Sarah ran as she had never run before, clutching the hand of the little girl as if her life depended on it.

Sorrowfully, the girl was the very reason Sarah's life was in danger. But she would protect her with every ounce of strength left in her body. She would gladly suffer at the hands of a love made in hell and give her life if it meant the girl could grow away from all this abuse and evil.

For what else was a mother's reason for living?

"Faster, Skylor!" Sarah panted, pulling the six-year-old girl after her. Branches brushed past them and twigs snapped under their thudding feet as they fled through the island grove. Nocturnal critters cried out in their respective howls while the dark clouds thwarted the moonlight from reaching the earth. 

Skylor followed her mother, not complaining about a single thing. She never faltered once even though her little legs were screaming in pain. She knew her mother was afraid of something and was trying to escape its scary claws. Skylor was just as scared of it. She wanted to put as much space between her and the palace as possible.

She wondered if it had anything to do with all those times her father had hit her mother. He did become very frightening when he was angry. But he never scolded her. Then why her mother? Did he not love her as much? They looked very alike. The identical blue eyes, the same red locks, and the matching, beautiful smiles. What was the difference then?

"Quick," Sarah whispered, picking her daughter up and tucking her between her legs. Hunching over her in a shielding manner, Sarah let the two of them slide down the mossy slope. Thorns and brambles tore at their clothes but they endured and finally tumbled out at the end. Tired, messy, and aching all over, they sat up and rested on the ground for a little bit.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked, quickly looking the girl over for any minor injuries.

"I'm fine, Mommy."

Sarah pressed a kiss on the girl's forehead and smiled at her in the dark. She ignored a tear that ran down her mud-smeared cheek. Skylor noticed it, shifting closer to her mother.

"Why are you crying?" she mumbled, reaching up and wiping the tear away. The gesture made the woman cry even more but she composed herself before her daughter got too concerned.

"Y-You know that song we sing together, don't you?" she murmured after a while, trying to change the subject.

Skylor creased her forehead. "The Jungle Princess?"

Sarah nodded, pulling the girl onto her lap. "Would you like to sing it now?"

Skylor's lips spread wide. "Yes."

The gentle night breeze teased their hair, throwing red against red while sapphire gazes locked onto each other. Sarah's words sounded first, beautiful and haunting in the now silent darkness.

"At the heart of the trees,
Hugged by a flower bed,
Lived the jungle princess,
With hair of fire red

"Her gown would flow after
Woven with woodland thread
And a coronet of amber
Lay gracefully on her head"

Skylor let the tune wash over her like magic. It warmed her as if she was basking in the sun's glory on a winter afternoon. The fear of something which had been terrifying her up till now vanished, replaced only by the desire to join her mother. Her lips parted and she sang, her voice not as melodious but full of passion regardless.

"Deep within the forest
By a lake of rainbow hue
She would sing to the birds
And gather periwinkles blue

"Elements of every nature
Would flow through her veins
But she'd grow tired of magic
For one could never remain"

Mother and daughter pressed their foreheads together, closing their eyes as they synchronized their voices.

"Holding all her wonders
She would dream of a world
Where she could share it all
With a soul yet not unfurled

"Amidst the lone island
She would wish instead
Of a rebel from afar
With a love of fire red"

They ended the song by dragging out the final word, Sarah's voice lasting longer than Skylor's. The girl yawned as her eyelids unwillingly drooped, the melody of the song still lingering in her mind. Before long, her head dropped onto her mother's shoulder and her breathing became deep and rhythmic.

Sarah sniffled, repeatedly patting Skylor's arm as means to comfort her that she was safe. Successfully escaping this prison of an island was all that zoomed through her mind. She wanted Skylor to live a life Sarah could only dream of. A life of freedom. A life where friendship, family, and love meant more than gold and jewels. She hoped her daughter would find someone who would protect her rather than use her for personal gains. Her husband's corrupt ways could never find a way into Skylor's heart. Sarah wasn't so lucky but she would ensure her daughter was.

They were only an hour away from the beach where Sarah had readied a boat on the shore. She was sure that after a little rest, they could make it there and be halfway across the sea before sunrise. Her husband would never be able to catch up to them—

Light footsteps sounded on the damp jungle floor.

Or maybe he could.

Despite the rapid beating of her heart, Sarah slowly removed Skylor from her lap and placed her on a soft patch of grass. The girl only stirred but never woke. The woman stood up and observed the flora all around her, searching for a glimpse of the enemy in the scarce moonlight.

"What did you think?"

Sarah spun around and stopped herself from crying out in surprise.

"You thought that you could escape with my daughter and I would never know?" Chen grinned sinisterly as he emerged from the trees, his right hand and sorcerer, Clouse, close behind him. "Stealing my blood and kin won't get you anywhere, my darling amber."

The pet name, once used with love and affection, now sounded nothing more than a venom-laced knife to the heart. Sarah held back her tears and tried to keep her voice strong when she spoke, "You don't deserve us, Chen. You never did."

"Skylor I most definitely do deserve but you?" Chen chuckled derisively, the laugh cold and manic. "As a burden, I never deserved a worthless elemental scum like you. But as an asset . . ." the man's eyes gleamed with malice, "now, that's a thing I have to thank fate for."

Sarah shook with fury. She clenched her fists and took a daring step forward. "I will never help you fulfill your selfish desire. Kill me if you want. Go ahead. I will never stop fighting you."

Chen's expression hardened. "You have no other choice but–"

"Master," Clouse spoke, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"What is it?"

Clouse raised a hand glowing with dark purple magic. "She doesn't have the element anymore," he said slowly as if in disbelief. "My magic tells me so."

Chen sharply glanced at his wife before turning back to the sorcerer. "What do you mean she doesn't have it? Where did it go?"

Sarah remained silent, not wanting to reveal a single detail. Clouse repeated his discovery, saying that the element's presence no longer radiated from her.

"Then who has it?" Chen hissed impatiently.

Clouse slowly lowered his hand to where Skylor lay. The sphere of magic instantly burned brighter, casting a glow on the girl's face. "She does."

Chen's eyes widened at the sight of his daughter. He looked up to where his wife stood glaring at him. "What are you playing at?"

"I cannot allow you to do the spell, Chen," Sarah whispered, slowly shaking her head. "Whatever you plan to do will destroy the Master of Amber. So, I gave my powers to the one person you can never harm: Skylor."

The couple scowled at one another, having a conversation through gazes and glares. Chen finally scoffed and moved towards his daughter but Sarah blocked his path. The wind set the leaves rustling as it howled through the trees. The woman's hair and cloak rippled in the zephyr while her determined blue eyes shimmered in the moon. The mother appeared almost ethereal and it made Chen hesitate.

But not for long.

The man shoved her to the side and she fell onto the ground with a cry. Chen stepped over her and appeared at his daughter's side. Their hushed arguments had been successful in keeping Skylor asleep but now she was wide awake. As soon as she saw her father, she scrambled away from him.

"No!" she whined despite Chen's efforts to calm her down. Skylor tried to climb to her feet but a stern command from her mother made her stop.

"Stay where you are," Sarah spoke and Skylor froze on the spot, eyes wide.

Chen took this distraction as an advantage and gave Clouse his order. "Finish her. She's of no use to me."

"Mommy!" Skylor cried out, making a run for her mother. Chen was quicker and grabbed her immediately. "Your mother's a traitor, a liar! She will only lead you to danger."

Skylor resisted but her father's grip was strong. Chen yelled at Clouse again who seemed confused on what to do. His eyes met Sarah's and he saw no pleading in them. Rather she seemed to be eagerly waiting for a blow that would end her life.

"What are you waiting for?!" Chen hollered over her daughter's shrill cries. "Kill her!"

"But Master–"

"DO IT NOW!"

Skylor screamed bloody murder, the sound loud enough to wake the entire ocean around them as Clouse raised a smoky, violet tendril. It penetrated Sarah's body and sucked out every single drop of life it contained. She made no sound of distress nor did she flinch. She quietly gave in to death and departed to the unknown.

Without a second to spare, Clouse shot a spell at Skylor. It knocked her out and she fell back into her father's arms.

Silence.

. . .

Chen was surprised to find himself wrenching up from the inside at the sight of his wife's lifeless body as his tattooed guards lowered it into the earth. He half wanted to question his motives.

Was this really what he had wanted to happen?

He didn't know if his love for Sarah was true or forged but she had been with him through all the ups and downs. She and Skylor were the only reasons his banishment was so bearable.

No. His goal must always come first. For the sake of his schemes, he had no choice but to do this. It was either Sarah or Skylor. Only one could remain.

Chen didn't think his concern for his daughter's safety would be that difficult to overcome. If he could watch his wife die at his command then he could bear with the fact that Skylor was now destined for the seemingly fatal spell.

"Clouse," he called. The sorcerer appeared at his side, hands behind his back.

"How effective is your memory-wipe charm?"

"It has a lifelong effect, Master."

Chen paused, catching a last glimpse of Sarah before the earth engulfed her. Then he ordered, "Remove every memory Skylor has of tonight. Inform the staff, servants and guards to never speak a word of it."

"What about when she wakes up?" Clouse wondered. "What will we tell her?"

Chen's expression was neutral when he answered. "Sarah was supervising a last-minute delivery of merchandise. She left at midnight on a boat to Ninjago. The sea couldn't keep calm. It swallowed the entire vessel."

"As you wish, Master Chen."

After Clouse had left, Chen redirected his gaze to the markless grave. He clenched his teeth.

"You sacrificed yourself . . . and saved nothing. Ninjago will be mine."

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"At the heart of the trees
Hugged by a flower bed
Lived the jungle princess
With hair of fire red"

Skylor tugged on her hood, shivering in the early morning cold. The sun was not up yet and a mist hung over the waters. She slowly moved along the line that led onto the steamboat. She preferred already being on the warm island but she had to pretend to be a far-off Elemental Master just to blend in with the others.

Her voice was barely above a murmur as she sang an old song she remembered from her early childhood. For some reason, she only knew the first and last verse of it and no amount of reminiscence would make her remember the rest. She figured the words had slipped her memory over the years. So she proceeded to hum the missing parts.

As she sang quietly, she caught Clouse's eye who ushered her onto the steamboat.

"Amidst the lone island
She would wish instead
Of a rebel from afar
With a love of fire red"

Before she stepped onto the plank, Skylor whipped around to make sure every master on her list was present. The first to come in her line of vision was a red-clad boy her age, with brown hair arranged in spikes. She noticed his eyes widen in surprise before a goofy grin grew upon his face.

Skylor turned back to face the front. In that brief moment, she felt something tickle her inners. The boy's confounded expression did not conceal the fact that he was good-looking. A smile worked its way upon her lips and it remained as she climbed onto the boat.

Had she even counted the other masters?

The stars crossed and Skylor was oblivious that her mother's dying wish of setting her free was already set on the path of fulfillment.

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