Release That Witch

Someone pushed her forcibly, but she stood still. She watched as the other person staggered and backed up a bit.     

The pompous expression on his face disappeared. He glared at her and left.     

She continued moving through the crowd with indifference. The majority of people frowned and avoided her when they saw her ragged clothing.     

There were swarms of people. Although the Inner City didn't have a traditional city wall and gate, people had constructed a symbolic entryway composed of wood and wreaths. Armored guards stood on both sides of the door. Their exquisite armor reflected a glaring light under the sun. The vivid eagle adornments, the embossed irises on their chests and the handsome visage of the knights, made all the girls shriek in excitement.     

Their red velvet cloaks dragged all the way to the ground, resembling a red wall from afar. The magnificently dressed nobles separated the crowd and made an empty space behind the entryway.     

The flags on the sidewalks were flowing in the air. Long strings of golden flags hung from the top of the flagpole, creating a sense of grandeur. The embroidered flags had different motifs. The most common was the high tower long spear. She knew that this pattern represented the royalty of the Kingdom of Graycastle, the host of today's ceremony.     

Today was the coming-of-age ceremony for Princess Tilly Wimbledon.     

A week prior, the advertisement for this ceremony had caused a joyous uproar. Everyone in the town knew about it. In addition to the local nobility of the Kingdom of Graycastle, there were a few ambassador groups from the other kingdoms. They all brought gifts and marriage proposals in the hope that they would gain the admiration of Princess Tilly and the Royal Family.     

The church had sent a bishop to host the ceremony for Princess Tilly. The ceremony would be held in the Dawn Square in the center of the city. The royal family would distribute meat porridge and soup, this was the reason the ceremony had attracted such a large audience.     

However, she had not come for food.     

Her goal was the archbishop.     

It would cast shame on the church if one of its archbishops was assassinated in front of everyone in the king's city. The sweet joy of retaliation gave her a strong sense of exhilaration. She touched her chest; there was a short knife that she'd stolen. Although the knife was of an inferior quality, it was enough to kill a common person.     

There was a round of loud applause in the crowd that interrupted her thoughts. She looked toward the Inner City. The knightage was marching in organized alignment. The knights in the very front of the group looked glamorous with their red cloaks flowing behind them like dancing flames.     

The carriage was drawn by four horses behind the knights. The emblems of the royal family of the Kingdom of Graycastle were ingrained on the sides of the carriage. The wheels and frames were painted gold. Bright red pennants fluttered in the wind on top of the car, and golden silks were hanging on the four corners. At a glance, the whole troop looked like a moving golden ocean.     

The crowd started to move to the Dawn Square with the carriages. She entered the border of the square with the crowd. The soldiers had separated the inner part of the square. Only the nobility could watch the ceremony up close. She estimated that it would only take few seconds for her to rush into the square. As long as the archbishop entered the square, he would not be able to avoid her.     

The people from the royal family started to jump off the carriage. The five children of King Wimbledon III were slowly walking toward the center of the ceremonial stage.     

Among them she saw the Princess, Tilly Wimbledon.     

Undoubtedly, Princess Tilly was the heroine of the day. There was a light shining in her eyes, crystal clear like a gemstone. Her tidy long gray hair was in a simple hairstyle, without any decoration. Her appearance was the most exceptional of her siblings; the patterns on her cloth were simple, stylish, and well-suited for her aura. Most incredibly, Princess Tilly cast her eyes straight onto her in the crowd. Then, Princess Tilly nodded as if greeting her and smiled lightly.     

This was not a delusion. She felt the same sensation at that moment, a sense of intimacy as if they had known each other for years. Sweet and warm. This intimacy was not of blood, identity, or social status. It was from the resonance of magic power.     

She released the handle of the knife that she was squeezing tightly and started to watch the girl on the stage quietly.     

At the end of the ceremony, two guards found her. They wanted to take her to the palace.     

If she chose to refuse, the guards would not be able to block her. However, she did not ask anything and followed the two guards to the Inner City, entering the glamorous palace through a narrow street.     

In a secret chamber in the palace, she stood in front of Princess Tilly.     

"I see."     

"This is a truly unfortunate story. So, this is how you ended up here in the Kingdom of Graycastle."     

"Don't worry. You don't have to wander around anymore. You shall accompany me hereafter"     

"I'll do a proper makeover for you. I'll make sure that no one can recognize you."     

"I investigated. The cloister was destroyed by a huge fire. All the children were missing. The entire building was left in ruins and ashes."     

"Do you have a name?"     

"Then, I shall call you Ashes."     

…     

Ashes opened her eyes. The first thing that came into view was Maggie's face.     

Maggie blinked then rushed to hug her. "You finally woke up!"     

Ashes tried to move her finger. She did not feel the expected powerlessness or numbness. She did not feel pain in her waist either.     

"How long was I in a coma?"     

"A whole afternoon," Maggie said, "Nana said I could wake you up as soon as she healed you, but that your body would be really tired. It was better to let you rest so that you would feel more energized when you woke up."     

Ashes patted Maggie's head and slowly sat up on the bed. She lifted up her clothes and found that her waist was intact. The huge wound was like a nightmare that had disappeared upon waking.     

"How did she heal me?"     

"I don't think you want to know." Maggie pursed her lips. After she saw the insistence in Ashes' eyes, she explained, "They collected your scattered... umm, parts, and put the parts back into your stomach. Then Nana used magic power to restore the parts back to their original state. According to Lightning, the more parts that they collect, the faster she heals. If the limbs are all gone, Nana won't be able to regenerate new parts."     

Ashes could feel the goosebumps breaking out over her skin. "Then the dirt and grass stains..."     

"The dirty stuff was expelled when your wound was healed. Nana's power is able to differentiate between necessary parts and unnecessary parts."     

Ashes was relieved. She got off the bed and tried to feel the power in her body. Just like Nana had said, after her long rest, Ashes did not feel any emaciation. Instead, she felt her power was even stronger than before.     

Ashes put on her black cloak, looked at the color of the sky through the window and walked toward the door.     

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked.     

"To see Prince Roland," Ashes said without looking back.