Lolirock: Balance -Third of the Lolirock Series

Balance: White, Part 2

Chandler POV 

I watched as my confused twin settled into her seat, still staring at the open library door. Iris was still in shock, her face pale. 

Nate was rubbing her shoulders. 

Carissa cleared her throat, then laid out a map, while Lyna stood behind her, her face equally pale. 

"Who wants to start?" Talia asked, her breath raggedy. 

"I'll go." Iris said. Nathaniel nodded at her side, and let her stand up. 

"IRIS!" a booming voice was heard, shaking many books off the shelves. Lyna and Carissa shook in their chairs. Lev and Dawn clutched each other. 

There was something wrong with the King. 

"What?!" Iris snapped. 

The King frowned, then glared at Nathaniel, who shot me a confused side glance. He looked back, to see the same expression on the King's face. Iris stepped in front of Nathaniel, who poked his head out from  behind her. 

"Dad, why do you keep staring at Nate like that?" Iris interrogated, staring her father down. 

"What if he's like Lev?" he implored. Lev looked offended, but Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded, confirming his statement. 

"See?" the King whined. 

"Dad, you're acting like a child. Nate isn't like that." Iris turned back and mouthed a sorry to the still-offended Lev. He relaxed, and winked at Iris, who frowned. 

"Dad, Nate isn't like that." 

"What if he is?" 

"Dad!" she yelled, exasperated. The King through his hands up in the air and left the Library, much to the amusement of Auriana. 

Carissa looked at me and started to laugh, to Iris' chagrin. 

"Guys!" she yelled, then pointed at a map. 

"What?" Auriana asked, still recovering from her burst of giggles. 

"My mother told me that the battles started in the area of Ashlar, and is slowly moving towards the Kingdom of Calix." Iris directed, pointing her finger everywhere, making it confusing to the point of dizziness. 

"I talked to a few of the guards," Lyna said, "they said that the King and QUeen sent a few troops to help with the battle, because they were supposed to be minor. The entire guard was slaughtered or captured." she winced at the last part. 

"How? DId anyone survive?" Talia asked. 

"One child managed to escape. He's recovering in one of the bedrooms here." Lyna explained. 

"Geez, usually finding a survivor is harder than this." Carissa muttered. 

"What? You wanted more?" Talia snapped. Carissa rolled her eyes and balled her fists, almost ready to fight. 

"Guys!"I yelled. They all went silent.

"Let's just go, okay? Then we can get this over with." I mumbled. Talia, for the first time, nodded and agreed. We burst through the door, and calmly walked down the hall and took a right, then a left, then another right. I was already suffering from dizziness when we finally arrived at the door guarded by several guards. 

One of the guard narrowed his eyes at Iris, who sheepishly curtsied and waved a hand. He huffed and opened the door, to reveal a boy, his leg covered in marks, and his blonde hair ruffled and unsteady. 

Iris gasped. 

"You!" the boy gasped, then ran to hug her. She tentatively wrapped her arms around him. 

"How do you know her?" Nathaniel asked. 

"There was this woman," he scowled, and Iris winced, "she enveloped my entire family in black, no, magenta crystal magic. I managed to escape her, but one of the crystals caught up to my leg, and it wrapped it around me. I tried to get it off, but there was absolutely no way that I could even touch it without it spreading to my fingertips. Eventually, my hero came along. She was a traveler, and I didn't even realize that she was a Royal. She helped me to some old woman's house, and I stayed there. Later, about 2 weeks, the spell was broken, and I was reunited with my parents. We moved to the city later." 

"And what happened during the attack on your city?" Lev interrogated. 

"Lev," Dawn scolded, "this is an ask-and-return, not an interrogation." 

"We moved to the city, and we were living peacefully for at least 5 years. Suddenly, our entire building began to shake. There wasn't an army like the guards said, it was a single man. He came, wrecking our houses and taking the men and women hostage. I managed to escape by hiding in the laundry basket. When the attack was over, I looked for my neighbors, but none of them survived, well, except for a dog." 

"What did the man look like?" Auriana urged. 

"He was sporting a black cape, with a hood. At his side, there was a black panther. It was a girl, with maroon eyes." 

"How did you know it was a girl?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"Easy." the boy grinned, "she was wearing a necklace. A blood-red ruby." 

"Thank you." Lyna said, as we all turned on our heels and left. 

"It could be a guy." Carissa reasoned, as soon as we were out of earshot. 

"You heard the boy." Auriana snapped, "it was a girl." 

"You just want the Ruby." Iris implored. 

"Maybe." 

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Iris clutched a nearby column, and the castle tilted. Lyna screamed, and Iris' knees began to collapse. Carissa and Talia skated over, their legs still shaking. 

"Lev! Dawn! Chandler! Auriana! Hurry!" Talia screamed. 

The ground stopped shaking just as Dawn curled into a ball and started to protect her head. The guards burst inside the room, and I got a glimpse of the boy hiding under the bed, muttering something to himself. 

The maids, butlers, and King and Queen ran out of their respective rooms. 

"Is everyone okay?" The Queen asked, helping each of us to stand up. 

"I-I think so!" Lev said, as he looked around at everyone. 

"The Balance is out of order. These earthquakes will become more frequent. If you girls and guys don't solve this..." he warned. 

"Yes, Father." Iris rolled her eyes. The Queen smiled and blew air kisses before leaving with her husband. 

Flashback to 3 years after the Reign of Graymorr, KING POV 

"Illene." the King pleaded, his voice weak. 

"I will not give my child to you!" she snapped, as she threw her pot of coffee on him. She suddenly broke down in a coughing fit. 

"Mom?!" a boy asked, as he burst into the room. 

"What did you do?" he screamed at King Harrick. 

"Nothing!" the King protested. 

"Your family already killed my father! Haven't you done enough?" he shrieked, cradling his mother. 

The King hung his head. He slowly backed out of the carriage and hung his head. He whipped out a knife from behind his back. 

"At what cost?" he begged, looking up at the sky. 

At what cost?