Ruby Red

Chapter Five

RUBY RED

CHAPTER FIVE

_______________________________

I was going to post this on Christmas Day, but I decided, why not? So I'm posting it earlier and I hope you enjoy the little cliff hanger at the end ;) 

So I hope you get lots of presents tonight and I wish you all a Merry Christmas. And you know what I want for Christmas this year? More reads, comments and fans. Come on guys, spread the word. And thank you all. 

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!

Fallen Abyss

________________________________

Ruby had dreams. She'd never had them before, maybe glimpses of her father, but this dream seemed alive and real. Like a forgotten memory resurfaced. She was standing in a clearing, with a strong breeze gently hitting her face. She recognized the clearing to be in the middle of the Dark Forest. It seemed peaceful and nothing dark or mysterious lurked here. 

She was wearing a flowing white gown. She didn't know why this was important. It reminded her of a wedding dress, sleek and elegant, but shredded by sharp thorns and branches. She looked up from her dress and gasped. Standing in the middle of the clearing, wearing the same clothes she last saw him in, was her father. 

She felt herself break into a run and tears brim her eyes. He turned slightly and smiled, holding his arms out wide for her. She jumped into them without hesitation and sobbed into his shirt. Even though it was a dream, she could feel his heartbeat, inhale his sweet scent of wood pine and freshly cut grass, feel his strong arms holding her up and hear the sweet voice echoing around the clearing. 

"Ruby, Ruby," he kept saying over and over again. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, a deep oceanic blue. 

"Father? Is that really you? Is this a dream?" she asked. He smiled and cupped his hand gently under her chin. 

"It's me Ruby, it's me," he assured her. He looked around worriedly. "We must hurry. This is so many things I need to tell you."

Ruby nodded, her eyes wide. He looked worried. As if Ra was coming to get him...again. Her eyes caught something, a silver scar running from his neck to under his shirt. A scar that wasn't there before. 

"You are the Chosen One, the Queen. Remember the stories I told you? They're real. And you are the Queen, Red. My little Queen," he smiled proudly, using Ruby's nickname only he called her. 

"You need to defeat them. The Demon Army. Don't trust any of them, Red. They are Demons in a man's skin. It is said you will fall for one of them, but you mustn't let that get in your way. You're the only one who can do it, Red. They are planning on attacking the village. They are going to kill everyone."

Ruby swallowed nervously. "The stories...?" she whispered. He smiled reassuringly at her, but his eyes showed how nervous and desperate he was. 

"There's not enough time...Remember Ruby....Remember," he shouted at her, but his voice seem to fade away. His skin became transparent and ghostly and he drifted off in the wind. 

Ruby cried and called out for him, running desperately after the shards of his being that soared high into the sky. The stories...The stories about the Queen. But the way he said it...there was more stories he had told her. She'd just have to remember. 

She collapsed on her knees and processed what he had said to her. She was the Queen, the Chose One, that she had already guessed. And Ra, Ra was planning to attack her village, kill the innocent living there. Her mother.

Anger coursed inside her and she knew she must stop him at all cost. The dream seemed to fade, slightly, as if it was only made to remind her of her purpose. And as darkness engulfed her, she knew she would give anything to stop Ra. She would defeat him. 

****

Ruby's eyes fluttered open. She was curled up on her bed and someone was sleeping soundly beside her, a strong arm draped over her. She turned her head slightly and looked into the sleeping face of Ra. He was asleep, looking almost...peaceful, with his messy black hair strewn over his forehead and his red eyes hidden behind his eyelids. 

Ruby squirmed and tried to wriggle out of his vice-like grip. But Ra's grip tightened. "I wouldn't dare to move, if I was you," he said, although his eyes were still closed. 

Ruby stopped and looked up at him. His eyes were still closed, but an idle smirk played across his lips. She almost wish she could slap the smirk right off his face. 

But instead she lay frozen, staring out of the cabin window. Light streamed in. It was dawn and the outside world stirred from their slumbers. Ruby's heart jolted. Dawn. Ra promised he would "escort" her to see her grandmother. 

She began to squirm again. Annoyed, Ra hissed. "You promised I could visit my Grandmother," Ruby whispered lowly, still squirming. Ra considered this for a minute before realising her. 

"Very well. A promise is a promise. Get ready, we will be leaving in ten minutes," he said. He sat up, ruffling his dark hair. He flashed her a grin, his dark red eyes gleaming. 

"Your dress is torn up. I got you some new things to wear. There in the closet. Be quick."

Ruby nodded, not meeting his piercing eyes. He left and she cautiously opened the closet. Inside were red satin dresses, white gowns and blue dresses. She picked out a blue dress and put it hurriedly on. She then draped her red cloak around her, pulling up the hood. She grabbed her basket with the medicine in it and rushed outside. 

Everyone had changed into wolves and they were walking around the camp, all glancing at her as they did so. She could see Ra, the biggest wolf and the only black one, and Lucas, the only white wolf, conversing intently. 

Ra turned and bounded up towards her. "My Queen, let us go," he said. He bent down, meaning for her to get on his back, but Ruby shook her head. 

"I'll walk, thank you. I need my exercise," she said promptly. Ra's eyes flashed darkly and Ruby shivered. 

They walked in silence away from the village and into the depths of the forest. Lucas walked close to Ruby. Her feet throbbed and she wanted to climb on his back, but she kept walking. Ra kept looking back at them, his eyes narrowed. 

"Your Grandmother, why does she live by herself? And so far from the village. At her age she needs  to be close to family and friends," Lucas said, his ears twitching. He looked at her with crystal blue eyes and Ruby's breath caught. 

She sighed. "I don't know. Mother always said that it was because she was...protected. Do you protect her?" she asked. Lucas looked at her, confused. 

"No, but there is many strange beings in this Forest. Maybe she allied with one of them," he suggested. Ruby nodded and they continued to walk in silence. 

She glanced behind her, at the camp now clouded with trees. They walked further into the forest until a small cottage came into view, sitting squat in a clearing with ivy creeping up the front of the house. A grin stretched across Ruby's face and her pace quickened. And then she broke into a run, running towards her Grandmother's house, tears brimming her eyes. Family. That's what she needed most now. 

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the battle cry Ra let out. Or the wolves who growled. She didn't notice anything until something large and silvery crashed into her. 

She looked up, seeing the face of a silver horse and mounted on it, a man dressed in armour, a sword in his hand. He gave out a battle cry and drew the sword high in the air. Ruby gasped as the sword made a clean arc, straight towards her.