Chapter 47: Dark Alley

The pixies jumped off the water to remove the images on the water. I tilted my head and my eyes squinted to avoid the water droplets, but I still felt it on my cheeks.

"We have to hide the queen!"

Hindi agad ako nakagalaw sa posisyon ko. Hindi ba't ito naman ang gusto ko? I shouldn't let these pixies hide from me. Dapat ay hintayin ko na lang si Pryor sa lugar na ito dahil ibibigay na sa akin ni Tobias ang gusto ko.

"No. I'll just wait for him."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ng diwata, marahas silang umiling sa akin at higit silang nagliparan sa paligid ko na tila isang maling kasalanan ang sinabi kong iyon.

"The king loves you! He even cried!"

"Kawawa naman si King Tobias!"

Nagsimula nang mag-iyakan ang maliliit na diwata na ngayon ay tila nasa panig na ni Tobias.

"It was against his will!"

"We shouldn't let the queen return the palace!"

"Ask the other fairies to hide the mirror!"

Nagsisimula na rin magkagulo ang maliliit na diwata habang unti-unti na akong tumatayo. Dahan-dahan na akong humahakbang paatras upang hindi na nila ako mapigilan, ngunit nang sandaling mapansin nila ako ay agad silang nagliparan papalapit sa akin.

"No . . . get away from me!"

Sinubukan kong salagin ang mga diwata para hindi sila dumikit sa akin, ngunit wala akong nagawa. Para silang mga bubuyog na hindi mapigilan.

Sa kabila nang pilit kong pagtulak at pagsalag sa kanila, wala akong nagawa, lalo na nang bigla akong natalisod dahilan kung bakit bumagsak ako sa napakaraming bulaklak.

"Hide the queen!" anunsyo ng lider nila.

Noong una ay iilan pa lang sila, ngunit tila higit na dumami ang bilang nila sa bawat pagdikit nila sa katawan ko.

Both of my hands were trying to grab every pixie on my body, but as I threw one of them, more and more of them were attacking me. In the end, I just extended one of my hands as if I could grasp something to run away from them but that didn't stop them.

"No . . ."

I couldn't see the lights of the shrine as they completely overwhelmed me. "He's looking for me . . ." bulong ko.

Until I could no longer see my skin as I was covered by little fairies and their glowing wings. Before I knew it, my huge body disappeared in the air, and the dust of golden glisters scattered the whole shrine.

I gasped.

The pixies around me grew bigger. Their hands clasped all together in circles as they surrounded me happily. All of them were singing and dancing.

Marahas akong lumingon sa estatwa at higit akong napamura nang makitang mas lumaki iyon.

"No way . . ."

I shakily looked at my hand and when I looked down. I cursed under my breath. I was naked!

Hindi sila lumaki, kundi ako ang siyang lumiit. Marahas akong bumangon at tumakbo ako, ngunit higit akong natigilan nang makita ang nagtataasang mga damo at bulaklak.

"The queen needs a new dress!"

Nagliparan muli sila sa akin ngunit higit nang tumalim ang mga mata ko sa kanila. "Stay away from me!"

"But you will get cold!"

Muling lumipad sa paligid ko ang mga diwata at ang kumikinang na alikabok mula sa kanilang mga pakpak ang siyang unti-unting bumalot sa kahubaran ko.

"She should wear different clothes from us. She's the queen!"

Para akong pinaglaruan ng mga diwata sa ginagawa nila sa akin, dahil ngayon ay kasalukuyang paiba-iba ng kulay at disenyo ng kasuotan ko.

Unlike them who had dresses above their knees, they settled for a long dress. Puti rin ang pinili nila sa akin na higit na nakapagpasaya sa kanila nang makita nila ang kabuuan ko.

Hindi na ako nakipag-usap sa kanila. Nagtungo ako sa ilog— napailing ako. It was not a river but a canal. Dumungaw ako roon at higit kong pinagmasdan ang sarili ko.

"Bring me back to my original form. Sa tingin ninyo ba ay dahil dito ay hindi nila ako mahahanap?"

Ngumisi ang mga diwata at umiling sa akin. "You are now inside our world. It will take more time for Prince Pryor to find you."

I sighed. Bigla kong naalala ang sinabi sa akin ni Tobias noon tungkol sa maliliit na diwatang ito. Hindi lang sila mahilig makinig sa iba't ibang kuwento dito sa Deltora, mahilig din ang mga itong pag-usapan ang mga lihim, at makialam sa mga ganitong klase ng suliranin.

"Don't you think the king will kill you for this?"

"It's already the nature of the love pixies to help!"

Ngumiwi ako.

I was just about to sit near the shrine and wait for Pryor to pick me up when two of the pixies held me by my arms and brought me in the air. Sa kanilang lahat ay ako lang iyong walang pakpak.

I saw a giant flower with a petal that was slowly opening. I shook my head. It's not a giant flower. And when we finally went inside, I realized it was not just an ordinary flower, but a home.

There was a table, chairs, a mirror, a bookshelf, a bed, and even a tea set. I felt like I was brought inside a Barbie house.

"Welcome to our home!"

Hindi ako nagsalita at nakatitig lang ako sa kanilang dalawa. I didn't even ask their name. I just let them serve me tea. I accepted it and sipped it silently.

Sa huli, napayuko na ako habang hawak ang tasa at pinagmamasdan ang repleksyon ko. This was my plan after all, but now that Tobias had finally decided to let me go, I couldn't deny the pain.

"Are you aware that you can't hide me forever?"

"Yes! We will just let you go if King Tobias has calmed down."

"Yes, he will change his mind!"

"Prince Pryor is just really like that. He's not that kind to everyone."

"Always like a villain!"

"But he's handsome!"

"He is!"

"But I saw him tailing a witch somewhere!"

One of them gasped. "He is?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe babait na siya just like Prince Rosh!"

"But Prince Rosh is my prince!"

And then they giggled.

Now I realized that in the world of these pixies, everything about them was just colors, flowers, handsome princes, gossip, shimmers, and love. They couldn't understand the situation. Para lang akong nakikipag-usap sa mga bata. Biglang sumakit ang ulo ko.

Tumingin ako sa dinaanan namin. I don't think I could escape this huge flower. I felt like Thumbelina.

Habang abala na iyong sa pag-uusap ng makikisig na prinsipe, bigla kong naalala iyong manghuhula na nakita ko nang lumabas kami ni Tobias.

"Are you aware of this fortune teller old woman from the floating city?"

Natigil ang dalawa sa pag-uusap. "Fortune Teller?"

I nodded. "She has cards and is a little bit suspicious . . ."

Nagkatinginan ang dalawa sa isa't isa bago sila umiling sa akin. "Wala."

Yumuko ulit ako at muli kong sinimsim ang tsaa na ibinigay nila. "Have you heard of your king? He's planning to accept a rejection and it might lose his life. Is there a way for him to reject me? Siguro ay hindi ako lubusang maapektuhan kung manggagaling sa kanya ang pagputol dahil galing ako sa mundo ng mga tao."

"King Tobias can't do that because your failure to stay inside this world is also the failure of the next women from the prophecy. How about Prince Seth? Prince Blair and Prince Rosh?"

Mas lalo akong natigilan sa narinig ko. Kaya ba ganoon na lang ang kagustuhan ni Pryor na dalhin ako sa palasyo? Dahil sa sandaling bumalik na ako sa mundo ng mga tao at kailanman ay hindi na bumalik dito ay wala nang darating na itinakdang babae.

"Maybe King Tobias's mind is clouded right now."

"Or maybe they already found a way to wait for the other women from the prophecy without the one. Isn't Claret a gifted one?"

"But they still need Kezalli."

"Unless King Tobias plans to . . ."

Both of them gasped. They covered their mouths with their widened eyes.

"The king will not kill himself!"

"But have you seen how he almost burned himself?"

Hindi rin nagtagal ay nag-iiyak na ang dalawang diwata sa harapan ko. Huminga ako nang malalim at higit na sumakit ang ulo ko.

I was just waiting for Pryor to appear and end this tea time with these pixies when I heard screams outside the giant flower.

"A black cat is ruining the garden!"

"A black cat is eating the flowers!"

"No! He's savagely plucking the petals!"

Sunud-sunod ang sigaw mula sa labas. Binuksan na ng isa sa diwatang kasama ko ang bulaklak kung saan kami nakatago, at nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang may makita nga akong pusang itim.

May nagsisigawan ng mga maliliit na diwata na ngayon ay nakaipit na sa paa ng itim na pusa.

"Let's fly!"

"H-huh? What?"

Hindi na ako nakaangal nang muling hawakan ng dalawang diwata ang braso ko at mabilis na ang mga itong lumipad. "Faster!" sigaw nilang dalawa sa isa't isa.

But it seemed like the black cat had already noticed us. Bigla na lang nito pinakawalan ang iniipit niyang mga diwata at nagmadali itong tumakbo habang habol kami.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "Oh no . . . don't tell me that's Pryor's cat."

"He is Prince Pryor!"

"He's a bully! He always shapeshifts himself as a black cat to threaten all of us!"

"That's why we never gossip about him!"

Ang pusa na humahabol sa amin ay bigla na lang tumalon at naging uwak. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napatingin na ako sa una.

How sure am I that he would bring me back inside the castle? What if he'd just kill me?

"Oh, no! Fly faster!"

"Yes!" they shouted with tears in their eyes.

"Sino ba ang may sabi sa inyo na tulungan ninyo ako? Nadamay tuloy kayo."

I heard the searing noise from the raven as if it was a huge eagle behind us. Halos mangatal ako nang lumingon ako at makita ang matulis niyang tuka.

That would kill us.

Walang tigil sa pagtili at pag-iyak ang dalawang diwata habang pagewang-gewang na ang paglipad nila.

"He will make us his snack!"

"Or he will put us inside a cage and then he'll put a snake inside it!"

Napangiwi ako. "Sobrang sama talaga ng ugali niya . . ."

Patuloy kami sa habulan at nang higit na nakalalapit sa amin si Pryor ay sinisimulan nang umatake ang kanyang tuka.

He was trying to attack the wings of these pixies. "No! Stop attacking them! Sasama na ako!"

"No!" sabay na sigaw ng pixies.

"The butterflies told us to save you."

Kahit pansin ko na ang takot, pagod at walang tigil na luha ng dalawang diwata ay pilit pa rin nila akong inililipad mula kay Pryor. "Stop attacking them!" sigaw ko.

Ngunit matinis na boses lang ng ibon ang narinig ko. Nang muling umatake si Pryor ay higit nang napiraso ang pakpak ng diwata sa kanan ko.

"Samantha!"

Bigla lang kaming bumulusok habang kasunod si Pryor. Kapwa na kami sumisigaw habang nakatanaw sa papalapit na itim na ibon nang biglang may tumamang liwanag sa ibon dahilan kung bakit ito tumalsik at bumulusok sa ilalim ng tubig.

The other pixie tried her best to get us up, but in the end, she shook her head. Nakagawa niya lang kaming dalhin sa pangpang, kung saan naroon nakahilera ang napakaraming tindahan ng Deltora.

"Hide!"

Iyon ang sabi ng dalawang diwata. Agad akong tumango, tumayo na ako sa pagkakasalampak at handa ko na sanang iwan ang dalawa nang lumingon ako pabalik sa kanila.

"Thank you!"

I should return to the palace without Pryor's help.

Lakad takbo ako habang pilit kong iniiwasan ang malalaking paa ng mga nilalang sa Deltora, hanggang sa matigil ako sa pamilyar na puwesto kung saan nakita ko iyong babaeng manghuhula.

Her table was unoccupied, but I saw her silhouette from the back alley. Agad ko siyang sinundan hanggang sa makarating na nga ako sa madilim na eskinita.

And I was right, she was waiting for me. Nakayuko na siya habang nakalahad ang kamay niya sa akin. Sumakay ako roon. "Good girl . . ."

"It was you. You attacked the prince. It was the prince."

She grinned. What does this woman want from me? Initially, she purposely caught my attention. Hindi lang ngayon kundi noong narito kami ni Tobias.

"You were right. I am not from this world. I was forced when I entered this world, and now I am leaving."

"Now tell me. Do you need help?"

"I want him to reject me. I want him to cut the bond. I want him to forget me. It was you who told me that he should be far away from the castle. Tell me what to do."

"You have to return something valuable to him or a gift he gave you— and let his blood touch it. You have to give him an open cut. You have to reject him when he's in pain— there he'll eventually forget you and all he'll have to remember is his physical pain."

"W-why are you helping me? Who are you?"

She grinned. "You will know."