What happens next in the story?
If I remember correctly, Princess Cordelia usually first shows off her powerful strength, everyone will then listen to her out of awe or shock or fear. That has already happened. Cordelia will then start to ‘persuade’ people to listen to her and people will usually listen as she is the heroine. All those people will usually become her followers and deeply respect her. But I recall there is one exception, which is now, the case of the eloped couple.
Maybe because the author of the novel wanted to create a sense of ‘reality’ and ‘thrill’, she planned out the scene such that Princess Cordelia faces some sort of ‘failure’ before she succeeds. And here Princess Cordelia faces her one and only failure.
In this scene, the angry villagers refuse to listen to Cordelia’s persuasion and decide to punish the eloped couple. Cordelia in the hope of saving the couple, beside showing her inhuman strength, even attempts magic. Her magic… fails as she is a princess who is not good at magic. As a result, the angry villagers who are already suspecting her are totally convinced that Cordelia is a witch. They tie her up, together with her innocent maid, and plan to burn the two witches the next day. Of course Princess Cordelia escaped in the end. But the eloped couple, on the other hand, faces quite a tragic ending. Cordelia is so angry that she retaliates to avenge them.
If my memory is correct, Cordelia plans to use a distraction spell. So when the angry villagers are distracted, Cordelia will help the elope couple escapes.
What if I help Cordelia instead? I can do a distraction spell. Can I change the plot? Can I change the fate of the couple?
They’re still in a heated debate. Cordelia is looking more and more annoyed. Her fingers are twitching impatiently. It seems like she is considering doing magic.
I have to stop her from doing magic. I project my thoughts to her mind. “Princess, let me do a distraction spell. When the villagers are distracted, we’ll escape with the couple.”
Princess Cordelia’s voice appears in my mind immediately. “Exactly what I thought. You do that.”
I continue projecting thoughts in her mind. “Give me some time to prepare.”
I take out the distraction spell from my bag. The bag is the one Lord Valentine gave me. Luckily, I have spells written in advance. I start chanting. Power and magic is drawn from me. The boisterous inn suddenly becomes silent, every single angry villagers are gazing at thin air with dazed eyes.
“Prin…Lady, it won’t last long. There are too many people. At most 15 minutes!”
“It’s enough.” Princess Cordelia nods confidently. “Come on, Anita and Edward.”
“Where are we going?” Anita asks uncertainly while holding onto her lover.
“The stables! Isn’t horse the fastest way of transport you human get? You can ride, right?” Cordelia rises her eyebrows.
“I can,” Edward says.
“Good. Time is waiting for no one.” She walks swiftly to the stable. I follow her.
Cordelia quickly chooses three horses.
“Princess,” I whisper. “I don’t know how to ride.”
Cordelia has a really good plan, but I don’t know how to ride! As a normal university girl living in a city, I didn’t have chances to learn riding. As a nymph living under the sea, I was too busy studying magic to give riding pegasus a thought.
“What?” Cordelia exclaims. “I don’t care, we are getting out of here riding these horses. You think of a way to get yourself onto the horse and keep up with me.”
What? Let me think. Have I ever learned a spell that made me able to ride on horses? No of course not!
“Anyway, cast a spell that masks our track. What? Don’t look at me like that! It’s not my fault you don’t know how to ride a horse! It’s easy. Just get on it, hold the rein and don’t fall down.”
I think I am starting to develop a headache.
“Princess, I will give you the written spell, I think you can activate the spell on your own. I will… take care of the rest.”
“You do that.” She holds out her hand to wait for my written spell.
I sigh. I hope I have enough energy to hold the spells and keep myself on the horse. Maybe I should consider gluing myself onto the saddle.
“Ready?” Princess Cordelia asks while getting onto the horse. Without waiting for a reply, she shoots out of the stable like a lightning bolt.
The couple quickly follows, apparently knowing this is their only way out. That just leaves me. The villagers will wake up in five minutes. I need to get going or I will lose Cordelia. Taking a deep breath, I mimic what Cordelia did just now and the horse takes off.
I am hanging onto the horse as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does.
At least it seems like I am able to change the plot. I hope I did.
