Freed (Magics AU - Part 2)

Chapter 1 - Ruby

Twenty-five years later, present day...

Twenty years ago, Ruby Tully had been crowned queen of Ariel at seventeen years old. Although standard kingdom authority would have agreed that she was a few years too young to take on such a role, Ruby and her father both realized that the king couldn't keep ruling on his own. Two years after her coronation, eighteen years ago, a young man named Marcus Swift began working under the royal doctor for medical training. At first, Marcus had been flippant and teasing toward the queen; but eventually Ruby noticed that he gradually gained respect and even awe toward her. A year after meeting him, Ruby was ready to marry the wonderful man - but Marcus had been hesitant about asking royalty to marry him. A year and a half later, Ruby smacked - quite literally - the words out of him as he stumbled to ask her. Another year and a half later, Princess Emily Swift was born. Marcus and Ruby had vowed never to let anything happen to her, especially after Ruby remembered Aaron saying that she'd almost been kidnapped as a toddler. Seven years after Emily's birth, Falte Watson had returned to the castle without a family or a home. He had lost everything in a sudden fire that nearly spread throughout the kingdom, yet within a few months, the kind man was back to normal. Three years later, Ruby's father had fallen terribly ill with a lung disease. The former king had scared the whole kingdom, but somehow he had managed to pull through what seemed like the worst attacks. A year after that, Ruby's uncle, Lucy's brother, had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. When he hadn't returned in more than a few weeks, Ruby assumed that he was dead - as much as it pained her. Not even a year later, an injured man appeared at the gates of Ariel, disoriented and defensive. Ruby had immediately taken him in and ordered Esther, the royal doctor, to help him. When Shintaro was well again, he had been promoted to the guardian of Ariel. After three years of safe and enjoyable peace and quiet, Arielians began going missing. Seven months ago, way too many Arielian citizens were murdered brutally. Six months ago, Shintaro and the skilled tracker named Amy had caught the culprit, who had turned out to be Falte's presumed-dead son. Five months ago, Ariel had fallen into the clawed hands of Darkness. 

Five months ago, Queen Ruby had been hurled into a sea of blackness that she couldn't swim out of. She'd been thrown into a dungeon with her adviser and her husband, who was already battling against the effects of his new magic. Even though Marcus kept his demeanor encouraging and humorous, concealing the symptoms as best he could, it wasn't hard for Ruby to see. There would be some nights that she would wake up and find him sitting up with his hands over his face, but she was too nervous to confront him. After the burst of magic he'd had the first time, she didn't want to startle him just in case. It hurt her that she was thinking that way, in a way that almost suggested that she didn't trust him anymore, but she truly didn't want to hurt him or anyone else.

Five months ago, Ruby's daughter had been taken away from her. Before Ruby, Falte, and Marcus had been put into their own dungeon, the one that they very rarely used, Emily had been yanked away from their grip - very literally.

When The Dark Lord had appeared to do his bidding with them, Ruby and Marcus had immediately grabbed their daughter in a protective swirl of panic. Neither of them had known what to expect when they thought about The Dark Lord, and even though he looked like a simple man with long dark hair and red eyes, there was something terrifying about him. 

As the king of Darkness had grinned down at them, showing sharp fangs, a shiver of horror had spiraled down Ruby's spine. Emily, nearly crushed between her parents, had shuddered beneath their arms as she stared at The Dark Lord like she couldn't look away. 

The Dark Lord's blood red eyes had trailed over the terror-stricken group, his gaze delighted in a twisted way that had made Ruby's gut wrench. When his eyes caught on Caynen, he had burst into cackling laughter, causing Ruby to jump out of her skin.