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mikropovídky prince, otherwise known as Gabriel, unknowingly hit the nail on the head. When Raven ' s mother died, she felt responsible for not being able to do enough to help her. Now she had complete control over her magic, and two paths to choose from. Her train of thought was interrupted by Gabriel ´ s soft-spoken voice.
“ If you save my mother, you ´ ll be rewarded and nothing will happen to you. I give you my word for that.”) Raven remained quiet. After a moment, she said calmly:“ Alright then; I will help you. But remember: if you or anybody else even tries to hurt me, I will show no mercy.“
Prince Gabriel looked relieved. The witch suggested travelling on her broom, but Gabriel glanced at it skeptically. In the end, Gabriel hopped down off his horse, and they both made their way to the castle on foot.
After three days of travel, they reached the majestic home of the royal family- the Blue Castle. Nothing about the castle was magical, it was cold and distant and Raven felt like an uninvited guest. The only reassurance she got was from Gabriel, who smiled at her as they entered the castle; she ' s grown quite fond of him over their journey. He wasn ' t the arrogant and careless prince he seemed to be at first.
Gabriel walked Raven straight into his mother ´ s chamber. The queen was lying on her bed, asleep. She looked visibly sick, her forehead sweaty and face unnaturally skinny.
Gabriel closed the door behind them.“ The king doesn ´ t know about your presence. If he did, he would try to kill you, so please be quiet. I will guard the door.”, he whispered.
“ I surely will keep quiet, little prince”, Raven said in a joking manner. Then she sat beside the queen ' s bed, sizing her up. When she began to cast a healing spell, her magic poured through her hands- it looked like a golden sunray, floating like a river stream.
Gabriel looked at her hands in amazement; for a moment, his observant eyes left the door. This moment was long enough for his father to storm inside. The king noticed the scene happening before him in what seemed like seconds.“ What is happening here- Gabriel!?” he barked out. He quickly drew the sword out of its scabbard.“ Guards! Guards! Get rid of this sorceress immediately!”
“ No father, you can ' t do this! She is healing your wife and my mother!”, Gabriel yelled back. "
“ You know damn well that I ' ve killed every single one of her kind in this kingdom- these sorcerers are evil and impure! Get your dirty hands away from the queen, witch!”
But Raven kept her hands still and didn ' t move an inch.
“ Do as I say and I will kill you in front of a crowd, at least; do a little show if you will. Otherwise, I will arrest you now and throw you to the dogs afterward!”, the king flared up, his face red with anger.
Gabriel whipped out his sword and stood against the king.“ Raise your hand against her and I will show you no mercy!”
Raven ´ s head shot up, a surprised stare on her face, as she recognized her own words.
The king wasn ' t a fair man. He used the few seconds of Gabriel ´ s inattention for a well-aimed lunge. Gabriel cried out in pain, as the side of his torso began to bleed.
Raven ´ s heart ached when she heard that sound full of pain. She turned her hands off the queen and stood up.
Her voice was strong and firm.“ I ´ m a witch,” she said with a haunting smile,“ and you do not want to mess with a witch.”
As she was preparing her hands to cast a spell, the king was nearing her quickly. He ran towards her, trying to pierce her with his sword. Gabriel, lying on the floor, kicked his father ' s legs. As a result, the king tripped and fell face-first on the floor. His sword managed to rewind in such a special way, that its sharp blade ran through the king ´ s stone-cold heart.
Everything went quiet for a moment. The old king was dead; but the new one was on the floor as well, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Gabriel was very disappointed in his father. He never really understood the old king ´ s hatred of magic, but his love for Raven showed him, that people with magical abilities are different than most but just as valid and important. It ' s the close-minded people with hearts cold as ice who are the problem.