Princess of the Damned

by Dahlia Lu

  The beast dashed off the cliff and into the cover of darkness. It is only a matter of time before he attacked again. His soldiers were in disarray and his commands had little effect on them. They were frightened out of their senses.

  “Calm yourselves! He is nothing more than a man!”

  “The beast will come and kill us all!” The soldiers cried. “The beast will come and eat our corpses!”

  “Silence, all of you!” Ce needed quietness to think. If his predictions were correct, then they would be safe from the attack at sunrise. Sayan is alone and will only come out with the aid of darkness. Once sunlight hit the mountainside, he would regroup his soldiers and come up with an offensive tactic. They would be more prepared at the next sundown.

  He would have Sayan’s head on a stake!

  Chapter Eighteen

  “How did you get in here?”

  Nala swung around immediately when she saw the King’s image in her mirror. He was standing by the entry with a lewd expression on his face. His eyes run up and down her body and then settled on her face. He took a step forward and she flinched back.

  “So that woman didn’t lie to me! You are alive! Even though the color of your hair is different, I could never forget a face like that.” He reached for her face and she backed away further, until the back of her head hit the mirror behind her. “Sayan tricked me and wanted to keep you all to himself.”

  Nala could not think of the right thing to do. She knew she could easily kill him with her strength, but if she killed him, Sayan will be blamed for it. He would be known as a traitor and usurper of the throne. Even if he became a king, he would be frowned upon by his people.

  The King pulled the tunic over his head.

  Her only option was to run. Nala made a run for the door, but he caught her by the shoulder and slammed her back against the mirror. The impact indented the mirror and caused her to bleed. He grabbed hold of her jaw, jerked her head up, and forced his tongue into her mouth.

  It felt disgusting.

  Nala pushed him away from her, but she was careful not to use too much strength. She made a run for the door again and paused when a row of spears were pointing at her throat. The King’s soldiers were outside the room.

  Should she kill them?

  Nala became frustrated with her thoughts. Was she so used to killing in the past that the question came naturally to her? It should have not been the first question that jumped into her mind. Her body jumped when he embraced her from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. He breathed in her scent.

  “Intoxicating…”

  Nala elbowed him and run for the doors again. She will take her chances with the soldiers. She ducked when they attacked and snatched a spear from one of the soldiers. She jabbed one of them in the rib to show them all that she was serious.

  “Get out of my way!” She shouted at them. They didn’t look intimidated at all. After all, she was just a little woman with a weapon.

  “You are too energetic.” The King kicked her from behind and she fell forward. The soldiers stepped on her to hold her down, forced her arms to her back, and then chained her wrists together. They threw her back into the room and closed the door.

  The King arched his body over her and run his hand down her waist. “I couldn’t forget about you since that day when I first saw you.” He whispered into her ear. “When I heard that you were still alive, I knew I must have you.”

  “I am warning you for the last time, Your Majesty. If you force me against my will…”

  “You will what? Bite your tongue?” The King chuckled mockingly. “By all means, go ahead. That won’t stop me from doing anything. I must have you, even if it is just a beautiful corpse.”

  He’s nauseating. “Why would I do a thing like that?”

  “Now you are catching on. Be mine willingly and maybe someday I will make you my queen. There is no future with Sayan. He is probably already dead by now.”

  “You have never acknowledged him as a brother, have you?”

  “I am an only child.”

  “Does it not matter to you that he is risking his life right now to save you and your kingdom?”

  “By the gods, he is actually useful for something! I sent that idiot out to die and he managed to stall the Red Army for three days. He bought me more time. Once Malin and the reinforcements get here, my crown is secured. No more talk now.” He untied the belt at her waist and separated the fabric of her gown. His eyes held her hungrily as he placed his hand over her full breast.

  “I’ve changed my mind now.” Nala said. “I will kill you after all.”

  The servants looked as if they were staring at death in the eyes.

  Sayan walked down the hallway and left a trail of blood behind him. He tried to keep his back straight when he walked to mask the obvious limping in his left leg. His armor had been torn and there were cuts and bruises everywhere he could think of. His muscles and joints were killing him with aches, but now they had turned numb. He just wanted to make it back to his chamber and rest.

  He hadn’t slept for three nights and his body was about to give up on him. His pride wouldn’t allow him to be carried or helped back to his room.

  “Your highness!” The soldier accompanying him called out to him when his right knee gave out on him and forced his shoulder to hit the wall.

  Sayan brushed the soldier aside and refused his help.

  “You highness, you must not push yourself!” The soldier advised. “Please allow me to help you to your room.”

  “I left for battle alone, so it only makes sense that I return to my room alone.”

  The soldier gasped and then lowered his head with guilt.

  Sayan should not have taken it out on the soldier. He felt far too irritated right now to be taking anyone’s advice. He just wanted to see Nala and he wanted to sleep.

  Sayan paused when he saw soldiers standing in front of Nala’s bedchamber. He heard her screaming.

  “Help me please!” She cried. “Somebody please help me! Get off of me! Somebody please help me!” She screamed out again. “Get away!”

  The look of death was on their faces when they saw him. Sayan unsheathed his blade and ran through the soldiers. He swung his blade again and again until he was the only one left standing. He kicked the door opened.

  Nala was on top of the half-dressed King with a dagger in one hand while covering the king’s mouth with the other. Her gown was undone. There were metal cuffs at her wrists, but the chain had been broken. Sayan didn’t need to do any guessing to know what had happened.

  “Nala!” Sayan snatched the dagger from her hand. It was a good thing that she had been hesitating on whether or not she should kill him, or else the King would have been long dead.

  “Sayan!” She turned to face him, with tears stream down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck immediately.

  “Guards! Guards! Kill the traitors!” The King shouted out when Nala lets go of his mouth.

  Sayan used the dagger he just took from her and slit the King’s throat in a quick motion. The King reached out to him while blood poured out of the veins in his neck.

  “Sayan, why did you kill him?” Nala gasped. “What have you done? I should have been the one to kill him, not you! It was going to look like an accident! Why did you get involved?”

  “Shhh!” He held her face with both of his hands to stop her from talking. “Nala, Listen to me! I am so glad that you didn’t kill him. I never want your hands to be stained with blood. Damnation has a hold of me, but I would never let it get to you. Not even a slight chance of it.” He let his hands fall to the sides and rested his head on her shoulder. “Let me sleep for a little bit.”

  A servant girl came by the door and looked in. She ran away screaming.

  “You smell really nice, Nala.”

  Nala ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. “Welcome back, Sayan.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sayan placed two hands on the meetin
g table and leaned forward. His eyes scanned the room like a hawk. None of the nobles dared to look at him in the eyes. No one even had the courage to keep their heads up. After he had single-handedly fought off fifty thousand soldiers and walked away alive, they didn’t even view him as human anymore.

  Sayan sneezed.

  The nobles dropped down to their knees.

  “Have you decided on my punishment, yet?” Sayan asked them collectively. “Lord Yasa?”

  The man looked like he nearly had a heart attack when his name was being called. “You are a hero, your highness! How can there possibly be a punishment? We could not thank you enough for protecting our kingdom! Now that we have the Western King hostage, his kingdom would soon fall into our hands.”

  The rest of the nobles followed in agreement.

  “I killed our king with this dagger.” Sayan said as he threw the dagger on the table. “The question should be how could I avoid punishment?”

  “T…the former king was an incompetent fool who lost four cities to the West and almost doomed us all. It was because of him that we lost so many soldiers. Justice is on your side, your highness!”

  “Do you all agree with Lord Yasa?” Sayan asked.

  No one dared to make a sound.

  Yasa raised his hands into the air and then bowed down to the ground. “Hail Your Majesty, King Sayan! You are our pride and glory!”

  “Hail Your Majesty, King Sayan!” The other nobles repeated.

  That went a lot better than he had expected and he had been expecting execution or something similar. They were still chanting that line after he exited the room.

  “What are you two doing?”

  Nala jerked back by surprise when she saw Sayan was standing by the door with this arm bent back to reach for his blade. Fai was leaning toward her in his human form. His mouth was against her neck. She could see how this could cause misunderstandings. She thought she had locked the door.

  “That’s enough, Fai.” Nala said. Fai detached himself from her and wiped off the blood trailing down the corner of his lips.

  Sayan stood still, as though he was trying to comprehend what he had just seen. He abandoned the instinct to reach for his blade and strode toward her. He pulled her up by the arm and examined her neck. There were bloodstains on it, but no trace of injury.

  “Out!” He shouted at Fai. “Get out!”

  “Go on, Fai.” Nala nodded

  Fai returned to his beast form and leaped out of the room, leaving the two of them were alone.

  “How long have you been doing this?” Sayan asked. The volume of his voice increased by each word. “How long have you been feeding that beast this way?!”

  “Sayan…your grip on my arm…” The discomfort made her pulled back.

  “Answer me!”

  “He only needs to feed after a battle to replenish his strength. Now, let go of me please.”

  Sayan released her and used that same hand to massage the bridge of his nose. “No more of this from now on, do you understand?”

  “It doesn’t hurt, Sayan, and the opening heals right away.”

  “It is not a matter of hurting or not. I forbid it. If I catch you again, I will make a warm coat out of that furball!”

  And they were just beginning to get along well. “Have the nobles decided on what to do with you yet? It is severe?”

  “On the contrary, they want me to be their king. Isn’t that ironic?”

  “Honestly?” She stared at him to look for any subtle hint of deception. She didn’t know why she did that, since Sayan had never lied to her before. Perhaps it was some kind of habit in her former self. “You are a King, Sayan?”

  “It doesn’t mean I will accept.”

  “Why not?”

  “I made an oath to my father that I would never attempt to usurp the throne from his son or future descendants. Becoming king after killing his son would mean just that. I cannot break my own oath.”

  “I don’t have an opinion on that, but Sayan, could I ask a favor from you?”

  “This is rare. What is it that you want, Nala?”

  How could she word this as to not make him angry? It wouldn’t matter if he got angry, anyway. “Could I ask you to spare Ce’s life?”

  “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.” Sayan let out a long sigh. “He is still a King, so he is more useful to me as a live hostage. I cannot release him, but I can arrange a decent place for him to stay.”

  “Could it be possible for me to see him?”

  “Is it because you still have feelings for him? I supposed that is expected. He is your lover of four years, after all.”

  “Ce is not my lover. He is my friend.”

  “Is there such a thing between a man and a woman? I know he doesn’t see you as a friend.”

  “What about you and me, Sayan?”

  “I am not your friend.” There was a subtle change in the coloring of his eyes. He turned around and headed toward the door. “Come, I will take you to him.”

  Ce stared up at the spider webs covering ceiling of his prison cell. The only bright side he could think of in this situation is that they didn’t lock him up along with the other prisoners like a common criminal.

  He thought about his plan of attack over and over in his head, but couldn’t find any flaw. His kingdom recruited a powerful army, but his father was always too reserved to do anything with it. He had spent years of planning and strategizing so that as soon as he came to power, he would lead his army to reunite Phasia. Everything had been working according to plan.

  He couldn’t have possibly lost to Sayan.

  He had sworn an oath to destroy Sayan even if he had to sacrifice his own life to do it. He could not forget and he could not forgive the day Sayan took the life of the only woman he had ever loved. The image of her bloodied body still lingered in his mind. The only thing he could look forward to now is the stream of sleep that would carry his mind to his subconscious world. Only in that place does she still exist.

  Ce closed his eyes and began to let his mind start drifting away. The scent of her was in the air. He heard footsteps coming toward him and then the sound of clanging chains. Ce opened his eyes again when he felt locks of hair falling on his cheeks.

  Her pale green eyes looked down at him and he smiled. Her dainty hand reached for his forehead, but he caught it and placed it on his lips.

  “You haven’t come to see me in a while,” he kissed her hand again. “I miss you.”

  He pulled her down to the ground next to him and then turned over so that he was on top of her. The chains were still binding his wrists together so he let it rest over her head. He dived down and kissed her hungrily. The softness of her lips felt so real.

  She pushed him back and then sprung up.

  “Don’t leave yet!” He circled his arms over her head and held her tightly in his chest. “I don’t want to wake up yet!”

  “You are not dreaming, Ce.” She spoke to him. She had never spoken in his dream before. “I’m still alive.”

  “You have no idea how much I wish for that to be true, but I saw you die with my own eyes. I see it over and over again in my head. You can only exist in my dreams now.”

  She leaned forward and bit his shoulder. It hurt and after she let go, it still stung. It was not a dream. She is still alive and she is in his arms.

  “But how…”

  “I faked my own death.” She replied truthfully. “How have you been, Ce?”

  A smile bloomed on his face, but it quickly withered away when he saw Sayan in the corner of his eyes. He turned around and it was indeed Sayan. He was standing in front of the prison cell with his arms folded together.

  “I can see the friendship you were bragging about, Nala.” Sayan said.

  Ce glared at Sayan. “There will be a day when I will kill you!”

  “You nearly did, but I won’t ever let you have that chance again. I need my life for something else.” His eyes went to Nala. “Now that yo
u see him alive and well, isn’t it about time we leave?”

  Nala slipped under Ce’s arms and walked toward Sayan. Ce caught her hand to stop her. “No, don’t go!”

  “You want her to stay in this prison cell with you for the rest of her life?”

  “Sayan, stop it!” Nala snapped at him.

  “She’s mine, Sayan! You’ve stolen her from me! If it weren’t for you, she would have been my wife.”

  “But she is not your wife, now is she?”

  Ce gritted his teeth. “You can have it all. You want my kingdom? Take it. But Nala is mine!”

  Sayan caught her other hand and pulled her away. “You are in no position to negotiate. Nala and your Kingdom, I will take them both.”

  “Nala…!”

  The soldiers closed the cell and locked it.

  Ce reached out to her through the bars. “Nala…! Nala! Damn you, Sayan! Nala…!”

  He could only watch her being escorted away.

  “One day, I will be the one tearing her away from your hands.” Ce said through gritted teeth. “I will take back everything that belongs to me!”

  Chapter Twenty

  Essa always hated wearing black. The fabric didn’t reflect the light to enhance her complexion. On the contrary, it was a sharp contrast to her powder white skin. If custom didn’t demand that she mourn for her husband, there would be no way of getting her into a black gown. It was such an awful color. How many more days must she wear this awful color?

  “Sayan should be at his coronation ceremony by now.” Essa said to her servant. “I think wearing black to such an occasion is offensive. I want to look my best today.”

  “I will help you get dressed, my queen.” The servant replied. “However, I must inform you that his majesty left the palace early in the morning.”

  “Where did he go? Will he miss his own coronation ceremony?”