Riveildian tales

A Stitch in Time III

 "What do you mean she's you?" Amice couldn't help but giggle at how high Oliver's voice had gotten. Neither he nor Thomas had been able to utter a complete statement since they watched the sole heir to the Riveildian throne; princess Eleanor herself walked through the doors of the labs they sat in.

"P-princess Eleanor!" Professor Hamphyll gasped at the sight of her also. Both Amice and Eleanor raised a brow,

"I thought you knew."
"I thought you knew." they voiced in unison. Professor Hamphyll scratched his beard in an attempt to hide his wry smile,

"I knew you lived as two people, but I didn't realize that your second self was her royal highness herself." Thomas raised his hand in objection and spoke without bothering waiting for acknowledgement,

"I'm sorry, I'm still very confused here. What exactly is going on."

"Yeah," Oliver added with a bit of strain in his voice, "Since when did you know her." he said to Amice while jerking his chin towards Eleanor.

"Okay," Eleanor said letting out a silent breath, "As you all know, I am Princess Eleanor of the royal household. However, a few years ago, I discovered myself in the body of another person, a person you all know as Amice." Amice gave a short wave, "Since then, I live everyday twice. Once as Amice your friend, and the other as myself in the castle." Oliver's eyes darted from Eleanor to Amice, and then back to Eleanor.

"So what you're saying is..." he began while shaking his head, "You're actually a princess." Amice gave a half shrug.

"It's not half as fun as you'd think. A good part of my time is spent on learning proper etiquettes. And the right way to address people." Amice said with a sarcastic tone. "I'm never even let out of the castle," At that moment, she turned to face Eleanor with a raised brow, "How did you escape the castle​​?"

"There's no time for that now." Eleanor held the amplification gem close to her chest as she approached Professor Hamphyll. "I believe this is what you need." Professor Hamphyll received the gem,

"Yes, thank you." he said as he put the gem away in his robes. "What we need to do now is to create a suitable condition where we can activate the spell. You four will follow me back to the Riveildian institute... at least where it once was."

"I don't think that's possible any more." Amice said peering through one of the laboratory windows. Professor Hamphyll flung the curtains of the windows open, revealing a sea of darkness down below where and entire neighbourhood once was. As it did in the forest, the darkness spread in form of long spindling hands reach for all that was and turning it into nothing. The townsfolk that once lived there ran from the darkness in droves, their screams of terror only rivalled by the crying winds.

Professor Hamphyll rushed to his desk and retrieved a leather bag. "We need to get out of here." he placed the apparatus that contained the kun plant in the bag and made for the door. As soon as he grabbed hold of the knob, he felt a low tremor below his feet. The walls began to quake and soon enough vibration sent every instrument and apparatus in the laboratory clattering to the ground.

"What's happening?" Yelled Oliver. None of them could barely remain steady on their feet, and his voice was barely cared through the sounds of the rumbling tower. Professor Hamphyll flung the door open and yelled.

"The tower is being consumed by the darkness with us in it, we need to exit it now." The four children ran as Professor Hamphyll told without a moments wait. As they clambered down the spiral of stairs, they could see the bricks of the tower wall being torn from it by the hands of darkness that surrounded the tower. They feared it would only be a matter of time before just enough of the tower was taken out of it to send it crashing down to rubble with them in it. "Over there!" Exclaimed Professor Hamphyll as he stared at a door-shaped hole in the wall a few ways ahead. But just when the entire group had reached the exit of the tower, the darkness claimed a huge clod of the wall above it, sending a barrage of bricks falling towards the three who hadn't yet left the tower.