Ruby had not left the forest once and she didn't entertain any customers that wished to purchase anything. Several days passed until an undesired visitor came knocking on her door.

"Ruby..." Guinevere cried after seeing her face like she was some Saint who she can beg for mercy. 

"He left me... He left me..." Guinevere came to her crying and haggard. Her clothes are in tatters and her feet have been soiled by the dirt and grim of her path to the witch's house. She had walked from the village and lost her shoes along her way to the cottage.

Ruby thought that Guinevere had come to scream at her and beat her up for betraying her, completely taking her off guard when the auburn-haired engulfed her in a very tight hug as if her life depended on it. The witch was confused and was unable to comprehend what to do and how to reply so she merely wrapped her arms around the mage and whispered words of comfort to her ears telling her that everything will be alright, although even she doesn't believe her own words, but her gentle siren alluring voice seemed to be enough to somehow comfort her friend. 

Ruby welcomed her in her home, bathed her, clothed her and served her tea, guilt and pity taking over her heart but she maintained an ignorant disposition while speaking with the mage.

Guinevere told her that Gusion had eloped with Lesley leaving her alone with no clue on how to find them. She cannot find consolation from her brother since he is also grief-stricken with Odette being in a coma after being ambushed by an unknown person so she went to her other best option which is her friend.

The mage begged her for a spell to learn their location but Ruby didn't have any knowledge of such art, so in her despondent state, Guinevere merely asked for refuge in her home which Ruby didn't deny. She took care of her friend with great care and gentleness and luckily Dyrroth had already left before the mage had come to fetch the scabbard from the palace as payment for her favors so the two women had the house for themselves.

🌹

Lesley leaned against the terrace of the small yet homey house Ruby provided for them. A mug of warm cocoa steamed beside her as she watched the beautiful sunset unfold. Red, orange, yellow, and pink painted the sky, warm colors that reflected the way that she feels right now. 

When Ruby gave her the spell, the witch also graciously provided them with a place to stay, either temporarily or permanently if they so desire. She gave them the key to a decently sized home North of the Empire in the former territory of the Pendragon family. It was a remote place near the forest with a peaceful village close by. The witch said that it was the former residence of her mother before she met her father and that it's okay for them to use it for however long they want. Ruby also allowed them to use her personal wyverns from the nest which allowed them to travel quickly out of the suburban and escape unnoticed. 

The house wasn't much of a mess like they expected it to be. There are layers of dust and webs, a few broken furniture, and weak wood but nothing they couldn't handle. Since the house was generally in a good condition they figured that some of the villagers must be keeping it well since it was owned by the master of their land. 

Currently, she and Gusion haven't thought of a plan to do yet with their lives but Lesley found herself enjoying the peaceful life of the countryside. Gusion was still adjusting to the big change in his environment and lifestyle as well as the fact that he's been hexed for quite a long time however he is trying his best to manage all of the new events and information registering in his mind. They have sufficient funds to keep a steady life for quite some time but the need to work is inevitable as well as socializing with the village folks. 

The villagers weren't hostile in any way nor unfriendly. When Gusion and Lesley first arrived, a few of them gave the couple some gifts for their stay. They didn't ask much about their past and respected their reason for keeping their purpose of staying a secret which relived the two. 

Although they knew that they might never see their friends and families ever again with the way they left things as it is, they figured that everything will be fine as long as they have each other. But she can't help but miss Harley, her room in the Sellswords' Keep, and the bustling kiosks in the suburbs and city. It was such a shame. They are going to miss the Skylight Festival, a tradition held for the Prince of Light who was kidnapped by demons hundreds of years ago. Even though he was found a decade later after his abduction, the people and the kingdom continued celebrating the Skylight Festival. It was such a shame but at least they've gotten away from their problems.

"What are you thinking about so hard right now?" Gusion whispered seductively in her ears as he wrapped his arms around her waist and place his head over her shoulders. 

"Nothing much but I'm just quite disappointed about the festival. I really wish we could have been there. Sailing is the lake on a gondola and flirting under the flying lanterns. It would be completely romantic." Lesley answered pecking his cheek. 

"We can make our own lantern festival here. I heard the people here also release lanterns though it won't be as many as there will be in the city and suburbs but at least we get to have them. And the best part? We're going to be together holding each other tightly in our arms and watching the stars bedazzle us since there's barely any stars in the light-polluted city. Here we're getting a first class seat into a great view of the cosmos just the two of us. No Guinevere, no love potions, no swords, and witches. Just us and true love." He narrated tightening his hold on her waist and pulling her body closer to his. 

Tears gathered at the corner of her eye due to his sincere and loving words. No words can possibly describe the magnitude of happiness engulfing her heart as she contentedly melted into her lover's affection. This life, this place is beyond her imagination. Never had she ever imagined that she'll be a runaway criminal that made a deal with the witch but with Gusion by her side even though her life took a 360 turn, she knows that everything will be alright. 

She turned to face her lover and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him passionately. Twilight soon settled in but they kept showering each other with affection. 

🌹

It was the middle of the night when a knock suddenly resounded from Ruby's door as she was just getting ready for bed. It was undoubtedly Guinevere so she had let her friend open her chamber door. The mage was looking a little bit better than the previous days and Ruby rejoiced at that fact. She met her on the threshold and asked the reason for her visit.

"Hey, Guin. Do you need anything?"

"Ruby, I want to forget the pain but I can't. I want to stop thinking about him but his image has been engraved not just in my heart and mind but also in my body. Please, Ruby, take this pain away and make me forget about all of this just for tonight." Guinevere suddenly leaned down, took her face in her hands, and kissed her passionately on the lips as if she was her lover.

Guinevere pushed her further inside, closing the door behind her. Ruby tasted the pain, the longing, and the desperation on her friend's kiss feeling her own heart constrict as she knew that it was her that caused all of this grief upon her friend. Every touch Guinevere made on her body was painful and torturous for Ruby, though her hands are gentle and loving.

Guinevere pushed Ruby in her own bed and went on top of her, kissing and biting her neck eliciting moans and gasp from the witch. Guinevere lifted up Ruby's nightgown and slipped it from her body leaving her bare except for her panties before stripping herself. The mage proceeded to kiss the silver-haired who fondled her boobs and pinched her magenta buds. Guinevere removed their panties and started fingering the witch who opened her legs willingly. The auburn-haired had inserted her middle and index fingers inside the fighter and slowly moved it inside. She started pushing harder against her g-spot stimulating her for arousal which triggered her to lubricate. Guinevere started nibbling her pink nipples while Ruby rubbed her own clitoris and threw her head back in pleasure. The mage had increased the speed of her fingers' penetration inside the witch who painstakingly accepted the molestation on her body as she endured the guilt that bubbled up with her arousal.

Guinevere soon pulled her fingers out and mounted over Ruby to connect their nether regions and started grinding their wet pussies together. Ruby blushed in both shame and pleasure as the mage made love to her, moaning in euphoria while not knowing that the woman she is making love with is the same person that caused her the pain she wanted to forget. The auburn-haired lowered her face closer to the witch and kissed her full on the lips, ignorant that she is relishing the sweet taste of her poisonous betrayal while she continuously grinds her sex desperately to seek the ecstasy that would overpower her grief. She had left bright red marks upon the witch's snow-white bosom as if branding her a scarlet letter for her crimes. Ruby only submitted to her friend's desires and was too meek to initiate the pleasure herself due to contriteness.

"What's the matter? Don't you want this? Don't you want me? Not you too, please. Am I making you feel uncomfortable? Am I being too demanding? Please tell me!" Guinevere begged in desperation as she started tearing up. She removed herself from the maiden's body and started crying on her bed.

"Is that why he left me? Because I was too needy and demanding. Look what I did to you. I forced you to fuck for my own consolation without even asking you if you wanted this. If you wanted me. I'm so sorry Ruby. I'm sorry. You've been nothing but good to me and I, I..." Ruby hushed the crying mage and wrapped her arm around her to comfort her. Hearing Guinevere apologize to her when she was the one who should be begging for her forgiveness broke her heart more than any man ever did. Her heart burned with the torturous fire of hell, punishing her soul for the choices she had made.

The witch cupped the mage's cheeks and kissed her passionately on the lips shushing her weeping. Guinevere calmed down after that and replied to the kiss, hugging her friend's body closer to her own. Ruby pulled away when she felt that her message had come across to the auburn-haired.

"I want to make love with you." she said gently, gazing at the beautiful yet melancholic emerald eyes of the mage. Ruby tucked a strand of her fiery hair and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to make you feel good more than he ever did to you that you're gonna forget why you cry at all."

"Ruby..." Guinevere trailed but was interrupted by the soft pink lips of the fighter. Ruby gently pushed her to lie on the bed and this time she was the one on top. She pushed down her guilt and depression to focus on amending her crimes albeit only a little by satisfying her friend's needs and her own so they made love to their hearts' content. She was able to satiate the mage's need to numb down the pain with euphoria, knowing that nothing will be the same after the night has passed.

(Note: I've written a full lemon about the things that transpired in this night, feel free to check it out in my other book Red Like Ruby if you're curious but be warned, that knowing a woman such as myself it won't be tamed. It will be intense and very weird) 

🌹

Guinevere woke up into a beautiful morning. The gentle sunlight flittered through the window while the birds sang sweets songs of harmony. She rolled to her side to greet her silver-haired friend and tease her about the previous night only to find her spot empty. She must be up and going already. Guinevere didn't linger long in the bed to start her morning so she fixed the bed and freshened herself up in Ruby's bathroom which is surprisingly large and grand, filled with extremely expensive beauty products much more costly than the ones that she uses. She helped herself with Ruby's stuff knowing that the silver-haired wouldn't mind.

She soon descended from the second floor to get her breakfast or prepare one in case Ruby hasn't yet. To her surprise, the witch is also nowhere to be found downstairs though she had already prepared breakfast, which Guinevere was very thankful for. She took two slices of toasts and sandwiched the bacon with them before taking a large bite. She poured herself a cup of coffee, added sugar and milk before wandering around the house.

As she ate her breakfast, her attention suddenly went to the door in the kitchen. During her former visits, Ruby said that that door leads down to her workshop where she conjures and brew her potions so maybe she's in there right now. Guinevere, feeling a little horny for the smaller lady after remembering the things she did last night, wanted to check out on her and flirt a little.

She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open, seeing a set of stairs leading downwards to another door. She descended the steps carefully feeling a little scared and slowly knocked upon the intricately made door. She waited a few moments but she received no reply so she started climbing up the stairs, however, halfway through her flight curiosity began to prick at the back of her head. Ruby had always been a mystery to her. Though she might've entrusted her with the secrets of her past, all she knows about her history is that she was cursed by her obsessive lover who fleed soon after he inflicted the curse. And if you really want to know a mage or a witch deeper then the right place to know them better is their workshops, right? It's not like she's going to snoop around or anything, she's just going to take a little peek.

Guinevere grabbed the door open and allowed herself in. Ruby's workshop is pristine and magnificent. Her grotesque ingredients are arranged neatly in the cabinets, her minerals and gems are orderly sorted and displayed in cases, her books are neatly stacked or lined over tables with perfect symmetry, and her laboratory glassware are washed and dried thoroughly. Purple butterflies flutter about fading and reappearing constantly like Christmas lights giving the room a calming vibe. Guinevere noticed an odd summoning circle and went to inspect it. It bore terrifying icons and odd letters that even she couldn't understand. This must be the magic circle Ruby drew for her summoning, where she accidentally freed Dyrroth.

The mage's attention went to the colorful portions lining the shelves. She tip-toed around the summoning circle and inspected the table where the witch seems to have been working not long ago. The first thing she noticed was the red liquid in a spherical glass container. She inspected the table further and found notes about the potion. 

Anti-Love Potion: Cure for Aphrodite's Bane

Ingredients: 

Apathy from the dead (Bargained with Faramis or if you're in good terms with Vexana) 

Tears of Grief from a weeping willow draiad

Tears of joy from a naiad

Phantasmal blood (preferably from a dragon to counter the unicorn blood I used in the love potion, more powerful and hateful) 

A lock of sorrowful true love (material to customize it, get from the maiden who wants to counter the love potion, must be in love with the victim) 

Ruby is making a counter love potion but for who? She looked around the table further and saw fuchsia-colored hair trimmings. She grabbed a pinch of the hair and brought it closer to her face to investigate the owner.

This color and roughness. It is undeniable that the hair trimmings belongs to Lesley but why would Ruby have it? Did she hex the girl on behalf of her as revenge? Was she trying to use a locating magic? Or did she make an anti-love portion specific only for Lesley so that she can free Gusion from the hex? Ruby wouldn't do it, would she? She wouldn't betray her own friend. Certainly not for money since her potions are costly. It's impossible that Ruby would betray her for something trivial.

Guinevere staggered back in shock as a butterfly suddenly passed by her face. She fell on her butt making other stuff fall on the ground as well. She heard the distinct clanging of metal on the floor and turned her head to where it fell. A gasp erupted from her lips as she saw the sword that Odette usually carries around but doesn't use. Why the hell does Ruby have it?

Then it all clicked. The gears of her head turning, the pieces all falling in place, and the secret is being revealed.

Ruby had betrayed her to get this blasted sword. She conspired with Lesley to hurt Odette and get the sword for whatever reason she fucking has then she gave Lesley an anti-love potion to use on Gusion. Tears started falling from her eyes. Grief and lamentation replaced the light feeling in her heart at the treason her beloved friend has committed.

How can she be such a fool? Of course, it was Ruby's doing. What else can it fucking be when Gusion suddenly dumped her for no reason when he had just told her that he loved her, when she had just told him that she was pregnant, and when he had just proposed to her. She had a miscarriage due to grief and she was left by the man she loves because of that blasted witch!! All of these, her happiness, her lover, and her child are all taken from her because her friend wanted a fucking sword? 

How dare that fucking, lying Bitch do that to her and then welcome her in her house as if she was an angel? Guinevere felt more disgusted at the events that unfolded last night. She just slept with the devil herself, Brutus who had stabbed her in the back.

Tears stopped falling from her eyes as hate replaced her sadness. Rage started coursing through her blood as she can think about nothing else but killing the witch, burning her, mutilating her, stabbing her, strangling her slowly, and watching the life flicker out of her lips. She wants vengeance and blood.

Her hand found the handle of the Sword and she picked herself up.

🥀🥀🥀

After three days of flying Dyrroth finally arrived in the Lightborn Capital. Ruby had given him a map of the land and the blueprints of the castle which is very impressive of his little witch. She had also packed non-perishable sets of food rations and given him a handsome amount of gold to spend for his travel.

He arrived in the capital at a daytime so he had to wait until the sun sets for him to be able to make a move and sneak inside the palace. In the meantime he watched the rotations of the guards and studied the blueprints of the palace, memorizing and marking all the entrances and exits he could use for his break-in and escape.

Once twilight broke in, the demon was already inside the palace infiltrating its halls. He went up and down the tedious stairs, crawled left and right through vexing hallways which all looked the same, and hid every time he heard footsteps like a mouse which is very degrading for a person like him but his little witch begged him to spill as less blood as possible and let no one know that he was even there so he had no choice but to comply since she was very cute when sending him away.

After what felt like an eternity of searching through the labyrinth-like palace he was finally able to find the room of the prince. He twisted the doorknob and not surprisingly, it was locked. He extended his index finger and inserted his extremely sharp nail inside the keyhole, twisting and turning it until he heard the lock click. (I don't even know if that will work, sorry to those who know how to lock pick) He entered immediately hearing footsteps approaching the hallway he was in and shut the door behind him, pausing for a while.

When he heard their footsteps fading, he proceeded to look around. His little witch didn't really specify where the "scabbard" was located and which one it was since the room is very spacious, bigger even than Ruby's own cottage minus the compartment dimensions in her bathroom. There also appears to be hundreds of swords with scabbards and other blades, all impressive and shiny, making his search more difficult. He would have thought that the place was an armory if it wasn't for the bed and other luxurious furniture and bookshelves organized neatly around the room. However, there seems to be a certain solitary and imposing feel about the room that he feels comfortable with, exactly what he wants if he were to design his own room. It feels like a fortress where no one can disturb him and where he can be at peace, though there seem to be excessive tapestries inside the room which are quite annoying.

He started analyzing the different scabbards in the room, confirming if one of them is what he is looking for, a golden scabbard bearing a vertical lettering of an unknown alphabet with simple blue designs. She said that the scabbard doesn't rust nor can it be scratched but after the fiftieth scratch on the hundredth scabbard there seems to be nothing here that fits the description. So he started pulling books out from the shelves, thinking that they will lead to secret passages that hopefully will bring him to the scabbard.

After draining the shelves of all the books, piling them on the floor with still no secret passages or much less boobie traps (There were a few books about sex with vivid illustrations though and he spent quite some time checking that out. He might be able to use those information when he gets back to his little witch. Hehehe😉😉), he paused and sat on the crimson cushioned throne-like chair and took out one of the food rations that Ruby packed for him. He took a large bite on the three-day-old sandwich wrapped in tissue paper from a ziplock bag and was astounded to still find it edible and as good as new as if it had been recently made. His little witch must've used a preservation magic on it to maintain its freshness and delicious taste just for him. How sweet. Plus she also packed a small casket of his favorite elf blood mead, which he somehow didn't feel until his hand was inside the bag taking out whatever is food. What a crafty little trick.

After devouring his meal he packed away the casket back in his bag and approached a large wolf tapestry over the bed and tore it to pieces because it looked stupid, then he welcomed himself on the prince's bed which is surprisingly not dusty. Someone must still be taking care of this room because it was spotless and clean. Sucks for them because he had just trashed the whole place. Just as his body hit against the mattress, he felt his spine crunch as his back collides against something very hard. Like metal.

He instantly bolted upwards and tore through the sheets digging for what he wished to be the scabbard. His hand soon felt something hard and cold so he pulled it out and there it was. A golden scabbard with no rust nor scratch, all pristine and perfect.

"Fuck, yeah. Finally found this bastard." he said laying again on the soft mattress for a little rest before he goes on his way back to the forest. The smile on his lips soon faded and was replaced by confusion as he saw a collage on the wall which was formerly obscured by the hideous tapestry. He looked at it inspecting the theme it bore and noticed a huge similarity in all of the images. They were all about the same woman, golden-haired and pretty, wearing fancy dresses or tunics or revealing armors usually in scarlet, crimson, vermillion, or any other variant colors of red. The prince seems to be obsessed with the woman, probably even masturbated while looking at the images, making him cringe and leave the bed immediately.

He tore down the other tapestries and saw the same woman in different settings, some seemed to be taken from portraits while most are candid shots. He even found one where the woman is bathing naked on a river but a few leaves obscured the important parts. Such a shame she was really pretty. She even kind of looks like Ruby.

"What the fuck..."

Realization suddenly dawned on him. The girl doesn't just look like Ruby, it is Ruby. Or was Ruby because this chick was blonde and green-eyed while his Ruby is silver-haired and golden-eyed. The girl looks like the sunshine itself in human form warm, adventurous, and exciting while his Ruby felt like moonlight, gentle, mysterious, yet oddly comforting and reliable to lead your way on the dim nights. However, the similarity is undeniable and the witch herself told him that she's hundreds of years old so maybe some of her features changed over the course of the years.

He took a step back in shock. Ruby must have been in a relationship with the prince himself. The thought of his little witch being in the arms of another man-made his blood boil, especially since the man seemed to be very obsessed with her. Just what sort of things did this prince do with his little witch?

He suddenly tripped on a large book as he was walking around checking out the tapestries. He groaned and grabbed the book to flung it across the room until he saw something drop from its pages. He paused and picked up the object. It was a photograph of Ruby and a man who seemed to be at the same age as her at that time. The guy had a duller shade of golden hair and a vivid set of violet eyes. He was dressed nicely in white fancy garments with blue accents and golden designs while Ruby wore a nice vibrantly red dress. Both of them are smiling happily at the photo while the guy had a possessive arm wrapped around her waist. The image had a caption under the picture written with the pretty curving penmanship of his little witch.

Ruby and Rel first Polaroid picture ❤️ P. S. It took him an hour to figure out how it works hahaha.

He soon turned the book over to check it's title. On the cover, among the pretty colorful gems and butterfly designs is a title of bold golden letters that brought a sudden shiver to his body.

🌹Ruby and  Aurelius🌹

A/N: Check this out for enlightenment of you don't know who about the Aurelius thing

https://mobile-legends.fandom.com/wiki/Dyrroth/Story