Previously...

Meanwhile, Jeanette got up quietly and tiptoed towards Zuber's room.

"What are they up to?" she thought and pressed her ear to the door...

King Marsel had never imagined a day to be like this. He felt heartbroken. His daughter was kidnapped and her whereabouts were still a mystery.

Was she even alright? The question gnawed in his mind all the time. He couldn't bear the separation from his little daughter. He had to remain strong for Lilah's sake, for his kingdom. Now, even Lilah's presence felt far away.

"What will I do if anything happened to them? At least Hiram is taking care of the kingdom," he sighed loudly.

He was lucky that Hiram lived in a house close to their castle. Though he had tried to make Hiram stay in the palace, he had refused always. The reason for his refusal, however, remained unknown to the king, who never pressed further.

The path to the mountain was a tough one. It was filled with numerous twigs and thorns.

It would be easier if I could be in my snake form. He tried shifting. He felt his orbs brightening to a lime green. But, he slumped forward as the little energy that was left dwindled.

He sat upright and punched the ground, his knuckles turning red from the impact. His brow creased, a tear making its way out of his sad eye. He looked helpless and forlorn.

Grabbing a small sandwich from his bag, he gobbled it up quickly, not wanting to waste even a minute.

He got up and started running. His legs refused to work, each felt like they were weighed in bricks. Their prayers at the Stone House had taken away all his energy.

With an immense struggle, he managed to reach the base of the huge mountain. He had never climbed a mountain before. To save his wife, he felt he could do anything.

He started with a small prayer to the Snake Goddess. She was the ultimate power and the one who controlled the magic of the Stone House.

He remembered how the Goddess had appeared when Kyrah was born.
Dressed in a sparkling golden full-length dress with a shimmering gold crown on top of her golden hair, she looked sculpted out of gold.

Her intense eyes too were a beautiful shade of gold, reflecting kindness and tranquility. Yet, they held a powerful stance, seeming to look within your soul just with one glance.

It was unnatural for her to visit. Nobody had seen her before. But her visit proved that his little girl was special.

"This child whom I name Kyrah, should be married to the fair Prince Judewin once she turns 22," she had spoken, her smooth voice cutting through the silence.

"But remember, she should never find out that she is a shape-shifting serpent. Once she turns 21, she will shift and turn into a beautiful serpent."

"Beware, she may face life-threatening danger. Keep her protected always," her voice held a warning.

"But, what did we do? We failed at keeping her protected. Goddess knows where she is and in which state," Marsel mumbled sadly.

He stumbled upon a rock and hurt his toe which shook him out of his thoughts. He realized he had made it to the top of the mountain. There was no one in sight. He waited for someone to appear. He turned around, scanning the whole area, but to no avail.

"Queen Lilah might need this," a gruff voice boomed, behind him. He turned in surprise, finding an old man near him. The man had sparkly, gold eyes, a small bowl clutched in his scrawny hand.

"Who are you?" Bewilderment was clear on Marsel's exhausted face.

"Does it matter? You are running out of time, king," the man said knowingly.

Marsel took the bowl from the old man, staring at the green mass from all angles.

"It's a healing tonic."

"How can I trust you?" the king asked suspiciously.

The old man scooped a little tonic with his finger, eating it without a second thought. Within a minute, a small scratch on his hand healed magically.

"See? No harm was done," the man's eyes twinkled.

"I am so sorry. Thank you so much. I would forever be in your debt." The king smiled sadly. With that, he turned back and started to make his way down.

"Everything comes with a price," the old man said, his gold eyes sparkling with each word. The king turned around, puzzled.

"How about your beautiful crown, king?"

The king removed his crown, looking at it sadly. Without it, he couldn't turn into a snake. That was the custom for the Royals. Is shifting more important than Lilah's life? No, it isn't.

He held out the crown to the man, thanking him once again. He started walking back to the base, without giving the old man a second glance.

The old man smiled sincerely, and spoke powerfully, "You have proven you're worthy of being a king. My choice was right."

He vanished the next minute, a gold crown shining vaguely, leaving sparkly golden dust in his place...

The king reached the old woman's house in no time with a new found energy. He knocked feverishly on the door, which was opened in an instant.

"Your Majesty, you are back!" the old lady cried happily.

For a second, Marsel felt as if her eyes had turned golden. Rubbing his eyes, he stared at her once again, noticing that her eyes were brown only.

"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?" the old woman asked timidly.

The king shook his head and turned to look at his wife.

I must be imagining things, he thought.

Lilah was in a deep sleep, looking pale, yet peaceful. Her eyes looked darkened and her cheeks had sunken. Marsel rushed forward, opening her mouth slowly and fed her the tonic hastily. When he was done, he waited for the result.

Minutes passed. He paced about in the small room, rubbing his palms, tension evident on his tired face.

Slowly, Lilah's wounds healed. She opened her eyes and got up, oblivious to her worrying husband. She stood near the door and called out in a quiet voice, "Marsel..."

The king stopped abruptly and ran towards her, crushing her to his chest and sobbed vehemently.

"Shh, there, there, I am alright now." She smiled at him, wiping his tears. "Let's go home."

The king looked at the old lady and thanked her for all her help. With a final goodbye, they left the small house and started making their way towards their castle.

The old lady smiled, her eyes now changing to a complete gold color. She got up, and said in a calm powerful voice, "Good luck, fair king, and queen. The castle needs you."
With that she vanished once again, leaving a trail of gold dust glittering behind.

Hey, people! How are you all? You know when you have loads of work to do, but the story keeps on humming inside your head until you write it down? I had that feeling when I wrote this chapter. 😃

So, Marsel was successful in keeping his queen safe. Yay! 💓 But, he cannot shift now without his crown. Will that be a problem?

The next chapter will be about Zuber, Kyrah, and Jeanette. I am so excited to write about them! 💘 Are you excited? What do you think about my book so far? Please comment and let me know your views.

Who is your favorite character and why? What do you think about the mysterious old lady and her husband? Any guesses? Comment in and let me know!

Like this chapter? Please make me happy by clicking the 🌟 icon below. Thanks a lot! Signing off! BYE! 👋

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