A NEW FRIEND

When they woke up the next day, Isauro had his shirt on, and the girl wasn't on the bed anymore. They got scared.

"Isauro, what's going on?" Isabelle asked, pulling his arm.

"I don't know!" he shouted in a moment of panic.

"Hello," the girl said, and they both screamed, hugging each other.

"Ooh, are you lovers?" she asked with a smile.

"Eww, no," they said and pushed each other away.

"Who are you?" Isauro asked.

"Hi, I'm Princess Madolika," she said and curtseyed.

"Are you the girl who was on this bed?" Isabelle asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes, indeed I am. Why do you ask? Do you know why I'm here?" she asked expectantly and came closer to them, but they moved away.

"No. We were swept here by the river," Isauro said.

"How long have I been here?" she asked them.

"We don't know either. We just woke up and don't even know how long we've been here," Isauro said.

"So you're also lost? But how did you end up on that glowing bed?" Isabelle asked.

"I don't know. Last thing I remember… Father! He was in my room when I told him that I won't marry that scoundrel for the peace pact. He must've put a spell on me and sent me here. But where is this place?" Madolika asked.

"We don't know either," Isabelle said.

"Wait, did you just say he cast a spell on you? So you're a sorcerer?" Isauro asked, and Isabelle gasped.

"Actually, I'm a sorceress, but why're you scared when we protect commoners all the time? I thought people love us," she said, confused.

"Sorcerers are an abomination. They used to be loved, but not anymore. Sorcerers haven't been around for hundreds of years," Isabelle said.

"We have to leave now," Isauro said and pulled Isabelle to leave.

"Wait!" she shouted, and a force pulled the two back.

They screamed, trying to get away to no avail while Madolika stood there confused.

"Please hold on. I don't understand what's happening. Are you trying to say I've been asleep for so many years? Hundreds of years?" she asked, beginning to panic.

"Please let us go," Isabelle pleaded.

"But I won't hurt you. If I wanted to, why didn't I do it while you were asleep? I'm a princess. Also, I don't know what's going on. I'm telling the truth," she said and let them go.

She sat on the floor and began to cry.

"What's going on?" she said, crying.

"Isauro, let's leave," Isabelle whispered to Isauro.

"Oh? And where are we going to?" he asked, then went to Madolika.

"Are you okay?"

She raised her head to look at him and shook her head.

"It's going to be okay. We should leave this place first," he said and reached out for her hand.

She kept staring at it.

He took her hand with his other hand and shook it.

"Let's go then," he said, and she nodded, getting up to her feet.

Isabelle, who was scared, felt reassured after her brother smiled with a nod at her.

When they got to the entrance of the cave, Madolika ran back inside and brought three grilled dead fishes she was going to give to them earlier. Then she placed them down and stretched her hand to the broken log that had brought the siblings.

She began to say strange words, and the log became a small rowboat. She looked at them and smiled.

"Hop on," she said and sat in the rowboat.

"Where are the oars for paddling?" Isauro asked.

"Who needs a paddle when I've got magic?" she said with a knowing smile.

"You coming?" Isauro asked Isabelle with a smile.

She raised a brow because she didn't trust Madolika.

"You can trust me. I'll protect you," he said to Isabelle, who hesitantly joined them.

Madolika smiled at them and suddenly shifted to a serious expression. She went to the side of the boat and touched the water. She whispered some things into it.

Her blue eyes sparkled shortly, and after, the water began moving them.

"Where are we going?" Madolika asked.

Immediately after Isauro answered her, the rowboat changed direction and began heading out with speed.

The rowboat brought them back to the bank of the river, where they were before the disaster had struck them. The place was covered in fallen trees.

Isabelle looked at the vast river.

"What happened to the others?" she said, saddened, staring at the river.

"Do you want me to find them?" Madolika asked with a smile.

"Yes, please," Isabelle said.

Madolika knelt to the ground and touched the water at the riverbank. She closed her eyes and remained silent, as if she was listening for something.

"How many are they?" she asked with her eyes still closed.

"Eight," Isabelle said hurriedly.

"That's too many. They're too far," she said, sharply turning her head in different directions.

She intoned and got up.

"It will take a while for some of them to arrive. I couldn't find five of them, I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Isauro said to her.

Isabelle was still sad because she realized her friends were probably dead.

Isauro went and hugged her. She broke down crying.

Isauro knew how much she loved them. She loved them as she did her brother. To her, they were her brothers because they understood and accepted her when other children ridiculed her for wanting to play with boys.

They were practically her family, and she had grown to be emotionally attached to them.

Seeing this, Madolika was saddened and went back to the river.

She stepped into it and began intoning as it calmed down. She went deep into the river, almost submerged, and was still intoning.

She stretched her arms.

Blue sparks appeared on her fingertips and ignited into blue flames.

Dark clouds gathered around the place, bringing with them heavy winds, blowing from the east to the west.

Madolika suddenly fainted, falling into the river.

Isauro ran and jumped into the raging river in search of her, and the river suddenly calmed after a while.

Isauro came out of the river with Madolika in his arms.

He laid her on the ground, and Isabelle came to their aid.

While Madolika was coughing out water, Isabelle noticed the bodies of her friends beginning to appear.

She covered her mouth and brought out the bodies from the river with the help of Isauro and Madolika.

"You can't bring them back from the dead?" Isabelle asked Madolika.

"No, but don't be sad," Madolika said to Isabelle and cast a spell.

Suddenly, flowers began to fall.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Madolika asked.

"It is," Isabelle sobbed, wiping her tears.

"Can you help me bury them?" Isauro asked, and Madolika rose.

"Why won't we take them back?" Isabelle asked.

"It'll draw a lot of suspicion, especially since their bodies will be found. It's better if they're not found, or else it will be difficult to explain. They will be buried anyway," Isauro explained to her.

"Are you burying them in the earth or seeing them off on water?" Madolika asked innocently.

"Since they died in water, their ashes should stay with their souls," Isabelle said.

Madolika, using sorcery, carved canoes out of the fallen trees for each of the boys, and their bodies fell into the canoes gently.

Isabelle and Isauro took flowers from the ground and put them on each of the boys, then pushed out the canoes into the river.

Madolika set the canoes on fire one after the other and watched the siblings bid goodbye with a smile on her face.

She felt happy because she was able to make them happy.

She was a princess and believed her duty was to make people's lives better.

When they got back home just before sunset, they saw their mother, seated at the doorstep, her head leaning against the door while she slept. Isabelle went and hugged her mother. Kakra was more than overjoyed to see her children. She hugged them tightly and didn't let go until she laid eyes on Madolika, who had a smile on her face.

"Hello dear, how are you?" she asked Madolika.

"I'm doing great, miss," she said and curtseyed.

"Come in," Kakra said and led them inside.

Isabelle and Isauro went to assist their mother in preparing dinner when Madolika came to join them.

"How can I help?" she asked humbly, but Kakra just told her to take a seat and wait for her meal. She immediately did so and sat back down.

Kakra noticed how differently and fancily Madolika had dressed and was curious to know who she was, but she didn't want to stress them out since they were hurt. Madolika had very polished manners. She always sat with her back straight and had a smile on her face constantly. She held her spoon in a very delicate way and slurped the soup quietly, without a sound. Kakra thought she must've been from a wealthy family.

Madolika thanked the family for the meal and asked them whether she could stay the night at their house. They felt embarrassed and welcomed her gladly. Madolika was sent to a small room with a bed smaller than what she was used to, but she was just grateful she had a bed to lay her head on.

Isabelle shared a room with her mother that night. When she fell on the bed, Madolika felt like doing something to repay the family's hospitality and conjured a shower of glowing petals all around the house.

Kakra saw the flowers just as she was about to sleep but was mentally stressed to even realize what was going on. All she knew was that it was beautiful.

"Wow," she said softly, drawing Isabelle's attention.

Isabelle panicked, seeing the petals, and quickly went to shut the windows.

"It's cold, Ma," she said and hugged her mother to sleep.

After her mother had fallen asleep, she snuck out and went to Isauro's room. Isauro's head was out the window as he played with the petals.

"Isauro," she whispered and told him about their mother seeing the petals.

They went to Madolika's room. They knocked, and the door flung open.

"Welcome. Did you like the petals?" she asked with a smile, expecting to hear their gratitude.

"No! What were you thinking? Do you want to get killed? Magic and sorcery, that stuff is not allowed here," Isabelle whispered angrily.

"Calm down, Belle," Isauro told his sister with a hand on her shoulder. "Um… she was just saying that you shouldn't use your powers, like never, especially in the presence of others since it's forbidden," he said calmly.

"I understand, forgive me," Madolika said and bowed to apologize, feeling bad about what she had done.

"You didn't do anything bad. It was just a mistake, don't feel bad. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so rude," Isabelle said remorsefully, and Madolika's face lit up with her usual beautiful smile.

"What's your name again? I forgot," Isabelle said to Madolika.

"I'm Madolika, but you can call me Adolika. That's what everyone called me," she said, and Isauro dragged Isabelle out to leave Madolika to rest