Langrion blinked twice, but the vision of the angel did not fade away. She was still there, holding his left hand while she was fast asleep.
Did he sleep with this woman? How did he end up here? Honestly, he could not remember a thing. He had never been with any other woman before, so how can he not remember if something like this did happen?
The woman stirred a bit and she opened her eyes. Langrion looked back at the set of big brown eyes that he remembered so well from his dreams. They seem to be too lazy to open up, and she eventually fell back into sleep. In a few second however, reality must had sunk in to her, and the woman gasped as she let go of his hand and jumped to the far side of the cave.
Langrion immediately sat up, and as he did, the blanket fell down and revealed his ripped chest. The woman – no, it was more like a girl – despite her tanned skin, blushed into a deep crimson color. Langrion felt his ears getting hotter to
Langrion’s wounds ached with every step, but he was still able to outrun the girl. It was a no-brainer – he was taller and probably better-trained than the silver-haired girl that he rescued. It was amazing though how fast and quiet she could be with each step she took. He could see that she too may have had some training in the science of run and pursuit. She was definitely way too different from Lady Edelfina who would never be able to run a race even if meant saving her life. They can hear the bandits scramble about through the forest after them. ‘We would never be able to outrun them,‘ Langrion thought, ‘they are far too many!’ Langrion immediately tried his best to scan the woods and find a place to hide. Suddenly, they heard someone scream. It seemed to be one of their pursuers. If that was the case, someone or something must have been pursuing them too... Seeing a large tree nearby, Langrion pulled the gir
It was a sight to behold - Gascone’s mighty and revered Imperial Prince seemingly caught in a scandalous act with an unknown girl in the woods! Khailis wondered how good of a fodder this scenario would have been for the tavern gossipers. If she had not witnessed it first hand, she might never believe it, but here they were: Prince Langrion (or simply Langery – no need for formalities between them, after all) with a woman in his arms, all spent up from kissing – or maybe from even more than that! Khailis could not help but laugh out loud on her silly thoughts.Irritated, Langrion sighed exasperatedly towards her, “Uh, do you mind giving me a hand?”Khailis looked over at his majesty’s arms and saw the face of a young girl, perhaps the same age as Khailis herself, with long, silvery, flowing hair and a beautiful olive-tinged skin. The girl was completely unconscious, so Khailis wondered what could have happened to her. When Chibi and K
Several hours went by after Langrion, Chibi, and Khailis rejoined the prince’s official envoy, but Khailis was still deeply troubled. No matter how much she thought about his majesty’s ‘perfect plan’ in her mind, it still sounded all wrong. She tried to reason out with Langrion on the way back earlier, but it was no use. He looked very resolute in his idea of marrying the girl in the tree trunk. “Marry her? Are you crazy?! ” she exclaimed, but Langrey was not bothered even for a bit. “Why couldn’t I?” he replied with the matter-of-factly tone he uses when he is being obnoxiously stubborn. Khailis could not believe her ears. “Seriously, your highness! Do you even know this girl?!” “Well, that’s the least of my worries for now.” “Well, does she know about this grand plan of yours? Did she agree to this?” By the looks of the intensity and amount of screaming that took place inside the tree trunk earlier, Khailis did not think that t
Shia’s sleepy, droopy eyes were greeted by so much wet, lopsided kisses all at once, but her body felt far too weak to react. In any case, the kisses didn’t seem threatening at all; it was rather warm and comforting like a big, hot towel during a cold night, and she began to relax a little bit as more and more kisses were planted on her face.In a few more moments though, there was a bit of a commotion, and Shia heard someone drag away the thing that was warming her face.“Chibi!..” Shia heard a low exasperated voice said. “You big doofus! Your highness will catch us at this rate!”After sometime, and perhaps in an attempt to dry and tidy her up, Shia felt a soft cloth brush against her cheeks, and she swiftly caught the hand that held it.The owner, instead of yelping in surprise, sighed.“Very well,” she heard the female voice spoke in a low whisper once again, “you don’t need to grip my
“Be my wife,” he repeated the words again with an icy resolution in his voice.Any woman would have easily swooned over if they had heard of what he had said. Shia might have cried or laughed herself out if everything happened under normal circumstances, but none of these things were real. Everything that has happened to her since yesterday felt far too unreal to Shia.She let go of his hold against her right hand and pinched her own cheek as hard as she could. The pinched skin was far too painful that she gave a loud and sudden yell. That felt real! This must really be happening!As she rubbed her fingers against her swollen cheek, another fact began dawning in to Shia, and she felt even more mortified. The lady referred to this boy as ‘his majesty’ and ‘the prince’ several times during their conversation earlier... Could it really be that she is face to face with the royal heir to Gascone’s throne? Bad rumors have freq
Shia could not believe her ears. ‘How could he?... How could he think of sleeping together in such a light and impersonal manner?...’ she furiously contemplated as she began to step outside. It also sounded as if he was expecting it to be some kind of business transaction. “Indeed... The way that most royals think can be quite revolting!” Shia muttered under her breath as she tried to quicken her stride. Shia furiously slapped away the opening of the tent and would have stomped farther, but she immediately jumped when, just a few steps away from the tent, she was greeted by a throng of servants who all quickly gasped and curtsied when they saw her. “Our heartfelt greetings from the Royal Kitchen, My Lady,” one of the woman at the head of the procession said, “We come bearing the royal dinner for you and for the Imperial Highness. May you enjoy it immensely!” Shia could see that several servants and helpers were carrying numerous piles of different-sized pla
“You did not take it,” he repeated while pointing his fingers outside. Shia could not quite understand what he meant. He repeated his gesture and pointed outside the tent to the direction where the servants have just left. His voice sounded even louder and more matter-of-factly than before as he spoke, “I proposed to you by the river side, remember? You said yes, so now you are wearing it.” Shia’s mouth hung open in utter surprise at the make-believe story she is hearing. She realized how ‘thoughtful’ his majesty really was of her. Seeing how he had put this ring on her while she was passed out, he might have already assumed that Shia will meekly follow his absurd idea just because he is the prince and he can get away with it. Now that they were alone, Shia only wanted to do either one of two things: slap his face one more time or punch him in the stomach for putting on a ring on her finger without her consent and assuming that she will agree to be his make-believe f
By the time that Shia had finished her bath and walked back into the bedroom in a fresh set of warm and clean clothes, his majesty – Langrion – had already been sound asleep at his side of the mattress. This made Shia heave a sigh of relief. Although the prince already mentioned that he did not mean to use the words ‘sleeping together’ in a shameless manner, it might all be empty words as far as Shia was concerned. On top of him being a prince and probably getting all that he had ever desired in the world, Shia must admit that his face and his body are quite tempting to look at. Therefore, it won’t be surprising if he had always his way around several women at this age already. Who knows, right? Royalty or not - holding a man’s hand in the night might lead to one thing or another if Shia isn’t cautious enough. With this thought in mind, Shia placed her prized dagger underneath her pillow where she could easily reach for it and forced herself to get some sleep.
“Ugh, I absolutely hate boys,” Khailis said in disgust as she threw her sweaty gauntlet onto the floor.Shortly after, Khalis heard a shriek. She gasped as she realized who it was she had just injured.“Gavil, Gavil, I’m so sorry! Were you hurt?”A black furry cat sat by the floor, rubbing his bum with his tail due to the accident she had just caused.Khalis has often gone home in sulky moods before, but this was the first time he was ever hit by him, and as a result, his feelings were deeply hurt.Khalis picked him up like a baby and put him at her lap, stroking his sleek, black fur and patting his behind apologetically. “Was my Gavil hurt? Were you injured?”Gavil whimpered some more, not because he was hurt but because he was sad and lonely. Even before Khailis went out today, Gavil had stayed in this spot because it was the most comforting place in her room. Every day, Khailis went
“Are you coming tonight?”Danterion placed his arms around my waist as I tied the last few knots of my dress. He repeated his words when I did not speak.“Are you coming again tonight, Fina?”I did not answer because I didn’t know what to tell him. This was the third night that I had come here on my own and sought him. I had been feeling rather sad and empty lately, but Langrey came back in town today, and I agreed to meet him at the same, old place. True, I had been deliberating in my mind if today would be a good time to call everything off between us, but how could I possibly know how things will turn out? How would I know if I needed solace and comfort again after I break up with my childhood sweetheart and his own twin brother today?I shook the thought away from my head. I am a bad, bad person, I know; I had been seeing Danterion for half a year now behind his brother’s back. Although Langrey and I had a long hist
Silver roses bloom only for a week once every five years – their life spans are too short and too far apart but also far too sweet to be fully ignored. These flowers are like one’s childhood love – a memory that came too soon but rarely leaves. Tristal Mariana Andry, the Grand Duchess of the Noble House of Andry, sighed deeply. At age sixty and mostly bedridden, she had become more and more prone to melancholic spells, especially when it came to remembering her past. Today, she had been in reverie once more as she faced a seemingly daunting task. It was the first time she had been out of her room and in a party. It was also the first time in decades that she had chosen to speak to Caldwell again – the present king of Gaulane and her past lover. The details of her last communication with Cal, as she would lovingly call him ages ago, had already slipped away from her mind, but the memories of their first encounter loomed as fresh as yesterday for her. It all started fr
“I, the new sun of Gascone, swear to dedicate my life into the service of my people. I swear this oath in the name of my father and my forefathers before me and in the name of the holy gods and goddesses of Teotroly!” Everybody cheered as the new king took his oath. They gazed at his ocean blue eyes, and they were taken aback by the honesty of his words and his demeanor. They welcomed him and his new queen with open arms. Shia looked back at the dignified man’s jet-black hair and mesmerizing blue-eyes with awe. She was proud and happy at what he had accomplished so far. It had been four months since the battle between them and Sirion has ended, and in those four months, he had been able to recover by and by. During the battle that left half of the castle in ruins, the last clear vision in Shia’s mind was that of Sirion plunging a sword in Danterion’s body – the body that hosted him – just after claiming that his death will fulfil what he had lon
As soon as Shia cut through the kraken’s tentacle, she found herself falling helplessly down. She screamed. She had forgotten the fact that she could not fly. She was really a useless goddess. Thankfully, the feeling of falling suddenly stopped, and Shia was turned upright by an invisible force. When she craned her neck to see who it was that helped her, she spotted a familiar face. It was Marmie, and she was staying some distance away, manipulating her fall. Almost instantaneously, a cry emerged from up above her, and she saw two flying entities swoop down into the center of the kraken’s head where Sirion was. Finally they came! Gilyan and the Commander were perched at Chibi’s back, and a black winged puma, who could only be Gavil, went into the courtyard to help them. “Sirion,” Shia shouted. “Let Danterion go! It’s over! You are outnumbered!” Sirion simply laughed at her, seemingly unfazed. “Do you think you and your puny friends could kill
Darkness covered the sky as birds from all direction converge towards the courtyard where Gavil, Chibi, and Marmie had seen Langrion go earlier. “Come on, let’s go and help Shia now. She had been taken away by some monster, but I think she’s nearby,” Khailis remarked as she tried to stand, but Gavil held her tightly by the shoulder. “Wife, you stay here with Goddess Eily. The rest of us will go.” “Wait, no! How can I stay here? There’s no action here! Plus, I’m fine, don’t worry too much,” Khailis said, beaming with energy. “You’re not fine. We might lose our babies, and I don’t want to lose you too... Ever!” Khalis looked back at Gavil’s glistening eyes. For the first time since he had met him, he saw him shed tears... Ah, she had almost forgotten! The blood of knighthood runs so strongly in her veins, but first and foremost, she was a mother now and a wife to someone who deemed her precious... She couldn’t possibly be as bold and car
“Just a little bit more, my lady... Please...” Gilyan have not begged anyone saved the God of Darkness for years. He didn’t have to before this. He became a free man because of His Darkness, but now, he found himself in a predicament where he would kneel down and kiss the earth if he could just get his wish. He didn’t know how many hours they had been buried down there. He tried his best since earlier to get help from above. However, he could not sense any living being, or was it perhaps because his magic was weak and limited? Earlier, the goddess who was with them revealed something about him that he felt had some semblance of truth. “All who can wield powers have the imprints of divinity in them, and you, in particular, given that strong sense of power, I’d say you must be a candidate for a god.” He had believed those words. After all, he had seen how his powers had gotten out of bounds even without the God of Darkness’ permission.
Langrion could not believe it! His wife almost died. If he was just a second late, she would have perished! She surely wouldn’t have survived! A heart beat ago, he swopped as fast as he could towards the open fire burning at the castle’s courtyard. He had seen it countless of times before, looking like a candle far-away in his own tower. He heard the pleas of the cursed ones like him, begging, screaming for help, but his uncle never did give his mercy at any of those times. As such, Langrion feared those flames for a long time. He felt like they were the cause of his torment. He should have died with those people accused of being cursed a long time ago. He should have been the first to burn, but because he was a prince, he survived. He lived until his present age of twenty one years old... That’s right. Today is his twenty first birthday, and today, he just turned curseless. The mask on his face fell as he snatched Shia away from the burning flames th
Langrion and Gavil, together with Chibi and Marmie, wasted no time travelling to the place they needed to go: the capital city of Gascone – Gaulane. “I can take us there easily, Prince Langrion,” Marmie said during the dead of the night a few second before they ascended in the air. Marmie was on Chibi’s back while Gavil had already transformed himself into his beast form – an enormous, black feline with wings like an eagle. “How,” Langrion asked. The last time he checked, Marmie’s powers involved controlling things with her mind. Can she also create voids like Galahad? “With this,” Marmie said, pulling away her sleeve from her left hand. There was a tattoo that looked like an eye with feathers reaching on both sides. “This was installed by the Ancient Evil when he controlled me... when he controlled us. We were supposed to use it once we have fulfilled our mission. Although I was not conscious at the time he was controlling my thoughts, I remembered it well i