The Prince’s Bride

Grace to grass.

The weather in Aveynia is sometimes described as harsh, especially during winter seasons, when the temperature is at it lowest, more so, when the homeless would do anything just to have a place to spend the night.

One like Dalia.

With the extreme weather driving Dalia deep inside the diminutive bridge she stays under, Dalia's body shivers intensively as her teeth grits against one other, while she hugs the blanket wrapped around Sebastian closer, trying her possible best to control the effects of the weather on him.

Amidst all her trails, nothing seems to take effect, as the cries of Sebastian fill the blowing wind, as when Dalia touches his skin, she feels the coldness that terrifies her, such that an infant should not acquire.

Feeling for her own predicament, tears begin to fall from Dalia's eyes, as she sobs lightly, but who can hear her? When she stays in the loud whistling wind, under the middle of the road, having had the place she grew up in, destroyed in matter of seconds, by the werewolves who chased her.

The melancholy event still vivid in her memory, as more tears descend Dalia's eyes, when those men ambushed her in her home, after thinking she escaped them by running inside where she kept Sebastian, as what she didn't know is, they saw and followed her.  

Through her hiding to find an escape route, the men became impatient, as they began breaking and cutting down the woods of the only thing she had left of her mother, till her home was destroyed, and she had no other option than to come running out into the woods.

As Sebastian cries becomes louder, so does Dalia's sobs intensifies, while she tries to rock faster, yet, it doesn't change anything as what is making Sebastian uncomfortable, is the excessive cold he is feeling for an infant.

Dalia knows all these, but there is nothing she can do, as the bridge is the only safe haven for them at the moment. Dalia's sob growing weaker by the second, as the only thing she can do at this time, is recall how her life went from grace to grass, how she went from eating a three day meal, to barely finding one meal to eat in a day, and having to have two parents, to having to have none anymore.

But all those are gone now, Dalia thinks, as her only solution at this instant is do whatever she can to protect the only family she has left.

Sebastian.

She is going to find whatever means it is, just so Sebastian won't have to live like this forever, just so he can get the nutrients which he needs for an infant, even if it means sacrificing her own will or life for him, she is ready to.

Dalia's memory goes back earlier, before darkness covered the whole clouds, as she recalls back to meeting a certain royal and the offer he has for her.

Lucien.

Even if she has no interest of hearing Lucien's words before, now her ears are both open to hear them and envisage about it. Here he is, placing a life changing, yet, dangerous offer before her that would require her to sacrifice the life she is living for it.

But hell, what life is she even living as of now? Dalia questions herself. What life is she living that, she neither has no bread to her table, nor a bed to her body, so what kind of wretched life is she living? Dalia questioning her inner self again, as droplets of tears find ways down her eyes the more.

Her life will change, if she accepts Lucien's offer, to which she knows, but, if it promises Sebastian a better future, then it may be a decision she is ready to take, rather a decision she has already taken.

If Lucien keeps to his words.

Dalia's attention swifts away from her thinking,  down to the child in her arms, as her heart begins to skip, hearing his sudden silence. Her hands begin to tremble, while she shakes Sebastian from gently to vigorously, and nothing escapes his miniature lips, not even a coo or a sound.

"Sebastian," Dalia calls his name loudly. "Sebastian!" Her voice louder than earlier and still yet, nothing visible comes out from the infant, as that prompts Dalia to move her head closer to his heart, hoping her worst fear isn't coming true.

Dalia's eyes go wide in horror and fear, with her ears not picking up a single thing from his heart, as her  breath begins to heave higher and she decides to try one last thing, before she concludes. Which is, placing her index finger close to Sebastian nose, and when a single breath refuses to diffuse out from Sebastian's lungs, it erupts the beginning of Dalia's wailing.

"Sebastian! No! No! No!" Dalia refusing to accept what it is she envisages, as she drops Sebastian to the ground, still with his blanket around him, while she begins to pump his heart. "No! No! You.. can...not...leave...me! You can not die Sebastian! Wake up! Wake... up!" And with every of her word, so does another pump goes into Sebastian's heart, as streams of tears descend down her eyes heavily.

"No! No!" Dalia still in denial, as she tries to summon what ever power is inside her to revive his heart, but it all comes down to failure, as she neither knows how to control her powers, nor, know any spell of revival.

In the middle of the road, with no one to help her, no one to hear her wails, no one to see, no one to pity her, Dalia's wails grows louder, as her voice erupts in a loud scream of agony and pain, that anyone who hears it, would come running to her, but unfortunately, no one does.

Amidst her wails and cries, a thought comes through her head, and even if it may be a pointless one, if it means saving her brother, she would do anything.

Dalia grabs her lifeless brother from the ground, into her arms as her body arise up and her legs begin running, and running with every strength left in her, that even she is astonished by her speed, while adrenaline surges through her, taking her feet faster than she has ever known to a certain palace.

The Zeak palace.

Her legs running together with the activity of her brain recalling the information Lucien gave her, of knowing where to find him when she eventually accepts his request. Her pace increasing by the second, so does the beating of her heart, as her lips begin to pray to whoever is in the heavens, to grant her this one thing she is asking for, to save Sebastian.

Dalia's pace decreases for a second or two, as her gaze lands on tall buildings and barricaded gates, shifting her thoughts to thinking if she may have missed her route and gotten lost, but when she sight the embroidery of the gates, her legs regain motion until she reaches her destination, only to be stopped by the guards securing the Zeak palace.

"Stay back commoner! You have no business here." One of the guards at the gate prevents her entry.

"Please, please, this child is dying, I have to see His highness. I have to see prince Lucien." Dalia pleads desperately, while the guards burst out in laughter at her.

"And who told you the prince is a Healer that saves life?" The same guard whom prevents her from entry speaks, whilst the rest carry on their laughter.

"I do not say he is a healer, but he would know one. So, please, please you don't even have to tell him anything, just tell him Dalia is here, he would understand. I beg of you." Dalia pleads with everything in her, shutting out every bit of pride or sharp mouth of hers.

"Get away from here commoner, you're not the first to claim to know the prince, and why won't you? You've also been mesmerized by him." Another of the guards speak, as Dalia hears all their words, helplessly of what to do.

Her knees go weak on their own, as she falls to the ground with Sebastian still in her arms, with tears beating lifeless out of her eyes, as with her stance, she pleads with everything in her to heavens.

'If indeed there is one above, then I plead, I plead with my body and soul, I plead with the power bestowed on me, and I plead with the innocence of this child, that you let him live, let him live and I promise to give whatever it is you desire of me.' Dalia words with strength and power filling each, that the heavens can neither turn a blind eye anymore, as suddenly, the heavens light up, creating the brightest and loudest lightening the whole of Aveynia has ever seen, upon hearing the strength in Dalia's wails.

Yet, that isn't the only miraculous event that takes place, as when the lightening strikes, so does it bring awareness to the figure that stands in the middle of the Zeak palace.

A figure that when enlightened to the gaze of every guard that stands in position, horror fills their faces, as they stare at their prince holding a gaze that could open the walls of hell on them.

"Open the gates!" Dalia's gaze raising abruptly, as all these which happen to the guards remains unknown to her, as what rises her head, is the deep familiar masculine voice, blaring with authority, as she now stares directly at his highness, prince Lucien.