VALORIA,
Capital.
Beads of perspiration glistened on his furrowed brow. His mind was in a spiral, the walls felt like they were alive making reality unravel like a fragile tapestry.
He succumbed to the clutches of his hallucinations in the dimly lit room that serves as both refuge and prison.
He heard whispers, like spectral echoes, materialize from the corners of the gigantic room, conspiring to unravel the fabric of his sanity. Shadows metamorphosed into sinister figures, their contorted shapes dancing into the periphery of his vision. The walls pulsated with an otherworldly rhythm as if responding to an unknown force.
The colors of the wall paintings warped and bled, transforming the mundane into a kaleidoscope of surreal hues. He staggered as he tried to grab the faces he was seeing. Reality was a hall of mirrors, reflecting the fractured fragments of his mind in disarray.
"Your Majesty." The voice said from the entrance.
He turned to look at who it was, bowing low to get a proper grasp of what was coming towards him. But the figure scared him, it was like an entity that had come to claim his soul. The hollow eyes of its shadows walking towards him to choke him.
"Leave me alone!" He cried out, running back and cowering in a corner.
'We're here to feast on your soul. It belongs to us and we are one.'
He heard the voices say despite tightening his hands on his ears.
"Your Majesty. It's me, the Queen, your mother." The voice said as it moved closer to him.
He looked up and for once, he could see who was standing before him.
"Mother?" He said in tears and stretched his hand to her.
He felt a cold hand with pale gray skin and ugly nails grab his hand, digging its nails into his flesh.
"Get away from me!" He screamed, thrashing on the floor, crouched in a fetal position as his body shook.
"Your Majesty!" She said urgency in her voice as she called for the physicians on top of her lungs.
"Where's the physician!" She thundered and the doors flung open.
It took time to subdue and sedate him. She sat by his bed, fighting back the tears as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"My poor baby." She cooed gently, clearing her throat as she looked at the old man standing before her.
He was peacefully asleep as if he wasn't battling his mind some minutes ago. She held his hands tight and muttered some prayers. She had even gotten tired of praying as it seemed as if the gods had decided to forsake her.
She kissed his head and left, the physician bowing as she walked past him.
He followed suit, treading softly behind her as he tightened his grip on his bag.
She knew what he was going to say. It was getting worse as each day passed and that definitely put him at more risk.
Not to himself, but to those he's accountable to.
"Your Majesty," the old man began.
"In private." The Queen said as she headed to her chamber. "I can't have rumors flying around the palace."
Her heart was breaking to see her son in so much chaos that his mind had put him. She had to protect him but it won't last forever as the kingdom would demand her king.
"What is it now, Alfeus? Is he getting any better?" She said, her voice almost trembling. She could hide when she was outside, and suppress how she felt whenever she saw her son battling his mind. She had to.
But behind those doors, her heart ached as a mother. Alfeus understood he was the only one she trusted and the one who knew about the Prince. The council must never know or else everything she had suffered for would fall into the hands of the unworthy heir. The Prince had to get better to take his rightful place on the throne and she was ready for whatever it took.
"I'm afraid he's not getting any better, your Majesty. His visions become more and more clearer, making it difficult for him to maintain a balance between reality and the illusion of his mind." He explained.
"What do we do? Treat him!" She said, desperation and anger in her voice. "Find whatever ways you can to treat him."
"Well, your Majesty," he said, adjusting his glasses and folding his arms in front of him. "His Majesty needs someone he can talk to. Someone that can see the world the way he does… "
"How? What do you mean? Do you want to find someone with his condition to stay with him? Wouldn't that make it worse? I asked for solutions, not more problems." The Queen got up and paced around.
"That is not what I meant, your Majesty. His Majesty needs someone he can talk to, maybe then will he be able to get out of his illness. It might take a long time but it might help." He explained, causing the Queen to stop.
"And who do you think might be the one to talk to him?" The Queen asked curiously.
"I've heard of a young storyteller in Pinecrest. They say she can transport you beyond your wildest imagination with her stories." He explained.
"I don't care whatever it is and whoever it is, Alfeus. If that storyteller is going to make His Majesty better, then you better arrange her way here now!"
"Yes, your Majesty." Alfeus bowed and left the Queen's chambers immediately. She would do whatever it took to make her son better, even if it meant finding someone who sang lullabies.
~~~
PINECREST
"Danae, Danae… are you going to finish the story today?" A slender kid with crisscrossed eyes said eagerly as he grabbed Danae's hand.
"Should I?" Danae teased, holding the child's hand as they walked past the market people.
"I've been dying to know what would happen in the end. Will Seraphina be able to save the king? Will he remember her?" He questioned.
Danae laughed as she listened to his eager questions. "Don't worry Max. You'll find out what will happen."
"I can't wait!" He jumped eagerly as he ran to meet his friends.
Danae waved back at him as he followed his friends. It was time for her to tell the story. She took a deep breath as she took center stage in the bustling square, a hushed anticipation settling over the crowd. The air was thick with the scent of exotic spices and the distant melodies of the street musicians, giving an ambiance to set the mood.
Her voice, soft yet commanding, cut through the ambient sounds as she began her storytelling.
The market people captivated, leaned forward, their eyes fixed on her. The colorful array of merchants, shoppers, and children formed a mosaic of eager faces, reflecting curiosity and enchantment. Whispers spread through the crowd like a gentle breeze, and a collective sense of wonder enveloped the square.
She noticed him again, the weird stranger with the awkward fashion sense standing by the doorframe. He dressed differently this time, a little less expensive and almost like a regular looking person from Pinecrest.
He had learned.
She could hear gasps of surprise, smiles of satisfaction, and furrowed brows of anticipation as she reached the climax of her story. She noticed the look on his face too, like he wasn't satisfied with the way the story was ending.
As the story ended, the people erupted into applause, resonant claps reverberating through the vibrant square.
"Thank you, thank you." She bowed and blew them a kiss. "New episodes next week!" She said as the people dropped tokens in the box in front of her.
Slowly the crowd began to move, going back to their normal chores as she packed up. She had some minutes left before going back home. Although her father wouldn't know, Casper was going to cover up for her and she would be back in less than half an hour.
"Hi." She heard the voice say behind her.
"It's me, from last time, before you strangle me again." He added quickly as she turned.
"I know it's you." She replied, keeping the money box in her bag.
"I didn't know you'd remember me." He chuckled.
"I guess you have a thing for speaking to people behind their backs. Plus, you're not from around here, are you?" She asked and looked at him from head to toe. "Your dressing is selling you out."
"Oh! You're clever."
"Tch." Danae scoffed. "Anybody would be able to tell that you're not from here. It's either you're from the capital or from Eldoria." She folded her arms.
"You're a traveler?" He asked curiously.
"Nope. I'm a storyteller that reads a lot of books. What do you think?"
"Well, you're not entirely correct but I'm from the capital." He folded his arms.
"Really?" She asked eagerly but cleared her throat quickly. "really?" Her tone sarcastic. "What brings you to Pinecrest?"
"Let me say it's one of my adventures. I've heard a lot about Pinecrest so I came to see for myself." He answered, folding his arms behind his back.
"It's a small town and everybody knows each other. That looks kind of interesting though."
"Are you sure it's up to your standard? Anybody from Pinecrest can tell that the gold linen in your robe is from Valoria."
"You don't really sound as dumb as you look."
Danae shot him a disgusted look. "You think you're any better? Doing a bad job at running. It's only a matter of time before those shoulders with metal plates come rounding your butt away from here."
"Well, at least I'm not running away from my father like you." He responded, making Danae even more pissed.
"You could have stopped and let me win."
"We don't do that where I'm from." He said with a smirk.
"Self absorbed swine!" Danae said under her breath.
"I heard that."
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes.
Danae still felt there was something off about him. He exuded an aura of royalty and sophistication. And also how he folded his arms behind him a lot.
"I see. So where are you from again?"
"The capital." He replied.
"A capital runaway." Danae scoffed. "What do you do?"
"I'm just an adventurer."
"So you're jobless?" She asked, causing him to burst into laughter.
"Technically, no." He said. "But you can put it that way though. I wouldn't be able to travel wherever I want if I had a job."
"So how then do you go on your travels if you don't have a job to make you money?"
"Let's say I'm an adventurer. I will find some jobs to do so I can continue my adventures." He explained, causing her to look at him with irritation boldly written on her face.
"But that still makes you a jobless adventurer."
"I wouldn't put it that way." He replied. "What about you? You're no different from me. A town runaway."
"What makes you say that?" She asked in defense. "Even if I'm a town runaway, at least I don't just stand around idly."
"It's obvious. You're always rushing back immediately when you tell your stories. And you're also doing a bad job at that."
"Are you a stalker?" She asked, moving close to him. "He hired a personal stalker?"
"Why would I waste my time running after a woman who could've sent me to heaven? I've been observing you for quite a while and from what I can tell, you're already late."
"Oh, good heavens! My father is definitely going to kill me this time." Danae said in worry and quickly left.
"Oh no, no, no. What do I tell him? He's going to ground me for sure."
She looked back and saw him following her. "It's all his fault. Engaging me in idle talk." She muttered to herself as she increased the pace.
"Wait!" He called out to her.
"So you can put me in more trouble? Next time, please." She said without looking back and waved her hand.
"I know the story didn't end that way." He said and she paused.
"How would it have ended then?" She stopped and turned to look at him.
"Seraphina couldn't have just left because he regained his memory so she could save him. What if he went after her? What if he chose her instead of his wife?" He said.
Danae took a deep breath. "That's why I left the decision to the audience. They can decide whatever they want to happen to them both in the end."
"I know, but I want to know what happened to them."
"Ugh… has anybody told you that you're annoying?"
"I get that a lot." He boasted, making Danae roll her eyes again. I'll pay you two thousand Florin coins." He said with a smile.
Danae paused and looked at him with eyes open wide. "Two thou— are you crazy?" She pulled him aside and looked left and right. "Are you crazy? Why will you pay that much to listen to a story?"
"Because I want you to finish it."
Danae thought for a while. If she refused and went back home, she would get scolded by her father anyway. If she accepted, she would still get scolded but she would be two thousand florin coins richer. Enough to get what she wanted for her father.
It was taking the bull by its horns.
"Alright, I'm in. But just for five minutes."
"Fifteen."
"Six."
"Ten."
"Fine!" She said and left his presence. "Come with me. I don't want people seeing me walking to a secluded place with a stranger."
She opened the curtain for him to go in. It was a shed behind her usual spot.
She watched as he looked at her with interest and anticipation.
"You're staring too much." She said as she sat in front of him.
"You can ignore it. It's to get into the atmosphere." He cleared his throat. "you can begin."
Danae cleared her throat, eyeing him from the corner of her eye, and began. Whoever this stranger was, he was doing a great job pissing her off, especially with the way he had a way of winning with words.
But anything for the money and he had just ten minutes.