THE LORD AND HIS RAVEN

Prince Logan

A chill ran down my spine. And I took a step back. But his eyes never left mine. And within them, I could see his desires creeping in.

Tears burned the back of my eyes. I thought I was stronger than that, that I was brave, courageous. I thought I could take on the whole world. I thought I knew pain. But right there, I knew what the first glimpse of pain was and I never wanted to feel that again. I was a coward.

I let my towel go and let my foolish tears fall down my eyes. I was nothing but a spineless fool. And all that was left of my dignity laid bare on the floor.

For a while, I felt his gaze on me. Hot, scorching and terrifying. He came closer, close enough that I felt his body heat coating me.

“You are beautiful.” His voice came, softer than I have ever heard. Right before he turned around, leaving me all alone and I fell to the floor.

I was taken to a different room right after the prince left the room, which I later found out belonged to him. I was taken to a smaller, shabbier room where other maids stayed within the castle. And I was given days to rest and let my wounds heal. I got to see women come in and out, each with that same weird expression and they either whispered or snickered at me.

The maids who had helped clean me up, Vivian and Lilith took care of my needs so I didn’t need to move much. For a week, all I saw was the four walls of the room.

A week later, I could tell where I was perfectly, and it was clear this wasn’t a dream or a nightmare. Was life haunting me? Or was there an evil malevolent being that was out for me? My mother had died, I was kidnapped the same day she was buried. I ran for two days, trying to escape death, then I was shot, or I think I was shot and I fell into a ditch with strange ravens attacking everyone. Then there was this bright light and I woke up in a world I didn’t know, like I had been transported or something and everybody seemed to think I was someone else or a spy. Not to add, they lived like they were still in the begining of age of man. So, no way to call home. No internet, no phone, no fax machine.

~

The very moment I started standing on my own for a few minutes, special treatments stopped and no one bothered to check on me anymore. But everyone still treated me the same way. Maids scoffed when they saw me. I could clearly see that they didn’t want me there. That we had in common. I wanted to return home.

I was given a uniform that looked like theirs and that was all I wore. The only difference was, I had not been put to work yet.

Some maids started trooping in for their breaks, when I caught sight of the women who had taken care of me earlier.

“Hey…” I made my way to them. and they stopped on their tracks. They turned to me, one with a smile and the other, a little unwelcoming.

“I’m Raven. And I might have been delirious all this while, but I think you both took care of me. I just want to say thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” One entered.

“I am Vivian…” She smiled and my heart eased. I turned to the other and she simply just turned away.

“Excuse me….” I entered before she went too far. She paused and turned to me, her eyes were even more angry than they had been the last time.

“I didn’t do anything out of the good of my heart. If I took care of you, it was because the prince had ordered me to do just that. You are nothing special, we are not friends and I do not need the thanks of someone like you.” She snapped coldly.

“Someone like me?” I asked, somewhat confused.

“You have a lot of guts walking around here, with that face.” Someone else entered and everyone turned to me. Their eyes were just as cruel and cold.

“You think because the prince pardoned you, we will.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I tried explaining as I had done in that cell.

“What else will a spy say?” Some snapped. And the others entered altogether.

“She is the devil…”

“She has no conscience.”

Those words came quick, cruel, hostile, all with some kind of evil intent behind their gaze. I turned around, seeing no need to be there. How could I keep surviving only to be in a worse situation? Before I could take a step, the door was pushed open and my eyes immediately fell on a familiar looking person.

My heart skipped and I took a step back. Phineas smiled at me, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Silence immediately fell around me, but my heart pounded inside my chest and all I wanted to do was run. I couldn’t go back to that cell.

“Stop it, Phineas…” A different voice entered from behind him and the air turned still. The maids around immediately bent into a bow and Prince Logan stepped into the room.

If my heart had raced for Phineas, it stopped for the prince. I could not help but recall the last time I had seen him.

Shame overwhelmed me, accompanied by the terrifying feeling that curled around the pit of my stomach.

“You seem to have healed…” He started towards me almost immediately. I took steps away from him instantly. I wanted to disappear, I wanted to run, I wanted to never see him. But the more I moved, the faster his steps were, that within a few steps, he was right in front of me.

His eyes gleaming just as brightly as Phineas’, only with a lot more glow and a grin on his lips. The familiar grin that sent cold running down my spine. He looked down at me, like a predator to a prey and I could do nothing, but simply quiver there.

“No one else is to serve me from here on out…” His voice echoed loudly around the room.

“Raven here will be my eyes, ears, hands and legs from now on.” He added, his eyes still on me.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, my prince….” They chorused.

“Do you understand?” He held my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his, without an escape. My heart slammed down the pit of my stomach as I thought I saw his eyes glow for a second there.

“Yes,” I managed to say. But he didn’t let go. He kept his eyes on me, and made sure I met his.

“My prince…” I added lastly. And his grin widened. Then he let go and walked away. My knees buckled underneath me and tears burned the back of my eyes almost immediately, but I forced my legs to keep standing, even if my feet hurt.

Just as he opened the door, something came flying in, quick, fast. Screams followed and I raised my gaze to find a bird coming quickly towards me. It sent me back to that cold, dark, rainy night. Those ravens had come to me just like that, croaking, their wings flapping miserably under the rain. I had barely missed them the first time, but I never missed them the second time. The second time when the trigger was pulled, the second time when I fell.

A sharp pain immediately hit my head, pulling me back to that miserable night. And I bent into my knees, whimpering as the pain only intensified. My head was on fire, almost like it wanted to split open with a mighty force. It hurt so badly, I wanted to scream.

Till something tiny fell on my head. And almost immediately, the pain disappeared. A raven’s eyes suddenly appeared in my vision. Those black pitch eyes. I froze. Then it let out a low gurgling croak and flew down from my head, to my shoulders.

Whispers rose around me, but they were nothing, nothing compared to the eyes of the prince that had been on me all this while.