Chapter 13: A Story

“Have you seen him?” asks a woman in a purple dress embroidered with rhinestones and bits of sparkling crystals.

“Who? The vampire prince?” replied her sister with long pearl-colored hair.

          Both have a book of the same cover in their arms, sitting on a wooden seat swing under an enormous mango tree.

“Magnus,” blurted the lady in a lilac dress wearing the most expensive smile on her face. She looks so happily confident mentioning that Guy’s name. “His name is Magnus. He talked to me, Afana! I-I still can’t believe he talked to me!”

          Her cheeks turned tomato and still the smile on her face retained and grew wider. Her expression was undoubtedly in love. She’s into that guy.

“A-And then… what did he say?”

          The woman with silver-like hair forced a smile and gradually slide her hands to her back, hiding the shaking from her sister. Her blue eyes twinkled as the rays of the sun struck her side. Her head raised and affixed her sight to the wide and gigantic mountains in front of them. She blinked simply multiple times, blocking crystals of water from escaping her eyes.

“He said he wanted to be friends with me. And even if it’s only a short time we spent talking to each other, Afana, I felt comfortable being with him. Not even a doubt,” she muttered with her voice screeching in joy.

          “That’s—” And again, the woman she called ‘Afana’ smiled splendidly at her. “That’s good to hear, Avanti.”

          Time stops running at the scene afore me and the place again changed from the mystique floral garden to a well-lighted mansion balcony where the total area of the garden and the view of the mountains were freely seen.

          There, the woman with strange silver hair was sitting and a canvas was placed in front of her. Her eyes keep on shifting from the scenery of the mountains and back to the nearly finished painting when a sudden movement causes the canvas to stumble down the floor together with the paints and brushes.

“You knew everything about this? That’s why you are comfortably sitting here, shuffling with these paints like there’s no commotion happening!”

          It was Avanti who kicked the painting away from its place, her eyes were filled with raging tears and her fists were crumpled and trembling in anger. Looking fiery at her sister who simply kneeled down on the floor and pick up the pieces of brushes lying on the spilled paint.

“Nothing was on my decision, Avanti. It was Father who set up the marriage,” Afana answered without looking at her sister.

“And yet you didn’t even convince him to pull that stupid marriage away. Why?” Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she furiously pointed her fingers at her sister. “Hah! Why am I even asking you this? I knew, we all knew you also have feelings for him! And this marriage alliance was the thing that would stick you to him. That is the reason you don’t want to protest!”

          Receiving those words, the silver-haired lady remained kneeling on the floor but her hands released the brushes she picked. I crossed my arms and leaned on the tree beside me while watching.

          Of a sudden, Avanti weakly hunched down on her knees and stretched out her hands trembling to reach Afana’s. “Why him? Y-You knew what he is to me, Afana. A-And you are my sister… W-Why h-him? Please choose someone else.”

          Avanti lowered her head until it reached her sister’s hands rested on the floor. But as soon as Avanti resumes her sentence, Afana quickly withdraw her hand and stood up quickly.

“I’m sorry.” Two words that emanated out of her mouth before she completely left the balcony, leaving her sister, Avanti, crying helplessly.

          And with that, the place again disappeared afore my eyes and another scene was opened.

“I don’t want to give you false hopes, Afana.”

          The trees turned chestnut carrot and along the path were dead twigs and leaves. Beside the silver-haired lady was a man. Which I can assume was the vampire prince judging from his black embroidered suit. The dragon crest that is only used by the royals of the vampire kingdom back in the past.

“False hopes?”

          The prince nodded and looked at the woman by his side. Her hair wasn’t tied and was freely dancing along with the mild blow of the wind. Lilac flowers surrounded her like a crown on her head and a pair of tiny diamonds was dangling on her ears.

“False hopes that—”

“Even if you do nothing, it’s sad that there’s no way to stop myself from hoping someday I can be the one engraved in your heart,” Afana smiled and darted a sweet glance on her hand between them held by the prince. “Until now it is her, right?”

          The prince looked stunned and frozen by what the woman had said. I think I could guess what part of history is this. Perhaps a year or maybe just a few months after their marriage.

“I-It was just a visit. I-I didn’t intend to—”

“Stop lying to me.” Afana raised her head and keeps her eyes straight to their path. “It’s good to hear you’re still together. How is she?”

          They continued walking under the autumn trees. But this time, the lady simply pulled her hand away from the prince and intertwined both of her hands on her back.

“She’s fine. But she’s still—”

“Mad at me,” the lady continued and the smile on her face flashed sadness. “I understand. I have a request for you, can I trust you?” she questioned without facing the man beside her.

“What is it?”

“Can I trust you?” she repeated, causing the prince to turn his head and face her. Silence reigned between them for more than ten minutes which she cut on her own. “This may sound simple but it means a lot to me. In a matter of years, a lot could happen and only you were the one I see that can give her the best she could have.”

“Avanti?” the prince cleared and the woman nodded in response.

“Be with her. Love her more than anyone else because that is what she wants and that is what she deserves. And when the time comes where I could no longer open my eyes, tell her how sorry I am.”

          Hearing those, the vampire prince again was stunned silent and all he was doing was stare at Afana. Minutes passed before he finally speak, “You are saying I should leave you and be with her instead.”

“That sounds better rather than saying you’re better off with her,” Afana chuckled and gradually crept her left hand on the crystal necklace around her neck carved with five tiny pearls.

“What do you want? Why don’t you just step down from your place and let her take over? You’re not pushing me away just because of your concern for your sister but of something else.”

“I want to stop the war, Magnus. I need you and this place beside you to fulfill that mission. Let me be your queen and that is all I’m asking from you.”

          Afana hurled a quick glance and a casual smile at the prince and advanced fast steps away from him but before she could disappear from his sight, the prince again spoke which causes her to pause.

“What about loving you?”

          I saw the woman’s lips open to say a word but I no longer heard what she said when darkness shut the scene. And the latter I opened my eyes, the painting that became my portal was the thing that first appeared afore my eyes before I heard Sydney’s voice.

“What was it?” she asked.

“Her past.”

“I know. What I mean is what happened there?” Sydney replied, with her head tilting sideways like she’s the greatest supervisor who must know every detail.

          My eyes shifted to her emotionlessly and simply moved my head pointing to the direction where the palace terrace was located. And the remaining time before the sun rises ticks enough to narrate the entire story I’ve seen.

“That’s it?” Sydney protested.

“I said she still uttered words but I didn’t hear them. Thanks to you who dragged me away from there,” I responded, rolling my eyes.

“For your information, I did nothing. I just called your name out. Whatever, my point is,” She raised her hand and crossed it with the other. “That the vampire prince may have feelings for his queen.”

“I thought so too. And if that’s true, then maybe it is the great reason why Laxon itches to reclaim the emblem.”

“What else? You said you got her memories when you stole the white wolf emblem.”

          My shoulders shrugged and rested my arms on the vine-covered rails supporting the terrace. “It was limited. The only memories I can see was the beginning and the end. Not those elaborate periods of her story. She’s someone who hides many secrets and daggers in her closet. What I want to find out was the connection between her and the white wolf emblem.”

          I saw Sydney lift a corner of her lip and looked at me with her narrow eyes. “And that is the real reason we’re here? Not to hide but to enter a den of fire!” she yelled and grabbed my neck like she was going to kill me. “There again your brilliance of double intention that’s getting us killed!”

          Before she could tighten her grip, I quickly moved and step a distance away from her. I darted a death glare and formed the usual smug smile. “It is never my fault that my brain thinks out of the box. Duh!”