Princess of the Damned

by Dahlia Lu

  “Are you the new King?” The Eastern Princess asked.

  “I am Sayan. Our king awaits his guests inside.”

  “So you are the man who has been the talk of everyone in the recent years. Now that I’ve met you in person, you do not look as scary as I’ve previously thought.”

  “Rumors exaggerate, Princess.”

  “I find it strange that of all the things I’ve heard about you, they forgot to mention that you are a very handsome man.” She flashed a smile to reveal two rows of flawless white teeth. “I suppose a better quality is what you are known for. They say the battlefield is your playground.”

  He took the hand she offered and escorted her into the palace. His general took the liberty to escort the Western Princess.

  “War is not child’s play, Princess. Every soldier risks his life on the battlefield. I am no different.”

  “Then you are truly blessed by the gods to have survived so many.” She leaned in a little closer. “Secret between us, I’ve always been an admirer of your feats, although it is not seemly for a Princess to have an idol.”

  “I’m flattered.” Sayan let go of her hand when they had arrived in front of the throne room.

  “I must have a conversation with you, Prince Sayan.” The Western Prince requested.

  “My King awaits his guests. I cannot detain you any longer.”

  “It cannot wait.”

  “Then I am all ears.”

  “I must clear things up with you.” The Western Prince placed both hands on Sayan’s shoulders. It disturbed his wound, but the pain wasn’t severe enough for him to change his facial expression. “I sincerely ask that you return my bride-to-be. For the sake of our kingdoms, for the sake of our alliances, for the sake of… whatever is important to you, please return her to me.”

  Sayan leaned in closer so that his whisper could be heard. “Why would I return to you what was originally mine?” Sayan brushed the Western Prince’s hands off of his shoulders.

  “I thought I could reason with you.”

  Sayan clapped his hand together to signal for the servants to open the doors to the throne room. “My king is waiting for your audiences.”

  Chapter Nine

  “The king has taken a liking to the Eastern Princess, as expected. Although she is young, her tongue is awfully sharp. I would hate to see what she is like a few years from now.”

  The music stopped. The beautiful woman moved away from the harp and came to sit next to the General. He took her hand and kissed her.

  “It is rare to hear you talk about anything other than war tactics. Is this princess truly as beautiful as they say she is?”

  General Malin laughed at the question. “Are you jealous?”

  “Jealousy is taboo for a courtesan.” She replied dryly.

  The General nodded. “She’s very beautiful, but a woman like her is more trouble than what she is worth.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Although she is a princess, her kingdom is in a desperate state. Her citizens are dying on the streets from starvation, yet she parades herself with enough diamonds to feed half a kingdom. That woman gives me the chills. I pray Prince Sayan doesn’t fall for her theatrics.”

  “What does Prince Sayan have to do with this?” A confused expression chased away the smile her face. “She is after the King, is she not?”

  “I think she is throwing her net and seeing what she can pull in. Prince Sayan has a good head on his shoulders, so I am not that worried.”

  “I don’t know about that. Men are such fools when it comes to beautiful women.”

  “We are, aren’t we?”

  The image of the girl he met in the garden came to mind. He let out a long sigh. Men are truly fools when it comes to beautiful women. He didn’t know how long he stood there blank, but when he snapped out of it, there was already half an inch of snow on his armor. There was a strange beauty about those pale green eyes that captivated him.

  “We haven’t seen each other in a while, have we?” The North King placed a hand on the Western Prince’s shoulder. “We didn’t get a chance to talk at the court.”

  “I’m honored that you still remember me, your majesty. We were only children then.”

  “I have very few friends in my life, Ce.”

  “You have a brother now.”

  The King rolled his eyes. “Don’t speak of him. A killer like him, my brother? That’s hardly acceptable.”

  “By your speech, I take it that you two do not get along very well. When I heard news that your father adopted a son into the royal family, I was thrilled for you. By the way, have you received the gift I’ve sent?”

  “Gift?” The King curiously raised his left brow.

  “You mean you haven’t received it? I specifically requested Prince Sayan to deliver it to you. At the time, I thought I would not able to make this trip.”

  “As expected, that bastard probably kept it for himself. What was it that you sent?”

  “I’ve acquired a beautiful dancer. I’d thought of keeping her for myself, but my bride-to-be is a jealous type. Since I couldn’t keep her, I’d thought of you.”

  “Just a dancer?”

  “Not just any dancer, my King. You can search the world and wouldn’t be able to find anyone comparable to her. Ah, just let Prince Sayan have her. I saw that you were quite taken with the Eastern Princess.”

  “Even the Eastern Princess is not comparable to her?”

  “You must be the judge of that, but I doubt Prince Sayan would even let you see her. He would deny everything, of course. He wants to keep her all to himself.”

  “That bastard!” The King shouted. “If he does not want me to see her, then I must!”

  The Western Prince smirked.

  Nora exhaled a long sigh and then switched her sitting position again. Her eyes stared blankly out of the window where the snow fell gently on the rooftop. She had come over to share tea from the Far East, but she was so absent minded that the tea in her hand had gone cold.

  “Is there something troubling you, Nora?” Nala asked.

  Nora let out another sigh. “Prince Sayan hasn’t visited me since he returned. I’ve asked the servants and they informed me he had been spending his nights at your place.”

  Nala frowned. “In my defense, we sleep in separate rooms.”

  “I cannot hope to compete with you, and now there are two more princesses aiming to win his heart. The rumor has it that they are both beautiful and they are explicitly offering themselves. Any man would yield to such temptation from two beautiful princesses.”

  “If it troubles you that much, then I may be able to help.” Nala turned her attention toward the door. “He’s coming here soon.”

  “Prince Sayan…” Nora hurriedly ran for the door. “I can’t let him see me here, or he will think that I came to bully you. I will see you another time, farewell.”

  Nala poured another cup of tea and before she could put the pot down, he was already by the door. She placed the teacup on the table in front of the chair in which she knew that he would sit.

  “Nora brought me some tea, but she just dashed off. She thought that you would assume she came to bully me. That girl is very concerned about what you think of her.”

  “Who could bully you, Nala?”

  She smiled. “I didn’t have the time to tell her that. Here, have some tea.”

  “I came to talk to you about something else.” He snatched her hand and led her out of the door. “I have arranged a carriage to take you out of the city.”

  “Why all of a sudden?” She asked curiously. “I remember we had a fight about it, and you were keen on keeping me here.”

  “The situation has changed. The King had personally requested that you dance for him during the feast celebrating his accession to the throne.”

  She pulled back her hand and they both paused in the middle of the courtyard. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “You’re a fool if you c
an’t see where this is going.” He snatched her hand again, but she refused.

  “Explain to me where this is going.”

  He closed in the gap between them and lifted up her chin. “What man wouldn’t lust after you?”

  “What is so strange about that? I am a dancer. Men are supposed to lust after me.”

  “Why did we have to become fugitives eight years ago?”

  She lowered her eyes. “Where are you sending me?”

  “My prince!” General Malin ran toward them. “His majesty has ordered his men to surround your palace. No one is to leave the premises until the day you depart to the border.”

  “Something isn’t right…” Sayan spent a minute to think. “How does the King even know that Nala is here in the first place? Someone is pulling the strings, but what is the purpose of it all?” He stared into Nala’s pale green eyes. “Someone is trying to make the King and I turn against each other. I can’t think of anyone else who have this kind of motive, except the Western Prince.”

  The General turned his body to the side to avoid looking at her. “If we refuse the King’s request, we will all be executed for treason.”

  Nala tugged on Sayan’s sleeve. “The Western Prince is here?”

  “He is probably the one who staged this. He wants revenge for me stealing his bride-to-be.”

  “I can’t blame him for wanting revenge. You did steal me while he was away.”

  “You can’t possibly want to marry him.”

  “I did accept his proposal.”

  “Why did you?” He shouted at her.

  “I’m getting old and if I have no one I want to marry, I might as well marry a Prince!”

  “You! I never thought you were this kind of person!”

  “Is it wrong of me to want what every other woman wants? Is it criminal of me to want a husband and children of my own?”

  “So, to you, any man would do as long as he has a crown on his head? Fine, then marry that coward of a King! He would salivate over the ground you walk on!”

  “Don’t shout at me, brat!”

  He gritted his teeth. “Brat? Do you know how old I am? I am a grown man or should I dispute it with you in your bed?”

  The burning sensation returned to her face again. She was not angry with what he had said, but she didn’t know why she had slapped him across the face. By the time she realized what she had done, she had already left her handprint on his face.

  She had never hit him before.

  She couldn’t bring herself to apologize either. She just wanted to run back to her room for the privacy she desperately needed.

  Sayan stood in front of Nala’s room.

  He had been standing there for a while now, but hadn’t decided if he should go in. When he remembered what happened earlier today, he muttered to himself a curse. Amidst the argument, he had forgotten that his general was still standing next to him. He shouldn’t have said the things he did, especially in front of a third person. Even though Malin is someone he trusts, it should not have been an exception. People will judge her character by the things he said.

  He knew that Nala knew that he had been standing in front of her room. Her senses had always been sharper than an average person, yet she remained silent and didn’t invite him in.

  He went in anyway.

  “Get out,” she said quietly. She sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around her knees. It was the first time he’d seen her that way.

  “I shouldn’t have blurted those things out in front of Malin. I will only apologize for that. I will take responsibility for everything I’ve said.”

  “Just get out, please.”

  “You could slap me a few more time if it will appease to your anger.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not going to hit you, just get out.”

  “This is my palace, I will go come and go as I choose!”

  “Fine, then I will go!”

  He stopped her and pinned her down on the bed. She turned her head to the side so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

  “Can we talk nicely, please? We have done nothing but argue since we reunited. We never argued like this before.”

  “That’s because you have changed too much.”

  “Of course I’ve changed! I’ve been through too many obstacles to stay the way I was! The past eight years were nothing more than a pit of quicksand. I had to struggle and fight and force myself to get stronger to just keep my head above the sand. I’ve made countless enemies. Even people who aren’t my enemies want nothing more than to watch me drown, because I am a threat.” He let go of her and sat up. He removed his armor and pulled his tunic over his head. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his abdomen.

  “No!” She protested the touch.

  “Feel them. These are the scars I’ve earned over the years.”

  Her hand shyly traced the lines of raised flesh. Why didn’t she notice them before? He slowly turned around and pulled his long black hair to the front of his shoulder to show her his back. There were many raised lines, but these were different than the ones in front. They were lash marks.

  “They look…painful…” She ran her hands over them. “How did you get these?”

  “I will not tell you the details, Nala.” He sighed. “How did we get here again? I know I didn’t come to show you my scars.”

  “You wanted us…to talk nicely.”

  “Ah yes,” Sayan reached for his tunic and put it on again. “It seems that your performance is unavoidable. I’ve thought about switching another in your place, but the Western Prince will surely expose my plan. Since the King had intentions of marrying the Eastern Princess, you will probably end up as a concubine. If you still want to become the wife of the Western Prince, it may save you from the life of a concubine. The king will not risk war with another kingdom for a dancer, especially when his position is still on shaky ground. He will, however, use this opportunity to cut off my head.”

  “There is another way…” she cut off her sentence. “Sayan, have I ever asked for a favor from you?”

  “I wished you had.”

  “Promise me that you would do whatever I ask first.”

  He searched her eyes for an explanation on her sudden strange behavior. “Tell me what you intend to do.”

  “There is a way to save both of us, but you must…”

  “I must what?”

  She leaned over and whispered into his ear.

  “No!” He protested. “No! Even a dog will not bite the hand that feeds him!”

  “Have you forgotten?” She pulled out the dagger at his side and ran it though her palm. Crimson blood dripped onto the linen. The wound instantly healed. “I am immortal.”

  “I still can’t do it…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If you really die, then what would I do?”

  “It is the only thing I will ever ask of you. Please save me. I don’t want a man who only wants me solely for my appearance. I don’t want to be a property. I’d rather hurt once than be tormented a lifetime.”

  “It is an order?”

  “It is.”

  Chapter Ten

  She may have lied a little about not wanting a man who wants her solely for her appearance, because she never truly cared about whom she would marry. Men were all the same to her. Poor, wealthy, handsome, or ugly, there is no difference between them. They were people. They were human.

  She had always thought that she had some sort of disease that made her indifferent to the opposite sex, but it turned out that the only disease she carried was her immortality. She could be attracted to men after all. That meant there was still hope for her finding love. It was the only thing the other dancing girls ever talked about, besides clothing and jewelry.

  Her emotions spiked a little too much recently. It had always been contained and kept at a minimum. Ever since that strange man fished her out of the river, she felt things differently. It was like waking up from a dream to the real world. Or maybe leaving the real w
orld and entering a dream. She didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t know which reality to believe anymore.

  Droplets of his platinum hair dripped on her cheeks. His clear blue eyes were worlds of their own.

  A severe pain in her chest made her flop onto the pillows. The pain was throbbing as if her heart was being bound by thorns and bleeding inside her chest. She had never been ill before. She had never even had a cold. After the pain subsided, all she felt was fear. She didn’t know what she was afraid of. It was like sitting in the dark and fearing darkness itself.

  She heard her name being called repeatedly, as if it was a prayer. When she opened her eyes again, Sayan’s dark brown eyes were staring at her with concern. He shook her gently until he was sure she could hear his voice.

  “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

  She rarely ever slept, and if she ever did, it was not out of necessity. Most of the times she just wanted time to fly by faster. She could sleep for days or even months if she chose to. Why did she not realize that she was not normal until now?

  Immortality was definitely abnormal.

  She was more afraid of her past than curious of it. For all she knew, she may not even be human.

  “Nala, listen to me! Can you hear me?”

  Her eyes looked directly into his.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No…” She replied. Not anymore.

  He sat up right again. “When did I…fall asleep?”

  “I was telling you about the second year, after I had left the Black City. My story probably bored you to sleep.”

  “I wasn’t bored. I think I was just very tired. Tell me again?”

  “Maybe another time…I don’t feel very well today.”

  “Should I summon the physician?”