Once Upon A [Stolen] Time (Stolen Series Book 1)

by Ahsan, Samreen

  “Please come down to the Great Hall.” Her voice trembled in fear. My heart was racing like a runaway horse. I didn’t want to think about anything bad right now.

  “Edward…” Veronica started crying. I grabbed her shoulders and steadied her.

  “Don’t worry, V.” I rubbed her arms. “Let’s go and check.” I held her hand tightly and we ran toward the Hall.

  From the stairway landing, I saw almost the entire village gathered. Don’t they have anything to do besides gathering at our castle? Why do they always come for a show?

  Everyone had to witness it when King Stefan decided to punish someone. Oh, no! Not poor Emma. I kept a firm grip on Veronica’s hand and pushed through the crowd.

  Heather, the baker’s sister and Emma’s widowed aunt, was standing in the Great Hall. Her twin children of Emma’s age and Emma were hugging her tightly. They looked scared by Stefan’s deadly demeanor.

  “Emma!” Veronica screamed as soon as she saw her daughter.

  “Mother!” The little girl left her aunt’s embrace and rushed toward her mother. Stefan grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her toward him.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going, girl?” he warned her in an edgy tone.

  “Father, please…” Veronica left my grip and ran toward her daughter. “Please leave her alone. What has she done?”

  He raised his hand to stop Veronica. “Stop where you are, or else I will slaughter her.” Everyone was quiet, watching Stefan. I took a step toward Emma, so he continued, “Stop, both of you. I’m not going to warn you again.”

  “May I know what the poor child has done?” I asked him furiously.

  He looked at me in disgust, and then to the crowd. “I will not spare anyone…anyone who would break the rules. Be it my daughter or her illegitimate child—”

  “I married John…I took vows with him, King Stefan. She is not an illegitimate child,” Veronica yelled. I had never heard this tone from her. Perhaps this was the mother that was speaking, and not the meek lover.

  “Hold your tongue or else I will slice her throat.” He took out a big knife and placed it against Emma’s tender throat. The poor child started crying and looked at me for help.

  I balled my fists to control the agony. I couldn’t watch this inhuman behavior, so I burst out in rage, “If you touch her, Stefan…I will not spare you.” I took a step. The crowd, including Veronica, looked at me in shock. “And that’s a promise.” I assured him solemnly. Our gazes locked. He was reading me—the way he always did. He knew this time I was not faking it. I meant every word. “I will not think for a second about the fact that you’re my father.” I took steps slowly.

  “Defying King Stefan?” One man in the crowd raised his voice. The crowd started murmuring, talking to each other. I didn’t care. Stefan still watched me.

  “What has she done to deserve your hatred?” Veronica yelled.

  Stefan looked away and faced the crowd. His knife was still at Emma’s throat. The poor child was afraid to move or breathe.

  “I set the rule for this child to stay in this castle, and today I learned that she’s been visiting the baker’s family for years. Lie after lie—every day under my nose?” He looked back to Veronica. Rage and hatred were emanating from his eyes.

  “Punish me, then!” Veronica came forward. “I was the one who sent her to her aunt because she deserves to see her family.” There was equal rage in her voice. “Punish me, King Stefan, and leave my child alone.”

  He studied Veronica through his piercing deadly brown eyes. They always looked red to me when he was enraged. The demon took him over; maybe he was a demon in the disguise of a king.

  I grabbed Veronica’s arm to stop her from moving forward. “I was the one who took her every day, King Stefan. My sister never left this castle.” Stefan was now looking at me. The crowd still murmured. This was a big drama for them to witness, after the baker’s death. I turned and faced the crowd. “I, Edward Hue, went against my father’s rule and took my niece every day to meet her aunt because she deserves happiness in her life.” I looked back to Stefan. I was not scared of him anymore. I was ready for any punishment he would give me to save this child. “She doesn’t deserve your hatred, King Stefan.”

  Stefan widened his eyes, anger welling up in his look.

  “Leave the child alone and I will surrender myself,” I announced. “I was the one who took this child so I should be the ONLY one punished, King Stefan.” I walked slowly toward him. His stare was still holding mine—like he would kill me with his look any moment. I was still not afraid of him.

  For the very first time, I didn’t fear King Stefan’s punishment, because it would fall only on me and no one else would have to suffer. I pulled Emma from his lethal hold and took her into my embrace. Veronica rushed toward us and hugged her daughter.

  “All right then,” Stefan announced. “Since Edward Hue came forward and admitted to the crime and held himself responsible for the sin, he shall be punished.”

  I took one more step and readied myself for anything that was written in my fate.

  “His punishment will not be physical torture,” Stefan announced. “The punishment comes with the teaching of becoming a strong king.”

  I held my breath. This didn’t sound good. Veronica held my hand tightly. We waited for his decision.

  “You have two options, Edward Hue.” He looked at me. “First…” he raised his finger. “You either punish your sister with your own hands for breaking the rules…” My grip on Veronica’s hand became tighter. I didn’t want to listen to the other one. I knew how far he could go. “Or you will punish the child.”

  The crowd started whispering again.

  “Be it the common people, or my own children—I will not spare anyone who’d break the rules.” He looked at the crowd.

  “What if I don’t agree to do any of it?” I asked, angered.

  He gave me his devilish grin. “Then this child of yours will not see tomorrow.” He paused. “And that is a promise, Edward Hue.”

  “No.” Veronica started crying and embraced Emma tightly so no one could take her away.

  King Stefan had chosen mental torture for my punishment. He knew my body was strong enough to handle any physical pain—but this, hurting my sister or her child with my own hands, would break me and kill the last glinting hope of life I had in my heart. This was his method of making me snap—no emotions left—no love would remain in my heart—just like him. I would become like him—heart made of ice so no one could ever come close to me to warm it. I’d then marry a woman with no love burning in me, and would dispose of her when I no longer needed her in my life. He never wanted me to experience love from a woman. That was his plan.

  He walked toward me and almost whispered, so no one could hear. “I know how desperately you want to hear the secrets of this castle and the curse of the Hue family.” I looked at him in the eye. “Finish your task and you will learn all the secrets by becoming worthy to be a king.” His tone was loud enough for Veronica to hear.

  He faced the crowd again. “Edward Hue has five minutes to choose an option.” He looked at Veronica with hatred. He had never loved his daughter because he never wished for a daughter. Veronica was the first girl born in Hue castle. According to Stefan, she brought a jinx with her existence. “We do not need traitors in our family.”

  I remained quiet—trying to think what other options I had. But I knew King Stefan. If I didn’t pick one of his options, then he would stick to his word and would kill the poor child. Emma and Veronica were equally important to me. I couldn’t pick anyone to torture. It was like giving away my only lifeline.

  “Edward…” Veronica grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at her. “Look at me.” She sniffed. “I want Emma to live.” I was not looking at her at all. I had turned into stone because Stefan had taken the last breath from me. “Ed…please look at me. I know he will take Emma away if you don’t listen to him. I want my daughter to live. I kno
w you’ll take care of her well. I know she will be happy with you being the protective father she never had.” She grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard. “Ed…talk to me…say something, brother.” I finally looked at her. “Promise me you won’t ever let anyone hurt Emma.” She started weeping and hugged me tightly. “It won’t hurt, Ed. I promise I will make it easy for you.” Her tears fell on my shoulders and tore me apart.

  Every teardrop from her eyes was shredding my existence. She backed off and knelt down in front of Emma. “Mother will always love you, baby.” She kissed her forehead, but kept weeping. She got up and took Emma to her aunt. “Take care of her while we settle our issues.” She glanced at me. “He will need some time to heal on his own. He will come back one day for Emma.” She wiped her tears. “I don’t want Emma to see all this.”

  Emma loosened Veronica’s grip from her hand and ran toward me. She pulled my shirt to grab my attention. I looked at her. “Are you going to kill my mother to save me?” Her question stabbed my heart. Something clicked in me. King Stefan had finally won by breaking me in two. One half would be buried with Veronica and one cruel half would remain with me forever. “Uncle Edward…answer me!” She pulled at me again.

  I moved away from her and turned around, giving her the cold shoulder. Veronica knew I would never answer this question so she took Emma back to her aunt. “Keep her safe till he comes back for her.” She caressed her daughter. “Please go now.” The baker’s sister took Emma and her own children and disappeared instantly from the crowd.

  Veronica came back to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. My back was to her—I was incapable of looking into her eyes. “You have to become king and protect my daughter, Ed. You will bring love to this castle. You will end the curse for the next generation.”

  End the curse? Did she think killing her would end the curse?

  “So…” I heard Stefan’s thunderous voice. “If the melodrama is over, shall we proceed, Edward?” His voice was loud but it didn’t touch my heart at all, because my heart left my body when Veronica begged me to punish her. She promised me she’d make it easy on me. She didn’t realize what she was taking away with her. She was taking my soul with her and after her…I would be just a breathing corpse.

  Time was not frozen for me anymore—a complaint that I’d had for years. It melted and turned the page for a new chapter in my life.

  “Lust and greed are more gullible than innocence.”

  Mason Cooley

  CHAPTER 7

  MYRA

  APRIL 2015

  Standing in front of the haunted mirror gave me déjà vu. There was something deep behind the black screen that was not visible to the naked eye. Standing in front of it, I felt my breath growing shallow. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be seeing. What if the man I saw was King David, who lived in this castle, and what if Julia was right and that wasn’t me in the reflection? Could she be Jasmine? Was it possible that I could look like her? I’d never believed in reincarnation, so if that proved to be true then what would it mean?

  I turned around and looked back to my friends, who were waiting for my decision. “I want to know what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

  They all remained quiet. Perhaps no one had the answer yet.

  “I think the mirror keeps changing the image every time you see it,” Julia replied.

  “I don’t get you.” I knitted my eyebrows in concern.

  “The first time you looked into it, you said it was just you in the mirror.” She paused. “Then next time you noticed a man standing behind the bride, who looks just like King David, according to the portraits.”

  “I can’t forget his face. I know he is David. Same eyes as mine—I couldn’t mistake it.”

  “What if it’s not David?” she asked. “What if he was Edward?”

  I took a deep breath. I was nervous and shaky, not wanting to look back again. She was confusing me now. Earlier I wasn’t afraid, but now after what Julia said, I didn’t know what this mirror would show me.

  “You know what?” Tyler interrupted. “If she doesn’t wanna look into it, that’s okay. We came here to film the castle, not solve the mystery.”

  “Wouldn’t it be great if we could solve the mystery that no one has been able to solve all these years?” Steve asked.

  “Yeah? To gain what, dude? The queen will call you and give you a crown or something? What if unlocking the mystery comes with risking our lives?” Tyler was yelling.

  Steve shook his head in amusement. He was not afraid of anything. Right now the only thing that mattered to him was his game concept, and I believed I was his concept. He wanted me to explore the mysteries through my previously unknown and undiscovered powers—to look past the mirror.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know, Myra, if that king was looking at you or some queen in the past?” Steve tempted me. He knew I would dare to do anything that could give me an adrenaline rush. He took a step toward me. “What if that man was looking at you? Wouldn’t you like to find that out?”

  “You’re a sinner, dude.” Tyler chuckled. Steve had just hit a sensitive nerve. He knew I would cross any boundary to talk to a king personally.

  I turned around and took a deep breath. I walked closer to the mirror, closed my hands around my temples and focused to look past it.

  After watching for a minute, I jerked back with a sudden bolt. Steve was right behind me to hold me tight. My face was completely flushed with fear. “He’s been flogged.” Tears clouded my eyes. I had never seen a man so brutally tortured in real life. His entire chest was welted cruelly and he stared back at me with rage, but I felt he wanted to talk to me. I could see blood in his eyes. They were grey but there was death in them. “His chest is dripping blood from open wounds. He’s hurt badly. Someone needs to heal him.” I didn’t know who he was, but I could feel his pain. “He needs help, Steve.”

  “Calm down.” Steve pulled me into his embrace and rubbed my back. I was shivering badly. “The man has been dead many hundreds of years. You don’t need to worry about him.”

  “This is getting more mysterious,” Julia added. “I don’t know what to say. King David had no enemies. Why would anyone flog him?”

  “Wouldn’t it be much easier if we took off this black screen and let Myra see it properly?” Tyler suggested.

  Silence crept up on us. He made a good point, though. It would make it much simpler if I could just see it without focusing so hard.

  “I don’t know if we can do that or not.” Julia walked toward the mirror and examined it. “It’s some sort of permanent sticker.”

  “I still think it can be taken off,” Tyler insisted.

  “I felt like he wanted to talk.” I composed myself and looked at my friends.

  “But you said you only saw still images,” Steve pointed out.

  “Yeah but this one…he had something to say…I have to see what he wants,” I almost whispered.

  “Are you sure you want to find out?” Julia asked in concern.

  I nodded and faced the mirror, preparing myself to stay calm. After all, he couldn’t come out of the mirror and hurt me. I didn’t have to be scared. I took a deep breath again and focused, looking past the mirror.

  The man was breathing hard. I was right. It was not a still picture. His chest moved as he breathed. He walked to the mirror, rested his forehead on it and looked straight into my eyes. I was able to feel his warm breath on me. My own breath caught in surprise that I could feel him, but I stayed there, eager to find out about this man. He had intrigued me the first time I’d seen him watching me—the bride—in the reflection. I wanted to be a part of his life, even if it was just through the mirror, which was only capable of showing things six hundred years old or more.

  Our gazes held with an invisible rope of passion. There was death in those steely eyes, but there was also life. “Come out and talk to me,” he said, looking straight at me.

  Shit! He can see me?

  I jerked back a
nd tried to regain my breath. I was having cold sweats because I had never experienced anything like this before. I had the power to see into this magical mirror without any hindrance, and the man inside was capable of communicating with me—a man who existed over six hundred years ago.

  His voice held passion and an amorous need for me. I could feel how much he wanted or desired me—the way he looked into my eyes. His voice set my body on fire and I wanted to feel more of him. I was on the cusp of losing myself in his need. No one had ever desired me like this.

  "Myra?" I felt Steve's hand on my shoulder. I guess he knew I was seeing something different this time.

  "He just talked to me." I looked at everyone. They were in deep shock. “He wants me to come out and meet him." I turned around and touched the mirror's frame, reading the carved text.

  My fingers grazed the text in gold. "This is not an ordinary mirror that showed only black hideous beasts to the Hue family." I paused. They were all listening to me intently. "It’s a window to a past century, and I have the power to see it."

  I had finally found a reason to move on. The man in the mirror gave me the strength to risk anything. None of them said anything; they were still looking at me in shock.

  "He needs me." I gestured toward the mirror. "I don't know who he is, but I know he needs me."

  Julia sighed and looked at me. "Are you sure he spoke to you? Because last time when you said you saw a bride's reflection that looked at you, she was not looking at you but watching her own reflection." Her point was valid.

  "Is he the same man who you saw previously with the bride?” Steve asked.

  I nodded without saying anything. I wanted to look again.

  This time I had decided to hear more of what he had to say. What if I said something? Would he hear me?

  I placed my forehead on the mirror just like he did earlier. In a blink, I was again able to see him. His forehead was glued to the mirror and I could feel the warmth of it on mine. He didn't say anything. His lustrous gaze was waiting for me to return. He just stared into my eyes with deep desire that was burning equally in me. He lifted his hand and rested his palm on the mirror. I did the same, and our hands touched for the first time. He jerked back, taking his hand off of the mirror. I guess he wasn't expecting that I could touch him through the mirror. I stayed there, although I did hear Steve calling my name in concern. Perhaps for them I was lost in some other world. Either my soul was capable of time travel, or this mirror had the power to join the past with the present.