Curious Case of Blake Belladonna
Chapter 4
Blake races toward the Red Prince's castle following the Curious Cat. While running she couldn't help but note the inconsistencies of the Ever After and the story she was told to her in her youth. Jinxy looked much older and the red prince, she didn't remember a prince but a queen. If this place truly was the world that Alyx fell into then what happened to it, why was everything different from what she was told? but that didn't matter now, what mattered was the safety of her friends. She didn't have time to be filled with wonderment and enthusiasm. Right now she needed to focus on the task at hand.
Blake followed the cat as they cut through obstacles such as bushes and rocks, taking the shortest route possible.
"How much further" She asked the Cat
The Cat leaped on a rock to look around their surroundings "Not far now, we thought this pass and we should be there!"
Blake then slowed down and thought to herself "Wait, what would Ruby do?"
She thought about the situation at hand. "Would she go through the front… no she would try to sneak in"
The Cat gave Blake a curious look. Blake then nodded to herself and looked at the cat
"Sorry but… do you know a way to get in without anyone noticing us, like a secret passage?"
The Cat smiled. "But of course, one of my favorite pastimes is to tease the prince now follow me!"
Blake smiled and nodded as she continued to follow the cat.
The two finally reached their destination and walked along the side of the castle.
"It's pretty quiet here," Blake asked noticing the lack of guards patrolling the area
"That's because they're enjoying the Prince's birthday party, which is an order the knights must follow. Which is good for us as we don't have to worry about being discovered" the Cat said with a mischievous smile
Blake smiled back "That's true"
The two continued walking along the castle wall until the cat pointed to a brick
"Here is a secret passage, we may have to use it again and stay close… it can be a bit confusing" and with the press of a brick and pull of another, a part of the wall opened up like a door. The Cat then entered and Blake once again followed, staying close as instructed. What Blake experienced was quite bizarre to her. The path to the Main hall was indeed confusing, with stairs and floors that defied physics and the laws of gravity. One moment she was right side up, next she was upside down or sideways. Despite this, she never felt disoriented once. After a while, the Cat led her to a door. Once through the door things seemed normal, she then heard voices. She then took in her surroundings and noticed that it was the balcony. She looked over the railing and saw a strange little boy wearing a crown and a red suit sitting in front of the table, at the other end was Ruby. Blake's heart skipped at seeing her team leader and friend
"Why doesn't 'friend' feel right?" she thought to herself. As she continued to look down she noticed that neither Weiss nor Yang were there. "Wait where are Weiss and Yang, they should be there with her" As continued to look she finally saw the two, They were small, about the size of action figures on a chess board "Oh gods, there's no way that's them" She was in disbelief but seeing how where they are she figured it was normal, no matter how much she hated to accept.
The scene continued to play out. The prince would move his pieces forward only to be destroyed by Yang and Weiss with Ruby's direction. This causes Blake to smile but quickly falter when she notices Ruby's expression. She wasn't smiling in confidence.
"Ruby…" Blake said under her breath.
Her thoughts were then interrupted when the red prince began to throw a tantrum.
"THIS ISN'T FAIR THIS ISN'T FAIR YOU 'RE SUPPOSED TO LOSE! THAT'S IT"
Suddenly to Blake's horror, a weird wind swept around Ruby who then began to shrink.
"Let's see you try to win this game now" The Prince smiled with an obnoxious laugh
Blake clenched her fist, anger, and concern for her teammates brewed within her she needed to do something but there were too many of those prominent toy soldiers around, she needed a plan and fast.
"I can guess what you're thinking"
Blake looked at the Cat with a raised eyebrow
"Do you have a plan?" she asked. The cat nodded
"I do but you are going to have to trust me"
Blake stared hard at the Cat before nodding
…I do, know what's the Plan?"
Weiss and Yang put Ruby between them as the living chess pieces began to surround them. There were way too many for them to take on. Before the Prince could give an order a large crash erupted blowing away several soldiers. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and even the Prince were shocked at the sight.
Ruby looked with wide eyes and disbelief. From the dust emerged the missing teammate but her eyes were different colors, on her cheek were blue and purple diamonds, and her arms were blue and purple as well as larger.
Ruby can only say one utter one thing, one name
"Blake…."