uhh… but how…?" I was surprised and also amazed at the same time.

"This pouch can store any amount of things that can fit its opening. It has an unlimited space inside." Jack grinned widely.

"Okay, enough of showing off. We need to get going." William scolded Jack.

"Okay…okay. Sheesh." Jack put all the books inside his pouch.

After all has been packed up, we were ready to leave.

"What will we do to destroy this place?" I thought on how to destroy this place in one go and for us to escape this room just in time.

"Oh, I have just the thing." Jack said while rummaging his pouch. "Here it is."

Jack took a stack of dynamite from inside.

"You have explosives inside there?!" I was astonished.

"Don't worry princess. It is perfectly safe." Jack grinned. "And not to worry, I will be putting a number of explosives around, just the right amount to start a fire and destroy everything here."

Jack knew I don't want any innocent bystanders inside the library to get hurt in the explosion of the fire. I am sure he also doesn't want any innocent people hurt.

"Once the fire starts, the fire alarm of the library will ring and the people inside the library will be ushered outside for safety." William explained. "So don't worry princess."

"Thank you, to the both of you." I felt very thankful. "I really appreciate the two of you being here. If I was alone, I won't be able to do or think of all this."

"It's my pleasure princess." William smiled sweetly.

"I'll always be of help to you princess." Jack grinned widely.

After that, Jack and William carefully placed the explosives in the vicinity. Once all of the explosives were in place, the three of us with Snow in my arms made our way back to the history section.

"How will the explosives ignite?" I asked Jack in a low voice. I was rather curious about this after we left the explosives in place.

"That's my magic ability." Jack winked. "I have fire, earth and metal attribute. I am adept with explosives. Every explosive I have created are carefully linked to me."

"That's amazing." I said with enthusiasm. "Can you teach me when we have the time?"

"Do you have the same attributes as I have?" Jack looked at me curiously.

"As of now, I am adept with using water, earth, and wood attributes. But I can use all the other attributes a little." I said nonchalantly.

"Oh right, I forgot." Jack smacked his head with his palm. "You are of royal blood. You have the power to wield most of elemental and non-elemental attributes. But still, none can master all of it except for the chosen one I guess."

"The chosen one of the prophecy?" I looked at Jack curiously.

"Oh, so you have heard of it." Jack said. "I don't know much of it but my father should know. Why not ask him once you get to meet him? I can arrange a meeting if you want to meet him. The problem is, he is always wondering all around the place. It is a little hard to find him but leave it to me."

Jack's father was George Wilson, the man that Anna talked about that can help me regarding about the ancient knowledge of Atlantia, the prophecy and the forbidden magic. Anna was correct about the red star helping me.

"Thank you Jack." I said from the bottom of my heart. "I definitely want to meet your father. I have many questions to ask him and also I suspect he is the only one to decipher the texts in those books I found."

We were walking to the reading room while we were having this conversation. Not long we entered the reading room and I saw Satiana instantly.

"Big sister, where have you been?" Satiana waved to me. "Come sit here next to me." She smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you." I take a sit and opened the book I was carrying. "I am sorry for being too long. There were so many books. I do not know what to read first." Of course I took a random book just to pretend to read something.

"It's okay big sister. I was also immersed in this book." Satiana said. "This book is about a commoner girl that lived in the country side but has a hidden identity of being the daughter of a duke that was kidnapped when she was a baby…"

Satiana started to narrate a summary of the romance book she was reading and I nodded with her every sentence. My eyes secretly looked at Jack and William and nodded slightly. The both of them knew that was my signal and they nodded in reply.

Not long a chain of explosions was heard. The building rumbled like there was an earthquake.

***