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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒' 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍

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The following morning Indigo sat on the cliff's edge and stared out at the forest in the distance. A million thoughts ran through her head as she sat in silence, knowing she was missing a meaningful conversation back in the tent. However, she couldn't bring herself to join Alice, Cyrus, and Anastasia. Not when Kaden was still under the Red Queen's control. Every time she saw the Scarlet boy, all she could think about was how she failed him. All those years ago, she promised to save him and get his heart back, but she could never do it. Indigo was always terrified of what would happen if she was caught. She not only failed Kaden, but she also failed herself.

What felt like an eternity passed before she heard someone walking toward her. When she turned her attention toward the sound's source, she found Kaden and Anastasia making their way over to her. Chills ran up and down her spine at the sight of the blank look in the Scarlet boy's eyes while the Red Queen wore a look of annoyance. Indigo just watched them for a moment longer before she got to her feet and turned around to face them.

"Can I help you?" the Lark girl asked with a hint of irritation in her voice and her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm actually here to help you, darling," the blonde woman responded, earning a skeptical look from the girl in front of her before she continued speaking, "you do want the Knight to have his heart back, don't you?"

All the emotion Indigo was feeling suddenly faded away as she stared at the Red Queen. Silence surrounded them for what felt like an eternity before the Lark girl opened her mouth to break the silence. "You're really going to give him his heart back?"

"Not exactly," Anastasia responded, receiving an annoyed look from the girl in front of her, "don't blame me. It's just not that simple."

"Nothing ever is with you," Indigo said then let out a sigh while pinching the bridge of her nose before she looked back up at the blonde woman, "what do you want from me?"

"Why does everyone assume I want something?"

"Have you met you?"

"Well, this time is different," the Red Queen said while trying her best to keep herself calm, "this time, I'm here to help you."

Before Indigo had a chance to respond, Anastasia held one hand out in front of her and waved her other hand over it. The Lark girl simply watched with skepticism in her eyes as a puff of red smoke appeared. When the cloud vanished, a tan box with a bright blue symbol in the center appeared in the Red Queen's hand. A strange sensation washed over Indigo as soon as the box appeared. It was as if she had seen it before, but she didn't remember when or why it felt so important to her. Indigo just stared at the box for a moment longer before her attention moved back to Anastasia. "What is this?"

"It's yours. Or at least it was before Jafar attacked your kingdom, killed your parents, and took away your memories," the Red Queen responded, only for the confusion and skepticism within the Lark girl to double. Because of the girl's lack of trust in the blonde woman, the irritation Anastasia was feeling skyrocketed. After letting out a long sigh, the Red Queen turned around to face her knight. "Give her the stone."

Kaden's eyes widened in response to his Queen's demand before he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pale purple stone. He just stared at the rock he had been carrying around for months then he took a few steps toward Indigo and held it out to her.

"I know it doesn't look like much but this will fill in a lot of gaps in your memories," the Scarlet boy explained, only for Indigo to continue to stare at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

"There are no gaps in my memories."

The immediate response Indigo received was a scoff from the Red Knight before he let out a long sigh in an attempt to calm his emotions. "Are you sure about that, Didi? Do you even remember anything before coming to Wonderland?"

Indigo opened her mouth to respond, only for her to stop herself before any words could come out. Her eyes stayed glued to Kaden as she thought over his words and her life before Wonderland. However, the earliest memory she had was waking up under a tall tree the morning before meeting Kaden and Will. Indigo couldn't remember anything about her life before that. She didn't remember where she was from or if she had any siblings. She couldn't even remember her parents. If she was being honest, the Lark girl never really thought about it before. She figured she had a rough life and shut everything out. But the fact that both Kaden and Anastasia were questioning it made Indigo think it was something much bigger than that.

After staring at Kaden for a moment longer, Indigo's attention fell back on the familiar-looking box in the Red Queen's hands. She kept her eyes on it for a moment longer before they moved to meet the blonde woman's gaze. "How do I know this isn't some trick?"

"I was right about your magic, wasn't I?"

Despite not wanting to admit it, Indigo knew Anastasia was actually trying to help her. And after years of evading the Red Queen and her followers, the Lark girl still had a hard time trusting the woman. No one would blame her for that. But when she looked into Kaden's eyes, all her skepticism and fears faded away. Hidden deep behind the emptiness in his eyes, Indigo was able to make out the desperation within them. The look in his eyes instantly made the curly-haired girl remember the promise she made to free him of his imprisonment. Even though she wished it didn't involve the Red Queen, Indigo knew this was her only chance.

A small sigh passed over her lips as Indigo carefully took the purple stone into her hand. At first, nothing happened, making the Lark girl look over at Anastasia with uncertainty in her eyes. However, when she placed her other hand on top of the stone, everything changed. A million images flashed across her eyes in a matter of seconds, refilling Indigo's head with the memories she lost. She began remembering her kingdom and the time she spent practicing with her mentors to master her abilities. She remembered sitting in her bedroom with her mother and watching the fish swim past her window. But she also remembered the fear that spread throughout her people when the attack on her home began. She remembered her father telling her to run and hide, but like any other defiant child, she didn't listen.

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Ten-year-old Indigo hid behind one of the pillars in the throne room, watching as a man dressed in black approached her parents. Fear flowed through her veins at the sight of the man who tore apart the palace and destroyed her home. She was terrified for her parents, knowing that the man standing in front of them was powerful. But she also knew her parents were just as strong as he was...at least she hoped they were.

"What is it you want from us, Jafar?" Kashekim questioned while staring down at the man in front of him.

"You hold a rare artifact in your kingdom that I must have," the raven-haired man told Indigo's father without even attempting to hide the venom in his voice, "give the lamp to me and what's left of your kingdom can continue with their lives."

"If we give you that lamp, you will become one of the most powerful beings in the realm," Basilea declared before she and her husband slowly rose to their feet, "and we cannot allow that to happen."

Indigo watched from her hiding place as her parents' necklaces began to glow followed by the matching glow of their hands. However, before the rulers of Atlantis had a chance to defend their kingdom, a red mist started to emit from the eyes of Jafar's snake staff. The Lark girl watched in horror as the cloud traveled through the air and surrounded her parents. It wasn't long after that when Kashekim and Basilea's screams cut through the air before the room fell silent once again. Tears filled Indigo's eyes after watching the smoke clear and her parents nowhere to be found.

"No!" Indigo shouted without thinking as she ran out from her hiding spot with her hands glowing and eyes ablaze. The power that was coursing through her veins was stronger than she ever felt as she stood across from the dark sorcerer. Anger mixed with the magic coursing through her veins before she shot her hand out toward Jafar. A blue beam of light discharged from her fingertips and sailed across the room until it made contact with the sorcerer's chest. The impact caused Jafar to fly through the air before he collided with the thrones behind him, causing the chairs to shatter into a million pieces.

The rage within Indigo continued to grow as she watched Jafar slowly get to his feet. The raven-haired man just stared at the young girl standing across from him, surprised by how much power was able to fit inside her. However, before Indigo was able to use the magic building up inside her, Jafar waved his hand through the air, causing the Lark girl to become as still as a statue. Panic replaced the anger within Indigo as she tried to move her body, only to be greeted by a never-ending stiffness. When she finally turned her attention back to the sorcerer, the Lark girl found him walking toward her with determination in his eyes.

"You really are as powerful as they say. Hopefully, that power will be of use to me someday," Jafar said before he pulled out a purple stone and held it in front of Indigo, "but for now, the world must forget about Kidagakash Nedakh."

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Indigo's eyes snapped open once the memory faded away to find Kaden and Anastasia staring down at her. A wave of panic washed over the Lark girl as she forced herself off the grass and into a sitting position. It took a lot for her to truly learn that the life she lived and accepted was all a lie. She didn't want to think that everything she had gone through up until this moment was because of lost memories and lies. She kept her eyes glued to the grass in front of her before someone crouched down in front of her, drawing her attention to Kaden's slightly concerned eyes.

"Are you alright, Indigo?" the Scarlet boy questioned as he looked over the girl sitting in front of him.

"That's not my name," the curly-haired girl muttered under her breath while keeping her eyes locked with Kaden, "my name is Kidagakash Nedakh and I'm...I'm the Princess of Atlantis." She watched as the Knight's eyes widened in shock before she forced herself to her feet and turned to face the Red Queen. "But you already knew that, didn't you."

"I had a hunch," Anastasia responded then held the box in her hands out to the young girl once again, "which is why I used this to protect Kaden's heart from Jafar after we went our separate ways. Only Atlantean magic can open it."

Without an ounce of hesitation, the Atlantean Princess took the case into her hands, causing the symbol on the lid to glow. Her eyes stayed glued to it for a long moment as she reached up and pulled out her necklace from its hiding place under her cloak. A small breath passed over her lips as the sapphire at the end began to glow before she tapped it against the box. As soon as the two items made contact with each other, the lid popped open, revealing Kaden's heart sitting in the center. A thousand different emotions began flowing through Indigo's veins as she carefully took the heart out of the box. The moment she had it in her hand she turned around to face Kaden. "Are you ready?"

"Do you even have to ask?" the Scarlet boy responded with a small smile on his face before the girl in front of him plunged his heart back into his chest. It wasn't long after his heart returned to him when Kaden felt life returning to him. The only thoughts in his head were his own and the emotions he was feeling weren't mixed with the Red Queen's. After all these years, he finally felt like himself again...and he had a princess to thank for it. And when he looked down at her, Kaden found her staring up at him with a large amount of hope in her eyes.

"Did it work?"

"Yeah...yeah, it worked, Didi," the Scarlet boy announced through slightly labored breaths as he continued to stare down at the girl in front of him, "or should I call you Kidagakash?"

"Didi's perfect."

"I really wanna kiss you right now."

A smile instantly appeared on the Atlantean Princess' face as she placed a hand on the Red Knight's cheek. The two of them just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Indigo gently placed her lips against Kaden's.

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