The Best Bride

3. WITCH

A loud, collective gasp escaped though the onlookers. I clamped one hand to my mouth while Twitter's grip tightened around the other. I felt the wind blowing through the gap suddenly chilling on my skin. Like every onlooker my eyes were fixed on the spot where a moment ago Rivera had stood resting a hand upon Prince Felix's shoulder.  

I shifted my gaze upon King Mackaral. He looked stiff as cardboard. A Few seconds later his eyes started blinking, and his wings unfurled to their full extent nearly swatting the Citizens behind him. 

"I'm sorry, I've to end the party now!" he announced gravely.  

"No," said Twitter in a voice that I could only hear. "We still haven't eaten anything and I'm hungry." 

I hushed him again.  

"But ladies... you can still drop your name in the box before leaving," went on the king. "Thank you all for coming." He stormed out through the broken door like he was after somebody.  

The occupants inside the hall started stirring. I caught few boys my age or above looking satisfied with the disappearance of the prince. Root was one of them. Our eyes met without planning and he winked at me, wearing a pleased smile. I looked away quickly before I could force myself to smile back. Now the prince was gone, probably those boys were thinking their girls would run back to them, crying.  

"Worst party ever," said Twitter. "Hey, look, you got cut in the arm." 

I examined my right arm. The cut was small, but blood was squeezing out of it. The sight of the thick red liquid had never kept me calm. I felt woozy and held on Twitter's shoulder, wishing he had not pointed this cut out.  

"Stay unfocused," said Twitter. 'I'm going to get you help -" 

He didn't have to go anywhere as the pixie dropped to the floor with a medical kit right before us then. 

The medical kit was two times larger than the pixie, I believed for a moment its weight must have dragged the pixie down. But it hadn't. I saw more pixies with medical kits easily flying to our direction; I don't know when they had ditched their musical instruments and gone to take the medical kits. 

I half-twisted my neck to look around and discovered I was not the only one with a cut. Others had more serious ones than mine. The fairy-girl next to me was bleeding from her left shoulder blade, blood staining her frilly dress... 

Twitter held my hand out like in giving position, and the pixie started working on my wound. I closed my eyes concentrating on the memory of Rivera and Prince Felix dissolving in the air. It helped sooth the sick feeling. 

"It's done," I heard Twitter say after a moment or two. "You can open your eyes now."  

I did as I was told, and saw the white bandage neatly wrapped around my right arm.  

"Thank you," I said to the pixie.  

If the pixie could only speak, it would have said welcome. But the creature couldn't. So it just bowed to me, flew to the floor where the medical kit lay open, shut it and carried it away.  

"Let's get out of here." 

As we crossed the hall to the main door, we discerned the odd sight of Queen Vanilla dozing off sitting on a high chair. Her head was rested on top of the chair back, mouth slightly hanging open, nose up in the air and she was snoring. Two guards stood on either side of her, their backs straight and eyes alert.  

"That's disgusting," said Twitter. "Her son just got kidnapped, and she's sleeping like she doesn't care. Did she even know of the disappearance of Prince Felix?"