"You are strong!" The witch took the ice sword out of her and began to raid on Wilmore with roots.
He was getting rid of them but she was playing more and sent out more roots to involve him.
A root scratched Wilmore's arm.
"I am strong? Certain?"
The prince didn't believe that he was strong because his power stupidly was useless against this witch.
"Hm, I changed my mind! But your aura is delicious. I'll enjoy while having you."
Saying that; something hit her from the back and gave Wilmore a chance to go to the heart.
"Hurry up, I have nothing to save myself."
Ryan growled however, he could finally make it out, to grow his paws. These paws were able to tear the root and even he was stunned. But what if it scares Saya?
Thinking about her, he raged, why couldn't he remember her face?
"What did you do to me?"
Ryan shouted at the shrieking witch who was now on the corner of the wall.
"You fools, when you cross that gate, you will lose the memories of those you love. This is the test."
Ryan stopped breaking the roots. She surged ahead and the roots wrung around him.
"If I lose them, I don't mind to die here."
Wilmore cursed, he saw a wooden doll that dropped from the witch, picking it up when the woman began to absorb Ryan's aura, he kept reaching for the heart and finally he hit it, it stopped beating and he earned his goal.
The witch began to burn and the prince hardly looked back to see if Ryan still was alive.
"Are you alive?" It was all he said when the shrieks stopped and he dared to gaze to Ryan's side, he was leaning back on a wall.
"I can't remember, my wife's face!"
"I know, I have the same problem. Get up. There is a village near here. I would go there and find a painter."
Frizzing the scratch on his arm, he strode outside and Ryan crept out after him.
"She said this forest is dangerous and has carnivorous plants." He showed him the map and added, "Gino forest here is."
Wilmore was listening to him while seeing that the ray had changed, looking at the colorful butterfly that passed by him, he discovered that the hex was no longer established and when people were up in the morning, they could see the blue sky.
Wilmore snatched the map from him and checked the place.
"There was no carnivorous plant on my way."
He began to walk to the road where he saw the old man. He wasn't sure what the witch had told him was true but if there was any strange trap, it was the witch's tricks.
"Hey, are you upset with me?"
Ryan asked while running his strides faster after the prince.
"Women are your weakness, are not they?"
Ryan sighed, this time his tiredness was his weakness.
"Nope! I was tired and she had a good place?"
Wilmore halted, burst out laughing, his hand stretched out of his body, "there, that is not real! And I hope you didn't eat anything from her hand because it wasn't possibly pleasant food."
While hearing that, Ryan felt a burning twist in his stomach and eventually poked out. It was loathsome and what he indicated worsened his thoughts.
"I want to die!"
Ryan was shameless, how fool he looked in his uncle's eyes.
The prince said no word and when they arrived at the margin of the village, the sky was turning blue and the crowd of people was staring at the sky, whispering that the witch was finally dead. They could see each other's faces in actual colors after many years that they could barely recall every color.
"We have no gold to pay a painter!"
"Give me your ring!"
Ryan peered at him startled.
"No way, let's work somewhere!"
"Do you really think that when the day is about to end we can remember their faces?"
That marriage ring was dear to him but Saya's face was more precious and the only hope that could keep his fight for home.
Taking the ring out, he said, "you owe me one!"
"Don't worry, Lady Saya will understand."
Getting out of that place,
They went to a shop that was just opening and waited until the man went inside.
"Don't sell it cheap."
"It is not on me!"
Slowly they walked inside and Wilmore put the ring on the wooden counter.
"How much do you buy this?"
Ryan's eyes widened, did he ever sell something in his life? No smile, no strategy, and he just burned this ring before the start.
"Let me see!"
The man pushed his eyeglasses up the bridge of his nose. He checked the gold and said, "1000 din!"
Ryan and Wilmore exchanged glances, dumbfounded. How much was that exactly?
"2000 din!"
Ryan uttered, wearing a wide grin!
"This ring is worth more than what you say!" Wilmore added.
"No one can pay too much for this, think about 1500 din, then come back. I won't go higher!"
They could not consume more time and had to deal with him.
"Well, today we are happy for a great blessing, so I'll be fair with you."
"Fine."
The man picked the ring and began to count the coins."
Passing them the purse, he said, "have a nice day gentleman."
They looked messy and Wilmore was just wearing a coat and the appearance shouted that they weren't from around here.
Ryan was about to snatch the purse but the prince was faster. How dare he be? It was his money, indeed!
Getting outside of the shop, he snapped, "that is my money!"
"I could have let you die there but see, you are still breathing. You can thank me this way."
Ryan ignored him, now the problem was how to find a painter.
"How should we find a painter?"
"That old man! He told me about the witch."
He walked to the old man who was carrying the carriage.
"Sir. What a coincidence?"
"Wow, young man! I see you rescued your friend!"
Ryan looked at his uncle blankly.
"Really, friends!"
"I lied, and I didn't mention friend, idiot!"
Ryan sneered, did he expect more than this?
"Yes, sir! I am Wilmore and he is Ryan. As you said there was a witch in the forest!"
"What? Did you see her, truly?"
"Yes, I found the heart and killed her. The wooden dolls you mentioned were hung around her hip like a belt and dropped there."
The man's eyes ran teary, "can you take me there?"
"Excuse me, but that place is malice and we must find a painter before it."
"A painter? My daughter is a painter."
He said, excited.
"Alright, we need two drawings so we would take you there instead."
Ryan stated, so he wasn't supposed to spend his whole money.
Wilmore chuckled, Ryan didn't nag about selling the ring for no reason, however, they needed to move and find someone who knew about the exit gate of this place.
"Please follow me, anyway, we owe you for saving our territory. Be my guest for food."
The man guided them to his house, this one hopefully seemed to be real. The man unlocked the door and went inside.
"Flora, we have guests, please prepare the food."
"We will have the food after drawings."
The girl came out of the kitchen, she was too young, not more than fifteen but had a cute face.
"Welcome father."
"Thank you, daughter, did you see the sky? These men killed the witch, Flora."
"I am the more grateful one, it was hard for a painter like me not to know what color the real world was."
She pointed to the egg in her hand.
"Can you do us a favor?"
"Sure, anything."
"We need two drawings."
She nodded and went to a room.
"Please have your seat until I bring my brushes."
The girl brought her stuff and for a moment, she was looking at the colors, it was going to be her first challenge to draw with these colors.
"Tell me what do you want me to draw."
"Our wives!"
Wilmore started and it brought a soft smile to Flora's face.
"Describe them to me, I'll do my best to draw them perfectly."
The two handsome men began to describe their wives and she drew the brush into the watercolors and followed what they illustrated in her mind.
In the end, she was done with her drawings and handed them the papers after two hours.
"Gods! This is fantastic."
Ryan complimented, it was exactly how Saya looked, however, the whole time he was drawing her face into his mind to remember her.
"We can't thank you enough."
"If you killed the witch, please bring my brother back."
Her brother? It was the question that shaped their faces.
"Yes, she caught my son last year. And I was a coward that could not go after his son."
"We are sorry to hear it, but you could do nothing, once she spelled the prey, there was no way to rescue."
Ryan explained, he hardly could wake up and if it were not for Wilmore, he was now a wooden doll.