1 A PROMISE FROM LONG AGO
Her footsteps were silent and her long black robe swept past the cold ground as she walked into the palace entrance. Like a creature of darkness, the mysterious woman blended in with the dark spots in the palace as mutterings of an ancient spell fell out of her lips ominously.
Small whirls of green and gold circled her and her head throbbed due to how hard she was concentrating.
Half of her face had rot with the amount of life force it took to cast the spell she currently had on her lips but it was all for a cause.
"It's all going to be worth it " She muttered in a dark whisper as her green eyes gleamed gold and an evil smile made its way to her black lips.
Slipping further into the darkness so as not to be seen, she waited patiently for the right time to begin her plans.
The time had finally come for the promise of long ago to be fufilled.
****
It was biting cold outside and Laleen had wrapped herself in a comfortable shawl. Her brown eyes stared listlessly outside her window with her arms wrapped around her. The cruelness of the cold wafted into her room in small waves and she shivered but still stubbornly refused to shut her window.
Clicking her tongue for standing at the window for so long, she walked away from there.
Recalling that she had to meet her father and was running late made her groan in frustration as she gripped the shawl tighter and walked out of her room, her maids trailing behind her.
Walking past the various corridors leading to her father's chamber, Laleen took a deep breath when she was right at his door.
Her father had requested her presence the day before during dinner and she had an inkling why. It was finally time to get her married.
But she didn't want to. She was going to tell her father. She didn't want to get married.
Laleen could hear the pounding heartbeat of the male royal servant stationed at the door to the King's chamber when his eyes met hers.
He offered the princess a quick bow and immediately announced her presence to the king saying, "Your Majesty, Princess Laleen is here to see you as summoned". The King sitting at one of the seats inside his chamber responded with a small wave of his hand and Laleen walked in.
With a respectful bow, she said courteously greeted, "Greetings, Father".
The King nodded before gesturing for her to take a seat. Laleen sat comfortably as she breathed deeply again readying herself for the impending conversation.
"Laleen my dear, I'm sure you know why I've called you here".
Laleen straightened her shoulders as she readied her lips to speak her mind, "Yes I...".
"Excellent!" The King interjected purposefully.
"That makes my work much easier my dear ".
Laleen blinked confused, "No Father I...".
"I will inform the Lord for the beginning of the wedding preparations".
Laleen quickly shook her head but her father was not having it, "No please listen..."
Then he gave a short laugh, "Don't worry yourself my dear. I will take care of it".
Laleen sat still and dumbstruck as she stared at the man in front of her. My dear? Did he just call her 'dear'? Her brows widened in realization.
Oh, he did. Since she stepped into this room, that's what he had been calling her.
A lump formed on Laleen's throat and she quietly swallowed it down. When had he ever called her 'dear'?
She had worked so hard for him, ever since she was a child. She did all she was asked. Allowed herself to be used and now he wants to throw her away, he calls her 'dear'?
"Your Majesty..." Her voice came through, sharply slicing through her father's and immediately demanding his silence.
Her brown eyes were cold and emotionless as she stared into his grey ones. Her words fell out of her lips with an air of finality, "I will not be getting married".
The King stared at her in surprise her words hanging in the air. His daughter who had always done as he told her to was refusing him for the first time.
"What?"
Laleen nodded to his words as she pursed her lips bitterly, "I won't let you use me anymore. I won't be marrying Lord Gethro".
His brows furrowed into a tight knot as he muttered a curse. She was almost twenty four. He couldn't allow her to remain close to him and his family. She had served her purpose.
Laleen was a special child. Born with a power to make men fall for her with a simple glance, he had used her in every way he could. Suitors started to come for her at the young age of eight.
His kingdom was going through a crisis around the time she was born and it dragged on until she had grown up to become such a beautiful woman. He had used her to curry favors from various kingdoms and form alliances that did his kingdom much good. He called her blessed, gave her a special title as the 'King's Blessed' and praised her in every way possible. But he alone knew that this blessing he called her powers were actually a curse. A curse placed on her from the time she was born by a witch.
He didn't like the memory and he had kept it a closely guarded secret of which even Laleen was not aware of. But the problem now is that the witch promised she would be back. She'd be back to cause misery and destruction for his own wrongdoings. And he didn't want that. Not now that his kingdom was doing so well.
So she had to leave his kingdom. She had served her purpose and he wanted her out of his life before she ruined the kingdom he worked hard to rebuild from the brink of destruction.
But why was she suddenly being defiant now? She always knew she was being used but she never spoke up. His daughter was smart and carried herself with an innate grace that even some males in the kingdom couldn't hold a candle to. He had always feared her strong voice and her unyielding will. Feared that she might one day refuse to continue supporting their kingdom with her powers. But she remained obedient to his wishes and carried out every of his instructions without complaint. So why now?
His expression turned grim as he stared into her determined eyes, "Yes, you will. You will marry him".
Continuing, he used the words he knew she never said no to, "For the sake of our kingdom".
Laleen was clenching her jaw so hard now that her teeth could break. When she heard his last words, she scoffed, much to his surprise.
She slowly rose from her seat as her eyes hardened, "To hell with your kingdom!". Her voice was icy and ruthless and for a second, the King thought he wasn't speaking to his daughter. He stared at her in shock, stunned.
Laleen's eyes stung as she opened her mouth and shakily drew in a breath from her lips, "You know what I've always wanted. It's something you never gave me. You couldn't leave a small place in your heart for me and this stupid gift won't let me in someone else's too". The lump hanging at her throat thickened and she struggled to swallow it down as she continued, "You promised me that I will find one. Someone who this stupid power didn't cast a spell on. Someone who would love me; whatever that is!".
She laughed now, her voice hoarse from how much she was shouting. The King just stared at her quietly. He couldn't love her because she was the sole evidence to all the mistakes he had made in his youth. And that promise was a lie. She'd never be able to find love.
It was ironic how someone like herself who was loved by countless of men as the sand would never find love. No one would be able to love her for who she was. Love to her was always going to be a spell; artificial and unnatural.
"It's clear to me now that you lied and I would never. But that just means I'll spend my entire life rotting away in this palace. Because I'd never get married to someone who loves me because of this stupid spell!". Laleen choked on her words, her eyes welling with tears. She couldn't hear herself and the king's face was blurry due to her tears.
She gave a slight bow now, her voice significantly lowered, "That is all, Your Majesty".
Turning sharply, she began to walk away. The King stared stupefied at her retreating figure. An immense fear gripped him as he remembered the witch's words.
I'll be here to haunt you. Your precious daughter will be your doom.
His fingers trembled as he watched her walk away. She had no idea what this witch was capable of.
No, he had to get her married and out of his kingdom for good.
