Chirp was startled hearing the thump. He flew nearby, peeking through the window. As his human friend laid unconscious on the ground, the traveling twins were jumping up and down from joy.
"I can't believe it. All these years collecting junk paid off," the sister yelled, excited.
The man grinned before composing himself. "Calm yourself, sister. We do not know if the young prince came alone," her brother said quieter, taking the pieces off the shelves. As he gawked at the trinkets hopeful, the sister added, "But why now? Why here?"
"There must be something magical about this place. Yes. I could feel something in the air while we were passing, but I was not sure what. Now I know!"
"Could it be that forest guardian the king told us about?" the masked trickster asked.
The man nodded, thinking. "Could be," he said, smiling at the dusty red fez. "Haha, the Hat of Disguises. This can be of great use... Oh, and the Chalice of Good Luck. Hmm! A very useful thing to have when gambling," he added, carefully lifting it to take a closer look.
The woman hopped around clapping her hands at the sight. "And look! Once stretched, this circle is supposed to take you to the place you desire the most," she said taking a black shiny wire.
"Ah right. The portal. And you scolded me for snatching it from that treasury," he said smug.
"Oh brother, do not be like that. If it works as the legends say, it was well worth the chase."
Slowly opening his eyes, Aidan felt his head hurting as his face was pressing the floor planks. A pair of smelly feet hopped around him.
"Excellent! Do you think we can extend the portal enough to cover the entire cart?" the male voice spoke.
"We will soon find out!" the woman cackled.
The prince laid still, carefully listening. "Hey, are you alright?" his friend chirped quietly. Aidan waved his hand, gesturing him to go away.
The sister turned, hearing the sweet sound. "What a beautiful bird," she gasped. "Quick, brother! Catch it for me."
"Not now," her sibling replied, pulling the circle. "We need to learn how this works."
Pouty, she placed her hand on it. "If I remember correctly... we need to have a clear idea in our mind of the place we want to go. And we need to be cautious not to touch the middle when stating where we want to go while imagining it."
"Alright then. This should be easy enough," he said. "Take us to the town-"
"-beach of Pearly Lake," his sister interrupted.
Glancing at each other annoyed, the brother added. "Really?"
"What? It's nice this time of year," she said with a shrug.
Grunting, the male twin uttered, "Fine. Beach it is. Let's try this again."
The siblings held the opposite sides of the circle. "Take us to the beach of Pearly Lake," they said in unison.
The bracelet-like circle started to shimmer. The two watched in disbelief as a small vortex was being created in between their hands.
"This is amazing!" the disguised fortuneteller gasped.
"Indeed. Careful now. We want to avoid activating it before we are ready," her partner in crime stated.
"Yes, let's go outside, so we can expand it over the cart," she said.
"Agreed."
As the sister was about to step outside, her ankle was grabbed by the seemingly unconscious prince. She screamed, letting go of the magical device. Chirp spread its wings, going after the other twin. The man screamed, protecting his eyes from the feathery creature which fanatically swung its wings.
The prince grabbed the magic circle, accidentally putting his hand through the purplish vortex. Shocked and confused, he could feel his torso being sucked into this strange mist. Pulled by the force he could not overcome, he could think of nothing else but his beloved wife and the magical apple that would save her life.
"Take me to the golden apple tree," he shouted, shutting his eyes. His body warped into a side V with his body, follower by his head and feet, disappeared through the bright purple hole. Returning to its usual form, the wire bracelet fell on the floor. The con artists grinned, not believing their luck. They reached out to grab it, only for the bright small bird to snatch it under their noses.
"Hey! Come back here!" they yelled, running after it. But alas, the tiny creature had already flown away, hidden among the dense tree branches.
Chirp fluttered frantically, getting increasingly tired. Not knowing what to do, the bird checked if the criminals were following him. Seeing that the cost was clear, he sat on a branch, holding the magical wire in his beak. With his lungs rapidly moving up and down, its brain rushed to find a solution. After some time, the cute creature spread its wing and flew further.
Viniria was tending to her garden, helping the flowers bloom faster by wiggling her fingers. Hearing the tweet, she calmly turned her green head. The magical creature blinked surprised, seeing the small bright bird. Extending her hand, the creature landed, presenting her with the strange shimmering wire.
"My guardian, you do not know me, but I am a friend of Aidan..." Chirp uttered.
The forest guardian hummed. "I see. And what your name may be?"
"I am called Chirp. Please do not ask me how I know the prince. All you need to know is that I wish to help," the bird added anxious.
"Oh! So, you are the big secret? Now things are starting to make sense," she said, intrigued. "Tell me tiny one... What seems to be the trouble?"
"It's Aidan. He's been attacked, and then he went through this thing," the bird chirped, pointing with its beak. "Can you help him?"
Viniria took a close look at the object. Letting out a long sigh, she said, "I need to let Zora know..."
"Chirp! Please don't tell her about me! If you do, I might-"
"I figured as much. Do not worry, little one. Your secret is safe with me."
The bird let out a relieved note, resting his body in her hand.
A few hours have passed. Zora's magical friend informed her of her husband's disappearance. Shocked and worried, she quickly despatched soldiers to find the perpetrators. They were captured soon after.
The pregnant queen stomped down the long stairs heading to the dungeons. She frowned as the screams of the captives echoed from below. Yet, her determination did not waver.
Slamming the heavy wooden door, she said, "Have you found him yet?"
In the cell, Aidan's oldest brother observed as a few cell guards were thumb-pressing the unfortunate scammers. The twins turned to her, shacking and mumbling in fear.
King Nathaniel looked at her dumbfounded, "I am sorry you have to see this. These evildoers have not revealed his location yet."
The young queen covered her distressed face. "Then try harder. Your brother and my husband is out there alone and ill prepared? What if he is in mortal danger! What if he is trapped, with no food or water and no way out?" she cried out.
The guards looked at the king. He lowered his head and placed his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. "My dear sister-in-law. Trust me when I say, I am doing everything in my power to find him," he said with his eyes watering.
Zora looked at him, still trembling from worry.
"These people do not seem to know what you are talking about. To be honest, I somewhat don't see the connection either..." Nathaniel said.
"I told you... Viniria saw them attack Aidan," she stated.
Squinting suspiciously, the man replied, "In that case, why didn't she stop them? She is quite powerful."
Zora looked around, fretful. This place made her feel uncomfortable. "She didn't say."
Her brother-in-law nodded attentively. "I see... And why is that?" His voice was soft and compassionate.
"That is none of your concern! It is not up to you to question my sources," Zora said mad.
"Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you in your fragile state," the king stated with a bow. "I shall try again. But I must warn you, dear sister Zora, this may require harsher methods of interrogation."
"I see. Do what you must," she said and sighed.
"Perhaps it is better that you don't stay to watch. It may upset the baby."
Zora nodded, looking at the stairs. In all honestly, she could not stand this place for much longer. Gently tucking her dress, she walked up as even louder screams came from the cell.
Half an hour later, the older royal brother approached the princess' quarters. His head hung low while entering, worrying Zora even more.
"Zora... I have devastating news?" he added with a quiver in his voice.