Princess of the Damned (19 page)

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 you 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!”

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?”

“
He left with Lady Nala.” The servant replied. “I don’t think he had any intention of attending.”

“
Lady Nala? The girl is not even a noble! She’s just a lowly dancer! Why would you refer to her with that title?”

The servant mopped down to the floor. “Forgive me, my queen! His majesty thinks highly of her, so we cannot show her any disrespect. If one day she becomes queen…”

Essa frowned. “I have never heard of a queen with such low birth. The most she can ever hope to become is a concubine. Summon the guard captain for me.”

Essa picked up a comb and ran it through her silky hair. The servant returned quickly with the guard captain behind her. They both knelt in front of her.

“
How can I serve you, my queen?” The guard captain asked.

“
Where is his majesty?”

“
Your husband is…”

“
Not that louse!” Essa rolled her eyes. “Where is his majesty, King Sayan?”

“
Prince…I mean, his majesty has left this morning with Lady Nala,” the guard captain quickly replied.

“
I know that, but where are they going?”

“
He did not take any soldiers with him and he didn’t let us know where he was going.”

“
His majesty didn’t take any soldiers with him? How careless of you, guard captain. Who would protect him? Next time, don’t let him head off alone. I want to know where his majesty is anytime of the day. You are dismissed.”

The guard captain looked at her with a confused expression before exiting the queen’s chamber.

“
My queen, forgive this servant for speaking out of term. Why are you so concerned with his majesty? I thought you would resent him for killing your husband.”

Essa shivered at the thought of her husband. “How could I love a man who is almost old enough to be my father? Adding to that, he was lecherous and stupid. Sayan will be twenty four this year. He is handsome, daring, and quick-witted. He is a much better match for me.”

Nala would never
forget that day.

She still vividly remembered the salty breeze of the ocean and the calling of the seagulls soaring above in the open sky. She could still feel the sands, the seashell fragments, and the cold waves at her feet. The warm sunlight was heating up her skin and the wind was picking up her hair. She had never been to the ocean before and she had always wondered what it would be like.

Sayan did not wear his armor that day, nor was he in noble’s clothing. If she did not know that he was a prince, she could never have guessed. He sat on the sand the entire day watching her and the playful waves. There was a light expression on his face as the wind swooshed through his hair. For some reason, he looked more his age that day.

The day ended far too early, but at least it ended beautifully. They watched the sun and the majestic red sky disappearing into the water. It was time to go back.

“
I wish I could live near the ocean.” Nala said as they were walking down a meadow filled with tiny purple flowers. It was too dark to see far ahead. “It feels like if I live near it, I can become a part of its beauty. It is a strange thought.”

“
We will stay here for the night,” Sayan said when they encountered a lone tree on the meadow. He tied the horse’s reign to the tree trunk and then spread a thick sheet of fabric on the grass. “Sit here while I start a fire.”

Nala took off her sandals and flopped onto the sheet. The thick grass added extra cushion. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the night sky. There were countless bright stars scattered across the blue and pale gold sky. From her point of view, the heavens seemed to be rotating behind the still mountains in the distance.

“
Sayan, this reminds me of the days we were still traveling with the caravan.”

After he had set the fire, he came to sit by her side. “You don’t say.”

“
How many years has it been?”

“
It has been fifteen years.” Sayan rested on his back. “It is still a little strange to me that you haven’t aged a day since I first met you. Maybe you will still look the same when I become an old man.”

“
There is a way to stop time for you, too.”

“
I overheard your conversation with Fai. If you are offering, then I decline.”

“
So you know about it.” Nala smiled at him. “Maybe there will be a day when I might force it on you.”

“
You mean when I am dying?”

She nodded. “I don’t want you to die, Sayan. Are you afraid that you would change?”

“
The only thing that would change is how you would see me.”

She blinked in confusion.

“
If immortality means that you will always question my sincerity then I don’t want it.”

Her heart was racing again. The look in his eyes made her feel weak. All she could focus on were his lips and how good it would feel if she could kiss him. She suddenly felt embarrassed when his eyes read her thoughts. Before she could shy away, he raised his head and kissed her.

She was tense at first, but she slowly relaxed her muscles. His kiss was both gentle and possessive. His tongue caressed her and led her closer to him. Her body felt hot. Her head was spinning. Passion was a tiny spark that burst into flame in a nest of dry tenders. Her heart ached to kiss him back, and when she did, he tore himself away from her.

“
I’ve crossed the line…” he said. She could feel his breath against her neck. “It was impulsive of me.”

“
I wanted you to kiss me,” she confessed.

“
Don’t say a thing like that now…” he said with uneven breath. “You can’t possibly know what that will lead to.”

“
I have always wanted you to kiss me.”

He stared at her lips with a painful expression. “We should not let a little physical attraction lead us any further.” He drew in a deep breath and then turned to the other side. “Go to sleep.”

Just as she was about to close her eyes, she was surprised by his sneeze. Sayan rarely got sick at all, so it is probably allergies to the flowers.

Sayan’s eyes flew
open when he felt a lick on his face. He immediately sat up and found himself among a herd of sheep grazing on the meadow. He pushed some of the sheep aside to look for Nala, but she was nowhere in sight. His first instinct told him to search for her but he felt dizzy as soon as he stood up. His entire body felt heavy as if he was made of lead.

“
Sayan!” Nala ran toward him and then shooed the sheep away. “Don’t get up yet, you have a fever!”

She helped him sit down with one hand, while the other hand tried to keep balance so that the water would not spill from the folded leaf. “Drink,” she said and then positioned the leaf to direct water into his mouth. “Are you hungry yet?”

He shook his head. “I just feel a little dizzy.”

“
The sun is coming up. If we stay out here, your condition will get worst. I remember there was a town near this place. How about we try to find a place to stay there?”

He nodded in agreement.

“
Can you still ride?”

“
I’m not near useless yet.” Sayan said. He got up again and untied the horse from the tree trunk. He mounted the horse first and then helped pull her up. “Do you remember how far it is from here? I did not pay attention when we were passing by.”

“
It is not far at all. There should be a stream at the end of the meadow and after we cross the meadow, there should be a road leading to town.”

It was exactly as Nala had depicted. It surprised him that she could remember this kind of detail in reverse. Then he remembered something important and he pulled the hood over her head as they were traveling down the road leading to town. He remembered the day that they were still traveling together with the caravan. Her appearance almost always got them into trouble.

They made it to a tavern at the outskirts of the town by noon. They could have found a better place than this to stay if they went further into town, but at that point, he didn’t really care as long as he could get a place to rest his aching head. There were many beggars sitting outside of the tavern with wandering eyes and inside the tavern was a roomful of rowdy men. Sayan kept Nala close to him as they approached the tavern keeper behind the bar.