Back in the present, Valerie was still sitting at the dimly lit family table, the soup in front of her now cold and congealed.

“Valerie.” June looked at her earnestly. Her face was tired and dusty, but there was gentleness in her expression. Sympathy, maybe, or pity. “I get that you just want to run away. I get that you are afraid. But the people are still suffering, and we need to get rid of the plague.”

Valerie straightened in her chair: “I was not fleeing. I was trying to reach another kingdom to get help!”

March cut in. “Help? You mean serving us on a silver platter! They’ll kill us the moment they know we are defenseless.” He buried his face in his hands, groaning. “And thanks to you yelling that Eli is gone, they are probably readying their troops while we sit here talking.”

Valerie felt the blood rush into her cheeks. Heat flooded up her neck. She heard the voice of her older sister Iris again, scolding her for being stupid.

She murmured timidly, like a little girl, “There is no other way left…”

June leaned over the table. “No. There is still hope.”

Valerie looked up, surprised. June continued:

“With mine and April's forest magic, and your bloodline magic together, we might call Eli. It has to be enough. We have to try!”

Valerie raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know much about magic; that had always been her older sister's domain. But she heard the voice of her tutor in her head: the purple bloodline ruled the kingdom because bloodline magic is god-given, the only magic pure enough to contact a patron. All other so-called magic is dirty child's play.

Agreeing to June's plan could buy her some time though. It wasn't the worst idea, and it meant the family still needed her. March would probably kill her the moment she became useless.

“We can try. But I need to get spell books and magic equipment from my sis- my library and workshop.”

June's face lit up. “Great! Where is that? The castle?”

“Yes…” Even more doubts formed in Valerie's mind.

“But getting in will be difficult. The people are very angry at me. If they see me, they’ll probably burn me at the stake.” Valerie tapped her bloodline mark.

“It's very easy to recognize me.”

June smiled. “Don't worry. I have the perfect solution.” She stood up and came back with a leather bird mask in her hands. Its hollow eyes made Valerie recoil. She only knew these masks from drawings in her school books, describing plagues from centuries past.

“You can just put on my doctor's mask. Nobody would bat an eye.”

Valerie took the mask and tried it on. She could barely see, and the strong smell of herbs and flowers was overwhelming.

“It’ll work,” she said, muffled through the mask's beak.

“Good,” June said. “You, April, and I can travel to the castle tomorrow. March, will you look after Jules and Mother?”

“I’m not letting you go alone with her!” March thundered.

“We’ve been weakening her with anti-magic pills for two days. April and I are stronger than her. You can't leave Jules alone here with Ma; he's sick!” June's voice was fast and pleading.

“I will be fine…” Jules said in a weak voice. His eyes were sunken, and his hands were covered in black abscesses. To Valerie, he seemed on death's door.

March growled, glaring at Valerie “Alright. I will stay. But get April; you're going to the castle tonight. We cannot wait any longer.”

---

They walked all night. Valerie's feet and legs hurt terribly; her dainty riding shoes were not made for bumpy paths. Breathing through the mask was difficult. The leather became damp with her sweat. But still she was strangely elated. After her sister's death, she had been so lonely. Talking to June and experiencing the first kindness since then made her feel hope again, a feeling she had nearly forgotten.

April, on the other hand, was still angry and did not try to hide it. Her swollen, red eyes shot daggers at Valerie at every chance. Even through the tiny eye slits in the mask, Valerie could see April would gladly tear her to shreds at the slightest misstep.

In the morning hours, they reached the town. The darkness had been a welcome shield. Now, the light of dawn poured over the city, wrapping the destruction in a golden veil. The streets were empty; only a few kids scavenged the ruins. Where bustling workshops and stores once stood was now ruin and ashes. Valerie kept her gaze fixed on the stone road, careful not to look at the homes she ordered to be burned.

Then she felt someone grab her arm. Panicked, she turned around. A frail woman clung to her, screaming, “A doctor! Please, my children!”

She would not let go, her nails digging deep and tearing Valerie's robe. The seams screeched. Valerie tried to pull free, but the woman was strong and very desperate. June tried to loosen her grip, but the woman wouldn’t budge.

“April, help me!” June yelled.

April shoved the woman, and finally, she had to let go. She fell into the dirty ashes of the street, sobbing. The screams and sobs echoed in Valerie's head for hours afterward, when they finally saw the castle come into view.

“Who's that?” April asked.

Valerie squinted, trying to make out what she meant.

Before the front doors, a lone figure stood.

A shudder ran down Valerie's back. What if robbers were already looting the castle? Destroying the library? Her bedroom? Her sister's book nook? She couldn’t help but run up to the castle's entrance, nearly stumbling over the doctor's robes.

“Stop! In the name of the royal guard, I cannot let you enter the castle. I won't let anyone unauthorized in until Princess Valerie returns!”

Valerie could not believe her ears. After all that had happened, the lies, the fire, the destruction, someone was still loyal to her and her family.

The guard was disheveled and exhausted, but he held his position. Tears swelled in Valerie's eyes. She took off her mask.

The guard rubbed his eyes. “Princess Valerie… You came back!”

Valerie wanted to hug the guard, a human from her past life, a life that seemed so far away now. Instead, she said, “Thank you for guarding the castle. Once order is restored, I will pay you back one hundred times.”

She gestured for June and April to come.

It was time to save the kingdom.