Emmelyn was so relieved when she found out Mrs. Adler was still living well in the Bay of White Whales. In fact, the witch looked younger and healthier than the last time Emmelyn saw her.

"Oh... Your Majesty!!! You come to my humble abode...!" Mrs. Adler pressed her lips in shock when she saw Emmelyn by the doorway when she came out with a basket, ready to look for herbs. 

The witch dropped the basket and almost wanted to drop to her knees, but Emmelyn quickly held her arms. The beautiful woman shook her head and said, "Grandma... don't do that. Ahahah... I came here to visit you and see how you are doing. No need for formalities with me."

Mrs. Adler looked up and saw their king was standing behind Emmelyn and her expression was filled with curiosity. Seeing Mrs. Adler's doubt, Emmelyn quickly introduced her husband and child.

"This is my husband, Mars Strongmoor. He came to get me to Summeria. We are now traveling to go home to Draec." Emmelyn smiled and pulled the man closer to her. "And this is our daughter, Harlow. Do you remember my baby girl? You helped me deliver her."

Mrs. Adler's face beamed and her eyes were now filled with tears. She bobbed her head enthusiastically.

Ah... how could she forget about Harlow? Those were the most difficult days where Mrs. Adler had to help Emmelyn give birth to a premature baby. And then they had to fake her death so Emmelyn could escape from her prison.

Ahh... look at this beautiful toddler. Harlow looked a lot like her father, but her rich expression and big personality seemed to take after her mother. The old witch was very happy to see Harlow was now big and healthy.

"Your Majesty, it's an honor to meet you," Mrs. Adler wiped her tears and then curtseyed awkwardly before the king.

She didn't know if what she did was correct. She was just a peasant who had never met royalties before and was not sure how to show her respect.

Normally, Mrs. Adler would just drop herself to the ground to show her respect and reverence to the noblemen she met, but she realized Emmlyn wouldn't like her to do that now. So, Mrs. Adler chose to curtsey, albeit awkward.

"You may rise, Mrs. Adler," Mars said with a smile. "We came here because I want to thank you in person for all the help you have given my wife during the toughest times of her life."

"Ahh... No need to say thank you, Your Majesty. I was happy to help. Besides, I was doing that for me too," Mrs. Adler replied. "Princess Emmelyn and I traveled together so I could go home to Wintermere. Her Highness is a very resourceful woman. I believe she would be able to survive on her own if needed. It's actually an honor for me to be a part of her journey."

"You shouldn't belittle your contribution," Emmelyn said. "It is a fact that you did help me a lot and, without you, I might have died during childbirth. For that, I will be forever grateful."

Emmelyn hugged the old woman and cried on her shoulder. She said over and over, "Thank you."

Mrs. Adler was very touched and she cried too. Both women remembered what happened as if it was only yesterday. The sufferings they endured together during their escape from Draec to Wintermere were carved in their hearts and the journey bound them in a deep friendship.

"I met Margueritte the White, by the way," Emmelyn said after they let go of their embrace. "She lives in Mount Tempest, near Summeria. She said she missed you."

"You did? Oh my... how was she doing? I am so glad to know she is still alive." Mrs. Adler was very excited to hear news about her sister witch. She had not met Margueritte and Dolores for decades and had always wondered what happened to them. "Did she get married? Does she have a family?"

She asked Emmelyn and Mars to sit on the terrace while she prepared some tea for them. When she came out with a pot of tea and three cups, Mrs. Adler sat next to Emmelyn to listen to her story about the meeting with Margueritte.

"Well... I am not sure if she was married or not. Someone who knows her said that she went to the elven realm many decades ago and just returned recently," Emmelyn explained. "She did however have a son."

"A son?" Mrs. Adler looked excited to know more. "Ohh...  that is really good news!"

"Yeah... her son's name is Raphael and he is called the ice prince, I think."

"Ice prince?" Mrs. Adler repeated her words. She looked intrigued.

"Yes. He is a young man, probably eighteen years old, but he was quite interesting," Emmelyn said. "People who look into his eyes could turn into ice, that's why. Actually, a friend of mine, Kira was turned into an ice statue when she got to Mount Tempest first."

Mars furrowed his brows when he heard Emmelyn's story. He and Emmelyn had not talked much about the past and what she experienced during her journey from Draec to Summeria.

He realized what she endured must be quite intense that she preferred not to talk about it much. Mars assumed for Emmelyn to feel comfortable sharing all her sufferings in the past, she must be able to forgive and move on.

And it was not easy to just ask her to do that. Mars knew she was working on it. So, he was waiting until Emmelyn was ready to share with him whatever happened to her on the road. Until then, he would be patient.

"Are you hurt by him?" Mars touched Emmelyn's arm and looked her in the eye. "This ice prince guy, did he do anything bad to you?"

Emmelyn shook her head. "No, he didn't hurt me. In fact... he actually gave me the magic scarf to revive Queen Mother."

"Oh... really?" Mars was surprised to hear this fact. "Why did he give it to you? Did he ask you for anything in return?"

Emmelyn nodded. "Actually no, I offered him something because I wanted to ask for his help. I gave him my most precious possession in exchange for his help. Mrs. Adler gave me a very valuable necklace so I gave it to him."

"Oh... you mean, the snake pendant?" This time, Mrs. Adler asked the question. "He was willing to revive the queen in exchange for a mere pendant?"

"Huh? Why did you say 'mere pendant'?" Emmelyn was confused. "Didn't you say the pendant is very precious? It can work as an antidote for all kinds of poison and..."

"No, I didn't mean to say it's not valuable, Your Majesty..." Mrs. Adler knitted her brows and thought deeply about the scarf. "Usually, the rule in magic is something can only be traded if they have the same value. Human lives and antidote for poison are not equal. So, they couldn't be exchanged."

"Human lives?" Emmelyn didn't understand where Mrs. Adler's words were heading to. "Whose lives?"

"Well.. can I see the scarf?" Mrs. Adler asked again.

Mars and Emmelyn exchanged glances. The king shook his head. "I am sorry, I don't bring such valuable artifacts everywhere."

"I understand." Mrs. Adler bit her lip and tapped the table with her bony fingers. "The thing is... if the scarf contained magic that could be used to revive someone or to heal them from illnesses that could cause death... that means, the artifact is so valuable that it is worth a life."

Emmelyn laughed nervously when she heard the old witch's explanation. "I am sure there must be an exception. Raphael didn't ask for a human sacrifice when he gave me the scarf. He is not that kind of person."

Mrs. Adler was not convinced, but she didn't say anything. Maybe it was just her, she thought to herself.

Emmelyn was a special woman and many people liked her.  So, maybe Raphael also liked Emmelyn enough to give her a magical artifact that was worth a human life but didn't ask for one life in exchange.

.

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From Missrealitybites:

Ahahaha... I know this sounds so intense that Raphael wanted one life in exchange for the scarf, but please know that he is a good man and he would cherish the life he would demand from Emmelyn 17 years later.

Uff... I can't wait to write about Harlow and Raphael. I wish I can skip the parts where we see Ellena punished, Edgar married Clara, and Gewen ended up with Kira.... ahaha.. and just go straight to seventeen years later.. Sigh.

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