On the day when Prince Zeal was supposed to step foot in our kingdom. You could feel the tension everywhere, it was suffocating, it made you feel heavy and barley able to move, the environment was unrecognizable. Even the skies turned grey with gloom, we had heavy rainfall that was very uncommon for this time of year, usually we have clear blue skies, a nice breeze and warm weather. There were talks all around that we were getting such horrible rain fall and awful winds because "he was coming". Prince Zeal did not have very good words said about him. Anyone that has ever met him only spoke poorly about him and his very name put fear in anyone's heart. If anyone dared to cross him they were dead before hitting the ground. No matter what I did not want to be stuck marrying him.
We have been prepping all night and I kept getting woken up to "prepare myself" for Prince Zeal's undeniable arrival. I was told that the more exhausted I looked the better off I would be. All it was doing was making me cranky, I was doing my best to stay composed, I understood why they were doing it but at this point I was really hating it and dreading the very bedroom walls I was behind. The baby blue walls, the lilac color trim, white and dark purple curtains were all mocking me for being sleep deprived. The grayish white carpet was becoming blurry and the pictures on my walls were looking disfigured. The last time they woke me up I got up and took a shower, it gave me some time to breathe and be on my own. I remember before hopping into the shower I examined my bathroom, I don't know why it just felt like this might be the last time I see it, I looked down at the smokey gray ceramic tiles, then trailed my eyes along the royal blue colored walls and cream colored borders. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror seeing this ghostly figure that was currently my reflection, I took a sigh. as pretty as this mirror was that was shaped and designed as a leaf with golden trim, I was beginning to hate it for the person that was staring at me. I looked at the stainless steel garden tub in front of me, I walked up to it ran some warm water and slowly lowered myself so I could soak in the tub. After a couple minutes I opened my eyes to look at the cream colored ceiling and orange and silver colored lantern design chandelier. I was really praying this wasn't going to be the last time I would see my home. I snapped out of my trance when, I heard one of the maids knocking on the bathroom door letting me know it was meal time.
I got up from the tub after pulling the plug out. I wrapped up in my towel, I walked back up to the bathroom mirror to look at myself one last time, still not understanding why I was chosen to be this man's bride, I hung my head. I shook it off began to drive myself and threw on one of my favorite nightgowns. Once I was finished I opened the bathroom door and, walked over to my king size canopy bed that was now calling my name. I looked at the dark red cherry oak wood that went into making my bed, the dark gray curtains that hung from the top of my bed were tied to the wood. I memorized the deep dark purple bedding and fluffy comforter that laid on it and took my seat. I began to eat my food in a daze that still haunted me. I had trouble eating and I wasn't able to finish my food, so I let my maids know that I was finished eating. Before I laid down the maids kept making me look like a ghost, even choosing loose fitting clothes for me to where, ultimately it was decided I would wear a light blue very loose-fitting nightgown and my hair down. I laid there reminiscing, about how the streets used to be filled with vendors, shopping stands, dancers and overall life. Maybelle was a very beautiful European Kingdom, full of life in general, between the wild stock, the natural beauty, the mountains, crops and warm ocean air, our Kingdom was naturally beautiful, our rich volcanic soils made everything taste better and sweater. Our kingdom seemed more like a dream rather then reality. Even our vineyards had no comparisons our wines were the most popular of all. People would come from far and wide just to get a glimpse of Maybelle. So many paintings were dedicated to our kingdom and all its natural beauty. To watch it go from its lively beauty to now being an unrecognizable Kingdom full of gloom and heartbreak was enough to make anyone believe that had the wrong place.
How could one person have so much power over the hearts of an entire kingdom? The very thought of seeing this man chills me too my very core, The morning hour begins to awake, and the sleepy sun hides its presents behind the rain, we began to dread the monster lurking beyond our kingdom's walls. The glass ticks and the hour falls, reminding us all of the wolf ready to launch a fall assault behind our walls. I look at the maids who tremble in fear, taking a breath, I say "I'm ready." feeling the numbness to my bones the maids nod handing me a pill to make me sleep. I walk over to my king size bed, pushing aside the thought this might be the last time I lie in my own bed. The maids pulled back my blankets, I begin to lay down fixing my nightgown and laying back on the pillow until I am comfortable. Now underneath the mountain of blankets and loose fitting gown, I take my final waking breath, until sleep kidnaps me and draws me down into its depth.
---------------Maids POV---------------------
Maid 1. " She looks tiny and fragile, if I didn't know the situation I would truly believe her to be ill."
Maid 2. "Yes, I guess we could be thankful for that, I'm just worried this isn't going to work out as we hope, we will lose our princess forever, at the hands of some tyrant who kills everything he touches. You know one of his nicknamed is the Grim Reaper? Another is The man with the deadly touch, if people really knew what was actually going on and, how endangered our princess really is....There would be far more fear throughout the kingdom.."
Maid 1. "Yeah... everything's riding on making this believable, a good thing we're keeping the oil lamps to a low burn and making the room cold until the last minute, I'm going to use some of the ash from the fire pit to make her appear even more sickly. I feel like using that plus the powder and foundation to make her a ghostly color, we should be all right. I'll use a setting spray so it doesn't come off and it appears natural, I'll make her lips a pale blue again that got a lot of reactions from the maids and they were very concerned with her breathing. We can do her hair like it was last time where it was slightly over her face making her face look a lot softer, tussle it just a little bit so it looks messy and we should be good to go."
Maid 2. "Good call the more sick we can make her the better, the doctor and nurse will be here in a couple of minutes to make the scene more believable. With the loose fitting gown and the mountain of blankets she looks so small and fragile. We'll have a 5 to 10 minute heads up so we can light the fire, so incase he walks in, the room will be warm but our Princess will be cold. With the sleeping pill she won't be able to wake up for several hours."
The maids began to put the plan into motion, getting to work to give the princess a pale complexion. Laying her hair down to soften her face and, give her a more tired worn out look. They put a very pale blue color on her lips, and took a step back to look at their work. Maid 2. " She looks like a doll." Maid 1. " She does, a very sickly doll that's about to take its last breath, I hope we never have to actually see this sight of the princess in real form." Once the maids were finished they went and washed up and changed into a clean uniform. As they just finished up the doctor and nurse came walking in. The doctor spoke "I really hope that's just the makeup, otherwise I'd be asking questions as to why I wasn't given a call." you could hear the worry and the doctor's voice. both maids smiled, Maid 2. "Don't worry doc it's merely makeup, if it got you to believe it, then I have a little bit more hope in this plan." The first maid nodded in a agreement. Both doctor and nurse smiled and said that everything should go as planned.
----------------------------------------------
King and Queen's POV
The King was pacing frantically and impatiently, the Queen sat at the edge of her seat waiting for this monster to step through their doors. Both praying that they would not have to say goodbye to their daughter. They loved their children very much and could never bear the thought of sending them to a death sentence. Their eldest son was currently away abroad for a charity. Prince Dravyn was the next in line for the throne, so he was usually very busy, dealing with diplomatic issues, meetings and charities. He was already married to Lady Aurelia. Had Prince Dravyn been here he wouldn't have been to happy or very helpful with the situation. He would not bite his tongue and the risk for war would be much higher. He was incredibly protective over his siblings especially his sisters. Even more so after the second son Prince Charles sadly passed away at the tender age of 17. Someone declared war on the Kingdom of Maybelle, their way of doing so was shooting the young prince in the heart with an arrow. So for the king and queen losing another child was NOT an option!! As said before the King would go to war for his family and Kingdom!
"I'm scared" The Queen spoke with a fragile and broken voice, her words managed to cut the silence in the room. The King froze dead in his tracks hearing his wife and the tears that were threatening to fall down her face. He spun around on his heel and walked right up to his wife. Sat on bending knee and held her face in his palms. " I can't do it, I cannot go through this again, I cannot lose another child. I can't live if another one of my babies leaves me again. I can't be left behind again, I can't.. I'm not strong enough." The queen spoke as she began to sob. The King froze and so did everything around him, Almost like father time held his breath for at least a moment. The King then said. "My love we will not lose another child, I promise you this... Do you remember what I told you the day I took an narrow to the knee and, claimed you as my bride?...I said I would protect you and what we create and build together. Holding it close to my heart and, cherishing everything you give me. Our love is my sword, your breath is my will, your body is my purpose, our young is my life, and our union is my goal. I will never stop chasing you, I will never stop loving you even when we are old and grey. I will still tell you I love you and, make love to you all night every night. Just so I can hear that beautiful angelic music you let out when you moan." The King told his wife before kissing her passionately on her lips.
When he pulled away she took a breath as she felt the passion she held for her husband all these years come flooding back. She gave a small smile and tried not to fall apart. Knowing she had a crown to uphold and a baby to protect, she got her determination back the King smiled watching the flames dance in her eyes he said "There's my Queen." he gave her another kiss. Than took a seat right next to his wife. The hours began to tick by while they waited not so patiently, for this tyrant who had his fangs and claws out ready to strike. Another hour past and FINALLY in comes walking the guest of the hour Prince Zeal! The Queen found herself looking down at the ground when the Prince came barging, causing her eyes to snap right up at him, she lifted her head high and crinkled her nose in disgust. Glaring at the man child who had dared not even announced his arrival or much less knocked and waited patiently to be let in. She felt fire begin to burn inside her, the King sensing his wife's rage took her by the hand to hopefully calm her down. He knew full well it probably wasn't going to work, his wife was beautiful but she was fucking deadly if provoked. The King couldn't help but to let out a snicker. He looked back at the young foolish Prince, amused by the knights he had behind him.
"You look amused smiling at me like that old man." Prince Zeal spoke, only causing the King's smile to grow wider. "My apologies I didn't realize I was going to be entertaining a smug short shit today, I couldn't help myself..I hope you understand." The King said nonchalantly. The King knew what type of person this Prince was, after Zeal stepped foot through the door. Young, arrogant, hot tempered and selfish. The King thought to himself that he would be damned if his daughter married this low life. The Queen starred at Prince Zeal. He stood tall but not as tall as her husband, his red hair and piercing green eyes were complemented by a strong jaw line. He was a slim muscular built and had freckles on his face. The Queen thought to herself that his looks were a waste and not befitting for a tyrant. She began to pity the poor fool for the road he decided to take. "Where is my bride?" Prince Zeal asked in a demanding tone.
"I believe you have this place confused along with us, we don't know your bride or who she is." The Queen spoke with venom in her voice. "Don't play coy with me you second rate whore. Your daughter is who I came for!" Prince Zeal snapped back, the Queen lifted her head and began to speak as danger danced in her eyes, However the King beat her to the punch. "Don't disrespect my Queen or I'll have you beheaded where you stand!" The King shouted as he jumped up from his throne, Prince Zeal's knights drew their weapons aimed at the King and Queen of Maybelle, within seconds Maybelle knights swarmed the area standing between the rulers of Maybelle and the intruding unwanted guests. "As for my daughter's hand in marriage no one has given you a blessing to wed her therefore she is NOT YOUR BRIDE! NOR WELL SHE EVER BE!" The King finished fully pissed off at the little pipsqueak who dared disrespect HIS WIFE! Prince Zeal laughed "Hand her over to me or this will be war!" Prince Zeal demanded.
"Haven't you heard? My child is sick." The Queen spoke in annoyance. "Don't take me for a fool woman, I know it's only a lie and, a failed attempt to keep me from claiming her!" Prince Zeal snapped. "Unfortunately it's not a lie. My daughter fell into a pond during my youngest daughter's wedding and she hasn't woken since." The King spoke up looking the idiot Prince dead in the eye. "We would never lie about our children's well being regardless of circumstance, if it's a war you want it's a war you will get!" The Queen said fully annoyed and filled with every intent of knocking this flea bag Prince on the ground. "And you expect me to believe this? and who marries their daughter off when they are 17?" Prince Zeal questioned. "We do! Because you forced our hand, it was one less daughter that we needed to protect from you in regards of a forced marriage." The King said gritting his teeth.
"I demand to see my future bride" Prince Zeal responded. "MY daughter is NOT YOUR bride!" the Queen said now standing to her feet. "She is whether you like it or not! Now you have two options. Take me to my bride peacefully or I'll have my troops run rapid through your kingdom, killing everything they see in sight and, setting fire to everything in this Kingdom until it is nothing more than ash." Prince Zeal replied with anger in his voice. "Go right ahead as you know Maybelle has volcanic soil, do you know what that means little Prince? It means we have a chain of active volcanoes surrounding our Kingdom, we survived yearly eruptions, we survive tidal waves, tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes and, earthquakes. That's before we even get to the wildfires due to the immense heat we get during the summer. The dust storms, rain and wind storms, the white out fogs that we get during the winter and fall, the blizzards we get during the winter and so forth. Another words my kingdom will not fall! Even if you are to make it into ash as you claim, my kingdom and our people survive what mother nature dishes out to us. We have survived war from little tyrants like you that try to take over our kingdom and yet we still stand tall and proud. If you actually believe I will hand over my daughter so willy-nilly then you have the wrong King and the wrong Kingdom." The king spoke with such determination and warning in his voice.
For a moment the young Prince was caught off guard. However it did not take him long for him to regain his footing and grasp the situation. "I guess you haven't heard of me I assume, I am known by many names, the Grim reaper, the man with the deadly touch, the bloody tyrant, the bloodlust Prince and more. I have conquered kingdoms just for simply giving out false information about me, I have killed my own father and brother to gain the throne, I hung my own mother and watched her suffocate from The noose around her neck, as for my sister-in-law Lady Elizabeth I had her sent to the executionist to be beheaded in front of her children. Originally I thought I would marry her and make her my Queen, she was beautiful but I didn't want my brother's leftovers and she was already all used up with two children. As for my niece and nephew they were torn apart limb from limb and ate by the wolves. I forced my people to watch so they would fear me even more. I have taken countless lives and never thought about it, I sleep peacefully at night. So don't think for a second I won't conquer your kingdom and leave nothing behind and, either way I will be taking your daughter she is mine and only mine." Prince Zeal spoke with a smile on his face.
The king and queens blood ran cold, hearing what this Prince just said to them made them sick to their stomach, what was worse was how could he kill children? Especially his own blood! "Why would you kill the innocent to gain a simple throne? And why go after the children? Why end their lives for a simple title and throne? they were just children." The queen said in absolute shock and horror. "Because they were my brother's children, the very thing that was left standing in my way to assume the throne, all that's left now is for me to claim my bride." Prince Zeal responded amused by the King and Queen's reaction. "If you think for a minute I'll give my daughter to you then you have gone completely nuts, you will not hurt her and you will not end her the way you did your bloodline! You do not have the honor to claim my daughter, Nor do you meet the expectations to marry my daughter!" The queen said in full emotional rage. Prince Zeal looked at the Queen still smiling in amusement "Don't worry she'll have to bear my heirs before I discard her, I'll send her head back in a box just for you." Zeal said without missing a beat.
"You dare threaten a member of my family?!, You have an awful lot of nerve little boy, first you come barging in like you own the place, then you disrespect my queen, now you threaten my daughter! While she's ill no less!! We don't even know if our daughter is currently going to make it with her condition worsening. She's barely even breathing and death can consumer at any time. How dare you come into my kingdom! Into my Palace! Disrespect my family! my people! And my land!" The king yelled as he began to draw his sword. Just then the nurse came in as she was supposed to at 9:30am to give an "urgent message" to the king and queen. The nurse went up to the Queen after barging in and bowed to her Royal Highness "Your highness, I'm sorry to interrupt I hope I didn't intrude at a bad time, but I'm afraid it's the Princess...Princess Lilly stopped breathing a couple times, the doctor was able to get her back.... However I'm afraid it's not looking too good.. She has ran cold and she's more blue than she was before..." The nurse spoke with haste and worry still bowing to the King and Queen.
The king froze and put his sword back, looking at his Queen with fear. They were about to start walking off to go to their daughter when they heard Prince Zeal's footsteps come towards them. They stopped to turn around. "Where do you think a you're going?" The Queen said with venom "If Princess Lilly is truly sick, now it the chance to prove it. If it does turn out to be true for right now I'll back off until she gets better. There's no records of her being engaged, in fact documentation says that she likes to be cooped up in her room or the library, so there is no known fiance until now and you're looking at him. You want me to leave today, you will take me to her to prove to me that she is as sick as you claim." Prince Zeal said intrigued by the situation. The king and queen looked at each other, now is the moment of truth, now is the moment that they were prepping for and, they were praying that their efforts paid off. The King nodded. "I want more than just your word that if you see my daughter that you'll back off, I want a contract stating it. And I want an agreement written up as well that if we're able to find her fiance in 3 weeks time, that you'll stop pursuing my daughter and there will be no war. You'll go somewhere else looking for a bride." The King spoke. "So be it I have nothing to lose I have nothing but time. However I want something written in the contract to benefit me. That if it turns out that this is all a lie and the Princess is not really sick, That you forfeit all rights to your kingdom and your daughter to me or there will be blood shed." The King and Queen nodded
The King, Queen and, Prince Zeal walked to the Princess's room following behind the nurse in a haste. A couple moments later after a speedy walk through the palace halls they reached Lilly's room, the door opened, the room was warm and, you could hear the fire crackling in the silence. The Queen rushed to her daughter crying her name, the King quickly at his girl's side. Staring down at his daughter in disbelief. For a moment looking at his sleeping daughter he actually began to believe there was something wrong with his baby girl. Her breathing was shallow, her lips pale blue, her face, neck and hands pale as a white lilly glistening in the summertime, her eyes look sunken in, she looked so small and frail. For a moment he stumbled. It brought back unwanted memories from when he lost his little boy, he touched Princess Lilly's hand, it was ice cold, immediate thoughts of losing his second son flooded back, He remembered holding his dying boy in his arms and feeling his cold body go limp. The King began to cry alongside his wife, He couldn't help but feel even more determined not to allow Lilly to fall into this tyrants palms!
"I guess you weren't lying, she looks pathetic! I hate weaklings, things like that don't belong in my linage. I'll give her time to recover, IF she doesn't die, I'll also give her time to recover her strength before I claim what is mine." Prince Zeal said before walking out. Prince Brandon was still sitting beside Princess Lilly and no one had noticed until he spoke up.
"Princess Lilly is not yours and you cannot claim her, she is MINE!" Prince Brandon spoke after jumping to his feet. Prince Zeal froze and looked behind him "And you are?" Prince Zeal replied "His name is Prince Brandon, he is my daughter's rightful fiance' They have been engaged to be married since the age of 16." The Queen replied through her tears. Prince Zeal at first shocked by the news just laughed and said "We will see." He then walked out and made himself comfortable in one of the guest rooms. He announced to the King and Queen that he would be staying for a couple of days just to make sure that this wasn't a hoax. He chose a guest bedroom that was right across the hall from Princess Lilly's room. The King and Queen tried fighting with him telling him it wasn't necessary for him to stay but, he insisted and didn't take no for an answer. The queen then asked Prince Brandon to stay by Lilly's side and never leaving it until This tyrant left. What will happen in the next couple of days? Will their lie be unraveled? Will Princess Lilly's real condition come to out? How will they protect their daughter now with the tyrant under their roof?