"All the lies people tell just to cover up the truth that reveals itself, in the end."
Year after year ever since Matilda got her position as Queen of Albagard, Ivy had been hearing the same thing about the woman over and over. The girl was certain every other individual was filled with the same story about their queen. The woman was well-known not just for her position, but, for her strength, as well. She was seen as the most powerful being because she possessed the Golden Amulet.
Centuries ago, the Golden Amulet was an item that was rumoured to exist — a necklace that would supposedly bring the world eternal peace with its tremendous powers. But, that was all it was during then. Just a rumour with not a single proof to defend the idea, therefore, not that many people believed its existence.
According to tales Ivy had read, the Amulet would, in time, be handed to the one person who could bring not just Kingdom of Albagard, but, the entirety of Asia, to greatness.
When young Matilda Azura came out with news that the Golden Amulet was in her hands, several celebrations were held. At such a young age, the girl was already next in line for queen.
The most astonishing part of all this, Ivy believed, was how more than hundreds of Holders repeatedly referred to the woman each time something marvelous occurred in their life. They finally received their dream job? It was all thanks to the great Matilda. They successfully gave birth to a beautiful baby? All the gratitude went to the oh-so wondrous woman. They married someone they cherished and loved? Once again, Matilda. In time, the queen became a god — someone to pray to whenever in need.
"You really did seize the queen's Amulet, didn't you?" Mr. Burton carried on in his indicting tone. "First of all, it looks exactly like hers. Second of all, it gives off the same powers. Nobody but the queen can absorb or replicate another Holder's abilities. It's what makes her Amulet incredibly special and significant — she's in possession of powers no other Amulet can perform. Ivy, what have you done?"
The man wasn't lying about one thing. Although all pendants came in different shapes and colours, there was quite a lot that gave off the same abilities. The Golden Amulet was the only one different and unique from the rest.
"How is it that a Powerless girl who hasn't been seen in three years came back with a replica of Queen Matilda's Amulet?" The educator refused to believe what he'd just witnessed, his heart boiling with rage as though Ivy had physically attacked him. "She may have claimed her Amulet wasn't taken, but you could have easily replaced hers with the actual fake replica. Now, poor Queen Matilda thinks she's got the real one, when in fact, she doesn't."
"Easily replaced her Amulet?" Now, it was Ivy's turn to mock her teacher out loud. "You do understand the Royals have guards all over the palace, correct? How could someone like me have easily snuck inside, stolen the queen's Amulet and replaced it with a fake replica?"
"And remember what part of the rumour about the Golden Amulet was?" another student said, drawing every eye to herself. "Aside from the one who possesses it, not a single being can replicate the Amulet. How could Ivy have done such a thing? You must ask yourself that."
"It awfully sounds a lot like you're on her side, Clover," Athena grimaced. "Think before you speak. It's better to be silent than brave."
"And who's to say I'm not on her side?" Clover bit back, earning a series of gasps from the class. Yet, before any other person could speak, the door suddenly burst open.
Every eye turned to the door, in an instant, watching as the woman they'd just been talking about strolled inside the room.
Had she been standing outside of the classroom this entire time? The question caused Ivy to chortle under her breath. Certainly, as a busy woman, waiting must have been difficult.
The queen was paranoid, no doubt, her mind crammed with several theories. The woman had made this fact crystal clear to every being in the classroom, and that was exactly what Ivy loved to see. Too horrified with what this situation could mean for her, Queen Matilda had forgotten to mask her expression.
She must have overheard everything from the other side of the door, because as soon as she'd dashed inside the classroom with teeth grinding in fury at the horrid thought of an eighteen-year-old girl being the very reason her entire life tumbled downhill, the woman's glowering eyes stared daggers at Ivy, who sat without a word. "Where did you get it?"
Everyone was certain Ivy was going to receive her brutal punishments. Despite that, she still chose to play stupid. "Where did I get what?"
Queen Matilda's hands fisted, long heels clicking against the floor as she approached the girl. "Not a single soul has heard from you in years, Ivy Pearls. I know your parents. They were so deeply concerned about you just leaving the kingdom like that. You were too cruel."
Concerned? "Again with the false stories?" Ivy sighed. Did they think she was a fool?
"We searched for you everywhere, but failed to locate your whereabouts," the woman carried on before her eyes turned to the rest of the students. "You can even ask anyone here. They'll tell you the same thing. Please, answer me this. How did you survive the wild, and why come back? What's your objective, Ivy?"
Ivy shook her head, a small smile dancing on her lips. Watching the woman pretend not to be so frantic may have just become her favourite sight to see. "That's not what your first question was. You wanted to know where I got my Amulet from, did you not?" she reminded. "Are you hoping I'll tell everyone I stole from you?"
Queen Matilda scoffed. "I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you didn't, but I can see now that I was quite foolish to show mercy to such an unkind Powerless like you."
The woman came to a stop in front of the girl and rested her palms on the desk. "Yes, I do want to know where you got the Golden Amulet from." Her voice was small and gentle now, a minor smile appearing on her glowing face. "I want to know how and when you snatched my precious necklace from me without getting caught until now, but, believe me, I care more about your safety, Ivy. Tell me. I can help you."
"You think I'm an idiot?" Ivy sneered.
Struggling to suppress her wrath, the queen inched closer to the girl's face. "If you keep up with this unruly act of yours, I cannot guarantee I'll help you. You understand stealing an Amulet, especially mine, is a serious crime here, and who in the world would believe you?"
With indifferent eyes, Ivy shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."
"Fine! But, remember you made this decision, so, don't come crawling back to me when you realize you made a grave mistake!" Queen Matilda took a step back, her voice raising with sudden anger. "Your mother was right, after all. Such a Powerless monster like you is unworthy of having a family — unworthy of dwelling in this kingdom. You don't deserve to have a home. You left the only people who cared and took care of you, came back years later just to steal my Amulet and dig yourself an even bigger grave. How mindless can a person be?"
If Ivy made a claim the words did not puncture her heart, that would have been a lie. Queen Matilda knew how to stomp on someone's feelings, it was considered a talent now. Adora may have been a tremendous mentor, but over the three years Ivy had been with her, the girl had only learnt to mask away her true emotions, not entirely forget about them.
Although her eyes were still as empty as ever, Queen Matilda's words brought Ivy back to her insecurities and unanswered questions. She couldn't care less about her adoptive family and what their opinions of her were, but she often wondered where her real family was and why they'd given her up. Were they just as ashamed of her as everyone else was?
"Tell me the truth, Ivy. Where did you get it?"
After what you just said to me, you think I'd be willing to? Ivy sprung up from her seat, her eyebrows carving into her own glare. If this was back then, her body would have already begun to quiver just from standing before the queen. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway, so I'll save you the details as of now. How about we discuss this matter sometime later over two nice, hot cups of tea?"
"You're quite daring, aren't you?" the woman breathed out calmly. "Ivy, the last thing I want is chaos, so fine. After the academy, I would love to speak to you privately. Three of my guards will be standing just outside the door. . .you know. . .to make sure you don't run afterwards. After the bell, they'll escort you to the palace."
She knows I'm going to put up a fight. This woman is even more of a coward than I thought.
Ivy took her seat again as she called after the woman who'd already turned to leave, "Oh, don't worry. I won't run, Queen Matilda. I'm looking quite forward to all of it, actually." And just like that, Queen Matilda sauntered out of the classroom, leaving everyone else stunned by her unanticipated behaviour.
Phase four completed.
"I-I don't understand why she can't just take her Amulet back. She's the queen and it's fairly obvious what belongs to her has been taken," Jade was quick to spit out, rising from her seat in a wink of an eye and turning to face Ivy.
"Your queen is a coward." Ivy shrugged. "She's always been a coward." Yet, on the inside, the girl also knew it was so much more than that. Queen Matilda didn't just want the Golden Amulet, she wanted answers — answers only Ivy could give her. Oh, the woman was so in for a surprise. "She's going to bury me alive, or at least, she's going to try."
"I hope she succeeds!" Mr. Burton growled. "A Powerless liar like you won't get far.
Of course, there was some truth to that.
Everyone could think of many Powerless beings who'd attempted to throw the Royals off their thrones and none of them were ever victorious. Before their executions, these people had their faces plastered in several books, all the work done by the Holders themselves just to mock them even more after their painful deaths. Other Powerless beings, however, would often sneak in these books to read and remember the bravery some of their people had.
If Ivy was a Holder saying all these things, her classmates being on her side would not have sounded unbelievable. In fact, a lot of them would have crowded around her, bombarding her with a multitude of questions about where she'd gotten the Amulet and why Queen Matilda would manipulate them for so long.
Rather than immediately speculating she was a liar, they would have thought about the possibility of their treasured queen having deceived them all these years.
But, of course, not a single Holder would ever do such a thing that would have them loathed by hundreds. Some of them were tremendous poltroons, while the rest — which was a great number of people — were just simply too obsessed with the Royals to believe they were being exploited. Athena included.
"In fact," Athena proceeded from where Jade left off, unwilling to sit around and do nothing else but wait for results. "Ivy has a history of snatching other Holders' Amulets. You may not want to believe this, Clover, but she did the same exact thing to me years ag—"
"But you fabricated the entire story, Athena."
The impetuous girl was cut off by a voice belonging to the same boy Ivy had used as a target for her presentation. Ivy turned to her left, coming across the male leaning against his seat with eyebrows raised and arms crossed.
Athena scowled at him, unappreciative of the fact she'd gotten interrupted. "You're wrong."
"No, I don't think I am," the same boy urged. "You claimed your Amulet was taken, but it was found, later on, hidden inside your own house. You framed her, didn't you, Athena? You were part of the reason Ivy was driven over the edge, causing her to leave the kingdom."
During the time she'd been plotting out her ploy, Holders defending her was not something Ivy had foreseen. No, this couldn't be. If she was now rumoured to be a Powerless thief who'd gone against the great Queen of Albagard, nobody would dare be on her side. Who in the world was this boy next to her and Clover?
Were their words just tricks to bring her down? Holders were very cunning, after all.
Glancing at the boy again, she could tell she'd never seen him before. Ivy had only chosen to remember the faces of those who'd directly mistreated her, and this boy was definitely not one of them. Neither was Clover.
"Oh, yes, of course. I heard about that story," another student piped in. "Athena's the daughter of the king's best friend. Of course, everyone went crazy when her Amulet was reported missing, but after a while of searching, one of the guards found it hidden in her room."
"And because she's so well-known, people chose to dismiss everything as an accident," said Clover. "But let's not forget how the Amulet was found only after Ivy had already left."
What in the world do they think they're doing? Ivy clenched onto the fabric of her clothing. You must be strong, Ivy Pearls. They're only saying this to manipulate you. They're despicable Holders. That's all they'll ever be — despicable.
You need to focus on your main goal!
"What are any of you getting at?" Athena cried out, throwing her arms in the air out of frustration. "This is not the point. All of what you're saying doesn't explain the necklace Ivy has now. Don't make this about me and what happened three years ago. This conversation should be about how Ivy is a heinous thief and needs to be punished straight away."
But, you're the one who brought it up.
Ivy glanced at the clock before her eyes slowly shifted over to the man sitting at his desk, wordless. Expected to put a stop to the argument, yet, too baffled by the recent conversation he'd witnessed between Queen Matilda and Ivy, the man was in a daze. Why had Ivy been let off so easily? Well, she wasn't really, but Mr. Burton had anticipated watching the girl get dragged out of the academy.
Ivy cleared her throat to catch the man's attention. "Mr. Burton, I suppose we can leave now. Thirty minutes passed a while ago."
Outside of the classroom, they could hear other students who'd already begun their tour around the academy. The educator gradually lifted his head, blankly staring back at the girl. Finally, he heaved a sigh as he raised a hand, motioning for the students to leave.
"Hmph! The rest of us didn't even get to present our powers," Poppy scowled. "If only the bickering hadn't been furthered."
"It's not just bickering, Poppy!" Jade insisted back at the girl. "As Athena said before, this is the queen's Amulet we're trying to save from a wretched girl's claws. This Amulet is the key to bettering this continent."
"No." Ivy shook her head. "Holders changing their malicious ways is the key to bettering this continent. All you Holders know how to do is party and rely on your Amulet all the time."
"And all you Powerless beings know how to do is pin the blame for your sufferings on us!" Dillon shot back. "We didn't ask you to be born powerless. You just weren't gifted enough to receive your own Amulet. Deal with it."
"All of you are giving me a massive headache," Poppy grunted, placing the strap of her pink purse over her shoulder as she neared the door.
"It's alright, Poppy. It's not like your one power was worth presenting to the class, anyway," Athena mocked. "It's stupid. We've all seen it."
So, this was really happening? Ivy still couldn't believe it. Holders had gotten so low that they would attack their own kind.
The rest of their time was meant to be spent wandering about the academy, and Ivy would have done just that if not for the unfinished business she had to tend to. The queen was all she had in mind now, therefore, as soon as they were free to leave, Ivy evacuated the academy altogether with one guard leading and two others walking behind her. Ivy didn't believe the guards were necessary, but she understood the woman's doubts. She would have come, regardless. In fact, for her plan to run smoothly, being at that palace was a must. It was the only way she could bring all three Royals out in public for a more appealing outcome.
Once outside the academy, Ivy was led to a carriage. Seeing the four horses tied to their ride caused her to halt, in an instant before whirling around to face the guards behind her.
"I need to get my horse."
Taking note of the frowns that were quick to appear on their faces, Ivy exhaled. "My horse, Snow, was my ride to the academy. I need to make sure she's okay. She means a lot to me."
One of the guards, a wrinkled round-faced middle-aged man, chortled. "Coward," he uttered. "You dare challenge the queen herself, and now, you won't even see it through. Why are you making excuses now?"
"This isn't a trick!" Ivy shot back, immediately reaching forward and grabbing the guard who'd spoken by the arm with resentment. "Just send one of your men to the stable next to the academy. I kept her there. Listen, I'll willingly come with you, but I won't leave her."
The guard's shoulders slumped with frustration, but, released a defeated sigh seconds later and nodded a head of approval to the man beside him. "Go back and bring the horse." The other obeyed and turned to leave.
"She's white!" Ivy called out after him. "With a black saddle. She should be at the very back."
"Alright, come on now." Grabbing her arm and opening the carriage door, the round-faced man shoved the girl inside before she could protest any further. Ivy rolled her eyes at the brutal force he'd used. It was not surprising. Holders were known to be incredibly aggressive, especially after they'd been threatened. However, all her worries were soon to fade once Ivy espied the horse, just as she'd requested.
The ride from there to the palace was silent.
Queen Matilda had been anxiously waiting for their arrival. That was quite obvious to understand seeing as the woman couldn't stop pacing back and forth inside the throne room.
Catching sight of the young girl being ushered further into the room by her bodyguards was the only way the woman eventually exhaled with relief. Now, Ivy could finally acknowledge what a great mistake she'd made by attempting to humiliate her in front of everyone else.
"Ivy Pearls!" Queen Matilda barked, not appearing as gentle as she had been back at the academy. Seated on their thrones behind her standing figure was her husband, King Titus, and their eleven-year-old son, Prince Tobias. "I'm not going to ask you this again. Where in the world did you get that Amulet?"
Ivy tilted her head to the side, the taunting look in her eyes boring back at the woman who had her hands fisted just as though she was about to get herself into a physical fight, in a matter of seconds. The horrified expression the queen was desperately attempting to cover up was worth risking her life, Ivy believed.
Not that many people ever got to see her in this humiliating state. No, correction. Only her husband and son ever got to see her in this humiliating state. Ivy would pay good money to see such a glorious sight every day.
"You already know the answer, Matilda."
The woman's lips quivered for a second, her shoulders rising in the midst of her sucking in a sharp breath. "It's Queen Matilda to you, young lady!" she croaked out, audibly clearing her throat after the words. Her voice had not come out as strong as she'd wanted it to.
"How is any of what you're doing justifiable, Matilda?" Ivy proceeded, wholly disregarding what the woman had said. "It fills your heart with joy to deceive your own people?"
Queen Matilda paused. Replacing her fright was determination with a mix of wrath, especially after what she'd just heard. "I am not deceiving my people!" she shrieked. "Where did you hear that from, Ivy? I hope whoever filled your ears with such lies burns in the pits of hell."
"Perhaps, you'd tell the truth if your guards weren't in the same room," said Ivy, glancing behind her just in time to see most of the guards either scoffing or rolling their eyes.
"You know what?" Queen Matilda snickered suddenly. "This is good. This is very good. If it'd been someone else in your position, mayhap, I would be terrified. But no, it's just you, Ivy, a Powerless good-for-nothing, so help yourself out here while you still can. I know you're not cruel or foolish. You're only angry. That's why you're doing this. Surely, you have no interest in kicking me off the throne. It's your family you're trying to get back at. Tell me I'm right."
The girl's lips spread into a small smile. "You're not even close to being correct."
"Right, of course, you would say such a thing." Queen Matilda chuckled softly as she folded her arms. "But, Ivy, you still have a chance at getting out of here unpunished if you do the right thing. Hand the Amulet over and tell me who gave it to you. I won't ask nicely a second time."
"And, why should I do as you asked?" Ivy challenged. "So, you can replace it with the fake one you've got around your neck and continue to delude the kingdom?" The girl chortled. "You were right about one thing, Matilda. I'm certainly not foolish. But, cruel? Don't test me. You have absolutely no idea what it is I'm capable of."
"Whatever power you have is not as great as the power she possesses as a queen," King Titus finally spoke with a threatening tone. "Let's not drag this any further, Ivy. Hand it over!"
"You're right. As much as I am enjoying this little banter, we shouldn't drag it." The girl nodded. "But, no, I won't hand it over. You're not getting what you want. Not this time."
Her cold response left the queen stunned, not just taken back at the fact Ivy had the audacity to speak back in such a shocking manner, but, also felt bloodcurdling chills down her spine as the resulting nostalgia blinded her for a moment. Ivy could see in the woman's dark eyes that Queen Matilda was finally recalling the past — from beginning to end.
"Thinking about her?" the young girl raised her eyebrows.
"What are you talking about? Who?" the king questioned, almost rising from his seat.
"Your celebrated wife is well aware who it is I'm speaking of." Ivy pointed at the queen, who appeared too appalled to move. "She treated her elder sister the same way she's treating me now. Look at her trying to seize something that doesn't belong to her. For the second time."
"Don't insult my wif—"
"Don't speak for your wife!" Ivy snapped back.
The visualization her mind took her back to was more than enough to enrage the queen, not wanting to face the same stubbornness she'd dealt with years ago. What was in the past should have stayed in the past, after all. Comprehending she had no other choice, the woman broke out of her trance and waved a hand, signalling for the guards to surround the girl.
"You will hand that Amulet over, Ivy Pearls!"
Ivy shook her head. "I don't think so."
"And how do you plan on getting out of here with all these guards?" Queen Matilda cackled. "Please, Ivy. Do yourself a favour and stop embarrassing yourself. I thought I could convince you to snap out of your witless state, but I'm certain I speak for everyone when I say this conversation has gone on for too long. You've refused to behave obediently, so now, you've left me no other option but to put you behind bars and punish you severely."
Ivy sighed, collectedly caressing the Golden Amulet around her neck. "Once again, you're not getting it. Of course, I have to have an exit plan before stepping inside the lion's den."
But, the queen was unwilling to hear any more of it. "Lock her up."
Yet, before a guard could reach for her arms, the words for a power activation rolled off the girl's tongue, in a flash. "Time Pause."
"What—?"
The queen was unable to finish her question, her entire figure freezing to its place, at once with a bewildered look etched onto her face. Ivy grinned mischievously as she glanced around. Every single being had become motionless as a result of the power she'd initiated.
Not her own power, of course.
The Power Replication the Golden Amulet granted her came in handy more times than Ivy could count. How else could she have been able to duplicate one of the guard's powers into her body and pull this plan off?
She knew who the guard was too — starting from his family and friends to the day he'd earned the role as a guard — by asking around the kingdom the very first day she'd come back.
Amulet Academy was plain luck. During her time with Adora, Ivy had successfully mapped out almost every aspect of her ploy. The only thing left to think about was how she was going to drag the Royals into it and receive the best possible outcome.
The news of the academy had spread like wildfire throughout the entire Kingdom of Albagard, therefore, when Ivy returned, it was one of the first things she heard.
However, before registering her name for the academy, she'd roamed the kingdom for two days. In the course of those days, Ivy obtained information on a guard she believed was going to assist her. Best of all, he didn't even know it.
With half of her face masked, she learnt from several people what power this man possessed, along with the fact he was going to be one of the guards shielding the academy on its first day.
Woefully, the man was not going to be riding along on the carriage, which escorted Ivy to the palace for this meeting. That was when Ivy understood she would have to improvise.
In order for Power Replication to work well, Ivy had to make physical contact with her target for a good five seconds. Throwing a fit about how much her horse meant to her and grabbing the man by his arms while pretending to be furious had helped her with that problem.
Plus, Snow was meant to be her getaway ride.
"Your guards have remarkable abilities." And with those final words, Ivy whirled around and dashed out of the palace with great speed. She was met with hundreds of immobile people here and there, including her horse, Snow. Ivy hopped back on the animal, and once she was certain she had a nice head start, she mumbled to herself, "Time Play."
Kingdom of Albagard was brought back to life, not a look of suspicion on anyone's faces as they hadn't felt a single thing. To them, time was never paused.
Ivy tugged on the reins to put light tension in her horse's mouth. As soon as she got Snow's attention, the girl squeezed the animal gently with her legs as an order to move forward. "Ha!" Snow scrambled off.
The girl could now pick up the screeching voice of the queen behind her. Queen Matilda had already gotten on her own steed, galloping after the girl with a vast number of guards following suit. All at once, they screamed for anyone to stop Ivy from riding any further.
"Good," Ivy mumbled again.
They were behaving exactly the way she wanted — and anticipated. At present, a tremendous number of people had surrounded them, trapping Ivy and Snow in a circle. Before glancing back to see how far off the Royals and their men were, Ivy did a brief scan around the area. Unfortunately, the person she was searching for was nowhere to be seen.
The next thing she knew, her arms were grabbed and her body yanked off the animal's back, a multitude of Holders already screeching in her face all at the same time. Once again, Ivy was left impressed with how the Royals had these Holders wrapped around their fingers. None of them even understand what was going on — who the good and bad ones were — yet, they'd chosen the Royals' side.
Perhaps, it did make sense that they would do such a thing, after all, the Royals were well-trusted, but Ivy still believed they all had a little foolishness in them.
"Everyone, step back!"
They obeyed, each person moving aside. Queen Matilda shoved her way through the crowd until she was eventually in the middle, standing before the reviled girl.
Ivy sneered. "Took you long enough."
