Beauty and the Damned

11 | What Happens Inside the Walls

The padded chair was so soft and comfortable and yet before, she couldn't sit there for hours. Ariadne didn't like the throne room. She hated the smell of people. But now she's sitting on the throne once again. She did not wear her crown. She lost it a long time ago. Or perhaps Delilah had kept it somewhere safe, she didn't care. It felt heavy on her head and she doesn't have any idea why she liked wearing it before. Just thinking about wearing it now felt dreadful.

"Your Majesty—Miss," Delilah called at the foot of the dais and she held up her hand. She knows what Delilah's going to ask. She knows she did not expect too much from Rowan but it's still disappointing. She did not check his chamber. Ariadne figured it would be better to have the man decide whether to help or not and not force him into it. And it's been minutes since she sat on the throne room and no Rowan showed up. Perhaps he already escaped the moment she removed his handcuff.

"Let them in, Delilah," she said. Her voice was calm. Delilah just bowed her head slightly and walked towards the double doors to open them. She could see the long line of villagers waiting to have her audience.

A stout and bald man entered together with other men. With their clothes and the reek of the sea in them, she could tell they are fishermen. "Your Majesty," the one in the middle greeted. "You have heard about the fishes mysteriously dying in the sea."

She furrowed her brows. For years, her people have abandoned her and she abandoned them too. She didn't know about the fishes dying or anything happening on the walls of her palace for that matter.

"Tell me more about it," she said.

The men looked at each other before the one in the middle said, "We couldn't get many fishes in the sea and we couldn't sell a lot. What do we do?"

She swallowed because she doesn't know. She doesn't have the means to do so. Her soldiers have left her. Her councilors. Even her servants are gone. What could she possibly do? Offer a bit of wordy advice? Would her people even accept it? No, they wouldn't. They want something to be done. 

Ariadne couldn't say anything. She doesn't have any means to help them so she said, "I will look into it and I will do the necessary action. For now, I will give you something to support the entire coastal population." She looked at Delilah and nodded. Delilah was quick to take something from the box they had prepared. It was a goblet of gold worth millions.

"Sell this to a merchant and this will cost a fortune. Use the money to support the families in the coastal community until I find the solution to your problem—"

She heard murmurs from the fishermen and from the people waiting in line at the back. "What do you mean you're going to look into it?" the man in the middle said. "And a goblet of gold?" The man in the middle laughed and looked at her. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, there are no merchants in the village who could afford to buy this, which means this is useless."

"Are you going to give us goblets of gold too? Because if that is the case, then we are just wasting our time here," said one woman waiting in line.

She was about to say something when the murmurs grew louder until she couldn't even hear her own voice. These people expected too much. They expected too much from her when they all know what she'd been through. It was only the first few of the many villagers she is going to entertain.

Ariadne felt the rise of tension and then everything  switch back to that time several years ago. She could not see the bare walls but the walls filled with flowers and their suffocating scent. At the foot of the dais was a body of an unconscious man. She remembered how she felt unmoving and cold as she watched the body. Blood now pooled under the body and that's when she realized the wound on the man's body. She froze as she found it hard to breathe.

The blood, now redder than every kind of red she has ever seen, pooled at the bottom of the dais as if reminding everything of what she had done. As if telling her no matter how much she tries to forget, her people never will.

Why did she even agree to have them in the castle? Why did she even tell them she's going to help when she can't even help herself?

Rowan Casteel. No. Why would she blame someone who just offered her a piece of advice?

She looked at the man on the dais. Did she kill that man? Did she stab the knife into his chest? Did she do it? Why did she do it?

Everything was in chaos. She could hear people screaming. She could see them pointing their fingers at them. As if it was her fault that there were no fishes in the sea. It wasn't her fault.

But something deep inside tells her that it was her fault. That she deserved everything she's going through.

Then everything was so overwhelming that it was really getting harder to breathe. The walls are closing in and the dress felt too tight.

She wanted to scream, to stop them from shouting and calling her names. Ariadne could hear Delilah’s voice but it sooner got drowned from the voice of the people. They called her useless, they called her a beast. There has to be something fierce hidden beneath the cursed one. After all, she was once cruel and merciless. Yet no matter how much she tries to bring herself to say something to stop them, she couldn’t because she realized that her people are right. She is a beast and she deserved what happened to her.

“Enough!” a voice said. It echoed throughout the walls of the throne room and everything went instantly quiet. It was once chaos but then it became clear. The walls are bare. She could not see flowers on it. There was no dying man at the foot of the dais but she could see a group of fishermen in front of her who are already standing and looking at the entrance where the voice came from.

She followed the people’s gaze and saw it was Rowan. Clad in his black tunic and a black cloak tied with a brooch in front, Rowan looked…princely. Now she could definitely say he is someone prominent, wherever he came from.

His eyes met hers and she hated to admit that she was relieved. But she remained composed and quiet as she eyed the people who were looking suspiciously at the man in the entrance.

“I am Prince Rowan Casteel, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Cern,” he said and she could hear the collective gasps of the people inside. She couldn’t help but look at Rowan, who was confidently standing at the throne room entrance Delilah looked at her, wide-eyed. She was surprised to hear it too but she has mastered the art of masking her expression. But the Crown Prince of Cern? Nobody would make a joke as far as claiming to be the Crown Prince of Cern. Which means Rowan is serious.

“I came here for a proposal,” he said and looked at the people before his eyes met hers. He then walked down the aisle, never breaking his eyes on her. She doesn’t know what he is planning to do. All she told him to do yesterday was standing beside her. Nothing this grand.

When he reached the foot of the dais, he bent a knee and rested his arm on top of it. He bowed slightly and when he looked up, he winked.

Of course! This is all an act. She couldn’t believe it but he’s helping her. She just isn’t sure as to what kind of help is he going to offer.

“I came here to propose to Her Royal Majesty,” he announced and she furrowed her brows as she looked at him. “A marriage proposal.”

This time, she wasn’t able to hide the surprise on her face. She could hear the people’s murmurs but her focus was mainly on Rowan, kneeling at the foot of the dais. Then he stood without breaking eye contact with her.

“I have been told about your beauty, Your Majesty, but the stories didn’t even do justice. You are the most beautiful woman I have set my eyes upon.” He placed a hand on his chest. “Marry me, and our Kingdoms will prosper,” he said and bowed to his waist. She doesn’t know what to say and when he looked at the faces of her people, they were all looking at her, waiting for her to answer. Even Delilah was sneaking glances in her direction despite having her head bowed.

To them, Rowan is hope. Rowan is the solution. The Crown Prince of Cern is asking her hand for marriage. What better way to save her Kingdom than to marry a rich one? So she stood up and eyed the faces of her people. Then she looked at Rowan who remained bowed with his hand on his chest. She walked down the stairs slowly, waiting for Rowan to take it all back. Maybe this was a joke. Maybe this was all a ploy to humiliate her. But she reached the foot of the dais and Rowan did not take back what he said. When she was standing in front of her, he straightened and met her eyes. She couldn’t understand how he could use marriage as an escape from this dilemma. Are they going to marry for real? Is this just for a show? What should she do?

But when she looked at Rowan’s eyes, she instantly knows what she needed to do. She took a deep breath and took Rowan’s hands in hers. Ariadne looked at him and met his grinning face. Then she looked at the people who are looking at them, their faces filled with hope. After all, it's the Crown Prince of Cern.

“I accept your proposal, Prince Rowan,” she said and she could head the sighs of relief from the people inside. Relief not because she did not turn down Rowan’s proposal but relief because they’re saved and that everything will finally be alright.

Rowan then faced the people inside the throne room. “I swear to protect this Kingdom as my own,” he said and bowed to his waist in front of the people. Then Rowan looked at her as if urging her to say something too.

So she faced her people and said, “I know I did terrible things in the past and nothing I do would ever make it right because I can’t change the past.” She looked at her people. “But I can be better in the present to change the future.”

The people looked at her and they were all looking down to the ground. Her spirit died when she realized they still aren’t convinced. It was then that the old man she saw yesterday took a step forward.

“The people are only going to believe it if there is already something done, Your Majesty, please take no offense. But we are looking forward to the marriage of both kingdoms. It is hope and we are glad to have some.” The old man bowed and then walked away. The people followed out of the throne room and Delilah guided them to the gates until it was only her and Rowan left in the room.

She heaved a deep sigh as she sat on her chair. “A marriage,” she said. “I can’t believe the solution is marriage.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose and she felt Rowan’s eyes on her.

“I gave your people hope,” he said casually as if he did not just ask her hand for marriage.

“Are we even going to get married for real?”

Rowan furrowed his brows, “Of course. Why would I make a joke out of it?”

She swallowed hard. Marrying Rowan. She doesn’t even know him. He was a stranger that came to her castle one day and now he’s marrying him. But then again she realized she didn’t have much of a choice. This is the weight of the crown.

But marrying Rowan isn’t simply just marrying. She is cursed! How on earth is he going to tell him what her curse was? Sure, marrying Rowan would mean hope for her people and hope for her curse too. Marrying him would mean she will learn to love him and the curse will be lifted. But what about the curse? What if he finds out about the curse? He would kill her in an instant.

Delilah returned and looked at the two of them. “Your Majesty, do you want me to arrange a chamber for the both of you?”

“Heavens, no!”

“God, yes!”

She looked at Rowan who was already grinning in her direction and then to Delilah who was looking at the both of them.

“Why are you even late? I told you all you needed to do was stand behind me,” she asked Rowan.

But Rowan just shrugged and said, “Well, seeing the situation before I arrived, I didn’t think standing behind you would do the trick. I had to do something.”

“And introduce yourself as the Prince? Why didn’t you say you were a Prince before?”

“Same reason you didn’t tell me you are a Queen. I had to find it all out all by myself.”

Ariadne closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She hated that he’s got a point. She stood from her seat. “I need some air,” she said and went out of the throne room.

Marrying a Prince. She never once thought of marrying. Not even once. She didn’t need to because she didn’t need to be desperate to save her kingdom. After she was cursed, she had been isolated. But then again it was no excuse. Her people did what they did because of anger. They are mad at her for what she did to them and their families.

As she stayed longer outside, breathing the fresh air, she figured it is good for her. In fact, it was all too good for her. She couldn’t help but wonder what could Rowan get from it. Marrying her and the kingdom that’s almost dying? What does he really want?

The more she thinks about it, the more it didn’t make sense. The marriage is only good for her. She couldn’t think of anything that would benefit Rowan. Then all of a sudden, she remembered what she did in his cell at that time. Something they—or she—never talked about again. She doesn’t know why she suddenly thought about it but she stood and sauntered her way inside the castle. Her steps are light and careful as she trudged the hallway that led to his chamber.

When she was in front of the door, she couldn’t bring herself to knock. Ariadne swallowed hard and cleared her throat, giving silent encouragement to herself. But when she was about to knock, the door opened and she was greeted by a grinning Rowan.

She blinked and took a step back. But then Rowan placed his arm on the door frame and looked at her.

“Your Majesty,” he said. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Ariadne met his eyes. She isn’t someone who would back down easily. So she said, “I came here to thank you for what you did earlier. That was a brilliant plan. Impulsive, but brilliant.”

Rowan raised his brow as if he knew she still has something to say. So she cleared her throat and said, “And I also came here to pay for the favor.”

* * *